Throwback Thursday - Promotional Kabaya LEGO multipacks

Some very funky sets.

You forgot to include the Star Wars Mini sets including 6963

I remember the Bionicle sets got quite some attention in BZPower back in the day. I can't remember why though.

Ooooh, eyeing up those Rock Raiders alt builds a lot...! I don't know what I'd even do with any of them, but it would be fascinating to see some of those get worked into RR fanfiction sometime, with explanations on what they actually *do* in universe; if only to feel like it's expanding the Rock Raiders' world a bit!

The Ninja and KK alt builds are appealing to me, too... would you be able to share the back-of-the-box alt builds for the Life on Mars pack too, if they had them? I'd be really interested to see what builds they came up with for that theme since it was another big childhood nostalgia one for me ^^

Either way, thanks for showing these; it's fantastic to learn there's content for some of my favourite themes that I didn't know about, even all this time later :D

Also, dang, seeing those sealed Turaga boxes makes me nostalgic... of course those weren't the exact boxes for the regular retail versions of the sets, but it still hits just the right beat to trip that old nostalgic feeling. And just after I'd been fondly reflecting on the early mask packs earlier this morning too...!

I actually found out about Kabaya due to their collabs with another toy company: https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Kabaya

Fun article, but per usual you have basic factual information wrong. The Kabaya co-branding ran from 1997 to 2004. Not 1998 to 2002.

Very few things put more fear into me a collector than the word Kabaya. Outside Japan these are this tend to be hard to find and expensive. Particularity if you're after the box with the addition instructions. These tend to only come from collectors/resellers who know how difficult these are to find outside Japan, making deals very hard to find.

The multi-packs come packaged a couple of different ways. I don't know that all of the various versions have been documented. The same 4 packs or 3 packs came several different ways in addition to being sold individually. The four packs were sold as shrink-wrapped bricks. This is form I have my Knights' Kingdom four pack in. The tin also used to sell the Orient Expedition 3 pack (don't know if it came with a keychain). Ones sold individually would start as being shrink-wrapped. I believe there was an additional from factor for the four packs. I believe these in the form of the cardboard wrapper, but were shrink-wrapped instead. I might be remembering this wrong, so don't quote me on that.

There were also some promotional sets included with Nacchan juice in Japan around that time (I guess 2004-2005 in this case) and I picked up a few. Those were much more basic than these kabaya sets.

@shaase said:
"You forgot to include the Star Wars Mini sets including 6963"

They said the article would include “a selection”, not every single Kabaya set.

I really appreciate the clear images of those alternate models on the back of the boxes. Recently the youtuber R.R. Slugger documented the Rock Raiders alt builds but the Ninja and KKI ones I don't recall having ever seen before online.

I find the Studios one funny though. Outside of that camera cart made with leftover parts the main 'super helicopter' build could be built in the west already because those same four sets came out as boxes in the west with little comics with photo instructions on how to build it at the end. Those were different from what we see here, but it's the same model AFAIK.
So exclusive to see these intstructions, yet the model isn't all that rarely built.

I recall picking up the mini TIE Interceptor set from one of these Kabaya sets from a Japanese grocery store when I was a kid - it was the only one from the line that was a brand new build. After awhile, I remember wanting to grab the Boba Slave I as well, but by that time, I could no longer find it. These were fun little sets, would love to see a similar thing come back!

Aha! Now I know. Spent many hours tracking down those mini Ninja and Castle sets years ago. Some nice little gems there. Did every theme have the suggestion of combining those models? Would like to see them.

Awesome seeing this! Never had access to any store selling Kabaya like at all, but those sets were always very interesting despite their small size.

I am curious about that "exclusive keychain" for the Turaga tin can:
-that keychain (UFO - Techdroid II/Andy Droid) isn't exclusive: It was sold via several Lego Club Magazines from around 1997-2000 as well as in Legoland parks (though often loose, without the polybag) and there probably even some years longer (I think I saw it in Günzburg along the Insectoids ones in late 2002)
-the sticker on the can implies this to be a "mystery item" - was there a small pool of possible keychains to be included here? If so, which were those?

