Pioneer announced the April release of the first Viz Video Zoids compilation, Zoids the Battle Begins!, which will be available in both a DVD (subbed and dubbed) and a VHS (just dubbed) version.  Both the DVD and the VHS releases are 88 minutes long, but the retail price of the DVD is $19.98, while the srp of the VHS is $14.98. 

 

Hasbro reintroduced Zoids toys in late 2001, and has plans for new waves of model kits as well as action figures that will be released throughout 2002.  The Hasbro toys feature an in-pack rebate offer that is good on both the Zoids DVD and the Zoids VHS tape.  The Zoids video will be backed with a major advertising campaign on kids radio stations and Internet sites.  A national TV spot campaign featuring the Zoids videos will run in the top 35 markets, while the radio ads will run in the top 45 markets. 

 

Based on the series of elaborate toys created by Tomy in Japan in the 1980s, the Zoids anime dates from the 1990s.  The Zoids had a successful run on the Cartoon Network (see 'Zoids Coming to Cartoon Network') in late 2001, where the show earned a strong 4.2 rating among boys ages 6-11.  The story of a young boy who joins Team Blitz and learns to fight with his Zoid, a mechanical lifeform named Liger Zero, the Zoids anime has racked up over 90 episodes in the highly competitive Japanese market.