The Toy Book's 2023 Licensing & Entertainment Issue Is Here!

In this issue, we’re taking a look at some of the hottest new licensed toys, games, and trends that retailers and other members of the trade should have on their radar for the months ahead. Read more…

From the Editor: Vegas Baby, Vegas!



For decades, the symbiotic relationship between licensors and licensees has resulted in iconic toys and games inspired by movies, TV series, video games, books, and more. While the seeds were planted years before, the explosion of licensed products between the 1970s and 1980s rewrote the rules of the consumer products game and established a playbook that’s largely still used today. Read more…

Mattel Joins Simon & Schuster’s Family of Distribution Clients



Under this new agreement, Simon & Schuster will handle sales and distribution of the Mattel Press Imprint and the American Girl Publishing Imprint to the U.S. and Canada beginning July 1. Read more…

LEGO and Actor Samira Wiley Build Pieces of Me This Pride Month



Actor Samira Wiley’s unique personal story is being brought to life in an epic LEGO portrait this Pride Month. The LEGO Group has collaborated with the award-winning actor and producer to celebrate the power of creative self-expression within the LGBTQIA+ community with a 41,000-brick self-portrait. Read more…

Hasbro to Release 100th Anniversary Edition of Monopoly



WS Game Company has been called on to create a new version of iconic board game Monopoly to celebrate Hasbro’s 100th anniversary. Read more…

WildBrain CPLG Secures Cross Category Licensing Partners for Moose Toys' Magic Mixies



WildBrain CPLG has secured its first wave of licensees in the U.S. and Canada for Moose Toys’ Magic Mixies. These new partnerships build on Moose Toys’ core toy program for the property which spans the Magic Mixies Magic Cauldron and Magic Mixies Magical Crystal Ball, alongside a growing line of Magic Mixies Mixlings collectibles. Read more…

Disguise Inks Multiyear Licensing Deal With Mob Entertainment for ‘Poppy Playtime’



Disguise, JAKKS Pacific’s costume division, has signed a multiyear licensing deal with Mob Entertainment to develop costumes and accessories for the episodic horror game Poppy Playtime. Read more…

Jazwares Debuts New Squishmallows Licensees



The company is partnering with nearly 20 new licensees. The collaborations will include new games, apparel, accessories, and more. Read more…

Rubies Releases Officially Licensed Costume Collection for ‘The Flash’



Rubies has unveiled its officially licensed costume collection for Warner Bros. Pictures’ upcoming film The Flash, releasing in theaters this week. Read more…

Super Impulse’s Poptaters Get a Second Wave of Figures



Super Impulse, the company behind the World’s Smallest brand, is releasing a second wave of Poptaters. This new series of figures takes the well-known Hasbro Potato Head and mashes it together with pop culture favorites. Read more…

Just Play Releases Disney Doorables Series 10 to Celebrate Disney100



Disney100 continues with even more new products, this time with a series of Disney Doorables from Just Play. This new series of Disney Doorables is the 10th for the brand and comes with fresh characters and figures celebrating Disney’s 100th anniversary. Read more…

Bandai Namco Scores Ultraman Master Licensing Deal



Retailers will soon be able to stock their shelves with new Ultraman toys as the result of a new licensing deal between Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America (BNTCA), Tsuburaya Productions, and Tsuburaya Fields Media & Pictures Entertainment. Read more…

The Loyal Subjects Teams Up With WildBrain for Strawberry Shortcake Lineup



Last month, WildBrain announced that it was spotlighting Strawberry Shortcake at Licensing Expo, including collaborations with Hot Topic, Loungefly, Dolls Kill, and more. Now, The Loyal Subjects Toy is joining the lineup. Read more…

ZAG Partners With LankyBox for ‘Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir’ Collaboration



Animation studio ZAG is continuing to expand the reach of the Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir series, partnering with YouTube channel LankyBox to develop plush, apparel, and home decor. Read more…

Take The Red Pill And Wake Up To A New Line Of Matrix Collectibles



As the line between reality and the online world continues to blur, The Matrix has never been more relevant. Now, Diamond Select Toys has partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products to unveil a new line of collectibles based on the iconic movie series. Read more at The Pop Insider…

Purpose Toys to Launch Latinistas, All-Latina Fashion Doll Line



Purpose Toys is expanding its offerings of fashion dolls with diversity and inclusion in mind. The new Latinistas line of dolls will be the first all-Latina fashion doll line to be sold to the larger market. The new line of dolls joins the launch of Purpose Toys Latin division. Read more…

