Hasbro’s Comic-Con Preview Night Party

Hasbro held its exclusive Preview Night Party for New York Comic-Con on Wednesday. Complete with loads of Marvel, My Little Pony, Kre-O G.I. Joe, and Angry Star Wars Angry Birds displays and presentations, and Avengers-themed cocktails, Hasbro kicked off Comic-Con with a bang.

Angry Birds Star Wars Jenga Death Star Package

The star of the event was no doubt the Star Wars edition of the wildly-popular Angry Birds line set to launch in the beginning of November. There were new toys based on the  bird-slinging, tower-toppling Angry Birds property, including the AT-AT Attack Battle Game. The line features new products based on a variety of existing Hasbro properties, including the Jenga brand and the recently relaunched Koosh brand, to introduce new play experiences featuring iconic Star Wars characters re-imagined as high-flying Angry Birds and villainous pigs.

Also highlighted was the great reveal of the Star Trek Kre-O set, a product set to release next year to coincide with the release of the new Star Trek movie. The set comes with a light-up U.S.S. Enterprise ship  and two character figures, such as Captain Kirk or Spock, pointed ears and all.

The new extensive Kre-O G.I. Joe line was also featured–including figures and play sets based on the property. The line of G.I. Joe toys will be available exclusively at Toys “R” Us starting in February. These play sets and characters play out the G.I. Joe vs. Cobra story and will feature Kreon figures based on popular characters from both the heroic G.I. Joe team like Duke and Snake Eyes as well as the villainous Cobra organization like Firefly and Storm Shadow.

Kre-O G.I. Joe Cobra Armored Assault

Hasbro also showcased the My Little Pony brand, as well as their holiday favorites, including Marvel Avengers and Star Wars action figures and, of course, Marvel role play products.

The Toy Book’s Reyne Rice and Ali Mierzejewski as Spider-Man and Captain America

The Toy Book’s Reyne Rice as The Hulk

Top 20 Chosen by Children’s Museum Visitors and Fans

The results are in and more than 20,000 Children’s Museum of Indianapolis online visitors and fans have voted for their favorite toys from the last century. It is all part of the “100 Toys (& their Stories) that Define Our Childhood” interactive in which the museum asked people to choose the top 20 toys to represent the last 100 years. This list of 20 iconic toys includes: G.I. Joe, Transformers, Lego Toys, Barbie, View-Master, Bicycle, Play-Doh, Crayons, Cabbage Patch Kids, Monopoly, Etch a Sketch, Spirograph, Hot Wheels, Candy Land, Lincoln Logs, Raggedy Ann, Little Golden Books, Mr. Potato Head, Roller Skates, and Silly Putty.

The public is once again invited to vote for their favorites among the top 20 to rank the toys, which will ultimately determine the Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners.

Voting to determine the final order for the top 20 runs through Sept. 7, and results will be announced to the public on September 11. To view the top 20 list of toys, vote, and share your own toy story, visit The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis online at www.childrensmuseum.org/100toys.

This post was originally written by Sierra McCleary-Harris 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.

One Direction Visits Hasbro at Licensing Expo

The music sensation One Direction stopped by the Hasbro booth at the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas to play with some of the hottest toys and gear from Hasbro, including G.I. Joe, Transformers, and more. This fall, Hasbro will produce a line of toys, dolls and games, based on the band.

This post was originally written by Sierra McCleary-Harris 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.

Disguise Signs Deal to Manufacture Hasbro-Branded Costumes

Disguise, the Halloween costume division of JAKKS Pacific, Inc., has signed a multi-year agreement with Hasbro to produce Halloween costumes and accessories based on most Hasbro brands. The three-year deal grants Disguise expanded and exclusive rights to manufacture and distribute Hasbro-branded Halloween costumes and accessories in the U.S. and Canada, beginning this Halloween season.

Costumes will include those based on Transformers 3, to be released summer 2011, and the television shows G.I. Joe and My Little Pony, which will air this fall on Hasbro and Discovery Communications‘ joint-venture cable network, The Hub.

Photo Credit: Business Wire