In this feature I will weekly look at one of
the more obscure items SEGA released over
the years. Food, Toys, weird merchandise etc.
#1.Sonic Ketchup
*What is it?!
Well, basicly it's just a bottle of ketchup in the form of
'the hedgehog'.
Licensed by HP FOOD in 1991, this bottle contains (well, contained)
425ML of lovely ketchup. I bought this bottle in 1995 in the
U.K.
*What's the
purpose?
Hmm, just to serve Sonic fans with their own ketchup, really.
For use with steaks, burgers and lots of other things, probably.
*I want it!
Where can I buy it? How much?
I'm wishing you good luck finding a bottle these days. Ebay
UK is your
best bet. Price? No idea, a couple of pounds, presumably.
#2.Saturn
'MUSE'
*What
is it?!
What on earth is a muse? I have no idea, really.
Well, maybe I do, because I have one. It basicly is
a model of a Saturn
(about 75% of the actual Saturn size) which can opened
and used to store
stuff like cd's, treasures (I like my Japanese Torico
copy, as you can see)
or stuff you don't want anyone else to see. (you know
what stuff I mean)
*What's
the purpose?
Wait! I already explained the purpose above. Bugger.
*I want
it! Where can I buy it? How much?
Hmm tough one. I bought mine two years ago on ebay,
for the ridiculous amount
of 25 euros. Really haven't seen them ever since. Try
Yahoo Auctions Japan.
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#3.SEGA DIGIO SJ-1
*What is it?
It looks like a digital camera and guess what? It is. Released
back in 1996 in Japan and
brought over to Australia (with an English manual added, obviously)
a while later. It takes
pics in .SJ1 format which can only be read with the software
that comes with it. Pictures
are 320x240 and -dare I say it- rubbish. The camera itself
comes with a Smart media card
of -get this- 0.5 MB. Oh dear. A collector only item if there
ever was one. It must be said,
though, that the history of this piece of hardware itself
is pretty interesting, but that's
another story. (I'll do a special sometime)
*What's the
purpose?
Take pictures, upload them to a Windows '95 PC, laugh at the
useless quality etc.
If you got the extremely rare 32X 'picture magic' board, you
may look into this.
*I want it!
Where can I buy it? How much?
Are you kidding me? Oh well, if you insist; check out Yahoo
auctions Japan. Shouldn't
be too hard to find. Finding one on Ebay will be a lot harder,
though. Probably can be
'had' for next to nothing as it's practicly worthless these
days.
#4.
SEGA 'Club Saturn' CD
*What
is it?
It's a music CD by Breakdown records in conjunction
with SEGA, released back in 1996.
It contains 15 SEGA soundtracks (NiGHTS, Daytona USA,
Fighting vipers etc) remixed by
people such as Richard Jacques, Marshall
Jefferson and Avant Garde.
*What's
the purpose?
It has the same purpose as any music cd, really. I don't
really know why SEGA released
this cd, but it's pretty good. Most of the tracks are
worth a listen (such as the excellent
Daytona house remix by Duderella and the
NiGHTS and Worldwide Soccer remixes
by Richard
Jacques). For the fact freaks: the European version
of this cd also came with the Sega Flash 2
Saturn demo disc. Oh, and the cover of the cd made a
great website logo for Segacollection once.
*I want
it! Where can I buy it? How much?
The CD was released both in the US and Europe and shouldn't
be too hard to find on Ebay.
Expect a couple of bucks/pounds/euros/whatever. It's
a worth a try if you can appreciate
electronica.
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#5. SEGA Saturn
game library book
*What is it?
This book contains (as you probably could tell from the picture
above) information
on 430 Saturn releases, as well as all Saturn peripherals..
It was released in 1997
by some Japanese media company. (duh)
*What's the
purpose?
Well, if you're looking for a great overview of released titles
in each genre*, this book
is a great help. Each game profile contains a screenshot (or
more in some cases), the
the release date, the original release price, the amount of
players and much more
general info. Like said, it also comes with a hardware section
which has photos and info
on all the cool Saturn hardware released. (The floppy disk
drive, the mouse, the dual
player Astro arcade stick etc.) A great book for every Saturn
freak. (like me)
*Keep in mind that all releases >1997 aren't covered yet.
*I want it!
Where can I buy it? How much?
Looks like you'll have to fire up Yahoo auctions Japan again.
