Weekly Review - Crescent Moon Wand

moonkitty.net

The Crescent Moon Wand first appeared in the manga in Act 5 "Makoto - Sailor Jupiter" where it was actually referred to as the Moon Stick (ムーン・スティック - Muun Stikku).
In the anime, it appeared in Episode 25: "Jupiter, the Brawny Girl in Love" (Episode 21 in the U.S.) where it was given to Usagi (Serena) by Luna. It was called the Moonlight Stick in Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (PGSM - live action version of the series) where it first appeared in Act 1.

WikiMoon

Uses: The wand was generally used to purify or heal people by saying "Moon Healing Escalation" in the dubbed version of the anime the phrase was "Moon Healing Activation." In the anime only,  the wand also had powers to detect the "Rainbow Crystals" and would flash when they were nearby. The wand became more powerful once the Silver Crystal (幻の銀水晶 -Maboroshi no Ginzuishou) was added to it. In PGSM it had the same attack as the manga, but the Silver Crystal was never attached to it.

Merchandise:

1992 Bandai Japan:
There were two releases of this wand, Japanese and European. They came with three different colored rings which you could place into the top of the wand. This version of the wand is not as commonly seen as others. Only the packaging is different, the wands themselves are the same.

Requires: Two AA batteries.

Operation: When the button is pressed, it lights up and plays two different types music depending on whether the ring is attached to the wand or not. (Video)

Price: Generally this wand costs about $25-40 loose, the European version sells from $50-90 MIB, and the Japanese version MIB sells from around $70-100.

*** Apparently there is also a Chinese release of this wand, the box looks almost exactly like the Japanese version, but the wand itself has "Bandai Asia 1995" molded into it! ***

1995 Irwin Release:
This version was released by Irwin in Canada and the United States. It comes with one ring which you can place at the top of the wand. It is relatively easy to obtain as it is the most commonly seen version of this wand. It is very similar to the 1992 release, but the ring which attaches to it is different.

Requires: Two AA Batteries.

Operation:  When the button is pressed it lights up and plays the same two tunes the 1992 Japanese release does. (Video) 

Price: $20-50 loose, and $50-100 MIB.

2001 World Version:
This is a 10th Anniversary Special Edition of the wand. It is considered the "most accurate" version by many collectors due to its more rounded crescent shape and the "silver crystal" attached to it instead of the rings in previous versions. It is highly sought after and somewhat rare to find.

Requires: Two AA batteries.

Operation: It lights up and has two buttons to play two different tunes.The first one being different from the other versions, but still relevant to the series, and the second being the same as other versions without the ring in them. (See video here)

Price: This is the most expensive version of this wand. It sells for $130-190 loose, and generally $300-360 MIB. There are a few instances where it has gone much higher.

2003 Bandai Moonlight Stick:
Based on the PGSM live action show, this wand does not come with any form or interpretation of the silver crystal. It can come in two different types of packaging, but they are the same wand. It is unique in that the crescent is a crystal-like gray color rather than the gold in all other versions.

Requires: Two AA batteries.

Operation: Plays two separate tunes different from all other Crescent Wands, it also lights up. (Video)

Price: $30-35 loose, $50-75 MIB.


2011 Italian Re-release:
From the looks of it, this wand may have been made from the same molds as the original 1992 release, but it only comes with one ring. It was highly anticipated by collectors, only to be met with a bit of disappointment due to its lack of features and no cosmetic differences from previous versions.


Requires: Two AA batteries.

Operation: Lights up and... sounds. The downfall of this wand is that the sounds have nothing to do with the show and don't sound good at all, it basically just has a strange beeping noise. Seriously, check out the video.

Price: This wand originally retailed for $21.99 in February 2011. When it sold on eBay soon after buyers in the US generally paid about $35-60 plus international shipping. Prices more recently are usually in the $25-45 range and the wand does not show up very often.

sailormoontoys.com

2001 Sonokong Asia:
This Wand is very strange, according to sailormoontoys.com  this wand plays music from the SuperS (fourth season) wand, yet it looks like they combined elements from the Crescent wand and the Spiral Heart Rod from SMS (third season). It is an officially released Korean wand though! This wand is very uncommon and not really sought after by collectors.

Requires: Two AA(?) batteries.

Operation: The heart piece at the top lights up, and it also plays two sounds depending on which button you push. As previously stated, the sounds played are from the SuperS season, check it out here.

Thanks to msmaria

Price: I don't believe I have ever actually found one of these for sale.

1996 Lip Rod Crescent Wand:
This is a miniature crescent wand which contains a tube of lip gloss released by Irwin America. It is actually quite rare and hard to find.


Price: $30-35 loose. I have not seen it sell still Mint in Package.

GE Animation

2012 Moon Stick Key Chain:
Newly released by GE Animation this year! This is a PVC/rubber key chain.

Price: According to otakufuel.com suggested retail price is $4.99. This may appear in stores like Hot Topic or FYE which are carrying some of the newest merchandise, fans are also finding them at anime conventions for sale.


*All Prices are roughly based on my 2011 and 2012 price guide spreadsheets.

I hope you enjoyed my review! Did I miss anything? Feel free to leave comments and/or review suggestions for the future!

Weekly Review - Disguise Pen

Welcome to the Weekly Review! From now on every Friday I will do a review on an item or set of items from Sailor Moon. Particularly toys, books, clothing, and so on. I will try to provide helpful information and photos, as well as my own thoughts about the item, how desirable it is and how much it has sold for recently.

