{
  "id": 15531246,
  "title": "New Studio Ghibli stamps – Too cute to wait until New Year’s to use, so they’re available right now",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/new-studio-ghibli-stamps-too-cute-to-wait-until-new-years-to-use-so",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-19T01:00:49.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SoraNews24",
    "slug": "soranews24",
    "url": "https://soranews24.com/2026/10/19/new-studio-ghibli-stamps-too-cute-to-wait-until-new-years-to-use-so-theyre-available-right-now/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Totoro and the Catbus stamps from Studio Ghibli have been released for this year's New Year's cards, or nengajo as they are called in Japanese. These adorable stamps are part of a lineup that features various Totoro designs and are available right now, not just for the New Year's season. In Japan, sending New Year's cards is a custom practiced at the end of the year, a busy period due to the vacation time between December and January.\n\nThe stamps showcase a variety of designs, each featuring Totoro, the forest spirit, and the Catbus. One stamp shows Totoro playing his ocarina while Small Totoro sits on his head, accompanied by the Japanese New Year's greeting written in kanji characters. The phrase 'geishun', used in written greetings, is made up of 'welcoming' (迎) and 'spring' (春) in kanji.\n\nThese stamps are not limited to New Year's cards only. They can be used to stamp any part of your inkpad where kanji characters would come into contact with the ink, creating a cute Totoro stamp anywhere you'd like. The stamp with Small Totoro riding a ram symbolizes the Chinese zodiac animal for 2027, but can be used throughout the year.\n\nThe Soot Sprite design, featuring a stylized Catbus, includes traditional Japanese good luck items like a fan, a top, and a gourd. These items are particularly suitable for New Year's, but they could also fit well on any letter or note you're sending to someone you wish good fortune to. Lastly, the Catbus stamp has the famous feline running towards \"Omedetou gozaimasu\" (Happy New Year) written in phonetic hiragana script for easy readability.",
  "summary": "Totoro and the Catbus are ready to help you get started on wishing for good luck and happiness even before we get to nengajo season. Japan doesn’t really do Christmas cards, but the country does have a custom of New Year’s cards, or nengajo, as they’re called in Japanese. The end of the year tends […]",
  "key_points": [
    "Totoro and Catbus stamps released for this year's New Year cards.",
    "Stamps feature various Totoro designs and can be used year-round.",
    "Designs include Totoro playing ocarina, Small Totoro on his head."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Expanding the availability of these seasonal designs beyond the traditional New Year period transforms specialized holiday stationery into versatile tools for year-round correspondence and personal expression.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}