Gachapin
Encyclopedia
is a popular Japan
ese television character who appeared in the children's program Hirake! Ponkikki on Fuji TV. He is a green, bucktoothed dinosaur
, and is usually accompanied by his friend Mukku, a red Yeti
.
of The Beatles
, but this was publicly denied. Gachapin's catch-phrase that he uses to introduce himself is “Gacha, Gachapin pin, I am Gachapin”.
The original voice actor for Gachapin was Kunie Yasawa. The current voice actor for the character is Kuniko Amemiya.
In the first season of Hirake! Ponkiki, the Captain traveled to a southern island and brought back an egg from which Gachapin hatched. Initially shy and easy-going, Gachapin evolved into an adventurous character and went on to attempt skiing, rock climbing, hang-gliding, scuba diving, karate, gymnastics, bowling, and figure skating, as well as an adventure in a space craft. Each episode was triggered by Gachapin's interest in environmental problems and his enthusiasm for space crafts. Gachapin has seven energy balls on each wrist that are the source of his bravery and power, and his phenomenal reflexes come from the carbohydrates inside these balls.
The program's theme song, “Year 2100 Gachapin Kid”, showed the transformation of the hero “Gachapin kid” whenever Earth was in danger. In 2006, on BS Fuji channel, Gachapin fought against Pierre Kasher in "Ike ike Gachapin (Go go Gachapin)".
In Gacha Gachapon, Gachapin appeared as a bar manager named “Shisho”, or master.
by The Killers.
The Japanese rock band Mucc
takes its name from the character Mukku.
Dominic Howard
(Muse
drummer) wore a Gachapin suit on the Japan Tour 2010.
Gachapin and Mukku are also the source of the internet meme DSFARGEG, in which a user on an imageboard would post a video or image with Mukku and be instantly banned.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese television character who appeared in the children's program Hirake! Ponkikki on Fuji TV. He is a green, bucktoothed dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
, and is usually accompanied by his friend Mukku, a red Yeti
Yeti
The Yeti or Abominable Snowman is an ape-like cryptid said to inhabit the Himalayan region of Nepal, and Tibet. The names Yeti and Meh-Teh are commonly used by the people indigenous to the region, and are part of their history and mythology...
.
Summary
Jōji Katakiri (President, Japan Software Video Club) was Gachapin's original designer, and modeled the character after the sleepy-looking, somber face of Masahiro Noda, the President of Japan Television Workshop Co. Ltd., who also worked on the program. Rumors held that the character was based on Paul McCartneyPaul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, but this was publicly denied. Gachapin's catch-phrase that he uses to introduce himself is “Gacha, Gachapin pin, I am Gachapin”.
The original voice actor for Gachapin was Kunie Yasawa. The current voice actor for the character is Kuniko Amemiya.
In the first season of Hirake! Ponkiki, the Captain traveled to a southern island and brought back an egg from which Gachapin hatched. Initially shy and easy-going, Gachapin evolved into an adventurous character and went on to attempt skiing, rock climbing, hang-gliding, scuba diving, karate, gymnastics, bowling, and figure skating, as well as an adventure in a space craft. Each episode was triggered by Gachapin's interest in environmental problems and his enthusiasm for space crafts. Gachapin has seven energy balls on each wrist that are the source of his bravery and power, and his phenomenal reflexes come from the carbohydrates inside these balls.
The program's theme song, “Year 2100 Gachapin Kid”, showed the transformation of the hero “Gachapin kid” whenever Earth was in danger. In 2006, on BS Fuji channel, Gachapin fought against Pierre Kasher in "Ike ike Gachapin (Go go Gachapin)".
In Gacha Gachapon, Gachapin appeared as a bar manager named “Shisho”, or master.
Appearances
- On September 20, 2007, Hudson SoftHudson Soft, formally known as , is a majority-owned subsidiary of Konami Corporation is a Japanese electronic entertainment publisher headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with an additional office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. It was founded on May 18, 1973...
released , a jigsaw puzzle video game starring Gachapin for the Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
handheld game consoleHandheld game consoleA handheld game console is a lightweight, portable electronic device with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are run on machines of small size allowing people to carry them and play them at any time or place...
. - On October 8, 2010, Gachapin will become a VocaloidVocaloidis a singing synthesizer application, with its signal processing part developed through a joint research project between the Pompeu Fabra University in Spain and Japan's Yamaha Corporation, who backed the development financially—and later developed the software into the commercial product...
and will be released by Internet Co., Ltd.Internet Co., Ltd., or Internet, is a software company based in Osaka, Japan. It is best known for the music sequencer Singer Song Writer and Niconico Movie Maker for Nico Nico Douga, a video sharing website. It also develops singing synthesizers using the Vocaloid 2 engine developed by Yamaha Corporation...
