Battle of the Planets has a huge following, going back to its debut in Japan as Gatchaman in 1972 and then in the United States in 1978. Recently, the series has experienced a gigantic push from Sandy Frank Enterprises and a revitalization thanks to the DVD market and G-Force and Eagle Riders having well-received runs on the Cartoon Network (1995) and in syndication (1996-1997) respectively. The show centers around 5 super-powered teenagers who have been trained from birth to protect Earth and the Integrated Federation of Planets from alien threats. The premise has been mimicked many times, from Starblazers to Voltron to Thundercats, but true fans always remember the original to be the best.
"The first time I saw Battle of the Planets was as G-Force," admitted Steve Rowan, Senior Designer for Diamond Select. "But then I remembered, 'I used to watch this as a kid.' Nostalgia and anime are both huge as my generation (generation X) turns thirty-something. This is going to be big." Diamond Select will begin production on action figures under 3 inches for the series, to be released Summer 2002.
The company's most familiar programs include, Battle of the Planets, The Judge, Lie Detector, Name That Tune, and Face the Music. Sandy Frank Entertainment maintains strategic alliances in the world marketplace with such established production entities as ORT (Russia), Starling Productions (France), Mediaset (Italy), Primetime Television (Spain) and Endemol (Holland). For more information, visit www.sandyfrankent.com.
Setting a new standard for toy companies, Diamond Select began guaranteeing ship dates and marketing dates for all products in 2001, and has delivered all products on time without fail.
Diamond Select Toys is headquartered in Timonium, Md. For more information, visit www.diamondselecttoys.com.