Can You Spot the Differences Between a Counterfeit Kigurumi and a SAZAC Kigurumi?

SAZAC might not yet be an instantly recognizable name brand in North America, but in Japan – the original home of the kigurumi – the SAZAC name is legendary. SAZAC is the most respected and successful kigurumi maker on the planet, and there’s a good reason for this: every single kigurumi they make is made with the very best materials,and a tremendous attention to detail. If you’re not wearing a genuine SAZAC kigurumi, chances are that you won’t get nearly the same amount of enjoyment out of dressing up as your favorite character kigurumi.

To illustrate this point, we recently tested a number of off-brand unicorn kigurumi, to see how they stand up to the test of being pushed, pulled, wiggled and squiggled. But beware - the results aren’t pretty, and to be honest, they made us a little sad because these poor-quality kigurumi may convince some people that SAZAC kigurumi are going to wear the same way.

For one thing, most off-brand kigurumi come in shrink-wrapped packaging, and that leads to a super-wrinkly onesie. You shouldn’t have to deal with this right out of the box! And when you look a little closer, you can start to see a few more defects. There are loose threads and stitching - a virtual guarantee that all of the unique features that help to define your specific character are going to start falling apart after just one or two wears. Moreover, even when the stitching is of above-average quality, there’s still a risk that the overall craftsmanship is going to be lacking. In one example that we encountered, there were even misaligned stitches on the unicorn horn of the onesie!

And, if you plan on wearing your kigurumi everywhere, you are bound to be disappointed with your off-brand kigurumi. In many ways, you get what you pay for, and that means lower-quality fabric, and inferior product features - such as unicorn manes and tails that lack their characteristic fluffiness and coziness! Moreover, the ankle and wrist cuffs are likely to be of inferior quality. Who wants to worry about overstretched ankle and wrist cuffs that don’t return to their original shape?

That’s just the beginning of the problems that you’ll likely encounter with a counterfeit kigurumi. If you try to wash them in a regular machine, all of the glued pieces are likely to lose their grip, threads and stitching will loosen up, pockets will get overstretched,and key features like horns or tails could start to tear off easily.

In contrast, an authentic SAZAC kigurumi is wrinkle-resistant and ready to wear right out of the box. They are made of high-quality soft polyester fleece, and have long-lasting, elasticized wrist and ankle cuffs. In addition, they come with soft, fluffy details that make them the epitome of cozy.

The final analysis: there is simply no comparison to a genuine SAZAC kigurumi. Sure, they’re a little bit pricier, but you’re paying for recognizable quality that you can see with your own eyes and the peace of mind of knowing that your brand-new kigurumi will stand up to repeated wearing over a long period of time, no matter where you take it.