Archive for the ‘News’ Category
Sep30
Tomodachi is relocating!
2023 at 06:27 pm by admin | Comments Off
Attention Friends:
As of Sept 18th, our Mall of America store is closed. Our lease is up and, after 9 years at the location, we decided it was time to move on to new adventure!– details coming soon!
A heartfelt thank you goes out to all of our MoA patrons, friends and staff, who have been instrumental in TOMODACHI’s growth and success. We’ll see you soon, and please follow us on FB and instagram for future update!
Thank you,
Owner
Apr25
BEST TOY STORE in BEST of 2018
2018 at 06:39 pm by admin | Comments Off
“Entering a Tomodachi is like being hugged by a kawaii rainbow.”
We’re a bit stunned and a lot delighted to learn that we’ve been named “Best Toy Store” in City Pages Minneapolis “Best of 2018” issue! Thank you so much, it’s an honor to be acknowledged. We work hard every day to bring smiles to our customers faces, and this award certainly brings one to ours.
http://www.citypages.com/best-of/2018/city-life/tomodachi/479776663
Dec31
Tomodachi’s Favorite Moments of 2017
2017 at 07:00 pm by admin | Comments Off
HAAAAAPPY NEW YEAR! So long, 2017, hello 2018! We here at Tomodachi have had a wonderful year at our Rosedale and Mall of America locations — all thanks to you. We made lots of new friends and introduced plenty of cool, new products. We were lucky to host super-fun special events such as Pusheen Party 2, mini-concerts with J-Pop star/jazz master Senri Oe, book signing with author/illustrator Christopher Straub and more. Not to mention, we were nominated as “Best Toy Store” at the Designer Toy Awards in NYC! We truly couldn’t have done it without your support. Your smiles are what keep us going, every step of the way. THANK YOU. We can’t wait to see what 2018 brings.
Nov24
Senri Oe’s Holiday Jazz @tomodachi
2017 at 02:11 pm by admin | Comments Off
Head to Tomodachi at the Mall of America on Tuesday, Nov 28th from 4-6pm for an exclusive pop-up performance and CD signing with Japanese jazz sensation and J-Pop star, Senri Oe!
photo by Becky Yee
This special mini concert at Tomodachi follows on the heels of Senri’s performance at the MSP international airport, as part of their annual Holiday Performance Series. Senri Oe will provide a more intimate Holiday experience for fans at Tomodachi. Copies of his latest album will be on hand for people to buy and have signed by the artist himself.
Fun facts: Senri composed soundtrack music for Three Doraemon movies! Doraemon: Nobita’s Great Adventure in the south seas(1998), Doraemon: Nobita Drifts in the Universe(1999), Ending song for Doraemon: Nobita and legend of the Sun King(2000). Senri also composed the theme song “Dream” for Sanrio’s show in Japan.
Aug07
Pusheen Party2 / 2017
2017 at 05:28 pm by admin | Comments Off
A HUGE thank you to everyone who came out to Pusheen Party on Saturday — we had a blast and we hope you did too. Extra special thanks to our event partners GUND and Pusheen, as well as our celeb judges for the fashion contest Christopher Straub, Samantha Rei and Beth Hammarlund; DJ Don Greene for providing tunes, photographer Stacy Schwartz for working our Photo Booth, Jonathan Peterson and Insignity for tech support, Tricia Heuring of Public Functionary for judging our art contest, Jodi P at GUND for coming all the way to MN for our event, prize giveaway sponsors Hard Rock Cafe Mall of America and Pepper Palace Mall of America, and all of our employees and friends who helped make it happen. And also thanks to everyone who got their pic snapped in the photo booth — you all look great! More pics are posted on our FB page, so click below to find your pic and feel free to tag yourself and share!
