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under General Tokusatsu News

Millions of children (and adults) across the United States and the United Kingdom are still in the mourning phase of the realization that the biggest toy store there is will be no longer with the announcement of the end of Toys’R’Us. However, a new champion has entered the ring claiming that he will save the toy industry.

Ellia Kassoff, CEO of Strategic Marks, LLC, announced via a LinkedIn article that he and his company have been looking in to the return of KB Toys/KayBee Toys over the last six months and, with the announcement of the end of Toys’R’Us, have accelerated their plans and hope to have stores open by this Christmas.

What? How can that be? Isn’t the toy industry reeling with kids playing video games and online retailers like Amazon stealing all the business away from brick and mortar stores? If there’s anyone in the business world qualified to give it a crack shot, it’s Ellia Kassoff, and we’re going to share with you why.

How many of you enjoyed the candy Astro Pops as a kid? What about Tart’n’Tinys? (personal note: those are my favorite candies to ever exist in the history of ever). Wacky Wafers? If you answered yes then you probably know that you can’t find those items at your grocery stores anymore. Most of those brands were discontinued long ago by the major candy companies like Willy Wonka and Hershey.

Enter Ellia Kassoff and Leaf Brands. Wait – Leaf Brands was sold to Hershey Food Corporation in 1996 and left the United States, you say. Yes – this is true. But Ellia Kassoff, the nephew of Ed Leaf (the original CEO of the original Leaf Brands) restarted the company in 2011 with the idea of bringing back those classic candy treats that you can no longer find. And he’s succeeded we might add. You can order the candies we listed above from the new Leaf Brands or their specialty distributors. I’m eating some Tart’n’Tinys as we speak. And not the gel-coated junk from before – the original, powdery-like original versions like in the cardboard box you used to get in the candy aisle.

Ellia Kassoff is all about taking old brands that failed and bringing them back today with new and current ideas, strategies that make sense in this digital age, and a results-oriented business. And thus far he has been successful.

Welcome back KB Toys. We hope, this time, you’re here to stay.

under Metal Heroes, Super Sentai

The first teaser trailer for the upcoming Super Sentai/Metal Hero crossover project Uchu Sentai KyuRanger VS Space Squad has been released!

Full story details have not yet been confirmed, but early descriptions have hinted that one KyuRanger will commit a felony & as a result the entire team becomes targeted by the Space Sheriffs.

A poster for the film has also been released, detailing the return of the entire KyuRanger team along with the Space Sheriffs Gavan and Shaider.

KyuRanger VS Space Squad will be released on August 8 2018! Stay tuned to TokuNation as we keep you up to date on this exciting new project!

under General Tokusatsu News, Power Rangers

After 70 years in business, the biggest toy store there is simply won’t be anymore. Today Toys’R’Us filed papers in court to begin the immediate process of liquidating and selling all of it’s US store operations for both Toys’R’Us and Babies’R’Us.

Toys’R’Us filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection in September of 2017 and received an influx of cash of $3.1 billion dollars to maintain business operations over the 2017 Holiday Shopping Season. Through court documents we now see just how bad this Holiday Shopping Season was for Toys’R’Us – Quarter 4 of the 2017 Fiscal Year brought in only $81 million dollars for Toys’R’Us compared to $347 million in Quarter 4 of 2016. To quote CEO David Brandon, their financial results were “worse than worst case scenario”. To remain open, Toys’R’Us would need to spend $50 million to $100 million per month which the company is incapable of doing.

The small, silver lining to this scenario is that there are potential plans for the Toys’R’Us Canada branch to outright purchase a select number of stores – possibly close to 200 – and allow them to remain open. However, until such a deal is reached, every single Toys’R’Us and Babies’R’Us store in the United States will begin the process of liquidation.

It’s a sad day for the toy industry. Toys’R’Us is estimated to make up 15% of all the total toy sales in the United States, putting huge burdens on major manufacturers like Hasbro and Mattel to find a way to make up for that change. Hasbro, in recent investor calls, has already stated plans in place currently to help minimize the overall effect and that they are confident they will come out of this mostly unscathed. Mattel on the other hand is close to filing for bankruptcy themselves, having recently suspended dividend following poor sale results in the recent quarter.

We’s sharing the following jingle by Twitter user @ChaseHolfelder in memory of the “Biggest Toy Store There Is”. Our thoughts are with the estimated 33,000 workers who will soon be out of a job. If there are any changes to the news, or Toys’R’Us Canada does end up purchasing some US stores to keep them open, we will share that with you.

The full press release is after the jump of “Read More”.

[Read more…]

under Super Sentai

Let’s Go On!

If you’re a fan of Engine Sentai Go-Onger, we have good news for you:  this year marks the show’s 10-year anniversary, and to celebrate Toei will be releasing an Engine Sentai Go-Onger V-Cinema: Engine Sentai Go-Onger 10 Year Grand Prix!

tokusatsunetwork.com  has confirmed that the main seven cast members will return to reprise their respective roles, in addition, the movie will be written by Katsuya Watanabe whom previously worked on episodes of the show.

The Blu-Ray and DVD release is set to come out September 26th 2018, plot details currently unknown but for now we can enjoy a teaser announcing the project in the box below:

 

Engine Sentai Go-Onger first aired in February 17, 2008. The show would later become the basis for the fan favorite season Power Rangers RPM.

under Kamen Rider

Yesterday we brought you the news that S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Ibuki was finally being released, and now Tamashii Nations have confirmed just when you can get your hands on the next Kamen Rider Hibiki Oni and for just how much.

