On Thursday, November 23, 2017, TOMY Company, Ltd., (President & CEO, H. G. Meij; Katsushika City, Tokyo) released Chinese Zodiac ANIA: Year of the Dog (Shiba dog) (Japanese product name: Eto ANIA Inu (Shiba dog)), the third and latest annual release from the hand-held animal action figure brand, ANIA(*1), designed to celebrate the Year of the Dog in 2018. This product will be available at the standard retail price of JPY 600 (8% tax not included) in toy stores and toy sections of department stores/mass retailers in Japan, online stores, some book shops, and Takara Tomy Mall, the company’s official online shopping site: http://takaratomymall.jp/shop/.

　The ANIA Series continues to sell well and just over four years since its launch in June 2013, more than 5.5 million items (including animal sets) have been shipped to 18 countries and regions(*2), including Japan (sales figures as of October 2017).

　Chinese Zodiac ANIA: Year of the Dog (Shiba dog) was launched to celebrate the upcoming Year of the Dog in 2018, according to the Chinese Zodiac calendar. The Chinese Zodiac ANIA Series combines unique Japanese customs relating to the Chinese Zodiac with an ANIA Series motif, and this is the third release in the series, following on from the Year of the Monkey (Japanese Macaque) in 2016, and the Year of the Bird (Happy Owls) in 2017. The Shiba dog breed is said to have been bred in Japan since ancient times as a mountain hunting dog and it was designated as a national “natural monument” in 1936. It is in recognition of the great affection for this Japanese dog breed since ancient times and the fact that the Shiba dog ANIA figure is highly popular in the Pet Series, that the Shiba dog was selected as the motif for this year’s Chinese Zodiac ANIA. The design draws on the natural beauty of the Shiba dog breed, recreating details realistically in a pose that makes you want to pat it, and also enabling a variety of gestures by altering the angle of its movable head.

　This item comes as a set, featuring two figures, a golden folding screen and a red carpet (felt sheet). It can of course be played with, but when displayed it will provide a sense of occasion for the New Year. The set includes a Shiba dog and a miniature Shiba dog in the same coloring, so they can also be played with as if they were a parent and pup.

 This item is also suitable for a New Year gift or souvenir.

　TOMY Company will continue to expand the ANIA Series, planning and releasing a wide range of new products so that the brand becomes recognized and loved by children around the world.

Product Outline

Product Name: Chinese Zodiac ANIA: Year of the Dog (Shiba dog)

   (Japanese product name: Eto ANIA Inu (Shiba dog))

SRP: JPY 600 (tax not included)

Launch date in Japan: Thursday, November 23, 2017

Recommended Age: 3 years and up

Package Contents: 1 Shiba dog, 1 miniature Shiba dog, 1 gold folding screen, 1 red carpet (felt)

Dimensions: Shiba dog  W 16 mm ×H 50mm ×D 60 mm

Miniature Shiba W 15 mm × H 35 mm ×D 26 mm

Sales Target: Annual sales of 1.2 million items for the ANIA Series overall

Sales Channels: Toy stores and toy sections of department stores/mass retailers in Japan, online stores, some book stores, zoos, and TOMY Company’s official shopping site Takara Tomy Mall (http://takaratomymall.jp/shop/)

Copyright: © TOMY

Website:  http://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/ania/

Official Twitter: @toy_ania   （https://twitter.com/toy_ania）

(*1) About the ANIA Series

The ANIA Series was launched in 2013 and features a range of hand-held animal action figures. The figures are designed as a “3D animal picture book” to stimulate intellectual interest in children who want to know more about the types and characteristics of different animals and as items that parents and children can play with together. These toys were created not just for displaying, but were based on the concept of animal action figures to be used and played with. Their hand-held size, moveable action feature and detailed molding have made them extremely popular, and to date more than 5.5 million items have been sold in 18 countries and regions around the world, mainly in Asia and Japan (Total series sales figures: As of October 2017). ANIA Series toys have also received “Guide Dog Mark” certification, as “Accessible-Design Toys” that can be enjoyed by children with visual disabilities.　The Series won the Grand Prize in the Accessible Design Category at the 2013 Japan Toy Awards.

(1) Hand-held size: Designed to fit perfectly in the palm of a child, ANIA Series toys are easy to handle and play with.

(2) Moveable action feature:  All ANIA Series toys feature a moveable part that is characteristic of each animal, for example a lion that opens its mouth, an elephant that sways its trunk, a giraffe that moves its neck, and a lesser panda that moves its tail. Children are able to intuitively understand the characteristic part of each animal and play with them by recreating typical poses, such as a giraffe reaching up to eat leaves from the top of a tree, or a crocodile opening its jaws to catch prey.

(3) Detailed molding: All animals in the ANIA Series are designed without sharp protrusions to ensure safety of play and are shaped to be appealing to children, in addition to which close attention to detail is paid to coloring and molding to recreate the look of the animal’s skin or the feel of its fur, the shape of its limbs and the appearance of its foot pads, etc.

Official website: http://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/ania/

(*2) 18 countries and regions where ANIA brand items are sold:

Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Republic of Korea, The Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, United States, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia.