Crossovers, licensing and adaptations.
Summaries are AI-generated
Pokémon and McDonald's announced a 30th-anniversary collaboration, with the US event running from Nov 5 to Dec 9, offering 15 cards. Concerns about scalping and food waste have been raised.
The co-created toy IP CHOUCHOU, featuring an 'imperfect' image, has garnered market attention. With Li Yuchun deeply involved in the design, it is seen as a new sample for Chinese original IPs going global.
Bandai Namco reported 1.3482 trillion yen revenue and 189.5 billion yen operating profit for the fiscal year ended March 2026. Toy & Hobby generated 674 billion yen revenue and 126.9 billion yen profit, accounting for 60.8% of total segment profit. Gundam IP revenue grew from 101.7 billion yen to 254.3 billion yen over five years.
As the exclusive partner, 52TOYS built three themed zones in the Shougang Park core hall. The booth featured exclusive POUKAPUKA merch and a new plush collab with the fair's mascot Fu Yan, marking the first toy IP partnership at the event.
On September 7, Pop Mart's IP YOYO launched a collaboration with Luckin Coffee featuring rich merchandise. YOYO, an in-house artist IP, generated nearly 500 million in revenue in the first half of 2026, with monthly sales exceeding 100 million.
The POP MART City Park Carnival Shanghai tour kicked off on September 4 at the Oriental Pearl Tower City Plaza, running until November 1. The event replicates iconic park scenes, features POP BAKERY dessert pop-ups, and offers combo tickets to extend visitor stay and boost spending.
Kotobukiya announced that its popular ArcanaDea model series will launch its first smartphone action game, “ArcanaDea – Gleam Gatherers,” slated for release in 2026. The game features over 100 million outfit combinations, character customization, and heroine Refillka voiced by Saori Ōnishi, with a demo shown at the ArcanaDea Engage Fest 2026.
Kotobukiya revealed the teaser PV for the TV anime ‘ArcanaDea’ at the Engage Fest 2026 held in Shinagawa, Tokyo on August 29, 2026. The series adapts the ‘ArcanaDea’ model line, launched in December 2021 and already exceeding 700,000 units shipped worldwide, and is scheduled to broadcast from January 2027 on TV Asahi’s nationwide ‘NUMAnimation’ slot and BS Asahi.
Kotobukiya announced that the comic adaptation ‘Arcanadia Cross Connect’ of its original Arcanadia model series will be released on August 14, 2026 on comipo and other e‑book platforms. The manga, written by viviON, expands the SF‑fantasy world of Arcanadia and offers fans a new way to experience the story. An exclusive ‘Arcanadia Engage Fest 2026’ event on August 29 in Shinagawa will feature information about the comic and other franchise content.
MegaHouse and Kura Sushi began a joint X campaign on August 4, 2026, offering a worldwide‑limited edition “One‑Buy!! Real Tuna Disassembly Puzzle – Kura Sushi ver.” (一本买！！本マグロ解体パズル‑くら寿司ver.) to ten winners. To enter, users must follow both official X accounts and quote‑retweet the campaign post with the hashtag #世界10个限定くら寿司本マグロ解体パズル. Winners will be announced by mid‑August and the prizes are scheduled to ship in early September.
Takara Tomy will sell the “Photogenic Licca Peter Rabbit™ Style” doll for ¥9,900 (tax included) from July 4 2026 through its official online store, about 150 Photogenic Licca shops nationwide and the Peter Rabbit™ official online shop. Marking the first Licca‑chan collaboration with Peter Rabbit to celebrate Beatrix Potter’s 160th birthday, the figure features a Neo Licca Body with movable joints, a blue cardigan, rabbit‑ear headband and other accessories for adult collectors and photo‑sharing.
LABUBU, the first Chinese art toy IP invited to the World Cup opening ceremony, appeared in Mexico City. POP MART and FIFA launched a collaboration series, transforming LABUBU into a blue football hero.
Miniso faced criticism for forcing membership to buy daily goods, with its TOP TOY purchase limits reflecting the market's popularity. The article notes that fast-moving brands like KFC, McDonald's, and Luckin are collectively 'toy-ifying' to sell emotions, but face thin profits from licensed IPs, high costs for self-owned IPs, and compliance pressure from new national standards.
In its June 11 press release, Kotobukiya announced the first chapter of the new Arcanadea comic “Arcanadea BURNING BRIGHT!” released on the official site, the launch of Yuru Kana Season 3 on June 10, and the schedule for the inaugural Arcanadea model contest. The announcement also confirmed that Mikako Komatsu will voice the character Charmed, and introduced new dioramas such as Ornera alongside upcoming model releases.
Good Smile’s official Nendoroid Face Maker service is collaborating with the popular Nendoroid Persona 5 Royal protagonist Uniform Ver. basic, releasing six exclusive expression parts sold in two‑piece sets from June 6 to August 27, 2026. Customers can order them through the official website, and a weekly campaign on the service’s X account offers seven 30%‑off coupons to lucky participants.
