Gashapon is only known by 4% of the population! Wacky Kaiyama takes a behind-the-scenes look at Bandai's "Gashapon 45th Anniversary Project," a fun, casual and exciting project!

The 45th anniversary year of Bandai's capsule toy brand "Gashapon" is reaching its climax!

So Wacky Kaiyama, the entertainment world's foremost collector of capsule toys, stormed into Bandai's Vendor Business Department! Tomoko Seya, in charge of marketing, told us how the 45th anniversary project started, what goes on behind the scenes of the various projects, and what she thinks of Gashapon in the future. She also gave us a glimpse of what the future holds for Gashapon, from the perspective of a capsule toy fan!

Gashapon 45th Anniversary Project Reveals the Profile of Capsule Toys

─ When did the 45th anniversary project begin?

Seya The project was first launched in February 2022, at which time we renewed the logo and released "Flat Gashapon," Gashapon that can be up to A4 size and 1 cm thick.

─ Had you been thinking about renewing the logo for some time?

Seya We had been talking about it for quite a while, but we thought that the anniversary would be a good time to make the switch...? That's why we decided on this timing.

New logo for Gashapon

───Did you come up with many different logo ideas?

Seya Before actually coming up with a proposal, we had a meeting to discuss what kind of design we wanted to use, and once we had some sense of direction, we narrowed it down to about three designs, saying, "This is what we want to do.

───It's very nice that the logo comes out with a gusher, giving it a bouncy feel. To begin with, what is the purpose of this project?

Seya: In the 45 years that we have been in the capsule toy business, we have never done anything this big to celebrate an anniversary. There have been one-off projects, but we had never done anything big throughout the year, so we decided to do it once.

The first thing that came up was that our capsule toys are branded as "Gashapon," but they are also known as "Gachapon" or "Gacha-gacha" throughout Japan.

We decided that it would be a good idea to find out how well known Gashapon is, so we conducted a nationwide survey and ran newspaper ads on the results.

Gashapon" Familiarity in Each Prefecture

I think it was a very innovative project. I was surprised to learn that Gashapon is not as well known as I thought. ......

Seya That's right. I didn't expect it to have the national average of 4% name recognition.

─ ─ Honestly, what percentage did you think it would be?

Seya I would say about 20%......30%. But I thought it would indeed be 60%. ......(laughs). Even within the company, we were like, "No way, 4% (national average)...what are you going to do? Do you want to take it out?" But we decided that since we are a business entity that casually releases capsule toys, it would make a good story if we casually and amusingly announced that "4%" was the national average, and people would pay attention.

─ ─ It's great that you are willing to put it out there. I think that even people who were not interested in it learned that it was called "Gashapon" through this project. So, in a sense, I think this self-deprecating PR campaign worked. It was also interesting to set up a vending machine that, when you turn the handle, the "answer" called "Gashapon" comes out.

Seya I think one of our good points is that we combine experiences with things, so we made it an interactive advertisement that not only shows the product, but also allows the viewer to try it and get an answer.

Limited edition Gashapon vending machine installed at Shibuya Station on the Keio Inokashira Line, where the "answer" comes out when the machine is turned.

─ Various vending machines were also announced, such as the "Gashapon Odyssey" and the touch-panel vending machine "Gashapon Connect.

Seya: We had been planning these machines for a long time, but decided to release them at the time of our 45th anniversary.

──We also released a Gashapon machine that accepts electronic payment, but ultimately you don't have to turn the handle. But you always have to turn the handle at .......

Seya It is fun to turn the handle, isn't it? This is another aspect of our commitment to providing hands-on entertainment that we cannot compromise on.

Gashapon Odyssey

──In addition, there were various other projects such as 88 consecutive Gashapon games and a craft video using capsules by WakuWaku-san, but what I felt was very modern was the SDGs approach.

Seya Yes, we are always thinking about the SDGs, and we have released capsule-less products and collaborated with Namco Bandai Amusement Bandai to recycle capsules to make new ones. We have also developed a product called "MAPU Capsule," which is made mainly from paper.

─ Is this paper?

Seya Yes. Paper is the main raw material. Ordinary capsules are non-burnable garbage, but this one can be disposed of with burnable garbage. (*Note: Please dispose of garbage according to the separation rules set by each municipality.)

