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Fall Toy Preview: Sticker Books from Fashion Angels

StickerZine Volume 1: Love to Shop, by Fashion Angels Enterprises, is the first of the company’s new StickerZine book series. Girls complete the shopping scenes in the 16-page books by collecting stickers and placing them in the coordinating empty spots. Each StickerZine will come with one mystery pack of 28 stickers to get started, and there are seven additional mystery packs of stickers sold separately to complete the entire book. Additional volumes of StickerZines will be released throughout 2011.

For more Fall Toy Preview coverage, pick up The Toy Book‘s September/October issue!

Fall Toy Preview: Sakar to Release Gummy Bear Electronics

Sakar International has signed a new licensing agreement with Street Players Holding Corporation to produce a new line of Gummy Bear-branded electronics. The products—including molded bear-shaped earbuds, bear-adorned Apple iPhone cases and Nintendo DSi cases, and molded game styluses—will be Gummy-textured, and will simulate the pliable feel and vibrant color palette of the gel candies.

Scheduled for release in first quarter 2011 in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the UK, the Sakar license marks the latest chapter in a 15-month campaign by Street Players to extend the Gummy Bear brand beyond candy.

For more Fall Toy Preview coverage, pick up The Toy Book‘s September/October issue!

Update 2: Innovation First Responds to MGA Press Release

Innovation First CEO and President Tony Norman has responded to a press release by MGA Entertainment that was released earlier today. (To read the story, click here).

In his response, Norman countered MGA’s claims, stating “The intellectual property laws protect many different kinds of rights. The California lawsuit that MGA brought dealt with one set of rights, those that protect the outward appearance of a product. Our lawsuit deals with another set of rights, those that protect the engineering and design work that goes into making the product. Put simply, we haven’t accused them of copying our work in Art class; we’ve accused them of copying our work in Science.”

Fall Toy Preview: Wild Planet’s Aquapets to Return to Stores

Wild Planet’s Aquapets are back. The collectible creatures are returning to store shelves in April, seven years after their original U.S. debut. Aquapets are thumb-sized, 3-D floating figures that live inside a raindrop-shaped case. The creatures come alive when kids or other Aquapets interact with them. A microchip, microphone, and speaker housed in the toy’s base allow Aquapets to respond to sound, replying with movement and melody. The more kids play with their Aquapets the more songs they will perform, and when two or more Aquapets are placed together they form an AquaParty—dancing, chirping, and conversing with one another.

Fans can expect to see updated versions of eight previously released pets in redesigned aqua pods and with new games. The new games include Memory Moov, a memory-building sequence game; Aqua Speed, a fast-paced reflex challenge; and Bubble Boogie, a fun way to make the mini marionettes dance. The assortment will include Bebe, Bertie, Bunni, Fizzie, Fretta, Harf, Puku, and Squirt.

For more Fall Toy Preview coverage, pick up The Toy Book’s September/October issue!

Peanuts Lands Own Island in Poptropica

The Peanuts cast has landed in Poptropica with the launch of a new island, Great Pumpkin Island. The website’s 15^th island is now available to Poptropica members with Early Access and will premiere to the public on October 14.

Based on the comic property created by Charles M. Schulz, Great Pumpkin Island features the Peanuts characters as they get ready for Halloween. Throughout the Island quest, Poptropicans will experience memorable scenes from the Peanuts television special, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, including visiting the pumpkin patch with Linus, trick-or-treating with the whole gang, and taking flight with Snoopy as the World War I flying ace.

New Uglydoll: Uglybot, Here to Serve You

Pretty Ugly has released a new Uglydoll, Uglybot, available in black and blue. Like the other Uglydolls, Uglybot comes with a unique story:

“Uglybots are here to serve you. How may I help you? May I fetch your morning beverage? Need me to do your job for you? Oh, could I please complete more menial tasks for you? How about I take out the trash … I don’t mind. Hey, at least I get to take a two-minute walk down to the curb and get away from it all for a second or two … need somebody to talk to? Join the club, pal! Uh oh … it would seem even robots aren’t made to be robots. What Uglybot really needs is a friend. Hey and who doesn’t? Well this friend will never turn his back on you, never turn over your diary to the press, and, while he may blink ’12:00′ from time to time, you’ll never need to upgrade his love.”

The character is available as Uglybot, Clip-on Uglybot, Little Ugly Uglybot, and Two-foot Ugly Uglybot.

Fall Toy Preview: Cuddle Up with Zoobies for Story Time

Zoobies introduces its new Zoobie Pets line, the Story Time Collection, which kids and parents can snuggle up with during story time. The company has partnered with some of the most famous story time books to create the new three-in-one plush characters. The new Zoobies include Paddington from the series of books by Michael Bond, Olivia from the series of books by Ian Falconer, Mr. Happy and Little Miss Sunshine from the Mr. Men and Little Miss series by Roger Hargreaves, Peter Rabbit from the storybook by Beatrix Potter, and Spot from the series by Eric Hill.

For more Fall Toy Preview coverage, pick up The Toy Book‘s September/October issue!

Fall Toy Preview: Pressman Prepares for The Smurfs

In anticipation of next summer’s release of the Columbia Pictures’/Sony Pictures Animation’s 3-D movie The Smurfs, in theaters August 3, Pressman Toy Corporation has signed a deal to create games and puzzles based on the movie. In this big-screen release, the Smurfs are chased out of their village by the evil Gargamel and wind up in New York City’s Central Park. The little blue creatures must find a way to get back to their village before Gargamel tracks them down.

Pressman Toy’s preschool games and puzzles are all priced under $20 with many options under $10. Games based on the movie will include Race to Smurfs Village, Don’t Drop Clumsy Board Game, Smurfs Follow Your Nose Dominoes, as well as Smurfs Pop ‘N Race, Make a Match, Big Roll Bingo, and a special spinning card game starring Clumsy Smurf. The products will be available at mass market and specialty stores nationwide in July 2011. Additionally, Pressman Toy will introduce a line of 24-piece puzzles featuring real movie scenes.

For more Fall Toy Preview coverage, pick up The Toy Book’s September/October issue!

Teletoon and Nerd Corps Signs Deal for New Series

Teletoon has teamed up with Nerd Corps Entertainment to develop a new 52 x 11-minute 3-D animated series, Endangered Species. The comedy series, aimed at kids ages 6 to 11, follows the antics of a recently liberated pet bunny and a stump-winged seagull as they try to survive in a wilderness that’s becoming more urban. The show is currently under development.

Report: TRU to Open Store in India

According to The Economic Times, Toys “R” Us is close to signing a joint-venture agreement with Mumbai-based Reliance Retail to open a store in India. An anonymous official told the newspaper: “Reliance is still working on the nitty-gritty of the joint venture and is expected to close it in the next few months.” A spokesperson for Reliance Retail refused to comment. In April, Reliance Retail opened a Hamleys outlet in Mumbai.