1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,520 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of iHeartRadio. Welcome back to 2 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 1: the show Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always so much 3 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:33,360 Speaker 1: for tuning in. This is part two of a two 4 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:37,839 Speaker 1: part series, so please tune into part one so this 5 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:40,519 Speaker 1: thing makes makes more sense. Anyway, we got Max doll 6 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:42,840 Speaker 1: on bed is me and my job in this intro 7 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 1: is to welcome you into the content. There's not much 8 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 1: of a Tokyo to go back to. He can't return 9 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:57,520 Speaker 1: home because the Soviet Union has taken over those disputed 10 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 1: islands in Hokkaido and Kyoto was Japan's only metro center 11 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 1: still standing. So that's where he sets up. Because s J. 12 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:11,559 Speaker 1: Toy works exactly just a few months after the war ends, 13 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:15,040 Speaker 1: he does just that he's able to find a space 14 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:19,200 Speaker 1: that's going to actually, you know, be enough for this operation. 15 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:22,480 Speaker 1: You know, it's kind of a dream scenario. He actually 16 00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:25,920 Speaker 1: rents a former cattle shed, which if you can kind 17 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: of picture a cattle shed, this is like a barn, 18 00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 1: right ben of this is more like a giant airplane 19 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:34,920 Speaker 1: hangar kind of situation where cattle you know, are slaughtered 20 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:38,120 Speaker 1: and kept. Yeah, it's like a shock too, like if 21 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:42,160 Speaker 1: you if you have ever taken a road trip through 22 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:46,080 Speaker 1: rural parts of the Southeast or the Midwest. You see 23 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:50,560 Speaker 1: all those crumbling looking barns that look like they're about 24 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:52,720 Speaker 1: to fall over. But they've looked like they're about to 25 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:56,200 Speaker 1: fall over for around eighty years or so. This thing 26 00:01:56,480 --> 00:02:00,280 Speaker 1: is planks of rough wood. There are gaps in the 27 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 1: boards like you could see into it from outside. It 28 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: probably still smells of cow, to be honest with you, 29 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:08,840 Speaker 1: there's probably still a little bit of manure there. But 30 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 1: it's is but look and large, right large. It has 31 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:15,639 Speaker 1: this space. That's all he really needs exactly. But yeah, 32 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:19,959 Speaker 1: definitely some like you know, clumps of straw, that cow 33 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:23,320 Speaker 1: smell that you're describing, Ben, But it was enough space 34 00:02:23,639 --> 00:02:25,519 Speaker 1: for all of the gear that they needed to fit 35 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:28,919 Speaker 1: in there and the labor that they needed to have 36 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:32,480 Speaker 1: have room for. Uh, you know, he said it would 37 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:35,679 Speaker 1: it would do, That's what That's what he said. So 38 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:40,440 Speaker 1: Becausuge is now unentangled from the military and able to 39 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:43,359 Speaker 1: kind of go on with his life's mission. The question 40 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:49,560 Speaker 1: then becomes, what how do I appeal to kids who 41 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:54,400 Speaker 1: are traumatized by war? Right? Yeah, this is something a 42 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:58,399 Speaker 1: lot of people think about, Right, how does war impact 43 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:01,880 Speaker 1: an industry, and how does impact the people you're making 44 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:05,760 Speaker 1: things for, whether those are children or adults. Remember this 45 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 1: is the time when the instant noodle is invented, and 46 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: it's entirely because the war has so fundamentally changed Japan. 47 00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:18,160 Speaker 1: The answer what can I do? What kind of toy 48 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:22,600 Speaker 1: would be appropriate for kids? Comes on two fronts. First, 49 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:28,760 Speaker 1: he sees the temporary barracks the Baco hotel gis have 50 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:32,440 Speaker 1: been a familiar sight on these streets, and he goes, 51 00:03:32,480 --> 00:03:36,760 Speaker 1: Holy smokes, American jeeps are everywhere. And the second part 52 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:39,640 Speaker 1: is he's always loved cars. So the story goes one 53 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:43,120 Speaker 1: day because J's walking home from the public bathhouse and 54 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:46,360 Speaker 1: he sees a jeep park down the street and nobody's 55 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:49,560 Speaker 1: in it, and he says, well, given the hour, whoever 56 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:52,600 Speaker 1: was driving it is likely, let's see the way Matt 57 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:56,920 Speaker 1: Alt puts, it is likely off scouting for female companionship 58 00:03:57,040 --> 00:04:03,120 Speaker 1: in the nearby red light district scouting. And since since 59 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 1: there's no one in the car, though, because J is 60 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:07,720 Speaker 1: able to get up close to the jeep and really 61 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:11,119 Speaker 1: get a look at it exactly, so he does just that. 62 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:13,280 Speaker 1: And this is maybe the kind of view that you 63 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:16,120 Speaker 1: wouldn't normally be able to get you know, at a 64 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:19,240 Speaker 1: military vehicle like this because they're usually passing quite quickly. 