What is "toynami"

Toynami is an American toy company based in Van Nuys, California. Founded in 2000 by George Sohn, Toynami is primarily focused on anime licenses for specialty retailers and collectors in the North American market. The company's name is a portmanteau of the words "toy" and " tsunami".

Part of the early driving force that led to the creation of the company was Sohn's interest in producing and releasing modern Macross Valkyrie toys, something he spearheaded with Japanese company Yamato Toys while being vice president of Toycom, Yamato's U.S. division at the time. When legal issues arose blocking the non-grey market release of Yamato's Macross toys in North America, Sohn left Toycom and started Toynami, ironically first acquiring the Robotech license, which was the catalyst that roadblocked Yamato and Toycom's Macross toys.

Using Robotech as a starting point, Toynami has since expanded, seeking other primarily anime-based licenses and aiming more towards collectors instead of the mass-market.