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Schleich is going big at retail in the U.S. this holiday season.

The popular German brand of figurines and play sets is following the opening of more than 20 flagship retail shops with four holiday-themed pop-up stores, a new e-commerce platform, and partnerships with Toys “R” Us and FAO Schwarz.

At the FAO Schwarz flagship store in New York City’s Rockefeller Plaza, families will find an immersive new presentation (pictured top) featuring a giant Schleich tiger and a mixed-reality digital rock wall that brings the company’s Eldrador Creatures franchise to life.

Later this month, visitors to the new Toys “R” Us Adventure locations in Chicago and Atlanta will find Schleich as one of three featured brands that will be brought to life as part of the experience plotted by Tru Kids Brands and Candytopia. Kids will be able to explore a full Schleich jungle where they will be able to ride in a kid-sized Jungle Explorer vehicle and escape from the jaws of a T. rex.

“As the parents of any Schleich-loving child can tell you, the real gift of our highly realistic toy figurines and playsets is how they cause children to become lost in the expansiveness of imaginative play,” says Annie Laurie Zomermaand, Schleich USA’s chief commercial officer. “These new experiential retail initiatives and our new e-commerce platform help mimic that sense of wonder and magic in the retail environment, and bring the Schleich brand to life for customers.”

Schleich holiday pop-up shops will open soon at Nashville’s Opry Mills; Roosevelt Field Mall, Garden City, New York; Stonebriar Centre, Frisco, Texas; and Concord Mills, Concord, North Carolina. Families visiting the holiday pop-ups will be able to make shopping lists that can be saved to Schleich’s new e-commerce site, which will launch in November with a full range of products across six themes: Horse Club, Wild Life, Farm World, Bayala, Dinosaurs, and Eldrador Creatures.

Schleich’s biggest Horse Club play set ever — the Large Horse Stable with House and Stable — is featured in the Toy Insider‘s 2019 Holiday Gift Guide.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc. and iHeartMedia are making Build-A-Bear Radio available to families across the country.

Available now on the free iHeartRadio app, the streaming radio station features songs and stories from both established and emerging family-friendly pop artists, alongside a curated selection of shows and segments including ABEARica’s Countdown, Bear-aking News, and Build-A-Bear On Air with the Moseley’s. Build-A-Bear Radio is also available on iHeartRadio Family, the stand-alone kids and family app that received a redesign earlier this year.

“The goal of Build-A-Bear Radio, as with Build-A-Bear Workshop, is to create a fun and safe place for families to have a great experience and for kids to be engaged and empowered,” says Sharon Price John, president and CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop. “iHeartRadio is the perfect platform for us to bring our popular family-friendly music and content on Build-A-Bear Radio to more families than ever before.”

For several years, music has been a growing part of Build-A-Bear Workshop experience, with licensed songs and original music offered to customers via add-on sound chips that can be placed in Build-A-Bear’s furry friends.

“Our recent partnership with Warner Music Group’s Arts Music division and a publishing deal with Warner Chappell to create Build-A-Bear Records, a newly formed record label, positions us to take music and radio to the next level as we move to the iHeartRadio platform,” Price John says. “The iHeartRadio deal and Warner Music and Warner Chappell deals were both put together through Foundation Media Partners.”

Through the iHeartRadio app, Build-A-Bear Radio is now available on more than 250 platforms across more than 2,000 connected devices. The station is broadcast from iHeartMedia’s Premiere Networks studios in Sherman Oaks, California, with additional content originating from the Build-A-Bear Radio sound studio, located at the Build-A-Bear Workshop in Manhattan on 34th Street.

The clock is ticking to get your nominations in for the 16th Annual Wonder Women Awards presented by Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment (WIT). Nominations are open through Oct. 31.

The awards, which honor top female executives, thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and other changemakers for their extraordinary accomplishments and impact within the toy, licensing, and the entertainment industries, will be presented at a special celebration on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020, at Pier 60, Chelsea Piers in New York City, coinciding with Toy Fair.

