New SuperShell is Kid-Friendly, Oops-Proof

June 29, 2012 By

M-Edge, the consumer electronics accessories company behind the kid-friendly SuperShell for iPad, has launched the SuperShell for iPhone 4/4S. Both products absorb shock and bounce when dropped. Available at medgestore.com, the SuperShell is tough case protection at a reasonable price.

The SuperShell is made with ultra-protective closed-cell foam. Weighing just one ounce, it won’t add extra weight to your phone. The squishy foam material wraps around the edges of your iPhone for a secure fit, while the dimpled texture and ridges allow for a better grip.

A new addition to the M-Edge family is the SuperStylus. This wide-grip, digital pen will be available in late July. The SuperStylus allows for a more precise and comfortable use of touchscreens. Made specifically for kids, this stylus is a learning tool for the next generation of tech users.

This post was originally written by Sierra McCleary-Harris 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: 3-5, 5-8, 6-8, 8 and up, 9 and up, New Products Tagged With: , ,

Scholastic Launches Compilation Packs for Nintendo

June 29, 2012 By

Scholastic Media, a division of Scholastic, Inc., announced the release of three compilation game packs for Nintendo’s gaming platforms: I Spy Two Game Pack for Wii, and I Spy Two Game Pack and Smart Games for Kids Two Game Pack for Nintendo DS. Each game pack includes bestselling titles from Scholastic Media’s interactive portfolio and will be available this fall.

The I Spy Two Game Pack for Nintendo DS includes two award-winning titles from the I SPY franchise: I Spy Fun House and I Spy Universe. Together, the games feature more than 50 riddles and more than 200 levels of play for seek-and-find fans of all ages. To escape the topsy-turvy world in I SPY Fun House, players must earn tickets by completing games, riddles, and the Prize Popper challenge. I SPY Universe takes players on a different kind of puzzle-solving adventure with a trip through the I SPY cosmos. Players unlock new planets and explore the universe while searching for more than 400 objects in 36 I SPY riddles and playing six brain-teasing games.

I Spy enthusiasts can continue the brain-teasing fun with more than 70 riddles and more than 60 interactive mini-games in the I Spy Two Game Pack for Wii, which includes Ultimate I Spy and I Spy Spooky Mansion. Ultimate I Spy takes players through a wonderland where they search above and below objects to solve riddles, puzzles, and mini games. I Spy Spooky Mansion offers thrills and chills with a trip through a haunted mansion.

Also for Nintendo DS is the Smart Game for Kids Two Game Pack, which features the My Amusement Park and Digging for Dinosaurs DS games. Kids run their own entertainment venue in My Amusement Park. Players can choose from four themed building rides, food venues, and special attractions in their park. Digging for Dinosaurs challenges players with a variety of mini-games that range from simulated paleontological digs to dinosaur battles, all while learning facts about 21 different prehistoric species.

This post was originally written by Sierra McCleary-Harris 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: 3-5, 5-8, 6-8, 8 and up, 9 and up, New Products Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Touchable Television for the Touchscreen Generation

June 29, 2012 By

Television and technology industry veterans Alex Kay, Scott Webb, and Tinsley Galyeanthe announced the launch of New York-based PlaySquare, LLC, a new company that will develop tablet-based Touchable Television.

The Touchable Television transforms television into an adventure in which children are able to watch, think, and act. Touchable Television is the combination of existing television episodes with interactive content that allows a child to step into and participate in the actual story of a television property.

PlaySquare has signed an agreement with  children’s media specialist Tina Peel to serve as advisor and executive producer. Peel has more than 30 years of experience in creating, producing, managing, and evaluating television and media products for children and families.

This post was originally written by Lindsay Gordon 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: 3-5, 5-8, 6-8, 8 and up, New Products, News Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

American Girl Craft Kit Now Available

June 29, 2012 By

McKenna Brooks, this year’s American Girl of the Year, was the inspiration behind the premiere craft projects being introduced by American Girl Crafts. Girls can capture and celebrate their achievements with the Sticker Style Frame and Memory Album, or encourage friends and family to do their best with the Super Spirit Card-Making Pad. Wearable crafts such as the Star Spirit Hair Accessories, Color Coded Friendship Bracelets, and an Iron-On Drawstring Bag are enable girls to create their own styles.

Even Polka Dot, McKenna’s pet hamster, provides inspiration—with a felt Sew & Stuff hamster pillow that girls can make. Punch-out paper dolls and dimensional stickers based on McKenna are available as well.

Each kit includes craft-able invitations, popcorn bowls, activities, and more to get girls ready for the July 3 release of new feature-film, American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars. The film will be available on Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD at Walmart, American Girl retail stores, and americangirl.com, and is scheduled to air on July 14 on NBC.

