I have always thought the bestiary in the Dragon Quest series boasted some of the most impressive and memorable designs in gaming. They exuded personality and charm and I would be hard-pressed to pick one of them that I did not like. The series' slimes have mainly gotten the limelight as a sort of mascot but I love it when the other characters get their share of merchandise as well. So, I am extremely pleased to post about this new round of toys. Yes, there are some returning monsters but there is also enough new blood to make this merchandise worth a look. 

The latest batch includes a PVC Monster Museum Special Set (¥2500), in which five figures of monsters are set up in a cool display stand-ish thing that has their art and a little description (in Japanese) of each one. The stand itself is pretty nifty. Aside from showcasing the figures, it also has little nods to the series, like the staircase image on the base. The monsters included are the She-Slime, Tonbrero, Metal King Slime, Blue Dragon, and Bubble Slime. The figures range in size from 30 to 50 millimeters. The Dragon Quest Monster Museum Special Set ships in late February 2013.

Four new plushes are also up for pre-order, each of them including a special item code for use in Dragon Quest X. The first two are plush versions of one of the races from Dragon Quest X, the Pukuripo (both boy and girl versions). They look a cutely doll-like with faux button eyes and embroidered blush on their cheeks. The boy doll stands at 240 millimeters, with the girl being 220 millimeters tall. Both cost ¥2000 and ship mid-March 2013. The remaining two plushes are the Tonbrero (the blue pig in the wizard's hat) and the Pink Momon (note that the generic Momon was released previously). Like the Pukuripo pair, these two cost ¥2000 each. I am pretty psyched about the addition of the Tonbrero, with its bright colors and comically enormous hat. New monsters added to the plush line-up is always a good thing, which is why I am a tad disappointed that the Pink Momon was selected instead of another monster who hasn't seen any representation merchandise-wise. 

Any DQ fans interested in pre-ordering any of these new items?

Dragon Quest Monster Museum Special Set

[ Pre-order at Hobby Search | AmiAmi | ToysLogic | CD Japan ]

Tonbrero plush

[ Pre-order at Otacute | Hobby Search | AmiAmi | CD Japan ]

Pink Momon plush

[ Pre-order at Otacute | Hobby Search | AmiAmi | CD Japan | ToysLogic ]

Dragon Quest Pukuripo boy plush

[ Pre-order at Hobby Search | AmiAmi | CD Japan | ToysLogic ]

Dragon Quest Pukuripo girl plush

[ Pre-order at Hobby Search | AmiAmi | CD Japan | ToysLogic ]