Sino-Singapore Jingwei, August 9th (Niu Chaoge) "Since my son 'entered the pit' Ultraman card, I have successively spent nearly 2 million yuan to draw the card." In a card game flagship store in Chaoyang, Beijing, I was caught Fan Lei (pseudonym), known as "King of Cards" by customers in the store, told Sino-Singapore Jingwei.
Under the influence of the cartoon Ultraman, many primary and middle school students have become loyal fans of Ultraman cards.
How expensive is it to believe in light?
In the card tour flagship store, customers who came to buy cards made popular science about Sino-Singapore Jingwei. Among Ultraman card enthusiasts, those who spend about 10,000 yuan are considered as general enthusiasts, and those who spend more than 100,000 yuan are considered experts. After spending a total of millions of yuan, it will be called the "King of Cards" in the circle.
Parents who can afford to spend 2 million yuan are rare, but many parents said that the cost of bringing their children to a flagship store is almost 1,000 yuan or more.
Parents spend huge sums of money to buy cards for their children
"(The card package self-service vending machine) has been replenished, and there are 109 remaining packages. The first 9 packages are from the previous batch. We will draw these 9 packages when they are bought." On the 2nd, a shop in R&F Plaza, Chaoyang District, Beijing In the Kayou flagship store, several elementary school students communicated with their parents.
When Sino-Singapore Jingwei visited the store, we noticed that not only were there long queues at the checkout counter, but also a large number of customers were gathered next to the card package self-service vending machine in the Kayou store. Here, blind-box card packages of 10 yuan per package are sold here. Popular IPs such as Terman and Naruto.
Taking Ultraman cards as an example, a card pack can open 8 Ultraman cards, and the characters in the Ultraman cartoons are printed on the cards, as well as the background stories, skills, attack power, defense power, Height, weight and other information; card packs are divided into different series, which can open Ultraman or monsters of different, different shapes and different periods; open cards are divided into SSR, PR, SR, R, etc. 23 There are different rarity levels; and the same rarity cards have different classifications such as horizontal cards, plot cards, and semi-flash cards.
"How many series of Ultraman card packs are there, how many categories and levels of Ultraman cards, and what skill combinations exist between different cards, adults will never understand." Some parents said.
Unable to bear his son's liking, Fan Lei spent nearly 2 million on the Ultraman card.
When asked if he had collected all the Ultraman cards, Fan Lei showed Sino-Singapore Jingwei his Ultraman card collection book and collection box, a thick book filled with a lot of "Golden Shining" Ultraman A collection booklet of cards, and two collection boxes wrapped in black flannel.
Although nearly 2 million yuan has been spent, there are still vacancies in the collection booklet, with one collection box already full and another one-quarter empty.
One of Fan Lei's collections, photo by Niu Chaoge of Sino-Singapore Jingwei
After the conversation, Fan Lei squatted in front of the card package self-service vending machine in the card game shop to pay for the 50 yuan "five consecutive draws", while his son was holding the collection book and circulating it among the children.
"Wow, you actually have this card!" Children in the crowd exclaimed from time to time.
After paying, Fan Lei took out 5 card packs from the card pack self-service vending machine, tore open the packs, and tore off all the 40 cards he had just drawn.
"Didn't come out?" an onlooker customer asked.
"No." Fan Lei replied.
Mr. Zhang, a customer in the store, told Sino-Singapore Jingwei Science and Technology that they wanted to draw USR, which is the signature card in the new series.
"There is always a new Ultraman card that you haven't bought yet." Some fans sighed.
After Fan Lei left the vending machine, Mr. Zhang came with his son.
20 seconds later, five card packs were dropped at the pickup port. After 60 seconds, 38 of the 40 Ultraman cards that were just drawn for 50 yuan were thrown into the trash, and only two were "extraordinarily flickering". The Ultraman card "survived".
"What I threw and what Card King tore were waste cards." Mr. Zhang opened the collection book and said to Sino-Singapore Jingwei.
"I spent more than 4,000 yuan at the card game store yesterday. I don't count how much I spent today (August 2)."
The card abandoned by Fan Lei and Mr. Zhang, taken by Niu Chaoge, New Jingwei
Photo by Niu Chaoge, the new latitude and longitude in the USR picture
Small cards become social currency for primary school students
Parents scan the QR code to pay in front of the card package vending machine. Several elementary school students sit around the table with collection books to communicate. A small Ultraman card has become their "social currency".
