Toymaker CM's Corporation has revealed a new addition to its "Almost Life-Size" line of figures: the character Gatchan from Akira Toriyama's manga Dr. Slump. In the manga, inventor Senbei Norimaki invents a robot named Arale; later in the manga Norimaki also brings back an egg from a time-traveling trip that hatches to reveal a green-haired, winged, seemingly genderless infant with antenna which they name Gajira, or "Gatchan."

The toy is 400-mm (about 15.75 inches) tall and has an suggested retail price of 9,500 yen (US$110.18). The ad (shown right) lists an August release date; the retailer Hobby Search says it's due to be released in September. Gatchan is the second character to receive CM's Corporation's "Almost Life-Size" treatment — the first being Kodomo no Jikan's protagonist Rin Kokonoe, released in May of 2008.

Toriyama started the Doctor Slump manga in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1980. The series ran for four years and 18 volumes before concluding in 1984. Viz Media has released the entire manga in English. A television anime sries created by Toei Animation launched in 1981 and aired 243 episodes before coming to an end in 1986. A second 74-episode anime ran from 1997 to 1999. 10 anime films have also been made. Harmony Gold dubbed the first episode of the original TV anime into English; however, this pilot was never picked up and the series remains unreleased in North America.