AI companions and adult collectors reshape Tokyo Toy Show as Japan's market tops 1 trillion yen

Pocket robots meet a growing market for adult play

A robot about 12 centimeters tall, weighing around 200 grams and carrying a camera inside its mouth captures the changing ambitions of Japan's toy industry. The tiny companion, which resembles a meerkat, uses generative artificial intelligence to talk, remember and respond with context. Its intended customers are women in their 20s and 30s seeking comfort in daily life.

At the International Tokyo Toy Show at Tokyo Big Sight, more than 200 companies displayed roughly 35,000 products across a four day event, with two days for business visitors and two for the public. Japan's biggest toy fair brought together AI companions, familiar character brands, detailed models and traditional construction toys, with adults increasingly central to the sales pitch.

The Japan Toy Association put Japan's toy market at about 1.0992 trillion yen, roughly $7.6 billion, in fiscal 2024. Revenue rose 7.9 percent, taking the market above one trillion yen for a second consecutive year despite a falling birthrate and higher living costs. Industry leaders credit spending by overseas visitors and adults who continue to enjoy toys.

Those customers are reshaping what manufacturers make. Some want a robot that remembers a conversation or a shared outing. Others want a miniature house, a premium replica or a figure from a childhood favorite. The association has formalized a category for kidult toys in its annual awards, recognizing adults who buy toys for themselves as an established part of the business.

The previous edition of the fair attracted more than 80,000 visitors over four days. This year's displays show manufacturers trying to carry that interest into the holiday shopping season with products for families, collectors and people seeking a little companionship.

Why adults are buying more toys

Adult demand extends well beyond Japan. Researchers tracking the global market estimated that adults accounted for about 17.3 percent of toy sales in the United States in 2023, worth close to $6.7 billion. Their purchases held up even as total toy sales slipped. In Europe, shoppers older than 18 represented roughly 16 percent of sales last year.

Nostalgia, collecting and stress relief help explain the appeal. People who grew up with Star Wars, Kamen Rider or Barbie can return to those worlds with larger budgets. Retailers are responding with more space for model kits, character merchandise, premium replicas and designer figurines.

Tokyo's displays give that shift a concrete shape. Blind box figures, whose contents remain a surprise until the package is opened, attract buyers trying to complete sets. Sylvanian Families baby figures have developed a strong following among adult women. Bandai Spirits' high grade robot models and Kawada's nanoblock building kits offer detailed projects that turn play into a hobby.

Students, office workers and overseas visitors are part of this wider audience, alongside children and families. Limited items and character collaborations give collectors reasons to seek particular releases. Virtual pets and updated digital toys also bring familiar brands back into the hands of people who remember earlier versions.

What Sharp's Poketomo remembers

Sharp's Poketomo puts the AI companion idea into a device small enough for a jacket pocket or a small bag. Connected to a smartphone app, it is scheduled for release in Japan in November at about 39,600 yen, roughly $269.

Poketomo uses chat histories, location data and pictures from its onboard camera to personalize conversations. Generative AI produces responses to what a person says, allowing exchanges to go beyond the simple voice commands and prepared answers associated with earlier interactive toys.

The device can use details from past conversations, images and places to keep an exchange going. Remembering a preference or a previous walk gives the owner something familiar to return to, while gestures and eye contact are intended to make the small robot feel more present.

A company representative at the fair explained the thinking behind the meerkat companion's focus on adult women:

A lot of women in their 20s and 30s feel they cannot express themselves in regular life, so we hope they feel comforted and want to live with the robot by their side.

Sharp's design team wants the robot to become part of a daily routine. A greeting, an exchange during an errand or a conversation about a remembered place can fit into brief pauses in an adult's day. Portability matters because it takes the interaction beyond a shelf or a living room.

The broader category is growing quickly. Industry data shared at the show indicated annual revenue growth of more than 40 percent for high tech interactive toys, robots and products related to personal computers. That was faster than gains in other categories, giving manufacturers another reason to develop devices that respond to their owners.

Moflin brings emotional responses to a robot pet

Moflin takes a different route to companionship. The fuzzy robot pet from Vanguard Industries, now sold in partnership with Casio, is marketed as a mental health buddy for children and adults. It responds to touch and sound, changes its mood according to the care it receives and learns to recognize its owner.

Owners can check Moflin's emotional state through an app, dress it up and place it in a charging nest. Priced at around $398 in Japan, it uses machine learning to make its behavior responsive to repeated interactions. The attraction is a companion that reacts to attention without the demands of a living pet or a friend.

Poketomo and Moflin illustrate two approaches to the same ambition. One centers on conversation and remembered experiences; the other on touch, sound and changing behavior. Both seek to keep owners engaged after the first excitement of opening a new toy has passed.

Personal memories bring privacy choices

Voice logs, photographs and location information give an AI companion more material for a personal response. They also place sensitive parts of a person's routine inside a connected product, making data policies and responsible design central to the ownership experience.

Emotional AI, also called affective computing, uses signals such as a person's voice, movements and behavior patterns to infer feelings. An inference is an estimate: the system uses those signals to decide how to respond. That is the basic idea behind products designed to change their behavior according to an owner's attention or mood.

A recent study of Japanese attitudes found interest in such technology alongside concerns about privacy, autonomy and fairness. Women expressed stronger worries about young people's data and constant monitoring. Autonomy concerns involve how much control people retain over their own choices and their relationship with a device.

For families, parental controls are part of the practical discussion when children use products that collect personal information. For adult owners, the same intimacy that makes a remembered conversation appealing makes clear information about stored voices, images and locations especially relevant.

Familiar characters return with new technology

Bandai's Tamagotchi Paradise updates the virtual pet idea with worlds that players can manage from the microscopic level to the cosmic scale. Linking two units unlocks new interactions, giving the familiar brand another way to connect players.

