Kaiyodo lines and series

[postsaurischian]

  Kaiyodo is doing new series of Japanese animals in 2013!
The first set has already been released:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/KAIYODO-Gashapon-Japanese-Animals-11-Figure-SET-/360540159383?pt=US_Action_Figures&hash=item53f1de3d97

[sauroid]

very exciting news about Kaiyodo. i just hope they make different species for a change.

[stemturtle]

Kaiyodo is doing new series of Japanese animals in 2013!
The first set has already been released:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/KAIYODO-Gashapon-Japanese-Animals-11-Figure-SET-/360540159383?pt=US_Action_Figures&hash=item53f1de3d97

Thanks for the news, postsaurischian. I do not read Japanese, but did find a link about the Kaiyodo Capsule Q Musuem releases: http://yattarjapan.com/en/1791/
In addition to the 11-piece Northern Japanese Animal Collection Vol. 1, there is also a 6-piece Tyranosaurus Collection.  Later will come stag beetles and squid, among other sets.

[AnimalToyForum]

One of the things that's been confusing me is how the name of a line sometimes changes between series.
For example

ChocoEgg Series 5 = Japanese Animals
ChocoEgg Series 6 = Funny Animals.

Put like that, it seems simple enough. But put like this (as is often is): ChocoEgg, Funny Animals, Series 6, it is misleading as it gives the impression there are other earlier series of Funny Animals. There aren't, and you'll get a real headache trying to find ChocoEgg, Funny Animals, Series 1-5. As I've just come to realise!

Edit - Actually, it is more confusing than that, because, as Brontodocus has pointed out elsewhere, the Choco Q line (series 6) continues the consecutive numbering system of the ChocoEgg line (Series 5). I don't feel as bad about getting confused now. It's as if it was all done on purpose.

[brontodocus]

Yes, it is very confusing, unfortunately. It seems there are Japanese Animals from series 1-11 with consecutive item numbers. And Funny Animals seems to consist only of series 6 and 7 (series 6 starts with No. 01 again). And the pet series are similarly confusing, there is "Chocoegg Pet" series 1-4, a "new series", and "ChocoQ Pet" Series 3-5...

[sauroid]

the animatales series 1 and the classic series (reissue?) are also confusing 

[AnimalToyForum]

It's more than just confusing, it seems impossible to reconcile. The lines, 'sub-lines' and numbering systems interweave in impossible ways!

[postsaurischian]

Yes, it is kind of confusing.
But we are researchers and isn't that what we like ?

[AnimalToyForum]

Yes, it is kind of confusing.
But we are researchers and isn't that what we like ?

Yes, we are gluttons for punishment.

[AnimalToyForum]

It has been suggested elsewhere on the forum, that maybe the ChocoEgg series 6 and 7 were not produced by Kaiyodo at all. Series 1-5 certainly were though, right? If so, this would explain some of the confusion expounded above.

Can anyone corroborate?

[sbell]

It has been suggested elsewhere on the forum, that maybe the ChocoEgg series 6 and 7 were not produced by Kaiyodo at all. Series 1-5 certainly were though, right? If so, this would explain some of the confusion expounded above.

Can anyone corroborate?

I believe you are correct (not 100% sure about which series). Kaiyodo made the figures for the Furuta company's ChocoEgg series. When Furuta branched out with non-Kaiyodo figures (Disney ones, I believe) Kaiyodo told them to get stuffed, and went to a different company to maintain the Animatales as the ChocoQ line. Meanwhile, Furuta carried on the ChocoEgg series themselves (but I'm not sure who made those ones).

[AnimalToyForum]

Well, in that case, I suppose a new Furuta category is needed on the walk-arounds section after all. Even though is is confusing, because S1-5 are attached to Furuta, but will remain in the Kaiyodo category...

[sbell]

Just because things aren't confusing enough, I just received my kaiyodo Tohoku salamander today. It is numbered QMN 005 (Capsule Q Museum Nature). However, it is also listed as Animatales #254; if I read correctly, they may also refer to it as Animatales Series 11.

Try and keep that straight!

And I just saw that when Kaiyodo split from Furuta, the Animatlaes ChocoEgg line was taken over by Takara. Still not sure who went on to make the Furuta-line animals.

[sphyrna18]

Just because things aren't confusing enough, I just received my kaiyodo Tohoku salamander today. It is numbered QMN 005 (Capsule Q Museum Nature). However, it is also listed as Animatales #254; if I read correctly, they may also refer to it as Animatales Series 11.

Try and keep that straight!

And I just saw that when Kaiyodo split from Furuta, the Animatlaes ChocoEgg line was taken over by Takara. Still not sure who went on to make the Furuta-line animals.

You read that correctly - The new Capsule Q animals are part of the Animatales line, and they are referring to them as Animatales Series 11.  Basically, Kaiyodo has their "tales" figures - Animatales, Dinotales, Aquatales, Birdtales... all of which have been distributed by different companies, but are produced by Kaiyodo.  Furuta (a confections producer) was a distributor of Kaiyodo Animatales figures; then Takara (another confections producer) took over the distribution of Kaiyodo's Animatales. I think that Kaiyodo is self-distributing them now.

