From the moment I first followed the distant, lilting music of his bandoneon, I loved the birdy bard Kass. There was something about the way he showed up around Hyrule, always researching and sharing faint stories he heard about the hero. He was a friend, musician, and Indiana Jones all in one! When you near the end of the game and he finally completes his quest and returns back to his family in Rito Village, it gives me all the emotions. The sight of him leading his daughters in song is just so adorable.
Since playing Breath of the Wild, I’ve become mildly addicted to Kass merchandise. I own a Kass shirt with him and a Korok, and the very computer I’m typing this post on has a sweet, sweet Kass sticker plastered to it. Anytime someone on social media mentions a Kass amiibo or plush, I appear from the ether because I am here for it. It’s this obsessive desire for awesome quality Kass merchandise that led me to Mokobuns and her absolutely divine Kass plush.
Everything about this plush is perfect. The detail is just amazing. Kass’s little epaulets have the fanciful red and white stripes I love while also having the tiny yellow fringe. His jaunty green bandana rests on his back as well with its yellow triangles reminding me of the Triforce. Moving onto his bandoneon, we see minuscule yellow buttons and the complex folds of the bandoneon’s bellows.
In reaching out to Mokobuns to ask for permission to write about her amazing work, she revealed that the bandoneon can actually open and close slightly and that the folds of its bellows are actually made from very tiny papercraft. Also made of papercraft are the feather accessories adorning Kass’s head, as were his large feathers and the flower. These small touches make Mokobuns work on this plush all the more amazing.
Besides paper and fabric, Mokobuns also used two other materials to produce this inspiring stuffed animal of our feathered friend: plastic and friendship. The artist revealed to me that both Kass’s beak and feet were 3D printed in full-colored sandstone plastic by a friend of hers named Laionss. The pair did a great job as the small straps and bands on the feet look fantastic. Mokobuns also explained that both the arms and legs are poseable, so Kass can actually sit or stand. This is great for those moments when you want to pretend that Kass has just flown in from the Hebra Region and needs a moment’s respite before continuing his musical narrative.
While all these small features do an extraordinary job capturing the smallest parts of Kass’s features, the thing I may love the most is the playful use of the red buttons for his eyes. It reminds us that this is not a model but a toy, and it invites us to play. The little eyes call to me and make me want to pick up Kass and see all his details from a closer view, but it also compels me to gently move his hands to make him play his bandoneon and move his legs to make him walk up to my Breath of the Wild Link amiibo, so he can lament that there is no Kass amiibo to be found.
My daughter absolutely loves stuffed animals. Her room is positively overflowing with them. This amazing Kass plush is practically holding my wallet ransom with its ridiculously talented details and its adorable, innocence-restoring eyes. My daughter doesn’t need another stuffed friend. I might though.
