Popy
Encyclopedia
Popy
Popy (ポピー）was a Japanese toy manufacturer of the 1970s and early 1980s. The company was owned by Bandai
. It was founded in 1971, and merged back into the parent company in 1983. The company is best known for its ground-breaking 超合金 ("Chogokin," literally “Super Alloy”) robot
figures.
and Manga
series. Its first major success in this vein was a child-sized version of the "Henshin Belt" worn by the hero of the Kamen Rider
television series. Although other companies sold similar products, only Popy's incorporated a light-up mechanism, making it a smash success in spite of its then-high retail price of 1500 yen. (It would eventually go on to sell some 3.8 million units.) In the wake of the success of the "Henshin Belt," Popy introduced a palm-sized, diecast metal version of the bike ridden by the show's title character. It proved a major success as well and paved the way for a massive wave of diecast renditions of diecast characters from Japanese kids' shows that dominated the Japanese toy market for more than a decade. Other notable successes included the Jumbo Machinder
series and the Chogokin
series of diecast metal robot toys, most notably that of Super Robot
characters such as Mazinger Z
.
, Tetsujin 28, Dangard
and Daimos
. In 1979, the code sequence switched from “GA” to “GB” after 99 figures, and the toys became more complex. A number of figures, such as Godmarz, Golion
and Dairugger XV were available in multiple versions – typically an “ST” version of around 5-6 inches, and then a DX version around twice the size that had additional features such as separating or transforming into vehicles. Robots adapted in this range also included those from Gold Lightan
, Goggle V, Ulysses 31
and Dynaman.
. These releases continued under the code PC from 1980, which covered series such as Space Cruiser Yamato.
Popy attempted to counter falling sales of robot toys with the so-called Chokinzoku range – 16” diecast figures with a wide array of features. Only one, Tetsujin 28, was produced due to the huge cost, though it is now a prized collectable among fans.
Also produced were the Big Scale Ships – large vehicles to fit the 5-6” Chogokin figures.
Popy also initiated the Machine Robo
‘600 Series’ and ‘Scale Robo’ DX ranges.
had licensed a selection of figures for their Shogun Warriors range with qualified success. Bandai’s American and European arms distributed a number of figures under the brand name Godaikin
(with the latter later using Robo Machine
umbrella) in the early 1980s. In 1983, Tonka
licensed Machine Robo
designs for their Gobots
franchise – most of the major characters such as Cy-Kill
, Turbo
and Fitor
were based on Popy designs. Perhaps the best known 1980s export of Popy was World Events Productions
’ Voltron
series, which used the Popy figures Golion, Dairugger XV and Arbegas as the Lion, Vehicle and Gladiator Voltrons respectively.
and Takatoku. The brand-name itself has become a sign of quality for modern day toy collectors.
The toys featured a number of other innovative features – Raideen is often considered the first transforming toy, and thus a precursor of the world-famous Transformers
line. The same toy also introduced the idea of a predominantly-black ‘premium’ recolour, an idea which has since become a recurring theme in many toylines, especially those in Japan.
Popy designs are also the source of Bandai’s successful ‘adult’ line, Soul of Chogokin
.
Popy (ポピー）was a Japanese toy manufacturer of the 1970s and early 1980s. The company was owned by 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...
. It was founded in 1971, and merged back into the parent company in 1983. The company is best known for its ground-breaking 超合金 ("Chogokin," literally “Super Alloy”) robot
Super Robot
is a term used in manga and anime to describe a giant robot or mecha, with an arsenal of fantastic super-powered weapons, extreme resistance to damage unless the plot calls for it, sometimes transformable or combined from two or more robots and/or vehicles usually piloted by young, daring heroes,...
figures.
History
Popy was formed by Bandai in July 1971 to distribute products intended for candy shops and other retail outlets outside of the usual toy stores. Before long, the company began to licence characters and vehicles from popular live action, AnimeAnime
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...
series. Its first major success in this vein was a child-sized version of the "Henshin Belt" worn by the hero of the Kamen Rider
Kamen Rider
, is a weekly science fiction story created by Japanese manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. It debuted as a tokusatsu television series on April 3, 1971 and ran until February 10, 1973, airing on the Mainichi Broadcasting System and NET TV . A manga adaptation was also featured in Shōnen Magazine...
television series. Although other companies sold similar products, only Popy's incorporated a light-up mechanism, making it a smash success in spite of its then-high retail price of 1500 yen. (It would eventually go on to sell some 3.8 million units.) In the wake of the success of the "Henshin Belt," Popy introduced a palm-sized, diecast metal version of the bike ridden by the show's title character. It proved a major success as well and paved the way for a massive wave of diecast renditions of diecast characters from Japanese kids' shows that dominated the Japanese toy market for more than a decade. Other notable successes included the Jumbo Machinder
Jumbo Machinder
Jumbo Machinder is the name of a series of large-scale plastic robots sold by Bandai's character toy subsidiary, Popy in the 1970s. Although a trademarked brand name, in common usage Jumbo Machinder is often applied to any large-size robot toy roto molded out of polyethylene terephthalate , a...
