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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Tomy Sets Guinness World Record for Tallest Toy Train Track

May 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

TOMY INTERNATIONAL TRAIN

Tomy, the maker of the Chuggington StackTrack Railway System, set a Guinness World Records title for Tallest Toy Train Track on Saturday. The record-setting train track, constructed with Chuggington StackTrack—a durable die-cast railway system that enables kids to build vertical toy train layouts—towered 17 feet 4 inches tall. In order to set the Guinness World Records title for World’s Tallest Toy Train Track, Tomy Master Builder Jason Moreno and his helpers needed to construct a layout utilizing the Chuggington StackTrack die-cast railway track that met or exceeded 9 feet 8 inches in height, and a commercially available Chuggington StackTrack die-cast railway train had to travel from the top of the track all the way down to the bottom. Hundreds of kids and their families watched in anticipation and were delighted as the engine completed its journey down the spiraling StackTrack tower.

Moreno constructed the larger-than-life toy train layout as part of the Grand Centennial Parade of Trains in Vanderbilt Hall in New York City’s Grand Central Terminal. The building began at 8:00 a.m. and was completed at 1:00 p.m., in time for the Guinness World Records adjudicator to authenticate the record-setting event and present the certificate to a delighted Tomy crew.

[Read more...]

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WWE and The Bridge Unveil New Construction Toy Line

May 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment

WWE has signed an exclusive, multi-year agreement with The Bridge Direct to develop and market construction toys based on WWE events and characters. The agreement marks the first time WWE will enter the construction toy category. Targeted to WWE fans between the ages of 4 and 14, the comprehensive line includes figures, accessories, and construction bricks, bringing WWE’s action-packed events and superstars to life. The WWE construction toys are expected to roll out at major mass retailers next spring.

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The Wiggles to Launch Summer Family Concert Tour

May 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment

After 21 years of entertaining children around the world, The Wiggles will head out on their “Taking Off” family concert world tour this summer.

The Wiggles are an entertaining group of people and characters, including the blue, red, yellow, and purple Wiggle, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Captain Feathersword, Wags the Dog, and Henry the Octopus. For decades fans have been dancing and singing along to favorite songs, such as “Hot Potato” and “Rock-a-Bye Your Bear.”

The new CD includes songs such as “Do the Propeller!,” “Peanut Butter,” “Little Bunny Foo Foo,” and “Emma (with the Bow in Her Hair),” along with some re-worked classics, such as “Get Ready to Wiggle” and “The Shimmie Shake!”

The Wiggles are in the U.S. and Canada for a media tour now through May 16, and will be meeting thousands of fans around North America. Their North American tour kicks off mid-August and runs through October.

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K’nex and Fox Consumer Products Announce Family Guy Partnership

May 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment

KnexK’nex Brands has partnered with Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products to create a new line of building toys inspired by the animated comedy series Family Guy.

The partnership combines the K’nex building system with characters and elements from Family Guy, including Peter, Stewie, Brian, the Griffin Family station wagon, and Stewie’s time machine.

Family Guy, currently in its 11th season, has dominated TV ratings and garnered support from its fans with more than 52 million followers on Facebook. The new K’nex Family Guy building sets will be available at major retailers next spring.

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ASTRA Adding New Resources for Children with Disabilities

May 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment

The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) will present updated information on toys and play for children with disabilities for specialty toy retailers and manufacturers at the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy in Nashville, Tenn. An educational session, Connect Children with Special Needs to Toys and Games on Your Shelves, will be offered on June 16 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and a new publication titled ASTRA Guide to Toys for Children with Disabilities will be available at no charge for ASTRA members at the Marketplace & Academy. Non-members may purchase the publication.

Ellen Metrick of the National Lekotek Center will present the Connect Children with Special Needs session at Marketplace & Academy. The session will focus on helping parents, grandparents, occupational therapists, and teachers select toys and games for the special children in their lives. It will include a basic understanding of some common disabilities and specific features of play that children with these challenges can enjoy. Retailers will learn what questions to ask customers and how to train store employees to serve this very special niche.

