The Chibi Project

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Geocaching Experiment

Subject: Chibi Moon
Series: Sailor Moon
Test Dates: September 15, 2004 - February 6, 2006

Materials:

  • a second Chibi Moon figure
    (this is not the same Chibi Moon featured in our regular tests)
  • a travel bug dog tag
  • geocachers around the world

Testing Procedure

Chibi Moon Travel Bug What is geocaching?

"Geocaching is an entertaining adventure game for gps users. Participating in a cache hunt is a good way to take advantage of the wonderful features and capability of a gps unit. The basic idea is to have individuals and organizations set up caches all over the world and share the locations of these caches on the internet. GPS users can then use the location coordinates to find the caches. Once found, a cache may provide the visitor with a wide variety of rewards. All the visitor is asked to do is if they get something they should try to leave something for the cache."
Source: Geocaching.com

States Visited (in order):

  • Massachusetts
  • Montana
  • Oregon
  • Washington
  • North Dakota *
  • Maryland *
  • Virginia
  • Maryland (again)
  • Illinois
  • Nevada
  • Florida *
  • Location Unknown

About Our Geocaching Experiment

The Chibi Project has created a "Chibi Moon Travel Bug". A "travel bug" is an item with a unique ID number which travels from geocache to geocache, often with a specific goal. The goal of Chibi Moon is to start at a geocache in the Boston area, travel to Japan, and return to the Boston area.

You can track Chibi Moon's progress through this page on Geocaching.com.

UPDATE! - Chibi Moon seems to be lost. She was placed in the Brandon Stroll cache in Florida on February 9, 2006 and has not been seen since. She travelled over 4,500 miles!

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions:

  1. How does she move?
    Anyone with a GPS (Global Positioning System) device can go to the geocache where Chibi Moon is currently located and pick her up. It then becomes their mission to drop her off at another geocache...perferably one closer to the goal (but anywhere is better than nowhere). After they pick her up or drop her off, it is logged on Geocaching.com. After she is logged, the web site updates her page with the distance she has travelled.
  2. Where is she now?
    Check the list above to see where she currently is. If you have an account on Geocaching.com, you can check her page there and it will say if she's currently in a cache (and which one) or if someone has her. The most recent entry will be at the top.
  3. I have her. Can I send a photo?
    People are encouraged to take photos of Chibi Moon as she travels. You can upload them to her travel bug page. (Please make sure the secret ID number on her dog tag is not visible in the photo.)
  4. Can I keep her?
    NO! We ask people not to hold onto her for more than two weeks. If you have her longer than that, we'll start pestering you with e-mails.
  5. Should I remove the dog tag?
    NO! The dog tag has her unique ID number on it that you use to log your find on Geocaching.com. The dog tag must stay with Chibi Moon!
  6. Can I conduct experiments on her myself?
    NO! We conduct experiments on a different Chibi Moon figure. This one is supposed to travel, not be destroyed! The dual purpose is to expose Chibi Project fans to geocaching and entertain geocachers with The Chibi Project.
  7. I picked her up but don't want to do geocaching anymore. Now what?
    Either drop her in any geocache (including back in the one where you found her) and log it on Geocaching.com or contact us and we'll tell you how to mail her back to us...no questions asked. If we have to, we'll even pay the postage just to get her back and start over.
  8. Where did you get this second Chibi Moon?
    It was donated by a fan at Anime Expo 2004. (The black marks on the eyes and initials on the back of the head were there when we got it.)
  9. Do you have more Chibi Moons?
    We only had three. This one for destruction, this one for geocaching, and a third one that we use as our photo model. If this Chibi Moon is lost or stolen, we won't have a replacement and the Geocaching experiment will end.
  10. How do I start geocaching?
    1. Buy a GPS unit. We use the Garmin eTrex GPS which retails for under $100 US. Other GPS units are also available. (You can also use an iPhone or Android with the Geocaching app, but it does not work if you're in a place without cellular data access.)
    2. Sign up to Geocaching.com
    3. Start looking for geocaches near you!

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