Gachapon are coin-operated toy dispensers in Japan usually ranging in price from ¥100 to ¥500. Unlike most Western toy vending machines, which are aimed at children, the contents you receive for your coins aren't throwaways, but relatively high-quality, limited-edition goods related to your favorite piece of pop culture, making them popular among collectors and casual fans alike.
Gachapon machines first came to Japan in the 1960s. A man named Shigeta Ryūzō 重田 龍三 modified an American vending machine so that it would be able to dispense toys encased in a plastic shell.
The popularity of gachapon skyrocketed once Bandai Co trademarked the name “gashapon” and created toys of existing popular brands. The options increased with time to include items that adults could also find interesting, branching out from just kid toys.
Almost anything can come out of a gachapon machine. While many provide the sort of goods you'd expect, like small figurines, key chains or cell phone straps, there's another that gives you underwear or an odd towel to put on objects.
figurines
keychains
plushies
tiny gachapon machines!?
pouches
...anything!