December 9, 2021
Exclusive: Bestway USA, Kid@Heart Launch Bestway Boutique

Beginning next year, a major player in the inflatable toys and leisure products space will be making its catalog more accessible than ever to the growing specialty market. Bestway USA Inc. teamed up with Kid@Heart to create the Bestway Boutique — a curated assortment of spring and summer inflatables that will be offered to independent toy stores and other specialty retailers beginning Jan. 1. Read more…
Cra-Z-Art Ramps up Efforts for Toys Made in the U.S., Launches RoseArt Puzzles

LaRose Industries LLC — better known as Cra-Z-Art — is raising the flag to usher in a new era of American production. The maker of toys, art supplies, craft kits, and school supplies is increasing its output of products Made in the U.S. by opening a second state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Jacksonville, Florida. Read more...
Jazwares, Kellytoy Unveil Partners for Global Squishmallows Licensing Program

Jazwares and its Kellytoy subsidiary have assembled a whole new squad to bring the Squishmallows brand into more categories in the toy department and beyond. Squishmallows continues its growth into a full-scale lifestyle brand with a full consumer products licensing program. Looking ahead into 2022, families, fans, and collectors will find Squishmallows trading cards, bedding, pool floats, apparel, and more products available at a wide array of mass and specialty retailers. Read more…
Hop Aboard Spin Master’s Newest STEAM Initiative

It’s full steam ahead for Spin Master’s newest project. The company announced a new STEAM-inspired initiative that aims to give kids and their families hands-on learning activities that mimic the art and science of toy-making. The Future of Play initiative features DIY activities that show kids how toys are made, going behind the scenes with simple STEAM experiences designed to inspire the next generation of play. Read more…
The LEGO Group to Build Carbon-neutral Factory in Vietnam

The company behind the iconic LEGO bricks and mini-figures inked a Memorandum of Understanding with Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park Joint Venture Company Limited (VSIP) to build a new, carbon-neutral factory in Vietnam, complete with a solar energy component. The first bricks are expected to roll off the assembly line in 2024. Read more…
WowWee Taps Striker Entertainment to Lead Licensing for Got2Glow Fairy Finder

The company behind the Pop2Play and Fingerlings brands inked a deal with Striker Entertainment to build a licensing program around the Got2Glow Fairy Finder. The interactive toy secured a coveted spot on the “Hot 20” list of holiday toys published by our sister publication the Toy Insider in its 2021 Holiday Gift Guide. Read more…
Hasbro Prepares for ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ with New Action Figures and a Disney+ Special

On Dec. 29, a new chapter in the Star Wars saga begins when The Mandalorian spinoff The Book of Boba Fett debuts on Disney+. Fresh Star Wars content equals new toys, and Hasbro is leading the charge and will take center stage in an episode of Disney Insider that shows how action figures are made. Read more…
Jakks Pacific Is Giving the Joy of Roller Skating with the Kids Skate Free Program This Holiday Season

In honor of the season of giving back, Jakks Pacific is sponsoring the Kids Skate Free program, which is dedicated to giving kids the opportunity to experience the joy of roller skating. The program provides access to roller skating as an active activity families can do together to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Read more…
Hasbro’s Furby Returns to Help Shoppers Find Gifts

Doo-bi-doo-bi-doo … One of the hottest holiday gifts of the 1990s is back. Hasbro‘s Furby — launched by Tiger Electronics in 1998 — has joined Afterpay, the leading ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ platform, as the face and voice of its new Impossible Gift Finder. Read more…
Talking Toy Licensing with Well Played Toys Founder David Gardiner on the ‘Power Kid Podcast’

In this week’s episode of the “Power Kid Podcast,” host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes David Gardiner, founder of Well Played Toys. Listen here...

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The Toy Association’s Genius of Play Initiative Launches Kid-Friendly Podcast 

The Genius of Play — The Toy Association’s nonprofit initiative that aims to help parents raise healthy and happy kids through play — launched a new podcast. “Once Upon a Playtime” is a storytelling podcast that shares personal stories from actors, artists, entrepreneurs, and more, inviting listeners to rediscover the value of play. Read more…
Ty Continues Air Freight Efforts to Deliver Plush to Retailers for Christmas

Just two weeks after revealing that his company had been mitigating supply chain issues by turning to expensive air freight, Ty Warner says that Ty Inc. has completed a total of 283 flights. The leading supplier of plush toys — including Beanie Babies and Beanie Boos — began flying in product in October in an effort to skip the much-publicized logjams as U.S. ports. Read more…
Genius Brands Invests in Your Family Entertainment to Create Kartoon Channel! Worldwide

