Disney Launches Disney Royal Ball Quinceañera Dress Collection

May 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment

PrincessDisney Consumer Products unveiled the Disney Royal Ball collection, the first ever line of Quinceañera gowns inspired by the inner qualities, personalities, and stories of the Disney Princess characters. Designed and created in collaboration with special occasions fashion industry leader, Ashdon Inc., the new gowns combine classical styling with elements of fantasy and magic to bring an air of royalty and fairy tale to young women celebrating their Quinceañera. The debut line features 21 gowns—two styles for each Disney Princess and a special new gown, “la Corona de la Princesa,” that will be added to the line each year.

A Quinceañera is a coming of age celebration for Latinas that signifies her journey from childhood to young womanhood. It often includes a religious ceremony followed by a reception with family and friends. While there are many traditions associated with this rite of passage, the gown is an integral and festive part of the celebration.

Disney’s special occasion business for women launched in 2007 with a luxury fairy tale weddings bridal collection. The business continued its growth in 2010 in collaboration with renowned wedding dress designer Alfred Angelo for the Disney Fairy Tale Weddings collection. In 2012 the business expanded to reach teens with Disney Forever Enchanted, a line of Disney Princess-inspired prom dresses, launched in collaboration with Ashdon Inc. [Read more...]

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tokidoki Releases New Character Plush

May 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

tokiplushtokidoki, the pop culture brand meaning “sometimes” in Japanese, is thrilled to introduce new characters to its line of plush. Donutina and Donutino come to life as huggable plush, and Adios is a snuggable pillow.

Following the success of the Donutella & Her Sweet Friends mini plush, tokidoki adds the 9-inch Donutina and 8-inch Donutino to its plush line. Both plush toys are available online and in stores this month.

After 500 years of living in fire and brimstone Adios and his beloved star icon is now a 22-inch pillow for his fans everywhere to love. The Adios Star pillow will be available online and in stores in June.

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Lego Mindstorms and SparkTruck Team Up for a Play-Maker Summer Tour

May 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

LEGO MINDSTORMS GUITARLego Mindstorms EV3 and SparkTruck have teamed up to create the ultimate maker mobile that will tour this summer to invigorate the maker spirit of children across the country. Mindstorms EV3, the new consumer platform designed to introduce a younger generation to the excitement of robotics, partners with SparkTruck, the mobile prototyping truck that began at the Stanford d.school (Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford) and was created using the principles of design thinking, to engage children with experiences and tools that can help them fulfill their greatest creative potential in an unexpected, innovative, and fun environment.

At Maker Faire Bay Area, May 18-19, the grad student-run SparkTruck will demonstrate representative workshop activities for its summer tour while the Lego Mindstorms EV3 team will unveil the first three bonus models designed by Mindstorms community members. The Mindstorms team will introduce nine additional bonus models throughout the summer and building instructions for the 12 bonus models and the original five “hero” models will be available when the platform reaches store shelves this fall. [Read more...]

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Man of Steel Toys and Promotions Soar into Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s Restaurants

May 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Carls_Outboard_4C694924_Hardees_OutLOGO

CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc., parent company of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s restaurants, and Warner Bros. Pictures announced a promotional partnership for the theatrical release of Man of Steel, in theaters June 14. The upcoming promotion includes advertising, in-restaurant merchandising, online marketing, collectors’ cups, kids-meal toys, and a still-secret new burger.

From Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, Man of Steel stars Henry Cavill in the role of Clark Kent/Superman. A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.

Catch the latest “Man of Steel” details on Carl’s Jr.’s and Hardee’s’ Facebook pages (www.facebook.com/carlsjr and www.facebook.com/hardees) and Twitter feeds (www.twitter.com/carlsjr and www.twitter.com/hardees).

Filed Under: Licenses, News Tagged With: , , ,

Kaskey Kids Toys Celebrate the Stanley Cup Playoffs

May 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

HockeyGuysKaskey Kids makes the second round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs even more exciting. Two of the company’s NHL Hockey Guys sets, Rangers vs. Bruins Hockey Guys and Blackhawks vs. Red Wings Hockey Guys, will be represented. Kaskey Kids is offering a 20 percent discount if customers use the promo code STANLEYCUP2013. Visit Kaskeykids.com to find a store near you.

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Nominations for Annual Pink Power Mom Program Now Open

May 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

image001The Pink Power Mom Program, now in its 7th year, announced the call for this year’s nominations starting on Mother’s Day, May 12. Every year, Kids II recognizes and rewards eight women for their fight against breast cancer and honors these incredible women as Pink Power Moms. The Pink Power Moms are selected due to the inspiration they give their families, friends, and others battling breast cancer, as well as because of their resilient spirit and perseverance in the face of adversity.

Since 2006, the Pink Power Mom program has made a difference by supporting deserving moms who are breast cancer survivors and their charities throughout the U.S.  The program currently boasts a total of 48 women and more than 55 charities throughout the nation, all of whom have inspired and empowered people in their communities. By thinking globally and acting locally, the program has created a compassionate network of resources for women and families affected by breast cancer. [Read more...]

