March 2011

Charlie Sheen Talking Bobble Head

Entertainment Earth is planning to roll out an officially licensed Charlie Sheen Talking Bobble Head this July. Made by Funko, the item is seven inches tall and speaks six authentic phrases:

“When you got tiger blood and Adonis DNA, man, it’s like… you get with the program, dude.”

“Winner, winner, chicken dinner… I don’t think so. Winner, winner, SHEEN dinner!”

“Duh, winning!”

“I… I… I am on a drug; it’s called ‘Charlie Sheen’!”

“Built by trolls. Keep that in mind: phones were built by trolls.”

“Apocalypse me… the jaws of life.”

Would you buy this? Has Charlie Sheen mania jumped the shark or is it still going strong? Just getting started? Only time will tell.

Visit entertainmentearth.com to hear the voice clips.

Kidscreen 2011 – The Golden Ticket

by Ryan Conti

Have you ever wondered how SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Bob the Builder, and Chuggington came to be? We know that the right product connected to the right audience puts millions of dollars into everyone’s coffers. he Kidscreen Summit, held last month at the Hilton New York, welcomed people from all over the world, giving them the opportunity to pitch their properties to various production companies.
I liken the Kidscreen Summit to Roald Dahl’s classic, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the five golden tickets, but everyone has a chance at success. The stakes are high, the payoff enormous. There are so many benefits to attending, where do I begin?

Jakks Partners with American Red Cross for Earthquake/Tsunami Relief Fund

Jakks Pacific has partnered with the American Red Cross for the Jakks Cares Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Relief Effort. Jakks is seeking to raise $100,000 on its micro site, http://american.redcross.org/JAKKS-emp. The company will match all donations, aiming to raise a total of $200,000, which will directly support the Japan Red Cross disaster relief efforts.
Jakks encourages everyone to make a donation via its American Red Cross microsite at http://american.redcross.org/JAKKS-emp.

Clue, Scrabble, The Game of Life, and More Join The Hub’s Upcoming Lineup

Nine new original programs will join The Hub’s 2011-2012 lineup, announced president and CEO Margaret Loesch at the network’s upfront meeting in New York City last week. The new series include The Aquabats Super Show, from the creators of Yo Gabba Gabba; Blythe Loves The Littlest Pet Shop (working title), inspired by the Littlest Pet Shop brand; Clue, featuring six teens who are brought together when they believe they’ve witnessed a terrible crime; The Game of Life, a live-action family game show; and Scrabble Showdown, another family game show.

Additionally, The Hub is adding Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters (working title), Majors & Minors (working title); Rescue Bots (working title); Secret Millionaire’s Club; and has acquired Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

Returning series include The Adventures of Chuck & Friends, Animal Mechanicals, Dan Vs., Family Game Night, My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, Pound Puppies, R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour: The Series, Strawberry Shortcake’s Berry Bitty Adventures, Transformers Prime, and The WotWots.

Toys “R” Us Launches Rio Merchandising Program

Starting next month, Toys “R” Us customers can experience Rio via a new exclusive partnership between the retailer and Twentieth Century Fox. Toys “R” Us stores and Toysrus.com/Rio will offer consumers a first look at the upcoming family film, scheduled to premiere in theaters April 15.

At Toys “R” Us, customers will be able to find a merchandising assortment, including an exclusive toy line from ToyQuest, featuring poseable 3.75-inch mini figures in two packs, eight-inch basic plush pals, 10-inch animated talking plush, nine-inch feature plush and beanies, a nine-inch interactive plush version of Blu and Jewel chained together, and a seven-inch walking and talking plush Luiz bulldog.

Customers who buy the Rio video game, from THQ, for the Xbox and Wii will receive a DVD featuring never-before-seen sneak peeks of the film, while supplies last. Those who purchase the video game for the PlayStation 3 will receive a free Blu-ray version of the DVD.

