Toy & Game Industry Luminaries Celebrate Inventors at Annual Industry Gala

December 18, 2012 By

As part of the Chicago Toy & Game Week, industry leaders from 18 countries gathered at the Chicago Field Museum of Natural History for the 5th Annual Toy and Game Inventors Awards, known as “The TAGIEs,” to honor the creators of some of the world’s best known playthings.

Nearly 400 industry movers-and-shakers gathered for the event, at which famed inventor Bruce Lund gave a keynote address after being introduced by a full-sized marching band. Kevin Harrington, chairman of As Seen On TV, Inc., and “Shark Investor” on the show Shark Tank was also in attendance to present the Young Inventor of the Year Award.  [Read more...]

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LeapFrog, Festival Five Records Partner to Offer Dan Zanes and Friends Music to Users

December 12, 2012 By

LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc., and Festival Five Records have partnered to bring the Grammy-winners Dan Zanes and Friends music to LeapFrog’s learning platforms. Beginning mid-December, exclusive playlists will be available for purchase in the “Music” section of the LeapFrog App Center for LeapPad1, LeapPad2, Leapster Explorer, and LeapsterGS. [Read more...]

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Children’s Album GRAMMY Nominees Announced

December 10, 2012 By

Sugar Mountain PR has announced their clients’ GRAMMY nominations. This year’s nominees reflect the range of sounds in today’s family music scene:

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Meijer Announces Winners in Small Business Toy Contest

November 19, 2012 By

Meijer has announced the winners of the Meijer Next Great Toymaker contest. Wagon of Blocks by Circa Toys in Franklin, N.C., was named the winning toy for the 1 to 3 years age group and Stack & Stick Cozy Cabin by Peters’ Group in Goshen, Ind., for the 4 to 8 years age group. The toys will be available exclusively on Meijer.com this holiday season.

The contest was open to small toy companies and entrepreneurs in the United States with 50 employees or less. The winners were determined by a panel of Meijer judges and scored on uniqueness, educational relevance, creativity, and quality. Winning toys will be available on Meijer.com for at least six months, beginning Nov. 15.

  • Wagon of Blocks is an all-wood, heirloom-quality toy wagon with 40 building blocks and pieces that inspire creative stacking and building on a pull-along cart. The design was inspired by a toy Circa Toys’ founder, Gary Murphy, received as a birthday gift in 1942.
  • Stack & Stick Cozy Cabin is a 41-piece starter building set with that includes all the pieces first-time builders need to create their first home with solid wood blocks including a base, roof slats, gable ends, and a chimney block, along with a canvas bag for easy storage.

For more information on the winning toys and the Meijer Next Great Toymaker Contest, visit www.meijer.com/toycontest.

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Pressman Toy Offers Fun Way to Foster Skill Development with Help from a Classic Game

November 15, 2012 By

As part of a larger 2012 Mastermind education initiative, Pressman Toy has announced that teachers and homeschoolers may sign up on their website to receive one of 10,000 free Mastermind board games for their classroom or home. In less than one week’s time, more than 10,000 educators registered for a Mastermind game.

Mastermind is a two-player game that puts the Codemaker against the Codebreaker. The Codemaker secretly places any four Code Pegs in the shielded code area. The Codebreaker puts down a line of color pegs and tries to uncover the secret code. This thought-provoking game fosters development of important skills, including logic, reasoning, deduction, patience, and visual perception.

Along with the Mastermind giveaway, Pressman Toy is also hosting the first Mastermind Braintwister Challenge. From now until December 31, kids ages 7 through 12 can enter their own braintwisters in categories such as puzzles, word problems, riddles, and games with solutions. Two first-place winners will each receive a $1,000 scholarship and a trip to attend the celebration event.  Each of the two first-place winners will also have the opportunity to nominate their most inspirational instructor to receive a $250 award each.  Three other students will have the opportunity to win $100 each. For more information, visit www.MASTERMIND-education.com.

Pressman Toy games, including Mastermind, are available for purchase at Toys “R” Us, Barnes & Noble, and Marbles stores nationwide, as well as online at Amazon.com, Target.com, and PressmanToy.com.