“The WIT Wonder Women Awards celebrate the successes and impact made by remarkable women making a difference in kids entertainment and the global toy market,” says Wonder Women co-chairs, Genna Rosenberg from GennComm and Jennifer Caveza from Nickelodeon. “Each year, hundreds of industry players come together to honor powerhouse women and changemakers who raise the bar for us all.”

2020 Nomination Categories

• Creator/Designer/Inventor

• Licensor/Entertainment

• Licensee/Manufacturer

• Marketing/PR

• Rising Star

• Social Responsibility

Wonder Women Award nominee finalists (announced in early December) will be determined by a vote of the WIT board of directors, advisory board, chapter chairs, and the WIT nominations committee based on the candidate’s achievements and accomplishments in any of the following areas (click here for additional guidelines):

• Positively impacted her company, peers, or industry, and served as a role model for other individuals or companies in the industry;

• Contributed to the growth or improvement of her company or the toy, licensing, or entertainment industries; or

• Garnered widespread industry recognition for her noteworthy accomplishments for the year.

Final voting for the winners will begin in December and will be conducted by WIT members, board members, and key industry influencers.

Karen Kilpatrick, chair of the nominations committee adds, “Let the nominating begin. There is such extraordinary talent in our industry, and each year the WIT Community proudly puts the spotlight on our most exemplary leaders. We can’t wait to see the deserving candidates of the 2020 class!”

WIT thanks Hasbro, Nickelodeon, Disney, Spin Master, Mattel, LEGO, PlayMonster, Jazwares, the Bandai Foundation, and the many sponsors who support the organization year-round and help contribute to the success of the Wonder Women Awards. Proceeds from this event are used to fund scholarships, develop and maintain a full calendar of programs and networking events, and support initiatives for WIT’s members and its community.

To nominate a WIT Wonder Woman candidate, visit www.womenintoys.com.

There is a $100 submission fee in place now through Oct. 31.

The Toy Book is a supporting sponsor of Women in Toys.

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Related: See the 2019 Wonder Women Award Winners

Colorado-based hobbyDB is offering collectors the opportunity to own shares in the growing hobby and collectibles data service.

Nearly 600,000 users already use hobbyDB to track, price, and sell their collections, and the company is already helping power features of third-party apps, such as the Funko Collection Tracker. Using Wefunder, hobbyDB is selling stock in the company with an entry-level investment set at $220 for 200 shares.  The company says that it’s raised more than $4.3 million since its founding, and that it’s seeking around 500 investor “evangelists” for this round.

A detailed pitch deck offered through Wefunder showcases the hobbyDB strategy of growing its database to encompass all collectibles and fandoms while monetizing through marketplace transactions, affiliate revenue, collectible insurance packages, and offering market insights for brands.

At press time, the Wefunder campaign has $23,761 of a minimum funding goal of $80,000. The ultimate goal is to raise a total of $1,070,000 during the campaign.

Following a recent round of expansion into the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) territories this summer, Gormiti will soon be seen by more audiences.

The Italian series is based on the popular European toy line, which first hit retail in 2005 and has since been adapted for TV around the world in various incarnations. The latest version of Gormiti is a 3D-animated, CGI action-comedy produced by toymaker Giochi Preziosi along with Planeta Junior and Kotoc animation studio.

Timed with MIPCOM, Planeta Junior revealed distribution deals for Gormiti, including Clan (Spain), Gulli (France), Teletoon (Canada), ITV (UK), RAI (Italy), TVP ABC (Poland), Nickelodeon (Greece), CN (Portugal), Carousel (Russia), and Spacetoon (MENA). Gormiti is already airing in the aforementioned territories and will soon debut in Indonesia, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Slovenia.

