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KidKraft Appoints Todd Whitbeck as Chief Financial Officer

KidKraft Inc. hired Todd Whitbeck to serve as the company’s chief financial officer.

With more than 30 years of experience in finance and corporate development, Whitbeck comes to KidKraft from CANarchy, where he served as chief financial officer and head of business development, sales, marketing, and administrative functions for the collective of craft beer breweries. At KidKraft, Whitbeck will oversee global financial operations and work closely with CEO Geoff Walker on continued growth and international expansion as the company builds on its 50-year legacy in the toy and juvenile product industry.

“Todd is a seasoned finance executive and his leadership will help drive KidKraft’s growth strategies,” Walker says. “I’m excited for his partnership and to welcome him as a key member of our executive team.”

Whitbeck’s other experience includes CFO roles at JP Energy, Sears Holdings Corp., and CompUSA, in addition to a successful run at Water Pik Inc., during which time he worked with MidOcean Partners to orchestrate the sale of the company. MidOcean is the private equity firm that currently owns KidKraft.

“I look forward to working with Geoff and the team at KidKraft and to leveraging my prior experience to fuel the company’s growth,” Whitbeck says. “Having worked across many industries throughout my career, it’s refreshing after all these years to work with a company that inspires the imaginations of children who will lead future generations.”

The Toy Association Reveals 2020 Toy Industry Hall of Fame Inductees

A trio of legendary toymakers will enter the Toy Industry Hall of Fame next year, joining the ranks of Milton Bradley, Joan Ganz Cooney, Walt Disney, Ruth Handler, Jim Henson, and Stan Lee, among others.

The Toy Association revealed that Thomas Chan, founder and CEO of Playmates Toys Inc.; Thomas G. Murdough Jr., founder of Little Tikes, Step2, and Simplay3; and the late Harry Kislevitz, founder of Colorforms Corp., will be honored as the Hall of Fame’s 2020 inductees.

“Thomas Chan, Thomas G. Murdough, Jr., and Harry Kislevitz have made a lasting impact on the global toy community, inspiring generations of creative, imaginative, and physical play. They have introduced products that challenged play norms and evolved them into evergreen brands that continue to be loved by kids young and old,” says Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of The Toy Association. “A clear commitment to innovative design and marketing is a career-long hallmark among all three inductees and serves as inspiration to future toy and playmakers. For 2020, our members once again offered an impressive array of potential nominees and from that cadre, three worthy giants have emerged.”

The current roster of 79 toy industry luminaries consists of individuals who have made significant contributions to the industry and to the lives of children through toys and play. Members of The Toy Association nominate and vote on the inductees.

Inductees will be honored at the 20th annual Toy of the Year Awards (TOTY) gala on Feb. 21, 2020 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City. The ceremony kicks off the 117th North American International Toy Fair.

LEGO, Justice Expand Brand Partnership, Offer Build & Shop Events

The LEGO Group and Justice are expanding their partnership to encourage girls to engage in creative play.

On Nov. 10, 300 Justice stores across the U.S. and Canada will host an after-hours Build & Shop event from 6-8 p.m. The first 25 girls to sign up for the free event at each location will receive a special LEGO set to build and take home.

Justice stores will sell a variety of LEGO Friends and LEGO Disney building sets, including an assortment inspired by Disney’s forthcoming Frozen 2.

“We are thrilled to expand our partnership with Justice, a brand that shares our same values of inspiring and developing girls and their interests through self-expression,” says Michael McNally, senior director, brand relations at LEGO Systems Inc. “The Live Justice mantra of ‘Every Girl. Every Day.’ makes their stores a perfect place to create memorable experiences where girls can get hands-on experimenting with LEGO bricks and then find the perfect LEGO set to continue the fun at home.”

Previous collaborations between LEGO Group and Justice have included sponsorship of the Live Justice Awards and activations tied to the Live Justice Summit.

Hasbro Reveals Power Rangers Lightning Collection Wave 3

Hasbro has some morphin’ additions to its Power Rangers toy line.

During the company’s panel at Paris Comic Con, Hasbro revealed four new action figures to the Power Rangers Lightning collection. These 6-inch figures feature Photo Real technology for realistic actor likeness, premium paint and decorative details, and more than 20 points of articulation for high poseablity. They also come with swappable heads for the rangers with and without their helmets, accessories, and an extra pair of hands for more ways to play and display.

The line will be available next spring at major retailers for kids ages 4 and up, and is available for preorder now on hasbropulse.com. The assortment includes:

POWER RANGERS LIGHTNING COLLECTION 6” MIGHTY MORPHIN RED RANGER Figure

The Red Ranger figure comes with a Power Sword accessory, a blade blaster accessory, and a blast effect piece.

POWER RANGERS LIGHTNING COLLECTION 6” BEAST MORPHERS BLUE RANGER Figure

This Beast Morphers Blue Ranger figure includes three character-inspired accessories, including the Beast-X Saber.

POWER RANGERS LIGHTNING COLLECTION 6” DINO CHARGE GOLD RANGER Figure

This Dino Charge Gold Ranger toy comes with the Ptera Saber and a blast effect piece.

POWER RANGERS LIGHTNING COLLECTION 6” MIGHTY MORPHIN LORD DRAKKON Figure

This Lord Drakkon figure includes multiple character-inspired accessories, including the Dragon Dagger and a blast effect piece.

Thames & Kosmos Unleashes Cities: Skylines Board Game

Following a European debut at PDXCON in Berlin and SPIEL in Essen, Germany earlier this month, Thames & Kosmos released Cities: Skylines – The Board Game in the U.S.

Cities: Skylines brings to life the best-selling video game from Paradox Interactive as a physical experience in which players must work together to plan, build, and manage a city. Starting with a vacant plot of land, players can develop their own residential, commercial, and industrial areas, to create new neighborhoods and landscapes. Mirroring the zoning challenges of real life, each player has to consider a multitude of factors, including the environment, crime, traffic flow, and access to education and financial resources for the inhabitants of their city. A successful city comes from thoughtful development resulting in a happy population.

“Since its release in 2015, more than six million copies of the video game have sold worldwide and the active monthly user count remains strong today,” says Andrew Quartin, CEO of Thames & Kosmos. “A large portion of the players who have been building the city of their dreams digitally for years also enjoy the analog nature of classic board games. This new edition caters to their inherent enthusiasm for the game and offers up some key variations that will also interest other board game fans. For one, the board game is completely cooperative: everyone has to work together to build a city as successfully as possible.”

Cities: Skylines is available at independent toy and game stores and via Amazon. The game will become available as mass retail next year.

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Hasbro Expands Toy Recycling Program to Canada

Hasbro is bringing its recycling initiative to more countries worldwide.

The company is expanding its toy and game recycling program, in partnership with TerraCycle, to Canada. Through the program, consumers can send their Hasbro toys and games to TerraCycle to be recycled into materials that will be used to construct play spaces, flower pots, and park benches, as well as used for other innovative purposes.

“Through the expansion of Hasbro’s Toy Recycling Program to Canada, we’re now able to provide Canadian consumers with a sustainable solution for recycling their well-loved toys and games,” Greg Ferguson, vice president, marketing for Hasbro Canada, says. “By choosing Hasbro toys and games, consumers can feel confident that our products are of the highest quality, responsibly made, and recyclable through TerraCycle.”

RELATED: PLAY FOR TODAY, PLAY FOR TOMORROW: THE SHIFT TOWARD ECO-FRIENDLY TOYS AND SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION

The program was piloted last year in the U.S. and expanded this year to consumers in Germany and France, with additional plans to launch in Brazil later this year.

Canadian residents can learn more about participating here. Similar to the U.S. program, available at www.hasbrotoyrecycling.com, once participants sign up, they can collect and box up their toys and games, print out a free shipping label, and send their box to TerraCycle. The program is open to all Hasbro toys and games, including face-to-face games, toys, action figures, dolls, plush, and more.

Holiday Shoppers Plan to Spend 4% More This Year, NRF Says

Consumers say they will spend more this holiday season.

According to the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics’ annual survey released today, consumers will spend an average of $1,047.83 this holiday season, up 4% from the $1,007.24 they said they would spend last year.

“Consumers are in good financial shape and willing to spend a little more on gifts for the special people in their lives this holiday season,” says NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay. “Retailers are fully prepared to meet the needs of holiday shoppers looking for that perfect mix of sales, quality, and selection.”

Retailers are expected to import near-record volumes of merchandise ahead of the tariffs that are scheduled to take effect on a wide range of consumer goods from China on Dec. 15.

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 be up between 3.8% and 4.2% over last year, for a total of between $727.9 billion and $730.7 billion.

KFC, Funko Add PEZ to Colonel Sanders Collaboration

Funko KFC Pop PEZ

Following the successful run of Colonel Sanders Pop! Vinyl collectibles this summer, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and Funko are teaming up again.

The purveyors of chicken featuring the famous blend of 11 herbs and spices and the Washington-based leaders in pop culture and lifestyle collectibles have added PEZ to their partnership this time around. The Colonel Sanders Pop! PEZ dispenser showcases Sanders with his iconic white hair and signature glasses. The Pop! PEZ is on sale now at Amazon and select retailers including Barnes & Noble and the official PEZ store.

“PEZ dispensers are as iconic as the Colonel and his signature white suit,” says Andrea Zahumensky, KFC U.S. chief marketing officer. “Now, even the Colonel will be giving out candy this Halloween.”

Upon release this summer, Funko and KFC issued a limited edition variant of the Colonel Sanders Pop! Vinyl that sold out from the Funko Shop in just 11 minutes.

“It’s not a savory bucket of fried chicken, yet the new Colonel Sanders Pop! PEZ is a sweet addition to our line of ad icons, and we’re thrilled to have him join the Pop! PEZ family,” says Molly Hartney, Funko’s chief marketing officer.

For decades, Colonel Sanders memorabilia has been highly sought-after by collectors. In the early 1990s, a prototype for a Colonel Sanders PEZ dispenser was created for a potential promotion that never came to fruition. That version featured a red base, and only two examples are known to exist — one of which resides in the PEZ Visitor Center in Orange, Connecticut.

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eOne, EBS Expand ‘Peppa Pig’ in South Korea

Families in South Korea will have new seasons of Peppa Pig to enjoy.

Entertainment One (eOne) inked an expanded agreement with the free-to-air broadcaster EBS to air seasons five, six, and seven in the region. eOne also appointed EBS to serve as its licensing agent for Peppa Pig in the region.

“The response to Peppa Pig across Asia has been amazing,” says Olivier Dumont, president, family and brands, eOne. “It is a testament to the universal appeal of series that it has secured a highly sought-after slot on the EBS schedule and we’re delighted that our Korean fans will be able to see new Peppa episodes on a network they love. Our new partnership with EBS will enable us to bring Peppa to the widest possible audience in South Korea and we’re excited about its potential in the region.”

EBS first aired Peppa Pig in 2013, and also holds broadcast rights for seasons one, two, and three. The educational network debuted season five this May.

Peppa Pig is one of the major eOne properties at the center of Hasbro’s acquisition of the company, which is currently progressing through regulatory hurdles.

Animaccord, Energizer Partner for ‘Masha and the Bear’ Lighting

Masha and the Bear have a new partner lighting the way on their path to adventure: Energizer.

Animaccord, the global media licensing company and studio behind the hit series inked a new licensing deal with Energizer, who will design and create flashlights and headlights inspired by Masha and the Bear. The deal was put together by Maurizio Distefano – The Evolution of Licensing (MDL), Animaccord’s licensing agent in Italy.

One of the world’s largest producers of batteries and portable lighting products, Energizer will launch the new range across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa (EMEA).

The collection is set to debut in January, with availability spread across hypermarkets, independent retailers, and e-commerce outlets in more than 100 countries.