About 69 million Licca-chan dolls have sold since 1967. Until this March, none of that sales history had touched North America. Now TOMY Company, also known as TAKARATOMY, is putting the doll in front of American fans at Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles, July 2 to 5.
Licca-chan will make its Anime Expo debut, and the company says two new products from its Hatsune Miku collaboration will premiere at the booth: “Licca HATSUNE MIKU” and the “Petit Licca HATSUNE MIKU Collection.” Buyers get an exclusive pre-sale of the first, plus original design cards. The booth is West Hall WH-900, shared with Gacha.
BEYBLADE X is the longest-running of the three at the show, now in its third year. The BEYBLADE X ANIME EXPO CUP 2026 is set for Saturday, July 4 in West Hall WH-1600, with a live battle against developers flying in from Japan and a free-play area. TOMY notes that results in the cup do not affect qualification for any other global tournament. The brand’s total stands at more than 560 million units shipped worldwide.
Gacha, from T-ARTS Company, comes back for a second year. Merchandise includes capsule toys from more than 80 machines, the “PERIHAPI!” figure line and the capsule-machine-shaped “Showy Gacha2 Light” backpack.
What the company says
The appearance is the group’s biggest consumer-facing moment in the U.S. market to date, according to TOMY’s statement. It follows the company’s naming of “regional expansion” as a core medium- to long-term priority. The release also points to Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which projects the market for Japanese entertainment could grow from several trillion yen to the tens of trillions, or more than US$100 billion.
“Anime Expo, in the global entertainment hub of Los Angeles, is the ideal place for fans worldwide to experience the Asobi that TAKARATOMY creates firsthand,” said Akio Tomiyama, the company’s president and CEO.
TOMY was founded in 1924 and marked its 100th anniversary in 2024. Its U.S. subsidiary, TOMY International, markets its toys and family brands in North America.
