Godzilla

Godzilla first appeared in the 1954 film directed by Ishiro Honda, produced and distributed by Toho as the first film in the Godzilla franchise. The film premiered in Nagoya on 27 October 1954 and went on wide release in Japan on 3 November. Eiji Tsuburaya, who led the special effects, originally proposed a giant octopus before the filmmakers settled on a creature inspired by the dinosaurs. The film and Tsuburaya are widely credited with establishing the template for tokusatsu, and the franchise that followed has been recognised by Guinness World Records as the longest-running film franchise in history.

Seven decades of films have left a deep well of objects behind them. This collection gathers the Godzilla pieces we hold: Showa-era tin toys and Bullmark and Marusan soft vinyl, contemporary sofubi from independent makers, embroidered souvenir jackets, stadium jackets, T-shirts, footwear, prints and display pieces.

In our handling, the maker's mark, the sole stamp on vintage vinyl and the original box are the first details to check. Our Godzilla collecting guide sets out how we read them, and our Lexicon entries on kaiju, sofubi and sukajan explain the terms.

91 pieces