Archive for November, 2011
« Older Entries | Newer Entries »This post was written by Elizabeth A. Reid
Report: Approximately 40 Percent of Consumers to Spend Less This Holiday
Friday, November 18th, 2011
The Conference Board Consumer Research Center is expecting U.S. consumers to be more frugal this holiday season. According to a survey that was conducted for The Conference Board by Nielsen, U.S. households are expected to spend an average of $497 on gifts this holiday season. Only 7 percent of consumers said they plan to spend more on holiday gifts this year, while approximately 40 percent plan to spend less than last year.
Bargains will also be on consumers’ minds for the holidays. Four out of 10 holiday shoppers expect more than half of their purchases to be on sale or discounted. An additional three out of 10 expect a quarter to half of their purchases to be discounted. Additionally, almost two-thirds of consumers expect to buy some of their holiday gifts online, with 15 percent expecting to purchase more than half of their gifts online. The survey was conducted in October.
Tags: Conference Board Consumer Research Center, Nielsen
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This post was written by Elizabeth A. Reid
The 2011 Inductees for the National Toy Hall of Fame are…
Friday, November 18th, 2011
Last week, The Strong announced the 2011 National Toy Hall of Fame inductees: the dollhouse, Hot Wheels, and the blanket. The honorees were selected from a field of 12 toy finalists, including Dungeons & Dragons, Jenga, the pogo stick, the puppet, R/C vehicles, Rubik’s Cube, Simon, Star Wars action figures, Transformers, and Twister.
Tags: Hot Wheels, National Toy Hall of Fame, the blanket, the dollhouse, The Strong
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This post was written by Elizabeth A. Reid
Carte Blanche Greetings to Release Me to You at Christmas Album
Friday, November 18th, 2011
Carte Blanche Greetings is continuing its partnership with EMI by releasing Me to You at Christmas, a collection of 40 festive tunes. The two-disc compilation, releasing November 28, features seasonal hits from Ella Fitzgerald to Kylie Minogue.
As an added bonus, Me to You at Christmas will come with a unique code to unlock a virtual gift in the free-to-play online social game, Me to You My Place. The gift is a digital gramophone that plays clips from the album.
This past February, Carte Blanche teamed up with EMI for Me to You With Love, which reached No. 2 in the compilation album charts, and was the best-selling album on Valentine’s Day.
Tags: Carte Blanche Greetings, EMI, Me to You at Christmas
Posted in New Products, News | No Comments »
This post was written by Jackie Breyer
Stardoll Partners with Barbie for Global Doll Line
Tuesday, November 15th, 2011
Stardoll, the global online fashion and gaming community for girls, has partnered with Barbie to bring the world of virtual dress-up and online play to life with the new “Stardoll by Barbie” line of collectible fashion dolls. The partnership marks the Stardoll brand’s first foray into translating its online fashion portal into physical dolls, allowing Barbie fans to extend the possibilities of the Stardoll world offline.
The “Stardoll by Barbie” collection will feature eight new fashion dolls, based on four of the most popular virtual Stardoll stores in Starplaza. Inspired by Stardoll avatars, “Stardoll by Barbie” dolls come packaged mirroring signature avatar poses. Each doll features details such as rooted eyelashes, a unique face and body sculpt, as well as a distinct signature style.
“Stardoll by Barbie” will be available at retail in the U.S. beginning this month, with another five dolls slated for spring 2012. Three accessory packs let Stardoll fans mix and match the fashions and accessories, and give girls the interchangeable closet experience of the Stardoll virtual world in the real world.
“Stardoll by Barbie” dolls will come with a gift card for complimentary membership on Stardoll.com for new and existing members, Stardollars to spend on all Superstar items on the Stardoll site as well as free exclusive virtual gifts.
Tags: Barbie, Stardoll, Stardoll by Barbie, virtual world
Posted in Licenses, New Products, News, Newsletters | No Comments »
This post was written by Elizabeth A. Reid
Rokenbok Toy Company Debuts Children’s Series
Monday, November 14th, 2011
Rokenbok Toy Company has debuted the first episode of its new children’s series. The new series offers kids a chance to connect with the company’s remote-controlled vehicles, figurines, and building toy pieces, and brings life and personality to iconic Rokenbok figurines.
The show is built around the Rokenbok Go Team, a group dedicated to helping when things go wrong. Every two weeks, an episode will be released on Rokenbok’s Video Center first, and then will be available for viewing later on Rokenbok’s YouTube channel.
Check out the first episode above!
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This post was written by Jackie Breyer
Target’s Mommy Ambassador, Soleil Moon Frye, Reveals Top Holiday Picks
Friday, November 11th, 2011
I attended Target’s Holiday Toy Preview on November 9, and had the great pleasure of meeting Soleil Moon Frye (Punky Brewster, Sabrina the Teenage Witch). She is Target’s Mommy Ambassador, and frankly, one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Soleil has two daughters herself, and seemed to have a ball talking about her favorite toys for the holidays. Rocking a pair of comfy slipper socks, Soleil walked me through Target’s top holiday toy picks, and introduced me to the toys she chose as her personal top picks:
- Disney My First Princess Doll and Toddler Dress Gift Set
- Disney Cars Charge n Race Speedway
- LeapFrog LeapPad
- Barbie Hairtastic Printables
- Paper Jamz Pro Series Microphone
- Scrabble Flash
Perhaps I should have removed my heels and rocked some slipper socks myself. It was a pleasure to meet you Soleil!
