遇見史迪奇 / Running into Stitch

前陣子《星際寶貝》的真人版電影《星際寶貝：史迪奇》才上映，主角就是那隻透過基因工程製造出來的藍色無尾熊史迪奇（Stitch），史迪奇的外表像一隻小狗，有著藍色的皮膚、渾圓的耳朵，及兇猛外型的小怪物，看似兇惡卻內心渴望被愛，我看該電影的評論，觀眾對於真人版電影褒貶不一，有些人認為內容更有深度，而某些人認為該電影毀掉童年的印象，不過，至少史迪奇的膚色還是藍色的。

某個下午，當在我經過街頭時，遠遠地看到一座7米高左右的史迪奇氣球玩偶時，立刻就吸引了我的目光，同時也勾起了我的好奇心，我心裡想著，是不是又有了甚麼活動，應該是跟史迪奇有關的吧，沒有甚麼急事的話，要不要順道過去看看。

走近一看，看到呲牙裂嘴拱手行禮的史迪奇玩偶，還真奇妙，當然，玩偶的周邊已經圍滿了拍照取景的人了，此外，周邊還有幾家時尚玻璃屋矗立在廣場上，屋內已經是滿滿的人潮了，我進去一看，幾乎賣的都是史迪奇周邊公仔、填充玩偶及盲盒，我看不少年輕女生，和好友們討論著那一隻玩偶最好看，挑得不亦樂乎。

在看到那麼多藍色的史迪奇後，我不禁想到最近超多人談論的拉布布（Labubu），有趣的是，他們同樣帶著「怪獸」的標籤，同樣地，外表乍看有些嚇人，但是都有壞壞，卻可愛的特質，或許正是這樣的特質，讓他們深受粉絲們的喜愛，而我喜歡史迪奇嗎？其實，並沒有，或許我較喜歡那些較真誠或較溫暖的角色，不過，就向我提到的，我可以理解人們喜歡史迪奇或拉布布的原因。

Recently, the live-action movie Lilo & Stitch came out, with Stitch, the blue koala-like creature created through genetic engineering—as the main character. Stitch looks a bit like a dog, with blue skin, big round ears, and the appearance of a fierce little monster. He may look scary, but deep down, he just wants to be loved. I read some reviews of the movie, and people were pretty divided. Some thought the live-action version gave the story more depth, while others said it ruined their childhood memories. At least they kept Stitch’s skin blue.

One afternoon, as I was walking down the street, I spotted a huge inflatable Stitch, probably about seven meters tall from a distance. It immediately caught my attention and sparked my curiosity. I wondered if there was some kind of event going on related to Stitch, and since I wasn’t in a rush, I thought I might as well go check it out.

As I got closer, I saw the big Stitch figure, grinning and posing with its hands together in greeting. It was pretty surreal. Of course, lots of people were already gathered around, snapping photos. Around the square, there were several stylish glass pop-up shops, all crowded with people. When I stepped inside, I realized almost everything for sale was Stitch-themed—figures, plush toys, and blind boxes. I noticed plenty of young women excitedly discussing which plush was the cutest, picking and choosing with a lot of enthusiasm.

Seeing so much blue Stitch merchandise instantly made me think of the recent craze around Labubu. Interestingly, they share a lot in common. They both carry that “monster” label, and they both look a bit creepy at first glance, yet they also have that “bad but cute” charm. Maybe that’s exactly what makes fans love them so much.

But do I actually like Stitch myself? Honestly, not really. I tend to prefer characters that feel more genuine or warm. Still, like I said, I can totally understand why people are drawn to characters like Stitch or Labubu. It’s just not my personal preference.

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