Pan Dorobou gets a plush pouch and 20-year birthday book

Pan Dorobou (パンどろぼう), the picture-book series by Keiko Shibata, is getting a new KADOKAWA MOOK with a plush pouch pass case modelled on the character’s famously “bad” face. The book is scheduled for 16 December 2026, while a separate Pan Dorobou Your Birthday Book is available from 16 October.¹²

Two new ways to celebrate Pan Dorobou

The MOOK costs ¥2,750 and includes the plush pouch pass case as its special extra. KADOKAWA describes it as a soft, fluffy accessory that can clip to a bag, hold an IC travel card and work as a small pouch. The publisher’s product page shows the character’s wide-eyed, tongue-out expression and the accessory’s clip, card slot and zippered storage.¹

The companion birthday book costs ¥1,980 and is designed to record memories from birth through the age of 20. Its pages cover milestones, favourite photographs and personal memories, with Pan Dorobou and its friends appearing throughout. KADOKAWA positions it as a birthday, birth or school-transition gift rather than a conventional storybook.²

The timing gives fans two distinct products: a character accessory arriving later in the year, and a keepsake book available now. The MOOK’s December date is still listed as planned, so its contents could change before release.¹

Why it matters

Pan Dorobou has expanded well beyond the original picture books, and the new releases show how the property is being treated as both a children’s publishing brand and a character-goods line. That makes the plush pouch the more immediately eye-catching item, but the birthday book is the more unusual product: it is meant to stay with a child or family for two decades rather than be read once and shelved.

Our opinion

The plush pass case is the obvious headline-maker because its deliberately dazed expression translates cleanly into a physical character good. The birthday book is the more thoughtful release, though: it gives the series a role in marking real family milestones without pretending to be anything other than a guided keepsake. KADOKAWA’s two-product approach feels more useful than another generic character notebook, provided the finished MOOK matches the publisher’s preview.¹²