Bandai America Leads Cultural Wave as Japanese Entertainment and Style Gain Prominence in American Market

Bandai America Leads Cultural Wave as Japanese Entertainment and Style Gain Prominence in American Market

Japanese Influence Permeates Toy Industry With Sleek Designs and Bold Attitude

CYPRESS, Calif., Feb. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- As U.S. toymakers prepare to unveil their latest offerings at the American International Toy Fair in New York City, one trend is evident -- Japanese-influenced properties and designs are all the rage. Nearly every major toy manufacturer has a brand that can be traced back to the land of the rising sun -- or has been heavily influenced by Japanese culture and "anime" -- the term for the distinct form of animation from that nation.

A prime example of this trend is the ongoing popularity of the Power Rangers franchise, the colorful taskforce of teen do-gooders that is now entering its 13th year in the United States. However, the Power Rangers brand has been a top toy and entertainment property in Japan and overseas for more than 25 years. In 1975, "Himitsu Sentai Goranger!" first premiered on Japanese television and started the Power Rangers craze. Eighteen years later, Haim Saban imported the show for American audiences, replacing the scenes of Japanese actors with a cast as ethnically diverse as the colors of their uniforms. Today, the Power Rangers toyline consistently tops the sales charts, with enough action figures for two out of three U.S. households to own the popular toys.

Bandai America Incorporated, which not only produces toys for Power Rangers, but also the popular Teen Titans, Gundam, Tamagotchi and Strawberry Shortcake properties in the United States, is more than happy to quench American audiences' thirst for this recent cultural explosion. "Power Rangers is a proven phenomenon in this country because the toys and the TV show work together to translate the brand's theme of teamwork and good versus evil," said Bill Beebe, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Bandai America Inc.

"We introduced the Gundam action figure model kits in the United States six years ago, and together with the animated TV series on Cartoon Network, Gundam consistently finds new die hard fans in this country who carefully follow the brand's intricate and dramatic storyline each season," said Sandra Leo of Bandai America Inc.

Additionally, Warner Bros. recent animated hit, Teen Titans(TM), perfectly illustrates the creative influence Japan is having on American pop culture. With a writing and design staff that grew up watching anime and reading "manga" (the Japanese term for comic books), the show takes a group of distinctly American superheroes and gives them a new twist. Now characters such as Robin and Beast Boy go into "super-deformed" mode when excited, and the action is frenetic and stylized. Even the theme song is performed by the Japanese pop duo Puffy Ami Yumi, who have also been given their own animated series here in the U.S.

"Nowhere in American culture is the Japanese influence more apparent than in the toy aisles," said Zach Oat, editor of ToyFare magazine, a popular toy journal with collectors and industry professionals. "The animated properties that get toy lines are often Japanese, and many of the American properties are strongly influenced by anime -- 'Teen Titans' is a good example. Even the way figures are made is influenced by Japan."

Bandai America's Power Rangers SPD (Space Patrol Delta), Teen Titans and Gundam Seed toylines will all be on display at this year's American International Toy Fair in New York City from February 20-23, 2005. For more information, please visit http://www.bandai.com/.

About Bandai America Incorporated

Bandai America Incorporated is a subsidiary of Bandai Co. Ltd., the third largest toy company in the world, with 30 subsidiaries in 13 countries worldwide. Global interests include toys and children's entertainment, video game software, multimedia, music, full-length feature films, vending machines, trading cards, candies and licensed apparel.

Bandai America Incorporated is the master toy licensee of some of the most popular properties and brands in children's toys and entertainment, including the Power Rangers, D.I.C.E., Teen Titans, Strawberry Shortcake and Tamagotchi product lines. Bandai America is headquartered in Cypress, California and company information is available at www.Bandai.com.


Source: Bandai America Incorporated

CONTACT: Angela Fernandez, +1-310-552-4154, afernandez@rogersassoc.com,
or Cliff Jin, +1-310-552-4105, cjin@rogersassoc.com, both of Rogers &
Associates, for Bandai America Incorporated

Web site: http://www.bandai.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: Visuals & interviews available upon request.

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