Mugen Peri Peri opens boxes forever without papercuts

Written by: Michael Keferl on October 6, 2008 at 10:56 pm | In DIGITAL LIFE |

UPDATE: Mugen Peri Peri now available online.

Bandai has done it again, and we’re slowly learning how many enjoyable small tasks there are that we want to do forever on a little toy. Popping Bubble Wrap…pinching out soybeans…now we’re opening packages?

The Mugen (infinite) series of toys from Bandai Asovision has now brought us the Mugen PeriPeri, a keychain toy that aims to replicate the pleasure of opening a package for the first time. Snacks, boxes, and other tear-open packages tend to reveal good things, so perhaps experiencing this sensation boosts endorphins and sends us into pleasure mode.

Now that we’re over the novelty of these toys (not that they aren’t fun, mind you), what does it say about Japan? Foreign press would likely spin these toys as “weird, wacky Japan” items that show how crazy Japanese people love to pop bubble wrap and open boxes so much that they want to carry them around. These videos certainly don’t help to dispel that idea:

For us, these toys have much simpler and innocent secrets to success. Clearly, the Mugen PuchiPuchi bubblewrap simulator was a creative stroke of genius, but what pushed it into critical mass was the power of the internet, bringing 30,000 visitors to the product page on the first day and catapulting it into the press without needing a massive ad campaign. This is highly unusual in Japan, but is a boon for manufacturers in a world of declining ad budgets.

Either way, our next product suggestion would be for the Mugen Apple, a toy that allows you to recreate the feeling of opening Apple products forever. We might even stand in line for it!

Tags: Asovision, Bandai, gadgets, Mugen PeriPeri, Toys
Category: DIGITAL LIFE
Other categories: MARKETING IDEAS, LIFESTYLE / FASHION, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS