Ask John: What are Capsule Toys?

Question:
What is the deal with capsule toys, and what exactly are they?

Answer:
As their name implies, “capsule toys” or “gachapon” are figures, keychains, small plush dolls or other trinkets packed in clear plastic “eggs” and sold in vending machines that dispense one random toy per turn of the knob. These machines are exactly the same as the traditional capsule toy vending machines that have been a staple of American grocery stores, K-mart stores and other such outlets in America for decades. The only difference between American and Japanese capsule toys is that while American machines may dispense plastic jewelry or cap guns or rubber army men, Japanese capsule toys are commonly exceptionally detailed and high quality collectable toys worth more than the 100 yen they cost from the machines located outside anime shops in Japan. Many times these “gachapon” are made in sets, such as figures of the entire cast of a particular TV series or video game. They’re also seasonal toys, so gachapon toys available in vending machines this month will be out of production and no longer available two or three months later. Both of these factors, along with their extremely reasonably price, make gachapon highly collectable among especially Japanese fans.

A closely related toy collectable is known as “shokugan.” Shokugan are “candy toys,” boxes of candy sold in Japanese convenience markets and grocery stores that come with a bonus toy premium. Within the past two or three years, the quality of shokugan toys in Japan has increased so dramatically that the toys themselves have become highly sought after collectables. As a result, the traditional shokugan package has evolved from being candy with a bonus toy to now being a small toy with bonus candy.

Within recent years, the capsule toy market has grown so rapidly in Japan that it’s now even being parodied in anime. The Earth invading “cute aliens” of the Rikujyou Bouei Tai Mao-chan TV series appear to be living plush dolls that arrive on Earth in space capsules that look exactly like plastic gachapon toy containers.