During the 1950’s and 1960’s, Yoshiya was one of the major toy manufacturers in Japan’s post-war era. The company stayed in business until the 1970s. It was also known as Kobe Yoko Ltd. and produced several friction, wind-up, and battery-powered mechanical toys during their run. Many of their robot toys are now popular with toy… Read More »
Horikawa was one of the most prolific Japanese manufacturers of battery-operated tin toys in the industry after the Second World War. Their brand are recognized by the company’s logo “SH” on their products which includes collectible tin toys such as robots, rocket ships, and space stations. Horikawa was so popular as a toymaker during the… Read More »
Founded in the 1950’s, the company Yonezawa Toys was one of the largest toy manufacturers in Japan during the post-war era. Yonezawa produced thousands of small tin mechanical and battery powered toys until the early ’70s. Their robot toys are known for doing more than just walking. For example, the “Winky” robot walks as its… Read More »
In the original animated series from the Eighties, the number one mission of the “Voltron Force” was to protect the planet Arus from the evil king Zarkon and his force of Ro-beasts. This classic incarnation of with lion Voltron robots was originally based on the 1981 Japanese animated series “Beast King Go Lion” which was… Read More »
When we take a nostalgic trip back in time and revisit some of the classic children toys produced around the world, robot toys manufactured by Louis Marx and Company stand out as undoubtedly the most beloved creations among toy collectors. Marx introduced his toy-line in the 1950’s and 1960’s to capitalize on the space and… Read More »
Like many manufacturers in Japan in the late 1940’s, the company Nomura made a transition towards the tin toy industry after World War II to help reconstruct the economy of their country. Nomura is famous for their tin robot toys such as Tetsujin 28 aka Iron Man and Astro Boy. In addition, coming off the… Read More »
During the early 1970’s, the Japanese toy company Bandai created a toy division called Popy. Although they initially made tin toys such as the Grendizer robot photographed on the left, Popy began to incorporate die-cast metal into their action figure robot toys to reduce production costs during the ’70s. The metal was zinc-based and became… Read More »
If you grew up in the ’80s, you’ll probably remember the classic robot cartoon action series, The Transformers, that ignited the toy robot craze in the United States that fueled the toy and children television industry during that time period. Robot action figures were already popular in Japan, but these toys didn’t capture the attention… Read More »
During the 1950’s, a majority of battery operated motorized wind-up tin robot toys were manufactured outside of the United States by several Japanese toy companies. When these tin toys were exported to the United States, they attracted a lot of interest from American children. Because they were able to cheaply mass produce robot toys for… Read More »
The classic cartoon character Mazinger Z was the main robot hero in the popular classic Japanese animation television show during the 1970’s created by Go Nagai. This was one of the original super robot series that later inspired several other series and toy lines. The popularity of this character is worldwide, especially in Spanish speaking… Read More »