The Expo was packed day after day with over eight hundred thousand guests. It was a very hectic place and over forty-eight thousand children got lost, but what saved them was a fantastic system developed by Minolta.
When children arrived at the Expo, they first got their tickets stamped and then received two patches, which could have one of four different designs. The guessing game of which one they would get was already an exciting event for the children. One patch would go on the child’s chest while the parent would hold onto the other one. If the child was lost, they could find a hostess who would guide them to the information center.
There, they would enter the patch’s number into the computer. The parent would also go to their closest information center and tell them the same number. The computer would then immediately match the numbers and tell them the location. Back then, they also had the very revolutionary video telephone, so they could even video call to talk to each other. This patch system was so great that it was even used at the Osaka Flower Expo in the year 1990. It was truly a futuristic solution for lost children.