The Wonderful World of Re-ment

Re-ment is a Japanese company which was founded in 1998 and had very humble beginnings. Their first product was a cell phone strap which had a very lifelike figure of a famous actress on it. Then in 2002 they launched a line of incredibly realistic miniature foods. The rest is history. The new line, called puchi (mini in Japanese) sample series, took Japan by storm creating collectors almost overnight! They are now all over the world with dedicated collectors creating clubs, discussion boards, and trading parties.

The collections are sold in blind assortments meaning that you never know what you will get, only which line (sweets, traditional Japanese, grocery store, convenience foods, etc.) the item will come from. There usually 5 to 12 sets to a series. They even have some "secret" sets which are highly collectible and hard to find. Some have "special color sets" which are the same items but done in different colors, also highly collectible. The fun part of of the blind assortment concept is the excitement of tearing open the boxes to see which you received! It is almost like a birthday or X-mas present! You can also purchase them as a complete set and get them all at once. Oh, and each box contains a piece of Re-ment apple gum! Re-ment has also just released a U.S. line with a "sweets" and a "fun meals" series both of which have the same fantastic detail as their Japanese counterparts! This U.S. launch will open up this wonderful world to a wider American audience.

Each series eventually goes out of production making them true collectors items. Since Re-ment is always creating new series with new concepts, collecting them is highly addictive. Don't despair if you become addicted, though. Despite the incredible quality, they are very reasonable in price.

A simple way to store your Puchi's is to purchase the various pieces of display furniture that Re-ment has been creating. For your cooking series, there is a stove and sink unit as well as a couple of shelving units, one made for plates and cups, and the other with special slide out shelves for your electronic minis (rice cooker, microwave, etc). There is even a fridge for all your convenience foods, beers, and sodas! I know that with my collection, I outgrew the kitchen and needed even more room. Re-ment solved my problem by releasing a dining table set which full meals can be arranged! They also have convenience store coolers and displays, bakery displays, and even department store display units!

Not all of the sample series are about food. They have "lifestyle goods", stationary, cosmetics and cleaning supplies, department store goods, and on and on! They have recently released a students desk which even has a light that works and outlets to plug your appliances into for that added realism and serves as a display for all your stationary goods. Be creative with your displays!

Here on Ebay you can find all sorts of Re-ment puchis for purchase. Most of them come from Honk Kong, and while the shipping is high, you will find most of the dealers very reputable. Do searches under Re-ment, rement, puchi, sample series, miniature japanese foods, etc. There are Ebay stores which sell a huge variety of puchi's, including some out of production series! Please keep in mind that these are NOT toys for children. They have many tiny parts and realistically portray food items! Besides, you don't want the kids to play with them, YOU want to play with them!

A note of caution. There is another Japanese company which has a similar line of minis called Megahouse. Some dealers will use the word Re-ment in the listing to get people looking at their items. Those new to Re-ment may accidently purchase a megahouse item. Look very carefully at the item picture. If there is a box in the pic, look for the re-ment name in the upper corner area. While Megahouse products are fine, I prefer Re-ment by FAR. The details and wide assortment of themes make Re-ment #1.

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