If I remember correctly, the Furuta company's president was in Europe at a convention and came across these little toys that came with chocolate (Cadbury Yowies). He thought it was brilliant, but thought the toys kind of sucked.  So when he got back to Japan, he contacted Kaiyodo, who were already well respected in the garage kit/model industry. They teamed up to produce their own line of Yowies, and just like Cadbury's Yowies, they would be packaged with a chocolate egg.  Hence, Chocoeggs. But, Furuta's Chocoeggs were not limited to Kiayodo's Animatales figures; they branched out almost immediately and included collections of planes, trains, and automobiles.  As sbell said, when Furuta got the Disney contract, they fell out with Kaiyodo (I don't remember exactly why, though), and so Kaiyodo went to Furuta's main competitor, Takara, and proposed continuing the Animatales series with them in the same way they had begun: being packaged with candy. Takara jumped at the chance, since Furuta's Chocoegg series had been immensely successful, and Takara wanted a piece of the action. In the mean time, Furuta's Chocoeggs continued with the Funny Animals series (Chocoeggs 6 & 7), then the Flying Birds. I don't know that by that point Furuta wasn't able to bring the figure production in-house, and that's why there isn't any info about who took over the Chocoegg figures after Kaiyodo.

I still find it easier to refer to these figures simply as Kaiyodo Animatales, regardless of whether they were Chocoegg or ChocoQ, since, technically, the figures themselves are not Chocoegg or Choco Q (the candies are). I honestly don't know why Kaiyodo is now referring to the new set as Capsule Q, since they are well known as Animatales and they are keeping the Animatales numbering.

Takara's Amazing Animals set was produced by Kaiyodo as well; however, as it features animals not found in Japan, it does not fit with the "Animatales" series.

Furuta had their Funny Animals series (Chocoegg 6 & 7), and Takara has now purchased Tomy and Yujin, and now produces Takara-Tomy Arts (or, simply, T-Arts) figures. Neither Chocoeggs nor ChocoQ seem to be releasing animal figures at this time (I believe that Furuta does still produce Chocoeggs with various licensed properties, trains, and planes).

[sbell]

I know why Furuta and Kaiyodo fell out--Kaiyodo warned Furuta not to bring in lines from anyone else, but they did anyway (the Disneys).  Kaiyodo immediately packed up their ball and went elsewhere!

I got that from Hide Iida.  Any collector from >10 years should know him (and how he vanished )

[sauroid]

great/useful info everyone.

[stemturtle]

Thank you for the great report about Kaiyodo Animatales, sphyrna18.  Series 11 was numbered 238 â€" 249 + secret S08.  Wouldn’t the new Capsule Q animal set be called Animatales Series 12 instead of Series 11, since it is a continuation of the number sequence?  Do we have a member who reads Japanese?

[sbell]

Thank you for the great report about Kaiyodo Animatales, sphyrna18.  Series 11 was numbered 238 â€" 249 + secret S08.  Wouldn’t the new Capsule Q animal set be called Animatales Series 12 instead of Series 11, since it is a continuation of the number sequence?  Do we have a member who reads Japanese?

One of the few things on the small paper was the series number--Series 11. Perhaps they consider their ChocoQ line to be series 11 overall.

[sphyrna18]

Thank you for the great report about Kaiyodo Animatales, sphyrna18.  Series 11 was numbered 238 â€" 249 + secret S08.  Wouldn’t the new Capsule Q animal set be called Animatales Series 12 instead of Series 11, since it is a continuation of the number sequence?  Do we have a member who reads Japanese?

One of the few things on the small paper was the series number--Series 11. Perhaps they consider their ChocoQ line to be series 11 overall.

Yes, technically these 2013 figures are series 12. Whether the number 11 printed on the paper insert indicates series/volume number or the number of figures released in the series/volume, I do not know. I thought it indicated series/volume, but the newest set of Pet figures also has the number 11 printed on the paper, and the Pets line should only be at series/volume 6..

sbell - I knew that Kaiyodo had warned Furuta not to bring in the other lines, I just wasn't sure why Kaiyodo had a problem with it. I'm not sure if I knew Hide Iida, although that name seems really familiar. My fondest memories were of UDF on ebay; were they the same?

[sbell]

Thank you for the great report about Kaiyodo Animatales, sphyrna18.  Series 11 was numbered 238 â€" 249 + secret S08.  Wouldn’t the new Capsule Q animal set be called Animatales Series 12 instead of Series 11, since it is a continuation of the number sequence?  Do we have a member who reads Japanese?

One of the few things on the small paper was the series number--Series 11. Perhaps they consider their ChocoQ line to be series 11 overall.

Yes, technically these 2013 figures are series 12. Whether the number 11 printed on the paper insert indicates series/volume number or the number of figures released in the series/volume, I do not know. I thought it indicated series/volume, but the newest set of Pet figures also has the number 11 printed on the paper, and the Pets line should only be at series/volume 6..

sbell - I knew that Kaiyodo had warned Furuta not to bring in the other lines, I just wasn't sure why Kaiyodo had a problem with it. I'm not sure if I knew Hide Iida, although that name seems really familiar. My fondest memories were of UDF on ebay; were they the same?

No, UDF was a different person whose health eventually caused him to give up his ebay store (to the detriment of us all--his prices were reasonable but his selection was wide!). Hide Iida was a Japanese dealer until about 2002-2003 who was my main source for dinotales, etc, until he literally vanished
that year. He had even set himself up to acquire auctions for people (like Jauce, but without the truly exorbitant fees) and then just stopped being around. I know of people that had even paid him for things, and then completely lost contact.