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The Toy Book Top 10: The Hottest Stories of July 2022
The Toy Book Top 10 is hitting the rewind button and taking a look back at some of the hottest stories of July 2022, as chosen by you: the readers! Last month’s top stories were dominated by headlines from Jazwares, The Toy Association, Jakks Pacific, Toys “R” Us, and more. See the list…
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WowWee's My Avastars Are at the Center of a Legal Scuffle with Roblox, Jazwares
The recent debut of WowWee's My Avastars doll brand is at the center of a new lawsuit filed in a San Francisco Court on behalf of Roblox Corp. and Jazwares LLC. In the 62-page filing, attorneys representing Roblox and Jazwares allege that My Avastars is a violation of Roblox's intellectual property (IP) rights. Read more…
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Spin Master Acquires Independent Game Studio SolidRoots
Spin Master plans to allow the independent game studio behind Mind the Gap to remain a family-run operation based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The SolidRoots team says that the acquisition offers “unprecedented firepower to continue to grow our games portfolio and to expand on current brands like Mind the Gap in meaningful and scalable ways.” Read more…
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U.S. Video Game Industry Sales Slip 13% in Q2
The U.S. video game industry is facing a boss level that’s proving hard to beat: declining sales fueled by availability issues and consumer uncertainty. According to new data from The NPD Group, consumer spending on video game products slipped 13% in the second quarter to $12.35 billion. Read more…
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Creative Kids, Little Tikes Partner for New Line of Wooden Toys
Creative Kids Group and MGA Entertainment’s Little Tikes brand will collaborate on the conceptualization, production, and market release of a new line of wooden toys. The collection will include puzzles, music play sets, full-size kitchens, vehicles, and more. Read more…
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Respect Your Taters! Hasbro Celebrates 70 Years of Potato Head with Grandtaters Set
Have you ever seen a 70-year-old potato? Hasbro’s classic Potato Head brand is turning 70 this year, so there’s no better time to respect your eld-taters than with the launch of a special Grandtaters set. Read more…
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Jada Toys, Universal Extend Licensing Pact for Vehicles, Action Figures
Following a successful, seven-year collaboration that began in 2015, Jada Toys Inc. and Universal Brand Development have inked extensions to their licensing agreements. Future products on the way include a wide range of vehicles inspired by Fast X, the tenth film in The Fast Saga. Read more…
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EastPoint Sports, ESPN Team up for Branded Yard Games
Timed with tomorrow’s 24-hour return of ESPN8: The Ocho (“the home of seldom-seen sports”), EastPoint Sports inked a licensing deal to create ESPN-branded versions of its Kan Jam and Cornhole games. Read more…
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People of Play Preps Q3 Marketing and PR Event
People of Play (POP) is gearing up for another virtual webinar geared toward public relations, brand, and marketing professionals working in the toy, licensing, and entertainment industries. Set to take place on Aug. 18, the third quarter event is focused on the recent calendar changes within the industry and how to maximize participation for the best results. Read more…
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TMNT Minimates Continue Diamond’s 40th Anniversary Celebration
Cowabunga! It’s Diamond Comic Distributors’ 40th anniversary. All year, the company has been partnering with merch makers to launch special-edition products to celebrate this milestone year. The latest release is an exclusive Minimates box set from Diamond Select Toys. Read more…
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FCTRY Introduces Volodymyr Zelenskyy Real Life Action Figure
Sculpted by Seattle-based artist Mike Leavitt, FCTRY’s growing lineup of Real Life Action Figures includes an array of characters, mostly inspired by personalities from the U.S. political scene. The company says that kids should have less exposure to superheroes and more exposure to real-life heroes. Read more…
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Fanatics Collectibles’ zerocool Inks New Licensing Deals for Pop Culture Trading Cards
The toy-adjacent trading card business continues to grow as hobby shops, specialty retailers, and mass retailers across the country embrace the pack-cracking culture. Now, following recent deals with VeeFriends and Paramount, Fanatics Collectibles’ zerocool is amping up its position in the non-sport trading cards space through multiyear partnership deals with Netflix, Legendary Entertainment, and filmmaker Kevin Smith. Read more…
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Toikido Partners with Retail Monster to Bring Piñata Smashlings to North America
The toy and entertainment company known for its Among Us products revealed a partnership with Retail Monster to bring its newest brand Piñata Smashlings to the U.S. and Canada. Topps, PMI, and Roblox are among the partners working to make a splash with the new brand when it hits retail next year. Read more…
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Asmodee, Fanattik Team up for Tabletop Gaming Merch
Those who spend Friday nights stockpiling ore and lumber in an attempt to best their friends in an epic round of Catan (and the retailers that serve them) should take note: Fanattik will produce new collectibles inspired by Asmodee’s portfolio of tabletop games. Read more…
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Entertainment Earth Partners with IVEST Consumer Partners, Equity Group Investments
IVEST Consumer Partners, led by former Warner Bros. Consumer Products President George Jones, and Sam Zell’s Equity Group Investments have made a strategic investment in Entertainment Earth, one of the leading digital retailers in the toy and collectibles space. Read more…
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Barnes & Noble Introduces ‘Game of the Month’ Program
Barnes & Noble is adding games to its monthly discovery program. The retailer selected Czech Games Edition’s Codenames as its inaugural pick for its new Game of the Month initiative. As Game of the Month, Codenames will be showcased prominently at Barnes & Noble stores and online. Read more…
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Toys ‘R’ Us ANZ Secures Funding to Support UK Launch
The digital-first, direct-to-consumer retailer behind the relaunch of Toys “R” Us in Australia and New Zealand is moving ahead with its plans to bring the brand back to the UK. It closed a $15 million debt funding deal to support its entry into the UK and planned e-commerce launch this year. Read more…
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Spin Master Crushes Estimates with 34% Toy Revenue Spike in Q2
The company behind the PAW Patrol is on a roll. Spin Master Corp. reported a big win in the second quarter with a 29.6% increase in global revenue to $506.3 million, up from $390.8 million in Q2 last year. Spin Master, which reports in three segments dubbed “creative centers,” says that its core toy business led the charge with a 34.1% increase. Read more…
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Jakks Pacific Scores a Win with Highest Q2 Sales, Operating Income in Company History
Jakks Pacific continued the positive momentum of the past year with another record quarter. The company reported net sales of $220.4 million in the second quarter, a 96.2% increase versus the same period last year. Jakks’ core toy and consumer products sales spiked 82.6% while the Disguise costumes division scored a 132.2% increase over last year. Read more…
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Former Hasbro Exec Jos Huxley Joins The Toy Association
In his new role, Huxley will lead the continuing development of technical policies and strategies relating to toy safety, environmental sustainability, supply chain issues, factory processes, and other related matters, acting as a guide for member companies navigating these and other issues under the umbrella of technical affairs. Read more…
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Paramount Names Pam Kaufman as President and CEO of International Markets, Global Consumer Products and Experiences
To support Paramount Global’s expansion in international markets, Kaufman will assume a newly created position that expands her existing duties across the global stage . Kaufman will report to Bob Bakish, president and CEO of Paramount. Read more…
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Funko Taps Michael Hyde as Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Funko Far East
In his new role, the former Mattel executive will focus on supply chain management, logistics, quality assurance, sourcing, direct shipping, and will work with the product team and Asia sales team to enhance Funko’s operations throughout Asia. Read more…
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