, also written Pinky Street, are plastic (PET

Polyethylene terephthalate

Polyethylene terephthalate , commonly abbreviated PET, PETE, or the obsolete PETP or PET-P, is a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in synthetic fibers; beverage, food and other liquid containers; thermoforming applications; and engineering resins often in combination...

) figures designed by BabySue and manufactured by the Japanese company Vance Project. Their distinguishing feature is the interchangeable parts

Interchangeable parts

Interchangeable parts are parts that are, for practical purposes, identical. They are made to specifications that ensure that they are so nearly identical that they will fit into any device of the same type. One such part can freely replace another, without any custom fitting...

. The heads, hair styles, clothing and accessories can easily be switched between figures according to taste.

The figures are about 10 cm (4 in) tall and compatible with 1:18 scale

1:18 scale

1:18 scale diecast replicas are diecast replicas in 1:18 scale or 1/18th the size of the real vehicle. Most popular in this category are 1:18 scale diecast automobile replicas - usually made out of zinc alloy with plastic parts...

 dollhouse

Dollhouse

A dollhouse is a toy home, made in miniature. For the last century, dollhouses have primarily been the domain of children but their collection and crafting is also a hobby for many adults. The term dollhouse is common in the United States and Canada...

s, furniture, vehicles and other accessories. Many special edition Pinky:st figures have been produced based on characters from Japanese anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

, manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 and video games.

Beyond the base sets available for purchase, there is an active customization community. Pinky garage kit

Garage kit

A garage kit or resin kit is an assembly scale model kit most commonly cast in polyurethane resin. They are often figures portraying humans or other living creatures. In Japan, kits often depict anime characters, and in the United States depictions of movie monsters are common...

s are also available. Some limited figures are released at Wonder Festival

Wonder Festival

The Tokyo , or for short, is a bi-annual event to display and sell "garage kits", which are sculptures that usually replicate anime and game characters, but also popular mecha/sci-fi characters and creatures. These models are extremely detail oriented, and many of these sculptures appear in very...

, where unofficial mods and garage kits are also unveiled.

Figures

Eight original series of Pinky:St figures have been released between 2003 and 2009. Each series consists of two or three figures with different head and clothes designs, and each figure is assigned a name and code number. For example, the first release was Yoshiko, code number PK001. Series 2 had a set of accessories and two complete figures. A second set of accessories was announced, but its release has been in limbo for over two years. Some series have been re-issued as repaint versions with different colored clothes and hair, and in some cases alternate hairstyles.

In addition to the original releases, there are also many Pinky:St figures designed by BabySue in collaboration with other Japanese artists. Some of these are based on manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 and anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 series like Air Gear

Air Gear

is a shōnen manga written and illustrated by Ito "Oh Great" Ōgure. Air Gear revolves around the life of Itsuki Minami "Ikki", also known as "Baby Face", "Lil Crow", and his friends. The story follows their use of Air Treks, an in-universe invention derived from inline skates...

, Fruits Basket

Fruits Basket

, sometimes abbreviated , is a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Natsuki Takaya. It was serialized in the semi-monthly Japanese magazine Hana to Yume, published by Hakusensha, from 1999 to 2006. The series was also adapted into a 26-episode anime series, directed by Akitaro...

, Gunslinger Girl

Gunslinger Girl

Gunslinger Girl is an ongoing manga by Yu Aida. It first premiered in the November 2002 issue of the monthly shōnen magazine Dengeki Daioh. The chapters are also being published in tankōbon volumes by ASCII Media Works. 13 volumes have been released in Japan as of April 2011...

, Haruhi Suzumiya

Haruhi Suzumiya (franchise)

is the general name for a series of light novels written by Nagaru Tanigawa and illustrated by Noizi Ito which were subsequently adapted into other media. The story follows the title character Haruhi Suzumiya, a high school girl who can unconsciously change reality, and her strange antics with her...

, Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise

The franchise is an umbrella of Japanese media properties generally owned by the anime studio Gainax. It has grossed over 150 billion yen since 1995. The central works of the franchise feature an apocalyptic mecha action story which revolves around the efforts by the paramilitary organization...

, Sakura Wars

Sakura Wars

is a Japanese media franchise created by Ouji Hiroi, and is developed and owned by Sega and licensed by Red Entertainment and Sega. The franchise centers on a series of dramatic fantasy and science-fantasy tactical role-playing adventure video games, which consist of tactical wargame and dating sim...

