U.S. Toys

Mark Nagata (Assisted by Yo Miyamoto) January 31, 2008

Hiroyuki Tamamizu opened his very first store back in October 1985. But, its name, U.S. Toys, didn’t refer to the United States or even American toys as many overseas collectors might assume. Tamamizu-san merely took the initials of the names of two people who made the investment in his first store and incorporated them into the name of the company. U.S. Toys is known for its retro-style toys or toys that evoke the old vintage soft vinyl toys of the 60s and 70s. Tamamizu-san has been involved in the toy scene for over 20 years and because he attends so many shows people have called him an event addicted, event maniac and event otaku!

One of my current favorite U.S. Toys releases is a giant Kanegon (the money-munching monster from Ultra Q) which stands 14.5 inches tall and has googly eyes. He also features rotating arms so he can be posed with his arms up by his mouth. However, most of the figures U.S. Toys releases are in the mini size or about 4.75 inches tall. Over 15 of them have been released so far with a mini Dodongo and mini Red King (kaiju from Ultraman) as the latest additions to the line-up. Look for a mini Hedorah and a mini Gigan (both from the Godzilla flicks) to be released soon.

When asked about all the mini’s he’s released so far, Tamamizu-san said, “Mini-size series are definitely not money-making items. But, I don’t want to stop making them because I love to see the folks coming to shows with big smiles on their faces when they see them. I would also like to make more characters for the giant-sized series as well. ”

I asked what American things influenced him and he responded, “I like the monsters in the PowerPuff Girls TV cartoon as some of the designs look like Godzilla and Hedorah.” He assumed that some of these artists were inspired by Japanese kaiju, and, of course he is correct. I’d also bet that his toys are inspirations to these artists, too.