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Kinkeshi (キン消し, lit. "Kin''niku''Eraser") is an extensive and popular line of
collectible A collectable (collectible or collector's item) is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector. Collectable items are not necessarily monetarily valuable or uncommon. There are numerous types of collectables and terms t ...
eraser An eraser (also known as a rubber in some Commonwealth countries, including South Africa from which the material first used got its name) is an article of stationery that is used for removing marks from paper or skin (e.g. parchment or vellu ...
s, an instance of the modern Japanese
popular culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of cultural practice, practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art
f. pop art F is the sixth letter of the Latin alphabet. F may also refer to: Science and technology Mathematics * F or f, the number 15 (number), 15 in hexadecimal and higher positional systems * ''p'F'q'', the hypergeometric function * F-distributi ...
or mass art, sometimes contraste ...
institution of
keshi Keshi may refer to: * Keshi (singer) (born 1994), American singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist * Keshigomu, often shortened to "keshi", a type of collectible miniature figure from Japan * Keshin, also known as Keshi, a ...
. The keshi it includes are
monochromatic A monochrome or monochromatic image, object or palette is composed of one color (or values of one color). Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale (typically digital) or black-and-white (typically analog). In physics, mon ...
and derived from the ''
Kinnikuman is a Japanese manga series created by the duo Yoshinori Nakai and Takashi Shimada, known as Yudetamago. It follows Suguru Kinniku, a superhero who must win a wrestling tournament to retain the title of prince of Planet Kinniku. ...
'' (キン肉マン)
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
and
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
franchise, whose primary motif is
professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...
. The line was launched in Japan in 1983, and licensed in 1985 for the American market as M.U.S.C.L.E. (reflecting ''Kinnikuman's'' English title of ''Muscle Man''). M.U.S.C.L.E. used a harder
rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Types of polyisoprene ...
than Kinkeshi; its U.S. sequel,
Ultimate Muscle is a Japanese manga series created by the duo Yoshinori Nakai and Takashi Shimada, known as Yudetamago. It follows Suguru Kinniku, a superhero who must win a wrestling tournament to retain the title of prince of Planet Kinniku. ...
, had a small release of about twenty Kinkeshi, though a larger run of figures using a plastic softer than M.U.S.C.L.E., but not eraser-like, was released exclusively in the USA.


