The Leading Trade Publication for the Toy Industry
Alex Brands signed a licensing agreement with Skybound Entertainment’s The Walking Dead comic book series to manufacture, distribute, and market a line of Buzz Bee Toys dart blasters, water guns, and more based on the zombie apocalypse comic..
The new products include a six shot dart blaster with automatic advance that blast darts up to 72 feet and a side by side double barrel dart blaster with a secret storage compartment for extra darts.
Alex Brands launched more than 350 products in spa, crafts and Do-It-Yourself (DIY), outdoor/active, STEM, infant/preschool categories at the North American International Toy Fair.
Spa, crafts, and DIY categories include Layer & Wear Watercolor Tattoos, the Sweet Scent Sprinkle Nails kit, and My Lites Custom Streaks to add fashion products for tweens. The outdoor/active category includes the Poof Tunnel Ball, Fling Flyer, the Ultra-Tek Cyclonic, and Stingray that add creativity to physical play.
The STEM category includes the Scientific Explorer Young Architect City Planner and CitiBlocs allowing kids to become urban planning skills. The infant and preschool categories include the Rouge Kaloo collection featuring a family animals, the new Janod collection, and a 300-piece puzzle the Giant World Map.
Alex Brands also expanded its licensed product offering with fresh new activities for Nickelodeon’s animated series Shimmer and Shine and Blaze and the Monster Machines. Alex Brands has also partnered with Universal Studios for the July 2016 animated movie release The Secret Life of Pets.
Slinky is celebrating its 70th birthday this year, and Alex Brands is looking for fans to post a video of themselves or their kids singing the Slinky Jingle (See video below). For every video posted on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with the #SlinkyDay70 hashtag, Alex Brands will donate one Slinky toy to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, with a maximum donation of 1,000 Slinky toys.
Alex Brands has acquired French toymaker Juratoys, marking the toy company’s first move into Europe. Juratoys, the parent company of European toy brands Janod and Kaloo, is based in Orgelet, France, and has offices in the U.K., the U.S., Hong Kong, and China. The news was reported by Propel Equity Partners, which backs Alex Brands.
Propel Equity Partners, a private equity firm, has acquired Buzz Bee Toys, which specializes in active play toys. The acquisition marks the eighth by Propel Equity since August of 2012 on behalf of Alex Brands. Buzz Bee Toys will join the Alex Brands family of brands, which includes Alex Toys, Poof, Slinky, Scientific Explorer, and more.
Alex Brands will introduce 400 new products at the 112th Annual North American International Toy Fair.
Highlights of the products that will be shown at Toy Fair include:
Alex Brands has signed a licensing agreement with Nickelodeon to manufacture, distribute, and market a broad array of products based on popular characters including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora and Friends, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The multi-year agreement covers multiple brands from Alex Brands including Alex Toys and Shrinky Dinks, as well as product categories such as craft kits and bath toys. Alex Brands will launch more than 30 new Nickelodeon products during North American International Toy Fair, which runs from February 14 to 17 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The items will be available to consumers starting late summer.
Shrinky Dinks will be part of the Alex Brands family of toys, which includes Alex Toys, Poof, Slinky, Scientific Explorer, and more. Invented in 1973, Shrinky Dinks consist of large, flexible sheets, which when heated in an oven, shrink to small hard plates without changing their color or shape.
Alex Brands historically licensed the Shrinky Dinks brand for use in the Alex Toys product line. It also joins Alex Brands’ growing collection of Made in the U.S. products, including Poof foam balls and Slinky products.
As of today, Alex Brands has become an official sponsor of Toys for Tots. The company is joining the charitable program to help benefit children and families during the current holiday season.
A 67-year-old national charitable program run by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, Toys for Tots collects toys, books, and other gifts, distributing them to economically disadvantaged children. Last year, the Marine Corps provided for nearly 7 million children in more than 760 communities nationwide.
“We are delighted to have Alex Brands join us as a national corporate sponsor,” says retired Marine Major Bill Grein, vice president of marketing and development for the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. “The addition of some of the most recognizable and iconic toy brands to our efforts is going to help make this holiday season even brighter for the children we serve.”
Alex Brands’ family of brands includes Alex Toys, Poof, Slinky, Scientific Explorer, Ideal, and more.
COMMENTARY: Oversized Toys Are the New Big Thing
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Leonardo, from Jakks Pacific
There’s the old saying, “Go big or stay home.” Well, at the recent Sweet Suite event that was part of this year’s Blogger Bash, a lot of toy companies gathered in New York City to show off their wares, and many of them brought big toys. And by big, I mean that if placed side-by-side the average action figure, doll, ride-on, etc., these toys easily dwarfed the competition.
[Read more...]