Made in Singapore, this Pocketeer Rally game was one of many handheld compact toys made by Japanese toy company, Tomy. Between the mid-1970s and the early 1990s, Tomy marketed these pockeeter games directly in the United States of America as ‘Tomy Pocket Games’ and sold them via Palitoy in the United Kingdom under the name of ‘Pocketeers’. These pocketeer toys covered a range of themes, including puzzle, shooting, rotating rows, sports and gambling and were enjoyed in the 1970s and 1980s, before digital handheld games became popular.Tomy had its presence in Singapore between 1972 and 1995. Known as Tomy Singapore Pte Ltd, the local company and plant were responsible for manufacturing toys, and even small parts such as screws and springs, up till the end of 1991. In December 1991, the entire manufacturing activity shifted to Hong Kong and Thailand, leaving the Singapore office as the regional sales and distribution centre. However, Tomy Singapore had to face challenges such as labour shortage, increase in foreign workers’ levies and the government’s push for automatic production lines in the 1990s. In March 1995, Tomy ended its operations in Singapore.
