JAPAN: "Air guitar" gadgets take the center stage at Japan's annual international toy show this year

Record ID: 465363

  • Title: JAPAN: "Air guitar" gadgets take the center stage at Japan's annual international toy show this year
  • Date: 4th July 2007
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) KEISHI ABE, AIR GUITAR DEMONSTRATOR, SAYING: "This is a toy that allows anybody to make an electric guitar sound and feel like becoming a rock star - very easily."
  • Embargoed: 19th July 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Industry,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVAT7JNU8IY9REU26D3OZQ04JG7
  • Story Text: "Air guitar" gadgets take the center stage at Japan's annual international toy show this year. Air guitars are taking Japan's toy scene by storm.
    The latest models of air guitar gadgets were unveiled at the annual Tokyo International Toy Show, which started on Thursday (June 28).
    Japanese toy makers are turning air guitars into more than just the imaginary instrument -- songs of rock n' roll blast when an air guitarist twangs the gadget, thanks to infrared or motion sensors.
    "This is a toy that allows anybody to make an electric guitar sound and feel like becoming a rock star - very easily," said Keishi Abe, who was demonstrating Takara Tomy Corp's "Air Guitar Pro."
    It has 10 songs, including Deep Purple's "Smoke On the Water," programmed to play automatically and is set to hit the market next month at 2,600 yen, or about 22 US dollars.
    It can also be connected to an i-Pod or exterior speaker system, the manufacturer says.
    The air guitar, an imaginary instrument used when pretending to play the guitar, is gaining popularity in Japan in recent years.
    In the last World Air Guitar Championships held in Oulu, Finland in September 2006, Ochi "Dainoji" Yosuke of Japan competed against other international finalists and won the championship.
    The toy show also showcased air guitars that were attached to the wrist, but did not resemble the shape of a guitar.
    "You just put it on your wrist, turn the power on, and shake your arm once so it will play one phrase. In order to play an entire song, you just keep moving your arm so even children can easily play music with this just like a professional guitarist," said Nana Kaneko, who was playing another air guitar music toy "Air Musician," which is sold for 1,900 yen, or some 16 U.S. dollars by Tokyo-based toy maker Mega House.
    But for others, being able to feel and touch something that looked like a guitar was more important than being able to hear the melodies, even if it was a clear, plastic balloon toy that did not make any sounds.
    In the land of high technology, even robots seemed eager to join the air guitar fad.
    Three small humanoid toy robots, called 'i-Sobots," moved their mechanical body parts in sync, pretending to play the guitar during the toy show that will end this Sunday (July 1).
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