Welcome to my little web page, which is dedicated to my hobby of collecting toys from Japan. I've been collecting Japanese toys for quite a few years now, and while my focus shifts between different types and genres of toys, I'm still fascinated by it all. This web page is here for me to talk about my collection and some of the things I've learned along the way, and to help other collectors gain information on what's out there. At this time, the site has two major sections, which are:
Sailor Moon - The animated series "Sailor Moon" aired on Japanese TV between 1992 and 1997. This wildly popular "Shoujo" (Magical Girl) anime was a romance/adventure series about a group of young teenage girls in short skirts who are forced to accept their destinies as the saviors of the Universe. The characters have intrigued me since the first time I saw them, and I'm not the only one who got caught up in the show's charm. Sailor Moon has been dubbed into many languages and has been broadcast throughout most of the world. I started collecting some of the toys in 1996. Little did I know that this particular anime is one of the most heavily merchandised series in the history of Japanese TV! A vast number of products exist, and I started a site to help other collectors realize what is out there. I call this section of my site, "The Selling of the Moon Princess - The Toys & Merchandising of Sailor Moon." I stopped collecting Sailor Moon toys in 1999, but the site remains, to help other Sailor Moon fans explore the wealth of merchandise that was produced.
UFO Catcher Toys - Collecting Sailor Moon introduced me to another hobby - collecting prize toys from Japanese crane games and skill games. These small plush toys, figurines and keychains, based on popular animated series' and television shows are actually quite popular with anime and Japanese pop culture fans here in America, and the audience seems to be getting bigger and bigger all the time. My current work in progress is a gallery to showcase what I've come up with so far. Click here to see my Banpresto & Catcher Toy site.
Stay tuned for the progress...