Keshi

Keshi (Japanese: 消し or ケシ) aka keshigomu (消しゴム, for Keshi Gum) is the Japanese word for eraser. Modern reference to "keshi" is related to a collectible manga/anime character mini figure made of coloured hard gum.

Keshi is a toy genre with Japanese roots but is not limited to Japanese manufacture nor Japanese culture as the keshi were sold and became popular all around the world in the last twenty years, and some keshi lines were made in Europe or in China and exported.

This toy genre appeared in Japan during the 1970s and became increasingly popular. Collectors would paint and expose Ultraman, Fist of the North Star, Dragon Ball, High School! Kimengumi, Dai no Daibouken, Dr. Slump or even Kinnikuman keshis (known as Kinkeshi).

The first keshi exported outside Japan appeared in the late 1970s in Bonux packages, a Procter & Gamble washing powder released in France (and recently introduced in former USSR states such as Ukraine).