Global toy industry stalwart TOMY Corporation today announced they will be introducing Japan’s number one selling die-cast car and train set brand to North America this September. TOMICA has been the most popular and dependable toy car system line in Japan for the past 40 years, and is celebrating this grand milestone with a move to North America.

“We chose the well-respected TOMICA line to essentially re-awaken our North American toy presence,” said Mark Shinohara, executive vice president and COO at TOMY Corporation. “It is important for us to carve a new niche in the North American market with a product that has truly left its mark in Japan. The TOMICA line has experienced massive mainstream success, and we’re thrilled to bring such a widely loved property to a whole new audience.”

TOMY Corporation has partnered with a leading national toy retailer for the first year, offering patrons exclusive access to the product line. Released in the initial launch will be seven die cast cars, three train sets, six accessory sets, six destination sets and five deluxe play sets. All elements of the line can be merged together to create a TOMICA city with limitless building and exploration opportunities for kids.

Players can build a Hypercity to protect and serve with a fire station, rescue with police headquarters and three rescue train liners fully equipped for an emergency, and drive TOMICA cars officially licensed from Toyota, Nissan and Suzuki. If players have car trouble or need to fill up, they can drive into the TOMICA repair garage or gas station. As an added bonus, the TOMICA car and train system features a robust combination of auto- and locomotive play, teaching kids the rules of the road, and helping them expand their imaginations with massive building potential.

In this US launch, Tomica will be offering seven die cast car models, three train sets, six accessory sets, six destination sets and five deluxe play sets ranging from $4.99 to $79.99. For more information regarding TOMICA and TOMY Corporation’s consumer products, please visit www.TOMY-USA.com.

Technorati Tags: Tomy, Tomica, North American Launch, Die Cast Cars, Train Sets, Toys, Accessories, Boy Toys

It isn’t surprising that one of the things Lil B has been asking his dad for is a pet. He loves to play with our wildly unruly dog, Oliver, whenever he visits. Since dad lives in apartment, certain pets are out of the question. This is why I was so excited when I found out I was selected to review Zhu Zhu Pets. These are the perfect toys for kids who live in situations where they cannot have pets (i.e. apartment living, pet allergies, etc.).

There are many different Zhu Zhu Pets playsets. Each individual playset connects together to form one very big playset. If you have limited space an individual playset such as the Hamster Wheel and Tunnel or the Hamster Funhouse is perfect. However, if your child has the room, the entire playset is awesome! It took up my brother’s (Lil B’s dad) entire dining room table. That’s how big it is!

Lil B received the entire set. It includes the:

-Hamster Funhouse
-Hamster Wheel and Tunnel
-Skateboard and U Turn Ramp
-Surfboard and Sleep Dome
-Spiral Slide and Ramp
-Hamster Car and Garage
-Go Go Adventure Ball

Lil B also received two of the four hamsters available. The hamsters they sent were Pipsqueak and Num Nums. The funny thing about this is that Lil B believes that Num Nums name is Dum Dum! I tried to tell him that it is Num Nums, but he is pretty sure I’m wrong and it is, in fact, Dum Dum!

Lil B absolutely LOVES his Zhu Zhu pets playset. He has to take the playset apart when he isn’t playing with it because there isn’t enough room to keep it together anywhere in his dad’s apartment. However, he takes his two hamsters with him everywhere. If he can’t take them with him, he’s always sure to make sure a grownup who is with the hamsters knows how to care for them.

For example, when he goes to his mom’s house he always reminds his dad to take care of Pipsqueak and Dum Dum. In fact, the first time he left them at the apartment he told his dad to be sure to feed them little pieces of cheese, thinly sliced and lettuce while he was gone! Just in case, he reminds his Nana to remind his dad to feed them! He’s just like a true blue pet owner, always looking out for his pets!

While the Zhu Zhu Pets hamsters are not real pets, they are lifelike. Each hamster has its own personality. When you press on their backs, they move. They can move through the maze and if they get stuck or run into a wall they will back up and try a different route all on their own. Occasionally, they get stuck, but it is easy to open the playset and move them forward. We didn’t have this problem too much.

The playsets are made of hard plastic. They seem to be pretty durable, though I’m sure if your child was slamming them into walls intentionally or someone steps on them they could break. A lot of the pieces are arched which means if excessive force is thrust upon the plastic, it is going to break. If your child isn’t trying to break them though, the pieces aren’t just going to fall apart on their own. When completing the bigger playset, the pieces pop apart and together relatively easy. If the playset fell, the pieces would snap apart, but the individual pieces wouldn’t break. You or your child would easily be able to put the set back together.

One of the most disappointing areas is the price. I have no problem paying $40 for a piece of the playset, which is obviously big and is going to get a lot of use. This is how the Zhu Zhu pets playsets are priced at Amazon. You can also purchase them at Toys R Us and Walmart. The part where I am disappointed is in the price of the actual hamsters. Each hamster is over $30. That’s quite a bit just for one hamster. I was thinking they’d be priced around $20.

Since Lil B has informed me Pipsqueak and Dum Dum are lonely without their two brother hamsters, Chunk and Mr. Squiggles, I’m apprehensive about shelling out $60+ to complete his set. Add in the fact that kids will probably not just want one part of the set and you’re looking at spending a few hundred dollars to complete the set. That’s not counting over $120 for all four hamsters. As awesome as this toy is, it’s not very friendly, price wise, in this troubled economy.

**After completing this review, Toys R Us prices are now more reasonable. For example, you can get a 3-Pack of the hamsters for the price of 1 at Amazon. Our advice, buy these at Toys R Us, instead!

You can find out more about Zhu Zhu Pets by visiting http://www.zhuzhupets.com. While I hate that the whole set isn’t available in one big box, the idea of Zhu Zhu pets is great and the fun kids have with this toy makes it worth the purchase! With this in mind, I highly recommend this toy!

Note: This review was updated October 3, 2009 to add in videos of the Zhu Zhu Pets play set.

Technorati Tags: LI Toys, Review, Zhu Zhu Pets, Playset, Hamsters, Pets, Fun, Kids, Toys Review, Lil B