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Ark (toy Company)
Ark was a Japanese company that produced a series of die-cast metal monster toys sold under the brand name "Arklon." It was founded as a sales and marketing subsidiary of famed Japanese toy manufacturer Bullmark. After Bullmark's bankruptcy in 1977, Bullmark co-founder Saburo Ishizuki took charge of Ark and turned it into a full-fledged toy manufacturer. Ark released a variety of toys during the mid-to-late 1970s, including die-cast, soft vinyl, and inexpensive plastic toys. The Arklon toys were imported to the United States by the Marukai Trading Company. With one exception, King Kong (sold under the generic name "Mech-Gorilla" in the USA), all of the Arklon toys were based upon kaiju characters from the ''Ultraman'' television series. The unique designs, which Ishizuki has described as "my attempt to create character toys that could be enjoyed even by those unfamiliar with the given film or television series," have made them favorites among Japanese toy collectors. The toys * K ...
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Die-cast Toy
A die-cast toy is a toy or a collectible model produced by using the die-casting method of putting molten lead, zinc alloy or plastic in a mold to produce a particular shape. Such toys are made of metal, with plastic, rubber, glass, or other machined metal parts. Wholly plastic toys are made by a similar process of injection molding, but the two methods are distinct because of the properties of the materials. Process The metal used in die-casting is either a lead alloy (used early on), or more commonly, Zamak (called ''Mazak'' in the UK), an alloy of zinc with small quantities of aluminium and copper. Lead or iron are impurities that must be carefully avoided in Zamac, as they give rise to a deterioration of the metal most commonly called zinc pest. The terms white metal or pot metal are also used when applied to alloys based more on lead or iron. The most common die-cast vehicles are scale models of automobiles, aircraft, military vehicles, construction equipment, and trains, ...
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Bullmark
Bullmark (ブルマァク) is a Japanese toy company that is most famous for selling PVC kaiju character toys in the 1960s and 1970s. Founded in 1969 after the bankruptcy of pioneering toy manufacturer Marusan, the company was also known simply as Bull by many people as their logo of a bull was stamped on the bottoms of the feet of many of its toys. Products Bullmark's vinyl Godzilla and Ultraman toys are extremely popular among Japanese toy collectors; some currently retail for thousands of dollars. Bullmark's vinyl toys were produced in a variety of sizes from "mini" (3-4") to "standard" (8-9") to "giant," (usually 12" or more) with smaller runs produced with different colorways for export to Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States. These so-called "Hawaiian" versions of the characters, which were produced in relatively small numbers, feature brighter colors than their Japanese counterparts, and therefore are popular among collectors both in Japan and abroad. When the fa ...
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United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territories, nine Minor Outlying Islands, and 326 Indian reservations. The United States is also in free association with three Pacific Island sovereign states: the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. It is the world's third-largest country by both land and total area. It shares land borders with Canada to its north and with Mexico to its south and has maritime borders with the Bahamas, Cuba, Russia, and other nations. With a population of over 333 million, it is the most populous country in the Americas and the third most populous in the world. The national capital of the United States is Washington, D.C. and its most populous city and principal financial center is New York City. Paleo-Americ ...
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Marukai Trading Company
Marukai Corporation U.S.A. is an American offshoot chain of retail markets that imports and sells Japanese goods in American cities started by the Osaka, Japan-based . Unlike other Japanese supermarkets, which may carry non-Japanese products based on local diversity, Marukai has Hawaiian products as a core focus in addition to Japanese in all its stores. Its headquarters are in Gardena, California, in Greater Los Angeles. History The company was founded in 1965 by Richard and Hidejiro Matsu, sons of the founder of parent company Marukai Trading. In 1975, the company established Marukai Los Angeles. By 1980, it changed to its current name and opened Marukai Wholesale Mart in Gardena, California. The company began to emphasize membership-based retail shopping. In 1999, the company opened its first 98cent Plus Store carrying Daiso products, before Daiso had its own stores in US. The company has since expanded to 11 locations in California with over 400 employees in California. Thes ...
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King Kong
King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelization of the 1933 film ''King Kong (1933 film), King Kong'' from RKO Pictures, with the film premiering a little over two months later. Upon its initial release and subsequent re-releases, the film received universal acclaim. A sequel quickly followed that same year with ''Son of Kong, The Son of Kong'', featuring Little Kong. Toho produced ''King Kong vs. Godzilla'' (1962) featuring a giant Kong battling Toho's Godzilla and ''King Kong Escapes'' (1967), a film loosely based on Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment, Rankin/Bass' ''The King Kong Show'' (1966-1969). In 1976, Dino De Laurentiis produced a King Kong (1976 film), modern remake of the original film directed by John Guillermin. A sequel, ''King Kong Lives'', followed a decade later fea ...
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Kaiju
is a Japanese media genre that focuses on stories involving giant monsters. The word ''kaiju'' can also refer to the giant monsters themselves, which are usually depicted attacking major cities and battling either the military or other monsters. The ''kaiju'' genre is a subgenre of ''tokusatsu'' entertainment. The 1954 film ''Godzilla'' is commonly regarded as the first ''kaiju'' film. ''Kaiju'' characters are often somewhat metaphorical in nature; Godzilla, for example, serves as a metaphor for nuclear weapons, reflecting the fears of post-war Japan following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the '' Lucky Dragon 5'' incident. Other notable examples of ''kaiju'' characters include Rodan, Mothra, King Ghidorah and Gamera. Etymology The Japanese word ''kaijū'' originally referred to monsters and creatures from ancient Japanese legends; it earlier appeared in the Chinese ''Classic of Mountains and Seas''. After ''sakoku'' had ended and Japan was opened to for ...
