Casio Loopy

Forgotten Games · 1995–1997

Published

Casio My Seal Computer Loopy SV-100 was a Japan-only console with a built-in colour sticker printer. Released in Japan in 1995, the 32-bit cartridge system connected to a television. Its software focused on dress-up, drawing, characters and making stickers. Games could also send selected on-screen images to the printer. The optional Magical Shop captured still images from external audiovisual equipment for editing and printing. FEMICOM records the Loopy as sold between 1995 and 1997.

History

Released in Japan in 1995, the 32-bit cartridge system connected to a television. Its software focused on dress-up, drawing, characters and making stickers. Games could also send selected on-screen images to the printer.

History

The optional Magical Shop captured still images from external audiovisual equipment for editing and printing. FEMICOM records the Loopy as sold between 1995 and 1997.

Significance

The Loopy combined video gaming with physical creativity, allowing players to turn on-screen artwork and characters into printed stickers. Its focus on fashion, illustration and personal expression offered a different direction from the action-oriented console market of the mid-1990s. Its marketing towards girls also reflected an attempt to reach an audience underserved by mainstream console manufacturers. The optional Magical Shop extended the concept beyond games, letting users incorporate images captured from external video equipment into their own sticker designs.

Hardware and Sticker Printing

- Casio’s related patent describes the controller, CPU and printer section within the same housing. - The built-in full-colour thermal printer could turn selected images from games into stickers. - Magical Shop accepted input from equipment such as camcorders and VCRs, capturing still images for editing and printing.

Software and Japanese Release

- FEMICOM lists ten software titles plus Magical Shop, a hardware peripheral with built-in software rather than an eleventh cartridge game. - The catalogue focused on fashion, dress-up, illustration, characters and sticker-making activities. - The Loopy was released only in Japan in October 1995; the exact day remains unresolved. - FEMICOM records the console as sold between 1995 and 1997.

Preservation and Technical Research

- FEMICOM preserves Loopy hardware, packaging and documentation, while the Centre for Computing History preserves console CH46785. - Specialist preservation work has documented BIOS extraction and preliminary Loopy emulation. - The Loopy-Tools repository contains development tools, scripts and hardware information for ongoing technical study. - Ryuji Usami is named as inventor on Casio’s related printer-controller patent, but individual authorship of the retail console is not established. **▶️ Watch Related Video**

Key facts

**Region:** Japan **Associated With:** Casio Computer Co., Ltd. - manufacturer and marketer **Defining Feature:** Built-in full-colour thermal sticker printer **Status:** Discontinued

Region

Japan

Associated With

Casio Computer Co., Ltd. - manufacturer and marketer

Defining Feature

Built-in full-colour thermal sticker printer

Status

Discontinued

Primary Records & Preservation Sources

- **Image Controller Having Printer — US Patent 5,883,611** - **FEMICOM — Japanese Video Game Preservation Archive** - **Centre for Computing History — Casio Loopy Collection**

Image Sources

- **Image 1**.jpg) — Soze.kayser · Licence - **Image 2**.jpg) — Soze.kayser · Licence - **Image 3**

Rights Notice

Images are included for historical and archival reference. Rights holders may contact Forgotten Archive through the publishing account to request a credit correction or removal.

Gallery

Casio Loopy console connected to its purple mouse, with the Magical Shop expansion and a game cartridge fitted.
Source
Credit

Soze.kayser

Licence

CC BY-SA 4.0

See the licence terms for attribution, reuse and any other conditions.

Caption

Casio’s Loopy brought the console, controller, Magical Shop expansion and sticker-printing hardware into one pastel-coloured desktop system.

Viewed on its own, the Loopy’s unusual body placed the cartridge slot and thermal printer beside large, toy-like controls.
Source
Credit

Soze.kayser

Licence

CC BY-SA 4.0

See the licence terms for attribution, reuse and any other conditions.

Caption

Viewed on its own, the Loopy’s unusual body placed the cartridge slot and thermal printer beside large, toy-like controls.

Inside the Loopy, the compact thermal printer occupies almost as much visual space as the game electronics.
Source
Credit

Evan-Amos

Licence

Public domain

This image is recorded as public domain. Its source provides the provenance.

Caption

Inside the Loopy, the compact thermal printer occupies almost as much visual space as the game electronics.