The ASTRA Guide to Toys for Children with Disabilities is designed as a handbook for manufacturers, sales reps, and store staff. It summarizes characteristics of common disabilities and types of toys that work well for children who have those disabilities. It also includes ideas that ASTRA retailers can give to parents for adapting toys and play activities to fit the needs and abilities of their children.

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Tek Recon Launches Kickstarter Campaign

May 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

tekreconTek Recon, from Tech 4 Kids, will be available for the first time through Kickstarter.com on May 9, beginning at 8 a.m. EST. The goal of the Kickstarter campaign is to enhance the development of the Tek Recon blaster and the free app, and to get the product into the hands of early adopters and key influencers helping to create the first real-life, online video game.

Through the course of 31 days, fans will be able to fund the project by purchasing product, exclusive rewards, and by bidding on prizes that include appearances in the TV commercial and an all-expenses-paid trip to present at E3. The Kickstarter funding goal is $50,000.

Tek Recon Blasters feature a first-of-its-kind design with real trigger action and specially designed, reusable NRG Rounds that blast up to 75 feet. To optimize the battle and team experience, Tek Recon developed a free “Real-Life Online Gaming” app. Kids can simply connect their mobile device to the blaster to experience video game-styled play through mobile and GPS technology. The free Tek Recon app will be available for iOS and Android devices, enhancing real battle experience through an interactive heads up display, live chat, vision modes, and more.

For more information on this product and the Kickstarter campaign, visit TekRecon.com.

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The Jim Henson Co. Launches Jim Henson Family TV on YouTube

May 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

the-jim-henson-company-post1On May 9, Jim Henson Family TV, the new paid channel from The Jim Henson Co., launched on YouTube. For the first time, the new channel, featuring ad-free full episodes of hit shows like Sid the Science Kid and Fraggle Rock, will provide hours of family-friendly Henson content for computer, phone, tablet, and TV viewing, all for the introductory price of $2.99/month or $24.99/year.

Launching on the same day, Jim Henson TV para la familia en espanol will debut Henson content in Spanish. Coming soon, subscribers to the English channel can upgrade to include the Spanish channel for an additional fee. [Read more...]

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Babies “R” Us Partners with Operation Shower for Second Year

May 9, 2013 By Leave a Comment

OSShowerCaliBabies “R” Us announced that it will continue its commitment to honor families of the U.S. armed forces through a collaboration with Operation Shower, an organization that hosts joyful baby showers for military wives as they experience the journey of pregnancy while their husbands are deployed. To kick off the second year of partnership, consisting of shower events and fundraising efforts, the Toys “R” Us Children’s Fund, a public charity affiliated with Toys “R” Us, Inc., has donated $100,000 to Operation Shower.

In the coming year, Babies “R” Us will once again leverage its dedicated microsite at Babiesrus.com/OperationShower as an online information and donation portal, where visitors can learn how to support this program and ensure that military moms-to-be receive basic essentials for their newborns. Since launching this digital destination last year, individuals, organizations, and businesses eager to support Operation Shower have donated items from the charity’s official Babies “R” Us Registry, which allows shoppers to purchase much-needed products for these expectant moms and have them sent directly to Operation Shower for use at events throughout the year. [Read more...]

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Spin Master and NASCAR Teamed Up for Win a Ride to School Sweepstakes

May 9, 2013 By Leave a Comment

ClientOn April 26, 
Spin Master Ltd. teamed up with legendary NASCAR driver Carl Edwards to bring the opportunity of a lifetime to Christopher Wooten, the lucky winner of this year’s Win a Ride to School Sweepstakes.

For Spin Master’s sweepstakes, children ages 5 to 17 throughout the U.S. were invited to enter online to win a free ride to school from Carl Edwards in a street-legal 2-seater version of his #99 Fastenal Ford Fusion car. With thousands of entries in the competition, Wooten was selected as the lucky recipient.

“It was definitely the coolest thing I have ever done.,” Wooten said. “I think we got some interesting looks along the way that morning. I was hoping no one was gonna wreck in front of us because we’d go by and they would be looking out the window to our side and not paying any attention to the road. I have never done anything close to what we did today, and it was such an incredible experience.”

Spin Master and NASCAR Team Properties have a multi-year, exclusive licensing agreement where children of all ages have been able to play and race like all of the pros with replica vehicles, play sets, and remote control items.

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