'97 Tokyo Toy Show

The 1997 Toy Show was held at Tokyo Big Sight (Tokyo International Exhibition Center) in Ariake, Tokyo, from March 19 to 23 (open to the public on March 22 and 23). Since the show had been held in June until last year at Makuhari Messe (Tokyo Convention Center), I thought that there must be some changes this year, so I spent the morning of the 23rd gathering information at the venue.

Therefore, the following is a list of information and handouts that we were able to gather at the event that we would like to report on.

1. Amada
   
   They were offering a promoid of Ryoko Hirosue to everyone who filled out a survey (but that's not important to me).
   
   Speaking of Amada, the biggest concern is the future development of PP cards. However, there was almost no information on future product development, and Amada's advertisement in the magazine "Card Getter Vol. 3" was even more informative.
   
   In the end, the biggest gain was being able to see the actual 22K gold cards of Sailor Moon, a set of three gold cards offered as a prize for winning the Magical Card System. Mini cards of Space Battleship Yamato and others were also on display, and the exhibit was more of a general overview of past product developments.
   
   Incidentally, mini cards were the predecessor to PP cards, and sometimes had valuable information on the back of the card. If a card with Atari and an imprint on the back came out, you could get an album, which was fun in the same way as a Kamen Rider card.
   
   
2. Tomy
   
   It seems that the main items are railway-related toys (TOMIX) and Pocket Monster-related stuffed animals. I was surprised that the Pikachu stuffed animal was quite large, but it was very cute.
   
   Oh, did I mention that the actual Mach-go was on display? (^^;
   
   
3. Sega
   
   As predicted by Mr. Fish Skin, a well-known Guguzu collector, PICOs were everywhere. I was disappointed that there were no exhibits in particular to see.
   
   
4. Takara
   
   They seemed to be putting the most effort into Jenny. Licca-chan Castle pamphlets, Jenny postcards and the magazine "Jenny '94 Summer (no.19)" were distributed.
   
   Then there was also a Star Wars collection card game (Japanese version, released in April) to play (participants received a starter set (60 cards)), and pamphlets with color photos of rare cards that were distributed.
   
   
5. Tamiya
   
   Mini 4WD was still the main focus. Catalogs and other materials for vendors were available for sale. Visitors were given a handbag containing the pamphlet and a flyer for "Let's Go: THe Movie".
   
   
6. Hobby Japan
   
   The latest cards (Japanese version) for "Magic: The Gathering", which will be released in April or later, were distributed in advance to each visitor. The card I received was "Awe".
   
   
7. Epoch
   
   Jigsaw puzzle-like products and dolls for girls were the main exhibits, and there were no trading card-related exhibits at all.
   
   
8. Reds
   
   Sole distributor in Japan for TMP INTERNATIONAL (brand name: McFARLEN TOYS), which made its breakthrough with SPAWN.
   
   I'm more interested in MARS ATTACKS! than SPAWN, but unfortunately the exhibits were very limited. At any rate, I got a flyer for the movie, and SPAWN's catalog for vendors (English version) and a video for in-store demonstration were on sale for 500 yen each. They may be quite valuable.
   
   
9. Bandai
   
   Together with its affiliate Banpresto, this was probably the booth with the largest number of visitors. The line waiting to enter the booth was not so orderly.
   
   There were many things to see at this booth: Tamagotchi-related items, a lady dressed in a Cutie Honey costume, card dus/gashapon-related items, etc. It took me quite a while just to look around.
   
   There were a variety of handouts, including Carddas Masters SAMPLE cards (Gundam and Evangelion), Pocket Monsters SPECIAL jumbo carddas, Gundam Combat promotional jumbo carddas, the usual Bandai catalog, and the usual toy show flyers. Cutie Honey F carddus announcement flyer, the official rulebook for Carddus Masters G "Super Robot Wars," and much more. This is the most important booth for researchers and collectors.
   
   Also, not to forget, they were already handing out flyers for this summer's performance of Sailor Moon the Musical. I also wondered why "Jungle Empire" is being made into a movie now.