Ha! You beat me to it . The Green Jiras is a stunner! Can't remember, but aren't the mini team members the same as the Osaka set? The buta database really needs to be updated
Damn that SF83 lucky bag is a thing of beauty. Very jealous of those that snagged one. Especially the pink Kanegon.
Something is afoot (or a-arms) on Mr. O's bloggy. Care to guess? Tuesday, March 10, 2020 Send me This is this This is exactly what Thank you With Minno I'm going to fight Contributor Pig time is: 22:30:00 Label: Everyday
My initial guess would be another one of the 'karate' inspired figures possibly. This seems to align with the 'fight' reference as well, but I am guessing could be another original character. Given how few human [non-hero] characters Oohashi-san has done, I think only the Gundam on top of those, that also make sense. I want to be excited for something new, and of course this is intriguing; alas at the end of the day all my eyes are seeing is a pile of toys to be snapped up by speculators and deep-pocketed fans. *Forgive my cynicism, been up all night working and Mr. Orange Faces imposed dictatorship is really getting to me.
FYI, Mr. Ohashisan is posting a lot more these days... http://translate.googleusercontent....t.com/&usg=ALkJrhijMhtPrybm8h962T8co82XePWxHA At least he can get haircuts! New monsters in the making?
Just noticed this Buta Info entry on Mr. Ohashisan's blog. Never read it until today . Great description on how he came up with Buta toys .... http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&prev=search&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=ja&sp=nmt4&u=http://sofutoyakigangu.blogspot.com/search/label/%E3%82%BD%E3%83%95%E3%83%88%E7%84%BC%E3%81%8D%E7%8E%A9%E5%85%B7%E3%81%AB%E3%81%A4%E3%81%84%E3%81%A6&usg=ALkJrhhCXV5_c8AjCUpdKeXi4sXsiswViQ Sunday, November 12, 2006 Soft toys 【name】 You may be asked, "What is soft baking?" Soft baking is the process of molding (= baking) soft vinyl. I like that the craftsmen of the molding shop call it "soft-yaki", and the words with a gentle warmth were perfect for our product image, so let's just use it as "Butanohana soft-yaki toy" in the product name. Thank you. I hope the craftsman will convey the monsters one by one through the product. [Molding] Most of the monster sofubi are men, but of course I want to make cool looking monsters, but I also want to make something that a woman who does not know the name of a monster will think "This is cute!" I am. And because the monster of Butanohana soft-baked toy is a deformed soft vinyl rather than a so-called retro type soft vinyl, and is not called XX style (it is a bad toy if it is easy to understand), it really makes sense. I would be happy if you could like it and feel it is cute without it. 【size】 When making a series of soft-grilled toys, Tsuburaya Kaiju, I had a clear point when deciding on the size, "I want to make it so cute as a toy, and I want it to be sufficiently soft as a soft vinyl toy." Currently, the so-called monsters that are sold by other makers are so-called standard sizes, but what if we made them in the same size as other makers? However, there was a part that was difficult to do honestly that we had to decide our product after considering which monster was released by another manufacturer. Since what we want to do is make it into a series, there was, of course, a feeling that we wanted to release products freely without worrying about other things. If we made it in standard size, we decided to make it when we found what we wanted to make in that size. It's not as big as the standard size, and I want it even if I downsize a little more! I want to collect! I want to make something that makes me think. While thinking about such things, I thought about the cuteness as a toy and the size that can be satisfied as a monster soft vinyl, and while making a prototype, it became 13 cm in size. I think that this size will give you both cuteness and satisfaction. At 13 centimeters, it is sometimes said that it's a middle size. Certainly, I think it generally corresponds to the middle size. But we don't call that. The reason is that we want you to look at the Butanohana soft ware toys without prejudice, instead of measuring them with other measuring tools. And it is because of the desire to maintain the belief in the world created by the 13-centimeter monsters and establish it as a series. 【weight】 When you actually pick up the Butanohana soft-baked toy monster, you will notice that it is surprisingly light. However, in fact, some of the monsters we released at the beginning of the Tsuburaya Kaiju series had a heavy finish. We thought that the monster soft vinyl was heavy, but the molding shop gave us the advice, "It used to be lighter in the past. I didn't wear it so thick." In fact, I saw and touched the soft vinyl of the time and found that it was light and thin. Also, it feels very nice to hold, and we asked a molding shop to give us several samples of different weights, and examined our comfortable weight. Since then, we haven't made it as light as the old ones, but we prioritize the comfort of holding it and decide the weight. Well, I certainly do think Buta are cute!
