Meet Hexapillar: Target’s Robotic Gift Card

July 9, 2012 By

Innovation First and Target teamed up to create the Hexapillar gift card. The newest addition to Target’s 2,000-plus gift card archive, the Hexapillar gift card is a robotic caterpillar that flies. The gift card/bug is a collaboration between the design teams at Target and Hexbug, which specializes in micro robotic creatures.

Derived from the Hexbug Nano—the  autonomous robotic critter that behaves like a real bug—the Hexapillar features a caterpillar that transforms into a butterfly. The gift card launched in stores last week and can be found in the stationery, toys, and electronics departments until the end of the year.

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.

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Innovation First Labs Unveils New Hexbug Back-to-School and Holiday Products

August 22, 2011 By

Innovation First Labs, Inc., creator of Hexbug Micro Robotic Creatures, unveiled its new back-to-school and holiday line up. Hexbug Micro Robotic Creatures are expandable and customizable robotic bugs.

Hexbug Larva is the new addition to the Hexbug family. The robotic bug slithers forward on smooth surfaces, mimicking real larva. The bug also reacts to its environment and can instinctively change direction when it senses an obstacle in its way.

The Nano Hive Habitat Set is the first transportable environment that allows Hexbug Nano architects to customize their design within a Habitat Set system. The set features a ramp, multiple levels, and a floor that has attachment points so children can pop in their choice of accessories.

The updated Nano Habitat Set features the Construct System, including modular parts and accessories. The floor of each Hex Cell has attachment pegs so children can personalize it to their liking. The Hex Cell also features removable walls so cells can be connected to one another to create different environments.

The company is also releasing limited-edition, holiday-themed Hexbug Nanos. For Halloween, the zombie Nano is decked out with coffin-shaped packaging and a glow-in-the-dark exoskeleton. For Christmas, the Holiday Ornament Nano comes with reindeer antlers and is packaged as an ornament.

Photo Credit: Kmart.com

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Innovation First Files Intellectual Property Infringement Lawsuit

May 11, 2010 By

Innovation First, Inc. has filed an intellectual property infringement lawsuit against Urban Trend, LLC and two of its principals, Robert G. Kushner and Michael Stoll, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.  The lawsuit alleges that the defendants committed trade dress infringement, violations of the Lanham Act, and other wrongful conduct in offering knock-offs of the Hexbug Nano micro robotic toys designed and sold by Innovation First.

The knock-offs, says Innovation First, copy the look and feel of the products, mirroring, among other aspects, their design, color scheme, and naming conventions.  The company also alleges that the defendants lifted both form and content from Innovation First’s sales materials for use in their advertising. Innovation First premiered the Hexbug Nano Micro Robotic Creature toy line in 2009.

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