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Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Mattel Partner for Hot Wheels World’s Best Driver

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has partnered with Mattel Inc. for the global distribution, sales, and trade marketing of the upcoming Hot Wheels World’s Best Driver video game launching on September 17 in North America for Xbox 360, PlayStation3, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, and PC.

In Hot Wheels World’s Best Driver, players join the ranks of Team Hot Wheels and compete in dozens of fast-paced, replayable challenges highlighting the driving styles of the different teams. Featuring 24 Hot Wheels vehicles and set in four under-the-radar test facilities around the world, the game pushes players to their limits to see if they have what it takes to become Hot Wheels World’s Best Driver.

Mattel is also bringing the Hot Wheels brand to life with a real-life crew of stunt drivers taking stunt-driving to the next level with never-before-seen, gravity-defying stunts in life-size Hot Wheels cars. This year, Mattel continues to introduce new Hot Wheels content, including a 22-minute World’s Best Driver movie on the Hot Wheels YouTube channel and HotWheels.com.

Hot Wheels: World’s Best Driver is being developed by Firebrand Games.

GameStop Opens Pre-Orders for Skylanders Swap Force Starter Pack

GameStop has announced the exclusive Skylanders Swap Force Dark Edition Starter Pack, for the Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, and PS3 systems, is now available for pre-order.

The Dark Edition Starter Pack includes: the video game, a Portal of Power, five exclusive Dark Edition Skylanders figures, a character poster, five sticker sheets with secret codes, five trading cards. Customers that pre-order a Skylanders Swap Force Starter Pack (Dark Edition or Regular Edition) will receive a free new LightCore Hex Skylanders figure while supplies last.

Customers can pre-order Skylanders Swap Force at GameStop online or stores nationwide.

Looski Pups Launches Kickstarter Campaign for Digital Puppies

Looksi Pups, from Looksi, are described as a cross between Nintendogs and Tamagotchi. Looksi Pups transform a digital puppy into a physical puppy with the revolutionary 3-D Looksi Kennel. Download the free iPhone app, pop your iPhone into the Looksi Kennel, and the Looksi Pups comes to life in 3-D, tail wagging and ready to play.

The many features of Looksi Pups include seven different breeds of pups; 15 voice commands including fetch, boogie, and chase tail; voice recognition which responds only to the owner’s voice; a host of extra accessories, games, and tricks to be unlocked; interaction capabilities with other Looksi Pups, who can play in each others’ kennels; an alarm clock and “guard dog” function; games which use voice commands and the phone’s tilt sensors; and a protective tray to keep the phone safe and secure.

There is a campaign on Kickstarter to bring Looksi Pups to retail shelves that will run for 28 days. Would-be customers can pledge money towards the project in return for a variety of rewards.

Blitz Games Teams Up with DreamWorks for Shrek Alarm App

Blitz Games debuts the release of DreamWorks’ Shrek Alarm, the first in a series of interactive character apps co-produced with DreamWorks Animation. This app is available now on iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and all Android devices.

Designed for Shrek fans of all ages, DreamWorks’ Shrek Alarm features full alarm clock functionality, day and nighttime modes, and a bedtime feature, which allows you to decide when Shrek falls asleep. In addition, DreamWorks’ Shrek Alarm features access to your music library so you can wake up and go to sleep with your favorite songs, Facebook integration, a world clock, a flashlight, a timer, a stop watch and an interactive weather feature with your five-day forecast.

DreamWorks’ Shrek Alarm is available now worldwide from the App Store and Google Play.

Trigger Happy’s Toon Hero App Changes Animation and Social Storytelling

Trigger Happy, the creators of platforms that enable social animation on mobile devices, launches Toon Hero, an app for iPad users of all ages to create their own animated stories using famous characters without any training or artistic ability. Using exclusively licensed characters and properties from studios such as The Jim Henson Co., Hero: 108, Mukpuddy, and National Geographic, among others, animated creations can be shared as status updates, stories, jokes, greetings, and more.

While animation can often require years of training, expensive software, complicated tool-sets and more, the Toon Hero app breaks down these barriers by making animation as easy as tapping, swiping, dragging, and talking.

