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Exclusive: Mattel, Microsoft Extend Licensing Pact for Halo Franchise
Master Chief has some unfinished business in the toy department. Mattel and Microsoft have inked a multiyear extension of their global licensing agreement for Halo toys in select categories. The agreement includes exclusive rights in the construction and vehicles categories under the MEGA and Hot Wheels brands. Read more…
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MGA Entertainment Teases Rainbow High Spinoff, Shadow High
The doll world is buzzing with the promotional rollout of MGA Entertainment’s latest doll brand. The company behind L.O.L. Surprise! began teasing the new doll line as students from Shadow High “hijacked” the official Rainbow High Instagram account. Read more…
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Buffalo Games Expands Pop It! Collection with Stranger Things, Star Wars, and Marvel
Kids can’t get enough fidget toys. You know the ones: They look like a waffle full of colored bubbles that kids can pop in and out. Now, kids are going to become even more obsessed with the launch of Buffalo Games’ new licensed Pop It!s featuring a pop culture twist. Read more…
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Far Out Toys, Kidoodle.TV Bring ‘The GLO Show’ to TV Screens Worldwide
As the Glo-Up Girls fashion doll line hits shelves at Target stores in the U.S. and Australia this month, Far Out Toys inked a licensing deal with Kidoodle.TV to bring Glo-Up Girls entertainment to millions of young viewers around the world. Read more…
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Toy Industry Bets on Licensing Expo 2022 as Exhibitors Make Plans for Las Vegas
Licensing Expo will return to the Las Vegas Strip from May 24-26, 2022 when Informa Markets and Licensing International open the doors and reunite the licensing community at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. More than 170 exhibitors are already booked for the show, including ADK Emotions NY (Beyblade), Crayola, Funko, Hasbro, Jazwares, LEGO, Mattel, MGA Entertainment, NECA, The Pokémon Co. International, Spin Master, WHP Global (Toys “R” Us), and more. Read more…
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The Toy Association Preps Dallas Preview & Holiday Market Event
The Association says that the event will be designed with hybrid booth spaces that will allow exhibitors to highlight this year’s holiday drivers while also providing privacy in showing new products for 2023 and beyond. Read more…
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ASTRA Toy Boat Sets Sail for 2023 Winter Trade Show
The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) has revealed plans to set sail next year with the ASTRA Toy Boat. The floating trade show will hit the open waters in what ASTRA says is “a warm location” from Feb. 20-24, 2023. It is not a replacement for the annual Marketplace & Academy, but a “new experience” for the industry. Read more…
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ToyFest West Is a Wrap as Organizers Look Toward 2023
ToyFest West became the unlikely first event of 2022 following the cancelation and subsequent reimagining of Toy Fair New York. According to the Western Toy & Hobby Representatives Association, more than 500 exhibitors lined the halls at the Expo and World Market Center in Las Vegas last week as buyers from 39 states got a first look at new products. Read more…
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Hasbro Named One of ‘World’s Most Ethical Companies’ for 11th Consecutive Year
The global play and entertainment company is one of just four consumer products companies being honored by Ethisphere in a field of 136 companies. The award recognizes companies for leadership in areas including business ethics and compliance, ethical sourcing and human rights, environmental sustainability, and social impact across global communities. Read more…
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Netflix Explores the Wacky World of Dr. Seuss with 5 New Series and Specials
Some of the most iconic Dr. Seuss stories are being reimagined in five new, animated series and specials. Characters from Horton Hears a Who!; The Sneetches; One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish; Wacky Wednesday; and other classic stories are coming to the streaming service. Additionally, the second season of Green Eggs and Ham begins next month. Read more…
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Exclusive: ZAG, Burger King Team up for ‘Miraculous’ King Jr. Meal Promotion
As part of its first global quick-service restaurant (QSR) promotion for the Miraculous — Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir brand, ZAG will offer six exclusive items at Burger King locations across the U.S. beginning March 24. Read more…
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EastPoint Sports, Chippo Bring Golf x Cornhole Mashup to Mass Retail
Under a new licensing deal, EastPoint Sports will bring the Kickstarter hit Chippo to Target and Walmart this spring. The game combines elements of golf and cornhole into a new backyard experience. Read more…
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New Wave Toys Introduces Dragon's Lair, Space Ace RepliCades
Better load up on your quarters because the ‘80s are back and better than ever. New Wave is expanding its RepliCade line of playable, 1:6-scale arcade cabinets with new additions based on fan-requested classic games. Read more…
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Waboba’s Moon Ball Accumulates Massive Success Over the Past Year
The makers of Moon Ball are celebrating a big year with the introduction of the Moonshine Ball, a light-up version of the bouncing sensation. Read more…
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Toys to Movies: Out of the Box and onto the Screen
The Toy Book’s Hannah Sacks takes a look at some of this year’s big brands that are making the jump from the toy department to the big — and small — screens. Read more…
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Use Kid-directed Content to Create More Effective Marketing Campaigns
SuperAwesome’s Tiffany Tasker takes a look at how toy companies are tapping into kid-directed content to usher in a refreshed era of family marketing. Read more…
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Discover the Panda in You with Disney’s Turning Red Toys and Books
The much-buzzed-about movie from Disney and Pixar is finding an audience on Disney+ and the Toy Insider takes a look at all the new toys and books that families can enjoy together. Read more…
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Flat River Group Acquires Synapses Games, Luma Imports
The latest round of acquisitions for Flat River Group includes a Delaware-based importer and distributor of European games for the U.S. market and a Montreal-based tabletop game publisher and design house. Read more…
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Video Game Hardware Shortage Continues to Impact the Industry
Call it déjà vu, but the U.S. video game industry is facing a boss level that it just can’t defeat: the global supply chain. According to The NPD Group, video game hardware sales fell 27% in February of 2022 to lead an overall 6% drop for the industry last month. Read more…
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State of the Industry Q&A: Mastermind Toys
Sarah Jordan, CEO of Canada’s Mastermind Toys, discusses consumer shopping habits and evolving distribution channels in the Toy Book’s annual State of the Industry Q&A. Read more…
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State of the Industry Q&A: Wonder Works Toys
Elizabeth Royall Darby, the new owner of Wonder Works Toys, discusses shopping trends and how the independent toy store has handled supply chain disruptions. Read more…
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State of the Industry Q&A: LEGO
Skip Kodak, president at LEGO Systems, discusses the company’s sales boom, its focus on sustainability, and the promotion of diversity and inclusion within its ranks. Read more…
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State of the Industry Q&A: Disguise
Tara Hefter, president and general manager at Disguise (a division of Jakks Pacific), discusses the company’s contribution to Jakks’ growth, its focus on inclusive products, and licensing strategies for this year. Read more…
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State of the Industry Q&A: Ren Beanie PR
Jen Derevensky, co-president at Ren Beanie Public Relations, discusses the current state of influencer marketing and social media. Read more…
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