Tag: Takaratomy

There are plenty of remote control options on the market, but they’re all pretty ordinary looking. If you’re looking for something a little different, how about a remote control that looks like a cartoon finger you point at your TV?

Have you ever wanted a Mogwai? You know, those creatures from Gremlins who remain cute and cuddly as long as you don’t expose them to sunlight, feed them after midnight or get them wet? While this new toy from Japan doesn’t really look like a Mogwai, it does sing like one.

A while back, I came across some fun business card holders that looked like classic gaming systems. But for some reason, they didn’t include the original PlayStation in the mix. Fans of the retro PlayStation will be happy to know that they too can hand out their business cards out of a tiny version of their favorite console.

Cuter than a bowl of kittens covered in marshmallows and sprinkles, these little electronic playthings are enough to make me want to puke a rainbow. 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.

New from Japan – home of things too cute and strange to ever make it to American soil, comes TakaraTomy’s latest dose of sugary electronic goodness, the Panda Bank. 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.

Remember the BowLingual? Released in the early 2000’s, the device claimed that it could translate your dog’s barks into phrases and emotions that told you what your dog was thinking, or how it was feeling. Now the BowLingual has gotten a 2009 upgrade, which actually gives your dog a human voice. 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.

Just because you’re a robot in disguise doesn’t mean you have to be huge. These tiny little versions of two popular Transformers autobots prove quite the contrary. 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.

Fresh off the boat from Japan, these miniature remote control cars let you tool around as the characters from Mario Kart. 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.

Space Invaders fans, here’s a fun way to save your spare change – if you happen to live in Japan, that is. This Space Invaders piggy bank looks just like a miniature cocktail table version of the classic arcade shooter.

Back in the late 1980s, a sensation swept the streets of Asia called the “Flower Rock”. The desktop gadget did one thing, and one thing only — it danced to any music that you played near it.

Imagine an army of tiny little UFOs whizzing around your head. Now imagine that you could be the one controlling them. TakaraTomy’s mysterious looking QFOs are pint-sized remote controlled hovering spacecraft which spin through the sky.

Put your cash in this bomb-shaped piggy bank and if you’re not a good saver, you’ll be punished. The electronic piggy bank waits for you to add coins too it every day. If you’re not consistent, it’ll explode, sending coins all over your desktop. 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.

Our friends over at CScout Japan turned me onto this wacky digital camera that straps to your dog’s neck and can automatically snap pictures throughout the course of the doggie day. TakaraTomy’s Wonderful Shot camera keeps a visual diary of the happenings in your dog’s life by snapping an image every so often.

I guess news of this Transformers Optimus Prime iPod dock has been floating around for a few months now, but this is the first time I’ve seen up close photos of this fun compact stereo in action. The dock features an 18-wheeler that provides a place for your iPod and speakers on its bed.

Picture yourself lying on the beach, listening to the crashing waves, soaring seagulls and the squawks of far-off dolphins… Now you can bring a bit of that feeling inside your house, thanks to this new gizmo from Japan’s TakaraTomy. The Healing Theater Umine projects watery blue and green moving images on your ceiling as it plays back digitally recorded sounds of the islands.

Bring the solar system into your living room with these floating lights from Japan’s TakaraTomy. 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.