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The Toy Foundation Reveals 2022 Toy of the Year Finalists
Drumroll, please! The finalists have been revealed for the next Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards, which will be distributed at The Toy Foundation’s gala on Friday, Feb. 18. Often considered to be the Oscars of the toy industry, the TOTY Awards program recognizes the top playthings on the market and is a vital fundraiser for The Toy Foundation. Read more…
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National Toy Hall of Fame Welcomes Class of 2021
He-Man and Skeletor have been defeated by play sand. The Strong National Museum of Play welcomed a trio of inductees into the National Toy Hall of Fame during a special ceremony. Mattel’s American Girl dolls, Hasbro‘s Risk, and play sand fought a valiant battle to defeat the Cabbage Patch Kids, Battleship, the Settlers of Catan, and the Masters of the Universe in a field of 12 finalists. Read more…
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The History Channel Unboxes ‘The Toys That Built America’
The Toys That Built America is a four-part docuseries that will premiere on Sunday, Nov. 28 at 9 p.m. ET/PT with an episode that explores the history behind Slinky, Silly Putty, and Frisbee. The series blends dramatic reenactments with archival footage and interviews with experts, including our own Laurie Schacht, president and chief toy officer at Adventure Media and Events, publisher of the Toy Book, the Toy Insider, and the Pop Insider. Read more…
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Mattel, Nickelodeon Begin Production on Live-action ‘Monster High’ Musical
The famed students of Monster High are stepping into live-action as the spooktacular franchise heads toward a full-scale relaunch next year. Mattel and Nickelodeon have begun production on the first-ever live-action musical based on the Monster High franchise. Cameras will roll later this month in Vancouver, BC, Canada as the production moves toward a TV premiere next year on Nickelodeon. Read more…
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'Hasbro Holiday Shopping Live' Digital Event to Support Toys for Tots
Hasbro is taking a new approach to connecting with families this season. Tomorrow, the company will present its first “Hasbro Holiday Shopping Live” event. The multicast live stream will be available to watch via a Hasbro microsite on Brandlive and will showcase an assortment of toys and games from brands including Transformers, NERF, Peppa Pig, PJ Masks, and more. Read more…
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LEGO Education Mini-figures Travel to Outer Space for STEAM Learning Series
One small step for man, one giant leap for LEGO-kind. LEGO Education revealed that two of its LEGO mini-figures will launch into space on the uncrewed Artemis I mission. Mini-figures Kate and Kyle will take the journey as part of LEGO’s collaboration with NASA on Build to Launch: A STEAM Exploration Series. Read more…
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Jada Toys Inks Deal with Fred Rogers Productions for Donkey Hodie Toys
Jada Toys continues its expansion beyond die-cast and R/C. Following the launch of its B-Kind Dolls, its direct-to-consumer NEXT Level platform, and a range of Universal Monsters Action Figures this fall, the company inked a deal with Fred Rogers Productions to create a range of toys inspired by the PBS Kids series Donkey Hodie. Read more…
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Bulldog Licensing to Conjure up Licensing Program for Moose Toys' Magic Mixies in the UK
A little more than a week after Moose Toys revealed plans to conjure up some fast-tracked licensing business for its Magic Mixies brand, Bulldog Licensing has taken the reins to build a program across the UK. Since its launch last month, Magic Mixies is the third best-selling product in the Moose UK portfolio. Read more...
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Big G Creative Launches 2 New Titles: Hangry and No Filter
Families looking to revamp game night traditions can look for two new titles from Big G Creative that launched exclusively at Walgreens this week. Designed as an icebreaker game, No Filter is the ideal get-to-know-you game, while Hangry is an action-packed, food-themed card game. Read more…
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YWOW Brands Officially Launches in the U.S.
Following early success and fast growth in international markets, YWOW Games has evolved into YWOW Brands for its official launch into the U.S. market. The company behind a large range of eco-friendly, officially licensed puzzles launched in 2018. Over the past year, YWOW Brands has grown to distribute its products in more than 50 markets around the world in tandem with surging popularity of games and puzzles. Read more...
