Taiwan goes wild for capsule toys: 5 giant gashapon machines you must photograph

By MOOK Travel Chen Wenlin, compiled report
 
In recent years, Taiwan has seen a surge in the popularity of gashapon, with uniquely designed capsule toy machines popping up and drawing netizens to try their luck. Not only are the machines themselves eye-catching, but the exciting prizes inside also attract many enthusiasts. Now, giant themed gashapon machines have appeared across Taiwan, becoming a new hot topic online.

1. San Chuang Concrete Gashapon Machine

The Da Guanghua Shopping District is holding its annual street-closing event on May 26–27, which many fans are eagerly anticipating. To mark the occasion, the San Chuang Creative Park has brought in the steel-inspired “Concrete Gashapon Machine,” which previously toured from Kaohsiung to Taipei, setting it up in the park’s outdoor plaza.

Inside the concrete-themed gashapon machine, capsules tumble as the machine spins before being forcefully launched out—an attraction that has drawn many netizens for a pilgrimage, making it a limited-time photo hotspot.

【Info】
Concrete Gashapon Machine
Dates & Location:
May 19, 2018: Debuted at Civic Boulevard entrance
May 20–27, 2018: Appeared at San Chuang Creative Park Outdoor Central Plaza
How to Play: 100 TWD per turn
(Free turn with any single receipt of 1000 TWD or more from San Chuang or Da Guanghua Shopping District)
 

2. Huashan Cultural and Creative FuDou Planet

The ultra-cute FuDou (underbite) animal characters, which have taken Taiwan by storm, made a pop-up appearance at Huashan 1914 Creative Park a month ahead of the “Gashapon Planet Special Exhibition.” Presented in a shipping container setup, it’s a gashapon paradise. In addition to a huge wall of capsules, there’s also a life-sized FuDou polar bear mascot for fun photos.