65 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:22,080 Speaker 1: They don't really give tours. This was a big deal 66 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:25,440 Speaker 1: because typically, you know, when toymakers were going to make 67 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:28,480 Speaker 1: some sort of facsimile of, you know, something that exists 68 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:30,520 Speaker 1: in the real world, they would only be able to 69 00:04:30,560 --> 00:04:33,839 Speaker 1: refer to images and like catalogs or like you know, 70 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:36,599 Speaker 1: promotional stuff that the companies would put out, you know, 71 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 1: to advertise for their products, in this case cheap. And 72 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:43,640 Speaker 1: he actually was able to get up there, get his 73 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:46,520 Speaker 1: you know, nose right up against the glass and see 74 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:50,279 Speaker 1: what this thing was made of. Definitely, you know, for 75 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:56,080 Speaker 1: a military device like this, this is a very rare opportunity. Yeah, 76 00:04:56,120 --> 00:05:00,159 Speaker 1: because they didn't have the uh, they didn't have a 77 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:03,159 Speaker 1: version of a catalog that would go out, especially to 78 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:06,080 Speaker 1: the Japanese public, saying, hey, look at all these military 79 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:09,760 Speaker 1: vehicles up close. So the guy doesn't he sees his 80 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:12,600 Speaker 1: golden opportunity. And it's not like he has a tape measure. 81 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:16,160 Speaker 1: He doesn't carry around the way Hideo Kajima does. He 82 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:18,880 Speaker 1: only has one thing to measure stuff with, and it's 83 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:22,440 Speaker 1: his bath towel from the bathhouse, so he gets real 84 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:26,520 Speaker 1: mcgiver with this. This is inspiring. He stretches out the 85 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 1: towel and he uses that to get the rough dimensions 86 00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:32,359 Speaker 1: of the jeep and then runs back home before he 87 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:36,839 Speaker 1: forgets draws a blueprint and he keeps going back to 88 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:41,000 Speaker 1: find parked jeeps and repeating the process with his towel. 89 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:46,480 Speaker 1: Eventually he's back in business almost because remember he had 90 00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:49,120 Speaker 1: to give overall his molds to the government, and they 91 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:54,039 Speaker 1: also had no metal to work with, so he literally starts. 92 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:59,000 Speaker 1: He cracks a deal with the US Army to take 93 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:02,920 Speaker 1: away part of their empty food cans. Cool, so he's 94 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:05,960 Speaker 1: going to repurpose this, uh huh. He's taken the soup 95 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:09,000 Speaker 1: cans and the beer cans, the bean cans, and he 96 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:11,480 Speaker 1: takes them back to his workshop and he and his 97 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:14,560 Speaker 1: team cleaned them really hard. They cut them open, they 98 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:17,040 Speaker 1: run them through a press to flatten them. They pound 99 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:21,680 Speaker 1: them out by hand over these molds, and eventually they 100 00:06:21,800 --> 00:06:26,720 Speaker 1: make little replicas of the US Army jeep. That is 101 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:31,280 Speaker 1: so cool, man, It's so it's just so um industrious, 102 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:33,440 Speaker 1: you know what I mean, Like, you know, given the situation, 103 00:06:33,480 --> 00:06:35,640 Speaker 1: and he made the best of what he could. Also, 104 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:37,720 Speaker 1: I want to point out that remember when he had 105 00:06:37,760 --> 00:06:40,760 Speaker 1: to close his shop or the very least rebrand it, 106 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:43,640 Speaker 1: and then I believe it was called custom fabrications or 107 00:06:43,839 --> 00:06:48,920 Speaker 1: precision fabrication. When when that the phrase passed through my head, 108 00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:51,080 Speaker 1: it made me realize that like a lot of you know, 109 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:53,800 Speaker 1: all this toymaking and manufacturing stuff, that's what it is. 110 00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:58,640 Speaker 1: It's just like precision fabrication. It's the same type of 111 00:06:58,839 --> 00:07:00,960 Speaker 1: ingenuity and an equipment a lot of ways that would 112 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:03,800 Speaker 1: go into making like say auto parts, you know, or 113 00:07:03,839 --> 00:07:07,880 Speaker 1: things for construction, like building materials, but this is it's 114 00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:11,560 Speaker 1: made for kids to play with. Yeah, exactly. That's a 115 00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:16,720 Speaker 1: good point. And Japan's government also put some effort into 116 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:20,920 Speaker 1: promoting toy manufacturing as an industry to revive it was 117 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:23,559 Speaker 1: kind of easy to get it up and running, and 118 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:28,600 Speaker 1: partially they were motivated because toys made a peaceful, slash 119 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:32,400 Speaker 1: non threatening image. This is nineteen forty six. You know, 120 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:35,760 Speaker 1: people are dying of malnutrition in the country. A lot 121 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:40,440 Speaker 1: of people just eat food and shelter, and amid this chaos, 122 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:45,120 Speaker 1: the Japanese government passes a resolution urging everyone in the 123 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:48,440 Speaker 1: nation to give toys to children, which again I think 124 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:53,400 Speaker 1: is really cool. I think it's a cool policy. There's 125 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:56,960 Speaker 1: a lot behind it, of course, but yeah, I think 126 00:07:56,960 --> 00:07:59,640 Speaker 1: it's I think it's a neat idea. It's a pr move, 127 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:02,640 Speaker 1: to be sure, but I think it's one that had 128 00:08:02,680 --> 00:08:06,280 Speaker 1: that had legs, you know, certainly in a positive way. 129 00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:08,080 Speaker 1: And also, you know, we've we've talked in the past 130 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:11,680 Speaker 1: about how fascinating and just you know, kind of an 131 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:14,480 Speaker 1: example of just like life finds a way, you know, 132 00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:20,760 Speaker 1: it is that Japan emerged from near annihilation to become 133 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:26,800 Speaker 1: this global superpower, you know, in tech, in electronics, in 134 00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:29,960 Speaker 1: pop culture and all of these things. It's almost like 135 00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:33,000 Speaker 1: they the slate was white. You think about this almost 136 00:08:33,040 --> 00:08:35,199 Speaker 1: like as the slate being white, clean situation. But that's 137 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:37,400 Speaker 1: not the case, is it. We're learning here today with 138 00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:39,679 Speaker 1: a lot of this stuff. This whole attitude, this kind 139 00:08:39,679 --> 00:08:43,680 Speaker 1: of creative spirit was it was in play long before 140 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:46,080 Speaker 1: you know, the bomb dropped, and so then you know, 141 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:50,840 Speaker 1: when the country kind of started to emphasize manufacturing, you know, 142 00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:53,480 Speaker 1: to get back on its legs. The government, you had 143 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:57,640 Speaker 1: folks like Kasuke coming in and laying the groundwork for 144 00:08:57,679 --> 00:09:00,560 Speaker 1: that innovation that we would see kind of really start 145 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:03,440 Speaker 1: to flourish like in the eighties and nineties. Yeah, one 146 00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:10,160 Speaker 1: hundred percent. And this idea that toys can make a 147 00:09:10,679 --> 00:09:15,360 Speaker 1: serious impact continues, and Kasuge is a huge part of this. 148 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:22,240 Speaker 1: They are working toward the New Year holiday season January 149 00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:24,760 Speaker 1: nineteen forty six. It's the first time in it like 150 00:09:24,800 --> 00:09:29,240 Speaker 1: a decade that they've celebrated New Year's not during a war, 151 00:09:29,559 --> 00:09:33,040 Speaker 1: so it's pretty exciting. The first batch of these jeeps 152 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:36,920 Speaker 1: goes on sale in December, just four months after the 153 00:09:36,960 --> 00:09:41,040 Speaker 1: closed World War two. They're ten yen a pop and 154 00:09:41,080 --> 00:09:43,160 Speaker 1: that's the cost of a you know, like a snack 155 00:09:43,280 --> 00:09:47,240 Speaker 1: at a food market stall, so everybody can afford them. 156 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:50,760 Speaker 1: They don't have boxes at this time because guess what. 157 00:09:50,960 --> 00:09:55,400 Speaker 1: Paper is also still in critically short supply. Oh and 158 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:58,560 Speaker 1: he sells everything in an hour. He sells hundreds of 159 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:01,240 Speaker 1: jeeps in like one hour, are sold out. No, I'm 160 00:10:01,280 --> 00:10:03,360 Speaker 1: not only did he make a product that was cool 161 00:10:03,559 --> 00:10:06,960 Speaker 1: looking and functional and fun to play with, he capitalized 162 00:10:07,080 --> 00:10:09,839 Speaker 1: on something that was there was a need for that, 163 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:12,719 Speaker 1: like he knew kids would be interested in because he 164 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:16,199 Speaker 1: was interested in it right, Like he was fascinated by 165 00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:18,240 Speaker 1: it and to the point where he wanted to go 166 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:20,800 Speaker 1: and peer up through that window, maybe even you know, 167 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:23,640 Speaker 1: at risk of being you know, yelled at a getting 168 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:27,800 Speaker 1: in trouble or worse. It's just he could tell this 169 00:10:27,880 --> 00:10:31,480 Speaker 1: is a person that kind of had that childlike kind 170 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:34,640 Speaker 1: of you know, spirit, and therefore was able to kind 171 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:38,520 Speaker 1: of capture that and then turn it into gold and 172 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:42,360 Speaker 1: golden termination of the man. Yeah, he scales up his operation. 173 00:10:42,480 --> 00:10:45,400 Speaker 1: He rints out more cattle sheds to get more workspace, 174 00:10:45,679 --> 00:10:48,480 Speaker 1: He hires more people to work with him, and people 175 00:10:48,520 --> 00:10:51,839 Speaker 1: needed jobs at this time, and he even hires housewives 176 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:56,240 Speaker 1: to assemble toy parts in their homes. So the citizens 177 00:10:57,000 --> 00:11:00,880 Speaker 1: here working together. They make thousands and thousands more jeeps 178 00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:04,360 Speaker 1: for a department store. And because they're handmade, they don't 179 00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:09,080 Speaker 1: have precision tools. No, two groups of jeeps were exactly 180 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:13,400 Speaker 1: the same, and they would gradually make replacements with each iteration, 181 00:11:13,679 --> 00:11:17,960 Speaker 1: you know, adding maybe a little accessory, maybe replacing the 182 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:22,760 Speaker 1: internal mechanisms that made it a windup toy. Eventually they 183 00:11:22,800 --> 00:11:28,440 Speaker 1: do get boxes, their unbleached brown cardboard and all it 184 00:11:28,520 --> 00:11:33,320 Speaker 1: says on the box is jeep with an exclamation point. 185 00:11:33,679 --> 00:11:35,440 Speaker 1: All the word has always kind of felt to me 186 00:11:35,559 --> 00:11:41,320 Speaker 1: like an exclamatory you know, think one might say jeep, right, yeah, yeah, exactly. 