![Gachapon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Gachapon.jpg)
, also called , is a trademark of
Bandai
is a Japanese multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and Richmond ...
. Among the variety of
vending machine
A vending machine is an automated machine that provides items such as snacks, beverages, cigarettes, and lottery tickets to consumers after cash, a credit card, or other forms of payment are inserted into the machine or otherwise made. The ...
-dispensed
capsule toys that originated in the 1960s, it became popular in Japan and elsewhere. "Gashapon" is
onomatopoeic from the two sounds "gasha" (or "gacha") for the hand-cranking action of a toy-vending machine, and "pon" for the toy capsule landing in the collection tray. "Gashapon" is used for both the machines themselves and the toys obtained from them. Popular
capsule toy manufacturers include
Tomy
is a Japanese entertainment company that makes children's toys and merchandise. It was created from a merger on March 1st 2006 of two companies: Tomy (founded in 1924 as Tomiyama, changing the name to Tomy in 1963) and long-time rival Ta ...
, which uses the trademark for their capsule machines, and
Kaiyodo
is a Japanese company which manufactures figurines and garage kits. Its headquarters is in Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture.[会社概要] . In many countries including Japan, China, United States and the United Kingdom, "Gashapon" is a registered trademark of Bandai. The model of
capsule toy has been adapted digitally into numerous
''gacha'' video games, such as
mobile phone games
A mobile game, or smartphone game, is a video game that is typically played on a mobile phone. The term also refers to all games that are played on any portable device, including from mobile phone (feature phone or smartphone), tablet, PDA to h ...
and
massively multiplayer online games
A massively multiplayer online game (MMOG or more commonly MMO) is an online video game with a large number of players, often hundreds or thousands, on the same server. MMOs usually feature a huge, persistent open world, although there are ...
(MMOs).
Description
![Gashapon machines (Hong Kong)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Gashapon_machines_%28Hong_Kong%29.jpg)
''Gashapon'' machines are similar to the coin-operated toy vending machines seen outside grocery stores and other retailers in other countries. While American coin-operated vending toys are usually cheap, low-quality products sold for a few
quarters ( or less), Bandai's ''gashapon'' can cost anywhere from to and are normally a much higher-quality product, followed by other Japanese manufacturers. They are often constructed from high-grade
PVC plastic, and contain more molding detail and intricately painted features. Many ''gashapon'' are considered
collector's items
A collectable (collectible or collector's item) is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector. Collectable items are not necessarily monetarily valuable or uncommon. There are numerous types of collectables and terms t ...
, with rare ones fetching extremely high prices in
secondhand markets.
''Gashapon'' toys are often licensed from popular characters in Japanese
manga,
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
s or
anime
is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...
, or from the American entertainment industry. These highly detailed toys have found a large following among all generations in Japan, and the trend is filtering to the world, especially among adult collectors. It is not uncommon for sets marketed specifically for adults to feature risqué female figurines.
Virtually all ''gashapon'' are released in sets—each series will have a number of figures to collect. They are, by nature, a "blind purchase"; people insert coins and hope to get the toy or figure they desire. Such an amusement element may become frustrating, as one risks obtaining the same item repeatedly.
Enthusiastic collectors will buy sets from ''gashapon'' stores in places such as
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
's
Akihabara or
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
's
Nipponbashi
is a shopping district of Naniwa Ward, Osaka, Japan. The area is centered along Sakaisuji Avenue, extending from the Ebisu-chō Interchange of the Hanshin Expressway in the south, to Nansan-dōri (just east of Nankai Namba Station) in the n ...
(Den-Den Town). Depending on the store, the sets are usually cheaper than buying them randomly out of a machine.
Bandai
is a Japanese multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and Richmond ...
has been selling Gashapon toys since at least 1977. ,
Bandai Namco
also known as the Bandai Namco Group and generally Bandai Namco, is a Japanese multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, formed from the merger of Bandai and Namco on S ...
has sold Gashapon toys for ¥100–500 each, generating approximately between () in estimated sales revenue, since 1977.
Types
Blind-boxes
In recent years, the capsule toys have also come to refer to blind-box trading figures, which are essentially the same product sold randomly out of sealed packages instead of a machine.
