merchandise

The merchandise of SEGA’s Jet Set Radio: Collecting that Uki-Uki-Waku-Waku feeling

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Unless you’re a Sonic The Hedgehog fan, collecting merchandise from SEGA franchises can be a difficult venture. Some games simply have little to no merchandise. Bug!, for example, only has a windup figure from SEGA’s Jack in the Box kid’s meal and a few Saturn era promotional pieces. Ecco the Dolphin and Toejam and Earl merchandise is almost non-existent; the former also had a Jack in the Box kid’s meal toy and the latter is just now getting products thanks to the recently funded Kickstarter campaign. Japanese franchises, like Phantasy Star Online, have quite a lot of collectibles but much of it is Japan only and requires importing and ebay hunting. Other franchises, like Shenmue, have had quite a bit of merchandise in the past and in recent years, but good luck finding any of it for a low price point.

Jet Set Radio, meanwhile, has quite a bit to offer fans when it comes to collectibles with several items releasing outside of Japan and many of them being surprisingly affordable. Seeing as Jet Set Radio is one of my favorite franchises, I’ve amassed a small collection over the years which I wanted to show off both because I am incredibly conceited and because I thought it would serve as a nice guide for those wondering what sort of Jet Set Radio merchandise is out there.

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SEGA and Sony team up to release a 10th anniversary Yakuza branded Walkman player

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SEGA and Sony have teamed up for the Yakuza franchise’s 10th anniversary to release a Walkman player sporting Yakuza branding. The Japanese exclusive Walkman, which unfortunately is not a throwback CD or cassette player, is planned to release on March 12th to coincide with the release of Yakuza 0 and will retail for 29,980 Yen (around $250 USD). As an added incentive for fans, the player is to come pre-loaded with twelve songs from the series including the new Yakuza 0 intro and outro tunes.

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SEGAbits Visits SEGA of America, Inc. in Sunny San Francisco – Part 3

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Welcome to the third and final part of our visit to SEGA of America! Check out the first part here and the second part here. In part three, we’re going to take a look at several rare, cool, and sometimes strange pieces of SEGA history pulled from SEGA’s archives from SEGA community managers Kellie Parker and Julian Mehlfeld. Consoles in their original boxes, cool accessories, rare statues, and a few items from the Kellie Parker Collection™ can all be seen after the break!

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A look at SEGA’s Hero Bank promotional items, including branded toilet paper

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Hero Bank is the latest project by Yakuza Team head Toshihiro Nagoshi (Yakuza, Super Monkey Ball), a 3DS RPG. Above is toilet paper that SEGA will be giving out as part of a swag bag at the ‘Next Generation World Hobby Fair’. Yes, toilet paper, what a way to set expectations for your upcoming game by giving people paper to wipe their ass.

The package also comes with a poster, stickers, Yen notepad, and a handy bag. Check out the photos below.

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First 4 Figures teases Shadow the Hedgehog statue

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First 4 Figures are at it again, teasing another of their Sonic the Hedgehog statues. This time, the company are adding Shadow to their line of modern era statues, which began with Sonic the Hedgehog. The Sonic statue as well as the Shadow statue have yet to release. Both are available for pre-order, with Sonic slated for a Q1 2013 release, and Shadow slated for an unspecified date. First 4 Figures, however, has revealed the pre-order date, which begins November 11th. Personally, I find these statues to be incredibly cool but far outside my price range. It’s a shame First 4 Figures never expanded their awesome, and affordable, classic Sonic vinyl figures. Still, those who have been collecting all of these statues as well as the Shadow fans out there should be very happy to hear the news.

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Upcoming book answers the age-old question of “Where’s Sonic?”

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While we can’t report on EVERY piece of Sonic merchandise (if we did that, we’d be up to our necks in pencil cases, DVDs, statues, figures and the occasional toothbrush), we do like to share the unique and awesome items emblazoned with Sonic’s mug. “Where’s Sonic?: A Search-And-Find Adventure” is definitely of the unique category. It’s a Where’s Waldo/Wally style book in which fans try and find Sonic as well as other items as they litter recognizable zones and stages from the franchise. Currently the book is only listed in the UK and Australia. Amazon UK is taking pre-orders for £2.99 with free shipping within the UK. The release date is October 11th, so until then try to find Shadow creeping in the shadows in the image above.

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Meatbun offers up three cool new SEGA inspired shirts

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Meatbun have some crazy talent designing their gaming related tees, and I get the feeling they may have a bit of a Sega fan streak in them judging by how 3 out 4 of their latest designs are Sega inspired. Many are quite surprising mash ups too! First up, Passing Breeze. This looks like it could have come directly out of a mid to late 80s Japanese indie fan magazine, right down to the manga like toning. A gorgeous illustration that nails the vibe of the classic Outrun.

Check out SEGA Memories for the other two designs!

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First4Figures reveals their modern Sonic statue

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Via their Facebook page, First4Figures have revealed the first in their modern line of Sonic statues: Sonic the Hedgehog. Like the photo says, pre-orders start May 15th, 2012 and there will be a very limited number of statues available. I have to say, when I heard of a modern line I was iffy, but this statue looks great! While I won’t be getting it, the F4F statues are too rich for my blood, I do love looking at photos of them. What do you think, dear readers? Would you let this hedgehog into your home?

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SEGA Europe gearing up for Sonic’s 20th with back-to-school merchandise

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2011’s the year that Sonic turns 20, and SEGA Europe’s making sure that everyone knows it. Heading to retailers in the UK and Ireland this summer are Sonic backpacks and other back-to-school stationery items. Several shops have already placed orders for the Blueprint-designed stationery, including WH Smith, Tesco, Debenhams, Morrisons, and Next.

“I believe there is still a vast untapped potential for licensing based on games, and we will see an increase in overall sales as more retailers start listing the stock and see the results in their sell-through numbers.”

-Sissel Henno, head of brand licensing for SEGA Europe

I imagine this is only the tip of the iceberg. Expect to hear much more about Sonic merchandise in the coming months, especially as his big 20th Anniversary game gets closer to release in the back quarter of this year.

[Source: MCV]

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