Creatures of Delight Fuse Fangs and Fun

November 2, 2012 By

There is a softer side to all kinds of fictitious creatures: from Yetis, aliens, and trolls, to dragons, human-devouring plants, and purple dinosaurs.

Tom Kopian, artist and creator behind Creatures of Delight, a line of specialty, handcrafted monster toys, works with a small team and his 11-year partner, Stewart Buffaloe, to make one-of-a-kind creatures using a variety of molds and his patented latex-fiber blend material.

Large Feed Me Creature

The creatures are a combination of creepy and cute and appeal to a broad demographic. Though the line is composed mostly of traditionally scary, fictional monsters, their vibrant color palettes and bright-white smiles make them appeal to girls as much as boys. “I think essentially the toys are gender neutral. They are rough and tough monsters, so it can be a boy thing, but girls like some of the cuter pieces like Snarl, Floyd, and the Grudges. It is not definitively a boy or girl thing,” Kopian explains. [Read more...]

Filed Under: 8 and up, 9 and up, Articles Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Amazon vs. Brick-and-Mortar

October 26, 2012 By

by Lutz Muller

In a pretty flat overall market place, Amazon continues to make headway as it is propelled by the ongoing move to cyber space, lower prices, and convenience.

Amazon has three major assets. First, the absence of brick-and-mortar stores allows Amazon to offer an unlimited inventory. Second, Amazon pays no sales tax in most states, which allows the company to undersell its competitors. Third, Amazon’s infrastructure allows it to grow almost limitlessly without the need for expensive retail stores.

This is how Amazon’s sales developed over the past few years against two major competitors:

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Data, Holiday Season Tagged With: ,

Hasbro Reveals New Transformers Line at New York Comic Con

October 16, 2012 By

You know the Autobots. You know the Decepticons. But now, there’s a new breed of alien robot in town: the Predacons.

Thursday afternoon, hundred of fans sat in a crowded conference room in the Jacob K. Javits Center at New York Comic Con 2012 as Hasbro rolled out the latest line of Transformers toys: The Beast Hunters.

The Beast Hunters will be the touchstone for the Transformers brand next year, driven by Transformers Prime, the animated series produced by Hasbro Studios. The show airs on The Hub television network in the U.S. and is viewed by fans in more than 170 countries around the world. [Read more...]

Filed Under: 6-8, 8 and up, 9 and up, Articles, Cartoon Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

As National Baby Safety Month Begins, VTech Survey Finds Accidents, Choking Are Top Parent Concerns

September 7, 2012 By

Courtesy of VTech

Results Show the Majority of Today’s Parents are Extremely Safety Conscious, Labeling Themselves as either “Protective” or a “Close Supervisor”

In honor of National Baby Safety month in September, VTech Communications, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of VTech Holdings Ltd., commissioned a survey1 conducted by independent market research firm Toluna to uncover parents’ worries, habits, and priorities for a safe home. Top safety concerns include children getting hurt by falling or getting into harmful material (29 percent), choking (24 percent), and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) (20 percent).

With these worries top of mind, today’s parents are extremely safety conscious with the majority (71 percent) of survey respondents labeling themselves as either close supervisors (40 percent) or protective (31 percent).

“As every parent discovers, keeping kids safe remains a 24/7 proposition,” says Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central. “National Baby Safety Month offers parents key advice and tips around home safety practices that can both help protect children and provide parents with peace of mind.”

[Read more...]

Filed Under: 0-2, Articles Tagged With: ,

Licensed Toys: A Growing Phenomenon with Year-Round Appeal

September 4, 2012 By

Courtesy of Toy Industry Association

Character licenses based on blockbuster movies have the ability to propel products to stratospheric success, creating memories that last a lifetime for millions of fans. Recent sales for licensed toys reflect this growing phenomenon: last year, licensed toys and games were up 2 percent from 2010. For the first half of this year, those numbers have climbed further to 27 percent of total toy sales.

“Kids love bringing movies to life through play, whether they are re-enacting storylines, imagining new plot developments, or emulating their favorite superheroes and villains,” said Adrienne Appell, trend expert at the Toy Industry Association (TIA). “Playthings related to the biggest blockbusters are sure to be on the wish lists of kids throughout the year and well into the holiday season.”

TIA has been tracking many of the family friendly movies that have toy and game tie-ins on its ToyInfo.org website. The following are a few examples from this year so far… and a sneak peak at what’s coming this fall:

The Avengers (May)
Toys and games related to The Avengers encourage kids to get into the spirit of the fast-paced movie. Considered by many to be the break-out movie and toy property of the year, strong toy sales are anticipated to continue during the holiday season following the Sept. 25 release of the DVD and Blu-Ray.

