Neil Friedman to Serve as Next President and CEO of Alex Brands

October 29, 2014 By

AlexBrands.Copy Alex Brands has named toy industry veteran Neil Friedman as its president and CEO. Friedman, who joined Alex Brands’ board of directors earlier this year, was most recently president of the U.S. division at Toys “R” Us. He was also previously president at Mattel Brands, Fisher-Price Brands, Tyco Preschool, and MCA/Universal Merchandising. Friedman is a member of the Toy Industry Hall of Fame and the International Licensing Industry Merchandiser’s Association’s Hall of Fame.

“This is a unique opportunity to work with some of the most iconic and highly recognizable brands in the industry,” says Friedman. “In the time that I have been associated with Alex Brands, I have been extremely impressed by the company’s accomplishments, vision, and growth plans. I am most looking forward to using my experience and expertise to help this company realize the incredible opportunities that lie before it.”

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Moose Toys Is Ready to Throw Down with Mutant Mania

October 29, 2014 By

MutantManiaMoose Toys has kicked off the retail launch of Mutant Mania, a new collectible toy line featuring wacky, mix-and-match wrestlers. Each customizable figure is created using an interchangeable head, torso, and legs, so kids can swap out a piece to create a new mutant wrestler.

The line includes a Mutant Masher vehicle, a Rampage Arena play set, and more than 120 characters to collect. The Mutant Mania Rampage Arena lets kids put their built-up wrestlers to battle, and even launch them into the ring.

Available exclusively at Toys “R” Us, Mutant Mania is intended for kids ages 5 and up.

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Charmazing Collection Available Exclusively at Toys “R” Us

October 15, 2014 By

toysrusThe new Charmazing by Style Me Up collection from Wooky Entertainment is now available exclusively at Toys “R” Us stores nationwide and online at toysrus.com. Charmazing offers young designers a chance to create custom charm bracelets, which they can wear, share, and gift. Additionally, kids can scan their Charmazing charms into a virtual world where they can trade with friends and connect with other designers via a new app. The app is free and available for download from the Apple App Store and Google Play to coincide with the product launch.

Charmazing kits provide tweens with more than 100 different charms in 11 themed collections categorized in two worlds: Karma and Nature. The collection includes Charmazing Let’s Get Started, Charmazing Charmastation, Charmazing Color Me Up!, and the Charmazing Deluxe Kit.

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Disguise Celebrates Halloween with Popular Licenses

October 11, 2014 By

DisguiselogoDisguise Inc.’s Halloween costume line-up for this year includes popular characters for the entire family based on theatrical blockbusters, popular television shows, pop culture, and more.

This year’s line-up includes toddler and children’s costumes for Elsa, Anna, and Olaf from Disney’s Frozen, as well as an adult Elsa costume. From Disney’s Maleficent, Maleficent and Aurora costumes are available in sizes for children and adults. Disney Junior properties such as Sofia the First and Doc McStuffins have costumes in baby, toddler, and child sizes.

The classic Minnie Mouse costume is available in sizes ranging from baby to adult. Super Mario Bros fans can dress up as their favorite characters including Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach. Costumes for Bumblebee and Optimus Prime from Hasbro’s Transformers are available in baby to adult sizes.

Children and adult fans of Hasbro’s My Little Pony can dress up as their favorite characters, including Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. Accessories and costumes for Saban’s Power Rangers span from baby, to child, to adult.

The costumes are available at mass market, specialty, and online retail outlets including Target, Wal-Mart, Toys “R” Us, Spirit, Buy Seasons, and more.

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Skylanders Trap Team, Toy Exclusives Available at Retailers Everywhere

October 6, 2014 By

SkylandersTrapTeamLogoSkylanders Trap Team, from Activision Publishing Inc., is available now at major retailers nationwide on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo Wii U consoles. In addition, the complete console gaming experience is available on iPad, Kindle Fire, and Android tablets, while a unique Skylanders adventure has launched for the Nintendo 3DS.

The new Skylanders game lets fans seek out and battle villains in Skylands, and once they’ve defeated them, players can place a Trap into the new Traptanium Portal to capture them. Players will be able to hear the villains inside the Traps, and can send the villains back into the game to fight as heroes.

To celebrate the release of Skylanders Trap Team, exclusive Skylanders products are available at retailers nationwide. Toys “R” Us stores in North America and online at toysrus.com are the only places to find the limited edition Legendary Series of Skylanders toys at launch. The Legendary Series features alternative versions of new Trap Master characters and packs such as Jawbreaker, Déjà Vu, and the Nightmare Express Adventure Pack, all of which feature in-game stat boosts. [Read more...]

