Starting Wednesday, August 5, 2026, a new "Miniature Polon-chan" lineup in five colors, along with related items, goes on sale through the official Polon-chan online store. The colors were chosen through a fan color-preference poll held at the Royal Co., Ltd. booth during Tokyo Toy Show 2025 in August 2025, and the new products are the result of roughly a year of planning and development that followed.
The top five colors chosen by fans, from left: Red, Strawberry Milk, Yume-kawa, Milk Tea, and Cocoa (all five colors of the Miniature Polon-chan).
The poll drew a total of 616 votes. Taking first place was the classic shade everyone knows, Red, with 108 votes. A close second went to Strawberry Milk, a color that had never appeared on a product before, with 100 votes.
Together with Yume-kawa, Milk Tea, and Cocoa rounding out the top five, four of the five most popular colors turned out to be shades that had never been made into a product before, and the fans' votes brought this new Polon-chan color lineup to life. Deciding a product's colors based on fan input like this is the first attempt of its kind since Polon-chan was born.
Poll results: visitor poll at Tokyo Toy Show 2025, "Tell us! Which color Polon-chan do you like?" (616 total votes)
A Nostalgic Yet New Take on Okiagari Polon-chan
The Royal Co., Ltd. booth at Tokyo Toy Show 2025
At the Polon-chan booth during Tokyo Toy Show 2025, held on August 30 and 31, 2025, visitors took part in a hands-on poll called "Tell us! Which color Polon-chan do you like?", placing a sticker on their favorite color. On display were ten colors in total: the five that have actually been made into products over the years — Red, Blue, Green, Pink, and Yellow — plus five colors that have never been released, Yume-kawa, Strawberry Milk, Milk Tea, Cocoa, and Monotone, imagining "what if Polon-chan came in this color?" Visitors placed their stickers based on gut instinct. The classic color Red came out on top with 108 votes, with Strawberry Milk, never before released as a product, taking a close second with 100 votes. Yume-kawa (82 votes), Milk Tea (80 votes), and Cocoa (47 votes) rounded out third through fifth place, meaning all four of the newly proposed colors made the top five, and fans' enthusiasm is what pushed this release forward.
A 1/5-Scale Figure Bringing Back Heisei-Era Polon-chan. No Sound, But the Same Shape as Back Then.
This new "Miniature Polon-chan" is a 1/5-scale figure recreating Okiagari Polon-chan, the roly-poly toy whose production ended in 2023 when its domestic factory closed. It no longer makes its once-familiar chime, but it keeps Polon-chan's signature gentle wobble as it rights itself after a fall, now reborn as a quiet, comforting presence to keep nearby.
Last year's third installment in the "Polon-chan's Second Life" project, the 65th Anniversary Commemorative Reproduction Figure, recreated Polon-chan's original 1960 packaging and look from the Showa era. This new "Miniature Polon-chan," by contrast, recreates the design many people remember from the Heisei era. Built around the concept of "quiet comfort — Polon-chan for grown-ups," it's designed as a shelf-display interior figure aimed at those aged 15 and up. Following the Showa-era Polon-chan, the Heisei-era Polon-chan is now also beginning its own "second life." Polon-chan's story continues.
Also Arriving: Charms and Keychains
Also launching on Wednesday, August 5, are the soft, squishy "Okiagari Polon-chan Charm" (in Strawberry Milk, Yume-kawa, Milk Tea, and Cocoa — four colors) and the "Okiagari Polon-chan Keychain," which can be clipped to a bag or keys (in five colors). It's a lineup made for collecting and carrying along, so fans can keep their favorite-colored Polon-chan with them wherever they go.
Okiagari Polon-chan Keychain
Sales Overview
Sales start: Wednesday, August 5, 2026
Where to buy: Available first through the official Polon-chan online store (https://polonchan.jp/)
Number of items: 14 total
Product Details
Miniature Polon-chan
(Five colors: Red, Strawberry Milk, Yume-kawa, Milk Tea, Cocoa)
Product name: Miniature Polon-chan
Size: approximately 54mm tall (1/5 scale, no chime sound)
Specs: ABS; roly-poly design (for display and interior use)
Price: ¥1,650 (tax included; ¥1,500 before tax)
Recommended age: 15 and up
Okiagari Polon-chan Charm
(Four colors: Strawberry Milk, Yume-kawa, Milk Tea, Cocoa)
Product name: Okiagari Polon-chan Charm
Size: approximately 90mm tall
Specs: polyester and polyurethane (soft, squishy texture); iron keychain hardware
Price: ¥1,980 (tax included; ¥1,800 before tax)
Recommended age: 6 and up
Okiagari Polon-chan Keychain
(Five colors: Red, Strawberry Milk, Yume-kawa, Milk Tea, Cocoa)
Product name: Okiagari Polon-chan Keychain
Size: approximately 105mm tall
Specs: PVC and iron
Price: ¥990 (tax included; ¥900 before tax)
Recommended age: 6 and up
From the Showa Retro Boom, a Factory Closure, to a Second Life
What Is Okiagari Polon-chan?
Polon-chan was born in 1960 and was originally produced in around 20 different shapes and sizes. Known for its distinctive chime, this roly-poly doll was especially popular during Japan's Showa-era baby boom as a classic birth-celebration gift, and it was cherished by families raising young children.
The Inspiration Behind a Beloved National Anime Character
In 1969, serialization of a nationally beloved anime's original manga began, and Polon-chan was the inspiration behind the design of its main character. (Polon-chan has also appeared in the manga and film adaptations that followed.)
The Showa Retro Boom Arrives
Polon-chan continued to be loved over the years even as its materials and expression changed slightly over time, and in 2021, amid a Showa retro boom, Ken Elephant released the first Polon-chan capsule toy as part of its "Showa Nostalgic" miniature toy collection. Thanks to Polon-chan's large and devoted fan base, the capsule toys became popular too, leading to further Polon-chan-only capsule toy releases; around 200,000 units were produced over four years.
What Is the "Polon-chan's Second Life" Project?
After more than 63 years as a beloved roly-poly doll, Polon-chan's last remaining domestic factory closed in August 2023, marking the end of its run as a toy. Sales continued through 2024. Turning 64 would typically mean reaching retirement age, but today many people take up new hobbies or work after retiring, and with that in mind, as Polon-chan approached its 65th birthday in 2025, the team looked for a way to keep this character — beloved in Japanese households across the decades — going in a different form. That led to the launch of the "Polon-chan's Second Life" project, reinventing Polon-chan as a "Showa retro character" IP.
Phase 1: Manga serialization begins (May 1, 2025)
Phase 2: LINE Camera stickers released (July 4, 2025)
Phase 3: 65th Anniversary Commemorative Vinyl Figure released (September 15, 2025)
Phase 4: Fan-voted color lineup, "Miniature Polon-chan" (August 5, 2026)
Official site: https://polonchan.jp
