¶ About Marusan (Modern)
(For information about the company's history from the 1920s to the 1990s, see the Marusan (Vintage) article.)
In 1997, a line of kaiju sofubi reissues was launched by Marusan President Kazuo Ishida. In 2003, after Ishida's passing, Eiji Kaminaga became president of Marusan.
Marusan’s first reissue figures were from the Marusan's Ultra Monsters line. Marusan began referring to these original designs collectively as Marumon (マルモン).
The Marumon were followed up by the Dengeki Kaiju Daisakusen (電撃怪獣大作戦) series. This line included a wide variety of characters, primarily from Toho Godzilla and Daiei Gamera films. The figures themselves were mostly scaled-down versions of vintage designs with some new sculpts mixed in.
Throughout the 2000s, Marusan continued to offer a wide range of figures, both reissues and newly-sculpted designs. The TEDEROS (テデロス) line was also launched, which included robot vehicles whose designs evoked vintage tin toys alongside realistically-styled kaiju.
In the 2010s, Marusan established four new brands:
- 350 Series - Figures that measure 23 cm./9 in. tall, commonly referred to by collectors as “standard size.” These designs are a mix of straight reissues and new sculpts. The series name references the price of standard size Marusan toys in the 1960s: 350 yen.
- 450 Series - Figures that measure 30 cm./12 in. tall (or more). These designs are a mix of scaled-up versions of vintage designs and new sculpts. As with the 350 Series, the 450 Series name refers to the 1960s price of Marusan giant size toys: 450 yen.
- Marugacha - Mini-figures sold in vending machine capsules.
- Dengeki-7 - Figures that measure 18 cm./7 in. tall. These designs are a mix of scaled-down versions of vintage designs and new sculpts. They are the same size as the Dengeki Kaiju Daisakusen line from the 1990s.
Marusan’s products are currently available to purchase directly via their website and through several retailers throughout Japan. Depending on the characters licensed, some toys are available internationally while others are sold only in Japan.
¶ Acknowledgements
Thank you to Eiji Kaminaga of Marusan for providing source material for this article.