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Ultraman
''Ultraman'', also known as the , is the collective name for all media produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad monsters. Debuting with ''Ultra Q'' and then ''Ultraman'' in 1966, the series is one of the most prominent ''tokusatsu'' superhero genre productions from Japan, along with the Toei-produced series '' Kamen Rider'', ''Super Sentai'' and the ''Metal Heroes''. The series is also one of the most well-known examples of the '' kaiju'' genre, along with Toho's ''Godzilla'' series and Daiei Film's ''Gamera'' series. However, the series also falls into the ''Kyodai'' Hero subgenre of ''tokusatsu'', a subgenre it also helped popularise. In Japan, the Ultraman brand generated in merchandising revenue from 1966 to 1987, equivalent to more than adjusted for inflation. Ultraman was the world's third top-selling licensed character in the 1980s, largely due to his popularity in Asia. References to Ultraman are abundant in Japanese po ...
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Ultra Seven
is a Japanese ''tokusatsu'' science fiction television series created by Eiji Tsuburaya. It is the third installment in the Ultra Series and was produced by Tsuburaya Productions. The series aired on Tokyo Broadcasting System from October 1, 1967 to September 8, 1968. Premise In the not-too-distant future, Earth finds itself constantly under attack from extraterrestrial threats. To combat them, the Terrestrial Defense Force establishes the Ultra Garrison, a team of six elite members who utilize high-tech vehicles and weaponry. Joining their fight is the mysterious Dan Moroboshi who is secretly an alien from the Land of Light in Nebula M-78 and transforms into his true alien form, Ultraseven, in times of crisis. Production After the success of space-themed science fiction shows such as ''Ultraman'', ''Captain Ultra'', and the Japanese broadcast of ''Lost in Space'', Tokyo Broadcasting System pursued Tsuburaya Productions to produce another sci-fi series. This led Eiji Tsuburaya ...
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Alien Baltan
''Ultraman'', also known as the , is the collective name for all media produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad monsters. Debuting with ''Ultra Q'' and then ''Ultraman'' in 1966, the series is one of the most prominent ''tokusatsu'' superhero genre productions from Japan, along with the Toei-produced series '' Kamen Rider'', ''Super Sentai'' and the ''Metal Heroes''. The series is also one of the most well-known examples of the '' kaiju'' genre, along with Toho's ''Godzilla'' series and Daiei Film's ''Gamera'' series. However, the series also falls into the ''Kyodai'' Hero subgenre of ''tokusatsu'', a subgenre it also helped popularise. In Japan, the Ultraman brand generated in merchandising revenue from 1966 to 1987, equivalent to more than adjusted for inflation. Ultraman was the world's third top-selling licensed character in the 1980s, largely due to his popularity in Asia. References to Ultraman are abundant in Japanese p ...
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Return Of Ultraman
is a List of Japanese television series, Japanese ''tokusatsu'' Science fiction on television, science fiction television series produced by Tsuburaya Productions. The fourth entry in the Ultra series, the series aired on Tokyo Broadcasting System from April 2, 1971, to March 31, 1972. It became successful enough to inspire a second "''Kaiju'' Boom" in Japan, with rival studios producing their own ''tokusatsu'' shows and Tsuburaya Productions producing additional Ultraman shows annually for the next three years. Prior to the series' release, ''Ultra Q'', ''Ultraman (1966 TV series), Ultraman'', and ''Ultraseven'' were stand-alone titles however, ''Return of Ultraman'' is the first installment to unite the first three shows into an interconnected universe. Premise This series is a follow-up to the original ''Ultraman'' and ''Ultraseven'' that is set in 1971, four years after Ultraseven (character), Ultraseven left Earth, and five years after Ultraman (character), Ultraman came to ...
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Kaiju
is a Japanese media genre that focuses on stories involving giant monsters. The word ''kaiju'' can also refer to the giant monsters themselves, which are usually depicted attacking major cities and battling either the military or other monsters. The ''kaiju'' genre is a subgenre of ''tokusatsu'' entertainment. The 1954 film ''Godzilla'' is commonly regarded as the first ''kaiju'' film. ''Kaiju'' characters are often somewhat metaphorical in nature; Godzilla, for example, serves as a metaphor for nuclear weapons, reflecting the fears of post-war Japan following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the '' Lucky Dragon 5'' incident. Other notable examples of ''kaiju'' characters include Rodan, Mothra, King Ghidorah and Gamera. Etymology The Japanese word ''kaijū'' originally referred to monsters and creatures from ancient Japanese legends; it earlier appeared in the Chinese ''Classic of Mountains and Seas''. After ''sakoku'' had ended and Japan was opened to for ...
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Nakuru
Nakuru is a city in the Great Rift Valley, Kenya, Rift Valley region of Kenya. It is the capital of Nakuru County, and was formerly the capital of Rift Valley Province. As of 2019, Nakuru had an urban and rural population of 570,674 inhabitants, making it the largest urban center in the Rift Valley, with Eldoret in Uasin Gishu County following closely behind. The city lies along the Nairobi Nakuru Highway, a distance of 160 kilometers from Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. It is the fourth largest city in Kenya, behind Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu respectively. It lies about 1,850 m above sea level. History Archaeological discoveries located about 8 km from the Central Business District at the Hyrax Hill reserve have been dated to the prehistoric period. The city was created on January 28, 1904 when an area within a circle having a radius of one mile from the main entrance to the railway station was proclaimed to be a township. The name of the town was derived from the Ma ...
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