In this feature I will weekly look at one of the more obscure items SEGA released over
the years. Food, Toys, weird merchandise etc.

*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.

*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.

*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).

*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)

*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.

*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).

*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.

*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.

*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!)

*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!)

>Onto page 2!