Japanese crane game figures - unknown maker

[Halichoeres]

I'm not sure who makes these; this is the only photo I've seen. But they're prizes in some crane games in Japan.



Amebelodon
Steller's Sea Cow
Dodo
Opabinia
Megatherium

[indohyus]

Odd combination, but I do like the choices. Not so certain on the Megatherium though.

[Libraraptor]

Odd combination, but I do like the choices. Not so certain on the Megatherium though.

I First thought it looks like a sitting baboon,  too.  But what I thought was the face is just its muzzle.  He holds bis head askew 

[CityRaptor]

I was thinking more of those japanese snow monkies upon seeing it. You know, the ones who like bathing in hot springs.

[Halichoeres]

Aw these are cute!
The screenshot seems to be from one of those apps that allow people to play crane games in Japan while not being in Japan via remote control.
They ship the prices you win to your address.
I have never tried that myself but someone else who does that from time to time told me about that.

I was not aware such a thing existed! That's a pretty clever way to expand your market.

I was thinking more of those japanese snow monkies upon seeing it. You know, the ones who like bathing in hot springs.

Yeah, it reminds me of a snow monkey also. Interesting take, and why not? Do we have cave art of ground sloths that give us a clue to coloration?

[Lu_Yuping]

Aw these are cute!
The screenshot seems to be from one of those apps that allow people to play crane games in Japan while not being in Japan via remote control.
They ship the prices you win to your address.
I have never tried that myself but someone else who does that from time to time told me about that.

I was not aware such a thing existed! That's a pretty clever way to expand your market.

I was thinking more of those japanese snow monkies upon seeing it. You know, the ones who like bathing in hot springs.

Yeah, it reminds me of a snow monkey also. Interesting take, and why not? Do we have cave art of ground sloths that give us a clue to coloration?

Wouldn't mean much even if we did, primitive art depicts animals in all colours.

[Halichoeres]

Yeah, it reminds me of a snow monkey also. Interesting take, and why not? Do we have cave art of ground sloths that give us a clue to coloration?

Wouldn't mean much even if we did, primitive art depicts animals in all colours.

Sure, many different cultures produced cave and rock art, often in fanciful colors or whatever they had to hand. But sometimes the colors chosen really do seem intended to reflect the appearance of the animals in life, for example with the woolly rhinoceros: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/the-remarkable-life-appearance-of-the-woolly-rhino/.

Some have had their fur preserved, I think Nothrotherium's fur was preserved and is apparently yellowish.
I need to check that however in a book that is unfortunately at my parents' house 400 km from my place.

That's interesting! I didn't know about that, but if some were preserved in caves that's the sort of thing that could make it through a few thousand years.

[Faelrin]

Time to dig this thread up as I found more information on who makes these. I'll be honest. I just searched for bath bomb Opabinia in Japanese, and it actually helped, lol. Wanted to figure out what this is and who made it for my Paleozoic thread I'm updating.

Here's an Amazon product link. Appears to have been released in 2019, and made by Nor Corporation or ノルコーポレーション . Another link with more information (you'll need to translate it to your language first). Edit: Set contains Steller's Sea Cow, Platybelodon, Dodo, Megatherium, and of course Opabinia.

It's interestingly enough the same "Extinct for a reason" thing that Kaiyodo did with their prehistoric mammal figures that released this year. Appears to originally have been a book? Amazon link to book. I'll do some more digging on this after I get something to eat, lol. Edit: Yep entire book series.





Here's another set I just stumbled upon which has a Diplocaulus, and some others that might be of interest:

https://store.ponparemall.com/kintarou/goods/4535304698852/

I'll do some more research on this set as well, after I get something to eat.

Edit: Amazon link to the second set. Same company as the first one. Released in 2021. Contains Glyptodon, Diplocaulus, Ceratogaulus/Horned gopher, Goticaris, and Meiolania.





