entertainment products". An example is BowLingual which aimed to translate the sounds of dogs to human language. The BowLingual was named as one of the best inventions of 2002 by Time magazine. See also Yumemi Kobo (dream generator). Robots In 2005, Takara produced Walkie bits, a colorful, multi-function miniature robotic turtle. it was named Time magazine's best invention in a robot category. Company mascot In the 1980s, the company was criticized for using a mascot that was a golliwog-like character. The mascot was named "Dakko-Chan" (ダッコちゃん). Takara replaced the mascot with "21st Century Colorful Dakko-Chan", which had enough features to connote the original mascot but divested the traits which brought criticism. For example, the new mascot was not always coloured black. Merger On 13 May 2005, Takara and Tomy announced their merger. It became effective on 1 March 2006. In English, the official name of the merged company is "TOMY Co. Ltd." while in Japan the legal company name is "K. K. Takara-Tomy" (株式会社タカラトミー ).. In deciding upon the merged company's new name, "Takara" was used for its international brand recognition and "Tomy" was used because it was a trusted brand of infant and preschool products in Japan. While Japanese commercial law allows wide latitude in translating Japanese corporate names into official English names, the merged company took the unusual step of adopting "TOMY Company, Ltd." as its official English, while using "K.K. Takara-Tomy" (株式会社タカラトミー) in Japan. Both Takara and Tomy held licenses to localise and distribute Hasbro products in Japan. The products include The Game of Life, Blythe dolls, Magic: The Gathering, Duel Masters trading card games by Takara and Monopoly, Furby, Super Soaker and Play-Doh by Tomy. References External links TAKARATOMY official website TAKARA - Wayback Machine (June 15 archive min, 2005) Japanese companies disestablished in 2006 Toy companies established in 1955 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 2006 2006 mergers and acquisitions Doll manufacturing companies Defunct companies of Japan Toy companies of Japan Japanese companies established in 1955