Bug Merchandise
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I remember when I was a teenager wandering around a little arcade while I was on holiday with my family, and coming across a machine I'd never seen before. It was called Dinosaur King, and get this- it gave you free trading cards. Needless to say, this was the coolest thing I had ever seen, I only had enough money to play it once, but I remember getting a nice Einiosaurus card from it and managed to play a few rounds trying to get my dinosaur to win against other dinosaurs, until eventually I lost. I kept the card for years, but never saw the machine again unfortunately.
Years later, I found out that Dinosaur King had a predecessor- Mushiking! A similar arcade game with the same mechanics. The machine gives you a random card when you play (and booster packs could be bought separately as well), you would then swipe your card's barcode into the machine, and your insect on the card would become a 3D fighting companion. You would then go through battles with the computer against different bugs, using a rock-paper-scissors type battle system to determine who would win.
Double Feature!
It seems that insects such as ladybeetles, bees, and butterflies have been a popular theme for children for at least a few decades. And another thing that is popular with kids is plush backpacks. I know that when I was a child I really loved having a plush backpack to carry my little wallet around in, being able to wear the plush on my back made me feel like I wasn't going to lose it as well. So, it seems natural that someone would create these really cool insect-themed plush backpacks!
From what I can find, these backpacks are made by a company called Maru-Yuu, a wholesale company in Japan which mainly produces prizes for Crane Game machines and festivals. Although, it seems that these backpacks can just be bought online or from specific shops in Japan.
All images are copyright of their respective owners. Bugs are cool. Website by Vespoth, 2026.