This post was originally written by Lindsay Gordon 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: 5-8, 6-8, 8 and up, New Products, News Tagged With: , , ,

Shoot to the Top this Summer with Kidz Star USA

June 29, 2012 By

Kidz Bop, RCA Records, Electus and Vevo are launching Kidz Star USA 2012, a talent search for kids, this summer. Recording artist Gavin DeGraw will act as a celebrity mentor. The grand prize winner will have the opportunity to sign a recording contract with RCA records. Electus is producing a reality web series for the online talent search, while VEVO will act as worldwide distribution partner.

Beginning this month, aspiring young singers from across the country will be able upload a 90-second performance video to Kidzbob.com to compete for a chance to win.

Kidz Star fans will be able to follow the contestants’ audition videos and progress on  Kidzbop.com, where they’ll be able to interact with their favorites and rally to help determine the semi-finalists and winner. Ten Kidz Star semi-finalists will be announced in September and flown to Los Angeles to compete in a series of musical challenges filmed in  front of a live studio audience. Webisodes will be available  on VEVO in October.

This post was originally written by Lindsay Gordon 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: 3-5, 5-8, 6-8, 8 and up, 9 and up, News Tagged With: , , , , ,

Acquisition Rises to 75 Percent for Online Gamer Segment

June 29, 2012 By

Results from the Online Gaming 2012 survey are in. According to the NPD Group, 67 percent of all gamers reported that they had acquired at least one game in either a physical or digital format within the past three months. This figure rose to 75 percent when looking specifically at online gamers only.

40 percent of all gamers obtained at least one game from both the physical and digital formats. The total population of gamers acquired an average of eight games. Those only purchasing digital games reported an average of six games, compared to the three for those who acquired only physical games. The findings appear to be influenced by the multifunctional devices online gamers use to access their games, including both free and paid.

This post was originally written by Lindsay Gordon 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: News Tagged With: ,

Einstein Brain Trainer App to be Released on iPhone

June 28, 2012 By

The iPad game Einstein Brain Trainer HD will be available next week on iPhone. Einstein Brain Trainer, from BBG Entertainment, is a brain-exercising app that purports to strengthen and maintain mental acuity through a series of “Brain Fitness” exercises. Solve puzzles and climb the ranks to become a “Royal Brain” with history’s greatest scientist, Albert Einstein, as a guide and mentor.

The iPhone version includes 30 brain-bending mini-games, daily tests for building mental aptitude, and leader boards that allow players to challenge friends for high score bragging rights.

This post was originally written by Loren Moreno 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: ,

Kahn Lucas Acquires Madame Alexander Doll Brands

June 28, 2012 By

Kahn Lucas Lancaster, Inc., acquired all intellectual property and select assets of Alexander Doll Company, Inc., makers of the Madame Alexander play and collectible dolls. Kahn Lucas has been a long-time licensing partner of Alexander Doll under Kahn Lucas’ Dollie & Me brand of matching girl and doll apparel and related fashion accessories.

This post was originally written by Ali Mierzejewski 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, News Tagged With: , ,

Disney Store to Release Dolls, Apparel Inspired by Villains

June 28, 2012 By

The Disney Store has revealed its exclusive Disney Villains Designer Collection, set to arrive in stores and at DisneyStore.com this fall. Centered around a series of six limited edition villain dolls, limited to 13,000 each, the collection also includes apparel, beauty products, home items, and stationery.

Disney Villains Designer Collection products are inspired by the villains Cruella DeVil (101 Dalmatians), Evil Queen (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), Ursula (The Little Mermaid), Mother Gothel (Tangled), Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty), and the Queen of Hearts (Alice in Wonderland). Disney Store designers re-imagined the villains from these movies to create the line of dolls, styled in couture fashions.

Apparel and accessories will launch exclusively at DisneyStore.com in August. The entire Disney Villains Designer Collection will launch in select Disney Store locations nationwide and online in September. A limited quantity of the complete set of dolls will be available online, and then individual dolls will be released during a six week period beginning in September.

This post was originally written by Loren Moreno 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: , , , , , , ,

NTIA to Host Meeting on App Transparency

June 28, 2012 By

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration will hold its first privacy multi-stakeholder meeting on July 12, to help develop a code of conduct that will promote transparent disclosures to consumers concerning the way companies handle personal data collected through mobile apps. The meeting will take place in the Washington, DC, metro area, at a location to be determined. It will also be broadcast live via webcast.

Following the publication earlier this year of an Obama Administration report regarding online consumer privacy protections, the NTIA was charged with bringing together interested stakeholders—from companies to consumer groups—to develop enforceable codes of conduct to specify how principles within the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights should apply in specific business contexts. Based upon input received from more than 80 stakeholders, the NTIA decided that the first topic for the privacy multi-stakeholder process would focus on transparency and mobile applications.

This post was originally written by Loren Moreno 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: News Tagged With: , ,
« Older Posts