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These detailed high quality plastic minis come in sets of 10 and were originally intended for children to collect, like trading cards. Series like, "Dreamy American Life" or "Is it Time to Eat Yet?" feature lots of cute mini food or cookware. Some sets offer furniture or decorative items, while others contain mini drug store supplies and cleaning products. Most are in 1:6 scale, but some sets do contain smaller items more suited for mini Blythe and similar size dolls.
If you're lucky enough to have a Japanese grocery store near you, look in the toys/candy/snacks section. You'll find Re-ment sold in the individual boxes for around $3.99. Sometimes you can buy the complete set of 10 in each series, but the price may or may not be discounted. Expect to pay between $37-$50 for a complete, unopened set of 10.
Don't be alarmed if you buy a complete set and find an item not pictured on the outside of the box. Yippy! You've got one of the hard to find "secret" or "special" sets in that series. These can go for quite a bit of change on the Re-ment market! (Ok, maybe $10-12 bucks, but still fun.)
No Japanese grocery in your area? Check out all the great sellers on ebay who carry Re-ment! You can search by just entering the word: "Re-ment" with the dash in middle. You can also try searching under "Barbie Kitchen Littles," as many sellers list these items together since they are similar in size.
Oh, yes, Re-ment is a company located in Japan. You can view their home page at http://www.re-ment.co.jp/index.html.
Be sure to click around their site and you'll find lots of pictures, even a page showing every set released so far. Yes, it's written in Japanese, and no, I can't read it. Honestly, you'll still enjoy it. You can view up-coming sets before they're released and see pictures of how other collectors display their Re-ment.
You won't be able to order directly from the Re-ment home page. Many of us like to order from Hobby Link Japan or Angolz. These are large companies that carry a variety of other product, not just Re-ment. Many collectors find that Ebay sellers are the quickest and best value for them. I recommend both dealers and individual sellers. I've never had a problem so far, and I do buy a lot.
There's a book out now showing almost every set and you can find it on ebay pretty easily, search "Re-ment Book." Original price was 1238 yen, which is around $10-12 USD. Because it's so collectible, and comes with a cool sushi set, the current price of this book varies.
How long has Re-ment been around? I'm not sure, but the first set was released in June of 2002. I don't own this one and would love to have it! It features mini sushi on a sushi board and a lovely set of eel over rice. Yum! My favorite dish.
Many Ebay Re-ment sellers are located in Hong Kong, or other parts of Asia, and you need to understand that shipping costs will be higher than what you're used to paying in the US. Check around before you buy. Be sure the seller combines shipping and gives a fair discount if you're buying multiple sets.
For new buyers it's important to note: if you buy some of the Re-ment cases or cabinets, be aware that they don't come with all the minis you see in the picture on the box. The pictures simply serve as a reference to show what sets will work with the cabinets. This includes the kitchen sink/stove set and the refridgerator.
The older series of Re-ment are harder to find, since they're no longer being produced, and will cost more than current sets. Ebay sellers often call these sets "rare," but be sure you check other sources. Some dealers may have the same item still in stock even if it's no longer being made.
After buying a few sets of Re-ment, don't be surprised if you become hopelessly addicted. To ease the pain, you can chat with other addicts on various chat boards, such as "Rementminis" on Yahoo. There are lots of links there with great information.
I hope you found this short intro to Re-ment interesting and helpful.
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