You might not know this, but toy and model kit giant BANDAI has been investing in education for years, pushing online model-building courses for upper elementary schoolers in Japan as part of a social studies program.
While this initiative has been running for years, many Japanese parents are still in the dark. Recently, a parent on X (formerly Twitter) shared their shock when their daughter came home from school with a "textbook Gunpla," making even adults exclaim, "I wanna take that class!"
The viral tweet's author revealed that after school, his daughter showed him the teaching material she received: none other than a RX-78-2 Gundam Gunpla from "Mobile Suit Gundam"! He couldn't help but marvel, "It's really an era where elementary schools hand out Gundam models now!" His daughter even added, "Teacher said no reselling this!" which made him chuckle.
Many netizens were equally thrilled by this elementary school curriculum. They recalled a time in the '80s when bringing models to school meant confiscation, and now, schools are giving models to students to build!
Turns out, Bandai kicked off this "Gunpla Academia" curriculum back in 2021. This free educational program for schools aims to introduce kids to the joy of model building, teach them about the Gunpla production process, and even cover concepts like plastic recycling and environmental sustainability.
True to its mission, the "Gundam Model Experience Kit" used in the curriculum is made from eco-friendly plastic (aka EcoPla), recycled from leftover parts. While previous EcoPla models were single-colored, the school version sorts recycled parts by color, creating a vibrant, pre-colored kit where parts are already separated by section.
That means no painting needed – just snap it together for original anime colors! Plus, no glue is required, and the parts feature "touch gates" that can be snapped off by hand. It's super kid-friendly; elementary students can build a Gundam with just their bare hands, making it perfect for classroom use.
While the program is getting buzz, some netizens have unfortunately spotted these "textbook Gunpla" kits being resold online, which has drawn some serious eye-rolls.
It's clear Bandai is super passionate about education, bringing model building right into schools as a unique way to teach kids. What started with a small handful of schools has grown over the years, with more and more institutions partnering up. No wonder parents are getting a little jealous!