Yu-Gi-Oh! has been around for quite some time now, over a decade in all. Through that span, the series has undergone many changes; different stars, different channels, etc. There’s also issues with the toys and printed cards, as well. Just the other day, Konami announced that Upper Deck allegedly printed thousands of fake cards for its popular trading card game in China, bringing them to the U.S. and other regions. Konami’s official claim is that Upper Deck “distributed and currently is distributing to Vintage and others counterfeit reproductions of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG’s ‘Rare Cards.” Better check your cards! (more… )

Does the name “Bernie Madoff” ring a bell? He’s not exactly on every cartoon fan’s mind, so we’d understand if not. As a quick sum up, he’s the guy in all the trouble lately because he ran illegal “Ponzi schemes”, stealing millions of dollars from unsuspecting folks. To retrieve some of that money, the government has been auctioning off his belongings, including his luxury penthouse apartment on the Upper East Side of NYC’s Manhattan. Here’s the toon connection: the new owner is none other than the CEO of 4Kids Al Kahn. That explains the sudden influx of “bad dubs, new duds” emails we’ve been getting lately! The New York Post reports the head of 4Kids Entertainment, the man behind Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Cabbage Patch Kids and more, bought the 4,000 square foot home for about $8 million dollars. (more… )

This past weekend, Japanese fans of the Yu-Gi-Oh! series (any of them!) were treated to the blockbuster event we’ve been talking about for a while now, the Yu-Gi-Oh! 10th Anniversary special. The film stars all 3 stars of the franchise, Yugi Muto, Jaden Yuki, and Yusei Fudo, from Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, and Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s, respectively. The lucky fans not only had the chance to see the film, but also to get their hands on a rare promotional card, featuring Sin Red-Eyes Black Dragon. I guess we’ll just have to wait for a local release …or imports! . Check out some clips of the film in action (more… )

For all of you Yu-Gi-Oh! fans, this will be a real treat. A new Yu-Gi-Oh! Movie, celebrating the ten years the anime has been on television, is being produced by the Japanese animation company NAS. The movie will be displayed in 3D, but still animated in the cartoon 2D form. In the movie, all three Yu-Gi-Oh! protagonists, Yugi Moto, Jaden Yuki, and Yusei Fudo will unite against a new villain, a Turbo Duelist called Paradox. Personally, I would like to see The Supreme King fight Yugi. Small teasers for the movie will be put in Japanese Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s episodes very soon, and a sneak peak trailer will be available on October 12th in Japan. Check out the teaser below, after the break!

[Thanks to ToonBarn regular Haou]

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YTV is making some bold moves to ramp up its 2009-2010 cartoon season! Amongst the biggest moves is the company signing a deal with 4Kids Entertainment to bring the latest show in the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds, to its lineup. YTV will air all episodes from the first season of the series, which, if you count all Yu-Gi-Oh! shows as one long show, would be it’s ninth season. If you haven’t caught up with the show yet, Yusei Fudo, along with his main card Stardust Dragon, leads the charge in the Turbo Duels, using his Duel Runner motorcycle as the Duel Disk.

Tough times have been brewing in the world of 4Kids over the past few years. Last November, we reported that 4Kids was leaving the Fox network (and was being replaced by infomercials) In January, we saw the company reduce it’s employee count by 25%. Now, we’re hearing word that 4Kids is working with Montgomery & Co. to assist in a potential sale of the company. What the heck is going on!! Currently, 4Kids is the home of Chaotic, Sonic, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Winx Club, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Huntik, Dinosaur King, RollBots, Viva Pinata, and a number of other series. We’re not yet sure what’s going to happen to them — maybe they’ll be fine, maybe they’ll move to a different channel, etc. What would you like to see happen?

4Kids Entertainment is hard at work to bring Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s to fans the world over. Starting later this year, season one of Yu-Gi-Oh 5D’s (which is the ninth season of the Yu-Gi-Oh! animated series storyline) will be air on CITV in the UK, Network Ten in Australia, AB Group in France, Mediaset in Italy, RTL2 in Germany, VAS in Latin America, TV2 in Denmark, Digiturk in Turkey, Children’s Channel in Israel and MBC in the Middle East. All of these join America’s two locations: TheCW4Kids Saturday morning block on The CW and daily on Cartoon Network. Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s is also available on Comcast’s VOD, Cox, and Bresnan cable systems.

Exim Licensing Group and Tycoon Enterprises are going to be in control of a number of 4Kids Entertainment properties, as they work to bring branded toys, clothing, and other products to Central and South America. Included in the deal are popular CW4Kids cartoons like: Chaotic, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dinosaur King, Jim Henson Designs, Monster Jam, RollBots, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Artlist Collection: The Dog, The Cat, and The Pig.