187 00:11:41,559 --> 00:11:44,199 Speaker 1: It's weird though, because I didn't think about this until 188 00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:50,160 Speaker 1: our researcher associate doctor Z pointed it out, because also 189 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:57,160 Speaker 1: gets free advertising because they're a countless US actual army 190 00:11:57,240 --> 00:12:00,719 Speaker 1: jeeps driving by, and each one of them becomes advertisement 191 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:10,280 Speaker 1: for the toys selling. So the toys don't just mean 192 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:15,600 Speaker 1: something to the kids, to adults, they also are representative 193 00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:19,559 Speaker 1: of society coming back from the war, right, Like now 194 00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:22,200 Speaker 1: I live in a place that is stable enough to 195 00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:25,960 Speaker 1: make recreational products for kids. Yeah, and I'll tell you 196 00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:29,640 Speaker 1: who else was noticing, not just the Japanese adults, but 197 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:35,120 Speaker 1: American adults who are still around soldiers would buy up 198 00:12:35,240 --> 00:12:39,120 Speaker 1: these ten replicas of the vehicles that they were driving 199 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:42,800 Speaker 1: around or flying around in real life as souvenirs to 200 00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:45,559 Speaker 1: take home. And you know it's actually I've actually got 201 00:12:45,559 --> 00:12:49,720 Speaker 1: a couple of not these military vehicles, but like ten toys, 202 00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:52,560 Speaker 1: Japanese ten toys, a real collector's market for that stuff. 203 00:12:52,679 --> 00:12:54,280 Speaker 1: I'm sure you've seen plenty of that as well. But 204 00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:56,320 Speaker 1: I've got like a little kind of a noisemaker like 205 00:12:57,040 --> 00:12:58,800 Speaker 1: kind of one of those guys and like a little 206 00:12:58,880 --> 00:13:02,000 Speaker 1: robot thing. They're really really neat, and there's tons of 207 00:13:02,040 --> 00:13:04,880 Speaker 1: them to be found out in the world. Oh yeah, totally. 208 00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:09,280 Speaker 1: These toys become a symbol then of bridges built between 209 00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:14,520 Speaker 1: the US and Japan, oddly enough for at least US 210 00:13:14,520 --> 00:13:18,640 Speaker 1: soldiers and Japanese society. And you can see a nineteen 211 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:22,200 Speaker 1: forty six photo essay you could call it, in the 212 00:13:22,240 --> 00:13:26,040 Speaker 1: Pacific edition of Stars and Stripes, where a Japanese boy 213 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:29,800 Speaker 1: and a young US soldier are seen playing with ten 214 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:33,040 Speaker 1: jeeps on top of the hood of a real jeep. 215 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:36,720 Speaker 1: It's a good photo, good good photo. Op'll think called 216 00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:42,800 Speaker 1: that top is definitely a word for it, as in propaganda. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah. 217 00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:49,960 Speaker 1: And so apparently the key to the jeep success as 218 00:13:49,960 --> 00:13:54,920 Speaker 1: a toy was the ambiguity of its message. A lot 219 00:13:54,960 --> 00:13:58,439 Speaker 1: of Japanese grown ups if they didn't like this stuff, 220 00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:02,240 Speaker 1: they didn't like that the toys were military vehicle toys, 221 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:05,920 Speaker 1: you know, because it reminds you of the loss of 222 00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:10,559 Speaker 1: World War Two. At least that's according to Ichi wrote Tomiyama, 223 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:13,480 Speaker 1: who in nineteen twenty four found at a toy company. 224 00:14:13,679 --> 00:14:17,640 Speaker 1: Tomi Yama now known as Tomi, and he said to Americans, 225 00:14:18,040 --> 00:14:21,520 Speaker 1: it's different. These jeeps are shining examples of military success. 226 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:25,080 Speaker 1: I knew they would sell abroad. And so in nineteen 227 00:14:25,160 --> 00:14:28,720 Speaker 1: forty seven, it seems like the rest of Japan agreed 228 00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:30,480 Speaker 1: with this, and they said, we're going to ramp up 229 00:14:30,520 --> 00:14:33,280 Speaker 1: production of toys, not just for people in Japan, but 230 00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:38,040 Speaker 1: to export, and this will be kind of collateral. This 231 00:14:38,120 --> 00:14:40,320 Speaker 1: will be a way that we can help pay for 232 00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:44,680 Speaker 1: food rations that are being imported. Can we also just 233 00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:48,080 Speaker 1: point out that like these these jeeps and these these 234 00:14:48,120 --> 00:14:52,640 Speaker 1: tin toys, they weren't clunky looking. There was like detail 235 00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:54,800 Speaker 1: work on them. Like if you go if you type 236 00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:57,960 Speaker 1: in like Japanese tin toy vehicles, you can see everything 237 00:14:58,040 --> 00:15:01,640 Speaker 1: from like a Ford Lincoln Futura to like a Cadillac 238 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:05,360 Speaker 1: Sedan or like a fair Lane Skyline er Chevy bel Air. 239 00:15:05,520 --> 00:15:08,920 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, this phenomenon kind of went on 240 00:15:09,280 --> 00:15:12,080 Speaker 1: past the period that we're talking about, but all of them, 241 00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:15,080 Speaker 1: even the earliest ones that were made from those discarded 242 00:15:15,640 --> 00:15:19,480 Speaker 1: ten food cans, there's precision involved with Oh yeah, the 243 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:23,480 Speaker 1: detail work is remarkable. Yeah, and the fact that they 244 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:28,520 Speaker 1: actually move too. You know that people literally made this 245 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:33,200 Speaker 1: from improvised materials in a cow shed. Still they would. 246 00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:38,240 Speaker 1: The only condition that the Allied forces put on Japan 247 00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:40,800 Speaker 1: with these toys when they're exported is they had to 248 00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:43,960 Speaker 1: be marked clearly somewhere in the box with made and 249 00:15:44,040 --> 00:15:49,880 Speaker 1: occupied Japan. Christmas is coming. Since nineteen forty seven, America's 250 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:53,440 Speaker 1: got one of their own toy shortages because, just like 251 00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:56,800 Speaker 1: other countries, the toy manufacturers were asked to help out 252 00:15:56,840 --> 00:15:59,560 Speaker 1: with the war effort. I say asked in very hard 253 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:03,560 Speaker 1: air votes there. For any fans the toy trains, you'll 254 00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:06,520 Speaker 1: be interested to note that Lionel, the toy train giant, 255 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:11,160 Speaker 1: had been forced to make its toys out of cardboard 256 00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:14,560 Speaker 1: during the Warriors because there was no metal to be had. 257 00:16:15,160 --> 00:16:20,520 Speaker 1: So