Capsule toy-dispensing machines like those dotted all over Japan were something of a rarity back when I was growing up in the UK. Instead, we had to make do with Kinder Surprise, the tiny chocolate eggs that came with a small plastic toy inside (which, weirdly, were banned in the US). Some of the trinkets that came in those little eggs were actually quite cool, and the build-it-yourself element was genuinely appealing to our curious young minds.
But none of those toys came even close to being as exciting – or incredibly random – as the latest release from Bandai Japan: swimsuit-wearing turtles that can be fired out of their shells.
Join us after the jump to meet the whole shell-less turtle gang and watch their needlessly dramatic promotional video.
The concept behind “Aitsu, Kame Yamerutteyo!” (roughly, “He said he’s quitting being a turtle!”) is that the inhabitants of these plastic shells have grown tired of their confines and dream of flying through the sky (read: a few feet across the room into the TV). With the push of a button, the turtles are ejected from their shells, revealing a pair of bowed legs and brightly coloured swimwear.
On sale from the end of July for 200 yen each, there are six turtles to collect, including a pond turtle with a pink bunny stamped on its bottom and a bikini-wearing loggerhead sea turtle. No, we don’t know why either.
▼ Free of their awful, protective shells the turtles are free to enjoy summer!
Quite who the turtles are aimed at is unclear, but we have to admit Bandai Japan gets full marks for creativity. Heck, we doubt we’d have had the gall to raise our hands during a company brainstorming session and suggest “swimsuit-wearing turtle launchers. With a rock soundtrack.”
We’ll leave you with the promotional video for the new toys, whose pumping BGM tells us how the turtles “want to be free” and are sick of the shells around them that have thus far protected their slow-moving, otherwise defenceless bodies from being squashed or eaten by passing predators in a matter of seconds.
Stay random, Japan!
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