Japanese figure skating star Yuzuru Hanyu and Winne-the-Pooh announce crossover merch line [Pics]

Pooh Shower tradition inspires over 100 crossover items .

Japan has tons of cool character merch, and the fun gets doubled when its part of a crossover, like when Hello Kitty teams up with the cast of Sesame Street , Yu-Gi-Oh , or Evangelion .

Japan’s newest collaboration, though, isn’t between two fictional characters, but between one of Disney’s most beloved icons and one of the country’s biggest sports heroes .

Yuzuru Hanyu secured his status as Japan’s most celebrated male figure skater with back-to-back gold medals at the 2014 and 2018 Olympics.

Before he was associated with the shine of Olympic gold, though, he was connected to bright yellow bear Winnie-the-Pooh .

As far back as 2010, people started noticing that Hanyu had a Winnie-the-Pooh plushie-style tissue box rinkside during practices and competitions, and it became tradition for fans to shower the ice with stuffed animals of the character following his performances .

This October 14 will be the 100th anniversary of the release of the original Winnie-the-Pooh children’s book, and to celebrate, a series of Yuzuru Hanyu/Winnie-the-Pooh popup shops will be offering crossover merch of the pair .

Called Shower of Heart , evoking thoughts of the “Pooh Shower,” as fans have come to call the after-skate showering of gifts onto the ice, the merchandise line will consist of over 100 exclusive items .

So far, the organizers have revealed that there’ll be acrylic standees … … key holders/bag straps … …and a special Winnie-the-Pooh plushie with an extra-classy shimmery-fabric shirt. ▼ Pooh Bear is, however, apparently still saying “Nah, I’m good” regarding pants.

The Shower of Heart popup store tour starts in Tokyo at Shibuya Tsutaya from October 2 to 30, then heads to Kyoto’s Takashimaya S.C. (November 3-15), Nagoya’s JR Nagoya Takashimaya (November 18-29), Okayama’s Okayama Takashimaya (January 8-19), Fukuoka’s Hakata Hankyu (April 21-May 10), and, finally Sendai’s Fujisaki department store (May 27-June 8).

Related: Shower of Heart official website Source: PR Times Top image: PR Times Insert images: Shower of Heart official website, PR Times ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter !