October 2013

Hastings Hosts Midnight Release Party for Battlefield 4, Assassin’s Creed IV

Hastings Entertainment Inc. has announced its plans to host a midnight release party for both Battlefield 4 and Assassin’s Creed IV on October 28. Battlefield 4 is a sequel to 2011’s Battlefield 3 and the 13th installment of the Battlefield first-person shooter video game. Assassin’s Creed IV is a sequel to Assassin’s Creed III and is expected to introduce a full cast of historical pirate characters.

Festivities for the night will begin at 9 p.m. local time and will end with the release of the games at midnight. Only select stores will participate in the midnight release party, so check with your local store to see if they are among those participating. All participating stores will also host a Pirates vs. Soldiers costume contest. The winner at each store location will win a Hastings $25 gift card.

While awaiting the release of the game, Hastings will also have a number of offers going on throughout the store. These offers will include 30 percent off all used video game accessories, video games, vinyl, books, and CDs; 20 percent off select headphones; and $10 off first party XBOX 360 and PS3 controllers. In addition, all energy drinks during the midnight release party will be two for $4, fountain drinks will be $0.99, and candy will be “buy two and get the third free.”

Warner Bros., Sesame Workshop Release Sesame Street: Fairytale Fun DVD

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, have released Sesame Street: Fairytale Fun on DVD. Now kids can join Elmo and Abby on their educational adventure through fairytales, such as Hansel and Gretel and nursery rhymes with Mother Goose.

The two-hour DVD includes a CinderElmo bonus feature and everyone’s favorite Sesame Street monsters such as Oscar the Grouch. Now in its 44th season, Sesame Street is the longest-running program in kids’ TV and this new addition to the program’s collection of DVDs will be just as fun and educational. The Sesame Street: Fairytale Fun release is also available for digital download.

Angry Birds Star Wars Licensed Products Provide a Boost to the Toy Industry

Based on data from The NPD Group, Angry Birds Star Wars is the best new toy license in the big five European toy markets so far this year. Sales of Angry Birds Star Wars during this period was £5.3 million, ahead of second place Skylanders at £4 million, and third place Monsters University at £2.9 million. Angry Birds Star Wars is even the No. 1 license in the board games category.

Over the first seven months, Angry Birds and Angry Birds Star Wars combined ranked as the 14th biggest license overall in the big five European markets and 12th biggest overall in the UK. Just one year ago, Angry Birds alone was ranked at a much lower 39th place in the big five markets in Europe.

The original Angry Birds sold £4.2 million worth of toys in the first seven months of last year across the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The figure for the same seven-month period this year had almost doubled to £8.1 million. With the Angry Birds Star Wars sales performance of £5.3 million added in, in total, the Angry Birds license achieved combined sales of £13.4 million in the seven months through this July. Read More…

Mega Bloks, Activision Introduce New Call of Duty Collector Construction Sets

Mega Brands Inc. and Activision Publishing Inc. have introduced a new premium line of Mega Bloks Collector Construction Sets, based on the Call of Duty franchise. The new line brings a level of sophistication and detail never before seen in the highly collectible construction category.

Call of Duty Collector Construction Sets are part of a multi-year, global license with Activision that expands upon the two companies’ development of innovative, creative, and entertaining construction collectibles. The sets offer a range that includes buildable vehicles, themed locations, and collectible micro action figures. The action figures feature a level of articulation that includes unique joint design and poseability.

Diono Collaborates with Little Tikes on New Product Line

Diono will introduce a new line of products stemming from a collaborative partnership with Little Tikes. The international license agreement will feature a broad range of juvenile products, including more than 50 new items spanning from car seats and strollers to travel accessories and gear.

The new line, available early next year at major retailers nationwide and in key international markets, will include:

Little Tikes Cozy Coupe Accessories and Gear: The Little Tikes red and yellow Cozy Coupe toy car now has its own dedicated line of juvenile products, including booster seats, car organizers, and roller car shades.
Little Tikes Booster Seats: Machine-washable and available in multiple colors.
Little Tikes Strollers: The new Little Tikes Lightweight Stroller and Travel Stroller include a three- or five-point harness, extra-tall comfort grip handles, and cup holders and storage features. These are designed for kids up to 50 lbs and available in four different colors.
Little Tikes Car and Travel Accessories: From car and on-the-go accessories like a travel bottle warmer or sit and play bouncer, the line includes 17 new products.

