The one that started it all: Slam Dunk Series 4 by Banpresto (1995)

The first time I got into Yahoo! Japan I found this set in a listing starting with the ridiculous amount of 1 yen (less than 10 US cents!) and won it for 100 (less than 1 USD). 

So I believe it was destiny...

After winning this, I just wanted to look for more Slam Dunk UFO plushes and other anime series as well.

Looking at those funny faces makes you remember a lot of hilarious moments from the series. All of them have a plastic basket ball and cord shoelaces.

Now let's go to the individual presentations:

Hanamichi Sakuragi - Main protagonist and one of the best characters on any anime. He starts as a good-for-nothing student at Shohoku High School who starts playing basketball just to get attention from a girl he just met named Haruko Akagi. 

Through the story he learns to love this sport and due to A LOT of self-confidence and perseverance, he becomes a key player for Shohoku.

Shoelaces from one foot are gone T_T Also, the little sweat drop at the top of his head is an original touch!

   
Kaede Rukawa - The best player in Shohoku is the main rival for our protagonist not only because of his game skills but also because he gets all the attention from Haruko (although he really doesn't care at all about her) His only goal is to be the best player in Japan.

Is that look cocky enough for you?

Takenori Akagi - Captain of Shohoku and Haruko's older brother, which is not the best scenario for Sakuragi, since Akagi doesn't think of him as someone good enough to be in the team (at first). 

Sakuragi calls Akagi "Gori" for Gorilla. I don't know why.... XD

Hisashi Mitsui - Shohoku's Point Guard and the 3-point specialist. 

He needs to use the knee protection due to an injury that left him out of the team for 2 years.

Ryota Miyagi - He's Sakuragi's closest friend within the team. Because of his incredible speed and skills, he was nicknamed as "Lightning Flash Ryota" by some other players.

I remember than during 90's there was some fashion custom where some men liked to use an earring, but, depending on which ear you used it, it could mean you were gay or straight...

Kiminobu Kogure - He is Shohoku's vice-captain and a good friend to Akagi since Middle School.

I'm pretty sure he's pointing up to something and not "giving the finger" to us...

Coach Anzai - One of the best basketball coaches in Japan. He is always calm but gives the exact advise that players need for their development. He has the nickname "The White-haired Buddha"

The looks and how he laughs in the series gives you the impression that this character is based on Santa Claus!

Shinichi Maki - The captain of Kainan Basketball Team and probably the best player in the region. He is often made fun of by Sakuragi and his friends for looking older than his age.

Akira Sendoh - He's the ace of Kainan Basketball Team and also one of the best players in the region along with Maki. Rukawa sees him as his greatest rival.

Kenji Fujima - He is the captain and coach of the Shoyo team. Maki is his best rival.

Finally, let's check the tags. Since this UFO plushes don't come with a box like action figures does, tags are considered important to have a "complete" figure and to ensure that it's a licensed product.

Front of the paper tag. Blue logo at top says "Toru-toru catcher" which can mean "catch-catch catcher" so... let's leave it as Toru-toru, allright?

Back of paper tag with the 10 characters. Name and product code within parenthesis.

In the tag attached to the figure you can see the year of production.

On the back we have: plush code, number of series (IV) then "From Anime Series Slam Dunk", the author and company copyright info and finally, the difficulty level to obtain this plushes, being 3 for this ones.