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#BlackLivesMatter: The Toy and Game Industries Stand Together Against Racism and Injustice
The winds of change are blowing fiercely across America as millions rise up in solidarity against the systematic oppression faced by members of the black community. For those involved in the business of play, there is a responsibility to educate and support future generations, and the heels are digging in.
Read more…
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LEGO Pulls Back Police Playset Affiliate Marketing Amid George Floyd Protests
The tragic death of George Floyd while being restrained by police in Minneapolis sparked major protests all over the country, and today we’re seeing the first impact in the toy department.
The Toy Book
has received a copy of an email sent to affiliate marketers by Rakuten Linkshare on behalf of the LEGO Group. The email requests removal of product listings and features for more than 30 LEGO building sets, Minifigures, and accessories that include representation of police officers, firefighters, criminals, emergency vehicles, and buildings.
Read more…
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‘Too Soon’ to Determine Post-Pandemic Retail Recovery, NRF Says
Many businesses — including local toy stores and specialty retailers — have begun a phased reopening across the country, but much uncertainty looms. Not factoring in the new wave of disruption from the current state of civil unrest being displayed across the country, the National Retail Federation (NRF) says it’s too soon to start guessing how the U.S. economy will recover.
Read more…
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Exclusive: Jazwares, Melissa & Doug Vet Launches TriAction Toys
A new player has entered the U.S. specialty toy arena. TriAction Toys LLC will introduce popular European toys to American audiences with distribution specifically focused on independent toy stores and specialty retailers. TriAction was founded by Chris Cofoni, a 14-year toy sales vet who became familiar with the specialty market while working for Melissa & Doug, Jazwares, and others.
Read more…
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Mattel Begins ‘Cave Club’ Rollout for Prehistoric BFFs
Previewed at Toy Fair New York in February, Emberly, Roaralai, Fernessa, Tella, and Slate — collectively known as the Cave Club — are prehistoric BFFs: barefoot friends. This week, Mattel launched the official YouTube channel for the new brand with animated videos that serve as an introduction to the main characters and their “untamed land of adventure, exploration, and dinosaurs.”
Read more…
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Harold Chizick Talks AtGames on the ‘Power Kid Podcast’
In this week’s episode of the “Power Kid Podcast,” host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design speaks with Harold Chizick, CEO of ChizComm and Beacon Media. On the show, Chizick discusses AtGames, a digital media and tech innovation company that creates a host of gaming products for physical retail, digital distribution, and streaming. Most recently, AtGames has been focused on retro interactive entertainment with the Legends Ultimate Gaming Cabinet.
Listen here…
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Playmates Toys Inks Deal with
Spy Ninjas
The company known for producing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toys just made a deal with some
other
ninjas. Surge Licensing revealed that Playmates Toys has signed on as the global master toy licensee for the YouTube hit Spy Ninjas. Described as an “action-packed serial drama” that unfolds across several YouTube channels,
Spy Ninjas
boasts more than 400 million monthly views as Chad Wild Clay, Vy Qwaint, and their Spy Ninjas team battle a hacking group known as Project Zorgo.
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eOne’s
Alien TV
Set to Land on Netflix
It’s not an invasion, but Entertainment One (eOne) and POP Family Entertainment are hoping that families will welcome aliens into their homes this summer.
Alien TV
is a new series that follows “the slapstick misadventures of an extra-terrestrial television news crew as they try to understand the wild, baffling, and sometimes ‘just-plain-weird’ life on a newly discovered planet called Earth.”
Read more…
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Crayola Teams with Burger King for King JR Kids’ Meal Promotion
Crayola and Burger King have been collaborating for decades, and now the pair is kicking off a new promotion to inspire summer creativity. Burger King is offering a collection of six premium Crayola toys that are available with the purchase of a King JR kids’ meal.
Read more…
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The Toy Insider Names Six Hot New Ride-Ons for Grade Schoolers
For kids, every neighborhood is ripe for adventure. That could mean turning the sidewalk into a racetrack; using curbs and driveways as a makeshift skatepark; making dirt paths into biking terrain; or doing a little “off-roading” through the front yard. The only limits are imagination — and perhaps a little parental permission.
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Hess Corp. Unveils 2020 Hess Toy Truck Mini Collection
The Hess Corp. revealed its 2020 Hess Mini Collection, which includes three highly detailed, small-scale vehicles inspired by fan favorites from the historic fleet of holiday Hess Toy Trucks. This year’s Mini Collection is a limited-production set that includes recreations of the 1987 Hess 18-Wheeler, the 2009 Hess Race Car, and the 2015 Hess Fire Truck and Ladder Rescue.
Read more…
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Save the McFly Family in Funko’s New Back to the Future Board Game
Start those DeLorean engines, because you have a chance to save the day as Marty McFly, Doc Brown, Jennifer Parker, or Einstein in Back to The Future – Back in Time, a new strategy game from Funko. Originally announced during Toy Fair New York as part of a slate of new Funko Games titles for this year, the Back In Time is the first Funko Games offering that
doesn’t
incorporate Funko Pop! figures in some form.
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Stern Pinball Debuts Three TMNT Machines
Did someone say turtle power? Stern Pinball just released a line of pinball machines inspired by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT), and they are packed with homages to everyone’s favorite pizza-loving, crime-fighting turtle crew. Stern’s TMNT line includes three machines: Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition. Each version has slightly different features, but all three have bright colors, hand-drawn art, and familiar characters that TMNT fans know and love.
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Cloudco Entertainment Inks New International Licensing Deal for Care Bears
Bavaria Media GmbH and its licensing division, Bavaria Sonor Licensing, inked a new deal with Cloudco Entertainment to manage the Care Bears brand across Germany, Austria and Switzerland (GAS). Under the new agreement, Bavaria Sonor Licensing will develop and manage all consumer products and licensing programs for Care Bears across the German-speaking territories.
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Rainbow Group’s
44 Cats
Expands its Reach in the U.S.
Following its U.S. debut on Nickelodeon last year, Rainbow Group‘s
44 Cats
is picking up steam in North America. As the series continues to grow in popularity worldwide, new licensees, broadcasters, and streamers are getting on board.
Read more…
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The Water-Reveal Trend Evolves to Keep Collectibles Afloat
Collectibles made up 12% of all toy sales in the 12 months ended this January, but after several years of strong growth, overall sales decreased 5% last year, according to The NPD Group. Just when you thought the collectibles aisle was getting stale, the brains behind the toys doubled down on a key ingredient: water.
Read more…
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Influencing Kids — From YouTube to Instagram
The Toy Association details the findings of its “Children & Influencer Platforms Study” that dives into how kids are engaging with key influencer platforms (YouTube/YouTube Kids, Facebook, and Instagram) by breaking down the types of content kids watch based on age, how they discovered the content, and why they use each platform. It also explores the content strategies of six (out of 67) of the study’s highest-performing YouTube channels:
Ryan’s World, It’s JoJo Siwa, Pinkfong! Kids’ Songs & Stories, PewDiePie, 5-Minute Crafts,
and
Dude Perfect
.
Read more…
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