Localisation can be very important to achieving success in some markets and in Japan you can buy seaweed cut into Thomas the Tank Engine shapes for your child’s lunch box! Developing products for the Japanese market has helped contribute to Thomas & Friends being in the top 3 brands in the pre-school character goods market here.
On 6 October, over 100 sub-licensees of Thomas & Friends goods in Japan attended an event at the Ambassador’s Residence at the British Embassy in Tokyo. The event marked the 65th Anniversary of the publication of the original Thomas the Tank Engine picture book in the UK. This event was co-hosted by HIT Entertainment, the owners of Thomas & Friends, Pingu and Bob the Builder; plus Sony Creative Products, the master licensee in the Japanese market.
There are an incredibly large and diverse range of Thomas & Friends products in Japan including some things you would expect like toys, stationary, snacks, clothing, lunch boxes; and some you may not know about like Japanese mobile content and even Thomas & Friends rice! There is also a Thomas Land zone in a major theme park and in the adjacent hotel you can stay in a completely Thomas & Friends-themed hotel room, complete with Thomas toilet paper!
A new character, “Hiro” has been created recently. He came to Sodor Island from Japan and met Thomas and became friends there. He has joined the Thomas & Friends team globally.
According to The Character Databank Company, total market size of the license business in Japan is about 2.14 trillion yen (GBP 15,851 million) in 2008. If you would like UKTI Japan’s advice on how to enter this market, please get in touch and we’d be happy to help.
Mariko Hasegawa
UKTI Japan
mariko.hasegawa@fco.gov.uk