Limited-edition goods drive 'open-run' character spending among adults in their 20s and 30s; Japan toy imports hit highest level since 2000 in first four months of this year
"No talking dancing Ditto? You're kidding me."
Around 2 p.m. Sunday at Dopamine Station inside IPark Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, shoppers moved through the crowd clutching oversized boxes — each containing a 40-centimeter "Welcome! Pikachu!" plush doll sold at the Academy Science Pokémon Concept Store, which opened to mark the Pokémon franchise's 30th anniversary.
The Pikachu pop-up ran on a reservation-only basis, yet long lines had already formed before the doors opened. Children accompanied by parents were a common sight, but so were groups of friends and couples. Jang, a 27-year-old who has been a Pokémon fan for 18 years, said she had made a reservation specifically to buy the limited-edition Pikachu doll. "It's a limited product, so it's worth buying," she said.
Visitors moved briskly through the store, photographing merchandise and picking up limited-edition goods featuring Pikachu, Ditto and other popular characters. Even at 78,000 won (about $57), the "Welcome! Pikachu!" dolls sold through quickly. The "Talking Dancing Ditto" had already sold out by 11 a.m. A store official said reservations were taken in batches of 100 per time slot, adding that stock levels for limited items vary each day and some products sell out in the morning.
The Pokémon card shop on the eighth floor was equally mobbed. A sign at the entrance read: "Pokémon Trading Card Game expansion pack products are sold out." Inside, the card game zone was packed with players ranging from elementary school children to adults.
Demand for Japanese character intellectual property merchandise was equally strong. Stores inside Dopamine Station selling goods tied to Japanese characters such as Chiikawa and Monchhichi drew a steady stream of shoppers. What was once a market driven largely by students has expanded to include adults in their 20s and 30s with greater purchasing power, fueling rapid growth overall.
Import figures reflect the trend. Korea Customs Service trade statistics show imports of Japanese toys reached $22.76 million (35.3 billion won) in the January–April period this year, up 75.4 percent from $12.97 million in the same period last year — the highest level for that period since records began in 2000. Sales at Academy Science, which distributes Pikachu merchandise and plastic model kits, rose 4.5 percent to 27.3 billion won ($20 million) last year.
Popular items are now changing hands at a premium on the secondary market. The "Welcome! Pikachu!" doll is listed on resale platform Bungaejangter for 86,000 won ($63), while a sealed "Magikarp AR Card" has been posted for 90,000 won ($66).
Lee Hong-ju, a professor of consumer economics at Sookmyung Women's University, said character merchandise consumption is expanding as psychological factors — emotion, fandom and nostalgia — combine with economic uncertainty. "Limited-edition products in particular stimulate the desire to collect and the appetite for experiential spending, and that trend will continue," she said.
siuu@heraldcorp.com
