February 2010

MGA Enters Boys’ Toys Realm with Launch of New Property

MGA Entertainment is entering into the boys’ toys market with the fall debut of a new property, The Legend of Nara. The fantastical property is targeted to boys ages 6 and up.

The Legend of Nara features a collectible assortment of bugs that look real. According to legend, a massive meteor storm has hit the planet Nara, and a once peaceful insect population is transforming. Their bodies start to elongate, their limbs begin to mutate, and the four tribes that once shared the Narian Valley are now at war in their search for ultimate power.

Gogo’s Lands TV Series

Producer and distributor Breakthrough Films & Television is partnering with Martomagic and PPI Worldwide Group to develop a television series based on the collectible toy, Gogo’s Crazy Bones.

Gogo’s Crazy Bones feature hundreds of characters in multiple colors and designs, and are available in three packs, five packs, and collector tins. Each character has its own personality, strength, power, and score.

Gogo’s Crazy Bones is a Bulldog Licensing Limited property owned by Martomagic and PPI Worldwide Group. Joy Tashjian Marketing Group is the brand’s North American licensing agent.

Scholastic Signs Licensing Deals for Toys

Scholastic Media has signed new licensing deals for its Scholastic and Little Scholastic brands.

Kids Station Toys, Inc. will create toy lines for both the Scholastic and Little Scholastic brands for children ages 8 and under. The toys will include cameras, electronic dictionaries, science kits, binoculars, and other electronic learning aids, roleplay toys, and science and exploration products.

Tara Toy Corporation will create a full line of craft and activity kits for the Scholastic brands. The kits will include paper bag puppets, tissue paper art, and milk carton projects slated to be priced between $5.99 and $9.99.

The new Scholastic and Little Scholastic brand toy lines are expected to hit shelves this year.

Bandai Named U.S. Master Toy Licensee for Roary the Racing Car

Bandai America Incorporated has inked a deal with UK television production and licensing company, Chapman Entertainment, and HIT Entertainment to become the U.S. master toy licensee for the Roary the Racing Car property. The new toy line will be available exclusively at Toys “R” Us stores starting this fall.

Bandai America will offer a full line of Roary toy products for kids ages 3 and older in categories such as die-cast, push-along and friction cars, remote control vehicles, playsets, and more. The die-cast vehicles, friction cars, and remote controlled Roary will be packaged with a special episode of Roary the Racing Car on DVD. The products will range in price from $4.99 to $24.99.

Roary the Race Car was launched exclusively in the U.S. in fall 2008 on the preschool television channel Sprout, This deal marks the first time that Chapman and HIT have teamed up with Bandai America.

Toy Story 3 Invades Toy Fair NY

Another hot property at Toy Fair New York was Toy Story 3. According to Disney-Pixar, Toy Story is the largest toy licensing property of 2010. More than 250 new toys based on Toy Story, from companies such as Thinkway Toys, LEGO, Hasbro, and JAKKS Pacific, will release this summer and into Holiday 2010.

The new Toy Story 3 toy line includes action figures, dolls, roleplay, games, playsets, construction sets, vehicles, talking plush, and robots, many of which will feature new characters such as Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear.

LEGO to Release Harry Potter Sets and Games

As the anticipation for the theatrical release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (November 19) builds, LEGO is partnering with Warner Bros. Consumer Products to release new construction sets and games based on the property.

Based on the stories and characters of the Harry Potter films, the new line includes six construction sets featuring iconic scenes and locations. The sets–which include the Hogwarts Castle, Hagrid’s Hut, Hogwarts Express, and Quidditch Match–will be available in October and feature decorated minifigures, such as Bellatrix, Lestrange, and Luna Lovegood.
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Schylling Named U.S. Darda Distributor

Schylling Associates, Inc. has been named the new U.S. distributor for Darda toys by Wm K. Walthers, Inc. and Simm Marketing GMBH. Earlier this month, Walthers sold the line to Simm.

As part of the transition to new ownership, both Schylling and Walthers representatives began taking orders for Darda products during Toy Fair New York. In-stock inventory will ship directly from the Walthers warehouse in Milwaukee. Future releases will ship from Schylling.

London Design Studios Merge to Form Fuse

London-based toy design studios Play On Design and Evolve NPD, Ltd. have joined forces to form Fuse, a toy and licensing invention studio. Fuse London, Ltd. is backed by an experienced creative team who have developed IP for many toy companies such as Mattel, Fisher-Price, Spin Master, Bandai Europe, JAKKS Pacific, Basic Concepts, and Tomy Europe, among others.

The Erector Set to Debut as Feature Film

Meccano Toy Company’s popular Erector Set will soon hit the big screen in an original 3-D feature film based on the children’s construction toys. Helix Films, an independent production company, will develop the film, which will be the first time Meccano has licensed film rights to its toys.
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Tori Spelling to Publish Children’s Book

Aladdin has announced that actress and New York Times bestselling writer Tori Spelling will write her first children’s picture book, entitled Presenting…Tallulah. The book tells the story of a spunky little girl who wants to be herself, despite others always telling her what she’s not supposed to do and what kind of girl she isn’t. “Don’t get dirty… don’t talk loudly… don’t wear jeans like the other kids.” Illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton (Freedom Sing, Drum City) Tallulah tries to figure out what kind of girl she is. The book’s release is slated for September 21.