Souvenirs from Asia Follow Up: Shimada Mart Pig Plushie Has a New Owner!
Back in 2018, I posted about Haikyu!! character goods my husband brought from Japan, which included a Shimada Mart pig plushie. While it was very unique (how many smiling pre-sliced porkers are out there anyway?), I couldn’t warm up to its slabby figure, so I mentioned it was available for sale.
Four years, a pandemic, and a house move later, Shimada pig was still with me (and unopened), but I’d forgotten about my shout-out for best offers. So I was perplexed when I got an email from an address I didn’t recognize with the subject: The Pig. To be honest, I almost didn’t open it because I thought it might be a weird phishing scheme.
But phishing it was not! Rather, it was artymis from the Lone Star State inquiring if the piggy plush was still available for sale. I was astounded. My blog post had actually connected with an interested buyer!
A few email exchanges and 24 hours later, the plushie was in a box on its way to its forever home. Shipping with it were Haikyu!! Engeki (Haikyu!! Musical Stage Play) DVDs. We’d upgraded to a 4K TV, and my husband also upgraded our three Haikyu!! Engeki DVDs to the Blu-ray versions. Since we didn’t need multiple copies, I offered them to artymis. I figured anyone who was enough of a fan to pursue a Shimada plus pig might take the DVDs–and she did!
Our porker’s journey out of the Golden State took about a week due to winter weather delays. However, it is now safely in its forever home in the Lone Star State, where it goes by the name “Shimada no buta-san,” which roughly translates to Shimada’s Pig. May you enjoy freedom from your packaging and bring piles of joy and hog jokes to your new owner!