Japanese toymakers are super gassed to jump into the 258 00:16:20,600 --> 00:16:23,920 Speaker 1: market gap. There super gas to jump into the gap. 259 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:26,480 Speaker 1: Why am I saying gas? Oh? Right, Because they're selling 260 00:16:26,880 --> 00:16:31,480 Speaker 1: toy cars, passenger cars, military vehicles. People love them. Tomi 261 00:16:31,560 --> 00:16:36,720 Speaker 1: Yama even starts building a tin Type B twenty nine bombers, 262 00:16:37,280 --> 00:16:40,120 Speaker 1: which is I think maybe a little too soon, but 263 00:16:40,160 --> 00:16:42,960 Speaker 1: they were selling them to the US public. It's like, 264 00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:51,480 Speaker 1: we're not mad. Everything's fine. Look they're cute. See when 265 00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:53,840 Speaker 1: we go back to what was one of his original prototypes, 266 00:16:53,840 --> 00:16:56,240 Speaker 1: the robot named Liliputt, you know, the idea of like 267 00:16:56,640 --> 00:16:58,800 Speaker 1: when you miniat your eyes something, even if it's like 268 00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:02,080 Speaker 1: a man, you know, or a machine man, it makes 269 00:17:02,120 --> 00:17:05,920 Speaker 1: it less scary. Yeah, yeah, there is something to that, 270 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:10,280 Speaker 1: but it's still is obviously a bit of a of 271 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:13,320 Speaker 1: a pr move to emphasize that, and I'm sure there 272 00:17:13,359 --> 00:17:16,879 Speaker 1: was some prodding and encouragement to kind of make some 273 00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:20,960 Speaker 1: of these weapons of war, and that become that can 274 00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:24,359 Speaker 1: become problematic, right especially to your point, Ban so close 275 00:17:24,400 --> 00:17:27,600 Speaker 1: to you know, such a horrific event, as as Russia 276 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:36,080 Speaker 1: one hundred percent. Yeah, And the toy distributor Juizawa Shokai 277 00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:40,160 Speaker 1: displays this bomber at a nineteen fifty one toy fair 278 00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:44,080 Speaker 1: in New York, and people immediately placed orders for hundreds 279 00:17:44,119 --> 00:17:47,679 Speaker 1: of thousands of these planes. They eventually sell close to 280 00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:52,080 Speaker 1: a million toy B twenty nine bombers in the US alone, 281 00:17:52,760 --> 00:17:56,359 Speaker 1: And things like this are huge part of why the 282 00:17:56,520 --> 00:18:00,520 Speaker 1: tin toy industry blows up from eight million yen per 283 00:18:00,600 --> 00:18:05,360 Speaker 1: year in nineteen forty seven to eight billion yen per 284 00:18:05,440 --> 00:18:09,199 Speaker 1: year by nineteen fifty five, and again the majority of 285 00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:12,320 Speaker 1: these toys went to the West, right, because you know 286 00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:16,080 Speaker 1: it's it's oh, Ma'm sorry, that's a harp on this, 287 00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:19,159 Speaker 1: but it's like, it is kind of interesting, you know, 288 00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:25,760 Speaker 1: the country that we destroyed manufacturing little kind of keepsakes 289 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:30,520 Speaker 1: of our supremacy and then selling them back to us. Yeah, 290 00:18:30,520 --> 00:18:33,320 Speaker 1: you can see the controversy, right, you can. You can 291 00:18:33,359 --> 00:18:36,480 Speaker 1: see why if you are a parent, you might not 292 00:18:36,600 --> 00:18:40,359 Speaker 1: want your kid to be playing with this stuff, right, 293 00:18:40,440 --> 00:18:45,879 Speaker 1: So let's get to the controversy. Yeah, it bubbles to 294 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:49,840 Speaker 1: the surface. In nineteen fifty one, an organization of teachers 295 00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:53,880 Speaker 1: in various women's groups team up and launch a nationwide 296 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:59,560 Speaker 1: campaign and say stop manufacturing military themed toys. And the 297 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:03,160 Speaker 1: toy makers say, hey, look, we're not doing propaganda. We're 298 00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:06,440 Speaker 1: just reflecting the world in which these children live. They 299 00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:10,480 Speaker 1: see these jeeps, tanks, other military planes on a daily basis. 300 00:19:10,720 --> 00:19:14,439 Speaker 1: They're part of daily life, so why should we pretend 301 00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:18,720 Speaker 1: it's otherwise. Becauseuj goes back to Tokyo nineteen forty seven 302 00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:23,800 Speaker 1: and he starts a design studio called Tokyo Zusaku Ko 303 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:29,000 Speaker 1: Geisha or Tokyo Creative Arts and it's really close to 304 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:32,880 Speaker 1: where his old pre war factory is or was, excuse me, 305 00:19:33,280 --> 00:19:35,600 Speaker 1: and he wants to try to make new improvements, right. 306 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:37,960 Speaker 1: He wants to make a wind up car that could 307 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:40,800 Speaker 1: sense the edge of a table before it falls off. 308 00:19:40,880 --> 00:19:47,760 Speaker 1: He sells ten thousand of those, and then he thinks, Okay, 309 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:51,359 Speaker 1: I get the controversy. I can't build jeeps forever. I 310 00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:57,119 Speaker 1: still love cars, though, so he ends up saying, let's 311 00:19:57,160 --> 00:20:01,359 Speaker 1: build a nineteen fifty Cadillac Sedan. And the timing wasn't 312 00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:04,640 Speaker 1: like awful it was. It was it was a little bit, 313 00:20:05,040 --> 00:20:10,160 Speaker 1: let's just say, um, opportunistic. But it was a kind 314 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:13,320 Speaker 1: of peace timing. We weren't seeing US soldiers in the 315 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:17,679 Speaker 1: streets as often, you know, Japan now had its independence. 316 00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:22,160 Speaker 1: There was this exciting kind of forward thinking attitude, you know, 317 00:20:22,320 --> 00:20:26,440 Speaker 1: of of prosperity and the future. It was so bright 318 00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:29,520 Speaker 1: that everyone was constantly wearing shades. It was. It was 319 00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:33,399 Speaker 1: a good time, essentially, and it was an opportune time, 320 00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:37,200 Speaker 1: like I said, potentially not the most positive of ways 321 00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:40,000 Speaker 1: to capitalize on this, you know. Okay, well, now we 322 00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:42,680 Speaker 1: don't have these things as a facet of our daily 323 00:20:42,720 --> 00:20:45,800 Speaker 1: lives anymore, so let's you know, KAUAIU fy them like 324 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:48,240 Speaker 1: you were saying, Ben, make them a little less scary, 325 00:20:48,320 --> 00:20:52,840 Speaker 1: and then sell them back to the kids. M. Yeah, yeah, 326 00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:58,200 Speaker 1: and this makes sense right. It turns out Couge as 327 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:01,399 Speaker 1: the car man has hit two birds with one stone. 