  • Bubble Blaster: The Avengers (Imperial Toy)
  • Game Strike Hulk (Hasbro)
  • 21-inch Avengers Skateboard (Bravo Sports)
  • Marvel Mini Basketball Hoop Set (Franklin Sports)
  • The Avengers Mini Muggs Action Figure two-pack (Hasbro)

[Read more...]

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TIA Shares Best Practices in Anti-Counterfeiting in the Toy and Game Industry

August 16, 2012 By

By Justin E. Pierce, Toy Industry Association

$27 million. That was the MSRP value of the counterfeit toys and electronic games seized by customs and border patrol last year alone.  And that is only what was seized.  Unfortunately, this is the reality of having a commercially successful toy or game.  While you have invested sweat and equity into development, bringing it to market, and building your brand, you are now faced, as a result of your success, with counterfeiters that eat into your profits, infringe on your rights, and expose you to liability.

This is an all too common problem, particularly in light of the ease of the online marketplace. In fact, any company with a well-known brand or popular toy or game should assume that it is already being counterfeited. Likewise, any company with a global footprint that has distribution channels in different countries, with different regulatory schemes and pricing, should assume that various entities are working to take their profit margin by diverting products.  Diversion of products into unauthorized sales channels and distribution of “gray market” goods (or parallel imports) causes significant losses for many companies.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Guest Blog Tagged With: ,

All the New Specialty Games and Puzzles Fit to Print, and Then Some

August 14, 2012 By

The Toy Book‘s July/August issue showcases new puzzles and games for mass and specialty retail. We received dozens of submissions fit to print, beyond what fit on our printed pages. Here’s a look at 10 more specialty games and puzzles after the jump.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: 3-5, 5-8, 6-8, 8 and up, 9 and up, Articles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Toys Transform Toddlers into Little Learners

August 8, 2012 By

Courtesy of Toy Industry Association

Back-to-school season is just around the corner for millions of kids across the country … but there’s no need for younger siblings who are not yet in school to feel out of the learning loop. Thanks to toy innovation in the infant and pre-school categories, there are tons of great new playthings on the market that build cognitive and developmental skills at a young age.

“With increases in total U.S. births predicted for both 2012 and 2013, toymakers are rolling out a broad array of brand new toys and games to challenge and excite little ones, presenting them with more play options than ever before,” says Adrienne Appell, trend expert at the Toy Industry Association (TIA). “Toys can help transform tots and toddlers into lifelong learners by helping them explore their interests and talents very early on.”

[Read more...]

Filed Under: 0-2, 3-5, Articles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lego Introduces Team Great Britain Minifigures

July 24, 2012 By

By Carlo Pandian

Normally Olympic heroes wait a lifetime to be immortalized in bronze or stone. Not in this Olympic-mad year. Lego has immortalized Team Great Britain in plastic with its new full range of minifigure competitors—from boxing champions to swimming superstars.

Although not modeled after specific athletes, the full set of nine figures includes a boxer, swimmer, judo fighter, relay runner, tennis player, gymnast, weightlifter, equestrian, and an archer. All of the figures proudly display their medals (gold, of course), and each comes with a handy accessory to identify them.

Previous Olympics have spawned a host of DIY Lego models by enthusiasts, including a model of the Olympic park from the Beijing games four years ago. For enthusiasts ready to recreate the London Olympic Village, the minifigures of Team GB will be a welcome addition.

This year’s Olympics are unique because this is the first time in modern history that they are being hosted by a city for a third time. London hosted the Olympics previously in 1908 and 1947. Lego has developed the line exclusively for the UK market.

Carlo Pandian is a freelance writer and blogs about Lego, art and design covering everything from Legoland Discovery Centre kids activities in Manchester to cool Duplo gadgets. When he’s not online, he likes building models and volunteering at his local community center.

This post was originally written by Carlo Pandian 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: Articles, Guest Blog Tagged With: , ,

Teachers and Parents Store Offers Summer Learning Tips

July 20, 2012 By

Courtesy of The Teachers and Parents Store

With the arrival of summer, Teachers & Parents Store has announced a number of tips for parents to help children to reduce the learning loss and bridge the gap of summer vacation.

“Studies show that children can lose up to 2.6 months of grade level equivalency skills during the summertime,” said Megan Wright of TAPS. “This is an important time for parents to encourage their children to continue learning. Making it fun helps them to retain more information.”

Wright suggested that parents choose a summer learning workbook appropriate to their child’s age and grade level and do activities regularly. Workbooks focus on a variety of school subjects, including reading, language arts, science social studies, math, writing and physical education.

One way to keep a child’s learning skills fresh is to schedule summer workbook activities for about 20 minutes every day so that it becomes a part of the child’s routine. This helps to close the summertime learning gap.

Wright also recommends reviewing the previous year’s subjects, as well as those topics planned for the upcoming year. Additional summer fun learning activities can take place in the car or on the plane while traveling.

This post was originally written by The Teachers and Parents Store 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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