Seeing all these sealed Kabaya boxes made me think about the decades old candies being kept inside these :D

@FlagsNZ said:
" @LusiferSam

I accept the 2004 vs 2002 mistake. But several sources start the Kabaya collaboration in 1998.
https://en.brickimedia.org/wiki/Kabaya
https://brickipedia.fandom.com/wiki/Kabaya"

And several sites (including this one) say 1997. What matters more than a random selection of fan sites say is what the box/instructions say. 2890 and 2892 instructions both say ©1997. Neither 2889 or 2891 have instructions that I can see the copyright mark on online. The copyright date isn't always the year a set was released, but does seem to be the case for the Kabaya sets.

Ya' know, it's always good to see Speed's family getting se...(finger, ear) whatzzat...wrong 'Racers'...but, I thought...well, ok then...:)

That aside, interesting collection of sets; good variety of themes, and really like that bucket.:)

"At that time, the hippopotamus had an image of being “quiet and peace-loving,” perfectly agreeing with the citizens’ feeling of building a peaceful society and hoping for an era in which the hippo's big mouth can eat delicious foods."

And then someone realized they have mouths the size of easy chairs, they have four self-sharpening shortswords for teeth, they're omnivorous, and they kill more people annually than sharks do. I once read about a village that was being terrorized by a male hippo that had decided the water near their docks was its turf. Eventually, for safety, they had to relocate the village quite a ways inland, and just walk the extra distance both ways when they went out fishing each day (sustenance, not pleasure).

Also, I really kinda want that tin can now. Also also, I really kinda want to know if they truly managed to fit four of those boxes inside, or if it's just the inner polybags (which are still printed like regular polybags), because I'm looking at it, and I'm not even seeing how three of the boxes would fit, never mind all four.

@shaase:
I don't think the SW Kabaya sets were ever sold in a multipack. I could be wrong, but a friend of mine happened to be living over there during that promotion, and hooked me up with a TIE Interceptor and two Slave I sets (I skipped the X-Wing because I had the exact same model in old greys from 4484), but he never mentioned a multipack, and I never saw any information regarding one.

@CCC:
Target also had the Darth Vader bust, and two of the TLM2 Brickheadz. Walmart has had a few Creator sets with exclusive retro packaging (one of which had an exclusive instruction booklet you could send away for), plus they've done some weird "send us a pic of your receipt" promos for free sets like the micro yellow castle, or the midi-scale Gasgano's podracer that pairs with the midi-scale podrace diorama.

@ThatBionicleGuy:
I still have a huge shopping back full of around 90 sealed copies of Nuhvok Va, from when Kay*Bee had their court ordered fire sale and marked them down to something like 3 for $5. I bought their entire stock of those Bohrok Va sets, and then just stopped having many uses for the black axle-pins that I bought them for.

@BlackFalconBirdman:
They also did promos with Coca-Cola in Japan. I got the crated six-pack of bottles, which is to date the only set that ever came with trans-clear 1x1 cones. I used two of them to represent the PAB cups in my LEGO Store. It came with an extra, so I still have five of those little guys kicking around somewhere.

@QwikBrix:
While Boba's Slave I used the same general construction as the Jango Fett version from 4487, the TIE Interceptor did get released through TRU a few months later. I can't remember if the X-Wing ever showed up in the US using the new bleys, but the physical design had already been used in a 2-pack. Since it uses some exclusive elements (definitely the printed shell, and at least at time of release, the sand-green lever bases), Boba's Slave I is now the only one of the three that can't be built without parts from an actual Kabaya set, as that one never got reissued anywhere.

@LusiferSam said:
" @FlagsNZ said:
" @LusiferSam

I accept the 2004 vs 2002 mistake. But several sources start the Kabaya collaboration in 1998.
https://en.brickimedia.org/wiki/Kabaya
https://brickipedia.fandom.com/wiki/Kabaya"

And several sites (including this one) say 1997. What matters more than a random selection of fan sites say is what the box/instructions say. 2890 and 2892 instructions both say ©1997. Neither 2889 or 2891 have instructions that I can see the copyright mark on online. The copyright date isn't always the year a set was released, but does seem to be the case for the Kabaya sets. "

Not sure about how trustworthy it is, but the 2008 Collector's guide also list the Caslte 4-pack as being released in 1997.

