Do you remember the super-cute Cat Itazura Bank, a very special piggy bank hiding a coin-stealing cat, we’ve shown you in December 2009? Japan just got a new version of the coin box, and this one features an adorable panda bear. → Read More
Japan is the country of piggy banks. Most of them either cute, weird or both, and the newest model, the Itazura Bank [JP], clearly falls in the first category. This thing is just adorable.
Here’s how it works:
You place a coin on the fish bone-shaped button on the top of the piggy bank, which alarms the small kitty that lives inside the savings box. It meows, opens the lid with its head, reaches… → Read More
Japan sure has a penchant for extraordinary piggy banks. Tokyo-based toy maker Banpresto is now selling a quite unusual model, too. The Coin Penguin [JP] is a cute little, well, penguin, that can open its mouth, swallow coins and then reward the user by performing a quick dance. → Read More
I must have shoved unimaginable quantities of quarters into various arcade games over the years, trying desperately to reach that next level, or defeat the next boss. If I could have put those into a piggy bank, rather than the coffers of some sweaty arcade owner, I might be in a different place right now. Alas, the short-term reward for putting money into a piggy bank just can’t compete with the… → Read More
Creepy gets an upgrade. The first version of the Facebank wasn’t really a picknick for the eyes, but now Japan-based toy maker Banpresto not only decided it’s time for an update but that their piggy bank must even get scarier. How? By just replacing the eyes with ears. → Read More
30 years went by since the original Space Invaders. It’s one among the few things I like and are older than me. You put in the coin, one invader goes to the tally. → Read More
Takara Tomy announced they will roll out a mixture between a savings box and an RPG in Japan on August 7th. The so-called “Bankquest” [JP] will cost $37. Players will be able to boost their character’s skills by placing any coin from 1 to 500 Yen into the lid of the box. Takara Tomy says the game will feature more than 160 items (weapons, healing drinks, armor etc.) you can buy. → Read More
Bandai plans to release a piggy bank with a sugar mama theme in Japan starting September 6th. The Ikemenbanku (handsome man savings box) [JP] features an LCD screen displaying up to 5 different male characters: – old, wise man – athletic and young boy – nice schoolboy – cool model – funny comedian Each time the player deposits a 500 yen coin, a voice coming out of the savings box rewards the saver… → Read More
close enough Apparently ever since the Viacom acquisition of Neopets in 2005, a series of pay-to-play services have been announced on the site effectively breaking the “always free” promise. Ever since, a group of disgruntled prepubescent Neopians have started to spam the site and bombard the company phone lines in a move similar to that of Digg. Based on the rants of a few members… → Read More
I can’t get up in the morning to save my life and I’m terrible at keeping my spare change in one place. This, then, is the greatest alarm clock hybrid gadget my weary eyes have ever seen. The Banclock lacks the snooze button I’ve grown fond of, which actually leads to my demise in the morning. The only way to turn the alarm off is to feed it some change. So all you need to do is put… → Read More
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