NCircle Entertainment Acquires DVD Distribution Rights for The Gruffalo’s Child

May 18, 2012 By

NCircle Entertainment has acquired distribution rights for The Gruffalo’s Child, the highly anticipated follow-up to the Academy Award-nominated animated short, The Gruffalo, produced by Magic Light Pictures. The Gruffalo’s Child is based on the companion book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler.

“We are extremely pleased to bring the amazing animated versions of Julia Donaldson’s beloved children’s stories to families in the comfort of their own homes,” said Debbie Ries, senior vice president and general manager of NCircle Entertainment. “The Gruffalo DVD won the hearts of viewers of all ages when it was released last year, and The Gruffalo’s Child extends the magic of the original with a new story that promises to delight audiences once again.”

NCircle Entertainment will release The Gruffalo’s Child on DVD on August 14, 2012. NCircle will promote The Gruffalo’s Child through national advertising, including TV and radio, as well as a broad social media campaign.

This post was originally written by Leah Rocketto 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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Rubie’s Receives 2011 Monster High Rookie Licensee of the Year Award

May 18, 2012 By

Rubie’s Costume Company Inc., has received the 2011 Monster High North America Rookie Licensee of the year award from Mattel, the worldwide leader in design and marketing of toys and family products.

As one of the most successful children’s licenses of 2011, characters from the Monster High Costume Collection include Frankie Stein, Lagoona Blue, Cleo de Nile, Clawdeen Wolf and Draculaura. Available in children’s, tween and new adult sizes, each character comes to life with unique designs, intricate detailing and coordinating accessories. In addition to the colorful costumes, the line also includes wigs and make up kits.

“We are thrilled to be a part of the Monster High phenomenon.” said Howard Beige, Rubie’s Executive Vice President. “It is truly an honor to receive such a prestigious award and we look forward to developing even more fun and fashionable products for Monster High fans this upcoming Halloween season.”

With the expansion of the 2012 Monster High Collection, Rubie’s continues to create costumes that reflect the characters unique personalities while paying homage to their cool monster heritage. As they say at Monster High, freaky just got fabulous.

This post was originally written by Leah Rocketto 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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Alphabetown USA Launches New Line of Children’s Books

May 18, 2012 By

Alphabetown USA, LLC announces a new series of stories slated to hit stores this summer. The new line will launch in July with Madison’s Magical Adventure, followed by The Vowel Gang Takes a Trip, amd with more titles to come in the future.

The Alphabetown USA series was developed by Ryan and Nicole Mayer, a husband and wife team from Rolesville, North Carolina and is illustrated by artist Russ Simmons. The team cite their children as inspirations behind the Alphabetown USA books.

“Ryan and I turn their ideas into stories and incorporate the educational component,” said Nicole Mayer.  “Reading, and the ability to read, is such a critical part of a child’s development that we wanted to create books that were not only fun for young children, but served as an educational tool for parents and teachers as well.

The Alphabetown USA series is currently available online at www.alphabetownusa.com, amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and in select Barnes & Noble, Learning Express and Brilliant Sky retail stores. They are suitable for children ages 2-8.

This post was originally written by Leah Rocketto 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

Filed Under: 0-2, 3-5, 6-8, New Products, News Tagged With: , , ,

Kidtoons and MyKazooTV Bring Kids’ Music to the Big Screen

May 8, 2012 By

Kidtoons Films, a Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp. program, has partnered with MyKazooTv to bring kid-friendly content to theaters nationwide. MyKazooTV offers parents and kids a safe, focused environment showing hundreds of entertaining music videos by top artists, kid hosts, and humorous educational interstitials. The first video featured on Kidtoons will be a Farmer Jason video in May on all Kidtoons screens.

“The partnership between myKaZoo and Cinedigm is a natural fit,” said Debbie Dunn, Account Director, Kidtoons. “We show the best in age-appropriate entertainment at our Kidtoons weekend matinees and we know that our Kidtoons families will enjoy the great music videos from MyKaZootv artists, such as Farmer Jason.”

This post was originally written by Leah Rocketto 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.