@Atuin said:
"Not sure about how trustworthy it is, but the 2008 Collector's guide also list the Caslte 4-pack as being released in 1997."

That book and it's second edition has hundreds of errors. I'm not sure I would trust them as a paperweight. They likely got this right, but they likely got their info from Bricklink and/or here.

@PurpleDave said:
[[[[At that time, the hippopotamus had an image of being “quiet and peace-loving,” perfectly agreeing with the citizens’ feeling of building a peaceful society and hoping for an era in which the hippo's big mouth can eat delicious foods.]]

And then someone realized they have mouths the size of easy chairs, they have four self-sharpening shortswords for teeth, they're omnivorous, and they kill more people annually than sharks do. I once read about a village that was being terrorized by a male hippo that had decided the water near their docks was its turf. Eventually, for safety, they had to relocate the village quite a ways inland, and just walk the extra distance both ways when they went out fishing each day (sustenance, not pleasure).

Also, I really kinda want that tin can now. Also also, I really kinda want to know if they truly managed to fit four of those boxes inside, or if it's just the inner polybags (which are still printed like regular polybags), because I'm looking at it, and I'm not even seeing how three of the boxes would fit, never mind all four.

@shaase:
I don't think the SW Kabaya sets were ever sold in a multipack. I could be wrong, but a friend of mine happened to be living over there during that promotion, and hooked me up with a TIE Interceptor and two Slave I sets (I skipped the X-Wing because I had the exact same model in old greys from 4484), but he never mentioned a multipack, and I never saw any information regarding one.

@CCC:
Target also had the Darth Vader bust, and two of the TLM2 Brickheadz. Walmart has had a few Creator sets with exclusive retro packaging (one of which had an exclusive instruction booklet you could send away for), plus they've done some weird "send us a pic of your receipt" promos for free sets like the micro yellow castle, or the midi-scale Gasgano's podracer that pairs with the midi-scale podrace diorama.

@ThatBionicleGuy:
I still have a huge shopping back full of around 90 sealed copies of Nuhvok Va, from when Kay*Bee had their court ordered fire sale and marked them down to something like 3 for $5. I bought their entire stock of those Bohrok Va sets, and then just stopped having many uses for the black axle-pins that I bought them for.

@BlackFalconBirdman:
They also did promos with Coca-Cola in Japan. I got the crated six-pack of bottles, which is to date the only set that ever came with trans-clear 1x1 cones. I used two of them to represent the PAB cups in my LEGO Store. It came with an extra, so I still have five of those little guys kicking around somewhere.

@QwikBrix:
While Boba's Slave I used the same general construction as the Jango Fett version from 4487, the TIE Interceptor did get released through TRU a few months later. I can't remember if the X-Wing ever showed up in the US using the new bleys, but the physical design had already been used in a 2-pack. Since it uses some exclusive elements (definitely the printed shell, and at least at time of release, the sand-green lever bases), Boba's Slave I is now the only one of the three that can't be built without parts from an actual Kabaya set, as that one never got reissued anywhere.]]

oh, interesting. I knew about the Kabaya and some other Japanese exclusives like ANA, but never had the chance to get them when I lived there. I never saw or knew about the CokaCola ones.

@MisterBrickster said:
"I remember the Bionicle sets got quite some attention in BZPower back in the day. I can't remember why though."

BZPower? Wow, that's a throwback.

I don't understand how those Bionicle sets fit in the tin, to be honest.

I was lucky enough to acquire the Star Wars sets. Kept them sealed.

@PurpleDave said:
[[[[At that time, the hippopotamus had an image of being “quiet and peace-loving,” perfectly agreeing with the citizens’ feeling of building a peaceful society and hoping for an era in which the hippo's big mouth can eat delicious foods.]]