Following its acquisition of WOW! Unlimited Media in October, Genius Brands International inked a deal to acquire a 28.6% interest in German distributor and broadcaster Your Family Entertainment AG (YFE) followed by a mandatory tender offer of the outstanding shares of YFE. The ultimate goal: to create Kartoon Channel! Worldwide. Read more…
Radio Flyer, Tesla Expand Partnership to Launch Cyberquad for Kids

Following the success of its Tesla Model S ride-on that launched in 2016, the maker of iconic little red wagons is expanding its deal with Elon Musk’s Tesla for an all-new ride. The Radio Flyer Cyberquad for Kids is an aggressive-looking, high-performance ATV designed for kids ages 8 and up. The angular body sits atop a steel frame and is inspired by Tesla’s forthcoming Cybertruck. Read more…
Spin Master Partners with Artist Dan Lam for Kinetic Sand Charity NFT Drop

Following a recent gallery installation in New York City dubbed Sensory Play: Please Do Touch The Art, Spin Master‘s Kinetic Sand and artist Dan Lam are teaming up to do some good. A series of three NFT (non-fungible tokens) collectibles inspired by Lam’s Kinetic Sand art went up for auction via Rarible with proceeds set to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Read more…
Ride into a Winter Wonderland with Rollplay’s New Ride-On Steam Train

Kids can really take a ride on the battery-powered train that is designed to look like it’s covered in snow, chugging along through a winter wonderland. Kids can push the button to activate a train whistle or a chuffing noise, and they can even add just 2 ounces of water to make the train release smoke in the form of water vapor to make it look like the real thing. Read more…
The Insights Family Offers 2022 ‘Vision of the Future’ Report

The Insights Family is looking into its crystal ball for its annual “Future Forecast.” The market leader for kids, parents, and family intelligence just released its 2022 Future Forecast report with insights into trends that toy and game makers, retailers, and others in the family entertainment space may want to be aware of. Read more…
Diamond Art Club Debuts Harry Potter, Friends, and DC Craft Kits

Accio, craft time! This week, Diamond Art Club revealed a major partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products. The leading manufacturer in diamond painting is releasing a variety of craft kits featuring designs and imagery from multiple Warner Bros. brands, including the Wizarding World, Space Jam: A New Legacy, Friends, DC, and more. Read more…
Talkin’ Toys: Pebble Gear Brings Kid-Friendly Tablets to the U.S.

Pebble Gear is making big moves to the U.S. The company, which offers Disney-licensed kids’ tablets and accessories for kids ages 3-8, has a mission of helping kids safely take their first steps into technology. The Toy Book caught up with Marc-Alexander Knipschild, head of marketing at snakebyte group (parent company of Pebble Gear), about the company’s launch in the U.S., kid-safe tech toys, and the company’s upcoming plans. Read more…
Talkin’ Toys: Sport Bigs Breaks the Mold

Earlier this year, Sport Bigs hit the scene with a goal to break the mold in the toy department. The Toy Book caught up with Sport Bigs founder and former USA Women’s Rugby star Pam Kosanke to find out what inspired her to create the first plush toy for young kids that celebrates athletes in women’s sports. Read more…
This Spirograph Artist Brings Childhood Dreams to Adult Reality

While many of us have likely dabbled with the Spirograph here and there as kids, few of us can say it’s an integral part of our everyday lives. Artist Rachel Evans — affectionately known by the internet as Spirograph Girl — is a part of these few, establishing herself as an artist by using the spirograph as her main tool. Read more…
Canada’s Mastermind Toys Launches ‘Let’s Play’ Brand Campaign

For the first time in its 37-year history, Canadian toy retailer Mastermind Toys has a full brand campaign. The “Let’s Play” initiative includes a commercial by The Local Collective that is running on multiple platforms across Canada this holiday season. Read more...
Flat River Group Acquires Greater Than Games

Flat River Group continues its expansion with another acquisition. The distributor of toys, games, and other consumer products revealed plans to grow its gaming business with the acquisition of Greater Than Games, a St. Louis-based tabletop game publisher, design house, and consolidator. Read more…
Moose Toys Bolsters Executive Ranks with 2 Internal Promotions

The company behind Shopkins, Squeakee, and this year’s smash hit Magic Mixies promoted two of its staffers to new, C-level roles effective immediately. Ronnie Frankowski steps into the newly created role of chief commercial officer while Belinda Gruebner assumes the role of chief marketing officer. Read more…
Alex Ries Joins Me & My Big Ideas as Chief Marketing Officer

In her new role, Ries will be responsible for consumer and retail marketing, partnerships and licensing, and product development. Ries joins the company from Moose Toys U.S., where she served as senior vice president and head of marketing and strategy since 2017. Read more…
 
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