Raideen

Alongside the Super Robot boom of the 70’s, there was a lot of ancillary merchandise that we here call ephemera. You can see the stuff all over Yahoo Japan – slippers, bento boxes, belts, hats, chopsticks, rice bowls, card games – all adorned with heroes from back in the day. It happens with any popular series to this day, but back then it was so much more charming.

Take this latest addition to my Raideen collection, the small-size Raideen bop-bag. You might remember these from the US. These weighted inflatable bags would bounce back after a child hits them. They were big in the 70’s and 80’s. Most were a few feet tall, but there were cheaper, smaller ones.

This particular bop bag is only about ten inches tall and was made by a company called Robin, a subsidiary of Popy. It came sold bagged with a header card.

You would think that there wouldn’t be much to talk about with this one. Well, you would be wrong.

The bag is made out of vinyl and inflates via a nozzle on the back.

Punch it, and you can hear a bell inside. So not only can you hit it, it makes noise (unlike children, who you CANNOT hit, but still make noise).

On the back of the bag is a clear pocket, and inserted in that pocket is a Raideen trading card, similar to the ones sold by Robin individually. That’s a smart way of getting rid of extra stock.

So now, a mystery. I bought this through my YahooJapan Auction middleman,Tokyo Buyers, and when the package arrived it still had its original shipping package from the seller to Tokyo Buyers warehouse. How very Japanese it looks.

As I opened the package, I noticed that along with my bop bag were some Japanese Yen taped to a piece of cardboard. It was about 80 yen – (3 x 10 yen + 1 x 50 yen). In today’s economy, that’s about 6 million dollars.

Why was it included?

Is it change? The transaction was electronic – no need for it

Is it a refund on shipping cost? If so, the inclusion of the heavy coins actually made the package heavier.

Is it to balance out the weight of the package? Why would you need to?

I’d love to hear your thoughts as to why the Yen were included.