Puffy "Bonbon Drop" stickers the hottest commodity in Japan right now

The craze centres on Bonbondrop stickers, which remain difficult to obtain nationwide, prompting fans to start making their own raised, puffy-style stickers at home using adhesives typically designed for securing model kit parts, and when the glue is applied to match an illustration's shape and left to dry, the result closely resembles the real product. Some enthusiasts have reportedly produced as many as 400 homemade stickers, with one hobbyist explaining that the trend began after their child complained about being unable to trade stickers with classmates because of shortages, prompting them to start creating original designs in large numbers as a solution. However, the surge in demand has also created unexpected supply issues, with hobbyists reporting that the specialised glue used for crafting the stickers has become difficult to find even after visiting multiple stores, while Konishi Co., the manufacturer behind the Bond brand, issued an apology on its official X account for products being out of stock. A visit to a craft store in Tokyo found that some outlets still had limited supplies after placing early orders in anticipation of demand, yet the surge in purchases has been dramatic, with one major retailer reporting sales roughly six times higher than usual and noting that the adhesive had never before been a primary or even secondary driver of sales.

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nice gaijin said:

Advertising was and always will be the art of bullshitting people into spending more than they should on something they probably don't need, and wow this is no exception!

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The quest for these stickers has placed a "heavy burden on store operations, and many customers appear to be buying them for resale," said a spokesperson at specialty home goods chain Loft. Long lines of customers waiting to buy the stickers had become commonplace, leading Loft to suspend sales at all locations early this month. The spokesperson said there are no plans yet to resume sales. Online sellers are feeling the crush as well. Stationery specialist Shimamura's website crashed due to heavy traffic when it began offering presales at the end of last month on a range of 20 Bonbon Drop sticker sets that included Sanrio characters and Snoopy. The company has since stopped presales. Shimamura considered a lottery system, but ultimately "decided not to resume sales because of the overwhelming response," said a representative. The company will continue sales at some store locations, but has said it "will not be able to answer any inquiries about shipment locations or timing." Knock-offs are starting to appear as well. In a notice on its website, Sun-Star stated that it will "take legal action against any individual or company" found to be selling counterfeits. In many cases, fakes do not include the Sun-Star name or character owner information on their packaging, the company said.

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Sticker swapping, once a familiar playground craze among Japanese children in the 2000s, is making a comeback under a new trend known as shiru-katsu (シル活). Some parents are reportedly visiting several shops in search of popular sticker packs as demand continues to grow. Particular attention has focused on three-dimensional stickers such as "Bonbon Drop Seal" and "Uruchuru Pop Seal," which have become especially popular among younger children. Nifty Corporation, operator of the children's website Nifty Kids, conducted a survey on stickers between December and January among elementary and junior high school students. Among elementary school pupils, 77.5% said they were "hooked" on collecting stickers, while the figure among junior high school students stood at 47.8%. Girls appear to be driving much of the current shiru-katsu boom. At the same time, parents and women in their 20s and 30s who remember the sticker craze of the 2000s are also buying them out of nostalgia, adding to the renewed popularity.

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