Ubisoft Releases “The Smurfs Dance Party” Video Game

Ubisoft recently released The Smurfs Dance Party for Wii, based on this summer’s 3-D family movie. In the video game, characters from the film, including Smurfette, Papa Smurf, Clumsy, Brainy, Gutsy, and Gargamel, as well as up to four players, dance along to a wide selection of popular songs.

Featured tracks include “Just The Way You Are,” Katy Perry’s “One of the Boys,” and original songs from The Smurfs, including “Smurfberry-licious” and “Gargamel.” Toys “R” Us is carrying an exclusive edition that includes a bonus track, “Walking on Sunshine.”

Other new Smurfs-themed games include The Smurfs for Nintendo DS and The Smurfs & Co. for Facebook.

Eleven-Year-Old “America’s Got Talent” Star Gets Doll Line

This fall, The Bridge Direct will be launching a line of collectible dolls, play sets, and accessories based on singer Jackie Evancho, the “little girl with the big voice” who stunned crowds on the 2010 season of America’s Got Talent. The first item to debut at retail will be a special Collector’s Edition Singing Holiday Doll that will play a clip of “When You Wish Upon A Star.” In the spring, additional singing dolls and accessory packs will join the line.

Image Credit: www.jackieevancho.com

My Little Pony Featured in Target Stores

Hasbro, Inc. has premiered an exclusive My Little Pony retail program at Target. The program includes an out-of-aisle premium space in the toy department devoted to My Little Pony merchandise, inspired by the magical world of Canterlot from the television series My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, which airs on The Hub. The new program debuted this week.

My Little Pony-branded products featured in the Canterlot section at Target include bedding, costumes, books, T-shirts, arts and crafts, activity sets, and exclusive toys, primarily focused on the ponies Princess Celestia, her sister Princess Luna, and Twilight Sparkle.

GUEST BLOG: Five Toys to Teach Kids About Money by Mallory Loren

The following is a guest blog written by Mallory Loren who is a digital strategist and contributor for BCF Wealth Strategies. The company acts as a personal CFO that specializes in small business owners, self-employers, and retirees.

Your little one is a long way off from balancing checkbooks and managing mortgages, but teaching him or her about responsible spending starting at a young age is an extremely important skill. Children often find lessons about money to be tedious, so we have some toys to make it exciting. Check out these five educational aids and toys to help your wee one become enthusiastic about learning the value of a dollar:

Fisher-Price Fun 2 Imagine Cash Register (2-4 years)

The Cash Register is a classic and handy tool to introduce your child to the concept of money. The Fisher-Price Fun 2 Imagine Cash Register is brightly colored, comes with sortable numbered coins, makes noises, and features popping and spinning rolling action that will keep your little one entertained while learning.

Perfect Solutions Digital Coin-Counting Piggy Bank (8+ years)

This toy takes the classic piggy bank to the next level. The Digital Coin-Counting Piggy Bank is useful for all ages. Even adults may find it helpful to keep track of loose change, but it is designed for kids because it allows to see them how much money they have accumulated and keeps count of their earnings all in one place.

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GUEST BLOG: Five Ways To Drive Customer Conversion Rates In Your Stores by Mark Ryski

The following is a guest blog written by Mark Ryski. Ryski is the founder and CEO of HeadCount, an analytics firm specializing in store traffic and conversion, serving retailers across North America. He is also the author of Conversion: The Last Great Retail Metric. For more information, visit www.headcount.com.

Same-store sales are looking a little flat and retailers need to find ways to deliver better results. There’s still a scent of the financial melt-down lingering, but you have survived that crisis and it’s time to start getting the sales needle to move in a positive direction.

There are three main ways to drive sales in stores: (1) encourage more prospective buyers to visit your store; (2) increase your average ticket; and (3) increase your conversion rate — that is, sell to more of the prospects already visiting your stores, but don’t buy.

To a great extent, retail sales have been a two-trick pony: drive more prospective traffic and increase the average ticket. Driving more prospects into your stores usually requires an advertising or promotional investment of some kind, and many retailers focus on increasing the average ticket. But what about conversion rate? It is a third trick every retailer needs to learn, and another sales opportunity that most retailers today completely overlook.

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McDonald’s Teams Up With The Smurfs to Encourage Healthy Eating Habits

McDonald’s is encouraging children worldwide to “Smurf the Earth” this summer with a 28-day Happy Meal campaign featuring 16 iconic Smurf designs. Smurf-themed packaging on healthy Happy Meal offerings, such as Apple Dippers and milk, will promote healthy eating decisions for children.

Within the U.S., McDonald’s has partnered with The Smurfs and Keep America Beautiful (K.A.B.) to put digital codes on the back of Apple Dippers packages that can be entered online at happymeal.com. For every code that is entered on the website, McDonald’s and K.A.B. will plant a tree (up to 100,000) in national forests across the country. Similar environmentally friendly promotions will take place at McDonald’s global locations.

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