At a time when the toy marketplace is littered with casualties of such movies as Pocahontas, Mulan, and even Star Wars, the cash registers have been ringing a merry tune on such success stories as the Teletubbies, who started life as a U.K. television show, and Pokemon, originating as a Japanese video game.

Based on that success, toy marketers are now looking to the U.K and Japan for the next big things. And early signs point to such newcomers as the Jellabies, (by Jusco), preschool charmers who have supplanted the Teletubbies as the U.K.'s favorites, and a variety of toys (by Blue Box) based on Japan's best-selling line of children's computer games from Humongous Entertainment featuring such characters as Freddie the Fish, Pajama Sam, and Smokey the Fire Engine.

Other U.K. - originating potential winners are Kipper plush toys ( by Prestige), based on the ITV series and best-selling books by award-winning British children's author Mick Inkpen, as well as the Carter's Real Love collection of infant playthings (by Prestige), which began as drawings created by John Lennon for his son Sean.

Going from the crib to the battlefield, the Gulf War has even produced a popular license, the Humvee, which successfully made the transition from desert sands to American roads, and is now showing up as toy vehicles, play sets and even walkie-talkies (by DSI Toys).

So, while this year's new crop of playthings has left Tinseltown behind, it's clear that toys have now become truly international.

[Updated 2/09/2000]