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Hatsune Miku and Nendoroid

Nendoroids are plastic figurines produced by Good Smile Company. They typically depict anime or video game characters and have large heads and small bodies to emphasize their cuteness. They feature interchangeable face and body parts to allow for a variety of different expressions and poses. Similar products include Bandai's "chibi-arts" series and Toys Works' "Toys Works Nitengo Collection" series. The name comes from "Nendoron" and "android. " Nendoron was a term coined by the executives of Good Smile Company at the time, and used as a generic term for all staff on their projects because it was difficult to credit everyone who worked on them.

Summary

The very first Nendoroid was sold at the Wonder Festival in 2006 and was of the Tsukihime character, "Neko-Arc." Nendoroids have been popular ever since, with over 100 types of Nendoroids having been manufactured by July 2010. By March 2009, over 1 million Nendoroids had been sold. A variant of Nendoroids, Nendoroid Puchi, had sold over 3 million at that time. Puchi figures are even smaller than standard Nendoroids. Standard figures are approximately 10 cm tall, come with a stand, have adjustable arms and legs, and have additional faces and accessories that are also compatible with other Nendoroids. Puchi figures are approximately 4 cm tall and generally do not have additional faces or accessories. They are popular because the figurine itself is usually a smaller, cuter version of the character they represent.
In addition to the standard Nendoroid and Puchi versions, there are plush figures, keychains/charms, and accessories, including model-sized pieces where fans can house their Nendoroids.
Currently, there are over 1,200 different releases, with at least 10 new models on sale every month. While Nendoroids are sold in various physical stores, their main sales come from online stores and international fans.
Additionally, while most Nendoroids have a limited sales time, a few are more exclusively found as pre-order bonuses for games or magazines. While the standard price for a Nendoroid is around 4,000 yen, some of the rarest Nendoroids sell for over 30,000 yen. As such, collectors have a hard time tracking down many of the rarer figures. The franchise spans over 50 different series from anime or pop culture (e.g., Sonic and Kirby), but it is the Vocaloid series of Nendoroids, and in particular, Hatsune Miku , that has proven to be one of Good Smile Company's best sellers.

Hatsune Miku

As popular characters in Japanese pop culture, Hatsune Miku and other Vocaloid characters are heavily featured in the Nendoroid series, with Hatsune Miku being depicted in over 50 different Nendoroids in many different styles (normal, Sakura Miku, Snow Miku, Hachune Miku, etc.). Hatsune Miku is the first Vocaloid to be depicted as a Nendoroid, arriving at Nendoroid #33. Of the first 100 Nendoroids, Hatsune Miku appears five times in #33 Hatsune Miku (normal), #42 Hachune face version, #62 Mikku Miku Kagami (Lucky Star character Hiiragi Kagami dressing up as Hatsune Miku), #75 Hatsune Miku Race Queen version, and #97 Snow Miku. The celebration of Nendoroid #1000 coincided with Snow Miku's tenth anniversary, putting her in the spotlight for the celebration. An online vote was held and his 2019 design was chosen to become Nendoroid #1000, based on an illustration by the artist " -L F- None
Officially licensed by Good Smile Company, the company known as Cadeau has also released Nendoroid plush toys to varying degrees of popularity.

Continued popularity

Since its public release over a decade ago, the Nendoroid series continues to be one of the best-selling figure series. Nendoroids typically have a two-week pre-order period, and it's not uncommon for popular Nendoroids like Hatsune Miku or her various styles to reach well over 10,000 pre-orders. Websites like amiami work in collaboration with Good Smile Company to help promote and market Nendoroids to the global market at a great price, further expanding the figure series' global reach.