Astro Boy Tee 1980

Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atom) merchandise from the late 1970s and early 1980s — produced by Tezuka Productions during the era of Osamu Tezuka's own creative direction — are the earliest examples of anime character goods in Japan. Tezuka is the father of manga and the inventor of the visual language of modern anime. The simplified, graphic representations of Atom on these early tees differ from the later more polished merchandise. Original Tezuka Productions tag examples are cultural artifacts of the highest order. Value: ¥50,000–¥300,000.