Britney Spears Featured in New Twister Dance Game

Hasbro is teaming up with Britney Spears for the new Twister Dance game. The game combines today’s best dance movies with the iconic Twister spots to give girls a new way to learn moves to popular dance songs, including a customized Twister remix of “Till the World Ends” by Britney Spears.

In addition to having the remix of her song in the game, Spears will be featured on game packaging, in a television advertisement, and in dance instruction videos, all releasing this fall. Other artists include Ke$sha and Willow Smith. An exclusive Twister Dance song called “Caught Up in a Twister” will also make an appearance. The game, which features a built-in beat detection system, can connect to any MP3 player.

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.

Dark Horse Deluxe Offers a Unique Take on the Good Luck Trolls

The Good Luck Troll was originally created in 1959 by Danish fisherman and woodcutter Thomas Dam. At various times since the early 1960s, Trolls have been a top-selling toy, building a seldom-achieved brand equity. Dam Things, which holds all rights to the works of Thomas Dam, is in the process of launching a complete slate of merchandise activities and products for the Good Luck Trolls. Dark Horse Comics has been granted the license for a collectibles program. The line will consist of 15 different trolls, some of which are rare, sold in mystery box assortments.

Dark Horse felt the Good Luck Troll would be a natural fit in the designer vinyl and specialty retail arena, and has created Trolls with unique variations of color and surface treatments. The product development was closely supervised by Dam Things and its brand manager Dannie Festa of Festa Entertainment, including a trip from Denmark to the West Coast prototyping facility to assess and approve the works in progress.

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Nuremberg ToyAward Winners Announced

This year, ToyAwards, presented to new products at the Spielwarenmessee International Toy Fair in Nuremberg, were awarded to products that displayed a unique play idea, concept, or creative design, as well as products with material properties and safety aspects. The four categories include Baby & Infant, Preschool, School Kids, and Teenager & Family. The awards aim to provide consumers and the trade guidance on the best new products. Visitors also had the opportunity to choose their personal favorite, the Traders’ Favorite, from the four ToyAward winners. The awards were announced at the closing press conference, and the winners received a prize of 20,000 euros.

The winners were:

Baby & Infant: Mini Micro with Seat/ Micro Mobility Systems Ltd. The Mini Micro grows with the child. One-year-olds can take their first ride on a Mini Micro and convert the roller later on.

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Tips for Optimizing Exposure For Your Toy in Real Time at Toy Fair

Fifth in a series of posts on preparing for the annual trade event.

by Julie Livingston, director, business development and accounts, Child’s Play Communications

That crazy mix of anticipation, excitement, and adrenaline occurs each year for me, as I walk into the Javits Center on opening day of Toy Fair. There is so much to do in advance of the show, not to mention managing the intensity of the four-day event and post-show follow up.

If you have already reached out to the media and bloggers to schedule appointments to meet and give them a heads up on your new products, that’s a good thing. There is a chance that some reporters may spend times “walking the floor,” but with staff cutbacks at many media companies, their time is often limited. It is more likely for reporters to come to Toy Fair with predetermined ideas of what they want to see; they may also narrow their search for specific products that exemplify a particular toy trend (or trends) they are covering, such as tech or connected toys.

As a Toy Fair exhibitor, what is the best way to handle the media on site at the show? This is often the biggest challenge for exhibitors who are preoccupied with retailer meetings and managing a handful of product samples. This post includes tips and advice on how to work with the media that attend the event.

Scheduled Appointments

If you have preset appointments, tell your exhibit booth administrator and designate another colleague as a backup, in case you are unavailable. If your backup is someone unaccustomed to dealing with the press, provide an overview of the media outlet and leave any press materials for them, as well as your business card and mobile number. Given the hectic nature of Toy Fair, it is not unusual for appointments to show up early or late, which may throw a curve ball into your day. However you handle it, make sure the reporter is taken care of properly and professionally.

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NickMom’s Slated List of Programming

Source: NickMom press release

At a press conference in New York City, Nickelodeon announced its slate of programming for NickMom, to premiere this fall on Nick Jr. Nickmom’s development slate includes a mix of talk shows, stand-up, sketch comedy, hidden camera, game shows, and more:

  • A hybrid sketch/talk series starring and executive produced by comedian and actress Caroline Rhea and Emily Cohen (Title TBD).
  • It’s Nighttime with Annabelle Gurwitch – A new breed of talk show that looks at the world through Gurwitch’s unique mom-colored glasses, executive produced by Gurwitch and Elyse Roth (former The Daily Show producer).

