Popy

Popy Pleasure Ltd. 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 “Super Alloy” robot figures.

History

Popy was formed by Bandai in July 1971, designed to licence characters and vehicles from popular Anime and Manga series (at the time, a new direction in itself). Among their early successes was a belt modelled on that worn by the hero of the series "Kamen Rider". They also bucked the trend in Japan at the time of using either tin or vinyl as the main material in toys, by making a diecast version of Kamen Rider, and a two-foot tall polyethylene version of the Super Robot Mazinger Z.

Chogokin

With these toys a success, Popy decided to merge robots and diecast with a smaller version of Mazinger Z, released in 1974. Made largely out of diecast zinc alloy, with the remainder moulded in high grade plastic, the toy was a massive seller. As well as the innovative construction, the toy also featured “firing” fist pieces (a feature that would last for most of Popy’s toys), and was given a reference code (GA-01) – a novel feature at the time that encouraged children to think of the figures as part of a larger range and collect more. The toy was named as a "Chogokin" – a fictional metal from the "Mazinger Z" series that would be retained as the name for the whole series. Popy would then adapt a number of robots from a slew of Anime shows, including "Raideen", "Getter Robo", "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".

Other Toys

The PB series covered "Popinika" toys, which were based on vehicles from licensed lines Popy had licensed, including "Machine Hayabusa" and "Thunderbirds". 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.

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, Mattel 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.

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 Takara 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".

External links

* [http://toyboxdx.com/datafiles/data/popy_data/popy_index.htm Toybox DX Guide to Chogokin and Popinika]