Trends in Japan - CScout Japan Blog

Endless Banana from Epoch combines trends

Written by: Michael Keferl on October 14, 2008 at 9:23 pm | In DIGITAL LIFE, LIFESTYLE / FASHION | 8 Comments

It’s interesting when real world trends manifest themselves in unexpected ways. Take bananas for example…

This year has been all about the “morning banana diet” which came from the runaway hit book of the same name that’s all about eating lots of bananas for breakfast to lose the extra kilos. 700,000 copies don’t lie.

Of course, if you think you’ve heard something similar…you have…but the banana diet has more holding power and supermarkets can barely keep them in stock! For a country that imports 102 million tons annually, that’s not an easy feat.

epoch infinite banana

As a result, we have two market trends in one little toy. Epoch is now entering the “infinite toy” market with it’s Endless Banana, which encapsulates the production trend of infinite menial (yet fun) tasks with the consumer trend of bananas, bananas, bananas.

It even has it’s own embedded sound with voice actress Saki Fujita, adding the necessary moe element to a banana that you get to peel over and over again, even simulating the feeling of it while peeling.

Now comes the question: What seemingly boring things would you like to do over and over again, but in a simulation?

Tags: Bananas, Dieting, Epoch, Mugen
Category: DIGITAL LIFE, LIFESTYLE / FASHION
Other categories: MARKETING IDEAS, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS

Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution No Derivatives license

5 Second Stadium teaches you to count to five

Written by: Michael Keferl on June 16, 2008 at 7:34 pm | In DIGITAL LIFE | 2 Comments

UPDATE: You can now order 5 Second Stadium online!

The latest in their series of “Mugen” (endless) toys, Bandai Asovision has released 5 Second Stadium, a toy stopwatch that lets you count to five over and over….possibly forever. The fun? Well, you have to count exactly to five, or risk being berated by assorted characters telling you that you have lost again.

5-five-second-stadium-1

Simply start the game, count to five, and push the button to stop. The screen will then show precisely how far below or over you were. “Training Mode” allows you to watch the clock move before you push, but after that it’s all about feeling it. After a while, deep down you’ll know instantly whether it’s been five seconds or not. Probably.

This sounds like another silly toy (and it surely is), but that doesn’t mean that it’s not fun or addictive. Once you get into “Challenge Mode” and need to hit different times twenty times in a row, you’ll be thankful that you watched Sesame Street as a kid.

Who will enjoy Five Second Stadium? Check out this info graphic to find out!

5-five-second-stadium-2

If anything, 5 Second Stadium also double as the perfect timer for the Five Second Rule for dropped food, an expression also used in Japan. That, or simply as training for clumsy restaurant staff.

More endless toy goodness here, here, and here.
Product Page at Asovision

UPDATE: You can now order 5 Second Stadium online!