Gormiti follows four boys, each representing a different elemental tribe of their homeland Gorm, and Ao-ki, a Light Girl, who leads and trains them. With her help, the boys must learn to master their elemental bracers, which summon legendary heroes of the corresponding elements to fight on their behalf — when used properly. Standing in their way is Voidus, leader of the evil Darkans, who are looking to escape their shadowy world of Darkor and conquer Gorm.

Now in its second season, Gormiti has been greenlit for a 26-episode third season set to debut next year. According to Giochi Preziosi, more than 500 million Gormiti figures have been sold since 2005, with sales topping $1.5 billion.

The Stig may not be well-known outside of automotive culture in the U.S., but in the UK, the anonymous, white-suited driver from Top Gear is a household name.

For its latest social media campaign, MGA Entertainment‘s Little Tikes UK division is tapping into the mysterious vibe with Little Stiglet, who stars in new commercials for the company’s Wheelz line of RC vehicles and play sets.

In the first spot, Little Stiglet takes the wheel of the RC Dozer Racer and Slammin’ Racers Turbo Tyre, and takes control of the YouDrive Rescue Chopper, Tyre Twister Lights, Slammin’ Racers Runaway Railroad, RC Bumper Cars, and YouDrive Flex Tracks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m-AcZ6IPw0

The full range — which is also available in the U.S. — carries a message that “these toys were made for racing.”

Designed for kids ages 3-5, the Wheelz toys are crafted to be simple-to-use, rugged introductions to the RC category. Little Tikes UK says that Little Stiglet “is taking Little Tikes Wheelz racers to the extreme, with bigger crashes, faster speeds & higher stunt jumps than ever.”

Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana and Spin Master Ltd. have inked new international broadcast and streaming deals for their animated series Bakugan: Battle Planet.

Based on Spin Master‘s popular toy line, the 100-episode first season of Bakugan: Battle Planet follows the adventures of Dan Kouzo and his best friends as they become the first kids on Earth to bond with the mysterious alien creatures known as Bakugan.

“The original Bakugan captured the hearts and minds of millions of children around the world,” says Thom Chapman, senior director of sales and distribution at Spin Master. “We’ve reimagined the entire franchise, maintaining the essence of what originally enchanted kids, including modern entertainment accompanied by new toy technology and heightened strategic play.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN9C7IvR5_0

Following a launch on Cartoon Network in the U.S. and Teletoon in Canada, the series will expand globally. New deals include Cartoon Network (Spain, Italy, Middle East), Gulli and Canal J (France, Africa), Pop (UK), Super RTL (Germany), RTL (Netherlands, Hungary, Croatia), Nine Go! (Australia), TVNZ (New Zealand), Star (Greece), 1+1 (Ukraine), PopTV (Slovenia), VMMa (Belgium), M6 (France, Africa), and Lithuania/SIA (Baltics). Additionally, Bakugan: Battle Planet will stream on Netflix in the U.S. and Canada.

“Bakugan is truly a global phenomenon, and we’ve had overwhelmingly positive responses from our broadcast partners, many of whom are looking for strong storytelling and brand presence with an affinity on and off screen,” says Mellany Masterson, vice president of global consumer products and international distribution at Nelvana.

With the first season of now hitting its global expansion, Spin Master, TMS Entertainment, and Nelvana have greenlit a second season. Bakugan: Armored Alliance is now in production with 104 11-minute episodes, planned for release next year.

The Spielwarenmesse‘s international TrendCommittee — which includes the Toy Book Publisher Jackie Breyer — revealed three strong toy trends for next year: Toys for Future, Digital Goes Physical, and Be You! Products from all three trend categories will be on display on Trend Islands in the TrendGallery of Hall 3A at the 71st Spielwarenmesse international toy fair, held from Jan. 29 to Feb. 2 in Nuremberg, Germany.