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K’nex Employees Named As Finalists in Ninth Annual Stevie Awards

October 24, 2012 By

K’nex has announced three finalists in the ninth annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business: Barb Rentschler, Kristen Krikorian, and Kate Loffio. The Stevie Awards for Women in Business honor women executives, entrepreneurs, and the companies they run.

Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word “crowned,” Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners will be announced during a gala event at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City on Friday, November 9. [Read more...]

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Safari Honors Teachers, Supports Neighborhood Toy Store Day

October 11, 2012 By

Safari Ltd., manufacturer and worldwide distributor of museum-quality educational toy collections, has been busy with giveaways. In August 2012, Safari Ltd., manufacturer and worldwide distributor of museum-quality, educational toy collections, honored inspirational teachers in a Back-to-School Giveaway Contest on Facebook.

Based on fan nominations, Diana Mount, 3rd grade teacher at Chinook Elementary School in Vancouver, Wash., was selected because of her ability to recognize strengths in children that may be viewed as weaknesses. Mount won an assortment of educational replicas and posters to accommodate her classroom of approximately 30 students. Each nominated teacher also received a gift to recognize his or her dedication in the classroom. [Read more...]

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The Strong Announces National Toy Hall of Fame Finalists

September 28, 2012 By

Courtesy of Toy Industry Association

After reviewing thousands of nominations submitted this year by toy lovers of all ages, The Strong in Rochester, Ny., has announced the 12 nominees for induction into the National Toy Hall of Fame. Two finalists will be inducted on Thursday, November 15.

The finalists for 2012 are: Clue, dominoes, Fisher-Price Corn Popper, Lite-Brite, little green army men, Magic 8 Ball, pogo stick, sidewalk chalk, Simon, Star Wars action figures, tea set, and Twister. The selected winners will join the ranks of 49 toy luminaries already in the Hall of Fame, including Candy Land, cardboard box, Crayola Crayons, Duncan Yo-Yo, Mr. Potato Head, Radio Flyer Wagon, and Tinkertoy.

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My1story Welcomes Fairytale Plush That Pops Off the Page and Into Little Arms

September 13, 2012 By

When they hear the familiar “read me a story,” parents who turn to a classic fairytale realize, perhaps too late, that the plot lines are downright scary. The last thing parents want to tell their kids, all snuggled in bed, are stories about big bad wolves or poisoned apples. Enter the My1story line of fairytales that guarantee a positive spin until the happy ending. Winner of Dr. Toy’s 100 Best Children’s Products, the first two My1story books now welcome two plush characters—Lil’ Riding Hood and Beanie—straight from the illustrated pages.

Available exclusively on amazon.com, each storybook and plush introduces classic characters in a brand new way. The loveable, never scary, illustrations are by Jaime Rodriguez, a former Walt Disney Company character artist. Formerly sinister big bad wolf has been rewritten as a mischievous but approachable wolf cub. The giant in Jack & the Beanstalk transforms into Beanie, still a giant but a young, small one. I Love Cake and Jack and the Magic Beans are the first two books of the My1story series.

All My1story plush and books can be purchased at amazon.com by searching for “myfirstory” in the toys & games section. Available products include the Lil’ Riding Hood Plush, the Lil Riding Hood & Wolfie in I Love Cake!, the Beanie Plush, and Jack’s Beanstalks in Jack and the Magic Beans.

Visit their website for music, sound effects, page turning books, and a bit of pixie dust when moving the mouse. Website buttons for videos, games, a gallery, and more await preschoolers and their storytellers.

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And the Favorite Toy is…G.I. Joe!

September 11, 2012 By

After eight weeks of voting, more than 24,000 votes, and 600 stories shared, the final results are in and The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis online visitors and fans have determined their favorite toy from the past century. The top toy is G.I. Joe!

On July 16, the public was asked to weigh in on the “100 Toys (& their Stories) that Define Our Childhood.” The goal was to determine favorites from a list of 100 toys iconic of childhood as chosen by curators of The Children’s Museum’s collection. After the initial five weeks of public voting, the list of 100 Toys was narrowed down to the top 20 from which the public was again asked to rank favorites. The results of this last vote determined the Gold, Silver and Bronze winners. [Read more...]

Filed Under: 0-2, 3-5, 5-8, 6-8, 8 and up, 9 and up, Awards, News
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