, Shakugan no Shana

Shakugan no Shana

, also known simply as Shana, is a Japanese light novel series written by Yashichiro Takahashi, with illustrations by Noizi Ito. The series includes 25 novels released between November 2002 and October 2011 published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint...

, Kobato

Kobato

is a manga series by Clamp which premiered in Monthly Sunday Gene-X in January 2005. Seven chapters were released under the title of , but the series was put on hiatus in late 2005. It returned to publication in Newtype magazine's November 2007 Japanese edition; the story has subsequently been...

, and Tenjho Tenge

Tenjho Tenge

is a Japanese manga authored by Ito "Oh! great" Ōgure. The story primarily focuses on the members of the Juken Club and their opposition, the Executive Council, which is the ruling student body of a high school that educates its students in the art of combat...

. A number of figures have been based on video games including King of Fighters

King of Fighters

, officially abbreviated KOF, is a series of fighting games by SNK Playmore . The series was originally developed for SNK's Neo Geo MVS arcade hardware, which served as the main platform for the series until 2004, when SNK retired the MVS in favor of the Atomiswave arcade board...

, Mahoroba Stories, Monster Hunter

Monster Hunter

Monster Hunter is an action game for the PlayStation 2. The game was developed and published by Capcom. Monster Hunter was released in North America on September 21, 2004...

, Space Invaders

Space Invaders

is an arcade video game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, and released in 1978. It was originally manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and was later licensed for production in the United States by the Midway division of Bally. Space Invaders is one of the earliest shooting games and the aim is to...

, Street Fighter

Street Fighter

, commonly abbreviated as SF, is a series of Fighting Games developed in Japan in which the players pit the video games' competitive fighters from around the world, each with his or her own unique fighting style, against one another...

, Tsukihime

Tsukihime

is a Japanese eroge dōjin visual novel game created by Type-Moon, who first released it at the Winter Comiket in December 2000. It was adapted in 2003 into an anime series, Shingetsutan Tsukihime, produced by J.C.Staff and Geneon, and a manga series, which has been serialized since 2004 in...

, and Wild Arms

Wild Arms

is a role-playing game developed by software company Media.Vision and originally released in Japan in 1996 for the Sony PlayStation video game console and was later translated and released in North America in 1997 and Europe in 1998 by Sony Computer Entertainment...

. In South Korea, Pinky:St figures of Avata Star Sue are made.

Other collaborations include artist and designer Range Murata

Range Murata

is a Japanese artist and designer, known for his unique style combining Art Deco and Japanese anime elements. He is best known for his conceptual design work on anime series Last Exile and Blue Submarine No. 6....

, Sanrio

Sanrio

is a Japanese company that designs, licenses and produces products focusing on the kawaii segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts and accessories that are sold worldwide and at specialty brand retail stores in Japan...

 with My Melody and Kuromi, the Post Pet e-mail software and the Japanese fashion brands Mono Comme Ca and Super Lovers. Collaboration with the Choro-Q

Choro-Q

is a series of Japanese 3–4 cm long toy cars, with coil-spring pullback motors, first made by Takara in 1978, and sold extensively in Western markets as Penny Racers....

 line of toy cars has resulted in two Pinky-sized Rabbit Scooters and a Messerschmitt car.

Other Media

Beside the figures there have also been releases of accessory stickers and markers for customizing the Pinkies. A few Pinky:st books were released together with special edition Pinkys. Go! Go! and Acchi Kochi were photo books, while In Town was a book with 3D papercraft backgrounds.

There have also been releases of Pinky:st comic book

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

s, a Drama CD called Showtime, an animation DVD

Original video animation

, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...

, and two Nintendo DS

Nintendo DS

The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...

games; Pinky Street: Kira Kira Music Hour and Pinky Street: Kira Kira Music Night. The CD, DVD and DS games had limited editions packaged with Pinky:St figures. The two games have been released in Europe without the Pinky:St branding under the titles Kira Kira Pop Princess and Pop Town.

External links

• Official Pinky St. Website - Official Japanese homepage
• Vance Project - Manufacturer of Pinky:St
• BabySue - Designer of Pinky:St
• Pinky-Street.com - English Pinky Street reference and fan site