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Toys “R” Us, Babies “R” Us Head Back to the UK
The growing UK toy market is about to become even more competitive thanks to the return of a familiar giraffe. Toys “R” Us ANZ Limited and WHP Global — the parent company of Toys “R” Us (TRU) and Babies “R” Us (BRU) — inked a long-term deal that will mark the return of TRU and BRU to the UK market with an e-commerce business and physical stores. Read more…
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Hasbro Kicks Off 40th Anniversary of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero with HasLab Project, O-Ring Return
Next year, Hasbro‘s G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (ARAH) toy line turns 40, and the company is celebrating in a big way. At Hasbro Pulse Con 2021, the G.I. Joe brand team dropped the curtain on the first-ever G.I. Joe HasLab project: the G.I. Joe Skystriker. Additionally, the company is relaunching the 3.75-inch O-ring action figure collection. Read more…
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Moose Toys Partners with KidNation, Ludacris for Scruff-a-Luvs Cutie Cuts Song
Ludacris and Moose Toys have partnered together to create a song that celebrates rescue pets and the new Scruff-a-Luvs Cutie Cuts. “Puppy Love” is available exclusively on KidNation, an interactive platform for kids co-founded by the Grammy-award winner. Kids will also hear it in the Cutie Cuts TikTok campaign. The song highlights the newest addition to the Toy of the Year Award-winning brand as well as the importance of grooming and caring for pets. Read more…
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Journey to Stardom in MGA Entertainment’s L.O.L. Surprise! Movie Night Video Game
L.O.L. Surprise! Movie Night is a new video game based on MGA Entertainment’s L.O.L. Surprise! Movie Magic line, and it launched exclusively for the Nintendo Switch this week. In the game, players can create their own “rising star,” performing on studio lots and trying to become the next big thing in L.O.L. Ville. Rising stars will learn lines, “strike a pose,” meet other stars, and play games and quests. Read more…
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Disguise Extends Hasbro/eOne Partnership into New Territories
Disguise — the costumes division of Jakks Pacific — announced an amendment to its licensing agreement with Hasbro/Entertainment One (eOne) that expands its international rights into Latin America, as well as Australia and New Zealand. As part of its partnership with Hasbro/eOne, Disguise is designing, marketing, manufacturing, and distributing costumes and costume accessories in these territories for the first time. Costumes include Transformers, Power Rangers, My Little Pony, G.I. Joe, Hasbro Gaming, and eOne evergreens PJ Masks, Peppa Pig, and Ricky Zoom. Read more…
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Pocket.watch Expands Onyx Family Franchise
The Onyx Family’s presence is growing in the U.S. Pocket.watch has expanded its partnership with the YouTube creators to launch the Onyx Monster Mysteries franchise, complete with an animated series, video games, music, apparel, and more. Read more…
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Huge Play!, Overwolf Ink GameBud Partnership Deal
Overwolf is getting into the game with an investment in Huge! Play. The investment deal includes a partnership that will enable GameBud — the world’s first talking-animatronic game-connected character — to integrate directly into PC Games. The news comes following the successful launch of the GameBud Talking Tom that Huge! Play showed off at the Toy Insider‘s Holiday of Play last month. Read more…
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Schylling Adds NeeDoh Dohjees to Its Holiday Lineup
There’s a new, groovy NeeDoh on the way. Schylling is continuing to expand its NeeDoh line of squishy, satisfying blobs with NeeDoh Dohjees. Each Dohjee has a Teenie NeeDoh inside that can be easily popped out and swapped to create a different Dohjee and features blind box packaging so the character is a surprise. Read more…
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Uncanny Brands’ Bleacher Creatures Head to Walmart with Exclusive WWE Plush
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin and “Macho Man” Randy Savage may not have been cute and cuddly in the ring, but they certainly are in the newest plush assortment from Bleacher Creatures. The pop culture plush brand has partnered with Walmart to release an exclusive selection of popular WWE wrestlers as collectible plush figures. Read more…
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ZAG Inks Deal with GameMill Entertainment for Miraculous Console Game
ZAG Games — the digital gaming division of ZAG America — is following the success of its recent Roblox title with a console game inspired by the Miraculous franchise. The company inked a deal with GameMill Entertainment and Magic Pockets to create the as-yet-untitled action-adventure game that is slated for release for holiday 2022. Read more…
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National Retail Federation Predicts the Biggest Holiday Season Ever
It’s a year of mixed messaging, but one thing is clear: consumer demand in the U.S. has never been higher. Despite global supply chain issues that are resulting in shortages on some specific items, consumer goods are flying off the shelves and the National Retail Federation (NRF) says to expect this year to shatter previous records. Read more...
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Mattel Q3 Earnings: Sales Grew 24% During the First 9 Months of 2021
Mattel says that its net sales spiked 8% to $1.76 billion compared to $1.63 billion during the third quarter. In the first nine months of 2021, Mattel’s sales crushed estimates with a massive 24% increase over 2020. Read more…
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Hasbro Q3 Earnings Boom, but Company Cautions Supply Chain Hit
The toy and entertainment giant reported that overall revenues grew 11% in the third quarter. The sales of consumer products, including toys and games, fell 3% in Q3 while Wizards of the Coast and digital gaming spiked more than 32%. Revenue in the entertainment division, Entertainment One (eOne) grew 76%. Read more…
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Genius Brands Acquires WOW! Unlimited Media
Genius Brands International entered into an agreement to acquire Canada’s WOW! Unlimited Media in a deal that includes $53 million in cash and stock. WOW! has facilities in Toronto, Vancouver, New York, and Los Angeles that it uses to produce animation for companies including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Sony, Hulu, Dreamworks, Moonbug, Peacock, and Mattel, among others. Read more…
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How to Use Digital Platforms to Build a Fandom in 2021
Tiffany Tasker, business development director, SuperAwesome explores the new ways that toy manufacturers are leveraging digital platforms beyond traditional social media to build dedicated fanbases around their new and existing brands. Read more…
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The Science of Play: Why Kids Play the Way They Do — Part III
Certified executive coach and play expert Nancy Zwiers continues this special series about the Funosophy Play Theory and the concept that play is nature’s way of ensuring our brains get wired in a systematic and predictable way. Read more…
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Industry Insight: The Power of Play in Educational Development
Nick Richardson, CEO at The Insights Family, examines new data that emerged after the pandemic caused disruption to the traditional schooling system and teachers and parents turned to alternate paths in order to engage kids in their daily education. Read more…
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ICTI Ethical Toy Program Names Todd Merton as Head of Business Development
Merton joins the company from ECHL where he served as director of marketing and licensing for the East Coast’s premier AA hockey league. At IETP, Merton will work to strengthen and build relationships with program members while actively cultivating new members from the toy manufacturing, licensing, and retail categories. Read more…
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