11/9/2007

Exploding piggy-bank aims to scare Japanese into saving
AFP, Nov 8 11:19 AM US/Eastern…The “Savings Bomb,” which goes on sale in Japan next week, “explodes” and scatters coins if users fail to save for a long time, toy manufacturer TOMY Co Ltd … designed as a cartoon-style, ball-shaped black bomb with a skull and crossbones logo — lights up, makes a noise, shakes violently and scatters coins if it is not topped up for a long time.
“Users must pick up and collect the scattered coins and reflect on their laziness,” the Japanese company said….

A piggy bank that explodes—Now this is what you can call “negative reinforcement” to the extreme. I reported back in December of 2006 another TOMY piggy bank for the same purpose—so much so AFP is using the same damn piggy bank photo in their report today. Tomy Savings Bomb^TM goes on sale in Japan for 2,922 ¥en ($22 USD).

Past 3Yen report from December 30, 2006
Piggy Bank for the upcoming Year [2007] of the Pig

In The Zone | Japan’s New Way of Saving: The Bank of Life
….[your electronic piggy bank character] starts off living in a very shabby apartment. And as soon as you put money inside the Life Bank, he will slowly earn virtual money in the process. Soon enough, he will move to a bigger apartment, start drinking wine, have a pet, and will even get married in the process…

Throughout asia, the year 2007 is the Year of the Boar (aka pig) so here’s a piggy “Bank of Life” by Tomy –in Japanese called Jinsei Ginko[人生銀行]. The Bank of Life is a game style saving system the works much like the Tamagocchi game also by Takara-Tomy Corporation. The Jinsei Ginko costs 4,980 yen ($42 USD). If that’s not good enough for you, try the
I-PIGGY in which you cab set a target amount. When you hit your daily/weekly target , a loud fanfare sounds and to keep you earning money it has the regular functions of an alarm clock four different wake-up tunes.

Here are some screen shots of the “The Bank of Life” and the road to success.

For about weirdo of Japanese Piggybanks covered on the 3Yen see:
—‘Happy Poo will probably come close to you soon.’

Also check out our sponsorJLIST.com’s online offering for the amazing Golden Cat Poop Bank(Unchi-Neko Coin Bank).