Bottle cap figures
Another variety of capsule toys is bottle cap figures. These small figures are mounted atop a plastic
bottle cap
A bottle cap or bottle top is a closure for the top opening of a bottle. A cap is sometimes colourfully decorated with the logo of the brand of contents. Plastic caps are used for plastic bottles, while metal with plastic backing is used for gl ...
, as might be found on a twenty-ounce
soda
Soda or SODA may refer to:
Chemistry
* Some chemical compounds containing sodium
** Sodium carbonate, washing soda or soda ash
** Sodium bicarbonate, baking soda
** Sodium hydroxide, caustic soda
** Sodium oxide, an alkali metal oxide
* Sod ...
bottle. They are sold both in machine capsules and blind boxes. The caps are not functional as they lack
screw threads to secure them to the mouth of the bottle.
Video games
Mini games
Capsule toy machines and their random payouts have inspired trinket-collection
mini-games
A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements, and is often smaller or more simplistic, than th ...
in many video games, most notably the ''
Legend of Zelda
''The Legend of Zelda'' is an action-adventure game franchise created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments and re-rele ...
'' series' similarly named "Gasha Trees" in ''
Oracle of Ages'' and ''
Oracle of Seasons'', and, to a much higher extent, the random figurine payout in ''
The Minish Cap''. capsule toys have also appeared in some ''
Mario
is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his cre ...
'' games such as ''
Mario Party 5'' and well as ''
Super Smash Bros. Melee'' where the player inserts a desired amount of coins and gets a trophy of a Nintendo-related nature in return. In both ''
The Minish Cap'' and ''
Super Smash Bros. Melee'', the more the player spends in one go, the higher the chance of getting a new item in return. The bonus stage in ''
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
is a 1994 platform game developed and published by Sega for the Genesis. Like previous ''Sonic'' games, players traverse side-scrolling levels while collecting rings and defeating enemies. They control Sonic and Tails, who attempt to retrieve ...
'' is also capsule toys-inspired.
Yoshi's Crafted World
''Yoshi's Crafted World'' is a platform video game developed by Good-Feel and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. The eighth main installment in the ''Yoshi'' franchise, it is the spiritual successor to ''Yoshi's Woolly World''. T ...
also uses a capsule toy machine for receiving costumes.
Gudetama
Gudetama ( ja, ぐでたま) is a cartoon character from 2013 produced by the Japanese company Sanrio. The character is an anthropomorphized egg yolk whose main traits are laziness and sadness. The name "Gudetama" is derived from the Japanese w ...
mobile game app ''Gudetama Tap'' features a variety of "eggarapons" that dispense prizes for use in the larger game.
''Gacha''-expanded games
The ''gashapon'' concept is taken to the next level in ''
SD Gundam Gashapon Wars
The popularity of the Japanese anime metaseries ''Gundam'' since its release in 1979 has resulted in a spread of merchandise across various forms, with video games among them.
This is a list of video games that are set in the franchise's va ...
'', a game based on the ''
SD Gundam
is a media franchise that spawned from the ''Gundam'' franchise. SD Gundam takes the mecha (and characters) from Gundam and expresses them in super deformed and anthropomorphic style.
Overview
SD Gundam originated from a contributed illust ...
'' television series, in which a gamer can activate extra characters from the game by buying certain series of SD Gundam ''gashapon'' toys in real life, namely ''SD Full Color STAGE:61'', then use the password bundled with the toy to unlock the corresponding character in the video game. This is the same marketing tactic used by
Kinder Surprise
Kinder Surprise (Italian: ''Kinder Sorpresa'' or ''Ovetto Kinder''), also known as Kinder Egg or Kinder Surprise Egg, is a milk chocolate consisting of a chocolate egg surrounding a yellow plastic capsule with a small toy inside. Manufactured by t ...
for the online surprises, except there is no online access involved
''Gacha'' mechanic (gacha games)
Many
free-to-play
Free-to-play (F2P or FtP) video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content without paying or do not require paying to continue playing. Free-to-play is distinct from traditional commercial software, which ...
