SUNSTAR, an oral health and beauty conglomerate in Japan, wanted to make the experience of everyday toothbrushing better and more fun, as they believe that this may also make people's lives better and more fun. In order to evolve toothbrushing from "need" to "want," SUNSTAR and PARTY collaborated over two years to develop G·U·M PLAY, an IoT product for toothbrushing.

In October 2015, SUNSTAR revealed the G·U·M PLAY prototype and announced that the product would go on sale in 2016 Spring. On 11th April 2016, SUNSTAR held a press conference and introduced G·U·M PLAY device and features of the smartphone apps.

As scheduled, G·U·M PLAY hit the market in Japan in Spring 2016. On 18th April 2016, the product became available for purchase online and also at TSUTAYA ELECTRONICS in Futakotamagawa, Tokyo. The device is sold for ¥5,000 (approx £32), with silicon covers in 5 color variations (¥500 each) for you to dress up your own G·U·M PLAY just the way you like.