The Toy Book

Kidtoons and MyKazooTV Bring Kids’ Music to the Big Screen

Leah Rocketto — Tue, 08 May 2012 17:31:20 +0000

Kidtoons Films, a Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp. program, has partnered with MyKazooTv to bring kid-friendly content to theaters nationwide. MyKazooTV offers parents and kids a safe, focused environment showing hundreds of entertaining music videos by top artists, kid hosts, and humorous educational interstitials. The first video featured on Kidtoons will be a Farmer Jason video in May on all Kidtoons screens.

“The partnership between myKaZoo and Cinedigm is a natural fit,” said Debbie Dunn, Account Director, Kidtoons. “We show the best in age-appropriate entertainment at our Kidtoons weekend matinees and we know that our Kidtoons families will enjoy the great music videos from MyKaZootv artists, such as Farmer Jason.”

This post was originally written by Leah Rocketto 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.

Underwriters Laboratories Keeps Companies Sustainable with New Launch

Leah Rocketto — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:40:42 +0000

UL Environment, a business unit of Underwriters Laboratories (UL), has launched of a free web-based tool that will help manufacturers assess their corporate sustainability efforts. Part of UL Environment’s Sustainability Quotient (SQ) Program, this tool provides manufacturers with a preliminary analysis of their sustainability initiatives relative to the requirements of the UL 880 standard, such as environmental purchasing policies, greenhouse gas reduction targets, and sustainable supply chain code of conduct. The tool also aggregates responses from all survey respondents and provides an overall benchmark of sustainability progress to date.

“Manufacturers are making great strides when it comes to their own sustainability programs, and this assessment tool will help them identify gaps in standards they are currently using,” says Gary Savin, vice president of UL Environment.

This post was originally written by Leah Rocketto 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.

Care Bears Celebrate 30th Anniversary with New Show

Leah Rocketto — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:53:09 +0000

The Care Bears return to television this summer in an all-new CG animated series Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot. The series, which will appear on The Hub, brings back old characters while introducing new ones. The Hub’s marketing team will support Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot through traditional and non-traditional off-channel media designed to drive sampling of the new iteration of the iconic original series.

The half hour show, produced by American Greetings Properties, premieres on June 2 at 8 a.m.

This post was originally written by Leah Rocketto 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.

Tonner Doll Awarded License for Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games

Leah Rocketto — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:18:00 +0000

Tonner Doll Company, a manufacturer of high-end collectible dolls and figures, has been granted the license for character figures based on the film The Hunger Games, which arrived in theaters nationwide last month.
Sculpted in the likenesses of the film’s lead characters, including Katniss Everdeen (as portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence), Peeta Mellark (as portrayed by Josh Hutcherson) and Gale Hawthorne (as portrayed by Liam Hemsworth), The Hunger Games Tonner Character Figure (TCF) dolls will range from 16-17 inches tall with multiple articulated joints for expressive poses and mobility. The dolls will feature hand-painted facial features, high-quality Saran hair, and authentic costuming based on actual costume samples from the film. Robert Tonner, CEO and doll artist, will oversee the creation of the figures, which will be made to a one-fourth scale.

Precious Moments, Inc. Launches New Products

Leah Rocketto — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:25:17 +0000

Precious Moments, Inc. (PMI) introduces several new products in the spring 2012 line. The new line of baby products, BaZooples, features an enchanted animal and uplifting message on each piece. Artist Vicki Schreiner shows her work on an assortment of items, including blankets, frames, and lamps.

An assortment of plush and rocking musicals will also be available in the new line. PMI will also add to its Disney series with two new products: Hunny of the Day, which features Precious Moments children portraying Disney characters, and Winnie the Pooh wagons.

Most items will be available in stories this fall. To view the collection online, visit www.preciousmoments.com.

Pinkalicious Partners with Burger King Corp for Program Promotion

Leah Rocketto — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:56:35 +0000

The Joester Loria Group, licensing agency for Pinkalicious, announces a partnership with Burger King Corp. (BKC) for a springtime promotion known as the BK Crown Program. During this time, customers will receive one of six Pinkalicious-themed premiums with the purchase of a kids meal, which range from tiaras and wands to dolls and jewelry. BKC will support the Pinkalicious promotion with an online presence on BKCrown.com which will showcase interactive Pinkalicious fun and games. The promotion began April 23 and will end on June 3

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.

LEGO Group Launches Movie Maker App

Leah Rocketto — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:16:23 +0000

LEGO Group, in conjunction with Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Entertainment, has launched the LEGO DC Super Heroes Movie Maker app on the iTunes App store. The app allows users to create their own stop-motion movie featuring some famous superheroes. The simple tools and guides make it easy to shoot, edit, and add music on an iPhone. and save it to your camera roll to share.

‘Moshi Monsters: Moshling Zoo’ Makes Video Game History

Leah Rocketto — Wed, 02 May 2012 21:05:24 +0000

Moshi Monsters: Moshilng Zoo has knocked out the competition and become the longest number one game in Nintendo DS chart history. The debut game from Moshi Monster held the top position for 15 consecutive weeks, beating out successful games like Mario Kart DS, New Super Mario Bros, Professor Layton And The Spectre’s Call and Pokémon Black Version.

Moshi Monsters™: Moshling Zoo, launched in November 2011, offers fans a fresh new take on the Moshi Universe by building on the popularity of the collectable “Moshlings” and provides a new way to interact with their favorite characters.

“This is the first video game we’ve ever published at Mind Candy so we’re delighted and amazed by how well it has done,” said Michael Acton Smith, creator and CEO of Moshi Monsters.

Rubik’s Cube Celebrates 40th Anniversary

Leah Rocketto — Wed, 02 May 2012 20:48:54 +0000

In honor of its 40^th anniversary, the Rubik’s Cube will be put on display at museums around the world. The toy’s creator Erno Rubik will help develop the exhibit, which is set to open in April 2014.

Rubik, an architect teacher, developed the classic (and sometimes complicated) toy in 1974 to teach his students about 3D space. After realizing the popularity among his students and coworkers, Rubik turned it into a toy.

The exhibit is scheduled to travel for seven years to design and science museums around the world, starting with the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, NJ.

Winning Moves Releases Olympic-Inspired Banangrams

Leah Rocketto — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:47:30 +0000

Winning Moves announces the launch of a London 2012 edition of Bananagrams. This new version stays true to the original game, while including five additional colored “joker” tiles that sport various Olympic pictograms. The London 2012 edition of Bananagrams is available at Target and select independent retailers.