The purpose of this guide is to help users identify trustworthy sellers and authentic merchandise and steer clear of bootleg plushies and unscrupulous sellers.

Japanese UFO catcher plush are very cute, rare and popular. As such, they have attracted imitators.  But what is a UFO catcher plush? UFO catchers are very common in arcades in Japan. They are machines filled with prizes that players 'catch' with a claw, similar to western claw machines. However, merchandise from Japanese machines is very high-quality and limited in production.

Why should you try to avoid bootlegs? The answer is very simple. So you can suppourt liscenced product of course! Also, money from bootlegged merchandise tends to fund bad things like drug dealing and prostitution. Also, when buying a bootleg, you have no guarantee as to the safety of the materials. Since plush toys are so appealing to children, this could pose a very real problem. Many bootlegs come from China, and recently Chinese toys have been in the news for containing hazardous materials. You surely do not want to risk that!

Tips for getting authentic merchandise:

Know your series- If you are collectiong more recent plush, you can look them up on the company's own website. For older plush, there are several image gallerys that can be found by googling UFO Catcher plush. The biggest manufacturers are Banpresto, Sega and Movic. Studio Ghibli plushies are manufactured by Sun Arrow, and are not UFOs.

Study the image- If a plushie looks 'off' it probably is! Like I said before, authentic UFO catchers are very high-quality. Older plushies (like Rurouni Kenshin plushies) are not as nice as newer ones, but the quality is still there.

Ask for pictures- Do not be afraid to ask for pictures of the tags! Older plushies may not have the paper hang tag still attached, but new plushies should. And all of them will have a soft 'tush' tag. If a seller ignores you or refuses to supply pictures, you may want to steer clear!

From L-R:
Tush and Hang Tag for a new Pocket Monsters UFO (back and front)- See Banpresto Logo on one side of the Tush and Pocket Monsters Diamond and Pearl logo on the other side. On the back side of the hang tag, the blue oval is actually a sticker of authenticity. Sorry for poor image quality, eBay shrunk my images!

Tush and hang tag for Studio Ghibli 'Fox Squirrel' plush- It's super hard to see, but it says 'Sun Arrow, Designed by Studio Ghibli.' The paper tag has a little orange sticker of authenticity on it with a small Totoro.

Avoid Stock Images- Stock images are usually just the plushie in front of a white background. Several sellers may use the same stock image. With these, you are not seeing what you would actually get if you won the auction. The plushie could be the same, or a little bit different...

Japanese Sellers- Don't be afraid to purchase from them! I have found that Japanese sellers are the most reliable for authentic plushies. Sure shipping is a little more, but I think it is worth it.

Quantity- Does a seller have a bunch of a particular plush? That's a big red flag! UFOs are limited in quantity and retired quickly.

Return policy- Read the return policy carefully! You want to be able to return the plushie if you discover it is a bootleg when you recieve it. No return policy? Proceed with caution!

Series to be careful with:

Kingdom Hearts- The only official Kingdom Hearts plushies are a few Heartless. One Soldier Heartless and a few colorful beanie type ones. All those Soras you see? Fake fake fake!

Final Fantasy VII- There were two official FFVII plushie sets back when the game was released. I have noticed a bunch of new Cloud and Sephiroth plushies available lately. They are more chubby/chibi than the real ones. Steer clear!

Chocobos- Likewise there are fake Chocobo plushies out there. They have big heads and strange eyes.

Inu Yasha- You mostly see fake DX plushies, and even those not as often. IY's problem is the glut of plushies made for the domestic market by Great Eastern Animation. Buyer beware, my GE Inu Yasha fell apart!

Death Note- Official plushies are manufactured by Movic and are hard to come by.

Rurouni Kenshin- There are two official Banpresto sets from 1996 and one official key chain set. Recently, there has been a glut of fake Kenshins and Sanosukes that, while looking nothing like the official ones, are still bootlegs. Also, there are the GE American plushies too that are not terrible but not as nice as Japanese Kenshins. Series 2 Kenshins (magenta shirt, smiling) are rumoured to have been bootlegged, but it is very hard to tell, especially from an auction photo. The best security I can offer is to look for the sticker hidden inside the tush tag. I don't know why Banpresto stopped doing this...
Pokemon- There is a difference between Japanese Pokemon UFO Catchers and Japanese Pokemart Pokedolls. UFO catchers are rarer than the dolls. They are just fine for collecting mind you but I feel some sellers overcharge for them.

Naruto stuff gets bootlegged too, but I do not follow that series so I can't really give any advice.

There are also fan-made UFO-style plushies to be found. These are not considered bootlegs, and can be really nice additions to your collection. I have a couple Kenshins myself. :)

I hope this guide proves useful for everyone!

Nefhithiel on ufocatcher.net BBS