The first item I would like to Review is the Disguise Pen ( 変装ペン - Hensou Pen), also known as the Luna Pen.

First Appearances:
Manga: Japanese original release Sailor Moon manga Act 2 where Usagi (aka Serena) got it as a arcade prize.

Courtesy of The Oracle

Anime: Episode 3:"Mysterious Sleeping Illness! Protect Girls' Hearts in Love!" where she received it from Luna.

Uses: The pen is used to disguise oneself by saying "Moon Power" or "Disguise Power" and then stating what you'd like to disguise as.

Merchandise:

sailormoontoys.com

Bandai Japan 1992:

Set of three felt tip pens: Based on both the anime and manga, the Disguise Pen for Usagi, the Red for Rei (aka Raye/Sailor Mars) and the Blue for Ami (aka Amy/Sailor Mercury). The Disguise Pen has a pink tip, I am not sure what the colors of the other two are.

I have yet to see the complete set sell, but I have seen just the Disguise Pen from this set sell for $125 on its own.

Personal Image

 Bandai Asia 1992: 

This is the most common version of the pen, and the most collected! There are two released versions of this pen: European and Japanese. They are essentially the same except for the packaging.

Requires: One US N size battery, or Japanese R1.

Operation: It lights up by pressing the clip on the pen.
The pen comes apart into three pieces, the top where the battery is held, the middle part, and the bottom "cap" which is the actual pen.

Price Range: $50-75 loose, $150-175 Mint in Box (MIB). Prices roughly based on 2011 Spreadsheet
I feel the prices this pen sells for are a little high since it only lights up, but it is a lovely item to own.

Fellow Collector's Image

2011 Italian Magazine Release:

This pen came along with an Italian Magazine. It is an actual pen, as an added bonus, the gem at the top of the pen has lip gloss/balm in it!

You can order much of the new Italian merchandise from Muscara.com although it seems that this particular magazine/pen set is no longer available.

GE Animation's Image

2012 GE Animation Key chain:

A rubber/PVC material key chain newly released by GE Animation.

It currently retails for $6.99 but can be purchased through online shops such as Amazon.

It may also appear in stores such as Hot Topic or FYE both of which have been carrying some of the newest released merchandise. 




2011 Italian Luna Pen (Prototype):

SailorMoonWorld.it

In 2011 this image was released by SailorMoonWorld.it  (Italian Sailor Moon website). It was rumored to be a new product coming out last Holiday season, but for some reason production was apparently cancelled (translator at page bottom) along with a few other new releases which were set to come out.

 It seems that another Italian website, curemoon.com has a petition for the merchandise to be produced, but there has been no news otherwise.

Many fans are eager for new toys such as the Luna Pen to be in production again, hoping for improvements on previous release designs and a chance to get something more fun than a key chain in the states. 


As a final note, the Luna/Disguise Pen is also appearing on some new merchandise as a sort of "background" repeated image, as seen on this cute wallet.

I hope you have enjoyed this review! Feel free to leave a comment, suggestions for future reviews are very welcome also!

Picture of the Day

I found this image of a Bonsai tree by Timothy K Hamilton to be very inspiring.  I feel that the image displays a lot of power coming from a very small object. As individuals we can often feel alone, like a small and perhaps insignificant part of the world. However, as individuals we can hold a lot of power in ourselves, and also in numbers. As individuals we have things that we love, this love for various items brings us together and creates a common bond. When we all come together the power of many is stronger than the power of one, we uplift and support each other just as the base of the tree supports everything above it.

I believe tree represents the fan community as a whole, with the single base representing a love for a common theme, in our case that would be Sailor Moon. The first stronger branches are various forms of how we show love as a fan, one of which being collecting. From this branch we progress to smaller branches or “twigs”, these are collections that are more focused, more concise. Finally we reach the leaves of the tree, the individuals who host these collections, there are many of them. They may seem like a small, insignificant part by themselves, but they are part of a much larger group of belonging. The leaves are what bring the most life to the tree, they bask in the warmth of the sun, and they collect the light and contribute to the tree as a whole. After all, what is a fandom without its fans?

About this Blog

Sailor Moon (written by Naoko Takeuchi) was the first manga/anime I fell in love with as a child. I loved that it was a show about a group of teenage girls who fought together using their new-found powers to fight evil and who made friends along the way. In every episode it was the girls who held the power, who had to find the strength in themselves to succeed and to fight for justice. However, the girls were not without their own flaws; they went to school, had arguments amongst themselves and had their own interests and hobbies, as well as their own quirks.The series has led me to study Japanese in college and to learn more about Japanese culture, moreover, I have also gained valuable friendships.


I started collecting Sailor Moon merchandise about ten years ago. I have seen prices change a lot over the years and have learned about many of the products. I watch sites like eBay frequently so that I can keep track of how much items are going for and how frequently they show up. In recent years I have even created spreadsheets containing many of the popular/common items collectors are looking for with any information I can collect about the items, as well as what I have recently seen the items selling for. I am constantly adding any information I can to the spreadsheets, and have plans to make more. Especially with the 20th Anniversary "Revival" of Sailor Moon this year and the many new products which are being released every month!


I hope that this blog will provide a lot of information to fellow collectors (and fans) about various products, both old and new. Even now, I am still finding out about various interesting and rare items which I never knew existed, and can't wait to see what the rest of 2012 will bring to us for new merchandise as well! Also, comments and questions are always encouraged, whether it be about the series in general or specific merchandise. Even if I can't answer your question on my own, I may know someone who can help and will gladly ask them or point you in their direction.