“Calbee Professional Baseball Chips” celebrated its 50th anniversary since its birth. The “professional baseball card” that fascinated children in the Showa, Heisei, and Reiwa eras, as well as adults, will also celebrate a memorable memorial year. In commemoration of this, “Calbee baseball card 50YEARS ANNIVERSARY BOOKis.
“Calbee Professional Baseball Card” is a “children’s cultural heritage” that reflects history!
“Who’s card will come out next time?” Even if you exchange it with friends, collect it, change the name of the era, change the era, the pleasure will not change. That is our “professional baseball chip card” that has fascinated both children and adults for half a century.
Originally, the card was attached to the “Kamen Rider Snack” released in 1971 (Showa 46) as a bonus, and in 1973, the card was also attached to the “Professional Baseball Snack” (at that time). . Speaking of 73 years, it is the year when the giant V9 was achieved, and it is also the last year of Shigeo Nagashima’s active career. Naturally, the memorable “card number one” is Mr. Nagashima with a big smile on the upper right of the cover of this book.
At that time, the popularity of the Giants was at its peak, so the cards were centered on the Giants. It’s hard to believe now, but if you look at the card list of the earliest 1973 Bat cards, 50 out of 91 are Giants players! Furthermore, there is not a single Yakult in the Central League. Was Yakult excluded as a rival company of “food and beverage manufacturers”?
Furthermore, when it comes to the Pacific League, it is surprising that the cards of four teams other than Hankyu Braves and Nankai Hawks do not exist in the first place. Of the 91 tickets, 76 were from the Central League (0 from Yakult) and 15 from the Pacific League (10 from Nankai, 5 from Hankyu)! Children’s love for the Giants at the time and the enormous popularity of ON, as well as the entire baseball world’s overemphasis on the Central League, can be seen here. The “Calbee Baseball Card” is truly a valuable “children’s cultural heritage” that reflects history.
“Calbee Professional Baseball Chips” has already become a “national food”
In this book, there are many nostalgic cards in a chronicle format from the 1970s, the 80s, the 90s, the 2000s, and the 10s onwards. I’m glad that not only the front side of the color photo of the athlete’s majestic figure, but also the commentary on the back side is posted. It’s also fun to take a trip back in time to when you were a child just by picking it up.
At the beginning of the book is an interview with Mr. Tsuyoshi Mitsui, who has been in charge of card development since 2009 for the Potato Chips team at Calbee Marketing Headquarters, titled “Me and Professional Baseball Chips”. , According to it, “professional baseball chips can also be sold in years when the giants are strong.” According to the sales record so far, “sales in 1976 and 1987 were very good.”
Speaking of 1976, it was the season when Director Shigeo Nagashima won his first victory at once from the humiliation of last year’s last place, and 1987 was the year when Director Sadaharu Oh achieved his first victory in the fourth year of his appointment. When Mr. Nagashima and Mr. Wang won their memorable first wins, “professional baseball chips” were sold, and a large number of cards were sold. It is proof that the popularity of the giants and “professional baseball chips” were inextricably linked.
However, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp achieved the long-awaited first victory in 1975, the Yakult Swallows in 1978, and the Kintetsu Buffaloes in 1979. When the team rises, the situation of professional baseball fans after the high economic growth period will change completely. In 1985, the Hanshin Tigers became Japan’s number one team for the first time, sparking “Ferocious Tiger Fever”, and the Seibu Lions, which was born in 1979, built a golden era under Tatsuro Hirooka and Akira Mori. And the “giant era” will come to an end. Every time I turn the page, the circumstances of the baseball world at that time are vividly revived.
Overcoming the life and death crisis to become a standard product for the next generation
With the birth of the J.League in 1993, Calbee also created “J.League Chips.” It quickly became a big hit, and it is said that “Professional Baseball Chips” faced an existential crisis.
For the two years from 1995 to 1996, it was also transferred to Calbee’s affiliate Tokyo Snack. Still, in 1997, when the popularity of “J.League Chips” settled down, “Professional Baseball Chips” returned to Calbee. It will lead the card boom that continues today. During this period, Japanese major leaguers such as Hideo Nomo and Ichiro were born one after another. In 2004, he was also hit by the reorganization of the baseball world. Still, the kids ate potato chips and were obsessed with professional baseball cards. Even if various drastic changes come to the professional baseball world, “Calbee Professional Baseball Chips” will be immortal.
…… Although he speaks loudly and arrogantly, of course everything is second-hand from this book (laughs). “People have history” and “Professional baseball cards have history”. So, how many cards have been issued since 1973? According to Mr. Mitsui mentioned above, “Approximately 20,000 types and 1.8 billion have been issued so far.” A simple calculation means that all Japanese citizens have more than 10 cards per person. It is safe to say that “Calbee Professional Baseball Chips” is a “national food”!
Within Calbee, it is said that this product boasts the second longest history after “Kappa Ebisen” and “Sapporo Potato.” The company’s flagship product and immortal long-selling “Professional Baseball Potato Chips” will continue to develop further as a “national food” that will captivate many children and adults. I’m sure I’m not the only one who desperately wants one. Congratulations, Calbee Pro Baseball Chips, thank you Calbee Pro Baseball Cards!
(Author: Shoichi Hasegawa)
