“Enjoy playing with this fluffy puppy at home!” Felissimo, a miscellaneous goods shop famous for its catalogs and Internet shopping, is now selling stuffed Akita puppies that look just like the real thing.
The idea for the product came about when a Felissimo staff member saw a photo of an Akita puppy on Twitter posted by the Akita Dog Preservation Society headquartered in Odate City, Akita. The staff was deeply impressed and fascinated by the Akita puppies’ cuteness and decided to make a stuffed doll modeled after it. With information and advice to reference from the preservation society, they could recreate an Akita dog’s appearance and fluffiness, paying great attention to detail.
The staff based the stuffed doll on the image of a two-month-old red-haired Akita puppy. It has an innocent expression with its tongue sticking out, and its tail curled up as it’s lying down. To make the fur feel closer to the real thing, they chose fur fabric with longer hair. A representative from the company said, “I hope people will enjoy petting it as if it were a beloved dog you live with.”
The Akita Dog Preservation Society commented, “The doll looks unbelievably realistic, from the shape of its face and tail to the direction of its feet when lying down. I hope people will keep it close to them and take good care of it.”
The doll is priced at 6,050 yen, including tax, and is available on Felissimo’s website: https://www.felissimo.co.jp/
