TakaraTomy Arts recently showed off Utamin, a strange looking, rotund creature who basically does just one thing – sing. But Utamin doesn’t just vocalize like you’d think – it works like a theramin. You know, those weird otherworldly sounding instruments used in retro science fiction movies? Just like a theramin, Utamin makes sounds when you place your hand near it. It doesn’t sound or look as cute as an actual Mogwai, but I’ve been having a hard time finding any old Chinese antique dealers to sell me one of them ever since a certain incident back in the 1980s.

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As you can see in the video above, Utamin offers three different song modes: playing “familiar” pre-programmed tunes, “Nori-Nori” rhythm mode, and another mode where you can play any note in the musical scale. I can’t wait for the YouTube vids of people playing the Super Mario Bros. or Star Trek theme on this thing. Two Utamins can also communicate via infrared signals, and sing a little duet.

Utamin will be available in Japan later this month, and sells for ¥3,990 (appx. $51 USD). No word on when you’ll be able to get one here in the states, but I’m sure one of the various gadget importers will eventually bring these creatures across the Pacific. No matter what though, don’t get them wet on the way over.

(UPDATE: Looks like you can order Utamin from Strapya World already.)

Based on the original 1994 Sony PlayStation design, this aluminum case from Takara Tomy Arts is perfect for carrying your business cards. It’s been embossed with the familiar flip-top CD-ROM drive lid, open, power and reset buttons, and the original PlayStation logo. The cases are available in both a traditional PlayStation gray, or a brushed metal finish. As much as I like the brushed metal look, I like the authenticity of the gray one.

At this point, the only place I’ve been able to find these so far is Japan’s NigiShow [JP], but I imagine they’ll turn up soon at global exporter Strapya-World, since I believe they’re the same company. They sell for ¥1000 (appx. $12 USD) each.

Each of TakaraTomy’s Micropets-i miniature desktop robo-playthings has a tiny little mind of its own.

The little animals can chase after a tiny ball or your hand, stroll around any flat surface and avoid obstacles, sing tunes, and even participate in duets when you get two of them together.

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And with names like Custard, Mocha and Pudding, how can you resist these little guys? You’ll want to grab the entire menagerie and let them run amok in your cubicle.

Even if you don’t live in Japan, that’s okay, because the fine folks over at Brando are happy to sell you some Micropets-i critters for $20 (USD) a piece.

I’m not sure what these panda bears are doing with all of my Yen coins, but they appear to be quite happy, and they like to do all sorts of fun tricks on the LCD screen when fed money.

It seems to have something to do with pandas eating pie, and that’s way better than watching a bunch of greedy old white guys in suits flush our money down the drain.

As usual, I’ll bet you that you’ll never see the Panda Bank anywhere but in Japan. But if they ever were to sell these in the States, they should be a mandatory part of Obama’s next major economic stimulus plan.

Just place the bark-sensor collar around your pup’s neck, then grab the wireless controller and the BowLingual Voice will speak on your dog’s behalf. Unfortunately, the Bowlingual Voice only speaks as a Japanese lady at this point – which means that you’ll still have no idea what Scraps is saying unless you have a Japanese-to-English translator. What we really need is a Dog-to-Japanese-to-English translator.

Actually, I have a pretty good idea that Scraps is saying something like “get this damned ridiculous collar off my neck or I’ll bite your ass! How many Yen did you pay for this thing?!?!” Here’s a rather silly video of the device in action in case you or your dog care to watch…

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More info on the BowLingual Voice can be found over at Japan’s TakaraTomy. No word on an updated MeowLingual for your cat, but it can’t be far behind.

The latest in TakaraTomy’s Robo-Q series, these palm-sized Optimus Prime and Bumblebee robots are just too cute to be capable of any real destruction. Now the picture above doesn’t really give you a good idea just how tiny these Transformers are. But this one should…

Each miniature walking robot comes complete with an IR remote control (with built-in robot recharger), and they can be set to operate on different channels so you and a friend can play at the same time. The tiny Robo-Q robots can automatically detect obstacles and navigate through tight corridors using infrared sensors. And while I’ve never seen Bumblebee and Optimus Prime playing soccer, each Robo-Q includes a little ball you can kick around in case you always wanted to play a round of robo-ball.

You can find both Robo-Q Transformers over on Japan’s HimeyaShop for $47.00 each.

[via TFW2005]

These Q-Steer cars from TakaraTomy let drive around using a pocket-size infrared remote control. Each one features the likeness of one of your favorite characters, and they can run on different frequencies so you can race against your friends. There’s even a kit available that includes race track obstacles.

And while this video clip deceptively shows a whole bunch of additional characters including Donkey Kong, Wario, Toadstool and Princess Peach among others, it turns out that all of those other guys in the video aren’t part of the collection (Boo! Hiss!). Still, you should check out the clip to see Mario Q-Steer in action.

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Audiocubes carries the Mario and Luigi versions, but with a little digging over on eBay, you might be able to find the other characters and the race track too.

This Space Invaders piggy bank looks just like a miniature cocktail table version of the classic arcade shooter. The 1/6th scale game has a tiny little version of the game on a built-in LCD screen. Just drop a 100 yen coin (between the size of a nickel and a quarter) into the slotto kick off the fun.

Each coin you drop into the slot adds another alien to the display – all the way up to 80 invaders. It also plays the familiar sounds of the retro classic. My Japanese isn’t very good, but from what I can tell from this press release, you might actually be able to play the game on the tiny LCD screen (please, oh please say it’s true!)

Scheduled for release later this month at a price of ¥5775 /$59 USD, the bank holds just enough to cover its own cost with a little bit to spare. No word on where you might be able to find these stateside, but if you’re willing to read a little Japanese, you can find more info over on the TakaraTomy website.