Bunnies By the Bay Introduces the Red Thread Collection

Bunnies By The Bay, from Kids Preferred, has introduced The Red Thread Collection. This new division of the Bunnies By The Bay brand has introduced items for all ages.

Red Thread is bringing more hearts and minds together through a new collection of soft, sweet toys for both little ones and adults who are truly kids at heart. They recognize that everyone longs to be connected to someone who loves them and believes that every heart is connected by an invisible red thread, which sparked the inspiration for this new collection. Products introduced by the collection are The Wobbly Friends, Little Big Friends, Wee Friends, Scraggly Friends, Welcome to the Jungle, and Be Elfish, Not Selfish.

In support and celebration of this new collection, Bunnies By The Bay is also bringing together several organizations that support orphans and abandoned children in the U.S and worldwide, and giving a percentage of proceeds to global charities and nonprofits. Half the Sky is an organization that offers the love and concern of family for thousands of orphaned children in China who have lost theirs. Worldwide Orphans works to transform the lives of orphaned children to help them become healthy, independent, productive members of their communities and the world.

Ubisoft Releases Complete Tracklist for Rocksmith 2014 Edition

Ubisoft has revealed the complete tracklist included in Rocksmith 2014 Edition made of 55 songs ranging from the latest hits to classic rock songs. Ten more tracks are revealed including “Everlong” by Foo Fighters and “Every Breath You Take” by The Police.

Players who own the previous version of Rocksmith will be able to further enjoy their rock experience in Rocksmith 2014 Edition by importing the songs that were included in the first version (an extra cost will apply). Each song from the first version has been revamped to support all of the new features, including Automatic Tone Switching, Articulation, Timing, and Instant Riff Repeater. Additionally, the DLC bought for Rocksmith will be compatible with Rocksmith 2014 Edition at no extra cost.

Other tracks included are “Paint It, Black” by The Rolling Stones, “Paranoid Android” by Radiohead, “Now” by Paramore, “X-Kid” by Green Day, “Walk This Way” by Aerosmith, and many more.

Scottish Island Teams Up With Skylanders Swap Force

VisitScotland, The Highland Council, and Activision Publishing Inc., an owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard Inc. have announced that the Isle of Skye in Scotland has virtually twinned with Skylands, the home of Skylanders Swap Force.

The Scottish Highlands have been brought together with the virtual islands of Skylands, to celebrate the month of Swaptober and the launch of Skylanders Swap Force. The virtual twinning marks the first time a video game world has twinned with a real destination. Skylanders Swap Force is available now at retail stores in North America and will be available in Australia on October 16 and Europe on October 18.

Activision and VisitScotland brought the virtual world of Skylands to the Scottish Highlands through a visit to the Isle of Skye by Wash Buckler, one of the new Skylanders Swap Force characters. Wash Buckler toured some of the island’s most famous landmarks and visited the children at Portree Primary School. Also, there was a Swap takeover of the Isle of Skye website www.skye.co.uk, where Skylanders franchise fans worldwide can type Swap on the homepage to watch the magic unfold.

Mattel Launches Playground Productions Creative Storytelling Division

Mattel Inc. has announced the formation of Playground Productions, a new division within the Mattel Global Brands group dedicated to the creation and development of strategic multiplatform storytelling. Playground Productions will drive creative storytelling across all Mattel brands, including Barbie, Monster High, and Max Steel, along with the development and launch of the new animation Team Hot Wheels: The Origin of Awesome debuting next year.

Playground Productions has brought on Mercury Filmworks for the project in a story that delivers new Hot Wheels thrills in three formats including a 22-minute origin story for spring, 11 humorous two-minute action-packed shorts for the summer, and a 74-minute direct-to-video movie for the fall.

Additionally, Playground Productions will manage and provide creative direction for the recently announced live-action feature film for Max Steel. In co-development with Dolphin Films, the movie will have a wide release in theaters next year. The division is also partnering with Columbia Pictures on an upcoming Masters of the Universe theatrical project.

ASTRA Announces 2014 Marketplace & Academy Theme and Dates

The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association‘s (ASTRA) theme of its 2014 Marketplace & Academy is “Where play means business.” The event will take place in Phoenix from June 8 to 11.

“Our theme underscores that the specialty toy industry is serious about our business and serious about working together to maximize our success,” said Kathleen McHugh, president of ASTRA. “We are planning a fun and productive event that will help specialty toy and children’s products retailers have an extraordinary fourth quarter in 2014.”

With more than 1,400 members, ASTRA is the largest association for companies in the toy and children’s products arenas.