Sporting animal ears and stuffed hamster toys, hundreds of young protesters gathered Sunday at Bangkok's Democracy Monument to call for the government's dissolution, the latest subversive show of creativity from the kingdom's nascent pro-democracy movement.

As dozens of police watched, the protesters sang a parody of the theme song for Hamtaro -- a popular Japanese anime character that is a sparkly-eyed hamster -- replacing the lyrics with the refrain "dissolve the parliament".

The demonstrators brought a different mood from a week ago, when thousands of young, black-clad Thais shouted vitriolic anti-government rap songs at the monument.&nbsp;

But the message remains the same, as boom-box wielding Thais started to jog around the monument in an apparent symbolic attempt to show how the kingdom's politics falls into a cycle they wish to break.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/dance-of-democracy-thai-lgbt-activists-rally-for-equal-rights-316108">Also read|&nbsp;Dance of democracy: Thai LGBT activists rally for equal rights</a>

"I want a future where people can fight for democracy," said Bowie, a 27-year-old lawyer who only provided his nickname.

"We need freedom to fight because this government attacks everyone that is not on their side," he said before running to join his fellow protesters.&nbsp;

The kingdom's rambunctious political scene has long been defined by coups and deadly street protests.&nbsp;

Stoked anger 
The current government headed by former army general-turned-premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha is regarded as part of the pro-military royalist establishment.

But a freefalling economy due to the coronavirus epidemic, and the recent disappearance of a pro-democracy activist has stoked the anger of younger internet-savvy Thais who are well-versed in viral movements.&nbsp;

The Hamtaro theme was chosen for its viral potential in other countries, said Jessie, a 19-year-old university student.

Most notably, the jaunty chorus -- "The most delicious thing is sunflower seeds" -- have been changed to "The most delicious thing is the people's taxes".

"They should use our taxes to develop our country," Jessie said.&nbsp;

"We are scared but for us, it is important to start speaking up about it," she told AFP. "We need change right now."&nbsp;

Sunday's gathering was the latest in a string of rallies across the country, displaying a deep well of discontent among young Thais from all walks of life.&nbsp;

The day before, LGBT activists gathered at Democracy Monument to call for marriage equality and demand for Prayut's resignation.&nbsp;

The premier said last week he was "worried" for the parents of the young protesters, and defended keeping the emergency laws in place -- which critics say is a way to erode freedoms.

The kingdom's powerful army chief, General Apirat Kongsompong, called on Friday for all Thais to keep their minds "neutral", especially on social media.&nbsp;

"Although I am the army chief, I speak as a Thai citizen that whatever you do, you will regret it when looking back," he said.&nbsp;

Sporting animal ears and stuffed hamster toys, hundreds of young protesters gathered Sunday at Bangkok's Democracy Monument to call for the government's dissolution, the latest subversive show of creativity from the kingdom's nascent pro-democracy movement.

Sporting animal ears and stuffed hamster toys, hundreds of young protesters gathered Sunday at Bangkok's Democracy Monument to call for the government's dissolution, the latest subversive show of creativity from the kingdom's nascent pro-democracy movement. As dozens of police watched, the protesters sang a parody of the theme song for Hamtaro -- a popular Japanese anime character that is a sparkly-eyed hamster -- replacing the lyrics with the refrain "dissolve the parliament". The demonstrators brought a different mood from a week ago, when thousands of young, black-clad Thais shouted vitriolic anti-government rap songs at the monument. But the message remains the same, as boom-box wielding Thais started to jog around the monument in an apparent symbolic attempt to show how the kingdom's politics falls into a cycle they wish to break. Also read| Dance of democracy: Thai LGBT activists rally for equal rights "I want a future where people can fight for democracy," said Bowie, a 27-year-old lawyer who only provided his nickname. "We need freedom to fight because this government attacks everyone that is not on their side," he said before running to join his fellow protesters. The kingdom's rambunctious political scene has long been defined by coups and deadly street protests. Stoked anger The current government headed by former army general-turned-premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha is regarded as part of the pro-military royalist establishment. But a freefalling economy due to the coronavirus epidemic, and the recent disappearance of a pro-democracy activist has stoked the anger of younger internet-savvy Thais who are well-versed in viral movements. The Hamtaro theme was chosen for its viral potential in other countries, said Jessie, a 19-year-old university student. Most notably, the jaunty chorus -- "The most delicious thing is sunflower seeds" -- have been changed to "The most delicious thing is the people's taxes". "They should use our taxes to develop our country," Jessie said. "We are scared but for us, it is important to start speaking up about it," she told AFP. "We need change right now." Sunday's gathering was the latest in a string of rallies across the country, displaying a deep well of discontent among young Thais from all walks of life. The day before, LGBT activists gathered at Democracy Monument to call for marriage equality and demand for Prayut's resignation. The premier said last week he was "worried" for the parents of the young protesters, and defended keeping the emergency laws in place -- which critics say is a way to erode freedoms. The kingdom's powerful army chief, General Apirat Kongsompong, called on Friday for all Thais to keep their minds "neutral", especially on social media. "Although I am the army chief, I speak as a Thai citizen that whatever you do, you will regret it when looking back," he said.

