7.27.2016

Bit Figs: Ninja Series 1

Ninja Mania continues!

It's with great excitement that we can finally announce the nation-wide rollout of Bit Figs! Onell Design has partnered with SSM Vending, a family-run operation out of Mesa, Arizona and one of the leading distributors of bulk capsule toys. Since reaching out to us a little over a year ago, the Dumphy family has worked closely with Matt and I to bring not one but TWO all-new Glyos compatible series of Bit Figs to the vending markets across North America!

The first set is Bit Figs Ninja Series 1, featuring 5 unique characters: Tana, Iken, Urai, Ku and Oni. Each 1" figure comes in a variety of colors, and in the classic "Quarter Muncher" tradition, will be offered in assortments of common monochromatic and rare painted versions. All figures feature a Glyos compatible fit function on the base.

When I was a kid, long before the term "blind box" was a thing, some of my favorite collectibles came in the form of mystery prizes. My twin brother John and I would typically fight over who would get the better toy from the cereal box, or we'd inhale Cracker Jacks until that tiny paper packet fell into our sugar coated hands. But good vending machines had an extra special appeal to them. Not only could you see your potential winnings, you could keep trying until you popped open a treasure (or emptied your pockets). Our trips to the grocery store with Mom always ended in excitement, as we knew once the food was being scanned, we could run over to the wall of vending machines and scope out the selection.

During those early years, there were 2 things that dominated playtime as we approached the '90s - Nintendo and TMNT. If we weren't crashing our mutant action figures into each other, we were smashing buttons trying to survive even 10 minutes of Ninja Gaiden. Throw in a handful of Lego sets and Monster in My Pocket mini figs and you pretty much have our childhood in plastic.

These innocent memories are what fueled the concept behind Bit Figs. To see this project now reach full production with national distribution is beyond what we ever could've imagined. The vending machine element, something that Matt and I have wanted to explore over our 9+ years of production together, is the clincher for this match made in coin heaven.

The Ninja Series is just one piece of what came out of our initial meetings with SSM Vending. The second series previously mentioned will be revealed in another (much shorter) post. Stay tuned!

We would like to thank our good friend Josh Dumphy and his entire family at SSM Vending for believing in this line and taking this journey with us. None of this would be possible without their knowledge and expertise within their unique market.

Thanks to ALL of you for the continued support. Every year we are more amazed by how tight this community of friends and fans remains. Truckloads of Bits in capsules are currently en route to neighborhoods along both the East and West Coasts, and should span the US within the coming weeks. Parts of Canada and Mexico should also see some upcoming action. We'll let you know here (and on the Bit Figs networks) where to start looking.

Happy hunting!!  -Marcus

Note: This first round will be available strictly through vending, but we have some super limited edition colors coming next month - sign up here to get on the list.


20 comments:

  1. Way to go, Marc! Excited to Bit Figs in capsule vending machines near me some day!

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  2. That is incredibly awesome! Congratulations on such a great release!!

    I keep my golden egg from a vending machine for the longest time as a kid. I think it had some metal ring as the prize, but the egg was the more important part.

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  3. This is dope marc! Where will I be able to find these guys on the west coast? I'm in the SF bay area. I love the oni and ku figures.

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    1. Thanks Peter! As soon as we have more details I will be posting locations to BitFigs.com

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  4. amazing!!just amazing!! Is all i can even say!! To actually have glyos ninjas in vending machines in 2016!!!! I cant wait to drop in the coin and crank that handle!!

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  5. Can't wait to find some. The Skeleton is a top notch addition, too.

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  6. What kind of stores on the East Coast will have these?

    I'm very much looking forward to it!

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    1. I've seen SSM machines in a few of my local (southern NH) Hannaford Supermarkets. Once we get more details I will be posting a list of all the current locations.

      Thanks Joe!

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  7. Holy cow, congratulations! This is really cool news. I loved collecting stuff out of machines as a kid, mostly hi bounce balls. My kids collected little Go-go's type figures. We'll be looking forward to finding these!

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  8. So I'm guessing the Midwest will have a longer wait?

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    1. We were just informed by SSM that one of their biggest vendors is located in the Midwest and already received the first shipment, so they should be going in machines within the next few days!

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    2. OH! Any idea if gas stations or retail stores would be best places to check? I think I've seen their lego type figures at a Steak N Shake before..

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  9. Whoa! I must have been living under a rock, but these are awesome! I totally will keep my eyes open for them, they look too cool to pass up on. I remember these little Skeletons with yellow helmets when I was growing up, but they were all really cool and about 1" tall if not a little shorter. Getting an army of them was very inexpensive and looking back I wish I'd grabbed more. Finding an Onell Design quarter machine toy in stores near me will be very surreal, congrats guys!

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  10. This is epic!! Glyos toys in vending machines across the country!? Congratulations guys!! I don't mind not having easy access to these guys online. We have it pretty easy these days as collectors with internet access. Thanks for bringing back some thrill of the chase fellas, Im going to roll with a mad satchel of quarters in the whip and hunt these guys down proper.

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  11. Wow, Marc, this is such great news, and even better that they'll be hitting machines soon! Congrats on making it happen!

    Here's hoping SSM services some NYC locations, though...

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  12. This is a bit of a silly question, but what are these made of? PVC?

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  13. I just bought a sack of these in Mesa (I'm in Scottsdale) and man, they're great. I opened 4 so far - it does not appear that there's a complete set in each bag, but there's a lot of variety.

    They're sized the same as John Kent's Mordles or Hasbro's Fighter Pods/Spider Pods. They do indeed have a Glyos hole in their bottoms, so you can use them as feet or hands (or with a switch pin, heads).

    My biggest congratulations to Marc and Team Onell for this huge win. I hope to see many series of these each year, I'm very impressed with the quality of the plastic for the price. (Actually at twice the price, these are still pretty phenomenal. And I'm cheap!!)

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