May 2010

New IHOP Licensees Announced

The Valen Group has negotiated new agreements for its client, IHOP.

The group has picked Boley International for licensed play food sets. The play food will be available to retailers at the Fall Toy Preview in Dallas (October 5-8) and will feature iconic breakfast items from the chain such as Funny Face pancakes and the copper coffee pot.

Lotta Luv, LLC has been appointed to manufacture flavored lip balm. The lip balm, in four flavors, will be available to retailers in June and will initially be sold in mid-tier department stores and specialty stores.

The Valen Group is exploring licensing opportunities for other categories such as convenience-oriented breakfast products sold in grocery stores, Rooty Tooty Fresh ‘n Fruity flavored candy, apparel, and a waffle maker and griddle for cooking at home.

Toys “R” Us Kicks off 2010 Bundled in Hope Campaign

Toys “R” Us, Inc. has launched its 2010 Bundled in Hope campaign benefiting Save the Children, a global humanitarian agency working to assist children in the U.S. and around the world. To kick off the campaign, the Toys “R” Us Children’s Fund donated a $250,000 grant to Save the Children.

Now through July 11, all donations made at Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us stores nationwide and online at Toysrus.com/BundledinHope will be given to Save the Children’s U.S. Programs, which help to purchase blankets and provide support for babies in need across the country.

Royal Jumbo Appoints Spin Master as Stratego Licensee for North America

Royal Jumbo, part of The Netherlands’ JumboDiset toy company, has appointed Spin Master as its partner for the production, sales, and marketing of Stratego in North America and Canada. The agreement with Spin Master will start January 1, 2011.

Royal Jumbo recently announced that its exclusive Stratego license agreement with Hasbro, which ends at the end of this year, would not be renewed. The partnership between Hasbro and Royal Jumbo lasted for nearly 50 years. Royal Jumbo stated that “strategic changes in both companies ultimately drove the decision not to renew the license after its regular expiration.”

The Netherlands to Attempt Highest LEGO Tower Record in June

On June 3, the people of Limmen, a small town in The Netherlands, will attempt to break the record for the world’s highest LEGO tower. The attempt will take four days and require more than one million LEGO bricks. Currently, the record for highest LEGO tower constructed––set in Oslo, Norway––is 30.22 meters, or approximately 99.15 feet.

The event will kick off the morning of June 3 when Sir Kim Rosner Pederson, the mayor of Castricum (the municipality for Limmen) and the primary secretary of the Danish Embassy in The Netherlands, places the first brick of the tower. A secret artist will close the event on June 6, potentially celebrating a new world record.

Past cities to hold the record for “Highest LEGO Tower of the World” include Toronto, Hong Kong, Moscow, Sydney, Seoul, London, Tokyo, Munich, and Oslo.

Limmen Ludiek, the organization behind the event, has also broken the record for biggest cocktail of the BeNeLux region (in 2001, with over 2,000 litres of liquid), and the biggest pyramid of the world (in 2005, with 63,365 beer crates).

Zoobies Hires New CEO

Zoobies, LLC has hired Arete Passas as CEO of the company. Passas has extensive consumer goods and toy experience, working at companies such as Proctor & Gamble, Crayola, Scholastic, and Mattel. Formerly, Passas was the CEO of Manhattan Toy Company.

Passas has also served as a director on the Toy Industry Association board and chaired the committee for the ToyCon industry conference.

Healthy Child Healthy World Teams with Brand Central, LLC

Healthy Child Healthy World, a nonprofit that educates parents on how to protect young children from harmful chemicals, has appointed Brand Central, LLC, a consumer products agency based in Los Angeles, as its retail business development agency.

Together, the companies will create retail destinations for parents seeking guidance, information, and healthy products. Brand Central and Healthy Child Healthy World have both started negotiations with several retailers in product categories such as toys, food and beverage, home improvement, and health and beauty.

Bella Sara Gives Back to the Patients of Children’s Medical Center Dallas

Bella Sara has always operated with children and the community at the forefront of the brand’s mission. Recently, Bella Sara donated over 900 plush horse toys to Children’s Medical Center Dallas, located in Dallas, Texas.

Children’s Medical Center Dallas receives more than 360,000 patient visits each year, and conducts everything from simple eye exams to specialized treatments for serious illnesses. The 487-bed hospital offers patients and families the much needed comfort and convenience during their stay, and is committed to providing the highest level of care for children.

Scholastic Presents an Elementary Showdown for “Word Domination”

On May 11, students in the first, second, and third grades will compete in Scholastic’s WordGirl Definition Competition, battling for “word domination.”

Inspired by WordGirl, which airs daily on PBS Kids Go!, the WordGirl Definition Competition will be held in a game show format and hosted by WordGirl herself, as well as Beau Handsome of the “May I Have a Word” segment of the show. The event will consist of three short rounds and a one-minute bonus round, challenging contestants in questions pertaining to word usage, reading comprehension, definitions, and using words in different contexts.

Second Annual “Stuff-a-Thon” to Take Place This Friday

This Friday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., members of the toy industry will join forces with the Toy Industry Foundation and the My Stuff Bags Foundation to fill approximately 5,000 duffel bags with toys, toiletries, and handmade items. The “Do Good Stuff-a-Thon” bags will be distributed to shelters and foster care agencies across the United States.

Representatives from across the toy and children’s entertainment industries will include employees from Disney, Educational Insights, JAKKS Pacific, Pacific Play Tents, and more. Other companies, such as Hasbro, iToys, and Schoenhut Piano Company, have provided product for the bags.

GUEST BLOG: Share the Love with Mother’s Day Email Marketing

by Wendy Lowe

Many small businesses have a great opportunity to boost Mother’s Day sales via email marketing. If your business is one of the millions that offer beauty products, apparel, flowers, or other things that Mom would enjoy, you’re in luck! Hallmark doesn’t have to be the only company that does great business on Mother’s Day.

Many people have trouble figuring out what to give Mom on her day. This means your audience of prospects and customers would enjoy some creative purchase ideas that are easy to choose from. Your customers may also have forgotten about a gift so emails can be a valuable reminder to them. Here are five tips to help you get going:

1) Consider your products and services and look for a small selection (only one to three items) that you can promote in an email. This keeps the buyer decision process easy. Sometimes more information and choices only create doubt and uncertainty. Also, try to avoid suggesting products that require a specific size or fit, since all of us may not know Mom’s current dress size.

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