Thai youths resort to subversive anime in pro-democracy protest

A tiny replica of an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus and a plastic cat squatting on sushi: just two of the weird-and-wonderful capsule toys that have become a multi-million-dollar craze in cute-obsessed Japan.&nbsp;The industry is now worth an estimated 30 billion yen ($265 million), with the fastidious attention to detail in the toys appealing to the Japanese sense of precision along with a well-documented love of all things &quot;kawaii&quot; or cute.

One store, in Tokyo&#39;s famous Akihabara electronics district, is crammed with around 500 capsule toy vending machines stretching out as far as the eye can see.&nbsp;&quot;When I see something I want, I keep on turning the crank until I get it,&quot; said Shota Makita, a 23-year-old careworker on the hunt for a fun toy.

&quot;There&#39;s a sense of excitement about not knowing what I&#39;ll get&quot;, said Makita, one of a growing number of adult consumers of capsule toys, known as &quot;gachagacha&quot; or &quot;gachapon&quot; in Japanese after the cranking sound.&nbsp;Store manager Yo Kono says the customer base has changed in the 16 years the shop has been open.

&quot;At the beginning, visitors were mainly male anime fans... but recently the number of customers is growing with more female visitors and foreign tourists&quot;, Kono said. Capsule toys have been around for more than 40 years but the craze really took off in 2012 when Tokyo-based manufacturer Kitan Club launched its &quot;Koppu no Fuchico&quot; (&quot;Fuchico at the edge of a glass&quot;) product.

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This figurine of a woman wearing a typical office worker&#39;s clothes, whose arms or legs were designed to hang over the edge of a glass, became an instant hit with adults.&nbsp;&quot;We never thought of targeting children. Their numbers are dwindling and adults have more money&quot;, said spokesman Seita Shiki.&nbsp;

Shiki chalks up the Fuchico capsule&#39;s success to the fact it is &quot;cheap and Instagram-worthy&quot;.&nbsp;Fans have been sharing photos of Fuchico on social media, which helped boost its popularity without the company ever needing to advertise, he boasted.&nbsp;

&quot;Fuchico was launched just as social media started to be used widely. It fitted with the times&quot;.&nbsp;Kitan Club, which makes various kinds of capsule toys, saw its sales grow from 800 million yen to 1.2 billion yen after the launch of the Fuchico series.&nbsp;

The capsule toy became so popular that the company was asked to create a pop-up shop at the cult Paris concept store Colette and to hold an exhibition in Taiwan. Now many manufacturers are making capsule toys to appeal to adult consumers, helping to expand the market to around 100 new items each month.&nbsp;Manufacturer Bandai, which occupies around 70 percent of the capsule toy market, said the products sell well because they are expertly made and they come in huge varieties.&nbsp;

When Bandai began making capsule toys exactly 40 years ago in 1977, the majority of them were cheap, sold mostly at 20 yen, and were of poor quality, general manager Toshikazu Saita said.&nbsp;&quot;A wide variety of quality products are available at only 200 or 300 yen. I think that&#39;s a reason why they&#39;re so popular now&quot;, said Saita.&nbsp;

He said the quality of the products was down to specialists who &quot;hand-carve prototypes by paying attention to angles and colours&quot;. &quot;The attention to detail is very Japanese&quot;, he said.&nbsp;But to keep costs down, the actual toys are manufactured in China using the Japanese design as a prototype.

