A Glimpse into Fuchiko's Mini World

I've picked up a few new "hobbies" here in Japan. I've always enjoyed singing, so it is only natural that I've gotten into karaoke. And another time (and money) killer is playing the UFO Catcher games at the arcades.

I've written about UFO Catchers before - in the US I always called them crane games - and I have developed enough skill to have an above-average success rate.

One local machine has a bunch of little figurines known as Fuchiko. This tiny girl is designed to sit on the edge of glasses. In addition to Fuchiko, I've seen a bunch of other characters and themes get released.

The machine I've been getting these from is near the office, and I took these pictures at work. I didn't have a cup or mug handy when I won the first three figures last week. Above, my coworker's pencil case serves as a precarious canyon which Fuchiko is carefully trying to survive.

I believe the office suit version is the first (possibly in blue, originally), but other Fuchiko costumes are out there. Here's a beach bikini Fuchiko afraid of the cold water. A couple of her friends are hanging off the back side!

And here they are. The green one obviously belongs upside down, but I believe the yellow suit figure should somehow be sitting.

A Team Japan soccer version first showed up around the most recent World Cup games. This time, she's sitting on the mug properly while another office Fuchiko checks out the coffee level.

And from the back. Or front. I don't know. 

Technically, Fuchiko started as a gacha-gacha capsule toy, and is still available there, but I see her pretty often in crane games too.