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Mattel Taps Walmart Exec as Global Corporate Communications VP

Mattel Inc. is updating its global communications team.

The company hired Danit Marquardt as vice president of global corporate communications. The former Walmart executive will lead 360-degree communications for corporate narratives and will partner with the brand public relations team to fully leverage consumer announcements for corporate and internal audiences. Marquardt will report to Dena Cook, executive vice president and head of global communications and public relations.

Marquardt, whose previous experience includes positions at Cohn & Wolfe, Zeno Group, and Fleishman Hillard, recently led consumer communications for walmart.com, prior to which she oversaw communication for marketing and various merchandising divisions for Walmart U.S.

Additionally, Marissa Beck was recently promoted to senior director global brand communications, reporting directly to Cook.

ASTRA’s 10th Annual Neighborhood Toy Store Day Brings Families, Retailers Together

Neighborhood Toy Store Day celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, and the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) is offering resources to independent toy stores to help make the most of this important day within the holiday selling season.

On Saturday, November 9, Neighborhood Toy Store day will serve as a community kick-off for the holidays with stores hosting events and playdates, in addition to offering giveaways, raffles, and product discounts. Traditionally, many stores also pledge to donate a portion of sales to a local charity.

“It’s not too late to plan your Neighborhood Toy Store Day this year — whether simple and basic or a big celebration,” says Kimberly Mosley, president of ASTRA. “Any independent toy store is welcome to participate and share the unique products and retail personality you bring to your community. If you are a member of ASTRA, you’ll get extra resources to help you plan and promote a successful event.”

Mosely notes that Neighborhood Toy Store Day is a prime opportunity for toy store owners to shine a light on what makes their stores different, with a focus on the variety of products and the high level of customer service that independent toy stores can offer families and gift-givers.

ASTRA members can take advantage of promotional materials, receive tips for last-minute promotional ideas, and receive graphic templates for signage and advertising. Members can also access media lists covering both traditional media and social influencers, and the campaign will be supported by ASTRA through national media outreach.

To date, nearly 80 manufacturers have provided ASTRA members with Neighborhood Toy Store day specials, including price discounts, promotional materials, and special payment terms.

FAO Schwarz Opens European Flagships at Selfridges, Arnotts

Following its return to the U.S. with the opening of a flagship store in New York City last fall and the opening of its first international flagship in Beijing this spring, FAO Schwarz is opening its first European flagship toy stores.

Now open on Oxford Street in London, FAO Schwarz at Selfridges features more than 22,000 square feet of toys and experiences for the whole family. Next week, a 6,000 square-foot location will open inside Arnotts in Dublin, Ireland.

FAO Schwarz at Selfridges features Discovery #MINDBLOWN, FAO Schweetz, LEGO, and more.

“The opening of these flagships and expansion in Europe further exemplifies FAO Schwarz as a global kids lifestyle brand,” says Jan-Eric Kloth, chief operating officer of ThreeSixty Group, owners of FAO Schwarz. “FAO Schwarz has proven time and again that our in-store experiences are key to creating a memorable visit filled with wonderment and excitement for kids of all ages. We are so excited to bring this larger than life experience that FAO Schwarz has to offer for over 150 years, to Europe.”

Arnotts, Dublin’s Department Store announces the arrival of the world’s most magical toy store FAO Schwarz to its Henry Street location. RTÉ TV and Radio host Ryan Tubridy is pictured with the iconic toy soldier to celebrate the announcement.

The new stores include many of the popular experiences from the NYC location including the famed dance-on piano, magic shows, baby doll adoptions, a build-your-own RC race car department, and more. Both European locations also include the FAO Schwarz Clock Tower and Rocket Ship as well as the FAO Schweetz candy store.

Partner brands at launch include Playmobil, LEGO, Steiff, Bunnies By The Bay, and Schleich, and both locations will include toys from ThreeSixty house brands including Discovery #MINDBLOWN and Sharper Image.

Super Impulse, Rubik’s Brand Partner for Rubik’s Tilt

Following a much-buzzed-about debut at Toy Fair New York this year, Rubik’s Tilt is now available.

Created by Super Impulse USA LLC in partnership with Rubik’s Brand, the electronic game gives budding Cubers a new way to experience the iconic Rubik’s Cube in a virtual form controlled by motion.

