Company: Bandai
Release: 2019+
Size: +/- 2 cm
Main distribution: Japan / USA / UK (Gashapon machines)
This is a little Gashapon line of birds that sit on / hug cables (Hugcot), distributed in Gashapon machines by Bandai.
6 series of 8 have been released so far, making 48 figures total. I got 6/48.
The figures come in clear balls so you can see which one you got without opening it.
Each figure is individually wrapped in plastic.
Hugcot Chilling on Cords 1
Release date: October 2019
The first set exists out of 8 figures.
I got 0/8.
Hugcot Chilling on Cords 2
Release date: August 2020
The second set also exists out of 8 figures.
I got 0/8.
Hugcot Chilling on Cords 3
Release date: May 2021
The third set also exists out of 8 figures.
I got 0/8.
Hugcot Chilling on Cords 4
Release date: January 2022
The fourth set also exists out of 8 figures.
I got 0/8.
Hugcot Chilling on Cords 5
Release date: December 2022
The fifth set also exists out of 8 figures.
I got 6/8.
Each figure comes in plastic and with a leaflet. The leaflet is in Japanese, despite getting it in the UK and the front of the machine having an English print. It’s also large and square unlike the little strips you usually get, resembling more the front of the Gashapon machine. It’s also in black and white, potentially to save costs.
Duck
The Duck sits all squashed down looking puffed up like most of this line, and “sits” on the cable. Its white. It’s one of the more unique molds of this series. It’s also slightly bigger than the others. The branding is on its bottom, and reads in raised font © BANDAI B. CHINA 2623246 and the 4 dots of Bandai.
Zebra Finch
The Zebra Finch sits puffed up like most of this line, and “sits” on the cable with its little pink paws. Its tail is short, flat and straight backwards. The branding is on its bottom, and reads in raised font © BANDAI B. CHINA 2623246 and the 4 dots of Bandai.
Parakeet
The Parakeet sits puffed up like most of this line, and “sits” on the cable with its little light grey paws. It has its iconic pastel colours of a blue body, white wings and a yellow head, and a long tail. Its head is cocked to the side. The branding is on its bottom, and reads in raised font © BANDAI B. CHINA 2623246 and the 4 dots of Bandai.
Swallow
The Swallow sits puffed up like most of this line, and “sits” on the cable with its little black paws. It has its iconic V-shaped tail. The branding is on its bottom, and reads in raised font © BANDAI B. CHINA 2623246 and the 4 dots of Bandai.
White Wagtail
The White Wagtail sits puffed up like most of this line, and “sits” on the cable with its little black paws. Its tail is long, rounded and straight backwards. The branding is on its bottom, and reads in raised font © BANDAI B. CHINA 2623246 and the 4 dots of Bandai.
Pigeon
The Pigeon sits puffed up like most of this line, and “sits” on the cable with its little pink paws. Its slightly bigger than the other birds, and has its iconic greyblue colours with a purple chest. The branding is on its bottom, and reads in raised font © BANDAI B. CHINA 2623246 and the 4 dots of Bandai.
Hugcot Chilling on Cords 6
Release date: November 2023
[TBA]
The sixth set also exists out of 8 figures.
I got 0/8.
I went back to the Gashapon store as I just love them too much, and they had this new series. The mark up is still extortionate (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 (which is the cheapest here). Considering these are ¥200 in Japan that is a bit more (especially now that the yen is quite low).
I thought these little birds looked cute, and would look nice sprinkled throughout the house. It also wouldn’t be super upsetting if you get a double as I think having multiple of the same type next to each other would be cute too. I really liked the ducky though, so hoped for that one. I would also like the Pigeon as I have a couple in my garden, and my dad used to have them as well.
The first one I got was the Swallow. We tried a second time, and it was another Swallow! My boyfriend then also tried twice and got the White Wagtail and Zebra Finch.
We went back a week later to try our luck again. The first one was the Pigeon! Hoping to get the Duck too, we tried again and got the Parakeet. My boyfriend really liked him, so we tried once more and it was the Duck! I now got all the ones I wanted from this set.
I hope they get the others of these in the future, I quite like the little birds.
Overall this series is cute and would make for cute cable markers I guess, despite being a little expensive over here.
If you like Gashapon, little figures and cute animals, you’ll like 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!