The Wish Factory Named Toy Licensee for Singer Cody Simpson

November 8, 2011 By

The Wish Factory has been named toy licensee for the Cody Simpson brand through a strategic licensing agreement with Atlantic Records. Cody Simpson is an Australian-born singer and songwriter who recently released his EP Coast to Coast, featuring singles “On My Mind” and “Not Just You.” Simpson ranked No. 13 on Billboard’s 21 Under 21: Music’s Hottest Minors for 2011.

The Wish Factory’s deal covers dolls, figures, play sets, key chains, plush koalas, concert kits, play-dance mats, and guitars. The initial line of fashion dolls will be available exclusively at Toys “R” Us stores and online at Toysrus.com this holiday season. The line will expand to other mass-market retailers in the spring and next fall.

For more information on Cody Simpson licensing opportunities, contact Sara Nemerov of Warner Music Group at sara.nemerov@wmg.com.

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Filed Under: Holiday Season, Licenses, New Products, News, video Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Round 2 Divisions to Produce Limited, Special-Edition Kits

November 7, 2011 By

For a limited time, MPC’s Strange Change Series Mummy and Vampire kits and AMT’s Bigfoot Creature model kit are being reissued as part of Round 2 Corp’s “1 Run of Fun” program. As part of the program, kits that appeal to a range of modeling enthusiasts are selected and produced only once, and in a very limited quantity. Next in line for the 1 Run of Fun program is MPC’s 1/16th scale 70s Street Charger, scheduled to hit stores in December. The kit will feature a big blown motor, wide tires, and more.

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

Disney Store Announces its Top 10 Holiday Toys

November 4, 2011 By

Yesterday, The Toy Book attended a special holiday event at Disney Store Times Square at which the retailer announced its top 10 toys for this holiday season.

Special guests included Disney animator Mark Henn, host and reality TV star La La Vasquez (La La’s Full Court Life), New York socialite and reality TV star Alex McCord (The Real Housewives of New York City), actress Daya Vaidya (Unforgettable), actress Kelly Rutherford (Gossip Girl), and, of course, Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

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

Electronic Arts’ Holiday Sneak Peek

November 3, 2011 By

Electronic Arts held its “Naughty or Nice” holiday video game preview in mid-October at a lounge in New York City. At the event, I had a chance to browse all the games and sample a few as well.

The first game I tried my hand at, literally, was Family Game Night 4 The Game Show on the Kinect for Xbox 360. Family Game Night 4 brings the excitement of The Hub network’s TV show right into your living room.

There are a variety of games to choose from, such as Connect 4 Basketball, Yahtzee! Bowling, Scrabble Flash, Sorry! Sliders, Bop-It Boptagon, and Monopoly Crazy Cash. I played Yahtzee! Bowling and Sorry! Sliders, and, in my opinion, both games were awesome and the graphics were great, too.

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Filed Under: 6-8, 9 and up, Exclusive, Holiday Season, New Products, News Tagged With: , , ,

Report: Toys Imported into U.S. Dropped 9 Percent in September

November 3, 2011 By

Toys imports into the United States dropped 9 percent in September year-over-year, according to figures from The Journal of Commerce/PIERS. September was the eighth straight drop for toys coming into the U.S. The drop in container volume is attributed mostly to China.

The 60,616 20-foot-equivalent units arriving at ports in September, according to measurements by PIERS, marked a 7.6 percent year-to-date drop—or 30,430 fewer containers—from the same period last year. To date, 89 percent of overall inbound toy shipments this year have originated in China (including Hong Kong). China’s market share is down 2 percent compared to 2010, while toy shipments from Vietnam have grown 82 percent between 2001 and 2010. A full analysis of the JOC/PIERS findings is available online at www.joc.com.

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Filed Under: Holiday Season, News, Newsletters Tagged With: , , , , , ,

A Gift For You: 20 Percent Off at Kaskey Kids

October 31, 2011 By

Kaskey Kids is offering 20 percent off its sports action figures and other new products for the holidays. Kaskey Kids’ sports action figures encourage imaginary play and allow children to control the action all the time. To redeem your discount, enter the promo code “Sports” during checkout.

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

Report: Retailers Expect Growth in Online Businesses for the Holidays

October 26, 2011 By

This holiday season, most retailers expect strong demand and growth for their online businesses. According to Shop.org’s eHoliday survey, conducted by Bigresearch, nearly seven in 10 (68 percent) retailers expect their company’s online sales to grow at least 15 percent or more, compared to last holiday season. Last year, 63.8 percent of retailers had the same expectations.

