Just what the hell ARE Zoids, anyway???

Zoids are equal parts model kit and windup (or battery operated) toy, manufactured by Tomy Corporation (now Takara-Tomy) of Japan. With designs typically based on/inspired by Terrafauna (mostly of the extinct kind), they arrive on toy shelves in kit form, much like any styrene model kit. Following Tomy's always clear and straightforward instruction sheets, you cut the parts from the plastic sprues and gradually assemble your Zoid (no glue required...EVER!). Once assembled, you either wind it up or flip on the power switch, and turn it loose to wreak havoc across any smooth, flat surface. Decals are provided, but always optional. Some folks even go so far as to paint and/or modify their Zoids in all sorts of cool ways.

First released in Japan in 1981 or thereabouts under the name of "Mechabonica" (short for "mechanical bones"), the windups that would become the first three Zoids were not great sellers there. Repackaged under the name "Zoids" (short for "Zi Androids"), a new backstory was given to explain the existence and purpose of the mechanical critters. Sales in Japan then grew. Zoids made a brief and somewhat successful showing in the US in 1982 and 1983. Sales slowed after the release of the Giant Zrk (Bigasaurus), though, at which point Zoids stopped in the US and retreated to Japan and Europe. They returned to America again in ’84 and ’85 in the form of Robo-Strux, but again, sales here were slow. Some Robo Strux samples lingered on the shelves through the late 80s, forgotten by a fickle US toy market. New Zoids did not grace the shelves of major US retailers again until about 1994 when they were released by Kenner under the Techno Zoids moniker. The colors schemes this time were pretty garish, but the line introduced many new Zoids which were never available en masse stateside. Again, alas, their shelf life was short lived.

Back in Japan, though, it was a different story. Zoids thrived throughout the 1980s, and many MANY different types that US collectors could only dream of were produced and sold there. Zoids also made a strong showing in Europe during the 1980s and 1990s...but I'll leave those tales to my European Zoider counterparts. Sales slowed in Japan in the early 1990s, though, and finally Zoids faded into obscurity at major retailers. But waves of nostalgia began sweeping through the world towards the close of the 20th century...

Just when everyone thought Zoids were all said and done, Tomy turned around and brought them back late in 1999, with fresh new colors, a comic, and (finally) a damned cool anime/CGI show to boot! Response was great, and so far, has been enough to keep the line running through today. Not only has Tomy been gracious enough to re-release some of our favorite kits during these last ten years, but they cooked up plenty of cool new Zoids for us to add to our collections! (Geno Breaker, anyone??) It seemed like there was a pleasant new surprise from them every time you turned around those days.

Eventually, Zoids made their way back to shelves here in the US for another brief stay in late 2001. Hasbro was the conduit for Tomy this time, and they managed to squeeze a couple of years or so out of Zoids again before those fickle American kids had had enough one more time. So now, Zoids are long gone from US new-retail shelves yet again (The days of snagging that Gustav on a clearance rack somewhere are done, folks). However, every now and then you'll run across them (typically NAR units) in flea markets and secondhand stores.

At that time in the late '90s when offerings from US toy makers were growing ever more redundant and boring, Zoids got me excited about toy collecting again when they were re-released. I would pick up new Zoids, and I would forget about the horror of hoarders, scalpers, chase figures, and the like. Cool packaging, cool toys, and plenty to go around for everyone. Even though the golden and silver ages of Zoiding are past, Zoids will always remind me of what is so great about toy collecting...thus why I will always say: "Zoids kick ass!"

Finally, now, you may still be wondering...what's with the golf club jokes? Well, way, way, WAAAAAAAAAY back when Zoids were something only a handful of us American collectors cared about and the Web was in its infancy (i.e., the 1990s), search engines would always bring up pages for "Minuzo T-Zoid" golf clubs whenever you would go searching for anything Zoids-related. This was pretty frustrating, especially on Ebay. Those of us who were active in the Zoid community at the time often found ourselves griping at the interference the golf club listings created with our Zoid-searching. I think the T-Zoid clubs are still out there...but now I'm pretty sure there are a whole lot more Tomy Zoids listings in the search engines. ^_^

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