Designed for players ages 8 and up, Rubik’s Tilt lets Cubers twist, turn, and tilt the game to move the columns, rows, and sides to solve the Rubik’s Cube on a high-definition screen. Players are challenged across three levels of gameplay and can follow the hints option for guidance in learning the right moves to properly and quickly solve the colorful puzzle. Rubik’s Tilt requires brainpower and hand-eye coordination, just like the original Rubik’s Cube.

Rubik’s Tilt is available on Amazon.

Positive Outlook Remains as Threat of China Tariffs Strikes a Blow to Hasbro Q3 Earnings

In an unusual turn, Hasbro fell short of analyst expectations for the third quarter, marking what is perhaps the most public-facing toy industry impact thus far related to the looming threat of tariffs on toys. The potential for a tariff-related downturn was discussed during the previous quarter’s earnings call.

The Rhode Island-based toymaker’s performance amounts to $1.84 per diluted share, which came in below the analyst forecast of $2.21. Q3 revenue was $1.58 billion compared to $1.57 billion a year ago. Absent a negative $20.5 million impact of foreign exchange relating to the pending acquisition of Entertainment One (eOne), Q3 revenue rose 2%. Operating profit in the U.S. and Canada fell 13% to $193.7 million versus $223.1 million in the same period last year. Overall operating profit fell to $297.2 million versus $313 million last year.

“Hasbro remains on track to deliver profitable revenue growth in 2019, behind innovation in gaming, toys, and around Hasbro’s brand blueprint. However, as we’ve communicated, the threat and enactment of tariffs reduced revenues in the third quarter and increased expenses to deliver product to retail,” says Brian Goldner, Hasbro’s chairman and CEO. “The team drove continued growth in the Wizards of the Coast gaming brands, Magic: The Gathering, and Dungeons and Dragons, and delivered significant new holiday initiatives. To start the fourth quarter, we are seeing a strong consumer response to the global launch of Hasbro’s line for Disney’s Frozen 2 and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker as well as the U.S. launch of the new NERF Ultra.”

The company cited higher shipping and warehousing expenses that were a direct result of “the disruption and shift of retailer order patterns” in planning for the tariffs, which are currently slated to go into effect on Dec. 15. Based on internal components, some individual products are likely seeing increased costs already.

Franchise, Partner, Gaming, and Emerging Brands

Sales of Hasbro’s in-house franchise brands decreased 8% despite revenue gains across Transformers, Magic: The Gathering, and Monopoly. The company cites decreases in NERF, My Little Pony, Baby Alive and Play-Doh in the quarter. Partner brands continue to see growth, with a 40% increase driven by the sales of products related to Marvel’s Avengers, and Spider-Man franchises, Disney’s Descendants 3, and early shipments of products relating to the Oct. 4 launch for Star Wars and Frozen 2.

Hasbro Gaming saw a surprising 17% drop, with gains in new products for fall being offset by declines in aging products such as Pie Face and Speak Out. Notably, several of Hasbro’s biggest games are not tracked under the gaming category but are included under franchise brands. This includes Monopoly and Magic: The Gathering, among others. Power Rangers and Playskool are cited as highlights in the 1% growth for emerging brands.

Third Quarter 2019 Brand Portfolio Performance

	Net Revenues ($ Millions)
	*Q3 2019*	*Q3 2018*	*% Change*
Franchise Brands	$779.7	$847.7	-8%
Partner Brands	$427.0	$305.8	40%
Hasbro Gaming	$232.3	$280.8	-17%
Emerging Brands	$136.2	$135.3	1%

The Ever-Changing Tariff Situation

On a call with investors, Goldner went into further detail about how the tariff situation has created new challenges for Hasbro’s business — particularly due to changing dates and canceled orders. He says that U.S. sales declined slightly as retailers lowered inventory.

“As you recall, since the administration began discussing tariffs, we have outlined the ripple effect they would have on our business,” Goldner says. “We’ve spoken about the changing order patterns in the U.S., whether or not tariffs are ultimately enacted. In the third quarter, the threat of, and the implementation of tariffs in certain instances impacted our shipments, and our ability to fully meet demand. Importantly, during Q3 alone we saw multiple different dates for the enactment of list 4 tariffs come and be delayed, now scheduled for Dec. 15, and yet the prospect had our retailers cancel major direct import program orders and rewrite many of those orders as domestic shipments. The impact of the shift was that July and August total shipments were lower and September shipments were far higher than a year ago. However, given the location of our inventory in Asia to satisfy direct import orders during July and August, we ultimately were unable to re-plan the orders and rewrite all of the orders from direct import to domestic orders all within the quarter.”

