Spotlight Japan
Shokugan:Sweet Diversions
Open a box of candy in Japan and you might find a tiny toy surprise: a winsome puppy? A superhero? A piece of sushi? There might even be a colorful baby bird tucked inside that chocolate egg!
Shokugan toys are one of Japan's most playful cultural phenomena—a kind of glorified Chinese fortune cookie that simultaneously satisfies one's inner child with both a treat and a toy.
Shokugan (shoku means food and gan refers to playing) are variously known as "candy toys" and "snack toys," and are among the world's most sought-after playthings. Most are palm-sized or smaller; they can be metallic or plastic and encompass a vast range of forms such as animals or food; popular TV characters, manga or video game heroes; firefighters, spaceships or antique dolls—all minute, all charmingly realistic.
Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd. is one of Japan's leading confectioners and was the first to include free prizes with their candies. In 1922, that gift was a simple card in a box of caramels; these days, "candy toys" have evolved into beautifully crafted, highly desirable collectibles—more appealing than the snacks themselves! Despite their pop-culture roots, today's shokugan are works of art that are appreciated for their detailed sculpturing, precise painting and colorful, well-fitted parts.
The current shokugan rage began several years ago when confectioners hoped to boost profits by attracting more children—and possibly their parents— to the snack market. In 1999, Furuta Confectionery Co., Ltd. launched its "Chocoegg"—a hollow chocolate egg-shaped treat with a delicate miniature toy nestled inside. Some 160 million Chocoeggs have sold as of September 2004, paving the way for an enormous new market, and a huge variety of shokugan have been released continuously over the last several years. In 2003, the shokugan market had reached some 57.2 billion yen.
Unpredictably, according to Glico, the target market has evolved into one of predominantly adult collectors: they comprise 40-50 percent of those who purchase "candy toys," many out of a sense of nostalgia. And while children still enjoy shokugan, it is adults — particularly males in their thirties and forties—who now define the course of this market. Why? Japan's population is ageing: in the next decade, those over age 65 will account for a quarter of the total population—and there are simply fewer children to market to.
Another explanation suggests that many children cannot afford the slightly higher prices of "snack toys." Shokugan figurines are usually issued in sets, and avid collectors think nothing of buying dozens of boxes at a time (at up to US$4.00 each) to round out their sets. A search of the Internet reveals hundreds of web sites from around the world devoted to the sale, collection and trade of Japanese shokugan.
As a result, shokugan are beginning to change within a global context, emerging as a pop culture phenomenon that is now quite respectable: even the British Museum sells beautifully detailed miniature Egyptian "Shokugan" figures made in Japan of mummies, scarabs, glass vessels and kings—some inlaid with semi-precious stones. And while this elegant global vision of shokugan includes nary a hint of candy, many might agree that the snack was always beside the point—yet somehow playtime never looked sweeter.