Guest appearances
Gachapin along with Mukku sometimes appears as a guest on TV and radio shows run by Fuji TV.- On May 5, 1992, Gachapin appeared with Mukku as a guest on the NHK program “Along with mother” (おかあさんといっしょ). A character called Nikonikopun also appeared in this show.
- When Gachapin appeared in TamoriTamoriis a Japanese celebrity. His real name is and the screenname Tamori is an anagram of his surname. He was born on 22 August 1945 in Fukuoka City in Fukuoka Prefecture....
's “You can laugh”Waratte Iitomois a Japanese variety show aired every weekday on Fuji TV. The show is hosted by Tamori and has run since 1982. The show is produced in the Studio Alta building located in Shinjuku, Tokyo...
(笑っていいとも!), co-host Masahiro NakaiMasahiro Nakaiis a singer, actor and host for music events and variety shows such as the long-running music show Utaban. He is the leader of the Japanese idol group SMAP.-Early life:...
mentioned that the balls on Gachapin’s wrist looked like warts. - In episode 35 of Digimon AdventureDigimon Adventureis a Japanese animated television series created in 1999 by Toei Animation based on the Digimon virtual pet made by Bandai. It is the first series of the Digimon anime "metaseries"...
, Mukku and P-chan fight evil Digimon which appear in Tokyo. Gachapin also appears in this episode. - In 1998, Gachapin and Mukku appeared in the story “Angry rock, scissors, paper squad“ (おごってジャンケン隊) in Big Comic Spirits written by Yoko Gendai. It was mentioned that he receives 50 yen each month as pocket money.
- On August 30, 2006, Gachapin and Mukku worked for “Shadow Nare” on “Tropia fountain ~ Wonderful wasteful knowledge” (トリビアの泉 ～素晴らしきムダ知識～). Also, on May 12, 2007, they took up the challenge of working in a lunch box factory, a convenience store, as firefighters and fishing for skipjack tuna from a boat as well as performing stunts on a special of the same show.
- On October 23, 2006, they participated in roulette bowling using specially made balls on the SMAPxSMAP show.
- On November 9, 2006, Gachapin appeared on The best house 123 (ザ・ベストハウス123) show as a guest and organized the top three Gachapin challenges.
- On January 2007, Gachapin appeared as a guest, his drama program debut, in “Kirakira medical intern" (きらきら研修医) which aired on TBS and whose main character was played by Manami Konishi.
- He has also appeared as a guest on various radio shows in Japan such as TBS radio, Culture broadcasts, TOKYO-FM and J-WAVE.
- In 2007, Gachapin appeared in the music video “Read My Mind” by the Killers, the American rock band. The scene showed Gachapin inside a capsule hotel in Tokyo with a member from the band.
- On August 12, 2007, he appeared in the Air Guitar 2007 Japan final held at Makuhari hall in 2007. B’z “girigiri chop” performed in the background. He received 3rd prize for his performance. His dialogue with Souichi Negishi (Johan Klaus II), one of the judges, evoke a great deal of laughter. At the same show, Shin Nohara from Crayon Shin-chan also appeared as a guest.
- He appeared as a guest of the dream team in “Tamori's Super Vocabulary Heaven” (タモリの超ボキャブラ天国).
- On September 17, 2010, as part of the 2010 Tokyo Game ShowTokyo Game ShowThe , commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association and the Nikkei Business Publications, Inc...
, he was announced as a Downloadable ContentDownloadable contentDownloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
character in the cancelled Mega Man UniverseMega Man Universewas an upcoming 2.5D action platformer game in the Mega Man series being developed by Capcom for Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network, and has since been cancelled. Mainly based on Mega Man 2, the game would have allowed players to create their own levels and customize characters...
as "Megapin".
Exposure outside of Japan
Gachapin is best known in America and Europe for his role in the "Read My Mind" music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
by The Killers.
The Japanese rock band Mucc
Mucc
is a Japanese visual kei rock band formed in 1997. Named after a character from the Japanese children's TV show Hirake! Ponkikki, the band is also known by the nickname 69 since "six nine" can be pronounced "muku" in Japanese...
takes its name from the character Mukku.
Dominic Howard
Dominic Howard
Dominic James "Dom" Howard , is the drummer for the English rock band Muse.-Early life:Howard was born in Stockport, Greater Manchester, in England. When he was around 8 years old he moved with his family to Teignmouth, a small town in Devon. He began playing drums at about the age of 12, when he...
(Muse
Muse
The Muses in Greek mythology, poetry, and literature, are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge, related orally for centuries in the ancient culture, that was contained in poetic lyrics and myths...
drummer) wore a Gachapin suit on the Japan Tour 2010.
Gachapin and Mukku are also the source of the internet meme DSFARGEG, in which a user on an imageboard would post a video or image with Mukku and be instantly banned.