It is that time of year again: the gift giving holidays! In recent years, I’ve made anime themed gift guides spotlighting small businesses and brands. I did this in an attempt to share some hopefully unique gift ideas that are hidden gems and also have some fun. This year I continue that tradition with a short gift guide with some picks I stumbled upon that are bound to catch some eyeballs as you scroll and hopefully make someone’s day when they open it. I also wrote this with support and acknowledgement of the boycotting and alternative gifting ideas in support of Sudan, The Congo and Palestine. Carry on!
1.) Suku-Ita (NO CHEEKS) Reversible Bucket Hat
JJK fandom, stand up! (Or you can be like me and live in delulu land and pretend those awful things didn’t just happen to one of your favorite characters–join me!) I found these really neat reversible bucket hats that are 100% Cotton with Embroidery to represent Itadori and Printed for Sukuna’s side! The listing mentions how the hat is “perfect for going outdoors but never in Shibuya.” Excuse me, while I go cry into my pillow. See the hat’s listing here.
There’s also a cuter version with little anime cheeks on the Itadori’s side set as a pre-order item that will ship in January of next year. If you’re looking to go bold and big, consider one of these Christmas Advent Boxes at two different price points which include a number of goodies: beanies, washi tape, air freshers, key chains, enamel pins and more!
2.) Hawks Christmas Tree Topper
I love how creative anime fans get with holiday decorations, especially Christmas. This Christmas Tree Topper featuring the high-flying Pro-Hero Hawks is a holiday exclusive designed & illustrated by Felice Regina! The tree topper is 10″ tall, printed on 69lb semi-gloss paper and features a gold foil topper cone. Packaged flat with cardboard backer, this listing mentions that you can “Add a spicy angel to your Christmas tree…or Simp-mas tree,” which you can see online here. If you’re not keen on BHMA’s Best Flying Boi, consider these double sided acrylic ornaments with different MHA characters like Eri & Aizawa and Deku and All Might (and Bakugo!) that might be a better sell to put on the tree with your family.
3.) Golden Kamuy Keychains!
Golden Kamuy is one of my favorite manga series. In the early 20th century in Hokkaido, Japan, a treasure hunt between various parties takes place for a hidden stash of gold. One of my favorite relationships in the entire series that perfectly illustrates the found family trope is the one of Sugimoto, an ex-soldier, and a young Ainu girl named Asirpa, who is a capable hunter. They bond over cooking and eating good food a lot in the series which is a lot of fun to read and watch via the anime adaptation.
A sort of inside joke is when Sugimoto and Asirpa time and time again, exclaim their love of finding poop and what food items look like poop! (Osoma in Aspira’s native tongue!) These hand-made charms from AstralZombieShop feel like a treasure to me. The Sugimoto keychain measures 3″, and the Asirpa keychain is 2.5″ long! I would highly suggest not splitting up the family and buying them both, you know–for the discount. Check them out here online. If Golden Kamuy is too obscure for you, check out the other keychains from other favorite series like Cutie Honey and My Hero Academia.
4.) Studio Ghibli: 100 Collectible Postcards
So Chronicle Books has a great collection of postcard and note card and other stationery collections from some of our favorite universes, Studio Ghibli included. I especially loved this one hundred postcard collection of several offerings from the beloved Japanese animation film studio. Housed in a keepsake box with a lifting ribbon, these gorgeously detailed, full colored images will delight Studio Ghibli and animation fans of every age.
I loved that the box serves as a sort of time capsule: showcasing final frames from all their feature-length films from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) to When Marnie Was There (2014). See this item here on their website. If postcards aren’t really what you’re looking for gift wise, consider one of the many movie specific journals or pencil and eraser sets that are sure to be a winner for the writer or artist in your life.
5.) Various Anime Sticker & Car Decals
Chibi Servin’ specializes in “𝗠𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗵” which translates to anime merch like stickers, poster, tumbler cups and other goods with diverse takes on some of our favorite characters. In the case of the car decals like this Hijabi Chibi Moon holographic one which is a waterproof sticker that is 4.5 x 5 inches and has a Glossy finish. More on that particular design here and Hijabi representation here.
I love the variety of the stickers–presenting popular characters with DBZ’s Vegeta with textured fro and a Desi version of Shinobou from Demon Slayer. These stickers and other items are just fun all around and meant to be collected, gifted, and shared as noted by the artist: “It also helps anime creators see that diverse characters will be enjoyed by everyone and not just the intended audience.” If these particular stickers aren’t your thing, I’d suggest checking out some of the brand’s new releases that are Naruto themed that are sure to catch some eyes.
6.) Anime Themed Enamel Pins
According to her website: TealTeacup “makes everything CUTE & relatable with her funny chonky enamel pins inspired by memes, moods, anime, food, ghibli, and her favorite animals! “. I think her anime themed enamel pins are especially worth looking into as she has mini collections for Pokémon, Demon Slayer, and even Studio Ghibli films. With pin sets and several enamel pins that run more intricately with glitter and even moving parts, these are a dream!
If you’re looking for a bigger gift that will complement some really neat enamel pins for an anime fan in your life, consider one of TealTeacup’s gorgeous Ita Bags. Remember I briefly talked about them here. No Ita Bag is built the same and yet I adore this particular one from Howl’s Moving Castle fans as it is a double sided backpack with a cross body feature.
7.) Anime Themed Sweaters
I stumbled upon KOIKAY, as I’ve been slowly inching my way back to Instagram from my hiatus from the app. There are so many cool gift ideas that I almost did not know where to start! First, these anime themed sweaters that Naruto fans will clock on first glance to some really fun sweaters via collab with another creative that go just as hard. These threads could be worn to the office or classroom or even used for very casual cosplay as you go to and fro.
If the sweaters aren’t what you’re looking for gift wise, consider all the neat little anime themed bags on deck: from our favorite little piece of emergency food, I mean Deer Doctor to some really striking bags from other series that stand out. I let out a high pitched noise when I saw the black and pink strawberry bags–NANA fans–where you at?! See the rest of this seller’s nags and other accessories here!
See my guide gift for the manga lovers in your life here.
See our gift guides from previous years here.
Fancy Disclaimer: I have not received any of these items in consideration of making this shopping guide. Cheers! Shout-out to small business owners! Be sure to support them this holiday season if you’re looking to spend some coin!
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