A forest spirit for your floor

A Totoro rug is one of the gentlest ways to bring Studio Ghibli home. The classic design is Totoro's belly: a soft grey circle with a pale cream front and its little chevron marks, on a round rug, so the whole rug looks like the big, sleepy spirit himself. A rug cut to Totoro's outline, ears up and arms out, is the most playful alternative, and the rainy bus stop, Totoro under an umbrella beside a young girl, is the favorite scene. Every design is printed into soft velvet that goes in the washing machine, which matters a great deal in a nursery.

His round grey shape and the forest around him make a gentle design for a child's room.

My Neighbor Totoro

My Neighbor Totoro was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and released by Studio Ghibli in 1988, on a double bill with Grave of the Fireflies. It tells the story of two sisters, Satsuki and Mei, who move with their father to an old house in the Japanese countryside to be near their mother, who is recovering in a hospital. In the woods nearby, they discover Totoro, a huge, furry forest spirit who lives in a giant camphor tree, along with two smaller Totoros. There's no villain and almost no danger, just rain, wind, wonder and the quiet worries of childhood. Totoro became so loved that he became Studio Ghibli's own emblem.

The belly on a round rug

Totoro's round shape and cream belly with its grey chevrons are a perfect match for a round rug. On a 3.9 to 5.2 ft (120 to 160 cm) rug, the belly fills the center and the grey fur frames it, a soft, calm design that suits a nursery or a living room as easily as a child's bedroom. Its grey and cream palette is far quieter than most character colors. Our round rugs page shows each size in a room.

A Totoro-shaped rug

Cut to Totoro's outline, with his pointed ears, round body and little claws, a shaped rug looks like he has lain down on your floor for a nap. Shaped rugs come in sizes from 2.6×2.6 up to 5.2×5.9 ft (80×80 to 160×180 cm). A large one in front of a sofa or in the middle of a playroom is a soft spot for reading and lying down, just like Mei did on his belly.

The bus stop in the rain

The most famous scene in the film takes place at a lonely country bus stop at night, in pouring rain. Satsuki, waiting for her father with Mei asleep on her back, suddenly finds Totoro standing beside her with only a leaf on his head. She lends him her father's umbrella, and he is delighted by the sound of raindrops falling on it. A bus-stop design, Totoro and the umbrella under a street lamp, is a beautiful, quiet rug for a bedroom or a reading nook.

The Catbus

Few creatures in animation are as delightful as the Catbus, a giant, grinning cat shaped like a bus, with many legs, glowing eyes and a destination sign that changes as it runs over the treetops. Its long body makes it the perfect design for a runner or a long rectangle. A Catbus rug down a hallway or along the side of a bed is a joyful, unexpected piece, and children love to "ride" it.

Soot sprites

When the family first moves into the old house, the girls discover soot sprites, tiny black fuzzballs with big eyes that scatter into the shadows. A soot-sprite pattern, little black puffs with white eyes on a cream or pale background, is a playful, graphic rug for a child's room, and a sweet reference for adult fans. A few soot sprites around a larger Totoro design add a touch of fun.

Three Totoros

Totoro isn't alone: there's also the medium-sized blue Totoro, who carries a bag of acorns, and the tiny white one, the very first Totoro Mei spots in the garden. A design of all three walking in a line, from biggest to smallest, is a charming rug for a family room or for siblings, each of whom can pick their own Totoro. It suits a 2.6×3.9 ft rug or a runner.

Acorns, leaves and the camphor tree

The film is full of nature: acorns the little Totoros drop, the great camphor tree where they live, rice fields, rain and a garden that sprouts overnight after a magical midnight dance. A nature pattern, acorns and green leaves on cream, is a subtle Totoro rug that reads as a botanical print to guests, and a camphor-tree design brings the film's sense of calm into a room. Our botanical rugs have more nature designs.

A Totoro nursery

Totoro is a lovely nursery theme: gentle, nature-filled and free of anything frightening. Pair a Totoro rug with soft grey, cream and sage green, wooden furniture and a few leafy plants or prints. Premium's plush velvet, 7 mm on a bamboo and cotton back, about 700 g/m², is soft for tummy time and first crawls; once your child is walking on a smooth floor, Standard's non-slip faux leather back is the safer choice. Our kids and nursery rugs have more ideas.