[via GamOvr]

Takara Tomy and Sanyo put their heads together to create the Flower Rock 2.0, which takes the original concept and infuses it with a new look. Sure, the 2.0 version will dance to your tunes, but it also puts on a light show, thanks to colored LEDs in each of its leaves and petals.

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Just plug the Flower Rock 2.0 into your iPod or other music source, and it’ll get to dancing and grooving. There’s also a built-in 1-watt amp and speaker, so you can listen to your tunes as it gets its funk on.

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Initially available only in Japan, the guys over at Japan Trend Shop are now shipping them worldwide for $77 US each. Sure, that’s a whole lot to pay for a dancing flower that you’ll probably find annoying after a couple of hours, but I know you still want one.

[Flower Rock 2.0]

TakaraTomy’s mysterious looking QFOs are pint-sized remote controlled hovering spacecraft which spin through the sky. A little propeller mounted on the bottom of a lightweight foam body gives the QFO its flight.

Each one comes with a rechargeable battery which provides up to 4 minutes of continuous flight on a 30 minute charge.

In addition to the yellow, blue, red and silver versions, it looks like there’s a retro UFO-style version that’s in the works too.

QFOs are expected to hit stores in Japan this September. I managed to find them available for pre-order over on Amazon JP for just ¥3520 (appx. $32 USD) but it’s doubtful you’ll be able to get these outside of Japan for a while.

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While the QFO homepage isn’t particularly helpful in explaining anything about how these work, it is worth a look for the goofy UFO investigation marketing campaign.

[various tidbits via Digital Gadgets Freak, CScout Japan and Gizmodo Japan]

If you don’t add coins each and every day, the bank will start to vibrate, flash its lights and make sounds once an hour until you pay up. If you don’t get to it in time, BOOM! Coin-tastrophe!

Japanese toymaker TakaraTomy plans on releasing the exploding piggy bank just in time for the New Year, so you can start out 2008 right by keeping your resolution to save more money. It’ll cost about ¥3,000 yen, or about 2,700 pennies if you’re already starting to save up for one.

[Reuters via electro^plankton]

TakaraTomy’s Wonderful Shot camera keeps a visual diary of the happenings in your dog’s life by snapping an image every so often. The camera includes a wireless remote control that lets you take pictures on demand, but I prefer the idea of setting it to automatically snap random shots at a preset interval. The 3.5-megapixel camera can hold about 90 photos in its built-in memory, and can be recharged via a USB docking cable (which just happens to look like a bone.)

So if you’re into spying on your canine companion’s doings, or just want some fun photos from his/her unique perspective, you can pick one up from their CScout’s online shop for $79. I don’t see why you couldn’t strap one of these to your cat either.

The dock features an 18-wheeler that provides a place for your iPod and speakers on its bed. At the front of the truck is a cab that happens to transform into everyone’s favorite transforming Autobot, Optimus Prime. The truck bed and speakers even can be concealed when there’s no iPod in the dock.

So if you’re a Transformers fan, and happen to own an iPod, you can pre-order one of these from Mugen Toys for $149.99. They’ve just started to ship in Japan, so you should be able to get your hands on one any day now.

[via ITmedia +D LifeStyle]

The Healing Theater Umine projects watery blue and green moving images on your ceiling as it plays back digitally recorded sounds of the islands. In addition to a beach setting, the Umime can transport you deep into the rainforest along with chirping birds and a green, leafy light show, or under the sea, swimming with the fishes and a deep blue visual effect.

In addition to the built-in nature sounds, you can hook up your favorite media player and listen to your music as the images play. It also comes with a removable frosted dome that lets keeps the images from reaching the ceiling, instead creating a brighter, point lighting source.

As is always the case with the LED projectors, the effect requires a totally dark room, and probably won’t be quite as dramatic as the marketing image above. Still, it looks pretty cool. The Umine projector is available for pre-order now (shipping mid-August) from HimeyaShop for $84.

These Fuwarito lamps look like the earth and the moon, but are just simple helium-filled mylar balloons with an LED built into the bottom. Each light comes with a two cans of helium gas and weighted base to keep them from floating away. Turn the lights off, and you’ll feel like you’re floating around the galaxy with these hovering planetary bodies. They can be found at Japanese retailer ASCII for ¥3,343 each (about $27 USD.)

All you need to do is add one of those laser star projectors to complete the effect.

The Air Guitar Pro starts out looking like the end of a guitar neck, but that’s where the resemblance ends. The rest of the guitar is nowhere to be found.

You play the Air Guitar by holding your fingers on chord buttons on the fretboard, and then strumming in the air. It works its magic by using infrared sensor in the neck of the guitar to detect your hand motions. While the battery-operated Air Guitar does have a built in speaker, you can also connect it to an external amplifier when you want to crank up the volume.

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In addition to jamming out your own chords, the Air Guitar comes preloaded with ten tracks for beginners to play along with. Among the tunes: Are You Gonna Be My Girl (Jet), Walk This Way (Aerosmith), and Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple) among others.

Importer HimeyaShop is taking pre-orders now for $27 USD, and expects to start shipping them out around July 25.

The TakaraTomy Life Bank One Yen Counter screws on the top of any bottle, and lets you count up your change.

Now keep in mind that a single Japanese Yen coin is worth just a bit less than a penny, so you might not even be able to find a bottle big enough to save up the ¥999 (appx. $8 USD) to pay for the device.

[via plasticbamboo]

The CAUL (Car Action Unit’s Line, whatever that means) Helibot can fly for about 5 minutes on a full battery charge, and can be remotely operated up to 90 feet away using the included 2.4GHz controller.

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The Helibot is available for pre-order now from NCSX Imports for $65.