328 00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:04,199 Speaker 1: When he originally chose the Deep, it was a symbol 329 00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:09,440 Speaker 1: of American and military might. But they were also tapping 330 00:21:09,560 --> 00:21:14,080 Speaker 1: into that fascination you mentioned earlier. Nol with passenger cars 331 00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:19,080 Speaker 1: all around the world, and they knew that military asside. 332 00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:24,680 Speaker 1: Postwar America was also obsessed with cars. In nineteen fifty 333 00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:29,320 Speaker 1: there were twenty five million registered cars in the US. 334 00:21:30,119 --> 00:21:33,160 Speaker 1: Just eight years later, nineteen fifty eight, that number more 335 00:21:33,160 --> 00:21:37,760 Speaker 1: than doubled. Literally, and this is true. Literally everyone wanted 336 00:21:37,760 --> 00:21:41,200 Speaker 1: a Cadillac, even if it wasn't the real Cadillac. I'm 337 00:21:41,240 --> 00:21:43,560 Speaker 1: sure there were a couple of guys who like hit 338 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:46,560 Speaker 1: on their girlfriends saying, hey, babe, I got you a 339 00:21:46,640 --> 00:21:53,159 Speaker 1: Cadillac Marry Christmas. Yeah, technically it's a Cadillac, just not 340 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:55,480 Speaker 1: the one you can drive. It's funny. I think it 341 00:21:55,520 --> 00:22:00,119 Speaker 1: was around the same period that like car miniaturization and 342 00:22:00,119 --> 00:22:04,880 Speaker 1: stuff became really popular. My grandfather worked for like tobacco 343 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:06,720 Speaker 1: companies and stuff, and so he had all these kind 344 00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:10,480 Speaker 1: of you know, tobacco adjacent sort of luxury goods items 345 00:22:10,520 --> 00:22:14,240 Speaker 1: that it was gifted. And when he passed away, my 346 00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:16,400 Speaker 1: aunt pulled this out of his storage for me. It's 347 00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:20,440 Speaker 1: a like a giant like fair lane type vehicle and 348 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:23,320 Speaker 1: it inside of it is hidden a bottle of Jim 349 00:22:23,359 --> 00:22:26,000 Speaker 1: Beam whiskey. In order to get the whiskey out, you 350 00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:29,240 Speaker 1: gotta take like the trunk cover off and then the 351 00:22:29,280 --> 00:22:32,879 Speaker 1: little spout is right. It's really weird and interesting and 352 00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:36,200 Speaker 1: I have no idea the quality remaining in that whiskey, 353 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:38,080 Speaker 1: but I have it on my little bar cart and 354 00:22:38,119 --> 00:22:39,760 Speaker 1: it's super cool. It makes you kind of want to 355 00:22:39,760 --> 00:22:42,280 Speaker 1: seek some of the stuff out because it's it is 356 00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:44,920 Speaker 1: so cool. And it could be potentially though, a real 357 00:22:45,040 --> 00:22:47,200 Speaker 1: rabbit hole in a money pit, though I could tell, oh, 358 00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:50,600 Speaker 1: I'm sure. Yeah. I pulled up eBay just to poke 359 00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:54,639 Speaker 1: around a little bit last week where we're working on 360 00:22:54,680 --> 00:22:58,359 Speaker 1: this one, and yeah, it could be a rabbit hole. 361 00:22:58,960 --> 00:23:08,000 Speaker 1: And it was back in the fifties two. At the 362 00:23:08,040 --> 00:23:11,000 Speaker 1: outbreak of the Korean War in nineteen fifty the US 363 00:23:11,119 --> 00:23:16,640 Speaker 1: government sent three billion dollars worth of orders to Japan 364 00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:24,000 Speaker 1: for production and transport of wartime materials to the Korean peninsula, 365 00:23:24,240 --> 00:23:29,240 Speaker 1: stuff like rope wire, food, ammo, and they even had 366 00:23:29,280 --> 00:23:35,479 Speaker 1: some Japanese built copies of American jeeps. This was terrible 367 00:23:35,560 --> 00:23:38,600 Speaker 1: the Korean Wars. It was a terrible conflict as well, 368 00:23:39,320 --> 00:23:42,160 Speaker 1: which still hasn't officially ended between North Korea and South 369 00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:46,199 Speaker 1: Korea to this day. They've just got a ceasefire. But 370 00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:51,520 Speaker 1: this was a huge economic opportunity for Japan. Also, these 371 00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:54,879 Speaker 1: Japanese firms started building a lot of factories like mad 372 00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:58,320 Speaker 1: They needed to build all sorts of transport infrastructure to 373 00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:02,320 Speaker 1: satisfy like to make good in these military orders. And 374 00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:06,040 Speaker 1: as one ambassador put it in nineteen fifty two, Japan 375 00:24:06,160 --> 00:24:09,600 Speaker 1: became quote one huge supply depot without which the Korean 376 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:12,840 Speaker 1: War could not have been fought. And now that these 377 00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:16,880 Speaker 1: things are happening, now that the foundries are restarted, now 378 00:24:16,920 --> 00:24:21,880 Speaker 1: that there's high quality domestic steel being produced, you don't 379 00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:24,919 Speaker 1: have to go through the trash heaps for ten cans. 380 00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:27,359 Speaker 1: But it's it's that kind of I've got to keep 381 00:24:27,440 --> 00:24:28,879 Speaker 1: us in the word ingenuity, and I'm sorry if it's 382 00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:31,080 Speaker 1: not a broken record. It reminds me of like what 383 00:24:31,200 --> 00:24:35,359 Speaker 1: the Coca Cola company did during um World War two 384 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:39,280 Speaker 1: in Germany. They used apple scraps, you know, to make 385 00:24:39,400 --> 00:24:43,720 Speaker 1: Fanta that you know that and eventually was turned into 386 00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:46,199 Speaker 1: an orange drink. But at the time it was like 387 00:24:46,240 --> 00:24:49,120 Speaker 1: a replacement for Coca Cola. And then, you know, once 388 00:24:49,240 --> 00:24:51,119 Speaker 1: wartime kind of settled out and all that's so they 389 00:24:51,119 --> 00:24:52,919 Speaker 1: didn't have to use apple scraps anymore. But at the 390 00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:55,879 