Sakura (toyline)

Sakura (Japanese: さくら) is a Japanese fashion doll toyline created by Yui Ishida and Sozo Toys. It was launched in 2006, and was successful with

young girls and preteens. The toyline is notable for its mix-and-match hair, clothing and accessories.

Overview
The toyline focuses on a mix-and-match feature, which the hair, clothing and accesories can be swapped with others to make it look distinctive. The hair and body is usually made of a unique rubber rather than the ordinary plastic. Most clothing (except for shoes) is usually made from recycled plastics, making the toyline more environmentally friendly. The toyline's main character is Sakura. Many other characters also exist for the toyline. The doll usually has a big head and a smaller body (chibi), with eyes that when the doll is looked at in another direction, it is like it is looking at you.

History
It started in 2004 when Yui Ishida had got the idea of a toyline that had more of a creative aspect to it. She had got the idea after noticing how her niece Mayumi Ishida, liked to draw hair and clothing on pictures of people that she drew. On August 2005, the first prototype was designed of Sakura by Yui Ishida (then called "Angel Girl", but due to a pop singer sharing the name and being copyrighted, it was changed.) and the prototype toy itself was showcased at a convention in December 2005. The prototype is currently at Sozo Toys' office in Tokyo, Japan, at their History area for visitors. On February 15th 2006, the Sakura doll was launched and started to appear on shelves in Japanese stores. The toyline started to become a trend with young girls, which motivated Yui Ishida and Sozo Toys to make more. In 2007, the toyline came to Europe, and eventually North America. While the toyline was a huge hit in Europe, it only had a small fanbase in North America. In 2008, SF Animation produced an anime based on the toyline named Sakura's Island Life (Named simply "Magic Island" in the USA.). In 2012, the Sakura toyline was discontinued in North America due to low sales, and continued outside, which made the toyline harder to find in the USA, even online. On February 15th 2016, the toyline celebrated its 10th anniversary and released a 10th Anniversary version of the original Sakura doll.

Releases
TBA

Reception
The toyline was widely appreciated for it's mix-and-match features, and how the toyline is more unlimited by the ability to remove hair, unlike competitors like Barbie and Bratz. It was also appreciated for its diversity, and included a wide range of character of different race, ethnicity, body shape, size, age, etc.

Sequels and spinoffs
Sakura had many sequels. These include:

Ume
Ume (Plum outside Japan) is the male version of Sakura, released in 2009. The toyline includes the same features as Sakura, but targetted towards a male demographic.

Young Sakura
Young Sakura is a spinoff to Sakura, featuring younger versions of Sakura and friends.

Sakura Grown-up
Sakura Grown-up is a spinoff to Sakura, which has all grown-up versions of Sakura and friends. Notably, they have smaller eyes, some wear lipstick, and are taller than a regular Sakura doll.

Sakura's Pet
Sakura's Pet is a sequel of Sakura and her friend's pets. The main character is Cherries, a smart and friendly dog. The pets also appear on the anime series.

Trivia

 * The toyline got its own cereal named Sakura's Munchies
 * Most of the characters are named after flowers, plants and fruit.
 * The person who provides the voice on the Talk and Sing Sakura is Kei Shindou.
 * The toyline collaborated with the hit South-Korean animated series Bloxtoons, and made fashion dolls based on XYZ, Lili and Amelia, the show's main female characters. Ume versions of Rokki were also made aswell. Other collaborations include Loren and Friends, The Lovely Show and Beatz.