Pac-Man Bank

A yellow Pac-Man Bank.

The Pac-Man Bank (パックマン貯金箱 Pakkuman Chokinbako) was a novelty coin bank created by Tomy in 1974. It is the oldest known incarnation of Pac-Man as a character, predating the Pac-Man video game by several years.

The bank consisted of a spring loaded arm and a mouth that would open and shut. The user had to use skillful timing to fling the coin into Pac-Man's mouth with the arm. The bank is rather small, about the size of a small cup.

These banks were rather popular toys; their popularity led to the release of a board game and a water game several years later. Following the release of the Pac-Man arcade game, Tomy would release a variant of the bank in the United States.

Models

Several models of Pac-Man banks exist. They include:

• Pac-Man Bank - The original, released in 1974. Came in a multitude of colors, the most common being red, green, and yellow. It is referred to as "Je Je" on the packaging in English, and "Pacman" (パックマン, Pakkuman) on the packaging in Japanese.
• BIG PAC MAN - Presumably a larger model. Has a bowtie and an indented head.
• SKÖL! - A red Pacman sitting in a barrel. Seems to involve putting coins into the barrel rather than Pac-Man's mouth. It seems to have a connection to Tomy's similar-looking Pop-Up Pirate board game, but it is unconfirmed if SKÖL has an actual game function or not.
• Tomy Pac Man - U.S. model, released in 1982. For unknown reasons, its design is considerably different than the original Japanese models; featuring raccoon-like eyes and a strange mouth shape.
• Packman - Mid-2000s reprint of the original 1974 model. Came in several new colors.
• Packman Dust Box - Garbage can taking the design of the original bank, where trash is launched into Pac-Man's mouth.
• "Bottlecap" Pacman Bank - The most recent model, from 2013. Stores bottlecaps rather than coins. Appears to have a speaker as well, so it might make sounds.

Connection to Pac-Man

Main article: Tomy#Relation with Namco

As an intellectual property, Pac-Man is most commonly associated with the arcade game of the same name, released in 1980. However, that game was created by Namco, and had no connection to Tomy whatsoever. As to if Namco's Pac-Man was just coincidentally similar to Tomy's Pac-Man, or if there was an intent to "copy" Tomy's toy line, is unclear.

It is believed that Namco and Tomy reached a private settlement over both parties' usage of Pac-Man - with no direct legal action being taken. Tomy seemingly received the exclusive toy rights for the arcade adaption of Pac-Man in Japan - this lasted about 10 years. A similar agreement was made in North America, but it was non-exclusive and only lasted until December 1st, 1983. Meanwhile, Namco continued to release Pac-Man video games until (and past) Tomy's closure in 2006.

Gallery

Several original model banks.

An original model red bank, on top of its box.

Big Pac Man bank.

A Pacman Bank store display, showcasing an original green bank and a "Big" yellow bank.

SKÖL! bank w/ box.

U.S. model.

"Bottlecap" Pacman Bank.

External links

• Operation video