Company: Bandai
Release date: 2020+
Size: +/- 5cm
Main distribution: Japan / USA / UK (Gashapon machines)
These are Gashapon figures of animals sitting in the sauna.
11 series have been released so far, making 56 figures total. I got 12/56.
The figures come in clear balls so you can see immediately which one you got without opening it. The figures are packaged in plastic.
Animal Sauna 1
Release date: 2020
The first set exists out of 5 figures; Panda, Polar Bear, Pug, Red Panda and Dog.
I got 0/5.
Animal Sauna 2
Release date: 2020
The second set exists out of 5 figures; Orangutan, St. Bernard, Bear, Hamster and Otter.
I got 0/5.
Animal Sauna 3
Release date: 2021
Set 3 exists out of 5 figures; Elephant, Pig, Koala, Chihuahua and Gorilla.
I got 0/5.
Animal Sauna 4
Release date: 2021
Set 4 exists out of 5 figures; Hippo, Monkey, Pug, Cat and Rabbit.
I got 0/5.
Animal Sauna 5
Release date: 2021
Set 5 exists out of 5 figures; Bear, Human, Tanooki, Fox and Squirrel.
I got 0/5.
Animal Sauna 6
Release date: 2022
Set 6 exists out of 5 figures; Chimpanzee, Red Panda, Polar Bear, Penguin and Lion.
I got 0/5.
Animal Sauna 7
Release date: October 2022 (JPN) / Spring 2023 (USA / UK)
Set 7 exists out of 5 figures; Momotarō, Dog, Cat, Baby Panda and Capybara.
I got 1/5; Cat.
I got no leaflet with it.
Cat
Cat is sitting with its legs hanging over the edge, its paws on its knees and with a content, closed eyes, face. It has an orange towel draped over its lap. It appears to be a Calico cat, and is white with orange and black patches. The branding is on its bottom, and reads in raised font the 4 dots of Bandai and “©BANDAI B. 2631427”.
Animal Sauna 8
Release date: July 2023
Set 8 exists out of 6 figures; Crocodile, Baby Polar Bear, Baby Red Panda, Baby Hippopotamus, Raccoon and Gorrila.
I got 5/6.
The leaflet is quite large, in colour and in Japanese.
Crocodile
Crocodile is sitting with its legs straight forward, its front paws resting on its knees and has a neutral face. It has an orange towel draped over its lap and a blue hat. The branding is on the bottom of its towel, and reads in raised font “B. © BANDAI 2649287” and the 4 dots of Bandai.
Baby Polar Bear
Baby Polar Bear is sitting casually with its legs forward, but one on its side and one slightly tugged up, its paws to the side and on its knee, and has a happy face. It has an orange towel draped over its lap. The branding is on the bottom of its left leg, and reads in raised font “©BANDAI B. and the 4 dots of Bandai, 2649287”.
Baby Red Panda
Baby Red Panda is sitting with its legs straight forward, its paws to its sides and with a zen, closed eyes, face. It has an orange towel draped over its lap. The branding is on the bottom of its tail, and reads in raised font “©BANDAI 2649287 B.” and the 4 dots of Bandai.
Baby Hippopotamus
Baby Hippopotamus is sitting with its legs straight forward and its paws in between them, leaning slightly forward, and has a happy face. It has an orange towel draped over its lap and is wearing a blue hat. The branding is on the bottom of its left leg, and reads in raised font “©BANDAI B. 2649287” and the 4 dots of Bandai.
Gorilla
Gorilla is standing with its left arm behind his back, and its right arm up waving an orange towel. It has a happy, neutral face. It has a second orange towel wrapped around its waist. The towel in its hand can be removed. The branding is on the back of the towel that is wrapped around its waist, and reads in raised font “B. ©BANDAI 2649287” and the 4 dots of Bandai.
Animal Sauna 9
Release date: October 2023
Set 9 exists out of 5 figures; Meerkat, Donkey, Shoebill, Frog and Cat.
I got 3/5.
