Popy was formed by Bandai in July 1971 to distribute products intended for candy shops and other retail outlets outside of the usual toy stores.
Although other companies were selling similar products, only Popy's incorporated a light-up mechanism, making it a smashing success despite its then-high retail price of 1500 yen.
In the wake of the success of the "Henshin Belt," Popy introduced a palm-sized, diecast metal version of the bike ridden by the show's title character.
Perhaps Popy's most enduring legacy, the Chogokin (named after a fictional "superalloy"[2] from the animated Mazinger Z series) diecast metal "action figures" caused a sensation when first released in Japan.
The very first entry in the series, the GA-01 Mazinger Z, was a 4.5-inch figure that featured a zinc alloy torso, shoulders, and legs, with spring-actuated firing fists and an injection-moulded plastic head.
Popy attempted to counter falling sales of robot toys with the so-called Chokinzoku range – 16" diecast figures with a wide array of features.
[4] Despite a relatively short life, Popy had vindicated the idea of merchandising toys from popular series, something that continues to be a mainstay of the action figure market to this day.
They had also been responsible for raising the production standard of toys with the inclusion of diecast and top quality plastic – their method was soon taken up by competing manufacturers such as Takara and Takatoku.