Interest
Bandai Sells More Transforming Kanji Creature Toys
posted on by Egan Loo
The Japanese conglomerate Bandai has announced on Monday that it will release a second set of Chōhenkan!! Moji-Bake-ru — 105-yen (about US$1.25) toys that transform from Japanese kanji characters into creatures.
The name, which roughly translates as "Super Transformation!! Character-Altering," is a worldplay on mojibake — the Japanese computer term for characters that have been garbled while being sent or stored.
The Chōhenkan!! Moji-Bake-ru 2 line will ship on December 13 with six new designs in four different colors, along with a piece of gum in each package. Unlike the first line that launched in May, the new line will also include metallic stickers so people can customize their toys.
The six new designs (from left to right, starting at the top left) are:
- Ōkami (Wolf)
- Ushi (Bull)
- Kame (Turtle)
- Same (Shark)
- Mushi (Insect)
- Ryū (Dragon)
Bandai is targeting elementary school boys with this chewing gum toy line. The company plans to put 600,000 of these toys on the shelves of supermarkets, volume sellers, and convenience stores by the end of next March — or 50% more toys that the original forecast for the first line.
Images © Bandai