series and the Chogokin
Chogokin
is Japanese for "Super Alloy" and is a fictitious material which first appeared in Go Nagai's Mazinger Z manga and anime. It was later adopted by Popy in 1972 as the name of a new line of die-cast metal robot and character toys sold in Japan...
series of diecast metal robot toys, most notably that of Super Robot
Super Robot
is a term used in manga and anime to describe a giant robot or mecha, with an arsenal of fantastic super-powered weapons, extreme resistance to damage unless the plot calls for it, sometimes transformable or combined from two or more robots and/or vehicles usually piloted by young, daring heroes,...
characters such as Mazinger Z
Mazinger Z
, known briefly as Tranzor Z in United States, is a Super Robot manga and anime series created by Go Nagai. The first manga version was serialized in Shueisha Weekly Shōnen Jump from October 1972 to August 1973, and it later continued in Kodansha TV Magazine from October 1973 to September 1974. In...
.
Chogokin
Perhaps Popy's most enduring legacy, the "Chogokin" (named after a fictional "super alloy" from the animated Mazinger Z series) diecast metal "action figures" caused a sensation when first released in Japan. The very first entry in the series, the GA-01 Mazinger Z, was a 4.5 inch figure that featured a zinc alloy torso, shoulders, and legs, with spring-actuated firing fists and an injection molded plastic head. At the time, diecast metal was mainly used for vehicular toys such as cars and airplanes, and there was some worry that a figural diecast toy would not sell. It proved a massive hit, establishing the Chogokin as the cutting edge of Japanese character toys. Popy would then adapt a number of robots from a slew of Anime shows, including Raideen, Getter RoboGetter Robo
is a Super Robot manga series created by Go Nagai and Ken Ishikawa, as well as an anime series produced by Toei Animation. The series was broadcast on Fuji TV from April 4, 1974 to May 8, 1975, with a total of 51 episodes.- Plot :...
, Tetsujin 28, Dangard
Wakusei Robo Danguard Ace
is a Japanese science fiction anime series created by Leiji Matsumoto with Dan Kobayashi. It was licensed by Jim Terry Productions as part of the Force Five promotion as simply "Danguard Ace"...
and Daimos
Daimos
is a Japanese anime television series produced by Nihon Sunrise. Daimos is the third installment of the "Romantic Trilogy", following Chōdenji Robo Combattler V and Chōdenji Machine Voltes V. It ran from 1 April 1978 to 27 January 1979 and consisted of 44 episodes...
. In 1979, the code sequence switched from “GA” to “GB” after 99 figures, and the toys became more complex. A number of figures, such as Godmarz, Golion
Golion
is a Japanese super robot anime television series. The animation from GoLion was edited and trimmed to create the Lion version of the U.S. Voltron: Defender of the Universe series, with new names and dialogue, as well as several plot changes...
and Dairugger XV were available in multiple versions – typically an “ST” version of around 5-6 inches, and then a DX version around twice the size that had additional features such as separating or transforming into vehicles. Robots adapted in this range also included those from Gold Lightan
Golden Warrior Gold Lightan
is a popular anime series that aired in 1981 to 1982 in Japan and Hong Kong. There are 52 episodes that were aired at 30 minutes each.-Original story:...
, Goggle V, Ulysses 31
Ulysses 31
is a Franco-Japanese animated television series that updates the Greek mythology of Odysseus to the 31st century. The show comprised 26 half-hour episodes and was produced by DIC Audiovisuel in conjunction with anime studio Tokyo Movie Shinsha...
and Dynaman.
Other Toys
The PB series covered Popinika toys, which were based on vehicles from licensed lines Popy had licensed, including Machine Hayabusa and ThunderbirdsThunderbirds (TV series)
Thunderbirds is a British mid-1960s science fiction television show devised by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and made by AP Films using a form of marionette puppetry dubbed "Supermarionation"...
. These releases continued under the code PC from 1980, which covered series such as Space Cruiser Yamato.
Popy attempted to counter falling sales of robot toys with the so-called Chokinzoku range – 16” diecast figures with a wide array of features. Only one, Tetsujin 28, was produced due to the huge cost, though it is now a prized collectable among fans.
Also produced were the Big Scale Ships – large vehicles to fit the 5-6” Chogokin figures.
Popy also initiated the Machine Robo
Machine Robo
is a Japanese transforming robot toyline first released in 1982 by Popy, a division of Bandai, then later by Bandai proper. The franchise was marketed as Robo Machine in Europe, and Machine Men in Australia...
