Ask John: What are UFO Catcher Dolls?

Question:
I’ve heard of toys called UFO catcher dolls. What are these?

Answer:
UFO catcher doll is the generic name for the sort of goofy looking stuffed dolls that come as prizes in arcade crane games. Because the crane arm is often disguised as an alien flying saucer, these games are often referred to in Japan as “UFO catcher” games. There’s quite a collectable market for the anime dolls that come from these games since the only way to get the dolls is to have someone actually win them from the arcade machines. I can’t tell you exactly which series and which characters have UFO catcher dolls, but I can assure you that just about every series you can think of has UFO catcher crane game toys and dolls. Hitoshi Doi’s Japanese site has a large gallery of UFO catcher doll images.