Speaker 1: time they saw a niche, they filled it and they 391 00:24:55,880 --> 00:24:58,600 Speaker 1: were able to use what was available to them at 392 00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:01,679 Speaker 1: the time. And I I always love seeing examples of 393 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:06,880 Speaker 1: that from throughout history. And this is where after surviving 394 00:25:06,960 --> 00:25:12,879 Speaker 1: so many harrowing things, becausej is able to make his 395 00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:18,040 Speaker 1: make his ideal toys. Because now they have the all 396 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:22,880 Speaker 1: the stuff they need, gears, springs, precision components, they can 397 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:26,240 Speaker 1: upgrade everything. They don't have to mcgiver it anymore. They 398 00:25:26,320 --> 00:25:30,960 Speaker 1: spent a year refining every aspect of manufacturing, from the 399 00:25:31,040 --> 00:25:34,320 Speaker 1: sculpting to the molds, all the details, and at the 400 00:25:34,520 --> 00:25:38,800 Speaker 1: end they came up with this Cadillac thirteen inches long, 401 00:25:39,320 --> 00:25:45,600 Speaker 1: absolutely perfect to scale. It has all this fancy lacquer paint, 402 00:25:46,119 --> 00:25:49,520 Speaker 1: it's got chrome. You know, they put a lot of 403 00:25:49,560 --> 00:25:54,440 Speaker 1: effort into this and texture on the Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 404 00:25:55,520 --> 00:25:58,439 Speaker 1: Now that we're talking about this, it's almost like whenever 405 00:25:58,520 --> 00:26:01,119 Speaker 1: we do a show about food, end up wanting whatever 406 00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:04,280 Speaker 1: food we're talking about. I'm trying to talk myself these 407 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:07,080 Speaker 1: out of Yeah, I know, we can vote, and now 408 00:26:07,359 --> 00:26:09,280 Speaker 1: the rest of our day is going to be us 409 00:26:09,359 --> 00:26:13,520 Speaker 1: going Maybe I do need a little tin Cadillac. I mean, 410 00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:15,840 Speaker 1: at the very least, there probably are replicas, you know, 411 00:26:15,880 --> 00:26:18,520 Speaker 1: because these are easier to mass produce now than at 412 00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:20,800 Speaker 1: the time. You know, I mean, I don't necessarily need 413 00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:22,480 Speaker 1: a vintage one, but I think I want something that 414 00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:26,399 Speaker 1: represents this, uh, this educational journey that we've gone on, 415 00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:28,919 Speaker 1: because I'll tell you a lot of this stuff. You know, 416 00:26:29,080 --> 00:26:30,760 Speaker 1: I kind of knew in the back of my mind 417 00:26:30,920 --> 00:26:33,239 Speaker 1: about this history in Japan, this kind of just you know, 418 00:26:33,440 --> 00:26:38,000 Speaker 1: um super creative kind of you know, attitude that really 419 00:26:38,040 --> 00:26:39,959 Speaker 1: carried forward into all the things that we I think, 420 00:26:40,040 --> 00:26:43,600 Speaker 1: you know, contemporarily love about Japanese culture. But it really 421 00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:46,280 Speaker 1: gave me a deeper understanding, you know, of the groundwork 422 00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:49,520 Speaker 1: that was laid that led to the Nintendos and and 423 00:26:49,720 --> 00:26:52,800 Speaker 1: Pokemons and manga and anime of the world. You know, 424 00:26:53,080 --> 00:26:56,359 Speaker 1: I mean so much stuff that happened in that country 425 00:26:56,400 --> 00:26:59,040 Speaker 1: that to mention the ancient, you know, history of the 426 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:03,400 Speaker 1: culture that, as we discussed early on, still always kind 427 00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:06,560 Speaker 1: of had that aesthetic twist to it. You know, things 428 00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:10,800 Speaker 1: like the art of flower arrangement, ikebana and all of 429 00:27:10,840 --> 00:27:14,840 Speaker 1: those kinds of things. It's always been this incredible, you know, 430 00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:18,560 Speaker 1: organized kind of beauty to Japanese culture, and I think 431 00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:21,280 Speaker 1: this really kind of took it into the modern edge 432 00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:23,240 Speaker 1: a little bit. Yeah, and I you know, I'm a 433 00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:27,640 Speaker 1: huge fan of the Japanese mech toys, the model kits 434 00:27:27,680 --> 00:27:30,879 Speaker 1: you can assingle. I get those, I put them together. Actually, 435 00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:33,040 Speaker 1: I have a couple. You paint them as well. That's 436 00:27:33,080 --> 00:27:35,000 Speaker 1: one thing I didn't realize. There's a lot of those kits. 437 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:37,720 Speaker 1: You gotta paint them. Yeah. I don't do the painted ones. 438 00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:41,680 Speaker 1: Maybe one day. It's just it's a cool hobby to have. 439 00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:45,160 Speaker 1: What what you guys will love traveling Japan and anybody 440 00:27:45,200 --> 00:27:48,560 Speaker 1: who has visited is going to know exactly what I'm 441 00:27:48,600 --> 00:27:51,520 Speaker 1: talking about. Nole Max. There are these things called gatch 442 00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:55,639 Speaker 1: upon machines, these mini vending machines. You put in some 443 00:27:55,920 --> 00:27:59,359 Speaker 1: in and they give you a small toy. It comes 444 00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:02,680 Speaker 1: out in a little sphere. It's about Yeah, I don't 445 00:28:02,680 --> 00:28:07,840 Speaker 1: know why I'm doing this on an audio podcast sized sphere, 446 00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:11,439 Speaker 1: and uh, and you can get all sorts of cool stuff. 447 00:28:11,440 --> 00:28:15,359 Speaker 1: Every time I visited Japan, we hit up at least 448 00:28:15,400 --> 00:28:18,840 Speaker 1: one gatch upon place. I don't know the economics. I 449 00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:21,080 Speaker 1: don't know how they work. It's like there's not a 450 00:28:21,160 --> 00:28:25,040 Speaker 1: front door. It's twenty four seven. There's just row after 451 00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:30,040 Speaker 1: row of these coin operated catch upon machines. They're addictive. 452 00:28:30,119 --> 00:28:33,200 Speaker 1: I'm just are they in an arcade setting or they're 453 00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:37,040 Speaker 1: in arcades too? Sometimes they're their own thing. It's weird, man, 454 00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:42,120 Speaker 1: It's like, uh, the US doesn't have something that's the 455 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:45,520 Speaker 1: equivalent of that. You know, on a flight recently been 456 00:28:45,600 --> 00:28:47,880 Speaker 1: we had kind of a run of travel lately. I 457 00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:51,360 Speaker 1: rewatched for the first timing years. Uh, the Sofia Coppola 458 00:28:51,400 --> 00:28:54,320 Speaker 1: movie Lost in Translation. Oh yeah, yeah, that was a 459 00:28:54,320 --> 00:28:57,760 Speaker 1: film that you know, really it showed a lot of 460 00:28:57,800 --> 00:28:59,600 Speaker 1: that stuff, like a lot of the arcades and a 461 00:28:59,600 --> 00:29:02,080 Speaker 1: lot of the kind of like you know, interesting features. 