"Do you have a half-flash Ultraman Taiga?" "Yes, there are several in the collection book at my house!" "Then can I exchange this card for you?" "Let's add a WeChat , I didn't bring my mobile phone, my WeChat is... you add me."
Several elementary school students turned on their mobile phones and added WeChat familiarly. Many parents told Sino-Singapore Jingwei that their children have made many new friends with the Ultraman card, which is why they spend a lot of money to buy cards for their children. One, and probably the most important reason—to integrate the child into his circle of peers.
Children holding their collection books are changing cards, photo by Niu Chaoge, Zhongxin Jingwei
Some parents said on social media that children make friends by sharing cards, and gain satisfaction and pride by showing high-level cards.
In addition, some parents switch to pirated cards due to the high price of genuine cards. However, for elementary school students, playing pirated cards is tantamount to "cutting themselves out of the social circle".
Ms. Li told Sino-Singapore Jingwei, "In the evening, the children in the community would exchange cards downstairs. In order to make my 4-year-old son friends, I purchased 10 Ultraman card packs for 30 yuan on the second-hand trading platform. , but after a while, a sixth grader told me that the cards I bought were pirated, and my son not only failed to exchange the cards he liked, he was even called a 'shame' because he exchanged pirated cards." Ms. Li said.
Being ridiculed for playing pirated Ultraman cards is not an exception. "Pirated Ultraman cards are cheap, but don't sell pirated ones. My child goes out to play with Ultraman cards and is laughed at by other children as pirated. I broke down and cried in public," said Ren Ying (pseudonym), who has a fifth-grade primary school student.
"There will be differences between pirated and genuine copies. It can be seen at a glance. The texture of the paper, the craftsmanship of the flash card, and even the attack power of the pirated copy will be ridiculously high." Mr. Zhang told Sino-Singapore Jingwei.
How profitable is the company behind it?
Among the Ultraman cards, the explosion rate of high-level cards is obviously not high. Sino-Singapore Jingwei spent 30 yuan to buy three card packs, and issued 24 cards. Only two Ultraman cards are barely considered "no need to tear." drop" level, but not enough to enter the collection.
"I can give you a stack of the two you opened." Mr. Zhang said.
In addition, the same Ultraman card must be collected all nine to be considered a success.
"One page, 9 grids, how beautiful." A customer in the Kayou store told Sino-Singapore Jingwei.
Photo by Niu Chaoge of Xinjingwei in some of the nine grids that have been collected
It is understood that the card package self-service vending machine in the Kayou store can sell 6 different types of card packages at the same time, and the clerk will replenish a box of card packages every time they restock the machine. "There are 100 card packages in a box, and they are out of stock. I have to make it up. I can’t remember how many times I made it up in a day. In addition to card packs, there are also Ultraman card gift boxes for sale in the store. The best-selling gift box is priced at 428 yuan. 16 gift boxes were sold," the clerk said.
According to the official website of Kayou, Kayou has been established since 2018, with Shanghai as the product development and operation center, and Zhejiang as the product production and logistics center.
At present, Kayou products are distributed in 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across the country, with a coverage rate of more than 90%. In addition, according to Kayou official account, as of February 27, 2021, Kayou animation offline traditional channels have covered more than 33 channels The provincial administrative region has more than 300 wholesale channel distributors, covering more than 250,000 physical stores.
According to the official account of Card Games, in 2020, the growth rate of the card game animation market will reach 80%; in 2019 and 2020, the cumulative sales volume will exceed 300 million packs.
In addition to Ultraman, the cooperative IP of Card Games also includes Douluo Dalu, Marvel, Kamen Rider, Youth With You, Harry Potter, QQ Speed, Love Nikki-Dress UP Queen, Disney, Naruto and many other popular IPs.
According to Sino-Singapore Jingwei's understanding, since August, Kayou has been open to join nationwide, and it is currently in the first stage of collecting the willingness to join, and has received more than 200 willingness to join.