And then someone realized they have mouths the size of easy chairs, they have four self-sharpening shortswords for teeth, they're omnivorous, and they kill more people annually than sharks do. I once read about a village that was being terrorized by a male hippo that had decided the water near their docks was its turf. Eventually, for safety, they had to relocate the village quite a ways inland, and just walk the extra distance both ways when they went out fishing each day (sustenance, not pleasure).

Also, I really kinda want that tin can now. Also also, I really kinda want to know if they truly managed to fit four of those boxes inside, or if it's just the inner polybags (which are still printed like regular polybags), because I'm looking at it, and I'm not even seeing how three of the boxes would fit, never mind all four.

@shaase:
I don't think the SW Kabaya sets were ever sold in a multipack. I could be wrong, but a friend of mine happened to be living over there during that promotion, and hooked me up with a TIE Interceptor and two Slave I sets (I skipped the X-Wing because I had the exact same model in old greys from 4484), but he never mentioned a multipack, and I never saw any information regarding one.

@CCC:
Target also had the Darth Vader bust, and two of the TLM2 Brickheadz. Walmart has had a few Creator sets with exclusive retro packaging (one of which had an exclusive instruction booklet you could send away for), plus they've done some weird "send us a pic of your receipt" promos for free sets like the micro yellow castle, or the midi-scale Gasgano's podracer that pairs with the midi-scale podrace diorama.

@ThatBionicleGuy:
I still have a huge shopping back full of around 90 sealed copies of Nuhvok Va, from when Kay*Bee had their court ordered fire sale and marked them down to something like 3 for $5. I bought their entire stock of those Bohrok Va sets, and then just stopped having many uses for the black axle-pins that I bought them for.

@BlackFalconBirdman:
They also did promos with Coca-Cola in Japan. I got the crated six-pack of bottles, which is to date the only set that ever came with trans-clear 1x1 cones. I used two of them to represent the PAB cups in my LEGO Store. It came with an extra, so I still have five of those little guys kicking around somewhere.

@QwikBrix:
While Boba's Slave I used the same general construction as the Jango Fett version from 4487, the TIE Interceptor did get released through TRU a few months later. I can't remember if the X-Wing ever showed up in the US using the new bleys, but the physical design had already been used in a 2-pack. Since it uses some exclusive elements (definitely the printed shell, and at least at time of release, the sand-green lever bases), Boba's Slave I is now the only one of the three that can't be built without parts from an actual Kabaya set, as that one never got reissued anywhere.]]

Yes @PurpleDave the four boxes fit very snuggly into the round can.

@The_Blocks_Collection said:
"Yes @PurpleDave the four boxes fit very snuggly into the round can."

I really want to see that now. Or at least know the specific arrangement needed to make that work. And I kinda feel like that’s the sort of thing someone would do as an interactive display at a public event (“see if you can figure out how to fit them all in this container without smashing any of them”).

@PurpleDave said:
" @The_Blocks_Collection said:
"Yes @PurpleDave the four boxes fit very snuggly into the round can."

I really want to see that now. Or at least know the specific arrangement needed to make that work. And I kinda feel like that’s the sort of thing someone would do as an interactive display at a public event (“see if you can figure out how to fit them all in this container without smashing any of them”)."

Problem with that is that some of them would get smashed anyway, unless you kept a very close eye on the people trying it.

@TheOtherMike said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @The_Blocks_Collection said:
"Yes @PurpleDave the four boxes fit very snuggly into the round can."

I really want to see that now. Or at least know the specific arrangement needed to make that work. And I kinda feel like that’s the sort of thing someone would do as an interactive display at a public event (“see if you can figure out how to fit them all in this container without smashing any of them”)."

Problem with that is that some of them would get smashed anyway, unless you kept a very close eye on the people trying it."

Yes, but there are ways you can shut that down in advance, such as making fake boxes that are identical in size and not something that can be crushed like an empty box. Like, cut a durable material to the same size and print stickers of all the box surfaces and attach them to each face. Or just build box-sized pucks out of four different colors of LEGO brick (and yes, you may have to swing by and completely rebuild them from a can full of loose bricks).