News & Events
Nov25
Black Friday deals at TOMODACHI
2014 at 05:16 pm by admin | Comments Off
Black Friday is just around the corner for eager shoppers everywhere, and TOMODACHI is getting ready to celebrate with a number of special deals and offers! This year also marks Hello Kitty’s 40th anniversary, and TOMODACHI will be offering exclusive 50% off deals on brand-new anniversary merchandise to commemorate the occasion. Specifically, we will be offering a 40th Anniversary Hello Kitty throw blanket, as well as a set of limited edition Hello Kitty glasses! The blanket, which is originally priced at $65, will be on sale for $32.50, while the cups will be marked down from their original $35 price to $17.50, but this offer will only be available on Black Friday morning from 6AM to noon. This limited-time offer will be available at both our Rosedale Shopping Center location and our Mall of America store, so stop by this Friday morning to take advantage of these special deals!
On top of that, customers who visit either of our locations will be treated to free gifts with their purchases! Customers who spend $50 or more will receive a gift set containing one bag of Pocky and Marvel zipper pull blind box, valued at $10 total, while customers who spend $100 or more will receive a larger gift set, which features a bag of Pocky, Marvel zipper pull blind box, limited edition Naruto Ramune drink, and a 10th Anniversary TOMODACHI t-shirt, valued at $35 total. This special offer will be available at both of our stores throughout Black Friday while supplies last, so make sure to stop by and take advantage of this one-day offer!
Our Rosedale Shopping Center location will be open on Black Friday from 6am to 9pm, while our Mall of America store will be open from 6am to 10pm. We hope to see you there!
Nov20
New Peanuts movie trailer
2014 at 02:23 pm by admin | Comments Off
Fans of the classic ‘Peanuts’ comic strip were treated earlier this year to a quick teaser of an upcoming film based on the franchise, showing off Charlie Brown and Snoopy in the film’s new animated CG style. With 2014 coming to a close in the coming weeks, and with 2015 marking the 65th anniversary of the franchise, the very first full-length trailer for the Peanuts movie has been unveiled! The trailer shows off Snoopy and Woodstock enjoying the holiday season, and reveals that the movie is scheduled to release on Christmas 2015, just in time to celebrate the classic cartoon’s anniversary. Check out the video below to see these beloved characters in action!
Peanuts was a Sunday comic strip, written and illustrated by Charles Schulz, which ran from 1950 to 2000. The comic strip, following the daily life of Charlie Brown and his friends, set the standard for the classic four-panel gag comic strip in newspapers. Schulz, who was born in Minneapolis and grew up in Saint Paul, Minnesota, based the stories off of his own experiences as a growing child. With nearly 18,000 strips in total, Peanuts has since become one of the most popular comic strips in history, and was translated into 21 languages across 75 countries. Peanuts has since been adapted into several TV specials, and has spawned a huge variety of merchandise and tributes, including pop-art statues, parades, and even entire amusement parks dedicated to the comic. The strip has been described as “the most shining example of the American success story in the comic strip field”, and has won the hearts of readers across the globe.
Nov10
Artist crafts shoes from nature
2014 at 02:20 pm by admin | Comments Off
French artist Chirstophe Guinet, whose urban art and installation pieces have predominately featured nature and plant life, has recently released his newest foray into combining nature and manmade products with his “Just Grow It!” series of works! This project creates iconic Nike sneakers using a wide variety of materials from nature that Guinet hand-collects himself, and put an interesting spin on the iconic urban shoe brand. Each shoe in the projects embodies a different medium and motif; one shoe is made out of plant fuzz and twigs, while another is crafted out of tightly packec soil and rocks. Some shoes feature plantlife like grass and moss bursting from the seams, and one shoe is even entirely sculputed out of tree bark!
These nature-inspired shoes were put on display earlier this month at the SEIZE Galerie in Marseille, France, and Guinet created a short video detailing the creative process and final look of his shoes. Check out the video, along with photos of his artwork below!
Nov10
Robots designed to 3D print moon bases
2014 at 01:41 pm by admin | Comments Off
Space exploration and colonization of moons and planets have been ideas that, while dreamed about by billions of people across the world for generations, have been nothing but the work of science-fiction and fantasy. However, the European Space Agency hopes to change that in the near future, thanks to revolutionary new technology and innovations within the field of 3D printing. The ESA has detailed plans for a self-sustaining moon base, made almost entirely from components and materials found on the moon’s surface, which will be able to house several astronauts and necessary utilities. What makes the ESA-designed moonbase different from past concepts is its use of the moon itself in protecting exposed astronauts.
While Earth has an outer atmosphere that protects its surface and inhabitants from extreme temperatures, solar radiation, and meteorites, the Moon offers no such shelter. In order to safely house astronauts and recreate the life-saving benefits of the atmosphere, a robot designed to sculpt the environment will create a protective shell around the initial infrastructure. This shell is made from a mixture of lunar dust scavenged by the robot as well as multiple layers of 3D-printed webbing. This shell would provide all the benefits offered by Earth’s atmosphere, and would also allow for other bases to be connected to one another to create a multi-room base on the moon. These plans have been in the works since 2013, and while the ESA states that these concepts are still being worked on and fine-tuned, these structures could begin popping up on the moon within 40 years.