"Joining is equivalent to a reduced version of the flagship store. There are flagship stores and franchise stores, except that the area will be smaller. As of August 7, there have been 12 willingness to join in the Beijing area, and there are more than 200 nationwide. Moreover, the willingness to join is increasing every day. Franchisees will definitely choose the best among the best, and limit the number of franchisees. A city like Beijing that has its own flagship store will also require franchisees to keep a distance from the flagship store." Kayou is in charge of joining. Relevant staff said.
What is the joining fee?
Can I make money after joining?
"This month (August), the company has just opened the intention to join, and is in the stage of collecting information. The joining policy has not yet come out. As for the purchase price, there must be a unified national price." The above-mentioned staff said.
In addition to Kayou, another domestic company specializing in Ultraman IP, Huali Technology, has landed on A-shares in June 2021, and Yunyong Holdings, which owns popular IPs such as Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh, has also filed with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Submitted twice.
According to the prospectus of Huali Technology, in 2020, with only one IP card of Ultraman, a revenue of 41.6802 million yuan was created.
Specifically, from 2018 to 2020, the income of animation IP derivatives was 41.6023 million yuan, 65.5866 million yuan, and 68.2190 million yuan respectively; among them, the income of Ultraman image cards was 11.8135 million yuan, 39.9057 million yuan, 41.6802 million yuan.
According to Huali Technology, the sales of the issuer's animation IP derivative products are mainly the sales of animation image cards.
According to media reports, a number of investors close to card games and animation have learned that in 2020, the revenue of card games and animation will be about 3 billion yuan, and the net profit will exceed 1 billion yuan.
In this regard, Sino-Singapore Jingwei called the relevant person in charge of Kayou, but the other party said that it was "unclear".
Expert: Huge expenses not confirmed by parents may be refunded
Why is a small Ultraman card so addicting to children?
"Children are always curious, coupled with the mentality of comparison, when a business promotes a product, children who lack consumer awareness will flock to it." Xiong Bingqi, president of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, said.
Chen Yinjiang, deputy secretary general of the Consumer Rights Protection Law Research Association of the China Law Society, told Sino-Singapore Jingwei that blind boxes such as Ultraman card bags mainly capture the characteristics of young people (including minors) who are too individualistic , deliberately creating some so-called "full set" and "unique" gimmicks to attract young people or minors to blindly buy and consume to achieve their purpose of making huge profits.
Zong Chunshan, a child education expert at the China Family Education Association, has publicly stated that, unlike adults who buy blind boxes, minors are less resistant to such stimuli.
In the face of the novelty of blind boxes, my country has not yet formulated national regulations on the sales of blind box products. It is debatable whether it is appropriate for minors to come into contact with such products prematurely.
"Ultraman cards are mainly aimed at underage teenagers and children. They have no capacity for civil conduct, relatively weak self-control, and are easily induced to consume irrationally. Some teenagers and children invest a lot of money to buy 'Olympics' out of curiosity or blindly following the trend. Terman Blind Box', in the end, it is often impossible to buy goods of corresponding value, and it may even cause waste." Chen Yinjiang said.
Xiong Bingqi believes that parents must fulfill the guardianship and guiding responsibilities of guardians, clearly tell children what can and cannot be bought, and cultivate children's consumption awareness and consumption concept.
Chen Yinjiang pointed out that minors have no capacity for civil conduct or restricted conduct. If they spend a lot of money to buy Ultraman cards without confirmation from their parents, they should be considered invalid, or they should be refunded. Blind box consumption is understandable, but if the amount involved is too high, it may bring many negative impacts to society. In the form of children's toys, it induces minors to pay high fees, but cannot get the value that matches their payment. It is a typical abnormal consumption method, and it is not worth promoting."
According to media reports, Kayou launched the "Kayou Store Sunshine Convention" at its offline direct-operated stores at the end of 2021, which stipulates that customers under the age of 8 must be accompanied by a guardian for all consumption behaviors in the store; For customers over 8 years old but under 18 years old, if a single consumption exceeds 200 yuan, the consent of the guardian must be obtained. If the monthly cumulative consumption exceeds 1,000 yuan, a guardian must be present; during school hours, minors can stay in the store without a guardian for more than 100 hours. For 1.5 hours, you should take the initiative to provide the guardian or school contact information for the staff to confirm the relevant situation.
If it is not available, the staff can kindly persuade them to leave the store.