Wacko the Cockroach: A Toy for Those Who Are Feeling Bugged

Why would 100,000 Japanese shell out 3,612 yen ($28) each to buy a cockroach? Would you believe peace of mind?

The insect, developed by the Iwaya Co. of Japan, is a battery-operated toy whose primary appeal is that the owner can use it as a punching bag to vent his or her frustrations.

It has been marketed for seven months under the name Wacko the Cockroach and has sold briskly in a nation whose citizens aren’t known for throwing money after frivolities and where venting frustration goes against the cultural grain.

Hardly oblivious to the implications, Iwaya is readying the furry little arthropod for U.S. distribution. It should be available in Los Angeles department stores, toy shops, gift shops and airports this spring, priced between $25 and $30.

At first glance, the toy looks like just another stuffed animal, about half the size of a bread box. It comes with a removable mask on which you can draw the face of your worst enemy, your boss or some other object of smoldering resentment. Reattach the mask to the toy, deliver a roundhouse punch and Wacko squawks and hops away on tiny plastic feet.

Furry animals have been marketed for decades, but distributors say Wacko is different.

“It’s a harmless form of revenge,” said Brian Haney, president of the Great American Fun Corp. of Columbus, Ohio, the toy’s largest U.S. distributor.

“There aren’t too many toys that you can hit and they work,” said En-May Chu, a local representative of Iwaya. “Usually if you hit it, it means that it’s going toward the trash. But you get your best reaction if you hit this toy.”

Distributors expect that some parents will buy Wacko the Cockroach for children, but they say most will give it as a gift to friends and business associates.

“I think the major thrust of the cockroach is esoteric,” Haney said. “People like to kill time with really ugly things.”