Uglydoll Teams up with DC Comics for Superhero Toys and Accessories

Pretty Ugly, LLC and Warner Bros. Consumer Products, on behalf of DC Entertainment, announced that they have entered into a co-branded 1209collaboration with DC Comics Super Heroes and Uglydoll characters. Gund, a division of Enesco, will produce a diverse range of colorful and collectible superhero plush based on the DC Comics and Uglydoll character universes. The initial release this fall will be a trio that includes two versions of Ice-Bat as Batman and Babo as Superman.

The plush characters will be offered at retail and will be available through Diamond Comics and a broad range of retailers. Funko is also set to offer a collection of vinyl figures based on the DC Comics and Uglydoll plush collaboration during the holiday season this year. Additional categories of merchandise and collaborative characters will be announced in the coming months.

Gund will be previewing their new collaborative plush merchandise at the summer Gift Shows and ASTRA show in June. Diamond Comics will be exhibiting at San Diego Comic-Con in July and in their infamous Previews catalog. Funko and others will launch merchandise in time for the holiday season.

Ridemakerz Fuels Support of New Xtreme Customz Line at Mass Retailers

For the first time in the company’s seven-year history, Ridemakerz will launch a national TV advertising campaign to support its new line of Xtreme Customz customizable toy cars, which are available now at Target and Toys “R” Us stores nationwide as well as Toysrus.com.

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Parents Get a New, Not-So-Secret Headquarters with Launch of DC Comics Fan Family Blog

Fans both young and young at heart will get even more of the iconic characters they love as DC Entertainment unveils the DC Comics Fan Family blog. This new family-friendly site is designed to deliver the best of the celebrated super heroes, including Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, with a slew of family-oriented content for parents to share with their kids.

The DC Comics Fan Family blog will serve as an online hub for all DC Entertainment family-friendly news and information and offer readers a variety of content including DC Comics-themed activity sheets, DIY craft projects, guest blog posts featuring DC Comics talent, and the chance for fans to see their own artwork featured with a variety of creative submission contests.

The blog will also feature the recently announced nationwide contest with Capstone, “Be a Super Hero. Read!” in which students in grades three through six are encouraged to write about the real heroes in their lives.

To learn more about the DC Comics Fan Family blog, visit www.dccomicsfanfamily.com.

New Study Shows Girls Increasingly Becoming Fans Of Boy Brands

According to the annual study conducted by Smarty Pants, a youth and family research firm, girls are rapidly becoming fans of boy brands such as construction toys, superheroes, and sports gear. The study, Young Love, is conducted online among a representative sample of U.S. households with children ages 6 to 12. [Read more...]

Mezco Reveals Summer Lineup

Mezco Toyz has introduced the Dark Knight, Wonder Woman, and Catwoman Key Ring Mez-Itz as part of their 2012 Summer Exclusive lineup. The 6-inch Dark Knight Mez-Itz Mega Scale Batman is based on Batman’s look from Christopher Nolan’s film trio and features a  cloth black cape. The 6-inch Metallic Wonder Woman Mez-Itz, the first female character in the DC Universe lineup, features sculpted hair, a metallic finish, and a rope Lasso of Truth. The Catwoman Key Ring 2-inch Mez-Itz features the feline fatale villain and a sturdy metal clasp. All Mez-Itz feature five points of articulation.

Other new products include the the Glow-in-the-Dark Mumm-Ra and Decayed-form Mumm-Ra two-Pack, the Metallic Earthworm Jim Action Figure, and the Living Dead Dolls Resurrection Set: Series 6.

Based on the original animated series, Mezco’s 14-inch Mumm-Ra features eight points of articulation and a cloth cape and bandages. The summer exclusive features a glow-in-the-dark blue skin and comes with a Decayed Form Mumm-Ra, showing him in his natural, decrepit state.

The Metallic Earthworm Jim Action Figure comes with a game-accurate plasma blaster and a special metallic-finish ultra-high-tech-indestructible-super-space-cyber-suit. The 6-inch scale Earthworm Jim features eight points of articulation. This edition comes with an alternate “bendy” unsuited worm body and a special “groovy” head sculpt.

The Living Dead Dolls Resurrection Set: Series 6 features Demonique, Blue, Schitzo, and Ms. Eerie. All four feature glass-like eyes. Each member of this limited edition quartet of the damned comes with its own death certificate and is entombed in its own coffin. All of Mezco’s Summer Exlusives will be available on their new website and at San Diego Comic Con at booth 3445.

This post was originally written by Ali Mierzejewski 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.

Warner Bros. to Publish to Sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has been named the worldwide publisher of the sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum. The video game sequel is currently in development with Rocksteady Studios. For more information, and to sign up to receive updates regarding the game, visit www.arkhamhasmoved.com.