So Crazy Japanese Toys!

So Crazy Japanese Toys!
Author: Jimbo Matison
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Total Pages: 136
Release: 2003-03
Genre: Antiques & Collectibles
ISBN: 9780811835299

"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.

So Crazy Japanese Toys

So Crazy Japanese Toys
Author: Jimbo Matison
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2001-01-01
Genre:
ISBN: 9785558603484

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.

Plastic Culture

Plastic Culture
Author: Woodrow Phoenix
Publisher: Kodansha International
Total Pages: 124
Release: 2006-06-26
Genre: Antiques & Collectibles
ISBN: 9784770030177

In "Plastic Culture", British comics artist and illustrator Woodrow Phoenixxplores our relationship to toys in the twenty-first century, witharticular emphasis on Japan - an exporter of both merchandise and ideas.lastic Toys based on comics, movies and TV shows from "Astro Boy", "Godzilla"nd "Gatchaman", to "Power Rangers", "Sailor Moon" and "Pokemon" have had aowerful effect on the West, and have kick-started trends in design and populture that have crossed from Japan to the West and back East again. Withts blend of incisive analysis and stylish photography, this is a book thatill appeal to a wide range of readers: from those interested in the latestrends in contemporary art, to toy collectors young and old, and to anyoneith an interest in Japan's influence on contemporary pop culture.

So Crazy Japanese Toys!

So Crazy Japanese Toys!
Author: Jim Matison
Publisher:
Total Pages: 122
Release: 2003-01-30
Genre: Antiques & Collectibles
ISBN: 9780756787677

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.

Toys and Design

Toys and Design
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2010
Genre: Toymakers
ISBN: 9780970460837

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.

Super #1 Robot

Super #1 Robot
Author: Matt Alt
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Total Pages: 282
Release: 2005-07-21
Genre: Antiques & Collectibles
ISBN: 9780811846073

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.

Godzilla on My Mind

Godzilla on My Mind
Author: William M. Tsutsui
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2004-10-15
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1403964742

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.

Modern Toys from Japan

Modern Toys from Japan
Author: William C. Gallagher
Publisher: Schiffer Pub Limited
Total Pages: 255
Release: 2005
Genre: Antiques & Collectibles
ISBN: 9780764323133

Known as the "Modern Toy" company from their trademark, the Masudaya Toy Company, Japan's oldest, was started in 1724 and is still in existence. The popular toys they have produced -- including aircraft, boats, cars, trucks, military vehicles, people, household appliances, space exploration, and much more -- depict real life events and have stimulated imaginations for centuries. This outstanding book is the first on Japan's leading toy maker and world-wide exporter. It features over 1200 photos of colourful and charismatic toys, most dating from the 1950s to the 1970s, the "Golden Age" of Japan's leading export. Toys produced into the early 1980s, including those for foreign markets, are included as well. Descriptions for over 1800 toys include their years of production, type of action, size, and current value. This essential reference guide will appeal to specialised and general toy collectors alike.

Clark and Division

Clark and Division
Author: Naomi Hirahara
Publisher: Soho Press
Total Pages: 313
Release: 2021-08-03
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1641292490

A New York Times Best Mystery Novel of 2021 Set in 1944 Chicago, Edgar Award-winner Naomi Hirahara’s eye-opening and poignant new mystery, the story of a young woman searching for the truth about her revered older sister's death, brings to focus the struggles of one Japanese American family released from mass incarceration at Manzanar during World War II. Chicago, 1944: Twenty-year-old Aki Ito and her parents have just been released from Manzanar, where they have been detained by the US government since the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, together with thousands of other Japanese Americans. The life in California the Itos were forced to leave behind is gone; instead, they are being resettled two thousand miles away in Chicago, where Aki’s older sister, Rose, was sent months earlier and moved to the new Japanese American neighborhood near Clark and Division streets. But on the eve of the Ito family’s reunion, Rose is killed by a subway train. Aki, who worshipped her sister, is stunned. Officials are ruling Rose’s death a suicide. Aki cannot believe her perfect, polished, and optimistic sister would end her life. Her instinct tells her there is much more to the story, and she knows she is the only person who could ever learn the truth. Inspired by historical events, Clark and Division infuses an atmospheric and heartbreakingly real crime with rich period details and delicately wrought personal stories Naomi Hirahara has gleaned from thirty years of research and archival work in Japanese American history.

Dave Barry Does Japan

Dave Barry Does Japan
Author: Dave Barry
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Total Pages: 222
Release: 1993
Genre: Humor
ISBN: 0449908100

The award-winning author and syndicated columnist shares his humorous observations on his trip to Japan, sharing his thoughts on culture shock in all its numerous forms--from kabuki to public bathing. Reprint.