Guinness World Record for Dragon Ball collectibles. (Courtesy of Mike Nilsen)
Mike Nilsen holds the Guinness World Record for the “largest collection of Dragon Ball memorabilia” in existence, and he plans to display it around the world in a traveling museum-based exhibit.
Mike’s collection of over 5,000 collectibles earned him the Guinness World Record in January of 2007, and it has yet to be beat. He has items from all over the world—a testament to the multi-million dollar financial success of the Dragon Ball™ series.
His collected works of Dragon Ball toys, posters, DVD’s, action figures, playing cards, animation, and rare items such as a Master Roshi-shaped tissue dispenser, are all held in a safe house near his home in Duluth, Minnesota— insured by American Collectors Insurance Inc. But, perhaps it won’t stay there for too much longer.
Mike Nilsen (Courtesy of Mike Nilsen)
“I figured I should create a children’s exhibit so that Dragon Ball fans everywhere could see and enjoy its popularity.”
But his vision goes beyond promotion of the comic and show. Mike says, “First, I want to commemorate the Dragon Ball trilogy, so future generations can experience this amazing legend. Second, I want to inspire people to live a healthy lifestyle by maintaining a nutritional diet, participating in physical activity, and pursuing a higher education. All topics interconnected in the Dragon Ball world!” He feels that, “By using a popular brand, children will have a better chance of understanding the educational information.”
Dragon Ball – A Mystical Adventure
The “Dragon Ball” series is a lengthy soap-opera-like story of martial artists on their adventures in search of the mysterious dragon balls, seven magical orbs that, when collected, will call forth an immortal dragon capable of granting any wish.
Son Goku (Courtesy of NAMCO Bandai Games America Inc.)
“Dragon Ball” originated in 1985 as a slapstick martial arts comic created by the famous, Akira Toriyama. His comic was aimed at young boys and inspired by Jackie Chan’s Hong Kong films, Western Hollywood action films like “Alien” (1979) and “Terminator” (1984), and Japanese classics like “Godzilla” (1954 to present). Today Akira Toriyama is considered a legend in the industry and respected in the same way that Hollywood treats its notable directors.
The entire “Dragon Ball” series spans 519 comic book chapters, 508 episodes, 17 theatrically released animated films, 3 TV specials and 1 anniversary special. The comic book alone has sold over 260 million copies. And a newly re-mastered and abridged version of the second part of the trilogy currently airs in Japan, titled “Dragon Ball Kai.” The first episode earned a viewer rating percentage of 11.3, at third place for primetime animated lineups.
Why is "Dragon Ball so popular? Mike feels that “The story and characters are so well developed it pushes your imagination and challenges your creativity. The series also teaches you valuable characteristics like: trustworthiness, teamwork, loyalty, honor, and hope.”
When “Dragon Ball Evolution,” the Hollywood adaptation of the “Dragon Ball” series, was released in Duluth on April 10, 2009, their local theater held an opening night celebration. Mike’s collection took center stage in the form of an organized exhibit. He would like to repeat the success of this exhibit throughout North America and eventually Japan, where the series originates.
“Dragon Ball fans range from children to adults. My exhibit will appeal to every generation … and there will be subjects that will impress the best of critics.”
A Museum Exhibit in the Making
Mike's 5000+ item Dragon Ball collection. (Courtesy of Mike Nilsen)
Mike says, “I started collecting Dragon Ball memorabilia in 1996. It wasn’t that popular in the United States until about that time. When I first took interest in the series nobody really knew what the show was about.”
In the early-to-mid 1990’s, the episodes were still seen primarily in Japanese tapes with English subtitles. But soon afterward, FUNimation Inc. purchased the rights to the series and dubbed the episodes in English. Mike says, “The series took off; its popularity in the U.S. grew immediately.”
Dragon Ball’s global success has generated revenues in the hundreds of millions for international distributors such as FUNimation Inc. (the North American distributor), netting the company $32 million dollars in fiscal year 2008, or 46% of their revenue, ending March 31, 2009.
Dragon Ball licensed video game developer, ATARI Inc., financially failed in nearly every aspect of their business except the Dragon Ball franchise, which accounted for 49.1% of their publishing net product revenues in fiscal year 2008—almost single handedly enabling them to turn a profit. Essentially half of all the money ATARI Inc. made was because of Dragon Ball games.
To date there have been 65 games released under the Dragon Ball license across multiple generations of consoles, developers, and distributors. The video game distribution license is currently held by NAMCO Bandai Games America Inc. More games are in production, including “Dragon Ball: Raging Blast” for the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony Playstation 3, developed by SPIKE and set to be released on November 10, 2009.
Currently, Mike is in discussions with the American and Japanese license holders (TOEI Animation) for the rights to produce a legally approved Dragon Ball museum exhibit. He says, “Once a license agreement is constructed, the project will be in full force. Fundraising and awareness will be the main topics, and once we hit our financial goal, the exhibit will then be created.”
Any museum can host the exhibit and he feels that it would also “… be a great idea to take the exhibit to Japan, China, and possibly Europe!” If it reached Japan and Dragon Ball’s creator Akira Toriyama heard of the exhibit, Mike hopes that Toriyama would say, It’s about time! What a great idea. A place where fans from across the world can remember and new generations can experience the world of Dragon Ball.
Using the Dragon Radar
Mike's Dragon Ball collection close up. (Courtesy of Mike Nilsen)
From his website Mike also provides a scouting service to find unique Dragon Ball products. He says, “I have about 14 years of experience in collecting Dragon Ball related items and … An authentic Dragon Ball item may be worth anywhere from $10 - $5,000 depending on the rareness.”
In addition, he has plans to create his own line of Dragon Ball related products. He says, “It has taken seven years, countless hours, tens of thousands of dollars to develop my product line for the public to enjoy. I guarantee that you will not be disappointed.” Unfortunately due to legal issues he could not disclose the nature of the product line at this time.
Mike is currently seeking funding for the Dragon Ball Museum and would like to invite visitors to his website at DragonballMuseum.com where they can find more information about the project and follow the exhibits’ development on his blog.
Derek Padula is an expert on Dragon Ball and a contributor to the English Epoch Times. He is writing a book about Dragon Ball titled “The Dao of Dragon Ball.” More information about Dragon Ball, its history, financial success, and impact across the world, as well as its social connections to Japanese culture and Chinese legends can be found at TheDaoOfDragonBall.com
