The International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA) has announced a lineup of more than 30 seminars for Licensing International Expo 2010, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, June 8 – 10. For more information, click here.
TOY BOOK EXCLUSIVE: MGA Launches Specialty Toy Division
MGA Entertainment has announced plans to enter the world of specialty toy products with the launch of its own specialty division, MGA Entertainment Specialty. The company is currently hiring sales representation groups across the U.S. that will service specialty retailers at store level. MGA Entertainment Specialty will offer a vast assortment of unique toys and gifts derived from its portfolio of brands, including Little Tikes, Moxie Girlz, Zapf, Rescue Pets, and more.
Video: New “Iron Man 2” Trailer
Video: “Tron: Legacy” Trailer
SNL Cast Members, Daryl Hannah Stop by Toy Fair
More pics of Toy Fair! (via Discovery Bay Games)
Harry Potter Park Will Open This Spring
Although Universal has not announced an exact date, the new Harry Potter theme park in Orlando, Fla., has been scheduled to open this spring.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will include rides for thrill seekers, such as “Dragon Challenge,” and more family orientated attractions such as “Flight of the Hippograff.” The park will also include themed shops and restaurants inspired by the Harry Potter series, such as “Honeydukes,” which sells chocolate frogs, and a British themed restaurant named “Three Broomsticks.” Above is the first picture of the Hogwarts Express in Hogsmeade Station.
The official website for the Harry Potter park allows users to take a virtual tour of the park, using a combination of real-life and computer-generated images to show what the park will look like when it is completed.
ASTRA’s Marketplace & Academy Exhibit Space Sells Out
According to Kathleen McHugh, president of the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA), all available exhibit space for ASTRA’s Marketplace & Academy has sold out. “Every square inch of exhibit space is spoken for, and that means all the regular booths, all the half-booths we feature to help small start-ups bring their creative new specialty product to market, and all the table-top exhibits in our unique inventor incubator,” says McHugh.
ASTRA recommends that independent toy retailers register for the event as soon as possible to avoid missing out on any of the limited-registration events.
The 2010 Marketplace & Academy will be held in Providence, R.I. from June 13 to 16. For more information or to register, visit www.astratoy.org or call ASTRA at 1-800-591-0490.
Celebs Take Home Buffalo Party Games at Oscars
At the 82nd Annual Academy Awards, held last night in Los Angeles, celebrities and Oscar nominees scored party games as part of a partnership between Buffalo Games and producer Suzanne DeLaurentiis, founder of The Cinema City International Film Festival.
Stars that attended the Celebrity Gifting Suite at the show received swag bags, which included a Buffalo Games product—such as Likewise, The T-Shirt Game, and Truth Be Told—and other items including Nicole Paxton Cosmetics, Azura Dawn products, and Jenny B Clothing. All proceeds from the Gifting Suite will benefit the Marine Corps Veterans Association and The Klass Kids Foundation.
Simon & Schuster to Publish Space Adventure Series
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers has announced that Tony DiTerlizzi, author and illustrator of The Spiderwick Chronicles, is writing a new middle-school series called The Search for WondLa. The first book in the series, also called The Search for WondLa, will be published on September 21, with a first printing of 300,000 copies.
New Product: Hi-Tec Art
Hi-Tec Art Cube from Hi Tec Art on Vimeo.
At Toy Fair, Hi-Tec Art showcased its stick-in LED tech toys. With the products, budding artists (or just regular folks) can create their own designs and masterpieces using colored LEDs and glowing Artwires, without a soldering iron. Users just stick the LEDs in the rubber power pad and they light.
Hi-Tec Art also debuted the Cube: a 64-RGB LED light show that runs for 45 minutes without repeating (see above video). Each of the LEDs produce over 1000 colors, creating a mesmerizing show. For more information on the company and products, visit www.Hi-TecArt.com.