Toy Report 8/29: Disney Store Comes to Target; Sphero Acquires littleBits

August 29, 2019

Disney Store Will Open in Select Target Locations

The Walt Disney Co. and Target Corp. are collaborating on new ways to bring “the magic of Disney to the joy of shopping at Target.” On Oct. 4, Disney Store will open store-within-a-store concepts inside 25 select Target locations. Forty additional Disney Store x Target locations will open by October of next year. Each location will average 750 square feet, with around 450 items available. Additionally, guests to the Walt Disney World Resort will be able to shop at Target beginning in 2021, with a new Target store set to open at Flamingo Crossings Town Center at the park’s western entrance. Read more…

Sphero Acquires littleBits to Strengthen STEAM, Coding Solutions

Known for its educational robotics and STEM products, Sphero has been a dominant player in the educational tech space, while littleBits pioneered electronic building blocks. The acquisition means that the Sphero portfolio will hold more than 140 patents in robotics, electronics, software, and the Internet of Things (IoT). For nearly a decade, both Sphero and littleBits have created new categories of learning tools, with their combined efforts reaching more than six million students in the classrooms of 65,000 teachers across 35,000 schools around the globe. Read more…

Hasbro to Acquire Entertainment One in $4 Billion Transaction

ICYMI: Hasbro will acquire Entertainment One and take control of some valuable preschool brands, including Peppa Pig, PJ Masks, and the forthcoming Ricky Zoom. The entertainment capabilities of eOne provide Hasbro with the ability to develop its IP across TV, film, and OTT platforms, in addition to additional avenues in music, AR and VR, and location-based entertainment. Read more…

Additionally, Hasbro debuted a new wave of NERF Fortnite retailer exclusives and will wrap its crowdsourcing campaign for the Transformers War for Cybertron Unicron figure this week.

All the Big Announcements from D23 Expo

Last weekend, Disney fans descended upon Anaheim, California for the biannual D23 Expo. From major film announcements and Disney+ reveals, to must-have merch and details on the future of Disney Parks, the Pop Insider has all the details in one central location! Read more…

Barbie, Izzy Wheels Collaborate for Limited-Edition Wheelchair Accessories

Earlier this year, Mattel expanded its Barbie Fashionistas line with new dolls, including one with a prosthetic limb and another in a wheelchair. While there hasn’t been a wheelchair in the Barbie collection for some years, the Share a Smile Becky doll (1997) has long been a mascot in the office of Izzy Wheels — a Dublin-based company that manufactures designer covers for wheelchair wheels. Now, Mattel and Izzy Wheels are teaming up. Read more…

PlayMonster Launches My Singing Monsters Figures on Amazon

My Singing Monsters are jumping from the mobile game to the playroom as a new assortment of collectible figures from PlayMonster. Created in collaboration with game developer Big Blue Bubble, PlayMonster’s inaugural assortment of My Singing Monsters use “never-before-seen technology” to sing and harmonize with one another to create the “Plant Island” song that is featured in the game. Read more…

VTech Unveils Fall 2019 Infant, Toddler, and Preschool Collections

Heading into the holiday selling season, VTech introduced its full lineup of new infant, toddler, and preschool toys — many of which were shown at the Toy Insider‘s Sweet Suite event in NYC last month. The fall lineup includes five key items at retail, including the Mix & Match-a-Saurus, Treasure Seekers Pirate Ship, Scoop & Play Digger, Latches & Doors Busy Board, and Prance & Rock Learning Unicorn. Read more…

LeapFrog’s RockIt Twist Is a New Spin on Educational Handheld Gaming

RockIt Twist is a new play experience that packs 12 preloaded games into a self-contained, four-sided, rotatable handheld unit. The colorful, light-up controls include a directional pad, buttons, dials, a slider, and a switch. The games included in the RockIt Twist span five categories and three levels of difficulty. No Wi-Fi is necessary, so kids don’t need to be connected to play, and the games can be played anywhere. Read more…

