Not all anime series and movies were created to simply entertain the viewers. Some have a deep message about the darkest parts of the human psyche. Others carry a very sad message about things like war and humanity's effect on the planet. However, there are some with a message that is seen more frequently than any other.
This is the message of product placement, in this case, those products are toys that the anime is meant to act as a commercial for. This list will take a look at a few nostalgic anime that fans might or might not have known were based on toys.
10 CRUSH GEAR TURBO (2001-03)
Crush Gear Turbo is an anime that aired among various other shows trying to become the next big children's game in the early 2000s. The game that this series was based around was one that was rather odd, even in comparison to the rest of the wacky Japanese children's games that were trying to make it big around this time.
The game featured battery-powered toy cars that moved around and once they crashed into each other they're supposed to come apart. Whoever loses the most important pieces loses. This series was a failure though.
9 PARAPPA THE RAPPER (2001-02)
PaRappa the Rapper is mostly known for his iconic appearances on the Sony Playstations 1 and 2, but those aren't the only pieces of this rapping dog's nostalgic legacy. In Japan, PaRappa fever ran rampant and Sony was doing everything they could to capitalize on the buzz following this little icon.
This, of course, meant trying to find more ways to sell games and his new series of toys to go along with it. Thus, in the year 2001, a PaRappa the Rapper anime was released for Japanese viewers. Despite the love of the games in the US, it was never localized.
8 ZOIDS (1999-)
Zoids is one of those series that most people probably remember just enough to keep its memory alive from their childhoods. One thing that is probably remembered, however, is that Zoids had a very kickass line of toys and model kits.
Spawning multiple seasons, including Zoids Wild Zero that is currently on the air, Zoids is a niche anime series that was created long after the inception of the brand's model kit and toyline. Even up to this day, Zoids remains a relatively rare product that is reflected in the high pricing of its model kits and toys.
7 HELLO KITTY (1991-95)
Who could forget everyone's favorite white cat mascot? Hello Kitty is one of the most recognizable characters in the history of merchandising. The character was created in 1974, hitting store shelves just a year later. This little kitty was created with the intention of becoming a marketing juggernaut and, obviously, that plan succeeded in a very big way.
Unsurprisingly, Hello Kitty has spawned various anime series, with the most prominent one being arguably 1991's Hello Kitty and Friends. As it also aired on Toon Disney, this anime helped spread the Hello Kitty brand in the West.
6 BEYBLADE (2001-03)
Beyblade is a Japanese toy series created by the famed toy company Takara TOMY. They were inspired by an older board game featuring battling tops called, well, Battling Tops. These toys' main gimmick was the fact that they battled and were able to be customized with different parts to make them look cooler and, of course, win more.
This drove Takara TOMY to license out the brand in attempts of making it an even larger commercial success. This licensing came in the form of an anime and a manga series under the same title, Beyblade.
5 SAILOR MOON (1992-97)
While the popular and highly influential magical girl manga Sailor Moon wasn't originally created with the intention of simply being a children's toy commercial, things changed when the series hit the anime front.
This need to sell toys was the reason special transformation sequences for the Outer Senshi were created for the Sailor Moon anime. The transformation wands used by the girls in these scenes, as well as other accessories, were heavily marketed back in the a-day of the series.
4 BATTLE B-DAMAN (2004)
Battle B-Daman is another game that was brought to the West from Japan in order to capture the hearts and minds of young kids with something new and fresh. This time around Takara produced a children's game based on a classic game of marbles and built a more dynamic design around it.
The original toyline was based on the videogame Bomberman but soon after Takara pulled away from that and made the game its own thing with an anime created to advertise it in 2004.
3 Pokémon (1997-)
Pokémon is one of Nintendo's biggest cash cows, and for good reason. This license was instantly marketable and the anime took things a step further. Presumably, many readers are aware that Pokémon started off as a video game and, of course, a series of different toys.
Ever since the series' inception, Nintendo has been on top of the franchise's marketing, with the Pokémon anime serving as a way to ship even more toys and games. Even up until this day, Pokémon stands as one of the juggernauts of the toy, anime, videogame, and all-around commercial world.
2 TMNT: MUTANT TURTLES - SUPERMAN LEGEND (1996)
The Japanese anime adaptation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, titled Mutant Turtles: Superman Legend, is a series that was completely based upon two special runs of the old TMNT figures called "Super Mutants" and "Metal Mutation."
Both of these runs for the heroes in a half-shell were created as parodies of the Super Sentai series. They featured the turtles using mutation stones to transform into humanoid Tokusatsu inspired heroes. They ended up birthing an entire OVA anime series.
1 BRAVE SERIES (1990-98)
The Brave Series is one that '90s kids may remember hearing rumors about in their nearest video import store during the age of the Transformers. Brave Series was a Japanese spiritual successor to the robots in disguise due to corporate bickering and toyline affairs of course.
This toy series was thought of and released with an anime produced to go along with it. The Brave Series went on to become one of the most popular Super Robot anime out there.