Company page appears to be https://www.nolcorp.co.jp/ and there also appears to be yet another third set, released in 2021 with a terror bird (probably Titanis), Psittacosaurus, Odobenocetops, Carolina Parakeet, and Elasmotherium. Edit: Link to this third set.





Gotta say quite a bit of genera in here that rarely get figures. Might have to hunt these down now.

[Thialfi]

That is indeed interesting. These share artwork with the Kaiyodo releases of this year (see photo below). At first I thought the bath bomb guys bootlegged the artwork, but when you mentioned the potential book I realised you are probably right and both these as well as the Kaiyodo releases draw from the same source material. Which, indeed, might very well be a book?



edit:

Indeed, as one of the sources you provided states:

"The animals from the best-selling 450,000 copies of "Extinct for a reason" have become bath salts."

[Faelrin]

Yeah I added a link to the entire book series. Very fascinating to see Kaiyodo and this hygiene product company did figures based upon it. Seems very successful over there.

https://promo.diamond.jp/books/zetsumetsu/

[Halichoeres]

Ha ha, these are so great! Why can't novelty toys here in the States be this good? Thanks for hunting these down. I'm not sure if there's another Carolina Parakeet figure, but there might have been one in that cartoony recently extinct series...maybe by Epoch? This is the first Ceratogaulus I know of in about 60 years. What an amazing find, thanks @Faelrin for bringing them to our attention!

[Faelrin]

Glad to have helped. I also managed to find and nab the Diplocaulus on Mercari JP through the help of @brettnj. No luck on some of the others I looked for (such as the Ceratogaulus, Glyptodon, Goticaris, Meiolania, and Opabinia). If I wasn't my need to research on this further I wouldn't have thought to go looking for it.

Looking for the Dodo now, but don't expect I'll have the luck with it either. And wow, found a plushie of the Dodo based on this same "Extinct for a reason" series these figures were:

https://jp.mercari.com/item/m10400876987

Now I'm curious if there's others out there? Amazing how much merch this book series has produced over there. I suppose it is a blessing. Who knows what may come out in the future as a result of its popularity?

[Halichoeres]

Now I'm curious if there's others out there? Amazing how much merch this book series has produced over there. I suppose it is a blessing. Who knows what may come out in the future as a result of its popularity?

I simultaneously hope it's a lot and hope it isn't much, you know what I mean?

[Faelrin]

@Halichoeres Oh yeah I totally do, lol. The duality of the collector's whims.

[Faelrin]

Know how I was wondering if there were more plushies or themed things out there? Well there are some more plushies.

Found these previously sold listings on Mercari. Diplocaulus, and many others.

Edit: Translation gives me Odontokeris (Odontochelys perhaps?), Thylacosmilus, and Nyctosaurus, aside from Diplocaulus.

https://jp.mercari.com/item/m95551936635



Second one has the ones above, but also the Steller's sea cow, and the bluebuck:

https://jp.mercari.com/item/m80290928672



Seem to be crane game or arcade prizes from the translations of the seller listings.

Edit: Platybelodon as well:



Edit 2: And yet another, the Quagga:

https://jp.mercari.com/item/m38890330484

[Halichoeres]

Haha, thanks for posting those. The Odontochelys is so nondescript. Like it could just be a knockoff Kermit the frog for all the distinctiveness it has. And that Platybelodon is just about the derpiest thing I've ever seen.

[Faelrin]

Fully agree about the both of those. Though I do find the turtle relative one rather cute, despite that.

Oh and by the way, I managed to find the Odobenocetops and Steller's sea cow figures in a listing together that @brettnj was able to help with. So that's three down now.

Maybe I should do reviews for these once I get them in hand (the Diplocaulus, and those two, if not any others I may have the luck of finding)? Would anyone be interested?

[Thialfi]

Oh yes I would. They're awfully adorable.

[Halichoeres]

@Faelrin yes I'd like to see those reviews!

[ceratopsian]

Yes please, @Faelrin!