Nesoberi
The term nesoberi (寝そべりぬいぐるみ, lit. "lying down plush doll") refers to a line of plush toys produced by SEGA Toys with a distinctive "lying down" appearance.
Debuting in 2015 to SEGA-licensed crane machines throughout Japan, the nesoberi plush series has proliferated far and wide, reaching even legacy or non-anime series such as Detective Conan and Touhou Project. However, as the original series for which they were produced, the nesoberi plush is still strongly associated with Love Live!, with many different variations and form factors of the plush being produced - some are still exclusive to Love Live! nesoberi even today.
Characteristics
Nesoberi are plushes characterized by their large, round heads and comparatively small, cylindrical bodies, with arms and legs (also simple tubes which lack hands and feet) outstretched to convey a "lying down" position, hence the name. They lack detailed facial features, typically only having embroidered eyes (brows optional) and mouth, and felt blush stickers on their cheeks. Their bodies are made of soft felt, while their bodies are stuffed with cotton fill with the exception of plastic nesoberi figurines (which, of course, are made of and filled with plastic).
Albeit a trait not exclusive to them, Love Live! series nesoberi are noted for having rather large blank eyes as opposed to ones which adhere to their actual series' artstyles. The eye outline on most commercially-available Love Live! nesoberi merchandise is black, and the interior is white; however, nesoberi featured in Puchiguru Love Live! have colored outlines corresponding to the members' respective image colors.
Earlier releases of nesoberi featured stitched-on felt clothing, with certain characters (such as Honoka and Nico) featuring polyester accessories such as bows. Other characters, such as Eli and Ai feature stuffed protrusions to represent their hairstyles.
However, perhaps as a cost saving measure, nesoberi releases following the release of the Nijigasaki High School Idol Club Mega Jumbo series began to feature printed-on clothing patterns which adheres to the form of the nesoberi's body. Additionally, the aforementioned felted blush sticker was replaced with a flat embroidered pattern.
Nesoberi come in a variety of sizes as well:
Series name (English) | Series name (Japanese) | Length (head to foot) | Example | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Petit (figurine) | プチ | 3cm | ![]() |
Also frequently rendered as "puchi", they are not actually plushes, but figurines made of plastic. Some releases featured keychains, while others had magnets on their undersides. |
Petit (plush) | プチ | 10cm | In a rather confusing decision to reuse the "petit" classification, this range of nesoberi was exclusive to a collaboration between Love Live! Sunshine!! and Hatsune Miku in order to promote the song "BANZAI! digital trippers". These nesoberi notably have features much different from other Love Live! series nesoberi, with small black eyes and smaller mouths among others. | |
Keychain Mascot (KCM) | キーチェンマスコット | 10 ~ 13cm | ![]() |
A small nesoberi intended to be displayed on bags or lanyards. Typically come with a silver ball chain attached to their heads. Also referred to by "SS" (super small). |
Normal (NNN) | 寝そべりぬいぐるみ | 15 ~ 16 cm | ![]() |
A normal sized nesoberi. Tend to have somewhat fat, squashed-looking heads in comparison to other nesoberi. Originally, they came with ball chains attached to their heads but this was removed in later releases, leaving only the ball chain loop (if at all). Prize machine nesoberi of this class tend to be referred to as "NNN", but retail nesoberi (i.e., which must be purchased from a shop) tend to be referred to as "S" (small) and frequently lack the ball chain loop. |
Jumbo (J/JNN) | ジャンボ | 30cm | A somewhat uncommon nesoberi size which is generally reserved for limited releases. Retail nesoberi of this size are generally referred to as "M" nesoberi. | |
Mega Jumbo (MEJ) | メガジャンボ | 40cm | ![]() |
Originally "Hyper Jumbo (HJNN)" (ハイパージャンボ寝そべりぬいぐるみ, "hyper jumbo lying down plush"), these are the first class of nesoberi to be released in crane games. Mega jumbo nesoberi have somewhat soft, underfilled bodies in comparison to the other nesoberi. Also referred to as "L" nesoberi. These nesoberi are frequently bootlegged due to their popularity. |
Large (LL) | ジャンボ | 50 ~ 60cm | Rather confusingly, they are also referred to as "jumbo nesoberi", despite the jumboness conveyed by "mega jumbo" being considerably greater. These somewhat inconveniently sized nesoberi are quite uncommon and are restricted to in-store purchase only. Also sometimes referred to as "GJNN"/"Giga Jumbo" (ギガジャンボ), especially in the context of non-Love Live! nesoberi. | |
Tera Jumbo (TJNN) | テラジャンボ | 100cm | ![]() |
The largest commercially available size of nesoberi at a whopping one meter in length. These nesoberi notably come shipped in bespoke boxes adorned with nesoberi imagery and a cloth transit bag in the member's image color. Additionally, they come with certificates of purchase to ensure their authenticity. |
Love Live! series
Honoka Kosaka
Honoka's eyes are circle-shaped, without eyelashes.