This book is hard to
find outside Japan. Yamatoku might have a copy for you. (it's
where I got mine from)
Shouldn't be too (~$10-15) expensive, unless it's sold by
a collector.
#6.
Sonic Toothpaste
*What
is it?
It's paste to brush your teeth with. Wahey! Here's some
more info; it was released
in the UK by a company called 'search' and is an officially
licensed Sonic product.
*What's the
purpose?
Well, for every Sonic fan this could be the coolest
way to brush your teeth.
*I want
it! Where can I buy it? How much?
This paste probably got discontinued sometime in 1996
so you'll need a lot of
luck finding it now. Keep and eye on Ebay or give the
company a ring (if they still exist).
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#7. SEGA Saturn
apron
*What is it?
It's an apron which was worn by Japanese software shop employees.
*What's the
purpose?
It once served the purpose of promoting new Saturn soft and
hardware. You
could use it while cooking now, but would you? I know I wouldn't.
*I want it!
Where can I buy it? How much?
I got mine from Yahoo Auctions Japan, which is where you should
search if you
want one. Should be around 1000-1500 yen. (Bid using the Celga.com
service)
#8.SEGA
Sunvisor
*What
is it?
Well, duh, it's a Sunvisor. Used to block. your. eyes.
from. the. sun.
It has SEGA(®) on it, so that's why it's featured
here. I really have
NO idea where it came from or where it was used. I bought
it in Spain.
*What's
the purpose?
Like said, they come in handy to block your eyes from
sun or look cool.
That said, you'll look pretty silly with this hardplastic
thing, to be honest.
*I want
one! Where can I buy it? How much?
Oh you little SEGA geek! I never saw them before untill
recently I came
across a Spanish Retro site which sold them for 2 euro
a piece. If you
desire one, go order them over there. I bought a load
of them to give away
on this site in the future. (how thoughtful of me)
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#9.'Segafreaks'
SEGA Collector Cards
*What is it?
Sega collector cards funnily enough called 'Segafreaks'. There's
3 series of 60 cards
at the very least. On the cards there's pictures of famous
SEGA franchises such as
Sonic, Virtua Fighter, Fighting Vipers,
Clockwork Knight, Alex Kidd etc. Some cards
feature obscure SEGA items (Sounds familiar?) such as the
Alex Kidd board game &
pencil case and other feature SEGA hardware (the Mark
III, a 'Smoke' Gamegear etc).
*What's the
purpose?
Well, basicly the same purpose every set of collector cards
has: collecting them.
For the true 'SEGAFREAK' (uhuhuh) this is a very nice collectable.
*I want them!
Where can I buy them? How much?
Sadly (and rather unsurprisingly as all the cool stuff remains
there *sigh*) these cards
were only sold in Japan (300yen (~$3) for a pack of ten cards)
, and very hard to find abroad.
Well, you're in luck, because (as you can see above) I bought
a whole box of them on import
so should you want a complete second series (61-120) or just
some loose cards of the games
you like, drop me an email. The whole second series including
5 wrappers for $20 (including
worldwide shipping) and loose cards are 10 for $3.50 (including
worldwide shipping)
#10.
Saturn press discs
*What
are they?
Some call them 'silvers', others call them 'press discs'
basicly they are discs that
were send to magazines & other press to be reviewed.
Because the discs are label-less,
someone would scribble the game name on them with a
marker (mostly blue or red).
Most of the games published by SEGA can be found in
this form. The third party
releases are a LOT tougher to find. Most of the discs
contain exactly the same code
as the normal release which makes them less interesting
to collect.
*What's
their purpose?
Like I said above, they were send out to magazines to
be used for reviews. Most of the time
they didn't need to be returned, hence the reason they
still can be found now and then.
*I want
some! Where can I buy them? How much?
E-b-a-y. I really doubt you'll find them somewhere else.
Some magazine reviewers
probably got them tucked away in a box somewhere in
the attic. Bring them out!
How much? Hmm..shouldn't be too expensive unless it's
a multi disc game or
something like Shining Force III / Return
Fire / Bedlam etc. Oh and for the fact
freaks; Sega Saturn Magazine (UK) gave them
away every now and then.
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#11. SONIC Pasta
*What is it?