MMOs and
mobile games have mechanics inspired by capsule toys, with randomly generated items of varying market values being acquired via
microtransactions.
* In the
NES
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...
game ''
Mega Man 4
''Mega Man 4'' is an action- platform game developed by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the fourth game in the original ''Mega Man'' series and was originally released in Japan in 1991. The game was localized in North Ame ...
'' there is an enemy named Gachappon which is a capsule toy vending machine modified to shoot energy shots and other kinds of projectiles. The Chip Trader from the ''
Mega Man Battle Network
is a tactical role-playing video game series created by Masahiro Yasuma and developed and published by Capcom as a spin-off of the ''Mega Man'' series; it premiered in 2001 on the Game Boy Advance and takes place in an alternate continuity wh ...
'' series also functions similarly to capsule toy machines. In addition, in ''
Mega Man X: Command Mission'', capsule toy machines can be found in various places, and contain figures of various Mega Man characters.
* In the online
massively multiplayer online game
A massively multiplayer online game (MMOG or more commonly MMO) is an online video game with a large number of players, often hundreds or thousands, on the same server. MMOs usually feature a huge, persistent open world, although there are ...
''
PangYa'' the capsule toy is a small Adobe Flash-powered mini-game in which users buy coins using real money, and in turn will give out items ranging from common, low-value items to rare, high-value items. There is also a consistent theme of capsule toy items being released in sets, much like their real-life counterparts.
* The machines also appear in the
Dreamcast
The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, Nint ...
game ''
Shenmue
is an action-adventure game series created, produced and directed by Yu Suzuki. '' Shenmue'' (1999) and ''Shenmue II'' (2001) were developed by Sega AM2 and published by Sega for Dreamcast. '' Shenmue III,'' developed by Suzuki's company Y ...
'', in which the main character Ryo Hazuki could spend yen to collect various figurines, including series of characters from the ''
Virtua Fighter
is a series of fighting games created by Sega-AM2 and designer Yu Suzuki. The original '' Virtua Fighter'' was released in October 1993 and has received four main sequels and several spin-offs. The highly influential first ''Virtua Fighter'' ga ...
'' and ''
Sonic the Hedgehog'' series of games as well as those of other known and lesser known
Sega franchises (e.g. ''
Fantasy Zone
is a 1986 arcade game by Sega, and the first game in the ''Fantasy Zone'' series. It was later ported to a wide variety of consoles, including the Master System. The player controls a sentient spaceship named Opa-Opa who fights an enemy inva ...
'', ''
Space Harrier
is a third-person arcade rail shooter game developed by Sega and released in 1985. It was originally conceived as a realistic military-themed game played in the third-person perspective and featuring a player-controlled fighter jet, but tec ...
'', ''
Hang-On
is an arcade racing game released by Sega in 1985 and later ported to the Master System. In the game, the player controls a motorcycle against time and other computer-controlled bikes. It was one of the first arcade games to use 16-bit graph ...
'').
* The
GameCube game ''
Gotcha Force
is a fighting / third-person shooter video game developed on HAL Laboratory Sysdolphin engine and published by Capcom for the GameCube in 2003. The game consists primarily of collecting gacha toys and battling with them.
Upon its initial releas ...
'' is completely based on capsule toys, pitting a massive variety of capsule toy-sized/themed aliens (called Borgs) against each other and the Galactic Emperor. As the player progresses, they earn new fighters that open from capsules, some of which require multiple parts to complete. Tying into the capsule toy theme even more are the variants that come in a range of styles from an alternate coloring to completely transparent to solid silver, gold, and black versions.
* They are also seen in ''
Killer7
is a 2005 action-adventure video game developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by Capcom for the GameCube and PlayStation 2. The game was written and directed by Goichi Suda and produced by Hiroyuki ...
'', in which all of the figures are required to open a specific door.
* During the course of ''
Resident Evil 4
''Resident Evil 4'' is a 2005 survival horror third-person shooter game developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by Capcom. It was originally released for the GameCube on January 11, 2005. Players control U.S. government specia ...
