Keshi - History

History

Keshi is a toy genre with Japanese roots but is not limited to Japanese manufacture nor Japanese culture as the keshi were sold and became popular all around the world in the last twenty years, and some keshi lines were made in Europe or in China and exported.

This toy genre appeared in Japan during the 1970s and became increasingly popular. Collectors would paint and expose Ultraman, Fist of the North Star, Dragon Ball, High School! Kimengumi, Dai no Daibouken, Dr. Slump or even Kinnikuman keshis (known as Kinkeshi).

The first keshi exported outside Japan appeared in the late 1970s in Bonux packages, a Procter & Gamble washing powder released in France (and recently introduced in former USSR states such as Ukraine). The Bonux brand was launched with the "cadeau Bonux" (the Bonux present) concept, a small value mini toy hidden inside the powder. Some keshi were part of these packages, including a 10-figure series of the, then, famous Monchhichi (モンチッチ). A monkey character created in 1974 by Koichi Sekiguchi and part of the first large scale, successful, exported Japanese anime franchises. The Bonux Monchhichi figures were 4.4/4.8 cm tall, chibikeshi styled, and available in seven different gums.

However the keshi phenomenon sped-up worldwide in the late 80s, early 90s, with a wave of gum toy lines named M.U.S.C.L.E. (Kinkeshi americanized), Fistful Of Monsters or Monster In My Pocket in the United States.

The same lines were also exported in Europe, sometimes under different names, e.g. M.U.S.C.L.E. became Exogini in Italy and Cosmix in France. These franchises are actually composite bootleg lines including Kinkeshi/M.U.S.C.L.E., N.I.N.J.A.S. and Fistful Of Monsters, in the very same collection. Though, licensed lines appeared in Europe, including BeastFormer localized as "Les Dragonautes" in France and Monster In My Pocket.

Around the same period, Keshi lines were also marketed in South East Asia, including South Korea.