Toys and games that were popular decades ago during the Showa Era (1926-1989) and Heisei Era (1989-2019) are making a comeback in the Reiwa Era (2019-present).
Such products have evoked nostalgic memories for adults of a certain age while piquing fresh interest among the younger generation.
Toy maker MegaHouse in April this year revived Butaminton, a megahit game product first released in 1987.
The game involves players squeezing toys shaped like buta (pigs), to blast air out of the their snouts and float a shuttlecock-like feather object to land in the other side's court.
First released in 1987 and again in 2004, it offers a fun time for families, as it is easy to play and the rules are simple. Those who had played it in the past are playing now as parents or grandparents.
Tomy's time-honored Kurohige Kiki Ippatsu — sold overseas as Pop-Up Pirate — is set to go through its first rule change in 30 years. In the game, players take turns to insert plastic swords into slots in the side of a barrel in which a pirate doll sits at the center, until a player hits a particular slot that triggers the doll to pop up.
In the first edition of the game, sold in 1975, the rules were that the player that hit the trigger slot won. In 1995, however, the rules were changed to make such players losers.
Marking the 50th anniversary of the well-loved game, the seventh edition, to be released in July this year, will revert to the original rules that whoever manages to pop the pirate up wins.
Bandai last year revived its Tamagotchi Connection digital pet, which has proved popular among people in different generations. The original version, which hit the market in 2004, was a hit product in the series.
Print Camera Prica is a camera, released in March this year by Sega Fave, that prints photographs on thermal paper on the spot. The product is popular for the vintage feel of its grainy black-and-white photos.
While the toy industry's growth is powered by spending by the so-called kidults, or adults who themselves enjoy toys, games and other products intended for children, "newstalgia," a combination of "new" and "nostalgia," is becoming a global trend in the industry.
"Toys that were popular hits in the past are accepted by people of a wide range of generations thanks to their unique attractiveness as products, in addition to their nostalgic and retro vibes," said Daisuke Fujii, editor-in-chief of Japanese magazine Toy Journal.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.