Japanese Gatchapon
Gashapon or gatchapon (ガチャポン) refer to vending machines that dispense toys in a small capsule. These toy vending machines can be found in the front of grocery stores and diner waiting areas in the US, but Japan takes these toy vending machines to the next level. Japanese capsule toys differ from their American counterparts, in that they offer more expensive, but higher quality toys. American toy machines typically cost $1 USD or less, while Japanese gatchapon cost anywhere from ¥200 to 300 JPY ($1–4 USD) and are normally a much higher-quality product. For instance, popular Japanese gatchapon include collectible, licensed Disney, Sanrio, San-X, Pokemon and various anime characters.
The word “gatchapon” comes from two onomatopoeic Japanese words. The first is “gatcha”, which refers to the cranking sound that the toy machine makes when you turn the knob. The second sound is “pon”, the sound the capsule makes when it falls down into the tray. Gatchapon refers to both the machines themselves and the toys obtained from them.
Gatchapon are typically released in series. Some gatchapon are considered collectors items that cannot be purchased elsewhere, and can be sold for double their value or more on e-Bay. By their nature, gatchapon are blind purchase items, meaning that you don’t know which specific design you will receive from the series. These little capsule toys are not just for kids. Many gatchapon toys are made for adults.
In Japan, you will find gatchapon in your local shopping malls, arcades, supermarkets, and restaurants.
Ryuzo Shigeta, also known as “gatcha-gatcha ojisan” or “grandpa” set up the first capsule toy machine at his shop, Penny Shokai in Tokyo, selling them for 10 yen a piece. The toys were cheaply made from scrap plastic. In 1977, however, Bandai revolutionized the industry by making higher quality toys which sold for 100 yen each.
Japanese Gatchapon Manufacturers
Japanese Gatchapon are not manufactured by a single company. There are a variety of companies that manufacture gatchapons. You can see the new gatcahpon toys that have been released on the manufacturer’s websites.
Bandai is the company that made gatchapon what it is today. Bandai makes a variety of capsule toys, including Disney, Doraemon,Pokémon, Dragon Ball and One Piece, as well as other Japanese character capsule toys such as Anpanman and Crayon Shin Chan. Bandai has trademarked the term “gashapon.”
Takara Tomy Arts is probably the biggest toy producer in Japan and also one of the well known gatchapon manufacturers. Takara Tomy Arts produces a lot of character gatchapon, including Disney, Sanrio,Pokémon, San-x Star Wars, Marvel, Sakura Cardcopter, Doraemon, Thomas the Train, and more. Takara Tomy uses the trademark “Gacha.”
Epoch is a Japanese company that is known for making Doraemon video games as well as Sylvanian Family toys. Epoch specializes in cat themed gatchapon, and they also make miniature Sylvanian family gatchapon.
Kaiyodo makes a variety of tiny, but very realistic animals including insects, dinosaurs, birds. It also manufactures anime characters.
Kitan Club is known for making the famous Fuchico on the cup gatchapon. Fuchiko is an office worker who poses in strange positions on the edge of a cup, designed by manga artist Katsuki Tanaka. He noticed that many people were taking boring pictures of food on social media, so he created this character to make the pictures more interesting.
Gacha Shop Korea
In Korea, the first gatchapon were installed in 2002 by Tiat Korea. Today, you can find them in shopping malls and sometimes in subway stations. There is a special franchise dedicated to selling Japanese gatchapon in Korea, called “Gatcha Shop.” (Website: gachashop.co.kr)