One of the properties making its presence felt at Comic-Con was Mameshiba ((see “Mameshiba Headed for U.S.”), the puppy-faced bean characters that star in interstitial animations created by Dentsu.  Toynami is launching Mameshiba toys this fall.  It featured exclusive Mameshiba clip-ons at Comic-Con; larger versions will be in the initial product wave shipped to stores. 

Viz Media has acquired the Mameshiba publishing rights, and will release a line of books under its VizKids imprint beginning in Spring 2011.  Plans include a graphic novel, a character guide, and picture books. 

The short animations are currently available on YouTube, but haven’t found a television home to date.  The English-annotated versions are showing 100,000 to 200,000 views each, so they are finding an audience without TV.