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Wild Planet Donates 12,000 Toys to Summer Toy Drive

Wild Planet Entertainment, Inc. has donated nearly 12,000 toys valued at $173,000 in support of the Toy Industry Foundation’s (TIF) annual Summer Toy Drive.

TIF––a nonprofit organization that works to bring toys to children recovering from abuse or crisis, as well as kids in poverty, suffering from chronic illness, or living with parents in the military––collects newly manufactured toys from members of the toy industry via its Toy Bank and distributes them through local charities. Wild Planet has contributed over $1.1 million in toys since the tracking of donations began in 2003.

Nearly 1,500 products from the recent donation will be distributed by the SOS American Foundation, Inc. to children in the Ukraine and Tajikistan. TIF hopes to collect 300,000 toys during its summer toy drive.

YooHoo & Friends Expands into Tween Market

Aurora World, Inc. is expanding its YooHoo & Friends brand into the tween category. New YooHoo & Friends products will include plush, stationery, fashion accessories, decorations, and “snaps.”

Aurora’s “snaps” are approximately one inch in diameter, and can be mixed and matched and fastened to items such as lanyards, totes, accessories, and more.

The six new YooHoo & Friends plush animals include Shooga the Sugar Glider, Lemmee the Lemur, Hapee the Lesser Panda, YooHoo the Bush Baby, Chewoo the Red Squirrel, and Pammee the Fennec Fox. The plush are available in five or eight inches and make a sound when squeezed. Each sports a headband or flower and is embroidered with hearts, peace signs, or words such as “love” and “peace.”

The company is also releasing the YooHoo & Friends Fun Center collection, which includes stationery such as a spiral notebook and doodle pad, decorative accessories such as sticker rolls, and fashion accessories such as an accessory case, laser cut bracelet, and lanyard.

King Tut and Discovery’s Holiday Product Preview

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. Read More…

World Cup Spurs UK Toy Sales

According to The NPD Group, following tepid UK toy sales in April, May sales increased 12 percent while units rose 26 percent compared to May 2009. This is the first time since January that unit growth outpaced sales. Toys sold under £5 accounted for 73 percent of all units purchased in May, up 32 percent from the same month in 2009.

NPD reported that the No. 1 toy for May was Panini’s Official FIFA stickers. The stickers accounted for 29 percent of all units sold within the “all other” toys category for the month, and averaged around 49 pence. Citing the “all other” category as a major source of growth, The NPD Group stated that value in this category was up 44 percent, while unit growth for the category rocketed, increasing 149 percent compared to last May. FIFA, Pro Sports, and Match Attax were the top three properties for the category.

Cancer Patients “Set Sail” With TIF, Ronald McDonald House

As mentioned in a previous post, the Toy Industry Foundation in association with the Ronald McDonald House New York hosted its “Set Sail for Summer” event last night.

Approximately 110 cancer patients and their relatives attended the event, which featured nautical activities as well as a toy distribution. This is the third year for the event, according to the foundation’s website.

Two more pictures from the event, after the jump. Read More…

Sesame Workshop and Mercy Corp Partner for Haiti Relief Videos

In a partnership announced yesterday, Sesame Workshop and Mercy Corp will distribute three original films based on the Haiti earthquake, as well as two films recently dubbed into Creole, all to be distributed to Haiti’s youth.

Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit group behind Sesame Street, stated the two dubbed films, Cinderelmo and Healthy Monsters, feature celebrity appearances by such figure heads as Keri Russell, Oliver Platt, and India Arie. The films promote healthy eating, physical activity, teamwork, and play.

Along with these films, Sesame Workshop plans to release three live-action films by filmmaker Linda Costigan, which were shot on location in Haiti following the earthquake. The first film, Helping Hands, teaches lessons about teamwork and working towards common goals. The others, I Am Haiti and Recycled Car, teach how Haiti’s children will be the leaders in the country’s recovery and how Haitians will rebuild their country, respectively. Read More…

Disney Unveils TRON-Inspired Toys & Electronics

Disney Consumer Products (DCP) has unveiled its fall lineup of TRON: Legacy-inspired electronics and toys, including action figures featuring impulse light projection technology. Walt Disney Pictures’ TRON: Legacy will hit theaters December 17 in Disney Digital 3-D and IMAX 3-D.

Featuring dark finishes, neon lighting, and a cyber aesthetic, DCP’s new TRON: Legacy line was developed in collaboration with Spin Master, Monster, Performance Designed Products (PDP), Razer, and more. TRON products will be available at retail beginning this October. In addition to the action figures, the line also features core and deluxe vehicles, the TRON Zero Gravity Light Cycle, and more.

Imprima Signs On For Bella Sara Wall Stickers

Hidden City Entertainment’s licensing agent, M.J.A. Licensing, has brokered a deal with Imprima for Bella Sara-themed wall stickers in the French and Belgian markets. The sticker will come in four large-sized options and are set to release this fall.

Report: 40 Percent of Retailers Reduced SKUs Last Year

According to a new Nielsen survey, reported by Reuters, more than 40 percent of retailers reduced the number of different SKUs on their shelves last year, and nearly the same number expect to make additional cuts.

According to Nielsen, these cuts can help retailers lower costs, but shoppers may leave stores without making a purchase if they cannot find a specific item. In the Nielsen survey, it was reported that 7 percent of shoppers who did not find their desired personal-care item said they would leave the store without buying an item in the category, with some shoppers saying they would leave the store without buying anything. Nielsen reports that if just 0.5 percent of grocery shoppers were to leave a store without making a purchase, retailers could lose sales up to $1.5 billion.

Walmart recently reported that its program to overhaul stores hurt sales. Last year the retailer removed slower-selling items from shelves, and replaced them with more popular items. However, the company found that not offering some items drove shoppers to other stores. In March, the company said it returned approximately 300 items to U.S. store shelves.

Toy Story 3 Opens with Box Office Record for Disney-Pixar

Toy Story 3’s opening weekend earned worldwide box office sales of $153.8 million, according to estimates issued by The Walt Disney Company.

Box office sales in the United States and Canada accounted for $109 million, a Disney-Pixar Animation opening record . The record was previously held by The Incredibles, which sold $70.5 million in May 2004. Only two other animated films, Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third, have opened to sales of more than $100 million.

Toy Story 3 sales received a boost from 3-D screenings, which has a higher ticket price. It’s estimated that 60 percent of ticket sales were from 3-D screenings.