PAW Patrol Speeds Into Action for Ready, Race, Rescue Launch

Spin Master‘s PAW Patrol is firing up the engines and dropping the hammer for the debut of a new feature-length special episode, Ready, Race, Rescue, that will be supported by a DVD release and special edition product launch spanning 10 categories. In the high-octane adventure, “the pups take to the track for the Adventure Bay 500 and need to speed into action when legendary race car driver, The Whoosh, can’t compete.” Walmart is the exclusive launch partner with Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products. Read more…

Nintendo, Kraft Heinz Team Up for Nintendo Lunchables

Beginning Sept. 1, families can find some of Nintendo‘s biggest video game characters adorning the packages of select Lunchables. The campaign will feature characters from Nintendo Switch titles, including Super Mario Maker 2 , Mario Kart 8 Deluxe , Yoshi’s Crafted World , Pokémon Sword , and Pokémon Shield . Read more…

Creativity for Kids Puts a New Spin on Rock Painting

The new Glow in the Dark Rock Painting Kit follows the original Hide-and-Seek Rock Painting Kit in encouraging kids to explore creativity through decorating rocks with positive messages, and then hiding the rocks around their neighborhoods for others to discover. With the new glow-in-the-dark version, kids can create even more original designs to light up the night, such as creating Halloween designs to be used as decor or to share with trick-or-treating friends. Read more…

First Look: Steve Burns, Donovan Patton Return for Blue’s Clues & You!

Nickelodeon’s new preschool series, Blue’s Clues & You! , will debut on Monday, Nov. 11, at 9 a.m. (ET/PT). For the premiere, Steve Burns (Steve) and Donovan Patton (Joe) will reprise their roles in the first episode, “Meet Josh!,” as they help new live-action host Josh (Joshua Dela Cruz) and the audience solve their first game of Blue’s Clues. Read more…

BBC Studios’ Bluey Set for U.S. Debut on Disney Junior

Following a successful launch in Australia, BBC Studios’ Bluey comes to the U.S. with a cross-platform debut on Disney Junior, Disney Channel, and DisneyNOW . Moose Toys is on board as global master toy partner. Read more…

Baldi’s Basics Enters the Toy Department with Collectibles from PhatMojo

Fueled by the success of YouTube playthrough videos that have racked up millions of views, the viral indie horror game Baldi’s Basics is coming to toy aisles as a new line of toys and collectibles, from PhatMojo. Read more…

Leverage Your Brand’s Social Media Practices

When you start a business, your brand needs to look legitimate on social media, requiring an audience’s attention. Unfortunately, if you are just starting out on Instagram, it is harder to gain a following and master the platform’s algorithm, and it’s important to remember some best practices for social media success. Here are the biggest mistakes that brands make on Instagram — and why you should avoid them. Read more…

Breaking Down the ABCs of STEM Toys

Toddlers are now encouraged to learn advanced math, and preschoolers need to know the basics of engineering. There are stores with entire aisles devoted to STEM toys, including Barnes & Noble and Target. Discovery #Mindblown opened a STEM toy shop at the FAO Schwarz flagship store in New York City. There is no question that STEM is hot — but is a STEM-labeled toy really better than, for instance, basic building blocks? Read more…

The Rise of Esports and Competitive Entertainment Viewing

Let’s be honest: kids love esports. They are increasingly watching and engaging with esports brands, teams, and players. Add in the popularity of sports licensing for older fans — including tweens, teens, and adults — and it is no wonder that esports is one of the fastest-growing segments of the licensing industry. Read more…

Toys “R” Us Canada President Resigns After 23 Years with Company

Toys “R” Us (TRU) Canada president Melanie Teed-Murch tendered her resignation to accept a currently undisclosed new opportunity. Starting as a store manager at the Kitchener, Ontario location in 1996, Teed-Murch was appointed president of Toys “R” Us Canada in 2016 and notably led the company through tumultuous times, during which the company was divested from its bankrupt U.S. parent and sold to Fairfax Holdings Ltd. to become a 100% Canadian owned and operated business. Read more…