Not a lot of people know about this and I was honestly one of those who were just mindblown after learning about the existence of “Noodle Stoppers” from Japan! This line of figures manufactured by FuRyu was created to help consumers cook their cup noodles by keeping the cup noodles’ lid in place. Here in the Philippines, we usually use a platito (saucer) or a fork for that purpose, but even though it’s not really a necessity, these figures are surely a dream-come-true for anime and gaming series fans. Here’s what we know so far:

I first encountered this while looking for a pasalubong for my sister during my Japan trip in 2019. It was the only Fate/Grand Order Noodle Stopper on the shelf so my sister asked me to get it for her. Not all anime and gaming series have a Noodle Stopper line, though! Popular ones include Vocaloid’s Hatsune Miku, Fate/Grand Order, Touken Ranbu, and Sword Art Online. Based on what I’ve read in Japanese websites, these figures are usually given away as a crane game prize and it’s Japan-exclusive, which makes it harder to find overseas.

Caster Nitocris from Fate/Grand Order only costs 2,376 yen (around Php 1200) when I got it around May last year but according to fans, the price has already increased over the past few months – which explains why we’ve seen figures on Amazon and Ebay over $90! That’s a huge price gap!

What you see outside the box is what you’ll get inside – it’s a one-piece figure with removable Anubis-like ears and staff. Even though you won’t be able to check the quality of the figure inside, the one that I got has spot-on details and it doesn’t easily get damaged. There are super duper small errors in the paint job but it’s not really noticeable. This one has been outside the box for over a year already but it’s still as good as new.

While Noodle Stoppers can be found via Shopee and Lazada, I’d recommend that you buy one through accredited sellers to ensure that what you’ll be receiving isn’t a knockoff. Remember: These are manufactured by FuRyu in Japan and not in any other country!

I’m sure there are more anime or game-inspired figures out there that serve multiple purposes. We’ll be on the lookout for more once this pandemic is over, but for now, you can check back every Monday for more #CesPlays toy features on youtube.com/cesdimalanta for a peek at items in my collection.

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