Kinkeshi
Encyclopedia
Kinkeshi is an extensive and popular line
of collectible
eraser
s, an instance of the modern Japan
ese popular culture institution of keshi
. The keshi it includes are monochromatic and derived from the Kinnikuman
(キン肉マン) anime
and manga
franchise, whose primary motif is professional wrestling
.
The line was launched in Japan in 1983, and licensed in 1985 for the American
market as M.U.S.C.L.E. (reflecting Kinnikuman's English
title of Muscleman). M.U.S.C.L.E. used a harder rubber
than Kinkeshi; its U.S. sequel, Ultimate Muscle
, had a small release of about twenty Kinkeshi, though a larger run of figures using a plastic softer than M.U.S.C.L.E. but not eraser-like was released exclusively in the USA.
in 1983, Bandai
's Kinkeshi line was two years later licensed to Mattel
for exportation in United States
and Canada
where wrestling is popular; the line became "M.U.S.C.L.E.
" in North America
.
Circa 1987, unlicensed Kinkeshi were marketed in Western-Europe, e.g. the "Exogini
" in Italy
and the "COSMIX
" in France
The very same product, including later series figure though, was sold under various names in South Korea
circa 1991.
However, France was the only country with Japan, to broadcast the Kinnikuman TV series (localized as Muscleman
) by that time. Later, a dubbed Kinnikuman version was broadcasted in Catalonia
(Spain
) as Musculman in the '90s. Its sequel, Kinnikuman Nisei
, appeared in the United States (Ultimate Muscle: The Kinnikuman Legacy
) in the early '00s. In South Korea, where the manga was early published by King Comics
, Kinnukuman is known as "근육맨".
Few years later, a third Kinkeshi category appeared in the United States as Alien Wrestler and was available in Italy, were these Kinkeshi were freely included in a crisps brand's special offer. This Taiwan made bootleg line was an inferior gum quality compared to the first bootleg generation and featured the late "PART" series of the Kinkeshi line.
In 2003, Bandai America launched a new Kinkeshi series extension exclusively for the North American market. Ultimate Muscle: The Kinnikuman Legacy, the American dubbed version of Kinnikuman Second Generations, is actually more successful overseas than in Japan.
In 2004, an Alien Wrestler knockoff entitled Future Man was discovered in both mono-pink and multicolored varieties. The details of the figures were not as sharp as the official releases.
Product lining
Product lining is the marketing strategy of offering for sale several related products. Unlike product bundling, where several products are combined into one, lining involves offering several related products individually. A line can comprise related products of various sizes, types, colors,...
of collectible
Collectible
A collectable or collectible is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector . There are numerous types of collectables and terms to denote those types. An antique is a collectable that is old...
eraser
Eraser
An eraser or rubber is an article of stationery that is used for rubbing out pencil markings. Erasers have a rubbery consistency and are often white or pink, although modern materials allow them to be made in any color. Many pencils are equipped with an eraser on one end...
s, an instance of the modern Japan
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 popular culture institution of keshi
Keshi
Keshi aka keshigomu is the Japanese for eraser. Modern reference to "keshi" is related to a collectible manga/anime character mini figure made of coloured hard gum. However, keshi is not restrictive to its etymology but a generic term as several gum types are used, from matte to transparent...
. The keshi it includes are monochromatic and derived from the Kinnikuman
Kinnikuman
is a manga created by the duo of Yudetamago , which is composed of Yoshinori Nakai and Takashi Shimada. The manga was published in Shueisha's Weekly Jump, and received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen manga in 1985...
(キン肉マン) anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
and manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
franchise, whose primary motif is professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
.
The line was launched in Japan in 1983, and licensed in 1985 for the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
market as M.U.S.C.L.E. (reflecting Kinnikuman's English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
title of Muscleman). M.U.S.C.L.E. used a harder rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
than Kinkeshi; its U.S. sequel, Ultimate Muscle
Ultimate Muscle
Ultimate Muscle: The Kinnikuman Legacy, known in Japan as , is a manga and anime series made by Yoshinori Nakai and Takashi Shimada under the pen name Yudetamago . It is the sequel to the hit manga Kinnikuman that they started in 1979...
, had a small release of about twenty Kinkeshi, though a larger run of figures using a plastic softer than M.U.S.C.L.E. but not eraser-like was released exclusively in the USA.
History
Starting in JapanJapan
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...
in 1983, Bandai
Bandai
is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...
's Kinkeshi line was two years later licensed to Mattel
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
for exportation in United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
where wrestling is popular; the line became "M.U.S.C.L.E.
M.U.S.C.L.E. Men
M.U.S.C.L.E., , was a toyline of 2-inch tall monochromatic PVC gum wrestling figures produced in the United States from 1985 to 1988. The story involved intergalactic wrestlers fighting for supremacy of the universe. The toy line itself was straight forward and collectors continue to make the...
" in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Circa 1987, unlicensed Kinkeshi were marketed in Western-Europe, e.g. the "Exogini
Exogini
Exogini: i misteriosi alieni , is a famous bootleg keshi composite line only released in Italy around the late '80s, early '90s. The Sesto Fiorentino based GIG Spa company, did mixed three different imported keshi lines to create its own franchise...
" in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and the "COSMIX
Cosmix
For the annual Symposium on Art and Design for Immersive Media see For the Interstate highway improvement project in the state of Colorado, see COSMIX....
" in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
The very same product, including later series figure though, was sold under various names in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
circa 1991.
However, France was the only country with Japan, to broadcast the Kinnikuman TV series (localized as Muscleman
Muscleman
Muscleman may denote any man with well-developed muscles, in particular a bodybuilder.Related and/or more specific uses include:* Muscleman, translated title of Japanese comic Kinnikuman...
) by that time. Later, a dubbed Kinnikuman version was broadcasted in Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
(Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
) as Musculman in the '90s. Its sequel, Kinnikuman Nisei
Ultimate Muscle
Ultimate Muscle: The Kinnikuman Legacy, known in Japan as , is a manga and anime series made by Yoshinori Nakai and Takashi Shimada under the pen name Yudetamago . It is the sequel to the hit manga Kinnikuman that they started in 1979...
, appeared in the United States (Ultimate Muscle: The Kinnikuman Legacy
Ultimate Muscle
Ultimate Muscle: The Kinnikuman Legacy, known in Japan as , is a manga and anime series made by Yoshinori Nakai and Takashi Shimada under the pen name Yudetamago . It is the sequel to the hit manga Kinnikuman that they started in 1979...
) in the early '00s. In South Korea, where the manga was early published by King Comics
King Comics
King Comics, a short-lived comic book imprint of King Features Syndicate, was an attempt by King Features to publish comics of its own characters, rather than through other publishers. The line ran for approximately a year-and-a-half, with its series cover-dated from August 1966 to December 1967...
, Kinnukuman is known as "근육맨".
Few years later, a third Kinkeshi category appeared in the United States as Alien Wrestler and was available in Italy, were these Kinkeshi were freely included in a crisps brand's special offer. This Taiwan made bootleg line was an inferior gum quality compared to the first bootleg generation and featured the late "PART" series of the Kinkeshi line.
In 2003, Bandai America launched a new Kinkeshi series extension exclusively for the North American market. Ultimate Muscle: The Kinnikuman Legacy, the American dubbed version of Kinnikuman Second Generations, is actually more successful overseas than in Japan.
In 2004, an Alien Wrestler knockoff entitled Future Man was discovered in both mono-pink and multicolored varieties. The details of the figures were not as sharp as the official releases.