CoroCoro Comic Laboratory: 'Heisei Retro' Reaches Today's Elementary Boys. 53.8% Play with Parents' Toys, Top 3 are Famicom, Mini 4WD, and DS
A survey conducted by Shogakukan's 'CoroCoro Comic Laboratory' targeting elementary school boys reveals that 53.8% play with toys from their parents' generation. The top three popular items are the Famicom, Mini 4WD, and Nintendo DS series, with the primary reason being that they can play them together with their family.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 26, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 26, 2026 at 11:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 27, 2026 at 06:29 (18h 57m after Collected)
[CoroCoro Comic Laboratory] https://www.corocorolab.com
Shogakukan Inc. has launched the "CoroCoro Comic Laboratory," a new project that regularly reports and analyzes the real lives of elementary school boys based on data from reader surveys that have been ongoing since the launch of the boys' manga magazine "Monthly CoroCoro Comic" in 1977. Through this project, we will propose and implement various fun and new initiatives that create a "CoroCoro-style chemical reaction" while involving our readers, elementary school boys.
This time, the CoroCoro Comic Laboratory conducted a survey on "Heisei Retro" in the January issue, targeting readers of CoroCoro Comic, mainly elementary school boys. The number of valid responses was 989. We will introduce the results of the survey on experiences playing with toys from their parents' generation, the types of toys flow, and the reasons for playing with them, along with an analysis by Koichi Kobayashi, Director of the CoroCoro Comic Laboratory.
~CoroCoro Comic Laboratory Survey: Fact-finding Survey on 'Heisei Retro' Topics~
- Over half (53.8%) 'sometimes play with toys from their parents' generation'.
- The top 3 toys from the parents' generation played with are: 1st 'Famicom' (13.5%), 2nd 'Mini 4WD' (13.0%), 3rd 'DS Series' (12.7%).
- The number one reason for playing is 'because I can play with my family', followed by 'because the appearance and design are cool/cute', and opinions like 'it's harder than current things, so it gets me fired up'.
- The main trigger for discovering these toys is 'family members' (64.9%) and 'friends' (10.0%), showing it spreads through real-life connections.
Over half (53.8%) 'sometimes play with toys from their parents' generation'
"Heisei Retro" has become a boom among Generation Z and the "Heisei Girls" generation who were elementary and junior high school students during the Heisei era. "Heisei Girls" was nominated for the 2025 New Words and Buzzwords Awards. It is centered around culture that past girls were obsessed with, such as "sticker exchange" and "Tamagotchi". This boom has also spread to current elementary school girls, creating a social phenomenon. On the other hand, we investigated the trend situation of elementary school boys. In the Reiwa era, where you can play games on a single smartphone and all entertainment is instantly available, we investigated whether the wave of Heisei Retro has also reached elementary school boys.
When asked if they ever play with things their parents played with as children among their class and friends, more than 1 in 2 answered "yes". The wave of "Heisei Retro" spreading among "Heisei Girls" and elementary school girls seems to have reached elementary school boys as well.
The top 3 toys from the parents' generation played with are: 1st 'Famicom' (13.5%), 2nd 'Mini 4WD' (13.0%), 3rd 'DS Series' (12.7%)
We asked the respondents who answered "I play with things my family played with when they were children" which toys they play with. As a result, three types exceeded a double-digit percentage of votes. First place was "Famicom" (13.5%), followed by "Mini 4WD" (13.0%) in second, and "DS Series (DS/2DS/3DS, etc.)" (12.7%) in third.
In addition, "Tamagotchi" (8.6%) ranked 4th, and "Beyblade" (7.4%) ranked 5th. Toys that are being revived across generations are biting into the top ranks.
◆ The number one reason for playing is "because I can play with my family", second is "because the appearance and design are cool/cute". There are also opinions like "it's harder than current things, so it gets me fired up"
When asked about the reasons for playing with Heisei toys in a multiple-choice format, the most common was "because I can play with my family" at 24.5%. It seems they are chosen as a means to connect with parents through a common topic, as children can play with a fresh feeling, and the parent generation can enjoy it nostalgically.
Also, from the 2nd place "because the appearance and design are cool/cute" (20.2%) and the 4th place "because I am interested in the era when my family was playing" (10.2%), we can infer that the unique design of old things and an interest in an era they do not know about are having an influence.
From the 5th place "because it's harder than current things, so it gets me fired up" (8.0%) and the 7th place "because it being a little inconvenient is actually new" (5.3%), we can see that taking extra effort or the difficulty of conquering the game is accepted as fresh entertainment.
In other responses, opinions such as "pixels are better" and "having many bugs is actually interesting" were also seen. For the generation accustomed to modern high-definition games, pixel art seems to appear fresh, and they sometimes find bugs amusing. Also, with Beyblade, which is still a popular product today, there were opinions about trying to combine it with the latest versions, such as "I want it to battle the current Beyblades".
◆ The main trigger for discovering these toys is 'family members' (64.9%)
Shogakukan Inc. has launched the "CoroCoro Comic Laboratory," a new project that regularly reports and analyzes the real lives of elementary school boys based on data from reader surveys that have been ongoing since the launch of the boys' manga magazine "Monthly CoroCoro Comic" in 1977. Through this project, we will propose and implement various fun and new initiatives that create a "CoroCoro-style chemical reaction" while involving our readers, elementary school boys.
