A peapod that can be squeezed repeatedly and a digital microscope that magnifies views by hundreds of times were among the winners of the Japan Toy Association's first Japan Toy Awards.

Five prizes were awarded in the Tuesday night ceremony for the awards created to try and put some spark into a toy industry that continues to shrink amid a declining birthrate and a rapidly aging population.

"Japan's toy culture is something we should be proud to take to the world," said Teruhisa Kitahara, a toy collector and one of the 17 judges for the awards.

Picking up the Trendy Award was Bandai Corp.'s Mugen ni Dekiru Series, toys that allow people to squeeze a toy pea pod endlessly to enjoy the sensation.

In the Innovation division, which rewarded new technologies in toys, the winner was Eye Clops, also from Bandai. The hand-held toy allows people to view things at 200 times their normal size.

In the Basic division for toys aimed at smaller children, the winner was Byun Byun Circuit, a racing car game TakaraTomy has been selling for 38 years.

Japan's toy market in fiscal 2007 was worth 670.9 billion yen. Card game sales increased by 3.7 percent to rise for the first time in four years, but the overall market continued to shrink.

Toys on sale from October 2007 to September this year were eligible for this year's awards. There were 365 nominated toys competing for the five division prizes on offer.

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