Tokyo Posse FLCL - Samejima Mamimi

This is a strange little doll that I didn't know existed at the time it was released, and I suspect this is true of many. Put out five years after the initial Japanese air date of FLCL, this and the corresponding Haruko doll were distributed by Takara-USA, a short lived American arm of the century-old Japanese toy firm Takara. The doll utilizes the standard body mold of Takara's wildly popular Jenny doll, the equivalent to Barbie in the Japanese marketplace, and as such I don't think most buyers realize that these dolls have a wire armature that runs through not only the legs, but the arms as well, streamlining the posing process. The head mold used for Mamimi is (I believe) that of the Jenny friend Kaori, although it might also be that of another friend called Loberia (not owning either doll, it is difficult to be certain based on picture comparison alone).These dolls were released as part of a push by Takara at the time into the US marketplace following an 8-9 year period when importing of the Takara Jenny and Licca dolls was very high, and were also supposed to be met with 6 variations of the Jenny doll also exclusive to the US market. I don't think this ever actually happened, and no further dolls were made in the Tokyo Posse line, as Takara-USA quietly folded right before the time the toy giant TOMY swallowed Takara in a corporate merger during the 2006-2007 period. Today Takara-TOMY (as it is known) continues to make the Takara Jenny dolls, but the faces and bodies continue to distance themselves from the initial Jenny concept. I think this is a doll that will have some value later on as a result, being one of the last authentic Takara dolls manufactured, and especially being exclusive to the US.I'd recommend this to a collector of Takara Jenny or Licca dolls, but for FLCL fans I'd only encourage this as a set with Haruko. On her own Mamimi appears to be a standard, if disheveled, schoolgirl Jenny doll, and doesn't add much to an anime collector's display. The quality of the outfit is shockingly good, with a real working zipper, but the fact that there's no shirt or under garment beneath what is essentially a slouchy school girl sweatshirt is a confusing omission. The other doll in the series, Haruko, is more exciting, although she looks bears a more realistic facial screening, but as a set they make a nice pair. Now that Takara is gone and the anime/manga market is severely diminished from where it was at the time these were released, it is likely the US won't see another concept like these dolls for a very long time. And even as dead stock, these dolls feel new and high quality and that's a rarity.

This doll has an incredibly detailed outfit. Her sweatshirt really zips and is incredibly soft - feels just like a real sweatshirt. And it has a cute sailor flap in the back instead of a hoodie.The skirt is very well made with crisp pleats.The socks are an olive green color that you wouldn't think would match the navy-blue shirt and beige/red/brick skirt, but they work. Very soft socks. She also wears white panties. She has no shirt on underneath the sweatshirt, which seemed a bit odd to me.The shoes are brown flat loafers, with nice detailing and they fit well.The doll herself is so-so. Her face is well-painted but has a weird expression. Her hair is soft and well-rooted.Her body has typical Japanese doll articulation, which is to say, not much: neck, arms, and legs; her knees and elbows bend due to an interior wire.Her ears have earring holes but no earrings.

This doll is adorable. I bought it for my daughter a few years ago (she is now 10) because she loves the anime characters. The doll is adorable and all the little detail that went into the outfit is so neat. Everything is well made and good quality overall. The doll also came with a display stand, which is nice. If you're a fan of FLCL, you won't be disappointed with this cute little doll.

It's a unique sort of doll, it looks sort of like one of the old barbies for the body type but a little different. Only thing that I did not really like about this doll is the hair texture but above all it's a pretty cool doll.

I don't know what to think - kind of like a Lottie doll. Bendy arms and legs, but the are difficult to bend and seem like they might break. The clothes are fabulous - it is worth it just for the cute zipper hoodie and useable messenger bag.