COMMENTARY: Bronies, Rejoice!

April 10, 2013 By

My Little Pony is everywhere lately, which might be cause for Bronies—adult male fans of the magical, flowing mane ponies—to rejoice. These unlikely fans of the mainly children’s, mainly girl’s property find themselves addicted to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic on The Hub TV Network and fawning over toys and plush tucked away in pink aisles of Toys “R” Us.

I, myself, am not a member of this ilk. But I very well could be. As a kid in the 80s, I begged my mom to buy me a Care Bear—Grumpy Bear, to be exact—even though my dad disapproved. I coveted my sister’s Strawberry Shortcake bed set and would watch—and pretend to dislike—Rainbow Bright. If I don’t have Brony potential, I don’t know who does.

So, in the spirit of embracing the Brony in all of us, I’ve pulled together some cool new My Little Pony toys and plush that we have to look forward to.

My Little Pony Plush, from Aurora

aurora_2Aurora, in partnership with Hasbro, will initially release 18 My Little Pony styles, including 12 small, 6-inch ponies each with a personalized carrying bag, and six soft plush ponies about 10 inches in size. My Little Pony plush will be available for purchase in both the U.S. and Canada in Aurora’s retail channel of more than 25,000 specialty stores and gift shops as well as online at shop.auroragift.com.

Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, from Build-A-Bear Workshop

buildabear_5In Build-A-Bear Workshop retail stores and online this month, fans of My Little Pony can customize their own Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash plush. Customers can dress their pony in their favorite My Little Pony fashions. Pinkie Pie has signature pink locks, and Rainbow Dash has a multi-colored mane that can be brushed, combed, and braided. Customers can dress Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash in their signature capes or a variety of other fashions.

My Little Pony Walkin’ Talkin’ Pinkie Pie, from Hasbro

7209FB2550569047F50D477617E8C75BHasbro introduces the Walkin’ Talkin’ Pinkie Pie, which walks forward, speaks silly pony phrases, and sings songs as she trots. Gently press the balloons on her cutie mark and watch her go. The figure wears an adorable headband with two yellow stars that bobble as she walks. This version of Pinkie Pie is available at most major toy retailers nationwide and on HasbroToyShop.com.

If your inner Brony is jonsing for a quick pony fix, Hasbro.com has a number of online games, including the My Little Pony Crystal Match game. You’re welcome.

For more commentary from Loren, check back each Wednesday afternoon. Views expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Toy Book as a whole. We hope that you will share your comments and feedback below. Until next time!

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COMMENTARY: Appreciating Plush

March 20, 2013 By

Everyone has something that they never really grow out of. For some, it might be Disney movies; for others, maybe it’s remote-control vehicles. In my case, it’s plush.

Although I’ve always had an appreciation for stuffed animals, I oddly never had one as a comfort object. I liked collecting, naming, and arranging them on my bed. As an adult, I appreciate plush as art—a form of sculpture, if you will. Walking the floors of the Jacob Javitz Center for Toy Fair, I had the pleasure of seeing all kinds of plush—realistic, abstract, soft, fuzzy, big, and small.

Christine.March19_2

Cate and Levi Animal Plaque: Moose

My favorite pieces are the abstract ones. They just seem to draw me in like a magnet. This is how I discovered Cate and Levi, a company that creates adorable creatures from reclaimed wool. Not only do they make animals and puppets, they’ve gone beyond toys and created plush animal plaques as home décor. Sweatertoys, a small, Brooklyn-based  company, makes beautiful plush animals from recycled sweaters and recycled polyfil, enhanced with vintage patterned fabric accents. [Read more...]

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Haven’t Had Enough Doll Coverage? Check Out a Few More!

August 27, 2012 By

The Toy Book‘s July/August issue showcases new dolls for mass and specialty retail. We received dozens of submissions fit to print, beyond what fit on our printed pages. Here’s a look at a couple more!

Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy Collection

Aurora’s Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy Collection, based on the dolls originally created by Johhn Gruelle in 1918 for his daughter, features dolls in four different sized—eight, 12, 16, and 25 inches. Each features yarn hair with the classic loop style and has “I Love You” embroidered on the chest. Larger dolls have plastic eyes, while the smaller dolls have embroidered eyes.

[Read more...]

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Aurora Announces Mid-Year Releases

August 17, 2012 By

Aurora World Inc., announced more than 75 new releases for its mid-year catalog. The catalog features Aurora’s new styles, from the best selling Fancy Pals line and Miyoni collection to holiday editions of Aurora’s handmade Raggedy Ann and Andy plush doll line created under license from Hasbro, Inc.

Miyoni Mom & Baby features six new two-piece sets of jungle and domestic animals. These include a panda with cub, a giraffe with calf, a lioness with cub, a polar bear with cub, an orange tabby with a kitten, and a golden lab with a puppy. Aurora’s Pet Packs are used to carry additional plush toys featured in the catalog, including the tiger, monkey, dolphin, unicorn, kitten, and clown fish. The backpacks are kid-sized and designed to resemble the specific plush animals environment. Shop for Aurora products and others online at http://shop.auroragift.com

This post was originally written by Lindsay Gordon 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.

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