Inside one of State Street’s newest stores, Gacha Madison, you’ll find rows of capsule toy machines filled with everything from anime figures to capybara keychains.
Unlike the capsule toy machines of your childhood, these machines are full of collectibles related to your favorite anime, video games or cute animals. Machines contain stickers, figures, stuffed animals, keychains and more. While all possible options are printed on the outside of the machines, it’s still a mystery as to what you’ll get when you turn the dial and pick your prize.
Gacha comes from the word “gachapon,” which in Japan refers to both the machines and the collectibles inside of them. “Gacha” references the sound the machine makes as you turn the dial, and “pon” is the clink of the toy falling into the opening.
While these stores are most commonly found in Japan, they have made their debut overseas in recent years, and Gacha Madison is one of two gachapon stores in Wisconsin.
How it works is simple: head to the coin kiosk near the front of the store or to the cashier's table and buy tokens. The amount of tokens you’ll need for each machine ranges from two to six, and tokens can be purchased in multiples of five.
Once you have your tokens, insert them into one of the machines and turn the dial until a ball releases, grab it, pop it open and you have your prize.
Gacha Madison adds new toy options almost every week, according to their Facebook account, keeping the variety of items fresh for customers. Current options include figures from anime like “Attack on Titan,” “Spy x Family” and video games like “Street Fighter” and “Kirby.”
Gacha Madison is located on 224 State St.and is open Monday through Thursday from 12 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Gabriella Hartlaub is the former arts editor for The Daily Cardinal. She has also written state politics and campus news. She currently is a summer reporting intern with Raleigh News and Observer. Follow her on Twitter at @gabihartlaub.