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UNO Championship Series Vegas Invitational Tournament Gets Wild
Tonight, the 50th anniversary celebration of UNO enters a new phase as esports superstar Tyler “Ninja” Blevins gets wild as host of the special event that will crown the first-ever UNO World Champion. The event will stream live from the HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas inside the Luxor Hotel & Casino. Read more…
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NECA Partners with Mariah Carey for Holiday Collection
Is it really the holiday season if you haven’t blasted Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” approximately one million times? This year, to celebrate her essential festive bop, The Queen of Christmas has partnered with NECA to launch her first collection of official holiday merchandise. Read more...
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Surge Licensing Tapped to Lead Toy and Consumer Products Licensing for ‘Epic Seven’
Under the new deal, Surge is looking to develop a full consumer products licensing program spanning toys, tabletop games, publishing, and digital products, including NFTs for the popular mobile game. Epic Seven aka E7 launched three years ago and continues to grow. Read more…
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Fat Brain Toys Opens New Warehouse Amid Record-breaking Holiday Season
The company behind Dimpl Pops and GibGab relocated its entire warehouse operation in just three days last month, consolidating two smaller warehouses into one 195,000 square-foot facility in an emerging industrial park that also houses data centers for Google and Facebook. Fat Brain Toys expects to see record-breaking sales during the holiday season and is already moving an above-average volume of toys and games. Read more…
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Incredible Novelties Rebrands as Incredible Group with 3 New Divisions
After nearly 20 years of growth, Incredible Novelties is rebranding and refocusing as The Incredible Group. The Canadian company will serve as the parent of three new divisions: Incredible Play, Incredible Novelties, and Incredible Incentives. Co-founders Dan Jankelow and Saul Sacks say that the restructured company will continue to provide all of its previous offerings while expanding its divisions in new ways. Read more…
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Toy Industry Reacts to TOTY Nominations
As news of this year’s TOTY nominations spread, executives, designers, and other team members from a variety of toy and game companies have issued reactions to the highly competitive field that’s filled with some usual suspects, some up-and-comers, and a few surprises. Read more…
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Celebrate STEM Learning Every Day with Luki Lab
At the Toy Insider, Luki Lab President Didier Pietri checks in during STEM Week with a guest column exploring the different ways that his company celebrates STEM concepts every day. According to Pietri, Luki Lab is obsessed with STEM toys and thinks that every parent should be. Read more…
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Exclusive: Moonbug Entertainment Names Joan Grasso as Head of Consumer Products, North America
In her new role, Grasso will lead commercialization efforts for all Moonbug brands throughout the U.S. and Canada through licensing, merchandising sales, and management. Grasso joins the company from Hasbro where she served as vice president of licensed consumer products for North America, growing programs for more than 25 brands. Read more...
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Former Toy Manufacturers Association President Douglas Thomson Has Died
The Bronx-born executive joined the TMA as president in 1978 and led the organization in consumer safety and policy, public relations, and philanthropy. He was also a founder of the Fashion Institute of Technology's (FIT) Toy Design Department. Read more...
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Disguise Bolsters EMEA Team with Marketing Manager Lianne Barber
In her new role, Barber will lead all marketing efforts for Disguise across countries in the EMEA territory. Barber joins the company from The Entertainer where she most recently served as senior marketing communications and brand manager for The Entertainer and Early Learning Centre stores. Read more...
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Schleich Taps 8-Year-Old Kid as Its First Chief Storytelling Officer
Bosses are getting younger these days! Schleich announced its newest team member, eight-year-old Marcello from Queens, NY! Marcello will fill the role of the company’s very first Chief Storytelling Officer (CSO) after the brand conducted a live casting call at FAO Schwarz in New York City. Read more…
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Funko Q3 Sales Spike 40% as Demand Reignites for Entertainment Properties
The maker of pop culture collectibles, games, and other consumer lifestyle products reported its Q3 earnings with a 40% spike in net sales and a net income increase of 17.8%. While net margin saw a slight decline, the positive performance amid continuing issues in the supply chain resulted in revised full-year guidance that sets the bar even higher for a positive 2021. Read more…
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Spin Master Posts Record-breaking Q3 Earnings While Navigating Supply Chain Issues
Spin Master’s total Q3 revenue spiked 25% to $714.5 million while gross products sales jumped 16% to $682.1 million versus $587.4 million during the same period last year. The company says that a 120.9% spike in other revenue was driven by higher entertainment, licensing, and digital games revenue. Read more…
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