Hoenn’s Three Starters on a Banpresto Hexagon Eraser

Banpresto Pokemon Hoenn Starters White Hexagon Eraser #2

A Prize-Only Eraser From Japan’s Arcade Circuit

This hexagonal eraser was made by Banpresto and designated on its base as a prize item — manufactured exclusively for Japan’s arcade crane game machines, not for retail sale. The white hexagonal prism is printed all the way around with full-color artwork of the three starter Pokemon from the Hoenn region, finished at the bottom with a red and orange Pokeball band. The #2 designation places it as the second in a numbered series.

Prize goods of this kind occupy a distinct category in Japan’s merchandise ecosystem — separate from food toys (shokugan) and gashapon capsule toys. They are made solely for UFO Catcher and similar crane game setups and never enter conventional retail distribution. Winning one meant visiting a game center in Japan. Outside Japan, they reach collectors only through travelers, importers, or people who lived there and brought items back.

Banpresto, founded in 1989, was the leading supplier in this market for decades. Though it merged into Bandai Namco Entertainment in 2009, the Banpresto brand has continued as the label for prize merchandise. The eraser is also marked “Made in Japan” — worth noting because Banpresto produced some prize goods in China as well, so domestic manufacture is a distinguishing attribute.

Mega Sceptile, Torchic, and Mudkip — The Hoenn Generation

The three Pokemon on this eraser are Sceptile in its Mega Evolution form, Torchic, and Mudkip — the grass, fire, and water starters from Generation III, which debuted in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire in 2002 for the Game Boy Advance. Mega Sceptile’s presence is significant for dating the item: Mega Evolutions for Hoenn starters were introduced in Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, released in November 2014. That points to late 2014 as the earliest likely production date, though the exact series and release window have not been confirmed.

Torchic is among the most recognized Pokemon designs in the franchise — a fire-type starter whose following has held across multiple generations of players. Mudkip occupies a distinct cultural position in English-speaking communities: its design was the subject of one of the internet’s earliest and most persistent Pokemon memes (“I herd u liek Mudkipz”), giving it name recognition well beyond the franchise’s core audience.

The Hoenn generation carries strong nostalgia overall. Ruby and Sapphire were the entry point into Pokemon for many players who grew up with the Game Boy Advance, and the ORAS remakes in 2014 reinforced that attachment by revisiting the region with updated features and Mega Evolution forms.

The Hexagonal Format and the Appeal of Arcade Origins

The prism shape is unusual for a functional eraser — the hexagonal form and wrap-around character printing give it a visual presence that works equally as a display piece. The #2 marking implies at least one other design in the series, which can be an additional draw for collectors interested in completing a set. The combination of arcade-only Japanese distribution, domestic manufacture, and characters from a generation with strong international resonance gives this eraser a clear identity outside its original context — a game center prize that traveled far from the machine it once sat in.