Figures I’m Looking to Buy: Strawberry Marshmallow
When I started buying anime figures and related items online, the first thing I learned is that whatever I want to buy is sold out and no longer being produced. Strawberry Marshmallow is no exception. I’m hoping someone willing to sell a Strawberry Marshmallow figure I want to buy will see this post.
There are still plenty of Strawberry Marshmallow figures available out there, but they’re either something I am not interested in, or they’re too expensive. Others are too specific in design; I use figures for photography subjects, and Miu lifting her shirt for the doctor doesn’t exactly have many practical applications in photography.
I should take a moment to mention the show’s Japanese name romanized: Ichigo Mashimaro. That’s the name most Strawberry Marshmallow figures are listed under. This is a post I’d like to be visible to a large number of people who meet one certain circumstance: those who own figures I’d like to buy.
I’m sure there are Strawberry Marshmallow fans out there who’ve bought figures from the multi-series run of the characters standing on a base, with swappable faces, hair, and outfits. Since these were sold in Japan “blind box”, there might even be fans out there with duplicates of the same figure in the same outfit. It’s a longshot for me to post this, but if you have a Strawberry Marshmallow from this set that figure you’re willing to sell, I might just be willing to buy it.
I take into consideration the “sold out” and “out of production” aspects when it comes to pricing, as well as shipping, but I don’t plan to go out all and spend US$100 on a figure or anything. Between bargaining and haggling, there’s a minimum price a seller will sell for, and a maximum price a buyer will buy for. I’m ready to find out just how much I’ll pay and how low figure owners will sell for.
Before I continue, I should make it known visually what series of figures I’m referring to:
As far as I know, there are at least four of each figure, with the same outfit and different colors. Of those four, two have the same hair color, and the other two share an alternate hair color. There’s also a set of the figures in their school swimsuits.
I’ve found a photo of the normal hair-color figures (sans Nobue) and a photo of the alternate hair-color figures.
What I Have
The first thing to do is lay out what I have. Since I bought these used, there’s minor nicks and such on them, and I wouldn’t mind buying copies that are more photogenic.
Essentially, what I’ve bought off of eBay are two Chika, two Miu, and two Ana, and a few extra faces came along. Only one of the Ana came with an Ana face; the other is a brown-eyed face, and Ana has blue eyes.
Faces
From what I can tell, each character has three faces: a closed mouth smile, an open mouth small, and an “o”-shaped mouth. I’m assuming Chika, Miu, Matsuri, and Nobue have the same shade of brown eyes. I’ve seen two sizes of open mouth smile, but I do not distinguish between them below.
I have the following:
- One blue-eyed closed-mouth smile face.
- Three brown-eyed “o”-shaped mouth faces. One has black scuff marks.
- Four open-mouth smile faces. One has a small, brown black scuff mark. One is missing the white spot on a cheek.
- One brown-eyed closed-mouth smile face. Has a small, orange mark by the mouth.
Hairstyles
These are the normal-colored hairstyles (as opposed to the alternates). Two for Chika (one has a small nick), two for Miu (one with pink ribbons, one with yellow ribbons), and two for Ana (one has some very visible nicks in it).
Outfits
I have the outfits for the normal hair-color versions for Chika, Miu, and Ana.
Accessories
Somehow I have two Johns, but no Satakes, and no cat-ear hoods. I also have two purses (for Chika) and another two purses (different style; for Miu). I have six stands (one for each character I own).
What I’m Looking For
Although I’m looking to buy complete figures, not separate pieces, these are the pieces I’m hoping to obtain in what I buy:
Faces
- One blue-eyed open-mouth smile face. (Are there any?)
One blue-eyed “o”-shaped mouth face.One brown-eyed “o”-shaped mouth face (to replace the one with the black scuff marks).Two closed-mouth smile faces.
Hairstyles
Even though one of the Ana hairstyles has a scratch, both of hers that I have are the same color, so my photography can live with just one. This means the only hairstyles I need are parts to the alternate color characters, and for the normal-style figures I don’t have (Matsuri and Nobue).
Outfits
As with the hairstyles, the outfits I’m looking for are the ones which come with the alternate color hairstyle set, and the Matsuri and Nobue figures. The swimsuits are not a concern for me, although I might buy them for completion if someone is selling them at a lower price than the other outfit figures. Missing outfits are listed in the “Complete Figures” section below.
Accessories
I’m missing Ana’s cat-ear hoods. I can live without them, but it would be nice to have at least one, and I do have the brown ones. If any of the Chika figures comes with her dog, that would be a plus as well, although I do have the one with the green kerchief.
Complete Figures
The list of complete figures I want to buy is:
Ana: Lavender shirt, purple skirt (alternate hair color)- Ana: Black shirt with white polka-dots (alternate hair color)
Chika: White with pink shirt, green pants (alternate hair color)- Chika: Orange shirt, white pants (alternate hair color)
- Matsuri: Green dress with four-leaf clover print (normal hair color)
- Matsuri: Blue dress with polka-dot print (normal hair color)
Matsuri: Pink dress (alternate hair color)- Matsuri: White dress (alternate hair color)
Miu: Pink shirt, cadet blue skirt (alternate hair color)- Miu: Black and white shirt, white skirt (alternate hair color)
- Nobue: White outfit with red shirt (normal hair color)
- Nobue: (normal hair color)
Nobue: White outer shirt, orange shirt, blue skirt (alternate hair color)- Nobue: Black shirt (alternate hair color), army camouflage skirt
Contact Information
Anyone willing to sell me one of these figures can find my contact information on my About page. I’m not on AIM often or MSN or Google Talk often, but I do check my e-mail daily.