The shifts caused Hasbro to miss shipment on some orders, many of which it says came late in September, bumping the sales into the fourth quarter. To meet demand for Triple Force Friday and Frozen Fan Fest, along with the debut of NERF Ultra, Hasbro added air freight and shifted warehousing which came at an incremental expense.

“We are working diligently to improve our approach to domestic shipments, and still face the prospect of more direct import cancellations and shifts to domestic orders as the Dec. 15 list 4 date approaches for most of our product lines,” says Goldner. “We’ve built a domestic supply chain that, like much of our approach to product manufacturing and distribution, is asset-light. We have historically used a balance of customers’ shipments and our own domestic shipments through third-party suppliers to manage our costs and make our supply chain most effective and cost-efficient. In this current environment, we’ve been transitioning and redesigning our U.S. supply chain at pace. In addition, while the Dec. 15 action will hit the majority of our products, List 4A tariffs enacted in September impacted some of our games during the third quarter. The direct import orders for these items were canceled and we worked to get supporting domestic orders while also adjusting pricing to cover the tariff’s impact and protect our gross margin.”

Goldner also notes that if the company takes no action, direct import shipments will all but stop.

“If we take no action the planned Dec. 15 tariffs will curtail direct import shipments by retailers as they want product arriving on or after the 15th to be imported by Hasbro and demand fulfilled in the U.S. The team is working on programs to help mitigate this impact as well as the impact on our consumers this holiday season, but we anticipate continued potential disruption in the fourth quarter,” he says.

While Hasbro continues to source 20% of its business from within the U.S., the company is moving ahead as planned to reduce sourcing of products for the U.S. market to 50% by the end of next year. The company is finding success in building a manufacturing base in countries such as Vietnam, India, and others.

Future Outlook

Looking ahead, Hasbro continues to focus on building its IP portfolio and looking at new ways to connect with families through “story-led” toys and entertainment. This includes live entertainment events and experiences, such as the recently-announced NERF Challenge tour. Despite the logistic challenges, the company has a strong holiday lineup that should translate into dollars at the cash register.

Prime Time Toys’ Bryan Sturtevant Appears on ‘Power Kid Podcast’

On this week’s episode of the Power Kid Podcast, host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design sat down with Bryan Sturtevant of Prime Time Toys to discuss all things blaster.

As creative director, Sturtevant has been a key part of Prime Time’s steady growth in water and foam dart blasters. On the show, he and Albritton discussed the differences in customers that shop for Prime Time’s summer/swim products versus the diehard fans of foam dart blasters. They also talked about the tremendous success of the Original Max Liquidator and the new Dart Zone Pro MK-1 limited edition blaster that’s capable of firing foam darts at distances up to 150 feet with extreme accuracy.

<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="width: 0px;overflow: hidden;line-height: 0" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span>Part of the Adventure Media and Events Podcast Network, the Power Kid Podcast presents in-depth interviews and conversations with some of the biggest names and rising stars in the toy, game, and family entertainment industries.

The Adventure Media and Events Podcast Network is now available through all of your favorite streaming services, including Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and more.

Adventure Media and Events (AM&E) is the publisher of the Toy Book, the Toy Insider, and the Pop Insider. Composed of an editorial team with more than 75 years of combined experience in the toy and entertainment industries, AM&E publications provide consumers, press, and trade audiences with the latest news and updates on all things play and pop culture.

‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ Enters The Game of Life

Amazon Studios and Hasbro Gaming have teamed up for the first-ever licensed merchandise based on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

The Game of Life: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Edition will be released on Nov. 15, and like the series, it’s available only on Amazon. Inspired by Midge Maisel’s life in the Amazon original series, the update to the classic board game has players seeking fame and fortune in 1950s New York City.

The official game description puts a fun, series-specific spin on the familiar game that has been enjoyed by families for decades.

“Maybe you’ll get married, have kids, buy a dream home, go on vacation in the Catskills, and make it as a stand-up comic. Then again, maybe you won’t. You could get divorced, bomb at the jokes, and end up in a dumpy apartment. Choose a path and find out what life has in store for you. The player with the most money at the end of the game wins – unless someone hits it big time in comedy!”

