Word: takara
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Turtle Dance Inventor: Takara Availability: Now, only in Japan; about $12 each To Learn More: takaratoys.co.jp (Japanese only) It's small, it's cute and it sashays across your desk, tail wriggling. To program Walkie Bits, simply tap its shell with your finger. It can remember and mimic a rhythmic pattern of up to 15 clicks. In song mode, it bleep-bleeps Leopold Mozart's Toy Symphony. But the most fun you can have with these tiny turtle robots is to race them against each other. In basic walk mode, the Walkie Bits' pace is unpredictable, so you never know...
...with looping curls and ultra-feminine (and frequently pink) outfits replete with bows and frills. These are the "Nagoya Gals," a look that swept Japan last year when Tokyo fashion bible JJ gave it its stamp of approval. "Nagoya Gal Kits" flew off Tokyo department-store shelves, and toymaker Takara released a "Nagoya Gal" edition of Rika-chan, the Japanese equivalent of Barbie. Says Maiko Takagi, editor of Nagoya fashion magazine Trend: "People in Tokyo are paying attention to what we do like never before. After being ignored for so long, it is a little weird...
Wonder what your dog is really thinking? Japanese toymaker Takara claims it can get you in touch with your inner canine through its new Bowlingual. A radio microphone attaches to Fido's collar, and a handheld receiver "translates" his yelps, growls and whines into such phrases as "I can't stand it," "How boring" and "I'm lonely." How does it work? Samples of dog noises were collected, interpreted by animal behaviorists and stored in a doggie database. When your dog barks, the sound is beamed to the handheld and matched to the database. When in doubt, take...
...years, Lee's company, Singa Takara Enterprises, struggled to turn a profit selling custom-made spook equipment to clients such as the Iranian secret police. Then, in December, one of Taiwan's tabloid magazines whipped up a scandal by distributing free copies of an X-rated video purported to be of former Taipei politician Chu Mei-feng as she entertained somebody else's husband. The couple was secretly filmed with a thumbnail-sized camera hidden in a bedroom. Since the incident, which became an Internet sensation, Lee can't keep his shelves stocked?and Taiwan is gripped with hidden-camera...
...Business is also booming for Lion Liu, who sells some 300 electronic-device detectors a month to gynecologists, hospitals, department stores and local police?in competition with Lee of Singa Takara Enterprises. Not to be outdone by Liu, Lee has been working overtime, networking with public officials, publicly deriding his rival's lack of competence and making the rounds of television talk shows...