'', the player can take part in a shooting range mini-game to unlock models of characters and enemies that are viewable in the Keys/Treasure inventory. There is one figure in each set that requires a higher score to unlock, which could be considered the 'rare' figures. This is also done in ''
Resident Evil 5
''Resident Evil 5'' is a third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom. It is a major installment in the ''Resident Evil'' series, and was announced in 2005—the same year its predecessor ''Resident Evil 4'' was released. ' ...
'', which models of characters and enemies are unlocked for viewing by obtaining Completion Points.
* In ''
Kingdom Hearts II'', there is a rare type of Heartless called the "Bulky Vendor", based on a capsule toy machine. Only appearing in certain areas of some worlds, its HP bar drops quickly and it jumps and moves faster as time goes on. The player is required to catch up with it and use a Reaction command, from 'Capsule Prize' up to 'Prime Capsule' to receive a capsule which explodes into orbs and an item prize. This is the only way (besides treasure chests) to gain the valuable
Orichalcum
Orichalcum or aurichalcum is a metal mentioned in several ancient writings, including the story of Atlantis in the '' Critias'' of Plato. Within the dialogue, Critias (460–403 BC) claims that orichalcum had been considered second only to g ...
item.
* The
PSP game ''
Work Time Fun'' consists of nothing but playing small mini-games for money to spend in capsule toy machines. The machines deposit trinkets whose descriptions often poke fun at common capsule toy trinkets.
* In the 1998 ''
Yu-Gi-Oh!
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazuki Takahashi. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine between September 1996 and March 2004. The plot follows the story of a boy named Yugi Mutou, w ...
'' Toei Animation-produced anime series and the original
manga, there are a series of episodes where players play a game called Capsule Monsters (Capmon for short) that involves the use of a capsule toy machine to obtain the game pieces in which players used. Mokuba is seen playing this game the most, and is usually Yugi's enemy when it comes to playing this game. In a series later on that was released after the final episodes, there was a special movie that used these Capsule Monsters as a main part of the game. However, unlike the other Capsule Monsters, these ones were made out of bronze or gold, and were shot out from a capsule shooter to battle.
* In ''
Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness'', there are capsule toy machines in the stores such as the
PokéMart in Pyrite Town that appear to have
Poké Ball
Poke ( Hawaiian for "to slice" or "cut crosswise into pieces"; sometimes anglicised as 'poké' to aid pronunciation) is diced raw fish served either as an appetizer or a main course and is one of the popular dishes in Hawaii. Traditional form ...
s inside. Poké Balls are inspired by the capsules for capsule toy machines.
* Capsule toy' is also used in the ''
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja'' series, the player earns yen by completing tasks, allowing them to put money in the machine; the more money the player puts in, the more likely they will get a capsule toys. This system is used for getting miniature figurines, soundtracks, and collectible cards in-game.
* In ''
Tales of Vesperia
is an action role-playing game developed by Namco Tales Studio. The tenth mainline entry in the '' Tales'' series, it was released for the Xbox 360 and published in Japan and North America by Namco Bandai Games in 2008, and in European territor ...
'', on both the isle of Nam Cobanda and at the Yumanju hot springs there are capsule toy machines which on rare occasion give out figurines for a sidequest.
* The Crank-a-Kai machine in
Level-5's ''
Yo-kai Watch'' series is a capsule machine, from which the main character indirectly receives the titular device. By inserting coins, the player can obtain capsules containing items or Yokai. In homage to this, ''Yo-kai Watch'' merchandise can be found in capsule toy machines in Japan. There is also a Yo-kai who presides over the world's capsule toy machines, including the Crank-a-Kai. It fights using capsules obtained within its own personal capsule toy machine.
Capsule toy-style item distribution has been adopted by many
massively multiplayer online games
A massively multiplayer online game (MMOG or more commonly MMO) is an online video game with a large number of players, often hundreds or thousands, on the same server. MMOs usually feature a huge, persistent open world, although there are ...