Kamen Rider Ibuki will release in August 2018 as a Tamashii web exclusive, for the price of 7020 yen. Like Hibiki he also comes with a wide selection of accessories, including four additional pairs of hands,  alternate belt parts, his Onibue Onteki whistle transformation device in both folded and unfolded states, 3 different disk animals (in disk form) and of course his signature Ongekikan Reppuu trumpet.

Hopefully this means release information for Kamen Riders Zanki and Todoroki will follow soon! Will you be adding S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Ibuki to your collection? Let us know in the discussion linked!

under Power Rangers

We’ve been sharing Toys’R’Us news stories on our Twitter account @TokuNation a lot lately. The reason we’re doing that is because as a site that frequently promotes toys and collectibles, losing the largest toys and collectibles retailer in the world is kind of a big deal.

Toys’R’Us is expected to file liquidation papers today (Wednesday) to give to the court tomorrow (Thursday). This will officially mark the end of Toys’R’Us in the United States as we know it. A report from the Wall Street Journal states that CEO David Brandon announced to home office personnel in a conference call today (Wednesday) that the company is filing liquidation papers today for the court hearing tomorrow (Thursday).

Earlier today, Toys’R’Us UK also announced liquidation with all UK stores closing within the next 6 weeks. Toys’R’Us Canada is seemingly in a better place financially with no updates on their situation, and Toys’R’Us Asia is actually profitable and is expected to be sold to other shareholders in China turning them in to majority shareholders and giving them control of business operations.

A report from CNBC has come out stating that Toys’R’Us may also keep up to 200 US stores open after liquidation, combining those stores with the Toys’R’Us Canada operation, effectively making Toys’R’Us (in the US at least) a Canadian retailer operating in the United States. Those 200 stores would undoubtedly be profitable stores with favorable real estate deals. However, at the time of this posting, there is no concrete information available to share on that note.

As more news breaks we will share it with you. A complete liquidation of US Toys’R’Us stores will result in a 33,000 loss of employees, making it the largest retailer to shut down (in terms of employee size) since Sports Authority went out of business at the end of 2016. Our thoughts are with all the families suffering with the fate of their future paychecks.

under Kamen Rider, TokuNation, TokuNation Site Updates, TokuNation Spotlights

“Red Fists Burning In A Blaze! Blue Chained Puzzles In A Craze!“

The latest release from Kamen Rider Ex-Aid has arrived and the Bugster Parad is here to prove he’s still on Emu’s level! Using the powerful Gashat Gear Dual with a Gamer Driver produces a unique fusion of Parad’s two powerful level 5o forms as S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Para-DX Perfect Knockout Gamer Level 99!

Para-DX Level 99 is so far the 2nd figuart we’ve gotten of this character (along with the L Mighty Brother), but this time it’s quite a bite more of a unique one. Level 99 is a powerful and imposing looking form with an array of special abilities. In figure terms, Level 99 is a gorgeously ornate figure that despite the loincloth/skirt has a dynamic range of movement that brings him to life. Armed with the Gashcon Parabragun and 3 sets of hands, Para-DX Level 99 should be a welcome addition for any Ex-Aid Display.

We’ve attached the full gallery of 60+ images to this post, but you can also check out our full review of Para-DX Level 99 by clicking “Discuss on the TokuNation Forums” at the bottom of this post. We’ll be back in the near future with a trio of galleries from Pacific Rim Uprising as well some from Kamen Rider W and the original Kamen Rider TV series.

under Kamen Rider

After a nearly 4 year long wait, and several appearances at Tamashii Nations events in the last year, a new Shinkocchou Seihou release is finally on the way from Kamen Rider Hibiki! Joining the ranks of this top quality sub-line of special releases is Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Ibuki!

Kamen Rider Ibuki was the secondary rider of Hibiki’s TV series. The youngest of the original 3 Oni of the series, Ibuki abandoned his human name (Iori Izumi) once he gained his powers. This figure appears to gorgeously replicate Ibuki every bit as well as the line did with Hibiki years ago. Ibuki will include his Ongekikan Reppuu trumpet-gun, a set of disc animals, his Oni Whistle for transforming, and several more accessories.

We don’t have the exact release details available yet, but given the release of these partial images, a full set as well as that retail information will be available shortly. We’ll update you as soon as we can! Credit to @_Erasu for digging up these initial images as well.

under Kamen Rider

Great news for you Kamen Rider fans! If you haven’t yet picked up the SIC Kamen Rider Gaim Orange Arms figure now is your opportunity! Entertainment Earth (you may remember them for having the first available stock of the Legacy Golden Power Staff and Legacy Zeonizer) is having a ONE DAY SALE for this item and it’s the cheapest you can find online!

For $49.99 (normally $74.99, so 33% off) you can add this stunning figure to your collection. We cannot recommend this one enough as we are owners of it ourselves. Click the link below and purchase your figure!

Click here to order SIC Kamen Rider Gaim Orange Arms from EntertainmentEarth.com!

under Power Rangers

Attention Power Rangers fans! The voting period is now open for this year’s annual Kid’s Choice Awards on Nickelodeon! The Power Rangers are up for two awards:

– Best Television Show (Power Rangers Ninja Steel)
– Best Actor (William Shewfelt, Red Ranger)

Voting is done through Twitter and the use of hashtags. Limit one vote per category, per Twitter account, per day.

#KCA #FavTVShowPowerRangersNinjaSteel (click to send a tweet!)
#KCA #FavTVActorWilliamShewfelt (click to send a tweet!)

Start voting! Let’s celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Power Rangers by getting two major wins for Power Rangers Ninja Steel!