1950
November 1950: Bandai launches a product guarantee system (an industry first) in conjunction with the Toyopet Crown model car.
To provide timeless entertainment through endless creativity.
Bandai was founded in 1950 by the late Naoharu Yamashina under the name of Bandai-ya. The Japanese pronunciation of the phrase is Bandai fueki, meaning "eternally unchanging". Founder Yamashina felt this phrase expressed his wish that Bandai be a company which, in his words, makes toys that please people of all generations, irrespective of the times, a firm that will develop and grow for ever and ever.
Bandai UK Ltd is a subsidiary of the third largest toy company in the world, Bandai Co. Ltd. Established in the UK in 1982, Bandai UK has grown to be the master toy licensee of some of the most popular properties in children's toys and entertainment, including Power Rangers, Pokémon, Ben 10, Digimon, Gundam, Thunderbirds and original products including Badge It! and the worldwide phenomenon Tamagotchi.
1960
January 1965: Racing car set enjoys an enormous boom in sales.
Creating Diverse Businesses and Services by Capitalising on Characters’ Appeal
The Bandai Group makes the most of its extensive line up of characters, and offers appealing products and services in a wide range of fields including video game software, apparel, confectionary, visual content, amusement machines and prizes, mobile phone network content, and course, toys – a field in which we have a long history. We not only turn characters into products, but also launch these products in a timely fashion, in close association with TV and other media. It is our challenge to create new businesses by forecasting the needs of the times, and at the same time. Promote the appeal of characters in a multifaceted manner, so as to further reinforce our management foundation.
1970
October 1973: Mazinger Z toy wins the Grand Prix prize at the 4th International Trade Fair Toy Concours.
Characters with Long-Term Popularity and Multigenerational Appeal
Power Rangers, Digimon, Gundam…… The strength of Bandai’s character business lies in its ability to generate revenue steadily, by taking advantage of its flagship characters that continue to capture the hearts of many people of all generations. In combination with this, we have introduced character portfolio techniques, with which we are actively exerting efforts to achieve growth by nurturing existing characters as well as by creating new characters and original characters with the future in mind.
Appeal of Entertainment Spreading Across the World
1980
July 1980: Gundam plastic model toy series is launched, sparking its own huge boom.
As there are no boundaries when it comes to “dreams” and “inspiration” of people, the scope of Bandai Group’s business is boundless. The Bandai Group is enhancing the globalisation of its products in various business segments, including toys, video game software and visual entertainment. Take Power Rangers a brand with huge worldwide popularity.
We are dedicated to presenting characters’ appeal in the form of high-quality entertainment to people around the world, tailored to each country and region.
The Bandai Group has exerted its efforts in finding and nurturing promising characters, and has gained substantial experience since it identified the potential of the character business more than 30 years ago.
1990
October 1993: Power Rangers are a huge hit in the USA.
The Group’s experience and expertise serve as the backbone of our relationship with corporate partners such as copyright holders based on trust, and have helped sustain partnerships, create new characters based on collaboration, and form business alliances with leading companies aimed at complementing and expanding our businesses.
Our recent partners include: 4Kids Entertainment, Disney Consumer Products, DIC Entertainment, Universal Studios Consumer Products, Warner Bros and Sanrio.
In September 2005, Namco Ltd. and Bandai Co. Ltd. of Japan merged to become the Bandai Namco Group. Global interests encompass five strategic business units (SBU’s): toys and hobby, amusement facilities, video game content, mobile content, and visual and music content.
2008
Happy Birthday Power Rangers celebrate its 15th year.
Happy Birthday Power Rangers
Power Rangers Operation Overdrive is launched and celebrates its 15th continuous year on sales in the UK.
The Bandai Namco Group consists of over 50 group companies employing 3400 staff with consolidated net sales of $4 billion dollars in 2007.