, particularly those using the
free-to-play
Free-to-play (F2P or FtP) video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content without paying or do not require paying to continue playing. Free-to-play is distinct from traditional commercial software, which ...
model as a form of premium transaction made with real money, often granting access to items exclusive to that system. Examples are:
* In the MMO ''
MapleStory
''MapleStory'' () is a free-to-play, 2D, side-scrolling massively multiplayer online role-playing game, developed by South Korean company Wizet. Several versions of the game are available for specific countries or regions, published by vari ...
'', the capsule toy machine is used as a gambling type machine, wherein players can purchase with real money tickets which, when used at the capsule toy, will allow the player to receive a random item of random value.
* Similarly, in ''
Mabinogi
The ''Mabinogion'' () are the earliest Welsh prose stories, and belong to the Matter of Britain. The stories were compiled in Middle Welsh in the 12th–13th centuries from earlier oral traditions. There are two main source manuscripts, create ...
'', the premium shop sells capsule toy items that hold a variety of in-game items the player can use, such as dyes or armor as well as exclusively colored items and exclusive armor and clothing.
* The MMO ''
Cosmic Break
is a free to play 3D MMO third-person shooter with big robots and colorful, explosive battles in an anime style. The game was developed and published by the Japanese company CyberStep, Inc. and has been officially released in several countrie ...
'' uses a capsule toy machine called "Garapon". It has 5 rarities signified by the color of the capsule. Gold is the highest rarity in the game. However, the Garapon is highly controversial due to the pricing and extremely low chance of obtaining these items. It usually costs $3–5 per spin, as such, due to rarity issues, people have had to spend hundreds of dollars to just get one gold capsule.
* In ''
Second Life
''Second Life'' is an online multimedia platform that allows people to create an avatar for themselves and then interact with other users and user created content within a multi player online virtual world. Developed and owned by the San Fra ...
'', many stores run by users of the game have created their own capsule toy-style devices called "Gacha" that sell random objects in their shops. This practice is now a violation of the game's policies.
* In ''
Digimon Masters Online'', an MMO created by Digitalic and now owned by Move Games, it uses Gachapon Coins on a vending machine that has a chance to give one of four colored capsules.
''Gacha'' games
Games—often freemium—largely based on a ''gacha'' mechanism of monetization are referred to as ''gacha'' games.
The ''gacha'' game model arose in the early 2010s, faring particularly well in Japan.
Players may be given free or discounted ''gacha'', but have to pay to get more.
The games may feature different tiers of ''gacha'' pulls, which give different sets of rewards.
Examples of ''gacha'' games are ''
Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius'',
''
Fire Emblem Heroes
is a free-to-play tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for Android and iOS. The game is a mobile spin-off of the '' Fire Emblem'' series featuring its characters, and was released on February ...
'',
''
Puzzle & Dragons
is a puzzle video game with role-playing and strategy elements, developed and published by GungHo Online Entertainment for the iOS, Android, and Amazon Fire platforms.
''Puzzle & Dragons'' is a match-three puzzle game, requiring players t ...
'',
and ''
Dragon Collection
is a Japanese social network game created by Konami that was released on the GREE social networking platform in 2010. A manga adaptation titled ''Dragon Collection: Ryū o Suberu Mono'' was serialized from 2011 to 2012 in Kodansha's ''sh ...
''.
The mechanism has come under scrutiny for its similarity to gambling, and some countries require drop rates to be made public, or have banned certain practices (e.g.,
complete gacha
A is a video game that implements the (toy vending machine) mechanic. Similar to loot boxes, gacha games entice players to spend in-game currency to receive a random in-game item. Some in-game currency generally can be gained through game pl ...
).
See also
*
Designer toys
*
Figurine
A figurine (a diminutive form of the word ''figure'') or statuette is a small, three-dimensional sculpture that represents a human, deity or animal, or, in practice, a pair or small group of them. Figurines have been made in many media, with cl ...
*
Gumball machine
A gumball machine is a type of bulk vending machine that dispenses individual gumballs in exchange for money. Originally priced at one penny when introduced in the early 20th century, the standard cost of one gumball in the United States is now ...
*
Model figure
A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure.
Models c ...
*
Urban vinyl
References
External links
Gashaponat
Bandai
is a Japanese multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and Richmond ...
{{in lang, ja
Vending
Vending machines
Toy collecting
Japanese inventions