Toymakers turn to adults to boost sales

By Masato Inoue

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15 Comments

rjd_jr at 07:50 AM JST - 7th October

Cool ideas! Hope to see these neat toys on this side of the Pacific.
TheGreatEscape at 08:07 AM JST - 7th October

rubbish ideas! Hope not to see these apthetic toys in the US for Japanophiles, who have never been to Japan.
Dornier at 08:17 AM JST - 7th October

Take a new product marketed by Sega Toys Co, for example. The ‘‘Home Star Spa,’’ a planetarium for the bath, is priced at 7,140 yen and mainly targeted at 20- to 30-year-old women.

20-30 yo women in Japan are hardly adults. They are still kids
thepro at 08:35 AM JST - 7th October

adult toys eh...

Moderator: The subject is toys for adults, not adult toys. Don't confuse the two.
franz75 at 08:42 AM JST - 7th October

"making the background music inaudible to others except the singer" yeah... almost the same as when I walk by a snackbar. can't hear the music but only a drunk yelling some enka.
borscht at 08:48 AM JST - 7th October

I have one of those individual karaoke portable boxes. The background music is inaudible to others and I can sing to my heart's content. It's also portable. Except I don't call it Hi-Kara. I call mine an iPod.
NuckinFutz at 10:17 AM JST - 7th October

Gee! Now we'll have mindless "can't carry a tune" zombies singing to themselves all over the place, that should really help reduce stress!
moonbeams at 12:58 PM JST - 7th October

The karaoke box is cubic-shaped, weighing about 150 grams, and can be easily carried.

Yes, at 150 grams.
dennis0bauer at 03:06 PM JST - 7th October

I was under the impression that adult toys had a different meaning
timorborder at 03:15 PM JST - 7th October

Reading the leading paragraph of this article, would it be safe to assume that toymakers consider "elementary and junior high school girls" to be adults?
lunach1ck at 06:08 AM JST - 8th October

> Cube Co of Tokyo is marketing the ‘‘Crunching Dog’’ in which a small dog repeats abdominal exercises when linked to a personal computer. >

I have phone video of this toy, but it was flipped upside down and it was called "Humping Dog"
Xennon at 01:15 PM JST - 8th October

borscht,

HAHAHAHAHAHA! Great call!
nikoniko at 05:01 PM JST - 8th October

"When the product is floated on water..." WRONG

CORRECT GRAMMAR: "When product floats on the water, ..."

I saw a CM for this ... my father laughed at it (no offense to the company that is trying to earn money) I thought it was more for a child than the sexy adult woman in the CM. I do not see how using adults or sexual inuendoes will help sell that product.

And if they want to sell it worldwide, better NOT promote it to adults ... to children in the states, they would find it a "cool toy from Japan!! Gotta have one this Christmas!!!"

Heads up on that PRODUCT MARKETING (mho, from one who worked a decade in a worldwide, top 5 marketing company)
nikoniko at 05:02 PM JST - 8th October

"When the product floats on the water" is even better, if you want to lose the "japanesque" feel to the advert.

Good Luck Takara & Sega !
romulus3 at 11:10 PM JST - 8th October

its a great release. young people can sing away their stress alone. singing can relive so much pressure. Great idea.