Hasbro Debuts Multiple New Partnerships Across Brands 



Guided by its Blueprint 2.0 strategy, Hasbro is significantly expanding its licensing offerings with a focus on fewer brands to invest in their growth and unlock their full potential. The company is delivering newness across a range of categories based on brands that are celebrating major milestones. Read more…

Kids Can Train with Batman with the New Vital Hero Band



For generations, kids have dreamed about fighting alongside Batman and bringing justice to Gotham City. Now, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America is making that dream a reality with the latest edition of the Vital Hero interactive wristband. Read more at The Toy Insider…

PlayMonster, Hasbro Extend Licensing Partnership for Spirograph Brand



PlayMonster and Hasbro have announced that PlayMonster will continue to support the Spirograph brand as part of its global growth strategy aimed at bringing the spiral-designing toy to even more aspiring artists worldwide. Read more…

Educational Insights Launches TikTok Shop



Educational Insights has launched its first TikTok in-app toy shop. Over the past year, Educational Insights’ 3D puzzle Kanoodle has gained more than one billion views on TikTok, making it the perfect brand to launch a TikTok shop. Read more…

ASTRA Reveals 2023 Play, Excellence, and Lifetime Achievement Awards Winners

The newly rebranded ASTRA Play Awards selects nominees based on criteria including toy newness, uniqueness, availability, and significance. The winners were announced this week at ASTRA Marketplace & Academy in Columbus, Ohio. Read more...

Licensing Expo: The 2023 State of Licensing Q&A



The Toy Book brings together a panel of licensing agents, manufacturers, and IP owners for a roundtable Q&A covering the trends and challenges shaping the business. Read more…

Keeping Up with Hot Kids' Brands at Licensing Expo



Kids are always looking for the next big craze and once they find something they love, they’ll want to surround themselves with it — whether that be a favorite toy brand, a music group, a cartoon character, or a movie. We’ve curated a mix of some classic and emerging brands that are doing big things in the world of licensing. Read more…

Property Profile: Transformers — More Than Meets the Eye



Behind closed doors at Licensing Expo last year, Hasbro unveiled an early look at footage from this summer’s tentpole film, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. The footage did its job by getting retailers and licensing partners hyped for a period piece set in 1994 in which a new faction — Maximals — joins the Autobots and Decepticons to face off against a looming, planet-sized threat: Unicron. Read more…

Monster Jam Continues to Captivate Families With 'The Greatest Show on Dirt'



The original Grave Digger debuted in North Carolina in 1982. Who could have predicted it would still be in the hearts of both kids and adults today — more than four decades later? Born as a “mud bogger,” Grave Digger soon evolved into a true “monster truck,” driving at “full throttle” to become synonymous with Monster Jam: Feld Entertainment’s worldwide sensation. Read more…

Ravensburger Fires Back at Upper Deck in Lorcana Dispute



Ravensburger North America isn’t letting a lawsuit from Upper Deck sour its plans to unleash Disney Lorcana this summer. Following Upper Deck’s surprise legal action alleging that Ravensburger and game designer Ryan Miller copied a previously unannounced game called Rush of Ikorr and repackaged it as Disney Lorcana, the company has issued a follow-up statement after reviewing the claims. Read more…

Licensing International Names 2023 Hall of Fame Inductees



Pam Kaufman, Paramount; retail pioneer Cindy Levitt; and Carole Postal, Spotlight Licensing, have been named as Licensing International’s 2023 Hall of Fame inductees. The Hall of Fame honors executives’ legacies, bodies of work, and unique contributions to the licensing community. Read more…

WiT Welcomes Five New Board Members



Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment (WiT) has appointed five industry leaders to its Board of Directors to serve a three-year term, beginning on July 1. Read more…

The Toy Association Reveals 2023 Toy Industry Hall of Fame Inductees



The Hall of Fame inductees were nominated and voted on by members of The Toy Association in recognition of their contributions to the industry and the impact they have had on the lives of children through a lifelong commitment to toys and play. Read more…

Karen Eggleston, Kim Bell Join Jazwares Licensing Team



Karen Eggleston, a licensing, brand management, and marketing veteran with nearly 20 years of industry experience has joined Jazwares as Vice President of Licensing & Consumer Products, North America, while industry veteran Kim Bell joins as Senior Director, Licensing. Both are taking on newly created roles at the company. Read more…