Gashapon
Gashapon (ガシャポン), also called gachapon (ガチャポン), is a trademark of Bandai. Among the variety of vending machine-dispensed capsule toys that originated in the 1960s,[1] 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.[2] "Gashapon" is used for both the machines themselves and the toys obtained from them. Popular capsule toy manufacturers include Tomy, which uses the trademark gacha (ガチャ, gacha) for their capsule machines, and Kaiyodo. In many countries and territories including Japan, China, United States, European Union (European Union trade mark) and the United Kingdom, "Gashapon" is a registered trademark of Bandai.[3][4][5][6][7] The model of capsule toy has been adapted digitally into numerous gacha video games, such as mobile phone games and massively multiplayer online games (MMOs).
Description edit
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 (US$1 or less), Bandai's gashapon can cost anywhere from ¥100 (US$0.91) to ¥500 (US$4.56) 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, with rare ones fetching extremely high prices in secondhand markets.[8]
Gashapon toys are often licensed from popular characters in Japanese manga, video games or anime, 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.[9]
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's Akihabara or Osaka's Nipponbashi (Den-Den Town). Depending on the store, the sets are usually cheaper than buying them randomly out of a machine.
Bandai has been selling Gashapon toys since at least 1977. As of March 2021[update], Bandai Namco has sold 3.711 billion Gashapon toys for ¥100–500 each, generating approximately between ¥371–1,860 billion ($3.38–17 billion) in estimated sales revenue, since 1977.[10]
Types edit
Blind-boxes edit
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.[11]
Bottle cap figures edit
Another variety of capsule toys is bottle cap figures. These small figures are mounted atop a plastic bottle cap, as might be found on a twenty-ounce soda 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 edit
Gacha games edit
Games—often freemium—largely based on a gacha mechanism of monetization are referred to as gacha games.[12][13] Players pull from the gacha to obtain new characters or other in-game items.[12] The gacha game model arose in the early 2010s, faring particularly well in Japan.[12][13] Players may be given free or discounted gacha, but have to pay to get more.[13] The games may feature different tiers of gacha pulls, which give different sets of rewards.[12] Examples of gacha games are Genshin Impact,[14] Fire Emblem Heroes,[12][15] Puzzle & Dragons,[12] and Dragon Collection.[13] 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).[16]
The anime-oriented subculture surrounding the production of gacha games has also given birth to the term "Gacha pop" referring to J-pop songs in diverse genres (from those of pop act Yoasobi to rock musician Kenshi Yonezu) associated with anime soundtracks or aesthetics sought by a global audience.[17]
Gacha mechanics in non-gacha games edit
This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2017) |
Many free-to-play massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) and mobile games have mechanics inspired by capsule toys, with randomly generated items of varying market values being acquired via microtransactions. Alongside this, paid console games have included gacha-style progression based on random items but with no in-app purchases, such as Work Time Fun.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Gachapon: The Culture & History of Japanese Capsule Toys". 9 March 2019.
- ^ "Dengeki Hobby::誕生40周年「ガシャポン」進化の歴史とは？史上最も話題となったアイテムが7月に復活!!". hobby.dengeki.com.
- ^ "GASHAPON Trademark of Bandai Co., Ltd. - Registration Number 4015069 :: JPlatPat". j-platpat.inpit.go.jp.
- ^ "GASHAPON Trademark of Bandai Co., Ltd. - Registration Number 4409039 :: TM View". www.tmdn.org.
- ^ "GASHAPON Trademark of Bandai Co., Ltd. - Registration Number 2864782 – Serial Number 78158256 :: Justia Trademarks". trademarks.justia.com.
- ^ "GASHAPON Trademark of Bandai Co., Ltd. - Registration Number 001997709 :: EUIPO". euipo.europa.eu.
- ^ "GASHAPON Trademark of Bandai Co., Ltd. - Registration Number UK00901997709 :: UKIPO". trademarks.ipo.gov.uk.
- ^ "What is a gacha gacha?". Gacha Gacha World. 2013-02-15. Retrieved 2013-02-24.
- ^ . demonbaby. 2005-08-22. Archived from the original on 2012-12-25. Retrieved 2013-01-16.
- ^ Fact Book 2021. Bandai Namco Group. 2021. pp. 3–6. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
- ^ "Astro Toy with Rob Bricken: Dragonball x One Piece Dream Fusion". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2013-01-16.
- ^ a b c d e f "'Fire Emblem Heroes' Is a Gacha Game". Inverse. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
- ^ a b c d "Gacha: Explaining Japan's Top Money-Making Social Game Mechanism [Social Games] | Kantan Games, Inc. – CEO Blog By Dr. Serkan Toto". Retrieved 2017-05-23.
- ^ "Genshin Impact review - "A true AAA gacha game"". www.pocketgamer.com. 2020-10-05. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
- ^ "Nintendo's Mobile 'Fire Emblem' Is a 'Gacha' Game, Here's What That Means". Waypoint. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
- ^ Feit, Daniel. "Gacha Watch: Japan's Social Game Industry Shifts Gears After Government Crackdown". WIRED. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
- ^ Hashimoto, Shohei (2023-06-15). "「Gacha Pop」はJ-POPに代わる新ジャンルになるのか？" [Will "Gacha pop" become a new genre that will replace J-pop?]. Natalie (in Japanese). from the original on June 22, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
External links edit
- Gashapon at Bandai (in Japanese)