Ari From Planet of the Apes in a Pepsi Cap Made Only for Japan

Ari — No. 32 in the Planet of the Apes Pepsi Bottle Cap Series

A Limited Promotion From Japan’s Bottle Cap Figure Era

This small plastic figure — piece number 32 in a numbered series — was released by Pepsi Japan as a promotional tie-in for the 2001 Tim Burton film Planet of the Apes. It attaches to the ribbed blue cap base that identified the Pepsi Japan bottle cap figure line, and it reached buyers through beverage purchases during a limited campaign window coinciding with the film’s Japanese release in autumn 2001, a few months after the North American premiere on July 27.

Pepsi Japan ran several large-scale bottle cap figure campaigns in the late 1990s and early 2000s, tying in with major franchises including Star Wars, Dragon Ball, and One Piece. Each series covered a wide cast of numbered figures — this Planet of the Apes line included at least 32 distinct characters. Because the figures were bundled with drink purchases rather than sold separately, they were tied to a specific campaign window and left the market when it closed.

Ari, the Character, and the Film She Comes From

Ari is a chimpanzee character in Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes — described by its production team as a re-imagining of the franchise rather than a direct remake. She is the daughter of Senator Sandar and holds an unusual position within ape society: openly sympathetic to human rights at a time when that view carries real risk. Her relationship with astronaut Leo Davidson, played by Mark Wahlberg, drives much of the film’s central conflict.

The role was played by Helena Bonham Carter, working entirely under prosthetic makeup. Her performance was consistently cited by critics as one of the film’s strongest elements, even in otherwise mixed reviews. The figure captures Ari’s screen appearance directly: the light green textured jacket, wide-cut beige trousers, and sandals correspond to her costume in the film.

The 2001 production was a 20th Century Fox release with a North American box office of approximately $180 million. The franchise traces back to Pierre Boulle’s 1963 French-language novel, with the 1968 Charlton Heston film as its defining early adaptation — a lineage that gives the 2001 version a specific place in a long-running IP.

A Japan-Only Item in a Long-Running Franchise

The Pepsi Japan series was distributed exclusively within Japan, tied to domestic beverage purchases and officially licensed by 20th Century Fox. Collectors outside Japan had no equivalent access — the North American merchandise tied to the 2001 film, led by Hasbro action figures, was a separate product line entirely.

The numbered structure of the series makes individual characters traceable for collectors working toward a complete set. The Planet of the Apes franchise also drew fresh attention after the reboot series that began in 2011, which renewed interest in earlier entries including the 2001 film. For collectors interested in film costume and makeup design, Ari is a specific point of connection: Helena Bonham Carter’s transformation into the character was one of the production’s more noted achievements, and this figure captures that look in miniature form.