At Pusheen Party, we were proud and excited to be the first to introduce the NEW Super Pusheenicorn from Gund! Hitting shelves in October, this huggable plush features snow white fur, a pink tail, colorful mane, lavender moon applique and a glittering silver horn that lights up. Pet Pusheen to activate magical sounds and lighting effects. PRE-ORDERS ARE OPEN NOW VIA OUR WEBSITE! Reserve yours today by visiting us online. http://shop.tomodachi.us/products/super-pusheenicorn.html
Click for more party pics
Click for more photobooth pics
Click to reserve a super pusheenicorn
Apr26
DESIGNER TOY AWARDS FINALIST!
2017 at 10:36 pm by admin | Comments Off
We are thrilled to be a “Best Toy Store“ finalist at The 7th Annual The Designer Toy Awards! We’re honored to be selected out of 100’s of entries by the nomination committee as standing out in 2016. We were selected under the Public Voting section so our final candidacy depends on our supporters. If you love Tomodachi, please support us by voting — there’s a quick and easy registration process, but it only takes a minute or two. The only rules are: one vote per user and you have to register to vote.
VOTE HERE : https://www.designertoyawards.com/categories/21
Voting closes Wednesday, May 3rd at 12 (noon). We would appreciate all of your support and supporting Designer Toy Art by voting!
Oct24
Pokemon: The First Movie returns to theaters
2016 at 07:15 pm by admin | Comments Off
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the classic Nintendo franchise, the original 1998 Pokémon film, “Pokémon: The First Movie”, will be making a grand return to theaters nationwide! The re-screening of the popular children’s movie will take place at 200 select Cinemark locations across the United States, and will take place from October 29th to November 1st. Both “Pokémon: The First Movie” and the animated short “Pikachu’s Vacation” will air, similarly to the movie’s original release nearly two decades ago. The movie re-release comes as a part of a year-long celebration of the Pokémon franchise, including the release of the original Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow games on the Nintendo 3DS system, along with the Pokémon Go smartphone app and the upcoming release of the brand-new Pokémon Sun and Moon 3DS games in November. Make sure to keep an eye out for participating Cinemark locations this Halloween to take part in this nostalgic experience!
Oct13
Studio Ghibli artist Michiyo Yasuda passes away
2016 at 04:27 pm by admin | Comments Off
After decades of working on Studio Ghibli’s many films, the unfortunate news has come to light that prolific Ghibli artist Michiyo Yasuda has passed away earlier this month. Yasuda, who was 77 when she passed on October 5th, originally worked at Toei Doga in 1958, and became one of Studio Ghibli’s most influential color artists from the studio’s inception. Her work includes iconic Ghibli films like Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Grave of the Fireflies, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Ponyo, and most recently The Wind Rises, along with other animated pieces like the Hols: Prince of the Sun and the Future Boy Conan series.
In total, Yasuda’s career at Ghibli spans 40 years and many films, and she as surely left her mark on Ghibi and the animated medium as a whole with her gorgeous color design and artwork. As Yasuda herself said in a 2009 interview, “Color has a meaning, and it makes the film more easily understood. Colors and pictures can enhance what the situation is on screen.” Her passing will be dearly missed by fans from all over the world, and her integral role in making Ghibli films what they are will not soon be forgotten.
Oct11
KAWS’ “Clean Slate” statue arrives in Dallas
2016 at 07:39 pm by admin | Comments Off
Visitors to the NorthPark Center in Dallas, Texas will now be greeted with a piece of KAWS artwork! KAWS’ “Clean Slate” statue, which was originally displayed at exhibits in Harbour City, Hong Kong and LA NAVE in Ibiza, will remain as a permanent display in the NorthPark Center. The giant statue of KAWS’ iconic Companion character is the newest addition to the NorthPark’s collection of art, featuring works from Andy Warhol, Frank Stella, Joel Shapiro, Jim Dine, Jonathan Borofsky, James Rosenquist, Antony Gormley, Barry Flanagan and Beverly Pepper. “Clean Slate” was officially unveiled on October 10th, and will be followed by a new KAWS exhibit titled “Where the End Starts”, which will be displayed at the Modern Art Museum of Fort worth nearby! All of these new and upcoming KAWS pieces make Dallas the place to be for fans of KAWS and of pop art in general!