China Toy Fair


Boon Hosts Social Media-Based Contest in Four Cities

April 5, 2014 By

Boon [CMYK]Got plans this weekend? This past April 1, it appeared that toddlers had taken over Boon’s social media pages, and while that turned out to be an April Fool’s joke, many of the random photos posted by Boon are part of a larger social media game. Indeed, photos found at Boon’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest pages contain “clues” about specialty retailers in the Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles areas.

Details on how to decipher these clues have been posted in videos on Boon’s blog. Through Sunday, any fans in those cities who figure out the clues—and subsequently check-in at the specialty retailer in their city on Foursquare—will receive a discount code for 20 percent off Boon products.

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Mattel’s BOOMco Set to Blast Off!

April 2, 2014 By

BC_LogoMattel has released BOOMco, a new line of blasters available in select markets, including the UK, France, and Benelux. International market rollouts will continue over the next few months, with a North America debut in July timed for summer.

For BOOMco, Mattel is introducing the Smart Stick system, a dart and target system to go with amped-up blasters. With Smart Stick, darts can only bond to Smart Stick surfaces, and integrated blaster shields—which can retract or be removed—deflect or collect opponents’ darts. Targets in the Smart Stick system feature loud graphics so kids can easily see how true their aim is.

BOOMco Rapid Madness

BOOMco Rapid Madness

BOOMco blasters feature air blast performance that is 100-percent kid-powered, and have an adrenaline-inspired design. Blasters include the Twisted Spinner, which includes a 310-degree rotating barrel that can blast darts up to 70 feet away; fast-acting, push-button transformable shields; and 8 Smart Stick darts and a Smart Stick target. Meanwhile, the Rapid Madness is an air-powered blaster that can fling 20 Smart Stick darts in seconds, and has the capability of blasting up to 50 feet away. The Rapid Madness includes a quick push-button, removable transforming Smart Stick shield for the catch and defense of darts, and 30 darts. Both the Twisted Spinner and Rapid Madness are recommended for kids ages 6 and older.

BOOMco will be supported by a strong digital presence in which fans can continuously engage and interact on popular platforms. A YouTube channel will offer blaster-in-action videos and behind-the-scenes footage. Meanwhile, an Instagram account will feature photos and visual play inspirations. BOOMco will also be issuing monthly challenges to fans that will show fun ways to play with the new blasters. In addition, a mobile app released later this year will feature gaming options and the ability to record and edit action favorite moments.

Updates on the availability of BOOMco products can be found at www.boom-co.com.

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Icing Introduces Exclusive Monopoly-Inspired Collection

November 21, 2013 By

Icing.MonopolyIcing has teamed up with Hasbro to design a capsule collection of jewelry and accessories inspired by Hasbro’s popular Monopoly game. This exclusive collection is designed in metallic gold and bedazzled jewels, featuring chain link, beading, and glitter details on pieces including a charm bracelet, stud earrings, iPhone cases, wallets, makeup compacts, T-shirts, and rings.

To celebrate the launch and to encourage shoppers to showcase their “gaming” spirit, Icing will also launch an Instagram “Glam Game” promotional sweepstakes with a grand prize of a seven-day cruise for two on Carnival Cruise Lines. The sweepstakes encourages fans to express their unique sense of style by snapping and uploading a photo of themselves. Official Rules for the “Glam Game” sweepstakes can be found on Facebook.

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Build-A-Bear Workshop Teams Up with the Smurfs

July 9, 2013 By

SmurfetteCGIBuild-A-Bear Workshop will introduce its second collection of Smurf characters in honor of Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation’s The Smurfs 2, in theaters July 31. Find the newest friends from the film, Vexy and Hackus, joining Smurfette on their latest adventure at Build-A-Bear Workshop and online at buildabear.com.

To celebrate the Smurfs’ arrival, Build-A-Bear Workshop is holding an #IlovemySmurf Instagram contest. Guests are invited to take a picture of their Smurfs plush from Build-A-Bear Workshop and share it on Instagram using the hashtag #IlovemySmurf in their Instagram photo. Images will be judged on a set of criteria and the five best photos will win. Winners will receive a $50 Bear Buck$ gift card. The contest runs from July 12- July 21.

Make-your-own Smurfette, Vexy, and Hackus can be outfitted in a variety of Smurfs clothing and accessories, including Smurfette dress, Smurfette and Vexy pajamas, Smurf BFF slippers, Vexy skirt outfit, Smurf hoodie, and Smurfs theme song (La La Song).

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Instagram Builds Toy Fair Momentum, Community

January 23, 2013 By

By Julie Livingston, Senior Account Executive, CarrotNewYork, formerly Senior Director, Public Relations, Toy Industry Association

The adage “a picture tells a thousand words” perfectly describes the free, mobile-sharing app Instagram. The simple act of setting up your Toy Fair product line, exhibit booth, or private showroom can be turned into a compelling narrative easily and effectively. The free application has a simple interface; the bottom part of the app allows you to access the feed and see all of the photos added by you and the individuals you follow. You can click comment to voice your opinion and like a photo by clicking on the heart icon. To give Instagram photos a promotional edge, add a caption including a hashtag or two, such as #BrandXYZ and #TF as well as other, common Instagram tags such as #toys,  #love or #photooftheday that are relevant to your show posts. The site Webstagram is a helpful tool for identifying which hashtags are trending. Remember that although Instagram is a terrific mobile marketing tool, it works best in tandem with other visual content sites such as Facebook, Pinterest, and Tumblr, as these offer the best viral impact for sharing and discussing photos. [Read more...]

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