Optimus kawaii.
Takara Tomy is the maker of the Tomica, Japan’s favorite brand of toy cars, basically the country’s version of Hot Wheels. However, while Tomica’s bread and butter is detailed recreations of real-world vehicles, they also indulge in the occasional side dish of whimsical fantasy transportation through their Dream Tomica line, which has taken inspiration from the anime of Studio Ghibli and Dragon Ball.
So it’s not a huge shock to see that Takara Tomy’s newest toy truck has a Sanrio theme, with “Hello Kitty Express” written on the side of its cargo compartment.
However, this isn’t part of the Dream Tomica line. There’s a hint to its true nature in the Japanese text accompanying the above preview image, アーマービークル, which translates to “armored vehicle,” because this Hello Kitty delivery truck…
…is also a transforming robot!?!
That’s because the Hello Kitty Express Truck actually hails from Takara Tomy’s Jobraver line of Transformer-style toys, in which work vehicles transform into awesome mecha.
▼ SUDDEN LINGUISTIC TANGENT!
Jobraver is a mashup of “job” and “braver,” with “braver” being an attempt to convey the idea of “person who is brave” in order to form a connection with the Japanese word for “hero,” yusha, which translates literally as “brave person.” Jobraver is not meant to be a combination of “job” and “raver,” as raves tend to be terrible places at which to try to get any work done.
So what kind of powerful mecha equipment does the Tomika Jobraver Carry Braver Hello Kitty Express Truck come with?
Attaching to its back is the ribbon-shaped Ribon Drone K-ET, and as delivery people in Japan are expected to wear white gloves as part of their work uniform, shielding the robot’s hands are a pair of GT Glove Type 3-LOs, which Kitty-chan uses to fire the Happy Shower, a series of heart-shaped energy blasts that do…something, presumably positive, to anyone in their path.
▼ SUDDEN LINGUISTICS TANGENT PART TWO!
K-ET, obviously, is meant to bring to mind the word “cute,” but 3-LO is a pun too. The number 3 in Japanese is san, and because of the languages lack of a native L, Ls are often pronounced like Rs, so 3-LO is a tip of the hat to “Sanrio.”
Included with the Hello Kitty mecha truck is a Ribbon, one of the Jobraver lore’s worker robots, decked out in a special Hello Kitty Express cap.
The Tomika Jobraver Carry Braver Hello Kitty Express Truck is priced at 4,180 yen (US$27) and will be available in July, with preorders scheduled to start on May 29.
Source: Takara Tomy via Japaaan
Top image: Takara Tomy
Insert images: Takara Tomu, Pakutaso (1, 2)
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