Discovery invited media and other personnel to its 2010 Holiday Product Preview today at the Discovery Times Square Exposition in New York. Being only a figment of the prescribed guest, I was lucky enough to be bestowed an invitation by The Toy Book, a perk of being an editorial intern. The event featured new products set to release just in time for the holidays and a complimentary refreshment bar.
One of the products I liked was the “Wild Eyes” collection based off Discovery’s Animal Planet channel. The collection includes dinosaurs, snakes, and animal plush toys that roar, hiss, and growl, respectively. The snakes, for example, came in four different colors, stood around 1-foot tall, and could be activated by sound, sending them into a frenzy of hissing and glowing eyes. These products will retail for $19.99 at Toys “R” Us, with smaller versions that make noise sans-lit eyeballs selling for approximately $6.
Another product that showed promise was a video game based on Bear Grylls’ Discovery Channel show Man vs. Wild. Players take control of Bear as he treks through the wilderness, with the ability to level up skills similar to a role-playing game. The build I saw was the early-alpha release shown at E3 last week, so the graphics and animation weren’t as polished as the final product hopefully will be, although the frame rate was constant. Dynamic weather effects and the ability to fashion crude weapons and tools out of animal products and the environment should make this game stand apart when it’s released later this year. Developed by Crave Games and F84 Games, Man vs. Wild hits the Wii for around $40 and the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 for $50.
Apart from sampling new bedding, publishing, interactive media, toys, puzzles, and apparel items, as well as a Cake Boss cake designed to look like Buddy Valastro’s new anecdotal cookbook, Discovery gave members of The Toy Book admission to its King Tut exhibit.
On display since April, the exhibit walks visitors through several “chambers” of artifacts before revealing four items taken from King Tutankhamun’s burial tomb. While a bit anticlimactic, the exhibit features artifacts that haven’t been available for viewing in New York for decades and provides an educational treat for those in the area.
Look for more Discovery products to be revealed in the coming months.
