infested_ysy
05-09-2005, 01:32 AM
Alright, those who know me by now would've knew well that I'm a fan for these shits-I-don't-need-in-life.... so yeah, imagine me screaming anguishly while reading this... >_>
Oh well... anyone here fancy for a trip to Singapore sometime soon? :P
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v314/dawn`chorus/gashapon_article1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v314/dawn`chorus/gashapon_article2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v314/dawn`chorus/gashapon_article3.jpg
Hooked on Capsules
(The Sunday Times) THE latest craze in town has youngsters toting around bags of one-dollar coins and spending thousands of dollars on little plastic capsules.
They are hooked on Gashapon - vending machines which spit out capsules containing collectible toys from Japan when fed money.
The unusual name comes from the 'gasha-gasha' sound of the knob turning, and 'pon', the sound made when the capsule falls into the slot.
In these plastic balls are anime and toy figurines, mobile phone straps and other collectibles.
Each capsule costs between $1 and $8.
Shops which have these machines always attract excited groups of youngsters, who scan them to see what toys are on offer.
More than 30 new designs of capsule toys are put out every month, and shops say people turn out in droves on the first day they are available.
One shop, Anime Fable at Far East Plaza, has 50 dispensers. Collectors buy as many as 400 capsules in a day when new toys are introduced, the shop said.
Gashapon vending machines were first introduced in Singapore two years ago. There are now at least 800 such machines scattered across the island.
Some shops have nothing but these machines - Gacha Toy Room at The Arcade has 100 of them.
Other shops such as Anime Fable at Far East Plaza and Collectionz at Jurong Point stock mainly these machines but also sell related goods.
The vending machines can also be found in Toys 'R' Us and Comics Connection outlets.
What makes Gashapon so addictive is the sense of uncertainty.
Collectors never know which toy will pop out of the machine, and are forced to keep feeding coins in order to get the entire set of toys.
'I like the thrill of not knowing what I'm going to get,' said Evon Ng, 21, an undergraduate and Gashapon fan.
Guo Peiyun, 20, an architectural draftsman, has spent at least $2,000 over the last two years and has more than 600 capsules to show for it.
Every time she goes on a Gashapon expedition, which is about twice a week, she brings along a torchlight to shine into the machine and figure out which toy will roll out of the slot next.
'Usually I'm determined to get the full set of toys,' she said. 'If the set is incomplete, I don't feel satisfied.'
She collects Disney and Sanrio toys, including Mickey Mouse and Hello Kitty.
Kirby Lin, 21, started collecting Gashapon toys when he was 17 years old and has since spent more than $8,000 on his hobby.
'I collect bigger toys too, but Gashapon are easier to keep and display. They collect less dust and are very detailed,' he said.
He also buys Shokugan or candy toys, which come in boxes.
They cost more - between $2 and $15 - because they tend to have more complicated designs.
The collectibles range from figurines from movies such as Alien vs Predator to miniature replicas of vehicles, groceries and animals.
Like Gashapon, Shokugan has the element of uncertainty - collectors never know which toy they will get in the box.
So some youths have come up with ways to beat the system.
Some, like Peiyun and her friends, empty the entire machine of about 50 capsules in one go. They take what they need to complete their sets and then sell the rest.
Others go to shops which are savvy enough to offer whole sets of the toys - at twice to three times the actual cost.
There's even a website, www.katoots.com, which Gashapon fans can visit to exchange the latest news about toy collectibles and buy or sell toys.
It is an absorbing hobby, said Kirby, who is currently serving his National Service. Half his monthly army allowance of $700 is set aside for Gashapon and Shokugan, and he used to do part-time work to afford the toys.
He said: 'Yes, it's a lot of money. But when I get the toy I want, I don't feel the pain of the amount I spent to get it.'
His mother doesn't object either.
Housewife Jasmine Yuen, 46, said: 'At first, I thought it was a waste of money and rather childish to be collecting toys at his age.
'But every weekend, when he returns from camp, he would stay home and meticulously clean each toy, instead of running out and mixing with bad company.'
