If you’re fan of Ghibli Studio you must have heard & been acquainted with this furry character. He became very much popular as a symbol of pure friendship in the movie My Neighbour Totoro which is also a debut of this famous character.

Apparently, he became the mascot of Studio Ghibli and came from the imaginary world of his creator Hayao Miyazaki.

Totoro is, as from references from Ghibli, is a forest spirit and thus not a traditional Japanese character. He belong to Totoro Tribe or Kodama (Tree Spirit)

His appearance is based on a horned owl (Mimizuku) & his name was supposed to inspired by this one but during the process, it was changed to Totoro.

Despite not being a traditional character he & other characters from the Movie have become cultural icons & Totoro as characters himself made several cameos in others films, making him the most popular character in Japanese animation.

His name was inspired by the Neighborhood troll in Tokorozawa or the word Troll ~ ‘Tororo’ (Japanese pronunciation ) but in the Movie ( My Neighbour Totoro) Mei Kusakabe mispronounced his name as Totoro. In the movie his interaction with the girls especially Mei Kusakabe turned out to be a fortunate one as his name became a popular symbol of love and friendship.

In the movie we can witness others cutesy Totoro as well namely Oh-Totoro, Chu-Totoro and Chibi-Totoro alongside equally mentionable Kittenbus ( literally a Catbus) and Susuwatari ( Soot Spirits )

Totoro also symbolises the innocence of childhood and made people very nostalgic about their childhood times. It’s also bring the warmth of a companionship as the Kusakabe sisters feels with this grey forest spirit.

Although Studio Ghibli delivered many notable characters but his popularity seems to unfrazen. The reason could be Miyazaki own experience with the rural city of Tokorozawa back in 1960s which he tried to recreate in this masterpiece.

The popularity of Totoro as character can also be seen commercially as My Neighbor Totoro—which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year still being recognised as best film of all times ( Sight & Sound’s Poll 2022) & it ranks top in the list of Ghibli’s movie. It’s also the most searched anime movie from Studio Ghibli.

The movie itself was found to be the most popular choice, with 49% of participants across all ages saying it was one of their favorites. It has strong emotional appeal and people love to buy it’s merchandise & others related stuff making it more successful in capturing market from the viewers of the 80s & 90s. With era of aesthetic, it has more potential to become more popular with current gen as well.

Totoro is not just a character, it’s a vibe that brings all the comfort joy, peace & magic of childhood that is associated with him.