Tags: Barbie Hairtastic Printables, cars, Disney Princess, holiday toys, LeapFrog LeapPad, Paper Jamz, Punky Brster, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Scrabble Flash, Soleil Moon Frye, Target
Posted in People, Photo, holiday season | No Comments »
This post was written by Jackie Breyer
Walmart Kicks-off Black Friday Events Starting at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving
Thursday, November 10th, 2011
Walmart has released its Black Friday circular to shoppers on Facebook and Walmart.com to help families plan their holiday shopping. Items from electronics to gaming consoles and toys will be available during three shopping events.
Walmart’s Black Friday events will be held at the following times:
- 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 24) –Toys, Home, and Apparel
- Midnight on Black Friday (Nov. 25) – Electronics
- 8 a.m. Nov. 25 through the weekend – Gifts for the entire family
“Our customers told us they would rather stay up late to shop than get up early, so we’re going to hold special events on Thanksgiving and Black Friday,” says Duncan Mac Naughton, chief merchandising officer, Walmart U.S. “By sharing our Black Friday specials earlier than ever, we hope to make buying decisions easier for parents working hard to give their families the Christmas they deserve.”
In addition, all day long on Thanksgiving, shoppers can get online-only specials and save with free shipping options.
Walmart is also helping shoppers plan their in-store shopping strategy by making available store-specific maps on Facebook. To access the map, shoppers need to find their favorite store by clicking on the “My Local Walmart” application on Walmart’s Facebook page.
Walmart also promises to match the price of any local competitor’s printed ad for an identical product, including matching competitor’s deals for the day after Thanksgiving.
Tags: Black Friday, Thanksgiving, Walmart
Posted in News, holiday season | 1 Comment »
This post was written by Jackie Breyer
Firefly Brand Management’s Lineup
Wednesday, November 9th, 2011
Firefly Brand Management is a full-service global brand management and licensing agency specializing in entertainment, interactive, technology, art and lifestyle properties, including:
• Anne Geddes, an artist whose photography has been published in 83 countries with over 18 million copies sold worldwide. The brand and various licensing programs have a strong following all over the world, and Firefly is seeking new product lines for the home, infants, maternity, and young girls.
• Hell’s Kitchen, the cooking competition show on Fox. The brand’s new lines are in housewares, food, beverage, apparel and other categories.
• Mr. Bubble, which for 50 years has been the best selling bubble bath in the U.S.
• Spam, which has graced American dinner tables for nearly 75 years, is an iconic American brand.
• Yummy You by Twinkie Chan, a line of silly, food themed scarves and accessories.
• Emily Green, whose imagination brings creative, fun designs to an array of products including children’s place mats, bowls, tumblers and other unique gifts.
Please contact Eve LeMaster for licensing news and opportunities.
Tags: Anne Geddes, Emily Green, Eve LeMaster, Firefly Brand Management, Hell's Kitchen, Mr. Bubble, Spam, Yummy You
Posted in Licenses, News | No Comments »
This post was written by Elizabeth A. Reid
MGM to Bring Classic Media’s Waldo to the Big Screen
Tuesday, November 8th, 2011
MGM has secured feature film rights to Classic Media’s Where’s Waldo property. The studio will bring Waldo to the big screen in a live-action family adventure. Created by Martin Handford and first published in 1987, more than 55 million Where’s Waldo? books have been sold, and the titles have been translated into more than 30 languages.
MGM’s Cassidy Lange, vice president of production, will oversee the project for the studio. Handford’s business partner, Mike Gornall, and Classic Media’s co-CEO, Eric Ellenbogen, will serve as executive producers.
This post was originally written by Elizabeth A. Reid and published by ToyBook.com. For more news, visit www.toybook.com, follow The Toy Book on Twitter, and like The Toy Book on Facebook. The Toy Book is a bimonthly trade magazine covering the toy industry, published by Adventure Publishing Group.
Tags: Classic Media, MGM, theaters, Where's Waldo
Posted in Licenses, News | No Comments »
This post was written by Elizabeth A. Reid
The Wish Factory Named Toy Licensee for Singer Cody Simpson
Tuesday, November 8th, 2011
The Wish Factory has been named toy licensee for the Cody Simpson brand through a strategic licensing agreement with Atlantic Records. Cody Simpson is an Australian-born singer and songwriter who recently released his EP Coast to Coast, featuring singles “On My Mind” and “Not Just You.” Simpson ranked No. 13 on Billboard’s 21 Under 21: Music’s Hottest Minors for 2011.
The Wish Factory’s deal covers dolls, figures, play sets, key chains, plush koalas, concert kits, play-dance mats, and guitars. The initial line of fashion dolls will be available exclusively at Toys “R” Us stores and online at Toysrus.com this holiday season. The line will expand to other mass-market retailers in the spring and next fall.
For more information on Cody Simpson licensing opportunities, contact Sara Nemerov of Warner Music Group at sara.nemerov@wmg.com.
Tags: Atlantic Records, Coast to Coast, Cody Simpson, licenses, licensing, On My Mind, The Wish Factory, Toys R Us, Warner Music Group
Posted in Licenses, New Products, News, holiday season, video | No Comments »