To mark its 25th anniversary, Good Smile Company has launched the new “Gattai‑Shin” project, with the original anime “Beast King Warrior Dandevine” slated to begin broadcasting in October 2026. The company’s Mecha‑Suma label will also release the first robot toy “THE Gattai DX Dandevine” at a special price of ¥29,500, with pre‑orders opening on June 12 2026 at 12:00 JST. A MODEROID action model of Dandevine will be available for ¥5,500, also starting pre‑order on the same date.
Good Smile Company has opened pre‑orders for the PlayStation 5 packaged version of Patlabor the Case Files. The limited special edition, available only through the company’s official shop, includes an original soundtrack CD and an exclusive white Griffin model kit. The game supports Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean, featuring dual‑perspective missions, over 20 levers and a simulator mode for shooting training.
High-end AI toy brand MOMOTOY launched three original IPs and a collaboration with author Rao Xueman at the 38th Shenzhen Toy Show, unveiled the world's first embodied AI automatic blind box vending machine, and announced strategic partnerships with JD Toys, KKday, TOP TOY, MINISO, and Apple.
At the 2026 Partner Conference, 52TOYS announced a roadmap featuring over 1,000 new products and 100+ IPs across seven major categories. The company plans collaborations tied to milestones like Pixar's 40th anniversary and Zootopia's 10th anniversary, while strengthening original IP development.
At a partner conference in Beijing, founder Chen Wei revealed 2026 plans to launch over 1,000 new items across 100+ IPs and seven categories. In 2024, the company reported 630 million yuan in revenue and a 39.9% gross margin, with IP licensing costs of about 45.755 million yuan.
Kotobukiya released the second teaser visual for the TV anime ArcanaDea in March 2026. The image features the three Diars characters enjoying a cute tea time, and the company announced that limited‑edition stickers based on the visual will be distributed at TV Asahi’s booth during AnimeJapan 2026 on March 28‑29, with supplies limited.
Takara Tomy Arts launched the “KAWAISOUNI! Fair – KAWAISOUNI! Märchenland” on April 25 2026, running in over 100 stores across Japan. The fair showcases original merchandise featuring the newly illustrated “KAWAISOUNI! Märchenland” artwork, including plush toys, acrylic keychains, stationery and more, priced between ¥2,420 and ¥4,620. Customers who purchase a qualifying item receive a random limited‑edition postcard, while supplies last.
Kayou became the first card partner of the Spring Festival Gala, launching the 'Galloping Steed Collection' gift boxes. The Gala distributed cards and announced an online sale, with 20,000 sets selling out instantly.
Kotobukiya announced that its original model lines HexaGear and Megamidi Device will collaborate with SEGA’s online RPG PSO2 New Genesis ver.2 starting in February 2026. The partnership will introduce a range of in‑game items such as the “Kairyō Kaisei” gear, “Amaterasu Regalia” accessories, weapon camouflages and lobby actions. These exclusive parts let players deepen character customization while linking the physical models to the digital experience.
Kotobukiya announced a collaboration with the mobile game Alice Gear Aegis, launching the ‘Kotobukiya × Alice Gear Aegis Grand Fest’ on December 11, 2025, running until January 31, 2026. The event introduces two new ★4 characters, ‘Todoroki (Revised)’ and ‘Gennai Ao (Todoroki)’, and offers ★3 character rewards for logging in during the period. Purchasing designated items at Kotobukiya stores grants a code to redeem exclusive in‑game gear and entry to a giveaway for official merchandise.
POP MART Japan opened a SKULLPANDA pop‑up shop at Shibuya TSUTAYA on November 18, 2025 and offered an exclusive SKULLPANDA × XG plush pendant for pre‑sale. The pendant is priced at ¥4,510 and will be officially released on November 26 through the brand’s website and select stores. The pop‑up also features SKULLPANDA blind boxes, MEGA figures and a signing session with artist Xiong Miao.
POP MART Japan announced that its “Why So Serious” Halloween pop‑up shop will run from October 24 to October 31, 2025 at Cat Street in Shibuya, Tokyo. Entry is by a fully pre‑sale lottery, with the application page opening on October 17 and closing on October 19 23:59. The shop will feature characters such as LABUBU, Twinkle Twinkle, DIMOO, HACIPUPU and MOLLY, and will sell blind‑box plushies, accessories and limited SKULLPANDA items released on October 10, 2025.
Kotobukiya has announced a line of official 25th‑anniversary AIBOU merchandise, featuring acrylic stands of the two main detectives, a diorama recreating the Special Unit’s office, a postcard set with posters and scenes from seasons 21‑23, and a new illustration series. The items will go on sale on 15 October 2025 at a Tokyo pop‑up shop and across GEO50 stores nationwide, with a pre‑release starting 12 October 2025 at the Roppongi store and online reservations now open.
Kayou and global sports collectibles giant Topps announced a partnership to launch the NBA Match Attax 2025 series in China, jointly developing official NBA-licensed products and leveraging Topps' global distribution network.
Miniso is strengthening its IP operations with tailored e-commerce strategies and offline pop-ups like the Harry Potter theme. The company plans to spin off its toy brand TOP TOY for a Hong Kong listing and has shifted its focus to IP-based products.