Eli Ayase
Eli's eyes are ovoid-shaped at the bottom, with one eyelash at the bottom curled upwards on each eye.
Kotori Minami
Kotori's eyes are circle-shaped, without eyelashes.
Umi Sonoda
Umi's eyes are oval shaped, without eyelashes.
Rin Hoshizora
All of Rin's Nesoberi have her with her eyes closed. In the Puchiguru Love Live! game, some of her outfits show her with her eyes opened, which are oval-shaped without eyelashes.
Maki Nishikino
Maki's eyes are ovoid-shaped at the top, with one eyelash at the top curled upwards on each eye. She is always winking with her left eye.
Nozomi Tojo
Nozomi's eyes are ovoid-shaped at the bottom, without eyelashes.
Hanayo Koizumi
Hanayo's eyes are circle-shaped, with one eyelash at the top curled upwards on each eye.
Nico Yazawa
Nico's eyes are circle-shaped, with two straight eyelashes at the bottom on each eye.
Love Live! Sunshine!! series
Chika Takami
Chika's eyes are circle-shaped, with one straight eyelash at the top near the center on each eye.
Riko Sakurauchi
Riko's eyes are oval shaped, without eyelashes.
Kanan Matsuura
Kanan's eyes are slightly ovoid-shaped, with one eyelash at the top curled upwards on each eye.
Dia Kurosawa
Dia's eyes are ovoid-shaped at the top, with three straight eyelashes, one at the top and two at the bottom on each eye. Her face features a mole under her mouth.
You Watanabe
You's eyes are ovoid-shaped at the bottom, with one eyelash at the top curled upwards on each eye.
Yoshiko Tsushima
Yoshiko's eyes are ovoid-shaped at the top, with one straight eyelash at the top on each eye.
Hanamaru Kunikida
Hanamaru's eyes are oval shaped, without eyelashes. She usually has a surprised expression.
Mari Ohara
Mari's eyes are oval shaped, with one eyelash at the middle curled downwards on each eye. Her mouth is long and wavy.
Ruby Kurosawa
Ruby's eyes are oval shaped, without eyelashes.
Sarah Kazuno
Leah Kazuno
Nijigasaki High School Idol Club
Ayumu Uehara
Ayumu's eyes are ovoid-shaped at the bottom, with one eyelash at the bottom curled upwards on each eye.
Kasumi Nakasu
Kasumi's eyes are oval shaped, without eyelashes.
Shizuku Osaka
Shizuku's eyes are slightly oval shaped, with one eyelash at the bottom curled upwards on each eye.
Karin Asaka
Karin's eyes are slightly ovoid-shaped at the bottom, with one eyelash at the bottom curled upwards on each eye.
Ai Miyashita
Ai's eyes are ovoid-shaped at the top, with one eyelash at the top curled upwards on each eye.
Kanata Konoe
Kanata's eyes are oval shaped, with one eyelash at the bottom curled downwards on each eye. She is always winking with her right eye.
Setsuna Yuki
Setsuna's eyes are oval shaped, with one eyelash at the top curled upwards on each eye.
Emma Verde
Emma's eyes are oval-shaped, without eyelashes. She doesn't have freckles.
