So Crazy Japanese Toys

"When huge alien spiders or ocean-dwelling mutant dinosaurs visit Earth, hell-bent on destruction, they seem to always stop in Japan first. And now, showcased here in one amazing book, is a cast of totally cool, totally ''sugoi'' creatures culled from the most popular Japanese children's TV shows of the last 40 years. Some of the toys featured here made their debuts in obscure Japanese live-action TV shows from the past 4 decades; others are from widely watched shows that have gained mass popularity around the world, such as Ultraman, Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, & Space Giants. While the TV shows may have come & gone, the toys they inspired live on, a testament to the wild imaginations of their creators"--Publisher's description.

When huge alien spiders or ocean-dwelling mutant dinosaurs hell-bent on destruction decide to pay a visit to humankind, they always seem to stop in Japan first. So Crazy Japanese Toys! showcases a cast of totally cool, totally sugoi creatures culled from the most popular Japanese children's TV shows. From early and obscure Japanese shows to programs that have gained mass popularity around the world--including Ultraman, Space Giants, and Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot--So Crazy Japanese Toys! will delight both casual fans and hardcore aficionados. Readers will encounter rubber-clad superheroes galore, kawaii'n' cuddly characters, high-revving motor heroes, and of course rockin' chicks of both the friend and foe varieties. This book is a must-have for anyone attracted to anime and manga. This isn't mere eye candy--it's a gobstopper.

When huge alien spiders or ocean-dwelling mutant dinosaurs visit Earth, hell-bent on destruction, they seem to always stop in Japan first. And now, showcased here in one amazing book, is a cast of totally cool, totally sugoiÓ creatures culled from the most popular Japanese children's TV shows of the last 40 years. Some of the toys featured here made their debuts in obscure Japanese live-action TV shows from the past 4 decades; others are from widely watched shows that have gained mass popularity around the world, such as Ultraman, Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, & Space Giants. While the TV shows may have come & gone, the toys they inspired live on, a testament to the wild imaginations of their creators. Color photos.

From sushi and karaoke to martial arts and technoware, the currency of made-in-Japan cultural goods has skyrocketed in the global marketplace during the past decade. The globalization of Japanese “cool” is led by youth products: video games, manga (comic books), anime (animation), and cute characters that have fostered kid crazes from Hong Kong to Canada. Examining the crossover traffic between Japan and the United States, Millennial Monstersexplores the global popularity of Japanese youth goods today while it questions the make-up of the fantasies and the capitalistic conditions of the play involved. Arguing that part of the appeal of such dream worlds is the polymorphous perversity with which they scramble identity and character, the author traces the postindustrial milieux from which such fantasies have arisen in postwar Japan and been popularly received in the United States.

Over 270 Japanese-made toys are featured by top notch Japanese toy manufacturer Toplay Ltd., recognized for their T.P.S. trademark. Included are motorized, wind-up, battery-operated, tin, plastic, and platform-base toys; toys for importers including LINEMAR, Cragstan, Frankonia, Rosko, and Mego; as well as authorized editions based on Popeye and Walt Disney*r characters. Information on the Japanese market, manufacturers, trading and import companies, dates of production, patent drawings, dimensions, descriptions, original packaging, price guide, and over 200 Japanese trademarks are included.

Matt Alt describes the best from the 'golden age' of Japanese robot toys, from Mazinger Z to Valkyrie. He introduces the foremost Japanese toy companies and highlights significant developments.

Tsutsui, a lifelong Godzilla fan and historian, takes a lighthearted look at the big, green radioactive lizard, revealing how he was born and how he became a megastar.

Made of beige open-weave jute with colored leather accents, Renate Müller's toy animals and shapes are some of the sweetest, most endearing and simply artistic toys that have ever been made. They were conceived in the early 1960s, as part of an endeavor launched by Helene Haeusler at the Sonneberg Technical College for Toy Design in Germany, and were designed to fulfill the need for large, brightly colored stuffed animals to enhance orthopedic exercises and balance coordination for mentally and physically handicapped children. Müller's toys debuted at the Leipzig Fair in 1967, were tested by psychiatric hospitals and clinics throughout Germany and proved a huge hit. In fact, her alligators and rhinos were so lovable, her fabric bowling pins so beautifully made, her hippos and elephants so comforting, that they quickly became coveted by design buffs worldwide, and they have remained so to this day. In 1990, Müller took over the rights to her designs and continues to hand-produce very limited quantities of these classic designs as well as new designs. Renate Müller: Toys + Design is the first monograph on Müller's work available in the United States. Coinciding with a wave of renewed interest in therapeutic toy design, and with Müller's first solo exhibition, at R 20th Century, this volume inspires and delights in equal measure.