Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP) zooms into this year’s American International Toy Fair season with a roster of global licensees ready to support the studio’s portfolio, led by this summer’s tentpole film release Man of Steel, which will be supported by DC Comics master toy licensee Mattel, as well as many other toy partners. [Read more...]
Lego Travel Adventure Lands at the National Museum of Play in January
December 21, 2012 By
Where will you travel? How will you get there? The Lego Travel Adventure exhibit lands at the National Museum of Play at The Strong on January 19. The newest Lego exhibit is filled with colorful backdrops, kid-friendly building activities, and eye-popping Lego brick sculptures built by Lego Master Builders.
In Lego Travel Adventure, museum guests are invited to fly, drive, or float anywhere their imaginations take them by creating extraordinary vehicles out of Lego bricks. Hands-on activities will include: [Read more...]
Warner Bros. Consumer Products Unveils Worldwide Licensing Program for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
December 17, 2012 By
Calling all fans of Middle-earth—Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP) has teamed up with a slate of global licensees to capture the adventure of the blockbuster film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM). [Read more...]
Toy Industry Foundation Brings Holiday Cheer to Families on Hawaii Military Bases
December 12, 2012 By
More than 3,000 boys and girls living with their parents on Hawaii’s Schofield Barracks and Fort Shafter U.S. Army bases were treated to two days of toy giveaways on December 4 and 6,respectively. The events were hosted by the Toy Industry Foundation in partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) Military Services, who brought the spirit of the season to military families complete with gifts, holiday carolers, and the lighting of two of the largest Christmas trees in the country. [Read more...]
Santa to Bring High-Tech Gadgets, Familiar Favorites to Children This Holiday Season
November 27, 2012 By
Children’s wish lists this holiday season are full of the latest gadgets such as Apple iPads and the Nintendo Wii U, but there’s still demand for some classic gifts like Lego blocks, dolls, and toy cars, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF)’s 2012 Top Toys Survey, conducted by BIGinsight.
A surprise item in this year’s top ten is Furby, which ranked No. 3 on girls’ wish lists and No. 9 on boys’ lists. Furby became a must-have item and child favorite in the late 90s but has since undergone a digital makeover complete with LCD eyes and compatible iPad apps. Video games also appeared on both lists this year. According to NRF’s holiday survey, 45.1 percent of consumers plan to buy toys this holiday season.
New Study Shows Girls Increasingly Becoming Fans Of Boy Brands
November 15, 2012 By
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...]
Lego Launches Constructible Board Game Based on “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”
October 10, 2012 By
Lego Systems has launched a constructable board game based on the film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Players must build the game and the die, choose a character to search for the ten missing Dwarves, and help Bilbo Baggins on his trek. Players can choose from four micro figure characters, Gandalf, Dwalin, Kili, or Fili. The constructable board game is recommended for children ages 7 and up and is available at most retail, discount merchandise, and specialty stores nationwide.
Starting on October 8, Lego will host The Hobbit Roll to Win Giveaway on Lego’s Facebook page. Fans can roll a virtual dice for a chance to win different prizes. The grand prize includes the new board game, a Lego Games game play hosting kit, construction sets, and two movie tickets. The grand prizewinner will be announced on December 14 in conjunction with the film release.
Lego Celebrates 80th Birthday
August 14, 2012 By
Lego is celebrating a milestone birthday this year: the iconic building block company turns 80.
In celebration of the event, a short animated film about the Lego Group’s history from 1932 to 1968 has been produced. Watch the video here.
The Lego Group’s story started in 1932 when Ole Kirk Christiansen founded a production company for wooden toys in the Danish city of Billund. His central idea was, “Only the best is good enough.” The motto stayed, but other than that, a lot has changed.
The company has grown from the original small workshop to become the third largest producer of play materials in the world. It is currently represented in more than 130 countries with some 10,000 employees. The name Lego comes from the two Danish words “leg” and “godt,” which translates to “play well.”
Happy birthday, Lego.
This post was originally written by Loren Moreno 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.
Lego Introduces Team Great Britain Minifigures
July 24, 2012 By
By Carlo Pandian
Normally Olympic heroes wait a lifetime to be immortalized in bronze or stone. Not in this Olympic-mad year. Lego has immortalized Team Great Britain in plastic with its new full range of minifigure competitors—from boxing champions to swimming superstars.
Although not modeled after specific athletes, the full set of nine figures includes a boxer, swimmer, judo fighter, relay runner, tennis player, gymnast, weightlifter, equestrian, and an archer. All of the figures proudly display their medals (gold, of course), and each comes with a handy accessory to identify them.
Previous Olympics have spawned a host of DIY Lego models by enthusiasts, including a model of the Olympic park from the Beijing games four years ago. For enthusiasts ready to recreate the London Olympic Village, the minifigures of Team GB will be a welcome addition.
This year’s Olympics are unique because this is the first time in modern history that they are being hosted by a city for a third time. London hosted the Olympics previously in 1908 and 1947. Lego has developed the line exclusively for the UK market.
Carlo Pandian is a freelance writer and blogs about Lego, art and design covering everything from Legoland Discovery Centre kids activities in Manchester to cool Duplo gadgets. When he’s not online, he likes building models and volunteering at his local community center.
This post was originally written by Carlo Pandian 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.
