Clever new design makes the capsule just as exciting as its contents.

Ever since takoyaki first appeared in Osaka in 1935, these small, piping-hot fried octopus balls have spread in popularity throughout Japan and across the world.

Usually sold in boat-shaped paper trays with a toothpick as the provided eating utensil, takoyaki is one of the nation’s most beloved food stall snacks, and now the iconic octopus ball is getting its turn in the spotlight as the star of a new series of gacha capsule toys from gacha toy manufacturer Tama-kyu.

▼ All the fun of a Japanese food stall, coming soon to a gacha machine near you.

There are six items in the series to collect:

▼ A red tentacle to represent the filling inside the ball.

▼ A headband octopus that mimics the look of a food vendor.

▼ A golden octopus

▼ An octopus Weiner, which is the name given to Weiner sausages that are sliced at one end so they resemble octopuses once they’re cooked.

▼ A squid, which is sometimes used in the filling instead of octopus.

And…a kite, which seems out of place, until you realise that the Japanese word tako can be used to mean both kite and octopus, depending on the way it’s written.

▼ The kanji for tako (蛸/octopus) is written on the tako (凧/kite).

That’s not the end of what’s on offer, though, because we can’t have a takoyaki gacha series without an appearance from the famous octopus ball itself. And that appearance comes by way of the capsule, which looks exactly like a sauce-slathered, green laver-topped fried takoyaki.

▼ The series is described as “capsule-less” because the capsule itself doubles as a capsule toy.

It’s a clever design from Tama-kyu, which bills itself as a purveyor of “new standard capsule toys“. They can’t take all the credit for the new series, however, as Japanese singer and voice actress Haruka Nishio, who goes by the stage name Yuka Nishio, was the one who planted the seed for the humble octopus ball to become the star of the new collection.

▼ Nishio even appears in an ad for the new range.

What could be more fun than opening up a takoyaki to see what kind of filling is hidden inside it? That’s what this collection offers takoyaki fans, who will no doubt be hoping to avoid the squid variety, as we all know the feeling of disappointment that comes when we’ve been duped with a filling of white squid instead of a bright red octopus tentacle.

The new toys will be available from 28 June, priced at 300 yen (US$2.71) each. And if you’d like to see more of Tama Kyu’s weird and wonderful toys, this taiko and safe collaboration comes with an epic love story video that’s both moving and hilarious!

Source, images: PR Times
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