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Build-A-Bear Workshop Meets Bikini Bottom with New SpongeBob SquarePants Collection

May 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Build-A-Bear Workshop, the interactive entertainment retailer of customizable stuffed animals, announced a new relationship with Nickelodeon to bring the animated series, SpongeBob SquarePants, to Build-A-Bear Workshop. Beginning May 17, the company will offer make-your-own SpongeBob and Patrick at Build-A-Bear Workshop stores throughout North America and online at buildabear.com. SpongeBob’s Bikini Bottom friends Sandy Cheeks and Gary the Snail will also be available as pre-stuffed minis.

Build-A-Bear Workshop stores nationwide will be celebrating the arrival of SpongeBob with a series of special events from May 17 through May 19. Guests will be encouraged to dress up in their favorite SpongeBob-themed apparel. Additionally, guests who purchase a SpongeBob or Patrick plush will receive a free paper pineapple hat while making one of these new furry friends.

Guests can dress their SpongeBob and Patrick plush in a variety of clothing and accessories, including SpongeBob’s Pirate Costume, Patrick’s Pirate Costume, Pineapple House, and SpongeBob SquarePants Song Sound Chip.

Additionally, any furry friend can dress up in SpongeBob PJ Pants and SpongeBob T-Shirt to join the Bikini Bottom fun.

Filed Under: 0-2, 3-5, 5-8, 6-8, 8 and up, 9 and up, New Products Tagged With: , , , , ,

Disney Junior Live On Tour! Pirate and Princess Adventure Tours Nationally Through 2013

May 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

FELD ENTERTAINMENT, INC. JAKE AND SOFIAFeld Entertainment, Inc., producers of Disney On Ice and Disney Live!, is taking cable TV series for preschoolers to the stage in Disney Junior Live On Tour! Pirate and Princess Adventure. Featuring characters from the TV hits Sofia the First and Jake and the Never Land Pirates, the new production launches a 90-city national tour in July, followed by its world premiere in Hollywood, Cal., on September 27. Tickets for all 2013 engagements go on sale May 28.

In this original storyline, Mickey and Minnie lead the audience on an adventure that will have families rooting for their favorite pirate Jake and Disney’s first little girl princess Sofia. Disney Junior Live On Tour! Pirate and Princess Adventure begins with a special interactive pre-show featuring the 6-year-old doctor to toys and stuffed animals, Doc McStuffins. Children and their parents will sing “The Check-Up Song” along with Doc as she provides tender love and care. [Read more...]

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Uglydoll Teams up with DC Comics for Superhero Toys and Accessories

May 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Pretty Ugly, LLC and Warner Bros. Consumer Products, on behalf of DC Entertainment, announced that they have entered into a co-branded 1209collaboration with DC Comics Super Heroes and Uglydoll characters. Gund, a division of Enesco, will produce a diverse range of colorful and collectible superhero plush based on the DC Comics and Uglydoll character universes. The initial release this fall will be a trio that includes two versions of Ice-Bat as Batman and Babo as Superman.

The plush characters will be offered at retail and will be available through Diamond Comics and a broad range of retailers. Funko is also set to offer a collection of vinyl figures based on the DC Comics and Uglydoll plush collaboration during the holiday season this year. Additional categories of merchandise and collaborative characters will be announced in the coming months.

Gund will be previewing their new collaborative plush merchandise at the summer Gift Shows and ASTRA show in June. Diamond Comics will be exhibiting at San Diego Comic-Con in July and in their infamous Previews catalog. Funko and others will launch merchandise in time for the holiday season.

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University of Texas at Austin Partners with Video Game Executives to Create Denius-Sams Gaming Academy

May 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

The University of Texas at Austin has partnered with video game industry leaders Warren Spector and Paul Sams to create the Denius-Sams Gaming Academy, the first video game program in the U.S. led and taught by gaming industry executives.

Spector (M.A., Radio-Television-Film ’80) will guide the curriculum and both he and Sams will serve as part-time instructors for the academy, which begins in the fall of 2014. The academy seeks to support economic growth of the gaming industry in Texas and beyond by creating the unique focus of training students to become game development team leaders.

Spector is a 30-year veteran of the video game industry and is known for his work on the “Ultima,” “System Shock,” “Deus Ex” and the “Disney Epic Mickey” game series. He has worked on more than 20 production teams as a designer, director and producer.

Sams is chief operating officer and a 17-year veteran of Blizzard Entertainment where he is responsible for the company’s global business operations. During Sams’ tenure, the company has produced some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed and commercially successful game franchises including “Warcraft,” “Diablo,” “StarCraft” and “World of Warcraft.” Sams also shares responsibility for the growth of one of the largest online gaming services in the world, the company’s Battle.net. [Read more...]

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