Five capsule toys that colored the turbulent year 2020! The annual Capsule Toy Awards 2020 will be announced in a big way! Wacky Kaiyama's latest gacha exploration No. 47

It's time for the "Capsule Toy Awards," in which Wacky Kaizan, the "Capsuleist of Morinomiya City," a gacha-gacha collector and researcher, chooses the most memorable capsule toy of the year based on his own prejudices and opinions.

What a surprise! This is the fourth time already! That's right, it's the fourth time!

Before announcing the awards, I would like to give a summary of this year's awards!

Personally, I have suffered a lot in my main job as a presenter under the Corona disaster, but as a capsuleer, it was great that my fifth book "Showa Retro Gacha Saikyou Collection" (Graphic, Inc.), which I created during my stay-home period, was successfully released this summer.

Also, at the end of this year, the "Cosmos" page of the magazine "Showa 50 Nen Otoko" (Creta Publishing) and the "Bunshun Online" retro gacha best 50 were released, and early next year, I was in charge of a special page in "AERA" (Asahi Shimbun Publications) tracing the history of gacha, I feel as if I have been completely immersed in the "gacha swamp.

In the capsule toy industry, I heard that the first half of the year was very difficult, with some products having their sales postponed or cancelled, and sales plummeting due to the voluntary restraint on going out. However, in the second half of the year, the "Demon Slayer" boom led to strong sales of related gachas. The sales of "Demon Slayer" and related gachas have been booming in the second half of the year, and are gradually beginning to show signs of recovery.

Such is the best of the year for 2020! From the capsule toys released between December 2019 and November 2020, we have selected "Nice Fancy," "Nice Gimmick," "Nice Topic," "Nice Shock," and "Best MVC (Most Valuable Capsuletoy)" awards.

What kind of capsule toys are in the lineup?

Please enjoy the comments from the makers of the toys!

Nice Fancy Prize
"Shirokuma" from "GINBIS TABEKO Aquarium Figure" SK Japan 300yen
to be released in July 2020

The recent trend in capsule toys seems to be collaboration with companies.

The "GINBIS TABEKO Animal Figures" released last year is one such example, and was a big hit. In a certain variety show, actress Mizuki Yamamoto also professed her love for this product.

Here is the sequel. The motif is based on a popular snack, a cookie in the shape of a sea creature soaked in chocolate. The cute sea creatures are now available in three-dimensional form! The soft form of the cookies has been reproduced as is, and they are very popular on social networking sites.

Personally, the mischievousness of the "Shirokuma" gave me courage and energy. It is a nice fancy award without any complaints.

<Manufacturer's comment

Thank you very much for selecting our product for the "Nice Fancy Award! I had always liked and eaten the "TABEKO DOBUTSU and TABEKO AQUARIUM" snacks, but after the decision to commercialize the product was made, I created this product to faithfully express the cuteness of the illustrations while eating "TABEKO AQUARIUM" almost every day!

We will continue to release cute products with the cooperation of GINBIS Co.

Nice Gimmick Award
The Bells and Bellows Hall" Toys Spirits, ¥400
, on sale December 2019

This is a palm-sized hall. The molding is wonderfully simple and reminiscent of old-fashioned wooden construction.

When you poke the stick toward the hanging bell, a slightly high-pitched "cone" sound is played. If you patiently strike the bell 108 times, you will experience the ...... New Year's bell!

With this, you can enjoy the sound of the New Year's bell at home without going to a temple, especially since you need to avoid "density" this year. It is the best capsule toy.

I have been giving a "gacha comic talk" at a yose, and when I put this out, I get a lot of comments from customers, such as "What? There is such a gacha? and then, "I see. I feel calm and this is a good way to end the show. We are very grateful for that.

Then, in November of this year, the second version appeared. This one has a colorful roof. The gold-roofed version is especially gorgeous and looks like it will bring good luck.

Please try it at the end of the year! So, it is a nice gimmick award.

<Manufacturer's comment

This product was created in the hope that people can easily and enjoyably perform misogi at home this year! Please enjoy the surreal sound of this bell as a reminder to rid yourself of your worries!

Nice Topic Award
Tabletop Call Button Collection" Toys Cabin,¥300
, on sale October 2020

Toys Cabin, a Shizuoka Prefecture-based manufacturer, has been enjoying unprecedented success this year with their "Work Cat" figures. This " Tabletop Call Button Collection" released by the company has made our dream come true.

Yes, we have been dreaming about it for a long time! You can press various buttons over and over again without any hesitation.

Although it is slightly smaller than the usual size, the shape looks just like the real thing. If you press it, it will call out quite loudly. It is hard to go out to eat these days, but you can enjoy the feeling of a family restaurant in your own home.

There are two types of shapes, but the ringing sound is the same.

Still, to get such a realistic-looking button at such a low price is sure to be a hot topic. It is truly worthy of this award!

<Manufacturer's comments

Thank you very much for the nice buzz award! As you can see, this product is a staff call button often seen in restaurants. The project started with a joke-like conversation between the president and the staff.

