TOMY : Oriental Zodiac ANIA (Ox)

November 18, 2020

For Immediate Release

Sixth Release in the Oriental Zodiac Series of "ANIA" Animal Action Figures!

2021 is the Year of the Ox! Perfect for Your Celebration of the New Year!

"Oriental Zodiac ANIA (Ox)"

to be released on Thursday, November 19, 2020!

The "ANIA" series has reached a total of 12,000,000 sales

over approximately seven years!

TOMY Company, Ltd.

TOMY Company, Ltd. (Representative Director, President & COO: Kazuhiro Kojima, headquarters: Katsushika- ku, Tokyo) will release "Oriental Zodiac ANIA (Ox)" (SRP: JPY 600/tax not included), in the motif of next year's animal symbol, as the latest product of the "ANIA" *1 series, which is a hand-held size animal action figure brand with the gimmick of being able to be moved and played with, on Thursday, November 19, 2020 at toy stores, toy sections of department stores/mass retailers throughout Japan, online stores, selected bookstores, TOMY Company's official online store "Takara Tomy Mall" (takaratomymall.jp/shop/), etc.

The "Oriental Zodiac ANIA" series comes in sets, with each set featuring a figure from the Oriental zodiac, a red carpet (felt sheet) and a folding screen. As it is designed not only to be played with, but also to be displayed to create the festive atmosphere of the New Year, it is popular among children, the main target of the "ANIA" series, and is well received by adult customers as well. This product is put forward as a product that can be used as a greeting for the new year, a New Year display piece, a gift to celebrate the New Year, etc. due each product combining the Japanese custom to have an animal in the Oriental zodiac represent each year with animal motifs of the "ANIA" series.

In the sixth annual release, a calf, which, within "oxen," is cute, was adopted as a motif associated with the year of the ox. As the neck is movable, its cuteness is expressed even more. The Chinese character for ox has the meaning of "cord" and "entwine," which expresses the state of a bud being entwined inside of a seed that has not yet grown. It is said that the year of the ox signifies being on the way to success as the harbinger of perseverance and development due to the ox, which has aided people with dairy and agriculture throughout history, being the animal that steadily

helps until the end. This product comes in a set with an auspicious gold "ox" based on the desire for the year to be even a little brighter in spite of the current situation.

It has been approximately seven years since the launch of the "ANIA" series in June 2013, more than twelve million units have been shipped in Japan and overseas, and it is extremely popular. (as of October 2020)

TOMY Company will enhance the lineups by planning diverse products, with the aim of developing "ANIA" as the long-standing series that is loved by children around the world.

Product Name: "Oriental Zodiac ANIA (Ox)

SRP: JPY 600 (tax not included)

Release Date: Thursday, November 19, 2020

Recommended Age: 3 years and up

Package Contents: White and black Ox (calf) × 1, gold Ox (calf) × 1, gold folding screen × 1, red felt carpet × 1

Dimensions: Ox (calf: black and white, gold) W 43 mm × H 29 mm × D 16 mm

Sales Target: ANIA series total 1,500,000 units per year

Sales Channels: Toy stores, toy sections of department stores/mass retailers throughout Japan, online stores, selected bookstores, TOMY Company's official online store "Takara Tomy Mall", etc.

Copyright: © TOMY

Website:www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/ania[Official Twitter] @toy_ania(twitter.com/toy_ania)

(*1) What is "ANIA"?

The "ANIA" series was launched in 2013 and features a range of hand-held size animal action figures with the gimmick of being able to be moved and played with. The products are designed as a "3D animal picture book" to stimulate intellectual interest in children who want to know more about the characteristics and types of different animals and as items that parents and children can play with together. These toys are created not just for displaying but based on the concept of animal action figures to be moved and played with. Their hand-held size, movable gimmick action feature and detailed molding have made them popular, and to date more than twelve million units have been sold in Japan and overseas (series total; as of October 2020).

The "ANIA" series toys have also received "Guide Dog Mark" certification as "accessible design toys" that children with visual disabilities can enjoy. The series won the Grand Prize in the Accessible Design Toys category at the 2013 Japan Toy Awards.

1. Hand-heldsize: Designed to fit perfectly in the palm of a child, the "ANIA" series toys are easy to handle and play with.
2. Movable gimmick action feature: All "ANIA" series toys feature a movable part that is characteristic of each animal (e.g. a lion that opens its mouth, an elephant that sways its trunk, a giraffe that moves its neck, and a lesser panda that moves its tail). Children can intuitively understand the characteristic part of each animal and play with them by recreating typical poses such as a giraffe reaching up to eat leaves from a tree or a crocodile opening its jaws to catch prey.
3. Detailed molding: All animals in the "ANIA" series are designed without sharp protrusions to ensure safety of play and are shaped to be appealing to children, in addition to which close attention to detail is paid to coloring and molding to recreate the look of the animal's skin, feel of its fur, shape of its limbs, appearance of its paw pads, etc.
   Official Websitewww.takaratomy.co.jp/products/ania

For press inquiries, please contact:

Public Relations Division, TOMY Company, Ltd. Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

For product inquiries from consumers, please contact:

TOMY Customer Service (Japanese only) Tel: [phone](Navi-Dial)