Nakajima Corporation

What Nakajima Corporation does

Nakajima Corporation is a privately held, family-owned character plush toy and miscellaneous goods manufacturer founded in 1919 and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The company designs, produces, and sells original character merchandise — most notably its proprietary "Pickles the Frog" (かえるのピクルス) IP — alongside licensed character goods manufactured under long-standing agreements with Disney (since 1962), Sanrio (since 1988), and Snoopy/Sony Creative Products (since 2010). Its operations are supported by two wholly-owned subsidiaries, Partner (established 1988) and Nasuko (established 1971), which handle manufacturing and ancillary functions.

The company sells through a dual-channel model: Nakajima Market, a business-to-consumer e-commerce platform serving retail buyers of character merchandise, and Nakajima BtoB Shop, a dedicated business-to-business platform for wholesale and retail customers. In addition to first-party branded goods, Nakajima offers OEM manufacturing services to external clients with a stated 1,000-unit minimum order quantity, positioning itself as a low-to-mid-volume production partner for character merchandise buyers.

Nakajima is a small enterprise with approximately 23 employees (90 including part-time staff) and generates undisclosed revenue in a domestically focused Japanese character goods niche. In July 2023, the company executed a leadership transition, appointing Igawa Shinichi as Representative Director while the prior representative, Nakajima, became Chairman. The company's competitive profile rests on century-long operating history, original IP ownership, multi-decade licensing relationships, and dual online distribution channels rather than scale or technology differentiation.

Name

Nakajima Corporation

Legal name

株式会社ナカジマコーポレーション

Website

https://nakajimacorp.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nakajima Corporation is a 100+ year-old, family-owned Tokyo manufacturer of character plush toys and miscellaneous goods. It produces its own "Pickles the Frog" IP and licensed Disney, Sanrio, and Snoopy merchandise, selling via B2C and B2B e-commerce platforms and offering OEM manufacturing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Character Plush Toys and Miscellaneous Goods Manufacturing

NAICS

Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (339930), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Dolls, Plush & Action Figures Retail (CRALAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pop Culture, Licensed & Fandom Gifts Retail (CRALAJAK), Pop Culture Collectibles Retail (Figures, Statues, Funko, etc.) (CRALAGAK)

Keywords

• Character plush toys
• Miscellaneous character goods
• Original character licensing
• OEM plush manufacturing
• Licensed character merchandise

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Plush Toy and Goods Sales: Manufacturing and selling of character plush toys and miscellaneous goods for domestic and overseas markets through direct sales and retail distribution.
2. Original Character Licensing: Licensing of original character 'かえるのピクルス' to third-party manufacturers and brands for use on apparel, food products, toys, and promotional merchandise.
3. B2B E-commerce: Business-to-business online ordering platform for corporate customers to purchase products for resale, with new product pre-orders several months in advance.
4. OEM Manufacturing: Original equipment manufacturing services for custom plush toys and goods with minimum order quantity of 1,000 units per production run.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Nakajima Corporation designs, manufactures, and distributes character plush toys and miscellaneous goods featuring its proprietary "Pickles the Frog" character and licensed brands including Disney, Sanrio, and Snoopy. The company sells directly to consumers through the Nakajima Market online shop, to corporate buyers through the Nakajima BtoB Shop, and provides OEM manufacturing services for custom plush toys and goods at a 1,000-unit minimum order quantity. It also licenses the Pickles the Frog character to third-party manufacturers for use on apparel, food products, and promotional merchandise.

Product overview

Nakajima Corporation operates a multi-channel retail and licensing business centered on character plush toys and miscellaneous goods. The company maintains two e-commerce platforms: ナカジママーケット (Nakajima Market) for individual consumers and ナ|datumマBtoBショップ (Nakajima BtoB Shop) for corporate buyers. Their core offering includes self-developed original character かえるのピクルス (Pickles the Frog) available for licensing, alongside licensed products featuring Disney, Sanrio, and Snoopy characters. The company also provides OEM manufacturing services for custom plush toys and goods with a minimum order quantity of 1,000 units. Product development spans plush toys, miscellaneous goods, oshi (fan) culture goods, home goods, and kitchen goods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• かえるのピクルス (Pickles the Frog): Company's original character mascot and licensing brand targetting 10-40 year old women and families, focusing on bringing smiles and emotional support