When asked why they plan to spend more online this holiday season, four in 10 shoppers (43.2 percent) cited 24-hour convenience as their main reason. Other reasons included not having to fight crowds in stores (37. 2 percent), ease of comparing prices (29.6 percent), and free shipping offers (36.3 percent).

Anticipating customers to seek free shipping offers, nine in 10 online retailers (92.5 percent) said they plan to offer the service at some point, up from 84.8 percent last year. Additionally, 56.3 percent of retailers said their specific budgets for free shipping promotions are somewhat or significantly higher than last year.

To prepare for the holiday season, many online retailers have invested in new technologies and site and service features. More than half (51 percent) said they have significantly invested in mobile-optimized websites, and 19.6 percent have invested in tablet device applications. Additionally, 35.3 percent said they have significantly invested in QR codes in offline advertising. Of those who regularly use social media platforms, nearly three-quarters say they have already invested in their Facebook (72.5 percent) and Twitter (41.2 percent) accounts in advance of the holidays.

Filed Under: Holiday Season, News Tagged With: , , ,

Report: Six in 10 Holiday Shoppers Plan to Buy Non-Gifts for Themselves

October 20, 2011 By

The National Retail Federation (NRF) has released its 2011 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, and the report predicts a slight decrease in the average amount each shopper will spend this holiday season. According to the survey, shoppers say they plan to shell out an average of $704.18 on holiday gifts and seasonal merchandise, down slightly from last year’s $718.98. NRF still forecasts overall holiday retail sales to grow 2.8 percent during November and December to $465.6 billion.

Holiday shoppers also plan to take advantage of sales and discounts to purchase goods for themselves. Nearly six in 10 holiday shoppers (59.9 percent) say they plan to purchase additional non-gifts for themselves and their families during the holiday season. The largest portion of a consumer’s holiday budget will go to family members, with the average person spending $403.26 on kids, parents, and other family members. Additionally, an average of $68.23 will be spent on friends, followed by $21.06 on co-workers, and $23.39 on other gifts. Consumers will also spend on decorations ($46.73), greeting cards ($26.52), candy and food ($96.75), and flowers ($18.23.) Gift cards will be popular with consumers again this year, with 57.7 percent of shoppers saying they’d like to receive a gift card this holiday season.

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Filed Under: Financial, Holiday Season, News Tagged With: , , , ,

Top Toy Trends This Holiday Season, According to Target

October 19, 2011 By

This holiday season there will be nearly 7,000 toys featured in Target stores and on Target.com. Stephanie Lucy, vice president of merchandising at Target, shares what she thinks will be the five key toy trends this season and the hot toys that match them.

Interactivity

“One of the key items we selected is Fijit Friends. You look at Fijit and the ability to put it in dance mode, and the voice-recognition and built-in responses. Also, Let’s Rock Elmo is interactive for a much younger child, but we believe interactivity is important.”

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Filed Under: Articles, Holiday Season, Licenses, New Products, News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

From Factory to Shelf: An Inside Look at Target’s Holiday Toy Merchandising Strategies

October 19, 2011 By

Walking into the toy section of a store like Target during the holiday season can be overwhelming for shoppers, who are faced with toy aisle upon toy aisle of great products to choose from. Thousands of additional products can be found online. Those that make it onto store shelves during the season are often thought of as the crème de la crème, and being chosen for Target’s shelves can bring tremendous success to a toy manufacturer.

Stephanie Lucy, Target’s vice president of merchandising, chats with Elizabeth A. Reid of The Toy Book to talk about holiday merchandising strategies, how it makes its toy selections, and what Target is doing to become a top destination for holiday shopping.

The Toy Book: Let’s paint a picture of how great toys get to Target. How far in advance do you plan for each holiday season?

Stephanie Lucy: We actually start looking for content for the holiday season in September or October the year before. For example, we are going to market right now to look for products for next holiday season.

TB: So, how do you pick the toys? When you are at market, what do you look for?

SL: First of all, it starts with us evaluating what is currently working at Target—what’s selling and what’s not—and ensuring that we understand what the guest is interested in. Beyond that, it really is strong partnerships with our vendors. We do business with the largest toy manufacturers around the world. So, it’s sitting down with them and understanding what they believe the hottest toys are going to be, and what they believe content should look like for the year to come.

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Filed Under: Articles, Exclusive, Holiday Season, New Products, News Tagged With: , , , ,
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