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Sega Plans Jewelpet's Overseas Expansion Next Year
posted on by Egan Loo
On October 30, Sega Toys revealed in its supporting documents for its mid-quarter financial statement that it plans to expand its Jewelpet toy line overseas in the next fiscal year. (The traditional Japanese fiscal year runs from April 1 to March 31.) Sega Toys, the main Sega company, and Sanrio are also aiming to deploy machines for their Jewelpet: Kirakira Mahō no Hōseki-bako (Jewelpet: The Glittering Magical Jewel Box) kids' card game during the second year of the franchise in Japan.
Each Jewelpet toy is a stuffed animal, named after a jewel, that is linked to the online Web-Gurumi site via a secret password. In the storyline, these pets belonged to magicians in "Jewelland," and they can use magic themselves, thanks to their jewel eyes.
A television anime series has been airing in Japan since April 5, although a second television anime season has yet to be officially announced for next year. Sayuri Tatsuyama, the creator of the Happy Happy Clover manga and anime, is launching a manga adaptation of Jewelpet in Shogakukan's Ciao magazine on December 28. (Another artist, Mako Morie, has been drawing an earlier manga spinoff in other Shogakukan magazines.)
Image © 2008 Sanrio/Sega Toys