^^ I love this, and admit it is the first time I had ever read it. Thank you so much, Grace, for posting this here. This just reinforces the incredible deep love and appreciate Oohashi-san has for these toys, they are clearly coming from a place of deep love and personal meaning; it is not even remotely about a business but making something that he loves, and can share that love - through a very deep craft and artistry - with other people to give them this same joy and happiness. And ultimately, I think that is exactly what he achieved, at least for many of us. Particularly in those early days where you could view them more as 'things to collect' [as opposed to now] and I think they people who were buying them did so because of their 'cuteness.' A lot of us fans love them because they are fun, great interpretations of kaiju characters we know. We use them to play, and enjoy their cuteness. Reading this though, it also makes me a little sad for what the Butanohana market has become. And that is entirely external to Mr. Oohashi, it is 100% at the feet of people who have made it this way. I still feel that love for their cuteness, but there is a major aspect of the collecting which is now closed off; and that is a shame. But I don't want to dwell on the negative, especially after such a wonderful post. There is no question that Buta toys are Buta toys alone, they do not ape any other styles and have blazed their own way and established a [very strong] niche for their distinct aesthetic, and yes, 13cm size . And you can also really see the evolution even within his own toy line, according to these first dreams of it. I am so happy that they have come into our world, and that he continues to release such treasures, even if I don't have the opportunity to enjoy them personally.
Or, as Google Translate told me back when I was picking my signature back in '11... "I think and try to get a monster of flower soft ware toy pig actually, and notice that light unexpectedly."
Thanks Grace, that's very instructive about the Oohashi-san making process and his way of perceiving his creations. He has his own universe and you can recognize his creations at a glance. This way of mixing the cute and the strange, the disturbing, the bizarre is typically Japanese and that's exactly what I'm looking for in my collection. The charm of his toys resides in the apparent naivety which emerges from them, a character with slightly ill-balanced proportions (while all his toys are perfectly balanced and hold well once placed) or a paint badly applied. The size of her toys is perfect, it's the one I prefer with the mid size from Bear Model and the Para Baby from Marmit and of course the shampoo from USTOYS.
I've been quite enjoying Mr. Buta's daily updates. I am wondering if the wrap-up to Golden Week one is a sign of things to come, or if that is a secret stash? (just imagine a Raiders-style treasure trove of Buta backstock!!!)
I'm starting to lose hope in acquiring Ohashisan's childrens books... does anybody have any links to any sites that may show some interior pages? Or would any Skullbrainers be up for sharing a couple of pages by posting photos here?
I know a few people on here have acquired them, and I think at one point (could well be the images are dead links now) some folks did do a fair amount of sharing of the artwork, but yeah, totally agree, it is a shame that even the printed matter - which should be a rather simple matter to increase the numbers on (or reprint) - is not more accessible. Alas, it is not just the toys.
You can find Mr. Ohashisan's childrens books on Amazon JP. I lost the link, so I'll have to see if I have it in my notes somewhere. I did manage to snag one of his books on Amazon JP, and used a JP deputy service to buy it. The ISBN and book info is included. Perhaps you can order it directly. (the dog salt shaker is by ceramicist Beth Lo) Sorry for the poor quality photos, my cell is an old one, and I don't have access to a scanner anymore Would absolutely appreciate any help in translating it!!! I can post better pics of the kanji if someone is interested in doing the translations Enjoy!
@badteethcomics glad you liked them! Just to clarify, Mr. Ohashisan has quite a few readily available childrens books, which are different from the now nearly impossible to find buta toy paper booklets, featuring the adventures of the spaceman Staiin. Were you referring to published childrens books or the buta Staiin toy booklets?
I posted this little gem on Instagram a while ago and I would add more but I still suck at posting photos here View this post on Instagram
A blast from the past... http://super7hq.com/news/all-new-butanohana-available-now *even though it's dated 2016, it seems decades old now! Just wish Super 7 carried Buta like they used to, it was heaven
