Kids

Why Kids Love Gacha and The Gashapon Machines

by Kevyn Gohu
November 18, 2024

A little piece of Japan’s toy culture, the Gashapon machine, has made waves here among the kids in the Philippines. Here’s what we know!

For those who traveled to Japan for a family trip then, some of us may recognize a row of machines lined up with token slots wherein people exchange tokens for toys. We call that the Gashapon machine, an icon of Japanese pop and toy culture, wherein kids and the kids at heart sometimes test their luck by exchanging tokens to get toys or exclusive merchandise from their favorite cartoons.

Here’s what we know so far about them!

Gashapon machine in the PH — Photo from Gashapon Bandai Official Philippines

1. Currently, official Gashapons are run by Bandai.

Bandai-Namco may be a familiar name to many gamers as they are the ones responsible for producing video games like the classic Pac-Man or the popular fighting game Tekken. However, they eventually trademarked the concept of Gashapon and began establishing stores all over Japan. Eventually, they came to the Philippines which had many toy collectors and parents who were kids at heart whooping for joy.

2. There’s a culture to the Gashapon machines.

Gashapon machines, also known as Gacha to some, are the representation of the free-spirited and playful nature of the Japanese. It’s kind of like gambling but a lot less financially damaging, granting little toys and figurines at random. While there are some rare ones, the Gashapon machine essentially makes sure everyone is a winner.

Kids love the machine because they’ll get a toy no matter what happens. It may not be what they wanted but the novelty overrides the disappointment.

Some stores have been applying the system as well known as the Blind Box system. The Disney Store in Mall of Asia uses that same system with their collectible Ewoks in the Star Wars section and Pop Mart, the famous pop culture store, does it with Labubus.

3. Some of the toys are actually an entire assembly kit

For parents who are kids at heart and grew up with robots like Mazinger Z, Voltes V, and even Gundam, rest assured that the Gashapon machines will have them.

Kids will love the building aspect while those who are kids at heart will have feelings of nostalgia. Especially sci-fi fans, it’ll be their way of relishing the old days when the animations of the old sci-fi cartoons and animes showed clear signs of love and dedication to smoothening out the robots’ movements despite past technology’s shortcomings.

Usually, the machine will show that it’s an entire assembly kit. Once built, some even sell them for four times the price because they’ve already been appraised.

4. Gashapon merchandise: The way some video games hype up their releases

If our kids love a particular video game then, it’s no surprise they’ll want a little something to commemorate their time in-game. What video game publishers and marketing arms do is that they create little trinkets and statues out of the concept art for their fans to keep. It’s why if many parents notice, they’ll notice a common classic icon in the shop — Kirby!

5. Not all the shops have the same gashapon machines

At the moment, the Philippines is home to several branches that house these gashapon machines. The first one is in BGC’s Mitsukoshi, the very first one that paved the way for the three smaller ones: GH Mall in Greenhills, Opus Mall in Quezon City, and Rustan’s Makati. While they will have some machines, some are exclusive to that shop, making them more frequented than others.

Depending on where the shop is also, the experienced patrons can even predict which ones will run out of stock first.

6. Not all machines give out toys

When we enter a gashapon store, we’ll notice not all machines cost the same. Some demand as low as three tokens then, there are some that demand as much as fifteen! But that’s because the toys inside are different. Three token toys are usually flat-lays or keychains, making them perfect phone accessories for the pre-teens and teens who love anime. Four to five token toys are smaller in size but are more of a statue. Fifteen tokens usually entitle players to a more realistic-looking toy.

But, it’s always best to look at the collection. They usually post it at the front of the machine.

Gashapon Machines: Gambling but more kid-friendly and less damaging

While gambling will always have a stigma, the gashapon machine somewhat softens the blow by giving away toys, showing that “everyone’s a winner” unlike the usual casinos.

Kids love these machines precisely because of two things: 1) the novelty: it’s something new and the toys aren’t usually ones they can grab off the shelf and 2) the thrill of the surprise: kids love being surprised and Gashapon gives them a little ball of that thrill. In the shops, they even have a sitting area where kids can take pictures of their little treasures.

And if the family can’t go to Japan right away, the kids at least can experience a bit of it via the gashapon machines.