NENDOROID

The Nendoroid (ねんどろいど Nendoroido?) series is a brand of figures made from ABS and PVC, made by the Japanese Good Smile Company. The figure series started in 2006.Nendoroid figures are usually based on the characters from popular anime, manga or video games and are used as both collectors items and toys. They are designed with a chibi or super deformed style, with a large head and smaller body to give them a cute appearance. Their expressions and other body parts are exchangeable, giving them a range of different possible expressions and poses.The name is derived from the Japanese word for clay, Nendo (粘土?). There are various types of Nendoroids that all form a part of the brand name, including smaller 'Petite' Nendoroids, additional display tools known as the 'Nendoroid More' series as well as plushies and play sets. Nendoroid figures have been mostly made based on characters from anime, manga, and game series such as Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, Steins;Gate, K-ON!, Haruhi Suzumiya, Fate/stay night, Vocaloid and the Touhou Project. Almost all Nendoroid are based on female characters, with a few exceptions, including Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, Light Yagami and L from Death Note, Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist and Eren Yeager and Levi from Attack on Titan. Although somewhat rare, there are also Nendoroids based on an living people, including the Formula One driver Kamui Kobayashi, the American rock band Linkin Park, as well as Japanese voice actors Yukari Tamura and Nana Mizuki. History The first ever character to be sold as a Nendoroid was 'Nendoroid Neco Arc' from the Tsukihime game, which was released at Wonder Festival 2006. The original creator of the series was Tsuyoshi Oda (Also known as Oda-P), however the series is now worked on by a number of people who work under the collective name 'Nendoron'. The reason for this collective name was that too many people worked simultaneously on a single Nendoroid, making it difficult to credit them all. The planning and production of a single figure is done by over ten people on the Good Smile Company team. By March 2009 the Nendoroid series had sold over 1 million units and the Nendoroid Petite series had sold over 3 million units.The series gained popularity and fans quickly, and by July 2010 there were over 100 different Nendoroids. In May 2013, the Nendoroid released its 300th product in the base series, which was an advanced version of the previous best-selling Nendoroid to date, Hatsune Miku. The box design and method of connecting expressions was also improved from this release. Nendoroid Products The Nendoroid series features a number of sub-series, each explained below. Nendoroid (ねんどろいど?) The primary series featuring characters from a number of characters from anime, games and even living people. Each figure is approximately 10 cm in height[6] and includes a special Nendoroid stand to display the figure. While not the case with all Nendoroids, most come with alternate expression parts that can be swapped out to display a different emotion. Various different arms and legs are also included allowing for different poses and the legs, arms and neck are all articulated allowing some degree of movement. Certain Nendoroids known as the 'Edition' series have even more articulated joints for further possibility.Nendoroids often also include optional parts such as weapons, items, or other key elements from the series they come from. The expressions and other parts can also be swapped between Nendoroids, allowing collectors to mix and match parts from different characters. Nendoroids have no set price, but currently average between 3000 and 4000 Japanese yen. Whilst most official Nendoroids are released by Good Smile Company, there are certain characters that are released by FREEing, Phat! Company and other companies. They are however always distributed by Good Smile Company. Nendoroid Petite (ねんどろいどぷち?) This series is very similar to the primary series, with the primary difference being that the figures are roughly half the size at approximately 6.5 cm each. They also include a small stand to display the figure. Nendoroid Petites are sold either as complete sets or in single boxes that have a random character. Like their larger counterparts, the facial expressions and other optional parts can be swapped between other Nendoroid Petite characters. Singles currently sell for 600 Japanese yen, while the larger sets differ depending on the number of characters in the set. Nendoroid More (ねんどろいどもあ?) The Nendoroid More series is a recent addition to the Nendoroid line up that was designed as a project by the new university graduates that joined Good Smile Company in 2012. The idea behind the series was to create an easier and more enjoyable way to display Nendoroid figures. The series currently consists of clips and suction cup stands that can each hold a single Nendoroid figure. In addition, parts that can be connected onto the stands have also been seen at events and on blogs, however have not yet been officially announced. Nendoroid Playsets (ねんどろいどプレイセット?) The Nendoroid Playsets are small dioramic rooms that are designed as a display area for Nendoroids. They are produced and manufactured by Phat! Company. Nendoroid Plus (ねんどろいどプラス?) The Nendoroid Plus series refers to other goods that are based on the Nendoroid designs, however are not actually ABS&PVC figures. These include rubber straps, plushies and charms.They are often released by companies other than Good Smile Company. Video Games An RPG based on Nendoroid figure series titled Nendoroid Generation (ねんどろいど じぇねれ～しょん Nendoroido Jenereshon?), was developed by Bandai Namco Games, Good Smile Company and Banpresto for PlayStation Portable. The game features Nendoroid versions of characters from Steins;Gate, Touhou Project, Black Rock Shooter, Haruhi Suzumiya, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, Zero no Tsukaima, Dog Days and Fate/stay night, as well as Good Smile Company's mascot character, Gumako. The game was released in Japan on February 23, 2012. Hatsune Miku and Future Stars: Project Mirai is a music game for the Nintendo 3DS based on the Vocaloid character, Hatsune Miku, with her appearance based on the Nendoroid design.