DID YOU ever have an obsession with popping every piece of bubble wrap that came your way when you were a kid?
I did, and probably still do. So when I first got to Japan on exchange two years ago, I immediately went on the search for Japanese toymaker Bandai's Mugen Puchi Puchi — which means ‘infinite pop pop’ (puchi is the sound made when you burst a bubble wrap bubble) — toy a friend had told me about.
How could you resist a toy with a promotional video like this?
It took me a while to find one (it seemed to be sold out everywhere!) but I eventually found it in a Tokyu Hands store in Ikebukuro.
So what does it do? As the name suggests, it's a toy that emulates popping bubble wrap, allowing you to "pop" it endlessly. At least until you get tired of it. And as a bonus, a random (strange) sound is emitted every 100 presses, ranging from a doorbell chime to a pig's oink.
No, the buttons don't light up and there is no purpose other than pressing the buttons obsessively. Serious. Some friends still don't believe me.
ST PHOTO: Lin Zhaowei
Although the toy is not a perfect emulation — some of the buttons feel rather stiff and the buttons are only on one side — it comes close enough to me. I liked it enough to buy a couple for some friends as gifts, to their bemusement.
The toy was popular enough — Bandai reportedly sold over 200,000 pieces by end-2007 for them to release a "Moe" (pronounced Mo-eh) version in March 2008, that apparently eggs you on to continue pressing it if you stop for 15 seconds, with phrases like "Do it more!", voiced by a female anime seiyu (voice actor).
And depending on the version you bought ("Maid", "Little Sister", "Childhood Sweetheart" or "Tsundere"), every 50 presses, it will say random things ranging from "Pervert!" and "Don't touch me!" to "Oh Master!" and "Please caress me!".
The Mugen Puchi Puchi meets its ancestor.
ST PHOTO: Lin Zhaowei
It didn't quite stop there.
Flushed with the success of the Puchi Puchi series, it came out with more Mugen-themed toys.
There is an one that lets you squeeze out edamame beans endlessly and one that lets you rip open a box endlessly.
A recent competition by Bandai for the public threw up ideas such as the Mugen Chocolate — where you can break a chocolate bar endlessly — and Mugen Momotaro — where you peel open a peach and folk hero Momotaro pops up.
A visit to the toymaker's website a few weeks back threw up a new surprise: the Mugen Beer Can.
It doesn't have an endless supply of beer (sorry!), but you can open the can tab and enjoy the sound of the fizz endlessly. I think it may actually be my next obsession, but I don't think it is available in Singapore.
I was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon a shop in Bras Basah complex that actually sells the Puchi Puchi. I told the friendly owner, who is into toys and gadgets as well, about the new Infinite Can-Opening toy and she seemed quite thrilled by the concept too.
Hope she got the hint...