Nov07
Star Wars invades S.H. Figuarts
2014 at 04:21 pm by admin | Comments Off
The S.H. Figuarts line is known for their high-quality line of collectable figures, and have partnered with many characters and franchises like Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, and even Daft Punk to bring fans miniature versions of their favorite characters. Now, with “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens” gearing up for release next year, Bandai has partnered up with the classic franchise to bring us reproductions of some of our favorite Star Wars characters! The first wave of figures in this brand-new line will be Darth Vader and a Stormtrooper, with other figures planned for release at later dates, including Han Solo and Luke Skywalker in both his “A New Hope” clothes as well as his “Return of the Jedi” costume! These figures, like other toys in the Figuarts series, will feature screen-accurate details, extensive articulation, and a variety of accessories and swappable parts, including alternate hands, Darth Vader’s lightsaber, and the Stormtrooper’s iconic blaster rifle! Both of these figures will release in 2015, with no known plans for release in the United States as of yet. Stay tuned for more cool figures and Bandai releases until then!
Nov07
Toy Story 4 announced
2014 at 04:01 pm by admin | Comments Off
Hot off the heels of the Toy Story panel at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, as well as the upcoming holiday TV special, “Toy Story that Time Forgot”, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced earlier today that the animation studio will be bringing the Toy Story cast back to the big screen in “Toy Story 4″! Alongside this momentous announcement, it was also revealed that John Lasseter, the original director and scriptwriter of the very first 1995 Toy Story movie, will be returning to direct the project, alongside Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich, and Pete Docter, all of whom worked on the previous three Toy Story films. While details are currently scarce he film will follow the adventure of beloved toys Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and fiends with their new owner, and is scheduled to releases in theaters on June 16, 2017. In the meantime, the “Toy Story that Time Forgot” special will premiere on television sets nationwide on December 2nd, 2014!
Nov06
Universal Studios brings Evangelion and Titans to life
2014 at 04:11 pm by admin | Comments Off
Universal Studios Japan, one of the four global Universal Studios theme parks, is looking to open the new year in a cool new way with a variety of attractions dedicated to various anime and video games! Located in the Osaka Prefecture, the theme park has announced these attractions for its upcoming Universal Cool Japan event, which will run at the park from January 23rd to May 10, 2015. Included in these attractions is a themed attraction based on the popular mecha anime Neon Genesis Evangelion! The new type, titled “Evangelion the Real 4D”, well take place in the Universal Studio Cinema 4D theater, which features moving seats alongside smoke, mist, wind, and other sensory effects to immerse viewers in the ride. The Evangelion attraction will feature an original story in the Evangelion universe, in which visitors spectate a battle between Eva Unit 01 and a giant Angel from a large helicopter. The exhibit will also featured 3D footage, and will even feature an unknown unique kind of Eva!
On top of that, Universal has also announced a statue commemorating the recent manga and anime series Shingeki no Kyojin, otherwise known as Attack on Titan! The statue will recreate the battle between protagonist Eren Yeager in his Titan form against the equally-massive Female Titan. The statues will be life-size, and will stand 50 feet tall! The statues will be accessible to all visitors of the site, and Universal will also be planning walk-through tours around the statues. On top of the Evangelion and Titan exhibits, attractions are also planned based on the Resident Evil Series, titled Biohazard in Japan, along with the popular Monster Hunter franchise. These cool events and more planned to open next year, with news about each to be released in the following months.
Nov04
Artist brings environment to life with animation
2014 at 05:36 pm by admin | Comments Off
Animator and artist Hombre McSteez has wowed online audiences in the past, using his innovative combination of classic hand-drawn animation along with stop-motion in order to bring his drawings to life in the real world. These pieces of art have come together before in McSteez’s previous video compilation, titled Aug(de)mented Reality. Now, McSteez has released a sequel to his previous animation, Aug(de)mented Reality 2, and shows off even more creative uses of his animation! Using clear plastic animation cels, McSteez draws his characters into the environment around him, interacting with it in unique and amazing ways. TV personality and MythBusters co-host Adam Savage even makes an appearance in the video! Check it out below to see some crazy and cool animation!
Nov04
Nomura's Hatsune Miku video debut
2014 at 05:24 pm by admin | Comments Off
Square-Enix artist and designer Tetsuya Nomura is widely know for his work in the Final Fantasy series, designing characters and creating artwork for a number of recent entries in the franchise. Earlier in October, Nomura unveiled his redesign for the popular Vocaloid character, Hatsune Miku, showing off her design in a teaser poster as well as a prototype figure at the Square-Enix booth at this year’s New York Comic-Con. Now, a promotional video that initially debut to select audiences at the Hatsune Miku Expo in New York last month has finally debuted online at Miku’s official YouTube channel! The short video, meant to demonstrate Miku’s and the Vocaloid program’s use as a creative tool, shows off her new Nomura design in a flurry of colors and cool-looking environments. Check out the video below, and keep a look out for more Miku and Vocaloid news in the future!
Nov02
Now Hiring for the Holidays
2014 at 05:36 pm by admin | Comments Off
TOMODACHI is gearing up for the holiday season, and is looking for some extra help to make this a season to remember! TOMODACHI is currently hiring sales associates for both our Rosedale Shopping Center location as well as our Mall of America store, and we’re looking for energetic personalities with flexible hours for seasonal hours and beyond! If you’re interested, please feel free to visit either of our in-store locations to collect and submit an application form, or send us your application online to employment@tomodachi.us. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us or stop by our retail stores for more info. Happy holidays, and we hope to hear from you soon!
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