The Upper Deck Company, in conjunction with HIT Entertainment, has released the first trading cards of long-running television show Thomas and Friends. The trading cards, Thomas and Friends Sodor Adventures Collectipak, is an 18-card set including stickers, tattoos, and pop-up cards features characters from the show.

The set is targeted to children ages 3 to 6, and is based on the travels of Thomas and the other characters around the Island of Sodor. Players journey around the islands and help the engines get back to Tidmouth Sheds.

Upper Deck plans to release additional trading card sets based on the series. The second set will launch in November.

HIT Entertainment has signed new licensees to develop, manufacture, and market new Thomas & Friends products. The agreement marks the first time HIT has worked with Tara Toys, Think Wow Toys, The Toy Workshop, and Upper Deck.

Tara Toys will develop a new arts and crafts line for the property including magnetic sets, rolling art desks, activity cases with pads, markers, crayons and stampers, giant activity floorpads, Sit n’ Play activity trays, and 5-in-1 activity easels.  All of Tara Toys’ Thomas items will be available at both mass and specialty stores starting this fall.

Think Wow Toys will launch a new line of Thomas & Friends pools, pool toys and accessories, such as child-sized goggles, swim vests, swim rings, arm floaties, noodles, rafts, kick boards, and more. These products are slated to premiere by summer 2011.

The Toy Workshop will create and distribute a full line of wooden Thomas & Friends room décor items, from hangers and growth charts to bookcases, clothing racks, benches toy boxes, and more.  The company’s Thomas line will be available in specialty stores only.

Upper Deck has been appointed to produce collectible trading cards that will include pop-up, sticker, and temporary tattoo trading cards targeted to preschoolers ages 3-6. The company will also develop trading cards based on the characters from the Island of Sodor, to be distributed at mass and specialty retailers in June.

Catch up on last week’s news! Read The Toy Book Toy Report for 11/17/09.

To view click here.

The Upper Deck Company has partnered with Operation Gratitude, a non-profit organization that sends care packages to U.S. service members across the world, to launch Upper Deck’s Million Pack March for the Troops campaign. As part of the campaign, Upper Deck and other donators will send sealed packs of Upper Deck trading cards to deserving U.S. military members overseas.

Upper Deck will kick off the campaign by donating 100,000 packs of cards. The goal is to send 1,000,000 packs of cards by Veterans Day 2010. The company will host donation drives at major industry shows, such as the National Sports Collectors Convention in Baltimore, and will work with Upper Deck Diamond Dealers and hobby shops to establish donation drop-off points.

The Upper Deck Company has signed a multi-year deal with Sanrio Global Consumer Products to produce the Hello Kitty collectible miniatures & stickers trading card game (TCG). The first release will hit store shelves in March, with more following later in the year. Targeted to young girls and tweens, the TCG will include collectible figures, stickers, and trading cards for Hello Kitty fans.

Hello Kitty will celebrate its 35th anniversary in November. Sanrio will hold a three-week art exhibit in celebration of the event, Three Apples, featuring contemporary artists and their interpretations of Hello Kitty. For more information on Hello Kitty’s 35th anniversary, please visit www.sanrio.com/threeapples.