Filed Under: 0-2, 3-5, New Products, News Tagged With: , , , , ,

Underwriters Laboratories Keeps Companies Sustainable with New Launch

May 7, 2012 By

UL Environment, a business unit of Underwriters Laboratories (UL), has launched of a free web-based tool that will help manufacturers assess their corporate sustainability efforts. Part of UL Environment’s Sustainability Quotient (SQ) Program, this tool provides manufacturers with a preliminary analysis of their sustainability initiatives relative to the requirements of the UL 880 standard, such as environmental purchasing policies, greenhouse gas reduction targets, and sustainable supply chain code of conduct. The tool also aggregates responses from all survey respondents and provides an overall benchmark of sustainability progress to date.

“Manufacturers are making great strides when it comes to their own sustainability programs, and this assessment tool will help them identify gaps in standards they are currently using,” says Gary Savin, vice president of UL Environment.

This post was originally written by Leah Rocketto 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.

Filed Under: Licenses, New Products Tagged With: , , ,

Care Bears Celebrate 30th Anniversary with New Show

May 7, 2012 By

The Care Bears return to television this summer in an all-new CG animated series Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot. The series, which will appear on The Hub, brings back old characters while introducing new ones. The Hub’s marketing team will support Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot through traditional and non-traditional off-channel media designed to drive sampling of the new iteration of the iconic original series.

The half hour show, produced by American Greetings Properties, premieres on June 2 at 8 a.m.

This post was originally written by Leah Rocketto 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.

Filed Under: New Products, News Tagged With: , , ,

Tonner Doll Awarded License for Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games

May 3, 2012 By

Tonner Doll Company, a manufacturer of high-end collectible dolls and figures, has been granted the license for character figures based on the film The Hunger Games, which arrived in theaters nationwide last month.
Sculpted in the likenesses of the film’s lead characters, including Katniss Everdeen (as portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence), Peeta Mellark (as portrayed by Josh Hutcherson) and Gale Hawthorne (as portrayed by Liam Hemsworth), The Hunger Games Tonner Character Figure (TCF) dolls will range from 16-17 inches tall with multiple articulated joints for expressive poses and mobility. The dolls will feature hand-painted facial features, high-quality Saran hair, and authentic costuming based on actual costume samples from the film. Robert Tonner, CEO and doll artist, will oversee the creation of the figures, which will be made to a one-fourth scale.

This post was originally written by Leah Rocketto 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.

Filed Under: Licenses, New Products, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

Precious Moments, Inc. Launches New Products

May 3, 2012 By


Precious Moments, Inc. (PMI) introduces several new products in the spring 2012 line. The new line of baby products, BaZooples, features an enchanted animal and uplifting message on each piece. Artist Vicki Schreiner shows her work on an assortment of items, including blankets, frames, and lamps.

An assortment of plush and rocking musicals will also be available in the new line. PMI will also add to its Disney series with two new products: Hunny of the Day, which features Precious Moments children portraying Disney characters, and Winnie the Pooh wagons.

Most items will be available in stories this fall. To view the collection online, visit www.preciousmoments.com.


This post was originally written by Leah Rocketto 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.

Filed Under: New Products Tagged With: ,

Pinkalicious Partners with Burger King Corp for Program Promotion

May 3, 2012 By

The Joester Loria Group, licensing agency for Pinkalicious, announces a partnership with Burger King Corp. (BKC) for a springtime promotion known as the BK Crown Program. During this time, customers will receive one of six Pinkalicious-themed premiums with the purchase of a kids meal, which range from tiaras and wands to dolls and jewelry. BKC will support the Pinkalicious promotion with an online presence on BKCrown.com which will showcase interactive Pinkalicious fun and games. The promotion began April 23 and will end on June 3

This post was originally written by Ericka Johnson 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.

Filed Under: Licenses, New Products Tagged With: , , ,

LEGO Group Launches Movie Maker App

May 3, 2012 By

LEGO Group, in conjunction with Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Entertainment, has launched the LEGO DC Super Heroes Movie Maker app on the iTunes App store. The app allows users to create their own stop-motion movie featuring some famous superheroes. The simple tools and guides make it easy to shoot, edit, and add music on an iPhone. and save it to your camera roll to share.

This post was originally written by Leah Rocketto 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.”

Filed Under: 9 and up, New Products Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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