Archive for the ‘News’ Category
« Older Entries | Newer Entries »This post was written by Ericka Johnson
Garbage Pail Kids Become a Collectors’ Item
Tuesday, March 20th, 2012
After 25 years, the Garbage Pail Kids are making a comeback as a collectable item. A book containing 206 images from Series 1 through 5, from 1985 and 1986, and a set of four limited-edition, previously unpublished bonus stickers will be available. Cartoonist Art Spiegelman is featured in the introduction, and John Pound closes out the book with the afterword.
Tags: Art Spiegelman, Garbage Pail Kids, John Pound
Posted in 9 and up, News, Uncategorized | No Comments »
This post was written by Elizabeth A. Reid
Guess How Much I Love You Series to Premiere March 23
Friday, March 16th, 2012
Preschool animated series Guess How Much I Love You—The Adventures of Little Nutbrown Hare will premiere on March 23 as part of the programming lineup for Disney Junior’s launch day as a 24-hour network. The series, featuring 52 x 11-minute episodes, is the first adaptation of the classic Guess How Much I Love You picture book, written by Sam McBratney, illustrated by Anita Jeram, and published globally by Candlewick Press/Walker Books. CCI Entertainment holds the worldwide television distribution rights and licensing rights in Latin America, Asia, Middle East, and Africa. Candlewick Press/Walker Books holds the global TV tie-in publishing rights and the rights for licensing the series in North America and Europe, in addition to the global licensing rights for the classic picture book.
This post was originally written by Elizabeth A. Reid 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.
Tags: Candlewick Press, CCI Entertainment, Disney Junior, Guess How Much I Love You, Walker Books
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This post was written by Ericka Johnson
MarVista Entertainment Launches Licensing Program for Radio Rebel
Thursday, March 15th, 2012
MarVista Entertainment has launched a comprehensive licensing program for Radio Rebel, its second production for Disney Channel, produced with Two 4 The Money Media. Brand Sense Partners, the brand extension agency for Radio Rebel, has secured merchandise partnerships for printed gifts (Scorpio Posters), bracelets and hair accessories, apparel items, customizable notebooks, and more. Merchandise will be available online and through independent retailers.
Radio Rebel stars Debby Ryan, a teen who breaks free from her shy self and into the persona of a bold podcast host that rocks her Seattle high school with music and the message to “be yourself.” The movie was directed by Peter Howitt and written by Erik Patterson and Jessica Scott, based on the novel Shrinking Violet by Danielle Joseph.
This post was originally written by Ericka Johnson 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.
Tags: Debby Ryan, Disney Channel, MarVista Entertainment, Radio Rebel, Scorpio Posters, Two 4 The Money Media
Posted in Licenses, News | No Comments »
This post was written by Elizabeth A. Reid
Classic Media Signs Deals Across Central and Eastern Europe
Thursday, March 15th, 2012
Classic Media has signed a raft of new deals across Central and Eastern Europe for several of its titles. Preschool series Tinga Tinga Tales and Guess with Jess have both been acquired in Hungary (MTVA) and Russia (Channel One Russia’s children’s channel, Karusel). Postman Pat now has complete coverage across all major markets in the region, in addition to launches with Czech TV (Czech Republic) and Orlando
Kids (Ex-Yugoslavia). Nan and Lili and Little Red Tractor have both been acquired by Voxell across CIS. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra: Princess of Power, and Voltron: Defenders of the Universe will air in Russia as part of 2×2 Channel’s retro slot. The channel has also acquired the CBBC’s comedy shorts, OOglies.
This post was originally written by Elizabeth A. Reid 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.
Tags: Classic Media, He-Man, Little Red Tractor, Nan and Lili, Postman Pat, She-Ra, Tinga Tinga Tales, Voltron
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This post was written by Elizabeth A. Reid
ASTRA’s 2012 Marketplace & Academy Exhibit Space Sells Out
Wednesday, March 14th, 2012
Exhibit space for the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association’s (ASTRA) 2012 Marketplace & Academy has sold out. The exhibit hall, which will be the biggest ever, reports ASTRA, will feature approximately 100 first-time ASTRA exhibitors.
“Given the huge number of first-time exhibitors, the exhibit hall will be full of product we haven’t seen before,” said ASTRA President Kathleen McHugh. “And remember, even though exhibit space is sold out, we have plenty of room for any and all independent retailers.”
ASTRA will be held in Baltimore, Md. from June 10-13. For more information, or to register, visit www.astramarketplace.org or call ASTRA at 1-800-591-0490.
This post was originally written by Elizabeth A. Reid 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.
