Wacky Japanese Stuff » Toys

Darth Vader Samurai

Nils — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 04:25:09 +0000

There’s reasons to believe that the evil Darth Vader, from the Star Wars movies, was inspired by Japanese samurai. Thanks to the Yoshitoku corporation, the circle has now closed, and Vader returns to its roots:

The “Samurai Vader” is a 1:4 scale costume with a traditional bow and a Samurai sword. According to Albotas, it was created for a festival called “Tango no Sekku”, “Boy’s Day”. Much of the armor is hand-crafted, and the entire set will cost over US$5000.

Compare this to the other Internet-famous Japanese Darth Vader creation…

…and you’ll appreciate Samurai Vader twice as much.

(Via Albotas.)

Hello Kitty Cutting Playset

Nils — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 04:27:30 +0000

What the hell? I saw this toy in China, but Hello Kitty is a Japanese product, so I am including it here. It’s the Hello Kitty Cutting Food Playset.

Granted, I may not have the mindset of a two-year old anymore (no matter what some people might say); but what kind of toy is this? What is the fun in it? I think this is just another example of merchandizing gone way overboard.

In case anybody really wanted to buy this thing – it costs 129 Yuan, which is about 12 Euro. Not a small sum of money for an average person in China.

Virtual Bubblewrap

Nils — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 07:38:50 +0000

Everybody loves bubblewrap. I think it’s impossible for bubblewrap to remain untouched. Make an experiment, if you will. It’s one popular toy, both for children and adults.

Enter the Japanese. They decided that actual bubblewrap was inconvenient, and not always available. So they came up with a gadget to replace it: Virtual Bubblewrap.

Of course you have a 1:1000 chance to get a special version with a heart-shaped bubble. I guess it wouldn’t be Japanese if it wasn’t Kitschy on some level.

The virtual bubble wrap was designed by Bandai with help from the bubble wrap company Putiputi. You can order your own virtual bubblewrap online.

(Via Kilian Nakamura.)