History

Starting in Japan in 1983,
Bandai is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered ...
's Kinkeshi line was licensed in 1985 to
Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company headquartered in El Segundo, California. Founded in Los Angeles by Harold Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Ruth Handler, ...
for marketing in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, where wrestling had become popular. This
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line was renamed "M.U.S.C.L.E." (Millions of Unusual Small Creatures Lurking Everywhere!). The line included 236 official figures, a boardgame, a
NES The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the ...
game entitled '' Tag Team Match: M.U.S.C.L.E.'', a
championship belt A championship belt is a large, extravagantly designed belt used primarily in combat sports as an award, similarly to trophies in other sports. There are several companies in the business of constructing championship belts. The first belt given ...
figure holder, and a
wrestling ring A wrestling ring, also known as the squared circle, is the stage on which a professional wrestling match usually occurs. It is similarly constructed to a boxing ring and is traditionally square-shaped. In Japan, it is also common to see mixed mart ...
playset. The figures were distributed in clear, blister-packed random four-packs, semi-opaque
garbage can A waste container, also known as a dustbin, rubbish bin, trash can, garbage can, wastepaper basket, and wastebasket, among other names, is a type of container intended to store waste that is usually made out of metal or plastic. The words "r ...
10-packs, and 28 packs featuring non-random assortments. For a short time, the figures were also distributed as a bonus in Nestlé Quik (now known as
Nesquik Nesquik is a brand of food products made by Swiss company Nestlé. In 1948, Nestlé launched a drink mix for chocolate-flavored milk called Nestlé Quik in the United States; this was released in Europe during the 1950s as ''Nesquik''. Since 1 ...
) cans. The main hero was
Kinnikuman is a Japanese manga series created by the duo Yoshinori Nakai and Takashi Shimada, known as Yudetamago. It follows Suguru Kinniku, a superhero who must win a wrestling tournament to retain the title of prince of Planet Kinniku. ...
, who, in the US, was "Muscleman" and was the leader of the "Thug Busters". The only other named figure in the US line was
Buffaloman The following is a list of characters from ''Kinnikuman'', a manga/anime series written by Yudetamago. The majority of the cast of Kinnikuman are Choujin (超人 ''Chōjin''; "superhuman"), superpowered individuals who comes in all shapes and ...
, who was renamed "Terri-Bull", and was said to be the leader of the "Cosmic Crunchers". Some of the figures were sculpted to resemble popular wrestlers who had competed in Japan such as
Terry Funk Terrance Dee Funk (June 30, 1944 – August 23, 2023) was an American professional wrestler and actor. Widely considered one of the most influential and greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Funk was known for the longevity of his car ...
,
Dusty Rhodes Virgil Riley Runnels Jr. (October 11, 1945 – June 11, 2015), better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, booker, and trainer who worked for the National Wrestling Alliance ...
,
Abdullah the Butcher Lawrence Robert Shreve (born January 11, 1941), better known by the ring name Abdullah the Butcher, is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He has a reputation for being involved in some of the most violent and bloody hardcore wrestling mat ...
, and Jushin "Thunder" Liger. The first shipment of figures were all a "bubble-gum" pink color that the collecting community calls "flesh". The second shipment was a half-and-half mixture of flesh and either dark blue, red, or purple figures. The third shipment contained no flesh figures, only dark blue, red, purple, magenta, salmon, lime green, neon orange, and light blue. Five figures came with the boardgame in an exclusive grape or light purple color. In addition to packs containing only figures, there was a
mail-away Mail order is the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote methods such as: * Sending an order form in the mail * Placing an order by telephone call * ...
poster, a "Battlin' Belt" display case, and two games released that made use of the M.U.S.C.L.E. figures. The "Hard Knockin' Rockin' Ring" game was a plastic wrestling ring with two small clamps for figures and that played much like
Rock'em Sock'em Robots ''Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots'' is a two-player action toy and game designed by Marvin Glass and Associates and was first manufactured by the Marx toy company in 1964. It features two dueling robot boxers, Red Rocker and Blue Bomber, mechanical ...
. The M.U.S.C.L.E.
board game A board game is a type of tabletop game that involves small objects () that are placed and moved in particular ways on a specially designed patterned game board, potentially including other components, e.g. dice. The earliest known uses of the ...
was a unique battle-royal style game where teams of five figures of two different colors fought. The Hard Knockin' Rockin' Ring came with two exclusive flesh figures not released in the regular line of toys, a slightly smaller version of #141 (Muscleman) and a Terri-Bull. The board game also included the same sculpt of Terri-Bull in lime green. Circa 1987, unlicensed Kinkeshi were marketed in Western-Europe. The
Sesto Fiorentino Sesto Fiorentino (), known locally as just Sesto, is a commune in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, central Italy. History The oldest known human settlement in the area dates from the Mesolithic (c. 9,000 years ago). The Etruscan ...
based GIG Spa company mixed three different imported keshi lines to create its own franchise. Around the same period, the
