Toynami is an American toy company based in

Van Nuys, California Van Nuys ( ) is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Van Nuys City Hall, Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley ...

. Founded in 2000 by George Sohn, Toynami is primarily focused on anime licenses for specialty retailers and collectors in the

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

n market. The company's name is a

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of the words "toy" and "

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". Part of the early driving force that led to the creation of the company was Sohn's interest in producing and releasing modern ''

Macross is a Japanese science fiction mecha anime media franchise/ media mix, created by Studio Nue (most prominently mecha designer, writer and producer Shōji Kawamori) and Artland in 1982. The franchise features a fictional history of Earth and t ...

Valkyrie In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ( or ; from ) is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become ('single fighters' or 'once fighters').Orchard (1997:36) and Li ...

toys, something he spearheaded with Japanese company Yamato Toys while being vice president of Toycom, Yamato's U.S. division at the time. When legal issues arose blocking the non-grey market release of Yamato's ''Macross'' toys in North America, Sohn left Toycom and started Toynami, first acquiring the ''Robotech'' license, which was the catalyst that roadblocked Yamato and Toycom's ''Macross'' toys. Using ''Robotech'' as a starting point, Toynami has since expanded, seeking other primarily anime-based licenses and aiming more towards collectors instead of the mass-market.

Criticism

Toynami's reputation has been mixed since its inception, with the criticism of the company focused on overall quality. In 2001, the company advertised their ''Robotech Masterpiece Collection'' VF-1 Veritech Fighter toys as having approximately 33% diecast content. After several months of delays, the line's first model - VF-1J Rick Hunter - was released in the Summer of 2002, sans the promised diecast metal content as solicited. Other collectors were infuriated when their $3,000 ''Robotech Super Scale'' statues (which stand over 5' tall), were delivered with broken parts and substandard paint quality. Following several complaints from collectors, Toynami issued a recall notice of their ''Robotech Masterpiece Collection'' Maia Shadow Fighter in January 2009. According to the company's statement, a new factory was commissioned to manufacture the toy, which was discovered to not meet quality control standards. Within the 60-day period from the recall notice, Toynami offered a full refund for every unit returned.Robotech.com - Maia Shadow Fighter Recall!, January 20, 2009
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Present licenses

Anime

Bleach Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color from (i.e. to whiten) fabric or fiber (in a process called bleaching) or to disinfect after cleaning. It often refers specifically t ...

(U.S. Market via Harmony Gold USA) *

Naruto ''Naruto'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. T ...

Naruto Shippuden ''Naruto'' is a Japanese anime television series based on Masashi Kishimoto's 1999–2014 manga series ''Naruto''. It follows Naruto Uzumaki, a young orphan ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the l ...

Robotech ''Robotech'' is an American-Japanese science fiction Media franchise, franchise that began with an 85-episode anime television series produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production; it was first released in the United St ...

* Shogun Warriors ( Beast King GoLion and

Armored Fleet Dairugger XV is a mecha anime series aired in Japan from 1982 to 1983 for 56 episodes (52 regular episodes and four recap episodes). In the United States, the series was heavily edited to become part of the '' Voltron'' series. The ''Dairugger'' footage w ...

)

Non-anime

*Acid Rain *The Canmans *

Futurama ''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company and later revived by Comedy Central, and then Hulu. The series follows Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1 ...

*Hello Sanrio *Mameshiba *Skelanimals *So So Happy *UNKL *

SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' is an American animated television series, animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It first aired as a sneak peek after the 1999 Kids' C ...

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...

Past licenses

Anime

* Chobits * Inuyasha * Serial Experiments Lain *

Speed Racer ''Speed Racer'', also known as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuo Yoshida. It was originally serialized in print in Shueisha's 1966 ''Shōnen Book''. It was released in form by Sun Wide Comics and later re-re ...

* Voltron

Non-anime

*The Chop Chops *The Deviants * Dynomutt *

Emily the Strange Emily the Strange is an illustrated fictional character featured in several comic books, graphic novels and in various merchandise and clothing lines. She was created by Rob Reger for his company Cosmic Debris Etc. Inc. located in San Francisco, ...

* Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law * The Herculoids *Precious Miseries * Thundarr the Barbarian

References

{{reflist

External links

Official Toynami Site
Toy companies of the United States Manufacturing companies based in Los Angeles