JAPANESE TOY CARS STAND TEST OF TIME
A big hit with kids for the past 50 years, maker now sets sights on collector market
Tomica turns 50 this year, and I know what you're going to say: “What's a Tomica?”
Well, it's a toy die-cast car produced by Takara Tomy, makers of everything from Pokemon to Transformers. Tomica sells
180 million cars every year, and this year, they've arrived on our shores — but not for the first time.
If you were a kid growing up in the 1980s, you might have bought a Tomica before. I did: a Nissan Fairlady 300ZX Turbo police car, purchased in 1984. I'd never seen anything like it before, righthand drive with functioning doors and kanji script down the side. It cost four times as much as a Hot Wheels, but it felt special, and worth saving up for.
In Japan, Tomica is designed for children in a manner that basically hasn't changed in 50 years. We spoke to a designer named Takuya Y., who has worked on Tomica cars for 14 years, about a process that he says is just as painstakingly rigorous as you would expect from a Japanese car company.
“I took about 500 photos for reference, in order to study the texture and form,” says Takuya. “The design work of Tomica requires us to see and design the vehicle through the eyes of a child, but at the same time, it requires us to adhere to the design intent of the manufacturer. It's challenging to strike a balance between the two needs.”
Founded in 1970, the first line of Tomicas boasted seven models, roughly scaled to 1:64. Some, like a Fairlady 240Z or Toyota 2000GT, might be familiar to a global audience. Others, like a Honda 1300 or a Toyota Crown, really would only be known to people who lived in or visited Japan.
What makes Tomica unique is the design brief. The majority of Hot Wheels models need to fit the brand's orange track, and are race-tested before they leave development. Tomica vehicles are just supposed to be accurate and playable, and almost always feature some kind of unique element, like an opening door or tailgate. They aren't intended to be something a car-obsessed parent picks out, but rather something a kid will want to carry in their pocket to kindergarten.
In Japan, a new Tomica is released every third Saturday of the month. The total number of models available at any time is 140, with each one getting a number. There are limited edition models as well, including a line of vehicles only available during the Tokyo Motor Show every two years.
Beyond the main line cars, there's also the more detailed Limited and Limited Vintage series models, intended more for collectors. One fun piece of trivia is that the Limited series Lamborghini Countach has Canadian Maple Leaf insignias on it, as it's based on the prototype Countach made for 1970s F1 team owner Walter Wolf.
But main line Tomicas are very collectible, too. While Hot Wheels might reissue cars with new decals or colours, Tomica usually only releases a model in two colours, and when it's gone, it's gone. That Fairlady 240Z wasn't produced after 1976.
Competing against a large brand with an established low price point, Tomica is unlikely to go mainstream. Instead, the company has set its sights on the collector market.
“In Japan, since we market more to young children, we have the hope that our young collectors will grow up and become adults who purchase and drive cars and share their passion for collecting with their own children,” says Takuya.
“In the U.S., where Tomica is marketed to adult collectors, we hope the interest in car collecting and car design is shared with young children. The same goal, different entry points.”
Tomica is hoping there's room on the shelf here for its little cars. They might be unfamiliar. They're not an obvious choice. However, whether you're four or 40, a Tomica might just be the memorable option.