A child's bedroom

For an older child, Totoro's world can fill a whole room: a shaped Totoro by the bed, a Catbus runner along the wall, soot sprites on a small rug by the door. Keep the walls light and the furniture simple, and add a few green plants. A playroom with a Totoro rug becomes a forest for toy animals and a stage for story time. On a hard floor where kids run, choose Standard, 5 mm crushed velvet, about 500 g/m², which stays put. Our kids play rugs have more ideas for active play.

A grown-up room

Totoro isn't just for children. Many adults who grew up with the film want a subtle reference at home: an acorn-and-leaf pattern, a soot-sprite print or a minimal Totoro silhouette on a grey rug. In a calm living room with natural wood, linen and plants, it fits right in. Our bedroom rugs page has layouts for grown-up rooms too.

The music

Joe Hisaishi's music for the film, from its cheerful opening song to the gentle theme that plays as Totoro appears, is among the most beloved in animation, and it's often played to calm babies to sleep. A Totoro rug in a nursery, with that music playing softly, is about as peaceful as a room can get.

Other Ghibli worlds

Totoro is part of a much larger family of Studio Ghibli films, from Spirited Away and Kiki's Delivery Service to Howl's Moving Castle and Princess Mononoke. For designs inspired by the whole studio, see our Studio Ghibli rugs, and for more anime, our anime and manga rugs. For other gentle, cute characters, our cute rugs have pastel designs.

Standard or Premium

Standard is best on hard floors, under chairs and in busy rooms, because its non-slip back stays put. Premium is softer and warmer, best beside a bed, in a nursery or anywhere you sit on the floor. Both are printed the same way, so the grey stays soft and the cream stays bright, and both go in the washing machine.

Sizes

The belly design is best on a 3.9 to 5.2 ft (120 to 160 cm) round rug; 5.9 ft (180 cm) fills the center of a larger room. A shaped Totoro works from 2.6×2.6 ft (80×80 cm) beside a bed up to 5.2×5.9 ft (160×180 cm) as a centerpiece. The Catbus suits a runner or a 2.6×3.9 ft rug; the bus-stop scene suits a 4×6 or 5×7 ft rectangle; a soot-sprite or acorn pattern works at any size.

Your own design

If you'd like your child's name beside Totoro, or a design built around artwork you own, our custom rugs can print it in any size up to 5′11″ × 10′, or cut it to shape. Please only send artwork you're allowed to use; custom rugs are made just for you and can't be returned.

Gifts

A Totoro rug is a lovely baby shower gift, a birthday present for a child who loves the film or a housewarming gift for an adult who grew up with it. If you aren't sure which design to choose, the round belly is the safest; the Catbus is the most fun of all. Every rug is printed to order in 1–3 business days and ships from Turkey; US delivery usually takes 2–5 business days after that. Unused rugs can be returned within 30 days on US orders.

Care

Machine wash on a gentle, cold cycle and let it air dry flat. Vacuum on a low setting between washes, and blot spills with cold water right away. The design is printed into the fibers, so Totoro stays soft and grey, rain or shine, bus or no bus.

A note on the film

The real Totoro forest

My Neighbor Totoro was inspired partly by the Sayama Hills, a patch of woodland on the edge of Tokyo near where Hayao Miyazaki lives. In 1990, local residents started the Totoro no Furusato Foundation to buy and protect parts of those woods, and Miyazaki has supported the effort. Today, protected plots are known as Totoro Forests, with old trees, rice paddies and walking paths much like the film's countryside.

A rug of a quiet woodland path with a tall camphor tree and a small shrine, without Totoro himself, captures that real landscape for a nature lover's room, a gentle reminder that the forest in the film still exists.

Visitors walking the protected woods in Sayama Hills often say it feels just like the film's countryside.

Padrift is an independent studio. My Neighbor Totoro and its characters are named to describe what our designs are inspired by; we are not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by Studio Ghibli.