  • The 5th Hour – A scripted comedy show inspired by morning news shows and hosted by mom comics in the roles of the news team. Executive produced by Mad Cow Productions (Madeleine Smithberg, executive producer of The Daily Show with John Stewart), Sarah North, and Jordan Tilzer (Roar). Read More…

Nickelodeon Reveals NickMom TV Block at NYC Press Conference

Today at a press conference, Nickelodeon announced that General Mills, Target, and Reckitt Benckiser have signed on as charter sponsors for NickMom, Nickelodeon’s new multiplatform content destination that targets moms. The just-announced deals will include brand integration, content development, and sponsorships across the new NickMom TV block, launching this fall on Nick Jr. The deal also includes NickMom.com, which launched last year.

“With the creation of NickMom, we are offering a unique comedy and entertainment destination created just for today’s moms,” said Jim Perry, head of sales of Viacom’s Nickelodeon Group, in a press release. “Our partners clearly understand the value of moms and recognize our ability to serve moms with relevant entertainment across all platforms.”

The NickMom nightly television block will feature a mix of original long- and short-form humor-based programming, including talk shows, stand-up and sketch comedy, hidden camera television shows, and more. NickMom.com, a blog that debuted last November, currently features editorial franchises, photos, and video. Throughout this year, Nickelodeon expects the site to grow, complete with more editorial, photos, videos, gaming, and a community, becoming a fully integrated website timed to the TV launch.

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Pretty Ugly Teams Up with Funko

Pretty Ugly, LLC announced a licensing partnership with Funko, LLC to manufacture Pop! and Blox Vinyl figures of Uglydoll characters. Pop! figures, available this month, are 3.75 inches and feature articulated heads. Blox Vinyl figures are flat with cut-out styling and details, and will hit retail shelves as early as April. Both can be found at specialty retailers nationwide, and are available in an assortment of styles and colors.

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.

How to Best Work With Bloggers and Toy Industry Experts at Toy Fair

Fourth in a series of posts on preparing for the annual trade event.

by Julie Livingston, director, business development and accounts, Child’s Play Communications

In addition to the hoards of journalists from traditional media channels covering Toy Fair, exhibitors should also consider outreach to bloggers (specifically, mom bloggers who write product reviews) and toy industry experts who cover the annual event.  Both influential in their own right, the clout these individuals carry can be particularly valuable to small and mid-sized toy companies, driving brand awareness, social media prominence, and, ultimately, sales.

Getting your toy featured on the right product review blog is a marvelous way to generate grassroots buzz for your product. According to a recent study conducted by Child’s Play Communications and the NPD Group, 79 percent of all American moms with children under the age of 18 are active in social media. Of that number, about one in four have made purchasing decisions as a result of a social media recommendation; more than half (55 percent) said they made their purchase because of a recommendation from a personal review blog

To reach moms where they “live,” it is essential that toy and youth entertainment companies have a strong presence among mom bloggers. To clarify, a mom blogger is a mother, generally with young preschool-aged children, who blogs on a regular basis. Many of the mom bloggers we work with at Child’s Play turned to blogging as an outlet following earlier careers as journalists, writers, and marketers. Some were involved in other aspects of business, and many are moms looking to express themselves while connecting with other moms to share experiences and life lessons. These women are smart, dedicated, and energetic.

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Chan Honored with Outstanding Achievement Award

Peter Chan Pui, Blue Box Toys

Blue Box Toys founder and chairman, Mr. Peter Chan Pui, was recently awarded the 2011 Outstanding Achievement Award by the Hong Kong Toys Council, a company whose focus is on raising awareness about product safety standards, and The Toys Manufacturer’s Association of Hong Kong, which promotes and protects the interests and public reputation of manufacturers in Hong Kong.

Blue Box Toys, established in 1952, is celebrating its 60th anniversary. During those 60 years, Pui has been pivotal in the growth Blue Box Toys and its brands. “This award marks an important stepping stone in my career and I am deeply honored to be recognized for the time and hard work put forth in establishing myself and our company in the toy industry,” said Pui.

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Child’s Play Adds LeVar Burton’s RRKidz to Client Roster

LevVar Burton

Child’s Play Communications has added LeVar Burton’s RRKidz brand to its client roster. In addition to launching RRKidz, Child’s Play will relaunch the company’s Reading Rainbow brand, promote the Reading Rainbow classic library of episodes (DVD and streaming), and announce the Reading Rainbow Kidz app.

Reading Rainbow ran for 26 years on PBS (1983-2009), and was co-produced and hosted by actor LeVar Burton. RRKidz will bring Reading Rainbow to today’s digitally connected children beginning with a reading and book discovery app that will initially launch for the iPad early this year. RRKidz aims to become a leader in digital publishing and a major, multi-platform, kids’ educational and enrichment brand. Burton, Co-Founder Mark Wolfe, and CEO Asra Rasheed run the brand.

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.

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