This time, the CoroCoro Comic Laboratory conducted a survey on "Heisei Retro" in the January issue, targeting readers of CoroCoro Comic, mainly elementary school boys. The number of valid responses was 989. We will introduce the results of the survey on experiences playing with toys from their parents' generation, the types of toys flow, and the reasons for playing with them, along with an analysis by Koichi Kobayashi, Director of the CoroCoro Comic Laboratory.
~CoroCoro Comic Laboratory Survey: Fact-finding Survey on 'Heisei Retro' Topics~
- Over half (53.8%) 'sometimes play with toys from their parents' generation'.
- The top 3 toys from the parents' generation played with are: 1st 'Famicom' (13.5%), 2nd 'Mini 4WD' (13.0%), 3rd 'DS Series' (12.7%).
- The number one reason for playing is 'because I can play with my family', followed by 'because the appearance and design are cool/cute', and opinions like 'it's harder than current things, so it gets me fired up'.
- The main trigger for discovering these toys is 'family members' (64.9%) and 'friends' (10.0%), showing it spreads through real-life connections.
Over half (53.8%) 'sometimes play with toys from their parents' generation'
"Heisei Retro" has become a boom among Generation Z and the "Heisei Girls" generation who were elementary and junior high school students during the Heisei era. "Heisei Girls" was nominated for the 2025 New Words and Buzzwords Awards. It is centered around culture that past girls were obsessed with, such as "sticker exchange" and "Tamagotchi". This boom has also spread to current elementary school girls, creating a social phenomenon. On the other hand, we investigated the trend situation of elementary school boys. In the Reiwa era, where you can play games on a single smartphone and all entertainment is instantly available, we investigated whether the wave of Heisei Retro has also reached elementary school boys.
When asked if they ever play with things their parents played with as children among their class and friends, more than 1 in 2 answered "yes". The wave of "Heisei Retro" spreading among "Heisei Girls" and elementary school girls seems to have reached elementary school boys as well.
The top 3 toys from the parents' generation played with are: 1st 'Famicom' (13.5%), 2nd 'Mini 4WD' (13.0%), 3rd 'DS Series' (12.7%)
We asked the respondents who answered "I play with things my family played with when they were children" which toys they play with. As a result, three types exceeded a double-digit percentage of votes. First place was "Famicom" (13.5%), followed by "Mini 4WD" (13.0%) in second, and "DS Series (DS/2DS/3DS, etc.)" (12.7%) in third.
In addition, "Tamagotchi" (8.6%) ranked 4th, and "Beyblade" (7.4%) ranked 5th. Toys that are being revived across generations are biting into the top ranks.
◆ The number one reason for playing is "because I can play with my family", second is "because the appearance and design are cool/cute". There are also opinions like "it's harder than current things, so it gets me fired up"
When asked about the reasons for playing with Heisei toys in a multiple-choice format, the most common was "because I can play with my family" at 24.5%. It seems they are chosen as a means to connect with parents through a common topic, as children can play with a fresh feeling, and the parent generation can enjoy it nostalgically.
Also, from the 2nd place "because the appearance and design are cool/cute" (20.2%) and the 4th place "because I am interested in the era when my family was playing" (10.2%), we can infer that the unique design of old things and an interest in an era they do not know about are having an influence.
From the 5th place "because it's harder than current things, so it gets me fired up" (8.0%) and the 7th place "because it being a little inconvenient is actually new" (5.3%), we can see that taking extra effort or the difficulty of conquering the game is accepted as fresh entertainment.
In other responses, opinions such as "pixels are better" and "having many bugs is actually interesting" were also seen. For the generation accustomed to modern high-definition games, pixel art seems to appear fresh, and they sometimes find bugs amusing. Also, with Beyblade, which is still a popular product today, there were opinions about trying to combine it with the latest versions, such as "I want it to battle the current Beyblades".
◆ The main trigger for discovering these toys is 'family members' (64.9%)
FAQ
男子小学生の何割が親世代の玩具で遊んでいますか？
『コロコロコミック研究所』の調査によると、男子小学生の過半数である53.8%が親世代の玩具で遊ぶことがあると回答しています。
男子小学生が遊んでいる親世代の玩具トップ3は何ですか？
1位は「ファミコン」（13.5%）、2位は「ミニ四駆」（13.0%）、3位は「DSシリーズ」（12.7％）です。
男子小学生が平成レトロな玩具で遊ぶ理由の1位は何ですか？
1位は「おうちの人と一緒に遊べるから」（24.5％）です。
親世代の玩具を知るきっかけは何が多いですか？
1位は「おうちの人」（64.9%）、2位は「友だち」（10.0%）で、リアルなつながりで広がっています。
『コロコロコミック研究所』とは何ですか？
株式会社小学館が発足した新プロジェクトで、『月刊コロコロコミック』の読者アンケートのデータをもとに、男子小学生の実態を定期レポートおよび分析する機関です。