It's 3 minute pasta, or as the pack says (red tag at the bottom)
'quality pre-cooked pasta shapes'
by HP foods ltd. Shapes like
Sonic, Tails, Robotnik and badniks. Licensed by copyright
promotions
limited 1991/1992, but I actually bought this together with
the ketchup back in 1995 when I was on
holiday in Wales. 'Best before' date is AUG 96. The package
has various Sonic artwork printed on it
and comes with a recipe for 'Super sonic pasta in tomato sauce'.
''Sonic mega tip: Stir in some chopped spicy sausage just
before serving.'' Yummmmm ^_^
*What's the
purpose?
Hmm speaks for itself doesn't it? Here's some more info instead;
'3 easy ways to cook, 5 servings,
250g, ingredients; fine wheat semolina (what!? - Segafreak)
, water. 1461kJ/344 per 100g uncooked.
Right, that's that, enjoy your meal.
*I want it! Where
can I buy it? How much?
I daresay this product ain't on the market anymore (surprise,
surprise). Try Ebay or bothering HP
foods on: Market Harborough, Leics, LE16 9BQ, England. If
you get a response be sure to let me know ^_-
#12.
SEGA VIDEO MAGAZINE
*What
is it?
A video tape containing footage of various SEGA games,
some commercials etc.
In NTSC/J format, no less. Most of the times around
half an hour of actual footage.
*What's
the purpose?
These were sold as well as rented out, and gave an idea
of what games you could spend
your hard earned money on next.
*I want one!
Where can I buy them? How much?
I don't call this feature 'obscure sega items' for nothing,
you know. These tapes
can only be found in Japan and aren't very easy to find.
An extended search on
Yahoo auctions should do the job.. but I'd advise you
to wait for a while, because you
might just be able to obtain them in another way later.
(hint).
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#13. SEGA GD-R'S
*What are they?
GD-ROM recordables. Pressed with a special 'GD-writer'. Unlike
the PAL white label discs,
these GD-R's often contain code that is different from the
final release. Oh, and you're unable
to boot them without a special system disc or swap method.
*What's their
purpose?
They were used by developers to send to press for preview/review
purposes.
*I want some!
Where can I buy them? How much?
They can be found on ebay every now and then, and there's
a huge lot sold at the moment at
some forum or another. Mail me for more info. The price really
depends on what's on the disc.
The original versions of Half-Life and Propeller
Arena both went for over $800, the more standard
releases like Matt Hoffman BMX and Ducati world
are more near the $30-50 tag.
#14.
'CHAMOIS' SEGA SATURN LENS CLEANERS
*What
are they?
Small leather(?) pieces of cloth sporting the Sega Saturn
logo. Released by 'Chamois'
in 1995. (most probably)
*What's
their purpose?
They were made for cleaning camera lenses with, but
are pretty good for cleaning
a lot of other things with as well.
*I want
some! Where can I buy them? How much?
I got them from Ebay, but check out the SEGA SHOP for
a nice deal on them.
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#15. SEGA SATURN WEB BOOK 1
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*What is it?
A 98 page book featuring everything that has to do with Saturn
internet. It features the
hardware (modem, floppy disk unit and keyboard), browser software
(Pad Nifty & Habitat II)
and compatible online XBAND games (Virtua Fighter
remix, Sega Rally plus, Daytona CCE,
Bomberman), an interview with Kenji Eno
(who seems to be interviewed in every Japanese
publication ever), interesting websites of all kinds (Search
engines, media, shopping, fashion,
music, art, movie, game, education, science), features on
non-online Saturn games (Good
Island cafe ft. Ai Iijima, Game Ware vol 2,
Aquazone), a feature on animation movies (Virtua
Fighter & Sonic the hedgehog), a 'photo
genic' feature with Japanese girls and Sex Dolls (?!),
a feature on the 'SEGA game best line-up' featuring Virtua
Fighter 2, NiGHTS, Torico (wahey!)
and more, an overview of all released Saturn peripherals (amusingly
called 'Hard were'), a feature
on the latest rental movies (featuring loads Robocop
movies, for some reason), a porn (!!) feature
with an overview of the best porn sites on the internet called
'pink' (oh dear..), a feature on the
latest 'adult' video-cd's ('now where is this going?') and
loads of other bits and bobs that didn't
made much sense to me. Phew!
*What's the
purpose?
Giving you information about everything listed above, unsurprisingly.
*I want it!
Where can I buy it? How much?