462 00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:04,600 Speaker 1: Maybe you know, maybe to some that have spent time there, 463 00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:06,520 Speaker 1: they'd be like, oh, I roll, this is all just 464 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:09,440 Speaker 1: kind of like maybe what's the word like exoticize. I 465 00:29:09,480 --> 00:29:11,160 Speaker 1: don't think it does do that, though, I would argue 466 00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:14,280 Speaker 1: I think that film has a very interesting kind of 467 00:29:14,360 --> 00:29:18,240 Speaker 1: painter leave view where you're kind of the outsider experiencing 468 00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:22,240 Speaker 1: that culture, and it really really did between that while 469 00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:24,720 Speaker 1: were watching that film how much I loved that when 470 00:29:24,720 --> 00:29:27,000 Speaker 1: I was younger, and then hearing your stories about your 471 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:30,000 Speaker 1: travels really maybe want to go. Um, so I hope 472 00:29:30,040 --> 00:29:34,120 Speaker 1: to achieve that. Let's go together, man, Yeah, let's trip 473 00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:37,120 Speaker 1: of it. Oh yeah, I'm one. That's not such a 474 00:29:37,160 --> 00:29:39,440 Speaker 1: planform Okay, drive, we can drive there together in our 475 00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:43,200 Speaker 1: tiny fair lane. Yeah. Catch catch though, to get across 476 00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:46,120 Speaker 1: the ocean, we'll go in a hot air balloon. Hell yeah, 477 00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:50,040 Speaker 1: what I like the switch? So this is okay? Okay, wait, 478 00:29:50,280 --> 00:29:53,560 Speaker 1: one fan together on an adventure Wizard of Hostyle. I 479 00:29:53,640 --> 00:29:59,760 Speaker 1: will that there's a it has to be worth it. Um. 480 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:03,320 Speaker 1: I appreciate that, and we hope that you enjoyed this. 481 00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:06,760 Speaker 1: We wanted to dedicate the week to this story because 482 00:30:06,880 --> 00:30:11,200 Speaker 1: it is longer, but it ends in inspiration after it 483 00:30:11,280 --> 00:30:14,760 Speaker 1: goes through so many ups and downs, we thought this 484 00:30:14,920 --> 00:30:18,040 Speaker 1: was going to be a great two parter. First and 485 00:30:18,120 --> 00:30:22,800 Speaker 1: foremost inspirationally speaking, Japanese is number one. They finally did 486 00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:28,520 Speaker 1: surpass rights Germany, right, yes, yeah, by a margin of 487 00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:31,600 Speaker 1: quite a lot. You know. Again, we do still see 488 00:30:31,680 --> 00:30:35,080 Speaker 1: some German toys and obviously Legos are based in Denmark, 489 00:30:35,160 --> 00:30:37,760 Speaker 1: so I mean, you know, we that's a biggie obviously. 490 00:30:38,040 --> 00:30:45,040 Speaker 1: But yeah, Japanese toys massive, massive, massive industry. Absolutely. I 491 00:30:45,040 --> 00:30:47,400 Speaker 1: mean that's how you know you made it, if you 492 00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:51,160 Speaker 1: become a Japanese action figure, if there's a ten type 493 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:54,320 Speaker 1: Japanese toy made in your likeness. And we have so 494 00:30:54,360 --> 00:30:56,800 Speaker 1: many people to thank for this. Definitely want to thank 495 00:30:56,840 --> 00:31:02,360 Speaker 1: our research associate doctor Zach who has been noodleing over 496 00:31:02,400 --> 00:31:05,840 Speaker 1: this for quite some time, and of course, of course 497 00:31:06,040 --> 00:31:12,080 Speaker 1: thanks to the toymaker himself, super producer Max Williams. Yeah, 498 00:31:12,080 --> 00:31:14,680 Speaker 1: and this wanted to add it. Let's say, there's so 499 00:31:14,800 --> 00:31:17,880 Speaker 1: much in here that we we've kind of already brushed over, 500 00:31:17,960 --> 00:31:19,360 Speaker 1: but I do just want to add that, you know, 501 00:31:19,400 --> 00:31:24,120 Speaker 1: speaking of pop cultural impact, these toys in particular even 502 00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:30,080 Speaker 1: served as inspiration for some massively popular American culture, like 503 00:31:30,320 --> 00:31:33,840 Speaker 1: a nineteen fifty five Ford Lincoln futura that we that 504 00:31:33,920 --> 00:31:36,200 Speaker 1: I mentioned earlier looking at some of like the rare 505 00:31:36,280 --> 00:31:39,440 Speaker 1: kind of vintage Japanese tin toys. One of those the 506 00:31:39,480 --> 00:31:43,000 Speaker 1: toy served as the model for the Batmobile in the 507 00:31:43,120 --> 00:31:47,280 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty six Batman TV series. So boom, bap, zip poo, 508 00:31:48,280 --> 00:31:52,120 Speaker 1: And thanks again doctor Z for this incredible journey. Thanks 509 00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:55,400 Speaker 1: as well to Jonathan Strickland's aka the Quister thinks that 510 00:31:55,440 --> 00:31:59,640 Speaker 1: Alex Williams, who composed this slap and bop h Wills 511 00:31:59,640 --> 00:32:03,920 Speaker 1: will who else? Oh boy, you know, thank you, Ben. 512 00:32:04,280 --> 00:32:06,880 Speaker 1: I think we are both equally into this stuff and 513 00:32:06,920 --> 00:32:08,960 Speaker 1: it was really fun to nerd out with you about 514 00:32:09,040 --> 00:32:13,560 Speaker 1: Japanese toys. And thank you Noelan, thanks everybody for tuning in. 515 00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:16,160 Speaker 1: This is how much we like this story. We got 516 00:32:16,240 --> 00:32:18,480 Speaker 1: up early to do it. Oh yeah, let's just we 517 00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:21,000 Speaker 1: sound a little bunchy, that's why. But I think it 518 00:32:21,080 --> 00:32:25,480 Speaker 1: was fun. Max is Hidding's forehead, like guys nine am 519 00:32:25,640 --> 00:32:28,000 Speaker 1: is not early. No, it's not early. But you did 520 00:32:28,360 --> 00:32:32,600 Speaker 1: make the calendar invites say ridiculous history at the crack 521 00:32:32,640 --> 00:32:34,960 Speaker 1: of dawn or something like that. So those are your words, 522 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:38,160 Speaker 1: Max dot Rs yep, those are my exact words. Also, 523 00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:42,880 Speaker 1: where we're recording at is the Morningtime Riverside Cafe aka 524 00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:45,840 Speaker 1: at the same place as always love it. We'll see 525 00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:55,000 Speaker 1: you next time, folks. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, 526 00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:58,320 Speaker 1: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 527 00:32:58,360 --> 00:32:59,400 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.