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New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Products Heading to Toys “R” Us

October 3, 2014 By

NickTMNTToys “R” Us will offer a new line of toys and accessories based on the third season of the Nickelodeon TV series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, beginning this month.

The selection from Playmates Toys includes exclusive action figures and play sets, vehicles, role-play items, and more, and is available in Toys “R” Us stores and on toysrus.com.

Toys “R” Us is also hosting a Turtles in Training Sweepstakes, through which a grand prize winner will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Los Angeles, Calif., to record their voice for an upcoming episode of the CG-animated series.

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Toys “R” Us Celebrates Skylanders Trap Team’s Arrival with Special Events, Early Opening, and More

September 30, 2014 By

SkylandersTrapTeamLogoToys “R” Us is celebrating the debut of the latest Skylanders game, Skylanders Trap Team, with special events, an early opening, exclusive figures, and more.

On Saturday, October 4 and Sunday, October 5, the Toys “R” Us flagship store in New York City will host unique in-store Skylanders-themed experiences. Customers who visit Toys “R” Us Times Square from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on either day can be among the first to play the new game at dedicated kiosks throughout the store.

ToysRUsLogo copyThey can also receive complimentary giveaways while supplies last, as well as have the opportunity to be digitally teleported into a Skylanders Trap Team “Most Wanted” photo alongside some of the game’s villains, including Kaos and Chompy Mage.

When Skylanders Trap Team releases on October 5, all Toys “R” Us stores nationwide will open one hour earlier at 8 a.m., and select stores will open at midnight. A full list of stores opening at midnight can be found at toysrus.com/midnightskylanders. Meanwhile, the Skylanders villain Kaos will be taking over the Toys “R” Us Twitter channel (@Toysrus) on Saturday, October 4, from 11 to 11:50 p.m. to interact with fans and build anticipation for the midnight release. [Read more...]

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VTech Go! Go! Smart Friends Line Available Exclusively at Toys “R” Us

September 29, 2014 By

VTech.GoGoSmartFriendsBusySoundsVTech has launched Go! Go! Smart Friends, available exclusively at Toys “R” Us stores nationwide and online at toysrus.com.

The Go! Go! Smart Friends line features colorful play sets and characters that infuse traditional role-play with modern technology. MagicPoint locations bring the characters and play sets to life with lights, sounds, and music.

The Go! Go! Smart Friends Busy Sounds Discovery Home is an interactive house featuring nine MagicPoint locations that encourage imaginative play and emphasize cause and effect relationships. Additionally, it includes VTech’s new MagicChat feature, which allows two figures to chat and sing songs together.

The Go! Go! Smart Friends Spin-Around Sounds Carnival features five MagicPoint locations and five play pieces that can be used together to encourage creative play. [Read more...]

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Toys “R” Us to Hire 45,000 for Holiday Shopping Season

September 23, 2014 By

toysrusToys “R” Us will hire 45,000 seasonal employees at its stores and distribution centers nationwide, more than doubling the company’s workforce as it prepares for the busy holiday shopping months ahead. These seasonal positions will include sales associates, stock crew and omnichannel fulfillment teams, as well as distribution center workers and department managers.

Interviewing for holiday positions at Toys “R” Us stores begins at the end of this month, and new hires start working in early October. Staffing continues to build throughout the holiday season right up to Christmas. Seasonal store employees typically work 16 to 20 hours per week with flexible schedules offered during the week, weeknights, or weekends. Employment opportunities are also available at the company’s distribution centers nationwide, which began hiring in July and will continue through November.

Job seekers can visit www.toysrusinc.com/careers/holiday to apply and learn more about working at Toys “R” Us during the holiday season.

Filed Under: Holiday Season, News Tagged With: , ,

Techno Source to Launch Kurio Xtreme

September 22, 2014 By

Kurio Xtreme_Blue_Kurio Motion Racing_Techno SourceThe Kurio Xtreme tablet, from Techno Source, is the newest addition to the Kurio line of Android devices for kids. Due for release on October 1, the 7-inch Wi-Fi-enabled tablet features a sleek and thinner design, a faster processor, double internal memory, Bluetooth technology, and 24/7 customer support. It also introduces exclusive Kurio Motion gaming, the first body-controlled games on a tablet. Ten Kurio Motion games will be preloaded onto the tablet and millions of other apps can be accessed through the Kurio Store and Google Play.

The Kurio Motion games lets kids play on screen as they jump, run, and move in order to swim, ski, tend goal, speed race, and more in the game. The technology uses the tablet’s camera and a Kurio Motion gaming stand is included with the device. [Read more...]

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