Are you sure? Well, there's no stopping some Sega freaks,
I guess. I'd say you're unlikely to
find this book on Ebay, so Yahoo Auctions is -again- your
best bet. Shouldn't cost too much,
because it's unlikely anyone would want it now, even with
all the smut in it.
#16.
SONIC BISCUITS
*What
are they?
Sonic cookies! 'Toffee flavoured bite size biscuits',
to be exact. 6 packs of them.
The back of the bag states; '5 Sonic scenes to collect!
Each snack pack inside shows a
quarter of an exciting Sonic Scene (they are from the
second Sonic cartoon series if I'm
not mistaken - S.F) depicting Sonic and his friends
and enemies. You'll find more segments
to collect in other Sonic Multibags'. There you go.
*What's
the purpose?
Can't you just see those 8 year olds with their Disney
lunch-boxes hopping around like crazy
from the sugar overdose? Nah, just kidding. They obviously
were created for a Sonic obsessed
Dutchman to pick them up during a 1995 Holiday.
*I want
some! Where can I buy them? How much?
Take the teleporter on your right. It will warp you
straight to 1995. Don't forget to bring me
some too.
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#17. PUYO PUYO 2 WIND-GONG
*What is it?
A Puyo Puyo 2 wind gong! Released by SEGA (and Compile)
in 1997 (probably as a UFO
Catcher prize). Very kitchy but -strangely- kinda funky
looking as well. It was part of a big
SEGA merchandise set I bought on Yahoo Auctions. I didn't
even know what the hell it was
supposed to be untill I opened the box. (I thought it was
some kind of candy dispenser, actually)
You can't see the cord in the second picture but it's there,
holding the 'red fishy thing in a tub',
the green puyo and the tag together. Only in Japan! ^_^
*What's the
purpose?
*ding* *dong* *ding* *dong* *dong* *ding* 'Aaaaaaargh!!!'
*Smash*, get the idea?
*I want one!
Where can I buy them? How much?
Hmm. I presume it won't be easy locating another one (could
be wrong, though) but if you're
desperate you really should know where to go by now..
#18.
VIRTUA FIGHTER T-SHIRTS
*What
are they?
T-shirts with various Virtua Fighter designs
on them. The V.F.1 logo, Lau in his V.F.3 costume
and Aoi (also from V.F.3). All marked 1996
and coming from some Sega Prize machine. From
the look of it they are in the 'rather small really'
Japanese size.
*What's
the purpose?
You could...um...wear them while joining in on someone's
V.F.4 game in your local arcade,
looking like a 'tough V.F. master'..and get hopelessly
beaten by a spotty teenager moments later.
Hmm, maybe not.
*I want
one! Where can I buy them? How much?
There's plenty of t-shirts still being sold online,
so some V.F. ones will pop up sooner or later.
(Or order a 'cheap' one from those kind of people selling
'Dreamcast bar signs' and Hong Kong
'it's original merchandise!' Sonic lighters on Ebay.
Pah!)
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#19. SEGATA SANSHIRO DOLL
*What is it?
A 7 inch (~25cm) size doll of everyones favorite Saturn icon;
Segata Sanshiro!
Released in 1998 by Sega themselves (there are Segata dolls
by other companies as well!),
this doll came in four versions, each with a different facial
expression and pose.
*What's the
purpose?
There's no real purpose apart from 'having' Segata in your
house, which is both a
good and a bad thing. (don't let him catch you playing another
system!)
*I want one!
Where can I buy one? How much?
Keep an eye on Yahoo Auctions. I might pick up a
few and give them away as competition
prizes in the future..
#20.
SEGA SATURN BACKPACK
*What
is it?
A backpack in the shape of the Japanese Sega Saturn
system. Complete with cartridge
slot (to put stuff in), the disc lid and the power,
open and reset buttons as well! As you can
see it even comes with a small pencil holder shaped
like a Saturn pad! Magic.
*What's
the purpose?
There's plenty of room for all kinds of stuff. It would
also function perfectly as a console
'carry case'. A Saturn would fit perfectly fine. It's
unlikely anyone outside of Japan will
recognize the design, but at least you know you're the
coolest person in town. Oh and
you don't have to worry getting your ass kicked by the
guy above, naturally.
*I want
one! Where can I buy one? How much?
They originate from Dreamcast direct (which is called
Sega Direct these days). They can
still be bought from them HERE.
6800 yen is rather steep and they don't ship outside
Japan,
so nutcases and die-hard collectors only. (Hey, both
apply to me!)
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