A multitude of Studio Ghibli films are now featured on a collection of Zippo lighters. From classics such as Princess Mononoke and Laputa to the more recent on-screen adventures like Tales from Earthsea and Ponyo, the lighters are available online and range between $99.99 – $150.
Despite Ghibli’s popularity with young audiences, the studio has clearly branched out to more mature audiences in this particular merchandising. Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki is a smoker himself, having said in an interview in 2008 with Robert Whiting “Both of my parents were heavy smokers, though they didn’t die of lung cancer. So I’m OK. I scanned my lungs the other day and there was no problem.”
Even with the health issues surrounding smoking and the complaints from some fans and anti-smoking groups, it’s hard not to admire the artistry of these pieces. If it makes those against smoking feel any better, they could always be used to light candles.
From Up On Poppy Hill, directed by Goro Miyazaki, has been adapted from the manga Kokuriko-Zaka Kara by Chizuru Takahashi and Tetsurō Sayama. It follows a group of Yokohama teens involved in a student movement to prevent the demolition of an old club house in preparation for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Hayao Miyazaki, Goro’s father and Studio Ghibli’s co-founder, scripted the film.