Chips used as raw material for MAPU capsules and MAPU capsules

─ ─ It seems like the timing of the 45th anniversary is just right for you to develop a variety of capsules as a PR campaign for users, doesn't it?

Seya Yes, it is. The purpose of this project is brand recognition. I think there are many people who know about capsule toys but buy them without knowing that they are Gashapon, so we hope to bring Gashapon to the attention of these people.

By using various approaches, we hope that people who normally have no contact with capsule toys will become aware of them. We called "MACHIBOKE" from "abandoned goods" and put a Gashapon vending machine there as well.

Machiboke corner

─ So you developed a food sales area with "Machiboke" figures?

Seya That's right. We decided that it would be easier to buy if we called the "cut-offs" "machiboke. When people hear the word "machiboke," they feel compelled to buy it. We have not yet decided what we will do with this policy, but we would like to do it again if there is an opportunity.

In addition, May is Children's Day and Toys for Tots Day, so Bandai's products have such high inspection standards. We also used TikTok and social networking services to send out information about the safety and security of Bandai products.

Machiboke Corner

Leveraging the unique strengths of the No. 1 company in the industry

─ ─ How long do you plan to keep the project running? Can you tell us about the response to the project?

Seya: The 45th anniversary project will end at the end of this year. We have received quite a bit of feedback from customers, especially for products such as "KINKESHI Full Action Special 01" and "Gashapon Meikan: Golden Warrior Gold Litan," as well as the "1/12 Gashapon Station," which is a 1/12 scale Gashapon vending machine. People were taking pictures of the mini vending machines on top of real vending machines. It's cute, isn't it?

We also tried all kinds of things, such as SDGs-related activities, toy safety and security, new vending machines, and a supplement to Shogakukan's 8th grade learning magazine, so that people who knew about Gashapon before but did not pay attention to it could become aware of Gashapon. I believe that people who knew about Gashapon but didn't particularly care about it are now more aware of Gashapon.

Gashapon Name Book Golden Warrior Gold Litan

Kin-Keshi Full Action Special 01

───It may sound strange, but Bandai's main products are toys, and compared to that, Gashapon are a bit junky or ....... In this context, I felt that Bandai really made something interesting this year.

Seya The Vendor Division is a division that operates differently from the other toy divisions, so we work as a separate unit, not as a higher or lower division. This year, even people from other departments told me, "The Vendor Division is making interesting moves this year. The Vendor Division's style is to offer a wide variety of lineups in a short period of time, and to release products that are easy to buy, so I think this was a year in which our strengths were put to good use.

─ I see. Still, there were a lot of new products this year, weren't there?

Seya: We had a record number of new products. In a typical month, there were about 90 new items. Recently, we have been releasing 70 to 100 new items per month.

─ ─ Isn't it difficult to release new products due to the Corona disaster and the weak yen?

Seya It is true that we had a hard time in terms of production, but I think it is the same everywhere, not only in the toy industry.

─ This may be a bit of a big question, but what do you think will happen to the capsule toy industry in the future?

Seya I think it will continue to expand. We will go beyond capsules and release flat ones, vending machines with LCD screens, and larger capsules. Also, we have evolved to the point where you can now purchase them online, so I think there will be many more changes and evolutions in the future.

Flat Gashapon

─ In this context, what are the future challenges for Bandai's Gashapon?

Seya I would like to care about the SDGs, and I hope that the eco capsule will expand. Also, we are proud that we are No. 1 in the industry, so we want to do new things before anyone else.

For example, the products that come out may not be capsules, but boxes. I would like to do this without being particular about shape or size. Of course, we will not only be serious, but we will also be a bit silly.

We develop our own vending machines and products, and I think the good thing about our company is that we can evolve both. Recently, we have increased the size of the capsules we can put out, so we can make large products, and we have also created Gashapon Odyssey and Gashapon Connect, which have huge LCD screens.

We are currently producing many products that cost 300 to 400 yen, but I think that we can come up with products that are more surprising than the image of "something you can buy with pennies," and that people would not expect a dung beetle to come straight out of a vending machine, nor would they expect a flat object to appear.

So, I would like to continue to surprise people with new and innovative products.