The Gundam franchise is turning 40 this year, and Crunchyroll, Sunrise, and Sotsu are expanding the merchandising rights to several of the series’ biggest titles in honor of the event.
According to Crunchyroll, the partnership includes the rights to the original Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed, Mobile Suit Gundam 00, and Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans. The expanded merchandise includes apparel, bags, accessories, home decor, furnishings, lifestyle items, food, and more, and covers North and South America, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Sunrise in 1979, the Gundam series has grossed more than $20 billion in total retail sales, with plastic model kits — known as Gunpla — making up 90 percent of the Japanese character plastic model market. The series is one of the highest-grossing media franchises in the world, and boasts numerous anime titles, video games, movies, manga, novels, and more.
