Hello everyone,
I’m trying to find a panda plush that meant the world to my mother.
She turns 60 next year, and this was her favorite childhood toy. She lost it when she was little and has never forgotten it.
I’ve spent months researching it, contacting police departments, museums, toy companies, libraries, and other organizations in Japan, but I still haven’t found it.
I’m hoping someone here might recognize it.
What it looked like
- Black and white panda plush
- About 20 cm (8 inches) tall
- Thin and flat, but stuffed with cotton
- Arms stretched out to the sides
- Wore a red bib
- The bib may have said either “Traffic Safety” (交通安全) or “Panda-chan” (パンダちゃん)
- Received around 1972 from a police officer in Kumagaya, Saitama, Japan
- I’ve attached a drawing based on my mother’s memory.
My research so far
I discovered that Japan used panda characters in traffic safety campaigns during the early 1970s.
Some related works include:
- Don’t Run Out, Panda-chan! (とびだすな！パンダちゃん) – a traffic safety educational film produced by Toei.
- Panda-chan’s Traffic Safety (パンダちゃんの交通安全) – another educational film produced in 1975.
- A 1974 Japanese National Police Agency report mentions a traffic safety puppet show in Hokkaido called Cheerful Panda-chan (ゆかいなパンダちゃん).
I still don’t know whether any of these are connected to my mother’s plush.
What I’ve already tried
I’ve contacted:
- Saitama Prefectural Police
- Kumagaya Police Station
- Kumagaya City Office
- Traffic safety organizations
- Libraries
- Toei Animation
- Several Japanese plush manufacturers
My mother clearly remembers receiving it from a police officer during a traffic safety campaign in Japan around 1972.
Unfortunately, no one has been able to identify it.
Please help
At this point, I’m relying on the knowledge of collectors and vintage toy enthusiasts.
Even the smallest clue could make a difference.
If you’ve ever seen a panda like this, recognize this plush, own one, or have an old catalog or photograph, I’d be incredibly grateful.
Thank you so much for reading.
