Author: Jacqueline Cucco

Storm Collectibles Launches Gears of War Action Figures

Storm Collectibles Launches Gears of War Action Figures

Posted by | Feb 15, 2019 | , ,

Bluefin, a Bandai Namco group company and a North American distributor of toys, collectibles, and hobby merchandise from Japan and Asia, announces a new action figure product line from Storm Collectibles as it opens preorders for Gears of War. A pair of officially licensed new 1/12-scale figures for Marcus Fenix and Augustus Cole will launch the new Storm Collectibles’ line based on the Gears of War video games. The figures will be available this summer from authorized Bluefin retailers nationwide, and also from a variety of leading online outlets. Preorders are available now. Bluefin also announces a special Gears of War figure...

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The Toy Association Gears Up For Creative Factor 2019

The Toy Association Gears Up For Creative Factor 2019

Posted by | Jan 16, 2019 | , ,

Toy Fair New York is right around the corner, and attendees have a lot to look forward to at The Toy Association’s Creative Factor, a series of events in which inventors, designers, and entrepreneurs come together to share ideas, experiences, and skills. Co-founders Brett Klisch, creative director at Peru Meridian Studios, and Marian Bossard, executive vice president of global market events at The Toy Association started Creative Factor 16 years ago. The program has evolved greatly over the years. In the past, the events were spread all over the Javits Center, with “classes in the back of the show...

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Hasbro, Cartoon Network Partner for Transformers: Cyberverse

Hasbro, Cartoon Network Partner for Transformers: Cyberverse

Posted by | Nov 20, 2018 |

Hasbro Studios, the Los Angeles-based entertainment distribution division of Hasbro Inc., entered international deal with Cartoon Network to distribute the first season of the animated series Transformers: Cyberverse to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. The deal includes both linear and digital distribution to bring the show, which already airs on Cartoon Network in the U.S., to the rest of the...

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Chicago Toy & Game Group Names 2018 TAGIE Award Winners

Chicago Toy & Game Group Names 2018 TAGIE Award Winners

Posted by | Nov 20, 2018 |

The winners for the ninth annual Toy & Game Innovation (TAGIE) Awards were announced at a gala on Navy Pier in Chicago on Friday night. The TAGIE Awards paid tribute to toy and game inventors from around the world, and excellence was recognized in the Toy Innovator, Game Innovator, Rising Star Innovator, and Digital Toy or Game Innovator categories. Industry colleagues and the public selected the winners. The evening’s events included a keynote address by Nancy Zwiers, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Spin Master, and culminated with Lifetime Achievement Awards being given to David Small and...

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Consumers Will Spend 4.1 Percent More Than Last Year During Winter Holidays

Consumers Will Spend 4.1 Percent More Than Last Year During Winter Holidays

Posted by | Oct 24, 2018 | ,

Consumers say they will spend an average of $1,007.24 during the holiday season this year, up 4.1 percent from the $967.13 they said they would spend last year, according to the annual survey released today by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The consumer survey comes on top of NRF’s annual holiday spending forecast, which takes into account a variety of economic factors to project overall spending rather than per-consumer spending. The forecast estimated that holiday retail sales in November and December will increase between 4.3 percent and 4.8 percent over last year for a total between...

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LeapFrog Launches LeapStart 3D Interactive Learning System

LeapFrog Launches LeapStart 3D Interactive Learning System

Posted by | Oct 24, 2018 |

LeapFrog Enterprises Inc.’s LeapStart 3D is now available at major retailers nationwide. LeapStart 3D is an update to the LeapStart Interactive Learning System, which combines real books with 3D-like animations. Touch-and-talk activities enhance learning with interactive animations to help kids build math, reading, problem-solving skills, and more. The stylus reads invisible dots on every page, triggering questions, challenges, songs, and more. The LeapStart leveled library has also grown with new licensed titles featuring popular children’s characters, including Mickey and the Roadster Racers, Disney Princesses, and Pixar characters such as The Incredibles, Lightning McQueen, and Nemo. The entire LeapStart library...

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Calico Critters Celebrates Retail Launch of New Town Series with Pop-Up Experience

Calico Critters Celebrates Retail Launch of New Town Series with Pop-Up Experience

Posted by | Oct 15, 2018 | ,

Epoch Everlasting Play kicked off the holiday shopping season with an interactive pop-up experience to celebrate the retail launch of the Calico Critters’ new Town series. The series, first introduced in 1985, features detailed animal figures that live like humans with a focus on nature, family, and love. The collection is now available at specialty stores nationwide and online at Amazon. The pop-up experience took place at Stella’s Exclusive Town Tea at Lady Mendl’s Tea Salon in New York City. It featured life-size replicas of the play set, including a chance to step inside Stella’s Designer Studio, taste testing...

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Pocket.watch Shows Featuring YouTube Stars Stream on Hulu, Amazon

Pocket.watch Shows Featuring YouTube Stars Stream on Hulu, Amazon

Posted by | Oct 15, 2018 | , ,

The startup Pocket.watch is repackaging content from top YouTube kids’ channels, including Ryan ToysReview, into half-hour TV show formats that are now streaming on Hulu and Amazon Prime Video, according to an article by Variety. The first format is called “Ultimate Mishmash,” which strings together best-of clips from Pocket.watch’s collection of YouTubers into 22-minute episodes. The initial series are individually dedicated to five creator partners: Ryan ToysReview, HobbyKidsTV, EvanTubeHD, JillianTubeHD, and CaptainSparklez. Pocked.watch also has an original half-hour series called “Pocket.watch Challenge Squad,” in which a team takes part in fun challenges, such as Oreo taste-tastes. Hulu licensed a...

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September Retail Sales Increased 3 Percent Over Last Year

September Retail Sales Increased 3 Percent Over Last Year

Posted by | Oct 15, 2018 | ,

September’s retail sales increased 0.4 percent over August on a seasonally adjusted basis, and were up 3 percent year-over-year unadjusted, according to calculations released today by the National Retail Federation (NRF). The numbers exclude automobiles, gasoline stations, and restaurants. September sales were up 4.5 percent on a three-month moving average, compared with the same period last year. NRF’s numbers are based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, which released overall September sales—including automobiles, gasoline, and restaurants—were up 0.1 percent seasonally adjusted from August and 4.7 percent above September of last year. Specifics from key retail sectors during September include: Online...

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Rick And Morty Licensing Program Adds New Partners and Products

Rick And Morty Licensing Program Adds New Partners and Products

Posted by | Aug 21, 2018 |

Cartoon Network Enterprises grows its licensing program for the popular Adult Swim series Rick and Morty. With more than a dozen new partners, a diverse range of products will be available for fans that span across multiple categories, including home décor, apparel, accessories, toys, and more. Just Toys will produce a line of Rick and Morty SquishMe’s available during the holiday season at mass retailers and specialty stores. Kidrobot will release Rick and Morty Slippery Stair figures this month, available at kidrobot.com with a glow-in-the-dark exclusive colorway available at Hot Topic. Fuckjerry launched the Rick and Morty expansion pack of its popular What Do You Meme adult party game exclusively at Spencer’s stores...

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