Plush toys are generally trustworthy cuddly buddies of children, but when dropped into a horror film, they become a nightmare for us all. Nasu Teddy Bear Museum somehow manages to bring that contrasting duality to their visitors by displaying a wide array of plushies, from adorable Totoros to an exceeding creepy teddy bear with way too many teeth.
Why does a teddy bear need that many teeth?
Image credit: @11ma_thuu04
The nightmare bear in question, Miss Celie, was actually inspired by the character from The Colour Purple, played by Whoopi Goldberg. The bear was even signed by both Whoopi Goldberg and its creator and renowned doll artist, Robin Foley.
Though it’s not actually a haunted teddy bear à la Annabelle, Miss Celie’s wide grin – baring all its teeth – looks horrifying from certain angles.
Image credit: Nasu Teddy Bear Museum
On the cuter side of things, we have the teddy bear who’s the symbol of the museum, Teddy Edward. He’s dubbed the most well-travelled teddy bear – BBC even published a television series about Teddy Edward and his travels!
Image credit: Nasu Teddy Bear Museum
The museum also houses Globear, who was created by Dutch teddy bear maker Anna Koetsu and auctioned off for charity. Nasu Teddy Bear Museum bid for Globear and exhibited it in order to share the heartfelt story behind the adorable teddy.
Image credit: @megmegbear
Make sure to catch the many other varieties of teddy bears that reside in Nasu Teddy Bear Museum – you might even run into a teddy bear’s wedding ceremony!
Image credit: @yasu_da_kaito
Watch out for the Totoro garden outside the museum, as Totoro of varying sizes guard the area.
Image credit: @maydetai
Can’t get enough of the adorable Totoro? Fret not as there is a Totoro plush toy exhibition on the second floor of the museum. You can even climb into the cuddly cat bus to snag a photo!
Image credit: @0114.hidek
If you’re feeling peckish after exploring the museum, head over to Teddy’s Garden Cafe, where you can chomp on adorable teddy bear-themed food and drinks.
Image credit: @miho_176
The cafe’s most popular menu item is their custard pudding (¥550, ~USD4.77), which goes best with their teddy bear latte art cappuccino (¥650, ~USD5.63).
You can view the full menu here.
Visit Miss Celie in real life to ascertain whether or not she will haunt your dreams at night, or if she’s just a slightly unfortunate-looking bear. But don’t worry – even if she terrifies you, there are tons of adorable teddy bears and Totoro plushies for you to fawn over.
Getting there: The museum is a 30-minute taxi ride from Nasu Shiobara Station.
Address: 1185-4 Takakuhei, Nasu-machi, Nasu-gun, 325-0302 Tochigi
Admission fee: ¥1500 (~USD11.02) for adults; ¥1,000 (~USD7.34) for junior high and high school students; ¥800 (~USD5.88) for elementary school students; free for children under 6 and elderly over 75 years old
Opening hours: 9.30AM-5PM | Opening hours and dates are subject to change. Check this page for the latest updates before you visit.
Telephone: 0287-76-1711
Website
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Cover image adapted from: @manmanmangetsu and @11ma_thuu04
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