‘600 Series’ and ‘Scale Robo’ DX ranges.
Bandai Merger
With the sales of robot toys falling, Popy were reincorporated into Bandai in March 1983. However, many of their lines would continue, with Chogokin continuing to come out in the GC series until 1988, and Popinika continued to be used until 1987.Outside Japan
Popy designs were used in a variety of lines outside of Japan, usually without the company’s name being used. In the late 1970s, MattelMattel
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...
had licensed a selection of figures for their Shogun Warriors range with qualified success. Bandai’s American and European arms distributed a number of figures under the brand name Godaikin
Godaikin
Godaikin or GoDaiKin was a line of Super Robot toys released by Bandai America from 1982 to 1985, composed of figures from Popy series such as Chogokin and Popinika.-History:...
(with the latter later using Robo Machine
Robo Machine
Robo Machine was a European transforming robot toyline released by Bandai from 1982 to 1988. The line was initially a European release of their Machine Robo line, before gradually becoming the counterpart to Tonka’s Gobots line...
umbrella) in the early 1980s. In 1983, Tonka
Tonka
Tonka is an American toy company most known for its signature toy trucks and construction equipment.-History:On September 18, 1946 Mound Metalcraft was created in Mound, Minnesota with three men as partners, Lynn Everett Baker , Avery F. Crounse, and Alvin F. Tesch. The first products produced by...
licensed Machine Robo
Machine Robo
is a Japanese transforming robot toyline first released in 1982 by Popy, a division of Bandai, then later by Bandai proper. The franchise was marketed as Robo Machine in Europe, and Machine Men in Australia...
designs for their Gobots
Gobots
Gobots was a line of transforming robot toys produced by Tonka from 1983 to 1987, similar to Transformers. In 1991, the Gobots range was acquired from Tonka Inc. by Hasbro.-History:...
franchise – most of the major characters such as Cy-Kill
Cy-Kill
Cy-Kill is the name of several fictional characters from the Gobots, Robo Machines and Transformers toy line and fiction. Introduced as a toy in 1983, he is leader of the Renegade Gobot faction and the main antagonist of the animated series, where he was voiced by Bernard Erhard...
, Turbo
Turbo (Gobots)
Turbo is a fictional character in the Gobots toyline, and the subsequent Challenge of the Gobots cartoon. The character transformed into a concept car. Turbo was among the main trio of heroes of the cartoon series, and appeared in every episode along side Leader-1 and Scooter...
and Fitor
Fitor
Fitor is the name of several fictional character in the Gobots, Robo Machines and Transformers series. He was a major character in the Challenge of the GoBots cartoon. The character transforms into a futuristic jet fighter...
were based on Popy designs. Perhaps the best known 1980s export of Popy was World Events Productions
World Events Productions
World Events Productions is an American-based animation and distribution company in St. Louis, Missouri, best known for releasing the anime titles Voltron, Defender of the Universe and Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs, as well as producing the original animated series Denver, the Last...
’ Voltron
Voltron
Voltron is the titular super robot of an anime series that features a team of young pilots, known as the Voltron Force. The team’s individual vehicles join together to form the giant super robot, with which they defend the galaxy from evil...
series, which used the Popy figures Golion, Dairugger XV and Arbegas as the Lion, Vehicle and Gladiator Voltrons respectively.
Legacy
Despite a relatively short life, Popy had vindicated the idea of merchandising toys from popular series, something that continues to be a mainstay of the action figure market to this day. They had also been responsible for raising the production standard of toys with the inclusion of diecast and top quality plastic – their method was soon taken up by competing manufacturers such as TakaraTakara
Takara Co., Ltd. was a Japanese toy company founded in 1955, that merged with another prominent Japanese toy company, Tomy Co., Ltd., on March 1, 2006 to form Takara Tomy, also known in English as TOMY Company Ltd....
and Takatoku. The brand-name itself has become a sign of quality for modern day toy collectors.
The toys featured a number of other innovative features – Raideen is often considered the first transforming toy, and thus a precursor of the world-famous Transformers
Transformers
A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another by magnetic coupling.Transformer may also refer to:* ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, an Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet computer manufacturer by Asus...
line. The same toy also introduced the idea of a predominantly-black ‘premium’ recolour, an idea which has since become a recurring theme in many toylines, especially those in Japan.
Popy designs are also the source of Bandai’s successful ‘adult’ line, Soul of Chogokin
Soul of Chogokin
or "Soul of Super-alloy", is a popular line of adult collector's toys produced by the Japanese company Bandai.The line, which began in 1997, focuses almost exclusively on mecha taken from various 70's/80's anime series, although the line has diverged from this on a number of occasions, most...
.