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History
The evio has an unexpected connection to Pokémon. Tomy held a licensing deal with Nintendo to produce Pokémon-related toys and merchandise. The line proved extremely profitable and helped drive Tomy’s stock performance on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. A few years later, however, Pokémon’s popularity declined and profits fell into the red.
As Toy Division Business General Manager, Shigeki Yanagisawa decided to return to Tomy’s roots: creating toys that would outlast temporary fads, following the long-term success of products such as Plarail (which had been selling for more than 40 years). The company developed a new product line called “Simple Concert,” consisting of easy-to-use electronic musical instruments. To do this, Tomy partnered with SSD COMPANY LIMITED, to use their XaviX technology.
On April 15, 2003, TOMY announced the upcoming release of the evio, an electronic violin-shaped device designed to let children experience playing the violin. Well-known Japanese violinist Chisako Takashima appeared at the announcement and became the face of the product. She remarked: “Many people aspire to be violinists, but it is difficult to produce a proper sound, and many give up. That’s why I want evio, which allows children to easily experience the joy of the violin, to get them more interested in the instrument.”
The bow is fitted with an infrared optical sensor at the point where it contacts the “strings.” The bow itself has barcode-like slits printed on it. When the bow is moved and a slit passes the sensor, a sound is produced. Volume and note length are controlled by the speed and distance of the bow stroke. A “vibrato key” on the neck allows the player to add a vibrating effect to the tone.
The unit shipped with six built-in songs. Additional songs could be loaded via proprietary “evio Media” cartridges. When connected to a television, the system offered several modes: Solo (independent performance with background visuals), Orchestra (playing the main melody over accompaniment), Contest (following on-screen timing guides for scoring), Lesson (instructional mode), and Demo (model performance by the system).
TOMY set an ambitious sales target of 500,000 units for the series, aiming for approximately 1 billion yen in revenue.
Release
The evio was released on July 31, 2003, for ¥7,000. Dedicated headphones were available for ¥1,800, and each cartridge retailed for ¥1,800. A promotional event featuring Chisako Takashima was held on July 28, 2003. At the event, Takashima performed “Great Old Clock” on the evio, accompanied by the children’s chorus unit “Chaimu.”
Demise
At launch the evio faced virtually no direct competition in the low-cost electronic-violin category. The closest alternatives were Yamaha’s Silent Violins, which retailed between ¥69,000 and ¥110,000 and were serious practice instruments rather than toys. The evio could teach basic hand positioning and timing, but the playing technique and feel differed substantially from a real violin, limiting its usefulness as a genuine practice tool.
Ultimately the system failed to meet TOMY’s sales expectations. The company discontinued the evio and abandoned the broader Simple Concert concept. Tomy would instead release the evio Jr. (エヴィオジュニア) in May 2004. It removed TV output, the headphone jack, and media-card support, but increased the number of built-in songs to 50 and added a microphone input.
Cartridges
Eighteen commercial cartridges were released, each containing ten additional songs. One additional “not for sale” promotional cartridge is also known to exist.
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| エヴィオセレクション 01 Evio Selection 01 eM1 |
エヴィオセレクション 02 Evio Selection 02 eM2 |
アニメミックス 1 Anime Mix 1 eM3 |
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| I love クラシック 1 I Love Classic 1 eM4 |
ヒーリングエアー Healing Air 1 eM5 |
ドラマミックス 1 Drama Mix 1 eM6 |
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| ピュアキッス 1 Pure Kiss 1 eM7 |
ハードソウル 1 Hard Soul 1 eM8 |
エヴィオセレクション 03 Evio Selection 03 eM9 |
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| アニメスペシャル ポケットモンスター Anime Special Pokémon eM10 |
アニメミックス 2 Anime Mix 2 eM11 |
I love クラシック 2 I love Classic 2 eM12 |
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| コンチェルトセレクション Concerto Selection eM13 |
ディズニーセレクション 1 Disney Selection 1 eM14 |
エヴィオセレクション 04 Evio Selection 04 eM15 |
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| 高嶋ちさ子セレクション Chisako Takashima selection eM16 |
みんなのエヴィオ Everyone’s Evio eM17 |
エヴィオチャレンジ! Evio Challenge eM18 |
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| スペシャルコンチェルトセレクション Special Concerto Selection eM-c1* Not for sale |
* While this cartridges exist, its origin are unclear. Please contact us if you have any information.
Built-in song
- さんぽ (My Neighbor Totoro)
- TSUNAMI (Keisuke Kuwata)
- 少年時代 (Yosui Inoue)
- First Love (Hikaru Utada)
- Wedding March (Mendelssohn)
- The Four Seasons – Spring (Vivaldi)
Technical details
- Powered by 4 × AA batteries (alkaline ≈8 hours, manganese ≈4 hours); optional AC adapter (compatible with other XaviX toys).
- Built-in speaker + 3.5 mm headphone jack (can be used standalone without a TV).
- Stereo AV cable included for TV connection (RCA).
- Weight ≈950 g with batteries (noticeably heavier than a real violin).
- Uses XaviX technology from SSD COMPANY LIMITED