Exogini Kinkeshi (キン消し, lit. "Kin''niku''Eraser") is an extensive and popular line of collectible erasers, an instance of the modern Japanese popular culture institution of keshi. The keshi it includes are monochromatic and derived from the ''K ...
line was marketed in France as Cosmix by El Greco "Un hellenistic crafts S.A.", a Greek manufacturer, to Action GT (Action Games & Toys Inc.), a North American company, and imported to France by Idéal Loisirs S.A., a famous French toy distributor. The models and even the leaflet catalogues were identical, however the package and character names were totally different. The gum colors and types were also distinct to each line with the exception of the generic "salmon matte" type. The Exogini had more gum variations than the Cosmix line and the third keshi series did not appear in the French line. The very same product, including later series figure though, was sold under various names in
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
circa 1991. However, France was the only country, outside of the franchise's native Japan, to broadcast the ''Kinnikuman'' TV series (localized as '' Muscleman'') by that time. Later, a dubbed ''Kinnikuman'' version was broadcast in
Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...
(Spain) as '' Musculman'' in the '90s. Its sequel, ''
Kinnikuman Nisei is a Japanese manga series created by the duo Yoshinori Nakai and Takashi Shimada, known as Yudetamago. It follows Suguru Kinniku, a superhero who must win a wrestling tournament to retain the title of prince of Planet Kinniku. ...
'', appeared in the United States ('' Ultimate Muscle: The Kinnikuman Legacy'') in the early 2000s. In South Korea, where the manga was early published by
King Comics King Comics, a short-lived comic book imprint of King Features Syndicate, was an attempt by King Features to publish comics of its own characters, rather than through other publishers. A few King Comics titles were picked up from Gold Key Comics ...
, ''Kinnukuman'' is known as "근육맨". Few years later, a third Kinkeshi line appeared in the United States as Alien Wrestler. It was available in Italy, where these Kinkeshi were freely included in a crisps brand's special offer. This Taiwan-made bootleg line was an inferior gum quality compared to the first bootleg generation and featured the late "PART" series of the Kinkeshi line. In the United States, the sequel to ''
Kinnikuman is a Japanese manga series created by the duo Yoshinori Nakai and Takashi Shimada, known as Yudetamago. It follows Suguru Kinniku, a superhero who must win a wrestling tournament to retain the title of prince of Planet Kinniku. ...
'', ''
Kinnikuman NiSei is a Japanese manga series created by the duo Yoshinori Nakai and Takashi Shimada, known as Yudetamago. It follows Suguru Kinniku, a superhero who must win a wrestling tournament to retain the title of prince of Planet Kinniku. ...
'' was translated by
4Kids Entertainment 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (formerly known as Leisure Concepts, Inc. and later known as 4Licensing Corporation; stylized as 4K!DS ENTERTAINMENT) was an American licensing company. The company was previously also a film and television production ...
in 2002 and aired from 2002-2004 on Saturday mornings. It was re-aired in 2006 as summer filler. In 2003, Bandai America launched a new Kinkeshi series extension exclusively for the North American market. ''Ultimate Muscle: The Kinnikuman Legacy'', the American dubbed version of ''Kinnikuman Second Generations'', is actually more successful overseas than in Japan. It enjoys a dedicated following in the 14-30 year
age group A demographic profile is a form of demographic analysis in which information is gathered about a group to better understand the group's composition or behaviors for the purpose of providing more relevant services. In business, a demographic pro ...
. Figures, both 6.5" articulated and 1.5" M.U.S.C.L.E.-sized, based on the ''
Ultimate Muscle is a Japanese manga series created by the duo Yoshinori Nakai and Takashi Shimada, known as Yudetamago. It follows Suguru Kinniku, a superhero who must win a wrestling tournament to retain the title of prince of Planet Kinniku. ...
'' storyline were released sporadically in 2003, as well as a
collectible card game A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategy game, strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards. The genre was introduced with ''Magic: The G ...
entitled '' Ultimate Muscle Battle Card Game''. In 2004, a knockoff of Alien Wrestler entitled
Future Man Roy Wilfred Wooten (born October 13, 1957), also known as RoyEl, best known by his stage name Future Man (also written Futureman and known to fans as Futche), is an American musician, inventor and composer. He is best known as a member of jazz ...
was marketed in both mono-pink and multicolored varieties. The details of the figures were not as sharp as the official releases.


See also

*
Designer toys Art toys, also called designer toys, are toys and collectibles created by artists and designers that are either self-produced or made by small, independent toy companies, typically in very limited editions. Artists use a variety of materials, su ...
*
Micronauts Micronauts is a North American science fiction toyline manufactured and marketed by Mego from 1976 to 1980. The ''Micronauts'' toyline was based on and licensed from the '' Microman'' toyline created by Japanese-based toy company Takara in 1974 ...
* Toyfinity


References


Naochin's Kinkeshi Archives
Japanese site based on Kinkeshi/M.U.S.C.L.E. and other related Kinnikuman toys.
The American Kinnikuman Information Archive

The AKIA forum, home of the Muscle community

Exogini Italian collector's tribute site

The University of M.U.S.C.L.E.
{{Japan topics Kinnikuman Bandai brands 1980s toys Keshi Rubber toys Toy figurines Mattel franchises