Rina Tennoji
Most Rina Nesoberi plushies released initially had her Rina-chan Board glued to her face, whether it was the paper version or the electronic one. As a result, if buyers forcefully removed the board, Rina was left faceless. Newer Rina plushies no longer include the board, instead featuring her face with oval-shaped eyes and no eyelashes.
Shioriko Mifune
Shioriko's eyes are sightly ovoid-shaped at the top, without eyelashes. Her mouth is always open showcasing her fang on the left side.
Mia Taylor
Mia's eyes are ovoid-shaped at the bottom, with two straight eyelashes, both at the top on each eye, with one eyelash being shorter than the other.
Lanzhu Zhong
Lanzhu's eyes are ovoid-shaped at the top, with two eyelashes at the top on the left and righ side curled upwards on each eye.
Yu Takasaki
Yu's eyes are slightly semi-circular with one eyelash at the top curled upwards on each eye.
Love Live! Superstar!! series
Kanon Shibuya
Kanon's eyes are ovoid-shaped at the top, with one eyelash at the top curled upwards on each eye.
Keke Tang
Keke's eyes are circle-shaped, with one straight eyelash at the bottom on each eye.
Chisato Arashi
Chisato's eyes are ovoid-shaped at the bottom, with one eyelash at the bottom curled upwards on each eye.
Sumire Heanna
Sumire's eyes are circle-shaped, without eyelashes. Her curls are much thicker and curlier compared to her official design.
Ren Hazuki
Ren's eyes are oval-shaped, without eyelashes.
Kinako Sakurakoji
Kinako's eyes are ovoid-shaped at the bottom, with three straight eyelashes at the bottom, with one of them being closer to the center on each eye.
Mei Yoneme
Mei's eyes are almond-shaped, with one straight eyelash on each eye.
Shiki Wakana
Shiki's eyes are ovoid-shaped at the bottom, with two straight eyelashes at the bottom on each eye. Her left ear features a small red earring.
Natsumi Onitsuka
Natsumi's eyes are slightly ovoid-shaped at the bottom, without eyelashes. Her eyebrows are blonde. She is the first Love Live! Nesoberi whose eyebrows are coloured instead of black.
Margarete Wien
Margarete's eyes are ovoid-shaped at the top, with four straight eyelashes, two at the top and two at the bottom on each eye. Her eyebrows are purple.
Tomari Onitsuka
Tomari's eyes are ovoid-shaped at the bottom, without eyelashes. Her eyebrows are teal.
Hasunosora Girls' High School Idol Club
Kaho Hinoshita
Kaho's eyes are slightly ovoid-shaped at the bottom, without eyelashes.
Sayaka Murano
Sayaka's eyes are oval-shaped, with four straight eyelashes, two at the bottom and two at the top on each eye. Her mouth is slightly lower than other Nesoberi.
Kozue Otomune
Kozue's eyes are slightly oval-shaped, without eyelashes.
Tsuzuri Yugiri
Tsuzuri's eyes are ovoid-shaped at the bottom, with two straight eyelashes at the bottom.
Rurino Osawa
Rurino's eyes are circle-shaped, with five straight eyelashes, three at the bottom and two at the top on each eye. Her mouth is always open showcasing her fang on the left side.
Megumi Fujishima
Megumi's eyes are circle-shaped, with two straigh eyelashes at the top on each eye.
Ginko Momose
Ginko's eyes are ovoid-shaped at the bottom, with one eyelash curled upwards at the top.
Kosuzu Kachimachi
Kosuzu's eyes are circle-shaped, with one straight eyelash at the middle-top on each eye.
Hime Anyoji
Ceras Yanagida Lilienfeld
Izumi Katsuragi
Other Nesoberi
- Manmaru
In the Anime
Cotaro Yazawa is briefly seen playing a whack-a-mole type game featuring Muse Nesoberi drawings in No. 1 Idol in the Universe.
Games
- See main article Puchiguru Love Live!
Notes & Trivia
- Currently, there are no A-RISE!, Sunny Passion or School Idol Musical School Idols with a Nesoberi.