For those who are new and have never heard anything about these kind of toy vending machines, well... here are some of the stuffs you get from those capsules:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v737/infested_ysy/IMG_0279.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v737/infested_ysy/IMG_0278.jpg
Oh well... anyone here fancy for a trip to Singapore sometime soon? :P
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v314/dawn`chorus/gashapon_article1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v314/dawn`chorus/gashapon_article2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v314/dawn`chorus/gashapon_article3.jpg
Hooked on Capsules
(The Sunday Times) THE latest craze in town has youngsters toting around bags of one-dollar coins and spending thousands of dollars on little plastic capsules.
They are hooked on Gashapon - vending machines which spit out capsules containing collectible toys from Japan when fed money.
The unusual name comes from the 'gasha-gasha' sound of the knob turning, and 'pon', the sound made when the capsule falls into the slot.
In these plastic balls are anime and toy figurines, mobile phone straps and other collectibles.
Each capsule costs between $1 and $8.
Shops which have these machines always attract excited groups of youngsters, who scan them to see what toys are on offer.
More than 30 new designs of capsule toys are put out every month, and shops say people turn out in droves on the first day they are available.
One shop, Anime Fable at Far East Plaza, has 50 dispensers. Collectors buy as many as 400 capsules in a day when new toys are introduced, the shop said.
Gashapon vending machines were first introduced in Singapore two years ago. There are now at least 800 such machines scattered across the island.
Some shops have nothing but these machines - Gacha Toy Room at The Arcade has 100 of them.
Other shops such as Anime Fable at Far East Plaza and Collectionz at Jurong Point stock mainly these machines but also sell related goods.
The vending machines can also be found in Toys 'R' Us and Comics Connection outlets.
What makes Gashapon so addictive is the sense of uncertainty.
Collectors never know which toy will pop out of the machine, and are forced to keep feeding coins in order to get the entire set of toys.
'I like the thrill of not knowing what I'm going to get,' said Evon Ng, 21, an undergraduate and Gashapon fan.
Guo Peiyun, 20, an architectural draftsman, has spent at least $2,000 over the last two years and has more than 600 capsules to show for it.
Every time she goes on a Gashapon expedition, which is about twice a week, she brings along a torchlight to shine into the machine and figure out which toy will roll out of the slot next.
'Usually I'm determined to get the full set of toys,' she said. 'If the set is incomplete, I don't feel satisfied.'
She collects Disney and Sanrio toys, including Mickey Mouse and Hello Kitty.
Kirby Lin, 21, started collecting Gashapon toys when he was 17 years old and has since spent more than $8,000 on his hobby.
'I collect bigger toys too, but Gashapon are easier to keep and display. They collect less dust and are very detailed,' he said.
He also buys Shokugan or candy toys, which come in boxes.
They cost more - between $2 and $15 - because they tend to have more complicated designs.
The collectibles range from figurines from movies such as Alien vs Predator to miniature replicas of vehicles, groceries and animals.
Like Gashapon, Shokugan has the element of uncertainty - collectors never know which toy they will get in the box.
So some youths have come up with ways to beat the system.
Some, like Peiyun and her friends, empty the entire machine of about 50 capsules in one go. They take what they need to complete their sets and then sell the rest.
Others go to shops which are savvy enough to offer whole sets of the toys - at twice to three times the actual cost.
There's even a website, www.katoots.com, which Gashapon fans can visit to exchange the latest news about toy collectibles and buy or sell toys.
It is an absorbing hobby, said Kirby, who is currently serving his National Service. Half his monthly army allowance of $700 is set aside for Gashapon and Shokugan, and he used to do part-time work to afford the toys.
He said: 'Yes, it's a lot of money. But when I get the toy I want, I don't feel the pain of the amount I spent to get it.'
His mother doesn't object either.
Housewife Jasmine Yuen, 46, said: 'At first, I thought it was a waste of money and rather childish to be collecting toys at his age.
'But every weekend, when he returns from camp, he would stay home and meticulously clean each toy, instead of running out and mixing with bad company.'
For those who are new and have never heard anything about these kind of toy vending machines, well... here are some of the stuffs you get from those capsules:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v737/infested_ysy/IMG_0279.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v737/infested_ysy/IMG_0278.jpg