Since the "Bus Descent Button Light Mascot 2 with Voice" had already been well received, we decided to proceed with this as the second product in the "Sound" series! We were determined to develop this project with great enthusiasm. I composed the sound myself and added a slight reverb to the sound source to reproduce the echoes in the store, creating a voice that is both exquisite and original!

We were particularly particular about the design of the letters on the top of the round buttons, and we were so particular about it that we almost violated the rights, so we simplified the design in the middle of the project. We had a lot of fun making this product with the underlying theme of "Nothing is too much! We never dreamed that this product would be so well received, but we are very happy to have been able to bring smiles to so many customers' faces.

We will continue to make our best effort to create fun products with sincerity so that we will be selected for the award again next year!

Nice Impact Award
Zettai Gastrandum" from "Z-Zettai Restaurant Random" NHI Shoji ¥200
on sale in October 2020

In the fourth year of the Award, a capsule toy exclusive to the "SUKAIRAKU" group of family restaurants is now available!

It can be purchased by inserting coins from the lucky set or 200 yen into the vending machine.

The group's restaurants, Gusto, Bamiyan, Steak Gusto, and Yumean, transform into robots! Not only children, but also the Showa era generation will be thrilled with the transformations.

First, the family restaurant building spreads its wings and transforms into an airplane-like fighter mode. From here, the building transforms into a three-stage robot mode using a signboard as a weapon. Immerse yourself in the world of this game while uttering "Gashin" and "Gashin" sound effects!

By the way, Restaurant Town mode can be connected to other restaurants. This is a very clever way to create a peaceful everyday scene that does not remind you of the battle that is about to take place.

I have known about capsule toys in family restaurants for a long time as a product for children, but I was surprised to see how far they have evolved. ...... The degree of impact is immeasurable.

Congratulations on the award!

<Manufacturer's comment

We are honored to have been selected for the "Nice Impact Award. This capsule toy is available at Gusto and Bamiyan restaurants, as well as in some home delivery menus.
This toy was created with the designer's childlike spirit and love for Familess. In addition to the romance of transforming a family restaurant in the midst of everyday life, "I want to make the IN sign in the parking lot a shield! I want children to be able to transform it freely! I think the fact that we were able to express these passionate ideas in our gimmick led to our winning of the award.
I will continue to work on projects that are close to children's hearts.

2020 Most Valuable Capsuletoy (M.V.C.)
Oosuzumebachi" from "Gachapon: Wildlife Series Suzumebachi" Bandai 500 yen
Released in June 2020

With the stag beetle and praying mantis (......), Bandai has introduced a succession of giant insects to the world this year. Bandai has been introducing giant insects one after another this year, including a stag beetle, a praying mantis, and a ! The momentum of the company was truly divine. The first to take the lead was the "Suzumebachi" released in June. When I first held it in my hands, I couldn't help but exclaim in excitement, "Wow!

In order to dynamically reproduce the sparrowbee in its 15 cm size, even a part of the capsule was used as a part of the specimen's display stand. It takes a lot of time and effort to assemble, but when you see the finished product, you will be horrified by its powerful appearance, as if it is about to attack at any moment. Including the mouth part, there are a total of 18 movable parts, and the gimmick of the sharp needle coming out from the tip of the buttocks was particularly astonishing.

At the same time, the "Integrated Model Mazinger Z," a lineup of three different models of Mazinger Z that would make a complete bust of the Showa-era anime milestone "Mazinger Z," was a hit, and its aggressive stance that broke with the common wisdom of capsule toys always left us impressed. This Suzumebachi is a symbolic item of Bandai's efforts. It is truly worthy of the title of M.V.C.

<Manufacturer's comment

We are honored to have been chosen as M.V.C! Wasps are amazing! I started by reading books on wasps and thoroughly studied various wasp specimens in order to make everyone, from adults to children, feel that wasps are amazing! I believe that this figure will look great on display, not only because it is movable like a wasp, but also because I sought to create a cool figure of the tyrant of the insect world.

We will continue to commercialize surprising creatures, so please give us your support!

That's all for now!

What did you think? What capsule toys will appear in 2021?

This fall, Bandai also announced a new capsule station model, which will be available for prices up to 2,500 yen. As our lifestyles change, the world of capsule toys is sure to become even more exciting as it is updated.

The fundamental spirit of entertaining us will remain the same, and capsule toys are likely to become more and more powerful. We look forward to your continued support next year.

<Profile

Wacky Kaizan
Freelance TV personality and capsule toy collector and researcher (Capsuleerist)
He has been collecting GACHA-GACHA since he was 7 years old and owns 100,000 of them. He has published "Showa Retro Gacha Gacha: The Most Powerful Collection" (Graphics, Inc.), "All About My Beloved Phony Gacha Gacha Cosmos", "The Wonderful World of Phony Gacha Gacha - Cosmos Forever", and "The Final Definitive Version! The Truth of Phony Gachagacha - Cosmos, Its Love" (Futabasha), and "Nihon Kaishikashi Gachagacha Daizen" (Tatsumi Shuppan).
Videos of the latest gacha and retro "cosmos" gacha are shown daily on his official YouTube channel, "Wacky Kaiyama Gacha Channel!