Nausicaa and Laputa Playing Cards for Anime Collectors

Today’s Random Four
Every morning we pull a handful of items from our store completely at random — and today, these four surfaced. Use code D260909AKB at checkout for an extra 15% off any of them, stacked on top of the sale prices already running. With today’s markdowns, that’s up to 30% off. Good for 3 days. New picks drop every morning, so check back — you never know what’ll turn up.

This week’s selection moves across four decades of Japanese pop-culture merchandise, from Animage magazine’s early promotional cards to a 1990s Pokemon candy toy and a badge pin from a contemporary mobile game. The Animage cards, in particular, document a moment when anime merchandise was tied directly to fan magazine culture.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Playing Card – Diamonds Q, Animage 1984

A single playing card — the Queen of Diamonds — featuring artwork from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, published by Animage magazine in 1984. Animage was Japan’s leading anime publication through the 1980s and was instrumental in championing Hayao Miyazaki’s work, including serializing the original Nausicaa manga before the film released.

Laputa: Castle in the Sky Playing Card – Clubs K, Animage 1986 Summer

The King of Clubs from an Animage 1986 Summer promotional card, featuring Laputa: Castle in the Sky and marked as a Japan exclusive. Laputa: Castle in the Sky was Studio Ghibli’s first theatrical production.

Gongsun Zan Badge Pin – Houchi Shoujo / Idle Angels

A limited badge pin depicting Gongsun Zan, a character from the Houchi Shoujo franchise. Houchi Shoujo is a mobile game series that reimagines Three Kingdoms historical figures as fantasy anime characters, and has built a dedicated merchandise following in Japan.

Sandslash Pokemon Kids Sofubi Figure – 1997

A soft vinyl figure of Sandslash from the Pokemon Kids line, dating to 1997. The Pokemon Kids series is a long-running Bandai product line that launched alongside the original Game Boy games as candy toy releases and remains one of the most recognized formats in 1990s Pokemon merchandise.

About This Collection

The Animage cards and the Sandslash sofubi each reflect how anime and gaming merchandise reached fans in Japan during the 1980s and 1990s — through magazine promotions and candy toy lines rather than dedicated retail. The Houchi Shoujo badge pin shows how that tradition of character merchandise has carried into the mobile gaming era.