Toys for Future – Sustainability in Play

The current Fridays for Future movement is highlighting how climate change affects us all. The toy industry has a tendency to tackle current issues and reflects the world on a smaller scale. Products that fall within this trend category have a firm focus on climate protection and sustainability. Toys in this category promote environmentally friendly behavior, raise awareness through play, and are produced by sustainable means or by using eco-friendly materials that have been upcycled or recycled.

Digital Goes Physical – Virtual Figures ‘Get Real’

Characters from well-known video games and esports are becoming popular licensing themes. YouTube channels, apps, and messaging services offer considerable potential. In the Digital Goes Physical trend, digital characters enter the world of conventional toys. The characters’ physical counterparts become an extension of virtual reality, opening the door to new experiences through play.

Be You! – Games for all

In a colorful and diverse world, play connects everyone, transcending origin, religion, or appearance. This is the fundamental principle of this trend, which brings together two objectives: to help people with special needs and to promote tolerance, inclusion, and diversity. People with disabilities or diseases, such as dementia or Parkinson’s disease, have very different tactile requirements when it comes to toys and games. Products within this theme stimulate their minds and motor skills while creating shared experiences.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkDSip2YNmY

Attendees who visit the TrendGallery will be able to get hands-on time with the products that reflect the trends. Additionally, visitors can pick up a copy of the TrendGuide and attend daily talks by industry experts at the Toy Business Forum.

The 2020 Spielwarenmesse TrendComittee

• John Baulch (publisher, Toy World Magazine, UK)
• Jackie Breyer (group publisher, Adventure Media & Events: the Toy Book, the Toy Insider, the Pop Insider, U.S.)
• Daniele Caroli (journalist, Parents’ Choice, Russia)
• Dr. Maria Costa (market researcher, AIJU Toy Research Institute, Spain)
• Axel Dammler (market researcher, iconkids & youth international research GmbH, Germany)
• Steven Ekstract (journalist, License! Global, U.S.)
• Philippe Guinaudeau (market researcher, Kidz Global, France)
• Lena Hedö (journalist, Lek & Babyrevyn, Sweden)
• Gabriela Kaiser (trend consultant, TRENDagentur, Germany)
• Urszula Kaszubowska (journalist, Branza Dziecieca, Poland)
• Reyne Rice (journalist and trend expert, U.S.)
• Jane Wong (journalist, Toy Industry, China)

For more on Spielwarenmesse 2020, check out the advance preview from the latest issue of the Toy Book.

On this week’s episode of the “Power Kid Podcast,” host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design sits down with screenwriter Jeremy Adams.

Adams’ extensive list of credits includes animated series, such as Justice League Action, DC Comics Super Heroes: The Flash, DC Super Hero Girls, Hot Wheels City, and the forthcoming LEGO Jurassic World: The Legend of Isla Nubar, in addition to penning the recent animated features Scooby-Doo: Return to Zombie Island, Teen Titans Go! Vs. Teen Titans, and LEGO DC: Batman — Family Matters.

On the podcast, Albritton and Adams discuss the crossroads of toys and animation — including Adams’ work with LEGO and a stint at Jakks Pacific — and the challenges of working with established brands while, at the same time, giving the characters a unique twist. Additionally, Adams tells the story of one of his favorite projects — the Supernatural crossover episode “Scoobynatural.”

A member 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.

Hasbro and Ellen DeGeneres are teaming up to bring home a new version of a fan-favorite from the primetime game show Game of Games. You Bet is the first title under the Ellen’s Games banner from Hasbro Gaming.

Based on the You Bet Your Wife challenges seen on both the Ellen DeGeneres Show and Game of Games, one player sits behind the game unit with their head under a water container. Teams will choose from one of the 100 double-sided category cards featuring lots of fun categories and guess the number of items they think their teammate will guess. If the person in the hot seat can’t meet the number of items their teammate predicted they’d guess, they’ll eventually get the drop. The container tips and dumps water on that player’s head. The team that doesn’t get wet wins the game. 

Available now at Amazon and Target, You Bet is designed for up to four players ages 10 and up.