Bandai

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This article is about the Japanese toy manufacturer. For other uses, see Bandai (disambiguation).

Bandai Co., Ltd.

Type	Private (subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings)
Founded	July 5, 1950
Headquarters	Tokyo, Japan
Key people	Kazunori Ueno, President
Industry	Toy Maker, Software & Programming, film production
Products	Gundam models, Super Sentai models, Naruto Gachapon and Figurines, Tamagotchi, Digimon, plastic model kits
Employees	973 (as of March 31, 2005)
Parent	Namco Bandai Holdings, Inc.
Website	Bandai Japan Bandai UK Bandai US Bandai Europe Bandai Asia

Bandai Co., Ltd. (株式会社バンダイ, Kabushiki-gaisha Bandai^?) is a Japanese toy making company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third largest producer of toys. Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs.

After the merger with game developer and amusement facility operator Namco, Bandai Co., Ltd. is now under the management of Namco Bandai Holdings Inc. After group reorganisation in 2006, Bandai heads the group's Toys and Hobby Strategic Business Unit (SBU).

1 History
2 Former Bandai Subsidiaries
3 Console
4 Handheld systems
5 Games produced/published by Bandai
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

[edit] History

Bandai head office

Bandai was founded in 1950. Some of the early tin plate toys are highly collectible; the pictured model car will sell for around US$150.

In the 1960s Bandai expanded to include export sales. Bandai's racing car set, which first appeared in 1962, became a huge success.

The 1970s continued to see Bandai expand, with Bandai Models being established in 1971. Although not their most profitable range, Bandai's 1/48 scale AFV models dominated that segment of the model kit market. Bandai America Inc. was established as local US sales/marketing operation in 1978.

Since the 1980s, Bandai has become the leading toy company of Japan, and to this day, has the main toy licenses in Japan to popular properties including Daikaiju, Ultraman, Super Robot, Kamen Rider, the Super Sentai series (which they took part in creating), Gundam and many others.

Saab 96 tin plate toy car by Bandai

The managements of Bandai and Sega officially agreed to merge in the late 1990s, but the merger was later cancelled, citing "cultural differences".

[edit] Former Bandai Subsidiaries

Before the formation of Namco Bandai Holdings, Bandai had many subsidiaries. After group reorganisation in 2006, they are managed under several strategic business units (SBUs) of the group. Further detail:

[edit] Toys and Hobby SBU

[edit] Bandai America

Bandai America is the American distribution arm of Bandai that makes toy products for the U.S. market and manufactures Power Rangers and Ben 10 toys. Other past products includes

Alienators: Evolution Continues
Astro Boy (2003 TV series)
Big Bad Beetleborgs /Beetleborgs Mettalix
Dick Tracy (film)
D.I.C.E.
Dinozaurs
Digimon
Godzilla
Gundam
Saint Seiya for American disibution it was relabled Knights of The Zodiac
Masked Rider (TV series)
Mega Man (TV series)
Sailor Moon
Tamagotchi Connection
The Tick (TV series)
Teen Titans (TV series)
The Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog
Ultimate Muscle
Xyber 9: New Dawn

[edit] Visual and music contents SBU

[edit] Bandai Visual

Main article: Bandai Visual

Bandai Visual, Co. Ltd, produces and distributes many popular anime and tokusatsu titles. These titles include Cowboy Bebop, Big O, Outlaw Star, Please Teacher!, Escaflowne, and the popular Gundam, Kamen Rider, Ultraman, and Super Sentai series. The company logo is the Moai, a statue found on Easter Island. It now heads the Visual and Music Contents SBU.

[edit] Bandai Entertainment

Main article: Bandai Entertainment

Bandai Entertainment, Inc. is involved in the distribution of numerous anime in North America, as well as manga and other merchandising ventures related to anime. Its headquarters in the United States are located in Cypress, California.^[1]

[edit] Carddass

Carddass is the Bandai subsidiary responsible for releasing trading card games based on popular Bandai franchises. This includes games such as the Gundam War Collectible Card Game based on the Gundam metaseries, as well as a Gash Bell (Zatch Bell!) TCG, Naruto CCG, and their newest TCG, Rangers Strike (Sentai).

[edit] Sunrise

Main article: Sunrise (company)

[edit] Game contents SBU

[edit] Bandai Games (Now Namco Bandai Games)

Bandai Games produced and distributed video games based on Bandai properties including Mobile Suit Gundam: Zeonic Front, Gundam Wing: Endless Duel and Mobile Suit Gundam: Journey to Jaburo. In the beginning of 2005, Bandai Games opened a United States office as a wholly owned subsidairy of Bandai America which, prior to that, handled the publishing of video games in North America itself.

On March 31, 2006, it was merged into Namco Ltd. and Namco Ltd. was renamed Namco Bandai Games Inc.

[edit] Console

In 1982 the Bandai Arcadia, a variant of the Emerson Arcadia 2001, was released in Japan by Bandai. There were also 4 Japan-only game releases which were the only known Arcadia titles written by other companies than UA Ltd.

The Pippin was a gaming console made by Bandai & Apple.

[edit] Handheld systems

Bandai has also released a series of handheld game consoles including the WonderSwan, WonderSwan Color and Swan Crystal . The systems were only released in Japan.

Bandai released a series of LCD games (including the LCD Solarpower series), in the 1980s, in both regions.