Capsule Toy Machines Rule!
From This Thing Rules by Brian Altano and Max Scoville
April 3, 2026 · 38 min · Season 1 · Episode 59
About this episode
The episode explores the charm and nostalgia of capsule toy machines and their evolution from childhood to adulthood.
You know! Those things that are like gumball machines, but for little toys! Growing up in the USA, they usually dispensed a sticky hand, some slime, maybe a lil Homie, but in Japan they’ve been in another league for decades. We unpack (or perhaps unbox) the charm of randomly distributed toys and trinkets, some of our greatest gets, and the backwards order that we’ve become aware of them.Intro contains clips from a Gashapon machine, Dragon Ball and Se7en.
People in this episode
Hosts: Brian Altano, Max Scoville
Topics covered
- capsule toys
- gumball machines
- Gashapon
- collectibles
- nostalgia
Keywords
- capsule toys
- Gashapon
- collectibles
- nostalgia
- sticky hands
- slime
- toys
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Dragon Ball, Se7en
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