We've talked before about how anime IP merch is getting wilder and wilder. Remember "The Prince of Tennis" merch featuring Hyotei Academy's bizarre skydiving poses? Well, now there's the "Big Head Hair Tie" trend, where character heads are made into acrylic hair tie decorations, and fans are absolutely loving them.
But who would've thought that "Mobile Suit Gundam Wing," celebrating its 30th anime anniversary this year, would jump on the bandwagon and drop its own line of "Big Head Hair Ties"? Netizens are absolutely flabbergasted, exclaiming, "Gundam has merch like this now?!"
This hair tie series is part of Bandai's "Hapikuro!" online random lottery service. You find out what you've snagged the moment you buy, and the goods get shipped straight to your door. Each draw costs 880 yen.
The lineup includes Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatre, Wufei, Relena, Zechs, Treize, Noin, and Lady Une. You can see each character's oversized head turned into a hair tie ornament, and honestly... it looks a little... off, right (?).
The official site even shows you how to rock 'em! Of course, they're for tying your hair, and you can even stack a bunch of big heads at once. But why stop there? Deck out your umbrella, hang them on a clothes hanger, or jazz up your tote bag – let your favorite characters tag along everywhere!
Plenty of netizens were genuinely shocked by this release, thinking, "Who knew 'Mobile Suit Gundam Wing' would ever get this kind of merch?!" Historically, these types of accessories were more common for female-oriented anime or games. But hey, 30 years on, W still proves it's got the juice! LOL.
Sure, merch is always about fans collecting their faves, but items like these definitely have a certain appeal. "The Prince of Tennis" proved that before, with tons of fans snapping them up.
And now, X (formerly Twitter) is buzzing with netizens looking to trade their pulls, which just goes to show: "Mobile Suit Gundam Wing" absolutely has the charm to make this kind of merch a hit! XD