Shiki of Kitan Club agreed that attention to detail was what set Japanese capsule toys apart.&nbsp;&quot;For example, Fuchico&#39;s knees and elbows are slightly sprayed with red paint to make them look real&quot;, he explained.&nbsp;&quot;This adds one extra step but we feel we have to do this&quot; even if it adds to the cost, he added.

It certainly appeals to Nana Sakuma, 26, who snapped up four capsule toys in the shape of Japanese food stalls from machines in the Akihabara store.&nbsp;She said: &quot;I&#39;m really happy to find toys that are so real. When I see real things turned into miniatures, I find them irresistibly cute. I cannot help but buy them&quot;.

&nbsp;

The capsule toy industry is estimated to be worth $265 million in Japan. Tiny ancient sarcophagus and a miniature plastic cat squatting on sushi are new additions to the 'cute' craze

A tiny replica of an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus and a plastic cat squatting on sushi: just two of the weird-and-wonderful capsule toys that have become a multi-million-dollar craze in cute-obsessed Japan. The industry is now worth an estimated 30 billion yen ($265 million), with the fastidious attention to detail in the toys appealing to the Japanese sense of precision along with a well-documented love of all things "kawaii" or cute. One store, in Tokyo's famous Akihabara electronics district, is crammed with around 500 capsule toy vending machines stretching out as far as the eye can see. "When I see something I want, I keep on turning the crank until I get it," said Shota Makita, a 23-year-old careworker on the hunt for a fun toy. "There's a sense of excitement about not knowing what I'll get", said Makita, one of a growing number of adult consumers of capsule toys, known as "gachagacha" or "gachapon" in Japanese after the cranking sound. Store manager Yo Kono says the customer base has changed in the 16 years the shop has been open. "At the beginning, visitors were mainly male anime fans... but recently the number of customers is growing with more female visitors and foreign tourists", Kono said. Capsule toys have been around for more than 40 years but the craze really took off in 2012 when Tokyo-based manufacturer Kitan Club launched its "Koppu no Fuchico" ("Fuchico at the edge of a glass") product. × This figurine of a woman wearing a typical office worker's clothes, whose arms or legs were designed to hang over the edge of a glass, became an instant hit with adults. "We never thought of targeting children. Their numbers are dwindling and adults have more money", said spokesman Seita Shiki. Shiki chalks up the Fuchico capsule's success to the fact it is "cheap and Instagram-worthy". Fans have been sharing photos of Fuchico on social media, which helped boost its popularity without the company ever needing to advertise, he boasted. "Fuchico was launched just as social media started to be used widely. It fitted with the times". Kitan Club, which makes various kinds of capsule toys, saw its sales grow from 800 million yen to 1.2 billion yen after the launch of the Fuchico series. The capsule toy became so popular that the company was asked to create a pop-up shop at the cult Paris concept store Colette and to hold an exhibition in Taiwan. Now many manufacturers are making capsule toys to appeal to adult consumers, helping to expand the market to around 100 new items each month. Manufacturer Bandai, which occupies around 70 percent of the capsule toy market, said the products sell well because they are expertly made and they come in huge varieties. When Bandai began making capsule toys exactly 40 years ago in 1977, the majority of them were cheap, sold mostly at 20 yen, and were of poor quality, general manager Toshikazu Saita said. "A wide variety of quality products are available at only 200 or 300 yen. I think that's a reason why they're so popular now", said Saita. He said the quality of the products was down to specialists who "hand-carve prototypes by paying attention to angles and colours". "The attention to detail is very Japanese", he said. But to keep costs down, the actual toys are manufactured in China using the Japanese design as a prototype. Shiki of Kitan Club agreed that attention to detail was what set Japanese capsule toys apart. "For example, Fuchico's knees and elbows are slightly sprayed with red paint to make them look real", he explained. "This adds one extra step but we feel we have to do this" even if it adds to the cost, he added. It certainly appeals to Nana Sakuma, 26, who snapped up four capsule toys in the shape of Japanese food stalls from machines in the Akihabara store. She said: "I'm really happy to find toys that are so real. When I see real things turned into miniatures, I find them irresistibly cute. I cannot help but buy them".

Weird but cute: Japan's capsule toys play big in Internet age

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Thai youths resort to subversive anime in pro-democracy protest

Weird but cute: Japan's capsule toys play big in Internet age