The game includes a gameboard, spinner, 108 cards (90 event, 6 career, 6 college career, 6 apartment), 6 cars, 48 pegs, 6 comedy show posters, a money pack (includes insurance certificates and promissory notes), money tray, and instructions.

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Funrise’s Fart Ninjas Action Figures Blast into Retail

The latest collectible action figure line from Funrise is letting it rip at retailers in the U.S.

The “silent, butt deadly” Fart Ninjas include an electronic element that triggers fart sounds to surprise passers-by and unsuspecting individuals. Available now at Amazon, Target, and other retailers, Fart Ninjas series one features eight different collectible figures, each with 10 realistic motion-activated fart sounds. Characters include Dragon Gas, Kung Pi Yew, Sensei Smell, Shadow Ripper, Silent Samurai, StinkFoo, Warrior Burner, and Windbreak Warrior. The range first launched in Australia this summer.

“Despite the many high priced and high tech toys in the toy aisles this holiday season, kids will always love evergreen gross-out toys, especially anything to do with fart sounds,” says Stephanie Simpson Bughi, vice president of global brand marketing, Funrise. “Kids will love to collect Fart Ninjas to surprise and prank their friends when they least expect it! Fart Ninjas will make great stocking stuffers and holiday gifts under the tree.”

Also available this fall are Fart Ninjas XL, a collection of 5-inch action figures that can “fart on demand” with the push of a button. Funrise says that in addition to 10 realistic toots, “the XL figures can even record fart sounds for endless possibilities.”

Fart Ninjas series one basic figures are included in the Toy Insider‘s Holiday Gift Guide.

YULU’s #SNAPSTAR Dolls are ‘Born to Be Stars’ in Music Video Debut

YULU‘s #SNAPSTAR dolls are hitting the runway for their first music video.

Produced in support of the new #SNAPSTAR Echo’s Debut on the Pink Carpet play set — available exclusively at Target — the “Born to be Stars” music video features digital avatars of two of the seven the #SNAPSTAR dolls: Echo and Yuki the DJ. YULU’s #SNAPSTAR dolls are highly articulated fashion dolls that kids can customize and glam up with real-world accessories and a free companion app.

The video features an original #SNAPSTAR song and was produced at YULU Entertainment Studios and Mobile Motion Studios in Los Angeles. Hundreds of performers answered the casting call seeking actors to appropriately represent the seven dolls’ avatars for production using motion capture.

“The innovation in our toys must also be extended into our marketing of the brand,” says Jochem van Rijn and Thijmen de Schipper, co-founders of YULU. “#SNAPSTAR is a content-driven brand and our new music video with 3D avatars is a perfect example of how kids relate to brands and develop an emotional connection. The song is representative of every kid’s dream of being heard and understood.”

“Motion capture is replacing traditional computer animation in movies and television,” says Bob Aniello, general manager at YULU Entertainment. “The technology is faster and more cost-effective. The result is more real human-like movements and reactions since you are actually capturing the motion of a living being vs. having to animate the movement.”

#SNAPSTAR dolls, accessories, and play sets are available now at retailers everywhere.

‘Back to the Future’ Gets New Toys for 35th Anniversary

Fire up those DeLoreans because Back to the Future is having a big year. Starting today, Universal will celebrate the franchise’s 35th anniversary with a variety of products, events, and digital content.

Among the products is a collection from new toy partner Playmobil. Launching in May, the collection features characters and vehicles from the series, including Marty McFly, Dr. Emmett Brown, and the DeLorean Time Machine. Today, Playmobil released an animated short to promote the line.

Other toy collaborations for the anniversary include new Funko Pop! figures, a themed board game from Ravensburger, and other products (to be announced) from Hasbro, Mattel, and 3D Retro Collectibles.

There will be lifestyle product coming from partners such as Box Lunch, Primark, and Super7, along with new books from publishing partners Running Press, Insight Editions, and IDW Publishing. There will be events to commemorate the anniversary, too, including a theatrical event and a 12-week run of Back to the Future The Musical at the Manchester Opera House, starting in February.

A lot of this is happening in the future (haha), but fans can start off the celebration today with a Back to the Future episode of a new web series, Could You Survive the Movies. Check it out here and visit the Back to the Future Facebook page for more anniversary info.