Paddywhack Lane has a new video on its website featuring its product line. The video shows mostly figurines with various backdrops and accessories. Check it out by clicking here.
Month: June 2010
Take a Ride Underwater With Dinosaur Train
PBS KIDS and The Jim Henson Company have announced the premiere of Dinosaur Train‘s underwater adventure, Dinosaur Train Under the Sea. The special, airing August 20, features the dinosaurs traveling between underwater train stations and through time as they learn about dinosaurs from the Cretaceous, Jurassic, and Triassic periods. In the show, the crew will pick up new friends as they make their way along this hour-long adventure.
Lionsgate to Release New Barney DVD in Mid-September
Barney is back with a new DVD meant to enhance preschool counting. Barney: A-Counting We Will Go features the dinosaur and his friends as they play a game of hide-and-seek. But when Baby Bop realizes she can’t be the one to seek because she doesn’t know how to count, the cast is more than willing to help her learn. Suitable for ages 1 to 5, the DVD features both English and Spanish dubs as well as a “Counting in the Garden” game.
The 54-minute DVD from Lionsgate is also accompanied with a 64-page coloring and activity book that offers more ways to refresh preschool counting skills.
JZM Media Publishes First Book
What goes with everything? Apparently froggy boots. In Jill Martin’s first book, Froggy Boots Go With Everything, a boy uses his favorite pair of galoshes as the leaping point for his imagination.
Featuring illustrations by Kirsten Gaede Van Mourick and published by Martin’s publishing company, JZM Media, the book explores children’s curiosity with rain boots and the world around them. A little frog also finds his way onto the colorful pages of this board book, which features the main story as well as a “Can you find…” game at the end. Look for the book this summer.
Play Visions Files Infringement Lawsuit Against Dollar Tree Stores
Play Visions, Inc. has filed an infringement lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington against Dollar Tree Stores and its sister company, Greenbrier International, Inc.
The lawsuit alleges that Dollar Tree Stores “knowingly, willingly, and unlawfully is infringing patents, trademarks, and copyrights, and intended to infringe on Play Visions intellectual property rights.” The lawsuit lists more than 20 items that Play Visions believes infringes on their IP rights, and the company also believes there might be more.
Play Visions is seeking damages and attorney’s fees.
Webosaurs Exits Beta, Enters Market With New Features
Reel FX Creative Studios (RFCS) has announced that its online educational and social game, Webosaurs, is now live following a yearlong open beta test. Based on the free-to-play model, with premium enhancements available for a price, Webosaurs is the brainchild of Reel FX Entertainment and Jacques Panis, who said he saw a market opportunity for boy-centered online entertainment after his twins found it difficult to find such content online.
Webosaurs’ official market release brings with it new content in the form of enhanced privacy controls, virtual pets, an arcade room, new quests, more Webosodes–educational, live-action clips–from Nigel Marven, new domains to explore, new games, and a virtual catalog to purchase various goods and services. A reconstructed homepage, virtual recycling program, expanded help, and a new parents page, as well as the ability to add more avatars to a user’s collection, round out the list of enhancements.
With plans for ancillary products ranging from RFCS’s iPhone app to a comic book series, Webosaurs is set to build upon its brand power. For boys–although girls can play, too–ages 5 to 10, Webosaurs combines action gaming with educational aspects to create a prehistoric experience in a COPPA-compliant environment.
Sanrio Partners with MEGA for Construction Toys
Sanrio, Inc. and MEGA Brands, Inc. have entered into a North American licensing agreement to develop construction toys for young girls based on the Hello Kitty brand. Under the two-year agreement, MEGA Brands obtains the rights to develop construction toy sets based on the Hello Kitty brand, which will allow young girls to build, personalize, and collect their very own Hello Kitty world. The Mega Bloks-licensed product offerings will make their debut in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico in spring 2011.
Li & Fung President Says China’s Low Cost Era is Over
President and executive director of Li & Fung, Ltd., Bruce Rockowitz, told audience members at the Reuters Consumer and Retail Summit that he believed that the low-cost era in China was likely over. Rockowitz said China was moving into “an era for higher prices,” citing greater commodities prices and labor costs.
Despite growing costs, Li & Fung will continue half of its production in China, switching to sourcing from China’s cheaper interior to its coastal area as infrastructure in the interior grows with high-speed railways.
Li & Fung said that China would continue to be its biggest sourcing country, followed by Vietnam. Despite China being its biggest sourcing country, Rockowitz said the top 100 retailers only accounted for 10 percent of total domestic retail.
Photo: Donny Osmond on the Set of Dance Star Mickey Commercial
“Entertainment Tonight is on hand as Donny Osmond offers a behind-the-scenes look at Dance Star Mickey from Fisher-Price and Disney. Osmond is shown taking a break during the commercial shoot that features the pair at their dancing best.”
Click the photo to view it larger.
Lucasfilm Issues Cease and Desist to Maker of Pro Artic Laser
Lucasfilm has issued an immediate cease and desist to Wicked Lasers, the maker of Pro Artic Laser (video above). The product resembles the lightsaber in the Star Wars film and is described by Wicked Lasers as “the most dangerous laser ever created” and that “extremely dangerous is an understatement.”
Lucasfilm’s General Counsel David Anderman stated that “the product is not licensed or approved by Lucasfilm in any way” and that the company strongly discourages consumers from purchasing it.