Meerkat
Meerkat is standing upright, with its hands holding an orange towel and flicking it upwards, as if they’re about to lay it down or are wafting someone fresh air. It has a happy face. It comes in 2 parts; Arms with the towel and the rest of the body. The branding is on the bottom of the orange towel, and reads in raised font the 4 dots of Bandai and “©BANDAI 2674903 B.”.
Donkey
Donkey is sitting on its bum, with its front hoofs in front. Over its lap is an orange towel draped. It has a happy, relaxing face with closed eyes. The branding is on its bottom, and reads in raised font the 4 dots of Bandai and “B. ©BANDAI 2674903”.
Shoebill
Shoebill is standing upright and looking down. Around its waist is an orange towel wrapped. It has a neutral face. The branding is on the back of the towel, and reads in raised font the 4 dots of Bandai and “©BANDAI B. 2674903”.
Animal Sauna 10
Release date: 2023
Set 10 exists out of 5 figures; Shiba Inu, Cat, Ermine, Seal and Mole.
I got 1/5.
Ermine
Ermine is sitting upright in a humanoid position. On top of its head is a folded yellow cloth. It has a neutral face. The branding is on its bottom, and reads in raised font the 4 dots of Bandai and “© BANDAI B. 2689920”.
Animal Sauna 11
Release date: 2024
Set 11 exists out of 5 figures; Penguin, Tibetan Sand Fox, Pallas Cat, Sand Cat and Chinchilla.
I got 2/5.
Tibetan Sand Fox
Tibetan Sand Fox is sitting upright in a humanoid position. It has an orange towel draped over its lap. It’s a light sand brown with darker grey patches on its sides and tail. It has a bit of a grumpy face. The branding is on its bottom, and reads in raised font the 4 dots of Bandai and “© BANDAI B. 2707206”.
Chinchilla
Chinchilla is sitting upright in a humanoid position. It has a blue towel draped over its lap. It’s white with a darker tail and flesh coloured ears. It has a relaxed face with – eyes. The branding is on its bottom, and reads in raised font the 4 dots of Bandai and “© BANDAI B. 2707206”.
I have finally found a Gashapon store in the UK, and even better, it’s quite close near me. So I of course had to check it out.
You have to buy special coins for the machines, which are £2 each. Then each machine, depending on what’s inside, take a different amount of coins. These took x2. So £4 a try. Considering these are ¥300 in Japan that is a bit more (especially now that the yen is quite low). They don’t seem to bother translating the leaflets for it either, and with the 7th set I didn’t even get one and the 10th and 11th set was in black and white. They only translated the front image for the machine.
It’s a novel experience. They had set 7, and I had hoped for the Baby Panda, or the Capybara or Dog, but I got the Cat. Not a huge cat lover, but I have friends who are so perhaps I can trade in the future. Later I returned, and now set 8 was out. I wanted the Baby Polar Bear, and my other half tried 3 times for me, but we ended up with the Red Panda, Baby Hippo and Gorilla. At least the Red Panda and Baby Hippo are cute too. When we tried again later, we got another Gorilla. A week later we tried once again, and got the Crocodile. Set 9 came out, and I really wanted the Shoebill. And we got it on the first try! My partner wanted the frog, so tried again but got the Donkey. Worried Set 8 would disappear soon, we tried once more for the Baby Polar Bear. We got another Gorilla, and then finally the Baby Polar Bear! My husband tried for the frog again and we got the Meerkat. And when set 10 came out, I wanted the Ermine and again got it on first try! Set 11 came out, and we wanted to try for the Pallas Cat as it looks funny, but all are cute. We got the Chinchilla, which my husband likes and the Tibetan Sand Fox, which is funny.
Overall this series is funny and cute and if they get the next set in I might have to try it again, despite being a bit expensive.
If you like Gashapon, little figures, cute and/or funny animals, you’ll love this series. Be advised they may be expensive depending where you find them.
If you prefer larger or articulated toys, you might give these a miss.
Got any more details / information you think I should add? Or did I get something wrong? Do you own these figures? Do you agree or disagree with my findings? Let me know in the comments below!