Products and services

• Nakajima Market (ナカジママーケット) Direct-to-consumer online shopping site for individual customers offering character plush toys and miscellaneous goods featuring the company's proprietary "Pickles the Frog" character and licensed brands.
• Nakajima BtoB Shop (ナカジマBtoBショップ) B2B e-commerce platform for corporate customers to order plush toys and miscellaneous goods for resale, featuring member-only products and pre-order acceptance for new releases several months in advance.
• Pickles the Frog Character Licensing (かえるのピクルス ライセンス) Original character licensing program for "Pickles the Frog" (かえるのピクルス), granting third-party manufacturers and brands rights to use the character on apparel, food products, toys, and promotional merchandise targeting women aged 10-40 and families.
• OEM Manufacturing Services (OEMサービス) Custom OEM manufacturing services for plush toys, supporting goods, home goods, and kitchen goods with a minimum order quantity of 1,000 units per production run, providing end-to-end support from concept to delivery.
• Disney Character Plush and Goods (ウォルト・ディズニー・ジャパンのライセンス商品) Licensed plush toys, inflatable products, and miscellaneous goods featuring Disney characters, produced under a licensing partnership with Walt Disney Japan established in 1962.
• Snoopy Character Plush and Goods (スヌーピー ライセンス商品) Licensed plush toys and miscellaneous goods featuring Snoopy and Peanuts characters, produced under a licensing partnership with Sony Creative Products established in 2010.
• Sanrio Character Plush and Goods (サンリオ ライセンス商品) Licensed plush toys and miscellaneous goods featuring Sanrio characters, produced under a licensing partnership with Sanrio established in 1988.

Quantifiable outcome

• Established 100+ year manufacturing heritage with modern e-commerce capabilities

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered major.

• 株式会社ソニー・クリエイティブプロダクツ (Sony Creative Products) - SnoopymajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2010Licensing partnership for Peanuts/Snoopy character merchandise since 2010, expanding the company's portfolio of licensed character products.
• 株式会社サンリオ (Sanrio)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1988Licensing partnership established in 1988 for production of Sanrio character merchandise including plush toys and accessories.
• ウォルト・迪士尼・ジャパン株式会社 (Walt Disney Japan)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1962Established licensing partnership for character merchandise production since 1962, one of the company's longest-standing licensing relationships enabling production of Disney character plush toys, inflatable products, and related goods.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sanrio: Sanrio is the most direct comparable: a Japanese character IP owner (Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll) that both develops proprietary character licensing and produces/sells character merchandise domestically and globally. Nakajima is itself a Sanrio licensee, but structurally mirrors Sanrio's plush + licensing model.
• San-X: Owner of Rilakkuma and other original Japanese characters, with active character licensing and merchandise production. Highly comparable to Nakajima's Pickles the Frog business model — character IP owner and licensor targeting women and family demographics.
• Kotobukiya: Japanese character goods manufacturer specializing in figures, plush, and licensed merchandise across anime and pop-culture IP. Comparable as a Japan-based character merchandise OEM with both proprietary and licensed character portfolios.
• Benelic: Japanese character goods manufacturer and licensor producing plush, figures, and miscellaneous goods featuring Disney, Sanrio, and Japanese IP — a near-identical business model to Nakajima's OEM plus licensed character manufacturing.

Emerging players

• Furyu Corporation: Japanese maker of character capsule toys, figures, and plush. Overlaps with Nakajima in character plush and licensed merchandise but emphasizes capsule-toy retail rather than B2B/OEM services.
• Hamee Corporation: Japanese character goods e-commerce operator (iPhone cases, accessories). Comparable as a Japan-focused character-merchandise DTC and B2B platform player competing for the same licensed-IP consumer spend.

Regional players

• Build-A-Bear Workshop: US-based specialty plush retailer with licensed character assortment. Comparable retail model and licensed plush category, though operating in a different geography and via a workshop-style store experience.
• Sk Japan (Oriental Land): Operates Tokyo Disney Resort and is the master Disney licensee in Japan. Relevant comparable as a Japanese entity monetizing Disney IP through character merchandise and licensed retail — though at a different scale and via theme parks.

Broad incumbents

• Takara Tomy: Major Japanese toy manufacturer producing licensed character merchandise (Disney, Pokémon, etc.) alongside proprietary toy lines. Comparable as a license-driven plush/toy manufacturer serving the same Japanese retail distribution channels as Nakajima.
• Bandai Namco Holdings: Japan's largest toy and entertainment conglomerate. Competes with Nakajima across character plush, OEM manufacturing, and character licensing, but at vastly greater scale and with proprietary IPs (Gundam, Tamagotchi) rather than as primarily an OEM/licensee.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nakajimacp1919
• Instagraminstagram.com/nakajimacorp1919
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nakajima-corporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nakajima Corporation