A transforming robot called "Tobot" is enjoying huge popularity among children in Korea. A three-dimensional animated series called "Tobot" is also one of the most popular TV programs here. Young Toys created the series and started manufacturing and distributing the related toys. The company has become the first Korean toy manufacturer to produce and market an animated series and its offshoot toys, and to have been enormously successful doing so. Not only have the toys and the series done well, but Tobot comics and music have also been popular.



Young Toys, the creator of the Tobot series and related toys, was established in 1980. It initially imported toys or manufactured them for foreign toy companies. However, the creation of the Tobot series and toys changed its destiny.


Birth of Tobot

"The whole idea of developing an animated series and related toys started ten years ago," said Han Chan-hee, CEO of Young Toys. "We wanted to create a series and toys for young boys and girls."

They named the toy character "Tobot," which sounded cute and was easy to pronounce. The company decided to target a niche market. Other existing toys such as Power Rangers and Transformers were popular among older elementary school children and so Young Toys targeted younger primary school children and kindergarteners instead.




Young Toys pioneered a new marketing strategy. So far, most domestic toy manufacturers obtained licenses from TV animators or film studios after the animations and films had been produced or released. However, Young Toys took a new approach. It developed the animated series and related characters on its own from scratch before producing the toys.



Tobot is about to go abroad

Soon, children living overseas will be able to meet Tobot as well. Licenses for Tobot toys and characters will be sold in Southeast Asian nations. The series will be aired in Singapore and Taiwan from August, in Vietnam from September and in the Philippines from October. Children in some Middle Eastern nations will also be able to watch it from January.

"Hallyu, or the Korean wave, played a role but most of all, they acknowledged the marketability of Tobot," said Han. "With my employees, I had to carry the toys around many countries to make an export deal. It took one and a half years to sign an export contract."




The company's strength comes from its ability to independently develop its product lines. Young Toys developed Jouju, a Barbie-like fashion doll, in 1991 and Kongsuni, a marionette for small children, in 1999. Jouju has enjoyed popularity for over 20 years. The company not only sells dolls but also accessories and play sets for young girls. Jouju was renamed Secret Jouju in 2012. Its 3D animated series is also very popular.

Kongsuni, a marionette for small children, has cute, round eyes and hair parted down the middle. It was developed in such a way so that small girls could hug and take care of it like they might a younger sibling. The Kongsuni series is also due out this year. Tobot accounts for 60 percent of the company's sales, Secret Jouju 25 percent and Kongsuni 10 percent.

"We will soon release action toys and series for primary school students," said Han. "Our goal is to become a toy company with a long history like Mattel or Bandai."

By Limb Jae-un
Korea.net Staff Writer
jun2@korea.kr