亲朋棋牌

Today is a big day for fans of Kenichi, the beloved mascot of Tohoku University's Public Relations Office. If you were to typically visit Kawauchi campus around 7:30am, it would be a ghost town. Classes haven't started yet, all the campus stores are shuttered, and everyone would still be blissfully snoozing away at home. However, today is different. Today, a line of students outside of the campus Co-op shop stretches out across the open plaza.

"We lined up at 5:45am to make sure it doesn't sell out before I get a chance to buy it," says Ochiai and Hasegawa, two students in the Faculty of Science who were the first in line.

The reason for this deliberate sleep deprivation is the release of brand new Kenichi merchandise - the headliner being a new plushie that is about three times the size of the original. The other offerings include a new Kenichi ballpoint pen and the long-awaited restock of the original, smaller plushie.

Kenichi has a multitude of different merchandise: from acrylic stands to washi tape. However, it all pales in comparison to the demand for that original Kenichi plushie. All three restocks (a total of 4,500 plushies) sold out within 24-48 hours. It seems that no matter how many plushies are ordered, the love for Kenichi far exceeds it. Many remarked that they planned on adding more Kenichi plushies to their ever-growing collection.

Why is everyone so obsessed? Their simple yet cute design seems to captivate students.

"Those big, round eyes are my favourite part," says Klinsarai Nitrandu, an IPLA exchange student from Thailand. Her friends Khaimur Tonklar and Sae Sow Weraya joke that "It lowkey looks like they're going through some kind of crisis! It's such a charming expression."

That lovable deer-in-the-headlights expression in supersized form proved to be as compelling as expected, and the big plushie completely sold out in a flash. At Aobayama campus, it took about 20 minutes. Katahira campus only lasted 10. On the bright side, this does seem to be the chance for everyone to get their hands on the original plushie, as this was another large restock of about 3,000 plushies.

The plushies are on sale as of June 16, 2025 at campus co-op shops as well as online. However, we suggest moving quickly, because they might have all been snatched up in the time it took to read this article!

Live updates about the remaining inventory, details about appearances by Kenichi on campus, and other cute shenanigans can be found on the official English language Public Relations Kenichi Instagram account: @tohoku_uni_pr_kenichi_en

LEFT: Kenichi squishy plushie (900 JPY) on the left, and the Kenichi big squishy plushie (3,600 JPY) on the right (SOLD OUT). RIGHT: Kenichi ballpoint pen, 3 colours (295 JPY)