The retailer has also launched a microsite for Rio merchandise, Toysrus.com/Rio. The site includes movie trailers, exclusive downloadable coloring pages from the Modern Publishing coloring books, and more.

New Whistlefritz DVD Teaches Las Estaciones (The Seasons)

Whistlefritz has released its new Spanish immersion DVD, Las Estaciones (The Seasons). In the 30-minute DVD, the animated mouse Fritzi wants to celebrate his birthday, which is during fall. With the help of his friend Maria, viewers learn about the best parts of all four seasons, from sledding and snowball fights in el invierno (winter) to trick-or-treating in el otoño (autumn).

Whistlefritz DVDs are based on the belief that switching back and forth between English and Spanish to teach Spanish can be confusing for children. The DVDs engage children through Spanish immersion—learning by hearing and speaking Spanish without any English translation.

Las Estaciones is recommended for children ages 2 to 7. Other titles available in the Spanish for Kids series include Cha Cha Cha, Adentro y Afuera (Inside and Out), A Bailar! ( Let’s Dance!), Vamos a Jugar (Let’s Play), and Los Animales (Animals). For more information, visit www.whistlefritz.com.

New Product: Scrap Kins Build-It Book

Earth Day is around the corner and kids can start getting in the mood with Scrap Kins Build-It Book Volume 1, a book filled with recycling projects. Main characters the Scrap Kins are a monster family who live in a recycling center. They give readers step-by-step instructions for 12 projects, such as turning toilet paper tubes and milk cartons into pirate ships, bookmarks, bird feeders, and more.

All of the projects are constructed from materials that are found around the home, including paper towel tubes, cereal boxes, and juice cartons—no other materials are required.

The book, ideal for kids ages 6 to 9, is published by Crackle Press and is 32 pages. For more information, visit www.thescrapkins.com.

New Product: Winnie Finds a Home

Winnie Toys, LLC has released its first toy product in the U.S. The product, targeted to girls ages 1 to 10, features a plush toy, book, and musical mini-CD.

The book, Winnie Finds a Home, tells the story of a girl who only wants one toy, bunny Winnie. “At a later time, we will be introducing companion characters in our line of books and toys that will be more geared towards young boys,” said company CEO, Gerry Ward, in a press release. Joe Regan, who serves as the company’s COO, will handle the distribution and corporate sales duties.

For more information, visit winnietoys.com.

New Light-Up Construction Sets

Have you seen these new light-up construction sets that are set to hit the market?

The Laser Pegs 3D Lite Board (above), featuring 40 holes that conduct low voltage power, acts as a building platform for the pegs. Kids can create an abstract model and set the board to flash faster, as a strobe, or it can be set to off. The board can support up to 200 Laser Pegs and its base also serves as a storage compartment for all the pieces. The board can also be used to play five different board games.

Laser Pegs products combine building with LED-supplied light. Each Laser Peg shape can transfer a low voltage current to any other shape it is connected to. The platform can be run on batteries or with an AC supply. Read More…

Scholastic Celebrates 20th Anniversary of I Spy

Scholastic Media is kicking off its 20th anniversary celebration of the I Spy franchise with the publication of I Spy Spectacular: A Book of Picture Riddles, due to be out next month. The books features riddles by Jean Marzollo and photographs by Walter Wick. The year-long campaign will include a slate of new I Spy releases, including the I Spy Challenger for Leapster Explorer (releasing this summer), I Spy Castle for the Nintendo DS (releasing this fall), and five new titles from Briarpatch, Scholastic’s exclusive licensee for board games, puzzles, and card games.

Beginning April 11, the new products will be supported by the “I Spy a Celebration” campaign that invites audiences to participate in the largest game of I Spy online, My I Spy. Scholastic will also host a live I Spy event, “I Spy a Celebration! 20 Years; 20 Kids; 20 Riddles,” in Times Square on April 12, and Jean Marzollo will host at an event on April 9 in New York City featuring an I Spy scavenger hunt, raffle, and product demonstrations.