Tags: American Specialty Toy Retailing Association, ASTRA, Kathleen McHugh, Marketplace & Academy
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This post was written by Ericka Johnson
Hape Announces August Delivery of Quadrilla
Thursday, March 8th, 2012
Quadrilla Basic Set
Hape will begin the first shipment of Quadrilla in August. The marble run design is both owned and manufactured by the company. Quadrilla is made of rubber wood blocks, birch rails, and wood funnels. The product debuted at the American International Toy Fair in New York and is available in more than 50 countries. Hape acquired the Quadrilla brand and patents for design, and the product is available in the Basic Set, Twist Set, Rail Set, and the Twist & Rail Set.
Tags: Hape, Quadrilla
Posted in 3-5, 6-8, 9 and up, News | No Comments »
This post was written by Ericka Johnson
Zoob Partners with Learning Express
Thursday, March 8th, 2012
From the makers of Zoob, Infinitoy is partnering up with Learning Express Toys this month for a Zoob-A-Thon in which young inventors will be provided with Zoob pieces to build their own creation. Each young inventor will have 100 pieces and a limit of 20 of each color to make their creation. Zoob’s goal is to work towards opening children, encouraging the use of their imagination. The winner will be mentioned in a special 2012 product and will also have their designs in the “Inventor’s Kit,” including creations, pictures, and inspirational stories.
Tags: Infinitoy, Learning Express Toys, Zoob
Posted in 6-8, 9 and up, News | 1 Comment »
This post was written by Ericka Johnson
Bravo Sports Expands Its Licensed Division
Friday, March 2nd, 2012
Bravo Sports Corporation has expanded its licensed products division by announcing its partnership with Marvel Entertainment to bring Avengers skateboards to the mass market in time for the summer release of Marvel’s The Avengers.
The skateboard collection features the fictional superhero team of Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Captain America, and Thor, highlights. A 21-inch skateboard was made available in January, and the 28-inch skateboard will be available in March, at Toys R Us. The skateboards come in the following themes, Team, Assemble, Rescue, and Lightning.
Tags: Bravo Sports, Marvel Entertainment, The Avengers, Toys R Us
Posted in 9 and up, News | No Comments »
This post was written by Melissa Tinklepaugh
Disney XD Named U.S. Broadcaster for Pac-Man Series
Thursday, March 1st, 2012
Namco Bandai Games, Inc., Arad Productions, and 41 Entertainment LLC (“41e”), announced that they have granted the U.S. television rights to Disney XD for a new animated action comedy series tentatively titled Pac-Man– The Adventure Begins (26×22), set for a fall 2013 airing.
Based on the brand owned by Namco Bandai, the series is created in stereoscopic 3-D, and executive produced by Avi Arad (Spider-Man for Sony Pictures, Iron Man for Paramount, Hulk for Universal, and Fantastic Four and X-Men for 20th Century Fox) and Rick Ungar (Biker Mice from Mars for New World, X-Men Evolution for Marvel, and Legend of the Dragon for BKN).
Tags: 41 Entertainment, Arad Productions, Disney XD, Namca Bandai Games, Pac-Man
Posted in News | No Comments »
This post was written by Elizabeth A. Reid
Toy Fair 2012 Saw Attendance Increases Across Multiple Categories
Wednesday, February 29th, 2012
The Toy Industry Association (TIA) has reported that nearly 27,000 industry professionals from more than 100 countries attended the 109th American International Toy Fair. TIA reports that Toy Fair 2012 welcomed increased attendance across nearly all categories, including a 3 percent increase in buyers, a 5 increase in international participants, a 14 percent increase in licensors, and a 23 percent increase in entertainment executives. Total attendance during the four-day show was 26,730, which was a 2 percent increase compared to last year.
The top five international countries identified with the highest attendance numbers at the show were Canada, the UK, Japan, Mexico, and Australia. Significant year-to-date increases in visitors came from Colombia (+33 percent), Japan (+17 percent), Australia (+13 percent), Mexico (+11 percent), Canada (+10 percent), and Panama (+200 percent). This year’s Toy Fair also boasted the largest exhibit area since 2000 with 366,489 net square feet of exhibit space, which held the 100,000-plus products on display.
Buyer delegations from Target, Toys “R” Us, and Walmart also saw increases of 39 percent, 24 percent, and 90 percent, respectively. The 110th American International Toy Fair will be held February 10-13, 2012 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.
This post was originally written by Elizabeth A. Reid 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.
Tags: Toy Fair 2012, Toy Industry Association
Posted in News | No Comments »
