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Seriously, what’s up with Japan’s fixation with animals going to the bathroom as capsule toys?

SoraNews24 Sep 5, 2020
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We have so many questions about the questionable design of some of these toys.

First of all, who the heck came up with the idea to produce capsule toys based on the premise of animals on the toilet? Yeah, yeah, we’ve seen all manner of weird Japanese capsule toys before, but the following toys take “weird” to a whole new level.

Taking it from the top, we’ll actually introduce two series of capsule toys here today–both of which coincidentally feature animals in the midst of potty time rituals–that retail for 200 yen (US$1.88) a pop. One of our cat-owning Japanese-language reporters recently caught wind of the series and couldn’t resist nabbing a few of them for herself. As you’ll see, one of the lineups is decidedly cute in its designs and poses, while the other is…different, shall we say.

Let’s begin with the cute and innocent series (Yell World’s “Toilet Time Kitties” / 5 versions total) which has been available since the spring. The first black cat figure that our reporter scored is quite cute despite being perched on the toilet. Seen from behind, its little pointy ears stick up adorably. No complaints here.

Swiveling it around, its button nose, earnest look of concentration (no constipation we think), and delicate pink paw pads are equally adorbs.

The next white cat figure, perched on a duck training potty, is also charming.

You could almost mistake it for a cat gripping the handles of a duck motorcycle ready to take flight–wouldn’t that be a sight now.

Here’s a glimpse at the little handout that comes within each “Toilet Time Kitties” capsule. Note that three of the toys feature classic white western-style toilets while two of them are a bit more creative, as seen in the one above.

Now that we’ve covered the cute ones, it’s time to get…well, even we don’t know exactly what words to choose, so we’ll just introduce the next series (Yell World’s “Animal Art Museum: Peeing Scoundrels” / 5 versions total). This time a cat is only one of five animals in the midst of potty time that you may score.

Seen from behind, this calico seems like it could be seriously pondering many things–what’s for dinner, how to catch the most mice, or the state of the local fish pond.

Seen from the side, it looks like it might have a small case of osteoporosis going on. Not enough warm bowls of milk were had in its kitten years, unfortunately.

Seen from the front…well, that changes things, folks. Goodbye, deep thoughts, and hello, little Goku-in-Dragon Ball-style pee-pee.

Compared to the “Toilet Time Kitties” series of toys, it’s definitely on the more vulgar side.

OK, perhaps we’re not being fair. Its design could be a nod to high art–like the Manneken Pis statue in Brussels.

The smile on the sloth version does add an element of unease, though…

Here’s what it looks like when you get the whole crowd together for a peeing party:

Apparently Yell World is known for making animal figures with somewhat peculiar poses, but using Manneken Pis for inspiration? Really…?

As you can see though, our reporter was absolutely, positively suckered in by the strange allure of the “Animal Art Museum: Peeing Scoundrels” series and didn’t stop turning the handle of the gachapon capsule toy machine until she had collected all five of them. They’re now enshrined on the sole toilet in her house for all visitors to be blessed by good urinary times.

Source: Yell World
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