Bandai Spirits displayed precision replicas tied to events and exhibits for fans of giant robots. Kawada's nanoblock Godzilla kit uses tiny building pieces and includes effects that reference the monster's roar. Both appeal to adult collectors while remaining accessible to teenagers.

Takara Tomy's Pokemon smartphone style toy lets users photograph their surroundings and turn what they capture into habitats inside the device. A transformation belt for the latest Kamen Rider television show lights up the body with an energetic display. These products use technology to refresh franchises that already connect different generations.

Beyblade, Rubik's Cube and Licca chan also featured refreshed product lines aimed at keeping longtime fans interested while welcoming new players. The mix of familiar names and new functions gives manufacturers several routes into the gift market, rather than relying on AI alone.

Accessible doll houses and indoor movement

A new Licca chan doll house reflects changes in everyday homes with a parcel delivery box and an automatic door lock. Its floors also have different textures, allowing children with visual impairments to explore the rooms through touch.

The tactile details make accessibility part of a familiar toy rather than a separate activity. Children can use differences under their fingers to explore the house, adding sensory play to a brand already known across generations.

Summer heat has also shaped products intended for Japanese homes. Compact fitness equipment, balance games and toys driven by movement give children ways to be active indoors, including in apartments where space is limited.

Adults working from home are another potential audience for a short burst of exercise. These products reflect the same broadening of the customer base visible elsewhere at the fair: a toy can serve a child's playtime and also fit into an adult's daily routine.

Tariffs connect factory locations to shop prices

Japan's toy manufacturers face a pricing challenge that starts far from the exhibition floor. Much of their production takes place in China, making the location of a factory important when goods are shipped to the United States or Europe.

Following trade negotiations, a U.S. tariff rate of 15 percent has been discussed for some Japanese goods. A toy manufactured in China and exported to the United States may face tariffs applying to Chinese goods. Tariffs are taxes on imported products, and higher import costs can feed into retail prices.

Akihiro Sato of the Tokyo chapter of the Japan Toy Association described the scale of the industry's dependence on manufacturing in China and the possible effect on prices:

About 80 percent of Japanese toy manufacturers products are actually produced in China, so when selling from China to the United States, Chinese tariffs are added, which could lead to higher prices for some manufacturers.

Industry groups are watching how the rules affect holiday shipments and the timing of releases. For manufacturers planning seasonal sales, production location and export destination can therefore matter alongside product design and demand.

Chinese exhibitors seek a place in Japan

Companies from China are also becoming more visible as exhibitors in Tokyo. Robotime showed intricate wooden puzzles and miniature houses, offering detailed construction projects alongside the fair's digital devices and character merchandise.

Japan presents a demanding market for newcomers because of strict quality standards and a strong preference for domestic brands. Companies entering it see those expectations as a reason to improve craftsmanship and design, as well as a challenge in winning customers.

Exhibitors from China's Chenghai District, a center of toy manufacturing, view the Tokyo fair as a route to buyers in Japan and beyond. Their presence connects the event's two roles: a place for consumers to discover toys and a meeting point for businesses arranging future sales.

Wooden kits, construction toys and tactile puzzles also preserve a place for play away from screens. Their presence alongside AI companions shows the range of products competing for attention, from a conversation with a robot to the patient work of assembling a miniature scene.

November launches lead into the gift season

Several of the most discussed products are timed for the months ahead. As of September 2, 2025, Poketomo is scheduled for a Japanese launch in November, while Moflin's latest model is due to ship domestically in early November. No exact release date was given for Poketomo.

The schedule places companion robots alongside limited edition character merchandise and building sets arriving in waves through late fall. Retailers are preparing displays for both families and adults buying for themselves, following a strategy that has worked during recent peak shopping seasons.

The main dates and stages are:

• Fiscal 2024: Japan's toy market rose 7.9 percent to about 1.0992 trillion yen, its second consecutive year above one trillion yen.
• The 2025 Tokyo Toy Show: Four days combined two business days with two public days at Tokyo Big Sight.
• Late fall 2025: Limited edition character goods and building sets are due to arrive in successive releases.
• Early November 2025: Moflin's latest model is scheduled to ship in Japan.
• November 2025: Sharp plans to release Poketomo in Japan for about 39,600 yen.

The public days let fans try products before buying and share their reactions online, helping generate interest in preorders. That early attention matters for products intended to become holiday gifts or regular companions rather than occasional purchases.

The Japan Toy Association and national broadcasters maintain show pages with exhibitor information, product selections and schedules. Readers can also explore NHK's event coverage and UPI's show recap for more on the technology and adult buying trends drawing attention at Tokyo Big Sight.

Japan's manufacturers are pursuing several kinds of demand at once: comfort through responsive machines, nostalgia through established characters, satisfaction through collecting and building, and practical play suited to homes and hot weather. Together, those products explain how the industry is reaching beyond a shrinking population of children while keeping traditional toys in the picture.

Key Points

• More than 200 exhibitors displayed roughly 35,000 products at the four day Tokyo Toy Show.
• Japan's toy market reached about 1.0992 trillion yen in fiscal 2024, up 7.9 percent.
• Adults and overseas visitors are helping support demand, with collectors now a core audience.
• Sharp's Poketomo uses conversations, locations and camera images to personalize interactions and is scheduled for November.
• Moflin responds to touch and sound, while connected companion products bring privacy and data choices for owners.
• Interactive technology categories recorded annual revenue growth above 40 percent in data shared at the show.
• Tactile doll house floors, indoor exercise toys and traditional building kits broadened the displays beyond AI.
• Production in China and U.S. tariffs could affect prices as manufacturers prepare holiday shipments.