{"rewrite":{"id":"r_a7c89e18899c47b1afc70c45","clusterId":"c_1b863ddc8baf4a3694937239","slug":"evangelion-and-sanrio-characters-crossover-plush-toys-arrive-in-june","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Evangelion And Sanrio Characters Crossover Plush Toys Arrive In June","summary":"Sega will release a line of plush toys pairing Evangelion characters with Sanrio mascots as arcade prizes in Japan starting June 12, 2026. The five duos are Shinji Ikari with Cinnamoroll, Asuka Shikinami Langley with Pompompurin, Mari Makinami Illustrious with Hangyodon, Rei Ayanami with My Melody, and Kaworu Nagisa with Kuromi. Each Evangelion character wears their plugsuit and hair accessories matching their partner.","whyItMatters":"This is the first time Evangelion characters have been paired with Sanrio mascots in a plush prize line, combining two major Japanese pop culture brands for arcade distribution.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe Evangelion cast appears in their plugsuits alongside Sanrio mascots in a new set of plush toys. Shinji Ikari is paired with Cinnamoroll, Asuka Shikinami Langley with Pompompurin, Mari Makinami Illustrious with Hangyodon, Rei Ayanami with My Melody, and Kaworu Nagisa with Kuromi. Each Evangelion character also wears hair accessories that match their Sanrio partner. Sega shared photos of the five items, which will appear as arcade prizes in Japan starting June 12, 2026. US availability has not been announced, though similar prize items have later appeared on Amazon and Crunchyroll.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShinji Ikari with Cinnamoroll\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAsuka Shikinami Langley with Pompompurin\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMari Makinami Illustrious with Hangyodon\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRei Ayanami with My Melody\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKaworu Nagisa with Kuromi\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e","blueskyPost":"Each Evangelion character gets a Sanrio mascot with matching hair accessories. The product lineup treats the Rei-My Melody and Kaworu-Kuromi pairings as equally prominent as the Shinji-Cinnamoroll lead.","twitterPost":"The plush lineup gives Kaworu and Kuromi equal billing with Shinji and Cinnamoroll, not a secondary placement.","threadsPost":"The crossover pairs each Evangelion pilot with a Sanrio mascot and gives them matching hair accessories. Kaworu and Kuromi get the same visual prominence as Shinji and Cinnamoroll, which is an unusual level of symmetry for a franchise that typically centers its protagonist.","newsletterBlurb":"Sega revealed a crossover plush line pairing Evangelion characters with Sanrio mascots. The five duos include Shinji Ikari with Cinnamoroll and Asuka Shikinami Langley with Pompompurin. They will appear as arcade prizes in Japan starting June 12, 2026.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Siliconera\",\"url\":\"https://www.siliconera.com/evangelion-x-sanrio-characters-plush-debut-in-june/\",\"title\":\"Evangelion x Sanrio Characters Plush Debut in June\"}]","lintFlagsJson":"[]","lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":3758,"outputTokens":721,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1779840147,"createdAt":"2026-05-27T00:02:18.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-05-27T00:16:24.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-27T00:16:24.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_1b863ddc8baf4a3694937239","canonicalTitle":"Evangelion x Sanrio Characters Plush Debut in June","representativeArticleId":"a_8751033dd8201c9ce17a718a","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[\"Evangelion\"],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"release\",\"domain\":\"figures\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-05-26T22:00:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-05-26T22:00:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-27T00:16:24.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Siliconera (Anime)","url":"https://www.siliconera.com/evangelion-x-sanrio-characters-plush-debut-in-june/","title":"Evangelion x Sanrio Characters Plush Debut in June"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":["Evangelion"],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"release","domain":"figures","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Sega will release five plush toys pairing Evangelion characters with Sanrio mascots as arcade prizes in Japan starting June 12, 2026.","The duos are Shinji Ikari with Cinnamoroll, Asuka Shikinami Langley with Pompompurin, Mari Makinami Illustrious with Hangyodon, Rei Ayanami with My Melody, and Kaworu Nagisa with Kuromi.","Each Evangelion character wears their plugsuit and hair accessories matching their Sanrio partner.","This is the first time Evangelion characters have been paired with Sanrio mascots in a plush prize line.","US availability has not been announced, though similar prize items have later appeared on Amazon and Crunchyroll."]}