Toon Hero users will experience a new way to express themselves through social media that’s not limited to 140 characters or static pictures. They have the ability to share a video that was created using their own imagination. Additionally, the launch of Toon Hero gives aspiring filmmakers, authors, and animators of all ages an outlet for storytelling and a new platform to be discovered. Read More…

Delta Children Offers Disney’s Planes Upholstered Chair

Disney’s Planes opened in theaters August 9, and takes off with Dusty (voiced by Dane Cook), a small town dreamer who longs to enter the most epic around-the-world air race despite his fear of heights. Just in time for the movie release, Delta Children has a Planes upholstered chair available at Toys “R” Us.

COMMENTARY: The Many Incarnations of Apples to Apples

Apples to Apples has emerged as a go-to party favorite for players of all ages. Since its debut in 1999, the game has become incredibly popular and has been reinvented time and time again to cater to different audiences. It is now published by Mattel and is available online and at retailers worldwide.

Apples to Apples

Apples to Apples Party Box contains more than 1,000 cards. Each player begins with seven red cards that contain “Things.” One player selects a green card and reads the “Description” aloud. The other players must then decide which of their red cards is the best match for the green card. For example, if the green card says “A day at the park,” players must choose the best card to fit that card. Players can select anything from the literal (perhaps “picnic”) to the silly (“dancing clowns”) to the ironic (“sad and lonely”). The player that read the green card must shuffle the cards and then pick the one they like best. The player that put in the winning card keeps the green card. The first player to get five green cards wins. Read More…

Heidi Swedberg and the Sukey Jump Band Releases Second Album

Heidi Swedberg, best-known from her role of Susan on Seinfeld, has built a national reputation for her ukulele-inflected, interactive approach to family music-making. Swedberg produced her second album, My Cup of Tea, for national retail release on September 10. To produce the album of 13 songs, Swedberg raised more than $5,000 through crowd-funding site Kickstarter and involved many of her musician friends to create a diverse album.

Amidst frequent national touring with Heidi and the Sukey Jump Band, Heidi holds ongoing weekly music classes at McCabe’s and Los Angeles schools, plus elementary schools and other venues. Her lessons and chord charts are available via the Sukey Jump channel on GoChords. Heidi and the Sukey Jump Band plan concerts in Southern California this fall. Visit the Sukey Jump calendar page for scheduling details.

The Jim Henson Co. Debuts New Preschool Property

The Jim Henson Co. is launching Jim Henson’s Chatter Zoo, its first preschool property to be released “digital first” for mobile platforms. The new app is a collaboration with Mindshapes, the creator of mobile learning applications for kids. Chatter Zoo aims to teach early language acquisition as young preschoolers interact with four baby animals.

Chatter Zoo, which was created by Alex Rockwell (Pajanimals, Bear in the Big Blue House), will premiere as a digital property prior to any other platform, and will be available in iTunes for iPhone and iPad on August 8. The Amazon Kindle Fire launch will follow in September. The Jim Henson Co. is simultaneously developing the property for television and ancillary products.

Mindshapes’ Chatter Zoo appisode includes two “Learn & Play” activities, two interactive stories, animations, and music content. Mindshapes’ Livebook format allows users to interact with the characters through touchscreen interactions. Users will experience four different activities in the Chatter Zoo house: Playtime, Mealtime, Bathtime, and Bedtime, all relatively time-appropriate (“day” or “night”). The app also features adaptive experiences like cause and effect, care giving, and responsibility, all taught by the Chatter Zoo characters, demonstrating positive social and intrapersonal values.

Luigi’s Living the Dream in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team

Nintendo will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of Luigi, the younger brother of its mascot character Mario, with Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, available exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS system.

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team is the fourth game in the company’s Mario & Luigi series. At certain points during the game, the gameplay shifts from controlling both brothers in an isometric 3-D world to controlling Mario and a dreaming Luigi through the side-scrolling vistas of his dreams. Using the touch screen on the Nintendo 3DS, players can manipulate a sleeping Luigi, which will in turn make things happen in the dream world. Luigi also has special powers in his dreams, such as spawning hundreds of himself to form towers or wrecking balls.

Nintendo had previously named 2013 the “Year of Luigi,” and had announced plans to release several games starring the character. In addition to retail stores, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team can also be purchased and downloaded at the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS.