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Despite Supply Chain Issues, Retailers Are Stocked with Toys for Last-minute Holiday Push
Ships have finally come in for some big box stores and national chains. Despite months of worry regarding supply chain issues — including a lack of container space, price gouging on spot rates, labor concerns, logjams at ports, issues with trucking and rail, inflation, and rising raw materials costs — big box toy departments from coast to coast are well-stocked for the holidays. However, some regional and category-specific outages are resulting in empty shelves. Read more…
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Mattel Introduces Barbie Extra Minis for the Holidays
Barbie is getting into a new style and scale, and she’s doing it just in time for the holiday season. Mattel introduced a new brand extension for its Barbie Extra line: Barbie Extra Minis. The new dolls are in a 5.5-inch scale that brings Barbie and her friends into the scale made popular by Mattel’s Masters of the Universe action figures. Read more…
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Create a Virtual, Hello Kitty-themed House with Toca Boca’s New Home Design Pack
Hello Kitty is a gamer now! The global pop icon is partnering with Spin Master’s game development studio Toca Boca to extend the Hello Kitty brand into the digital gaming sphere. Hello Kitty will be introduced into the studio’s video game Toca Life World in a furniture pack launch in the Home Designer creator tool. Read more…
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Age of Learning Taps Licensing Street to Build Toy, Consumer Products Program for ABCmouse
The popular ABCmouse online learning program is about to make the jump into the physical realm. Licensing Street inked a deal with Age of Learning Inc. to serve as the North American licensing agent for ABCmouse. Under the new deal, Licensing Street will work to craft a full consumer products program for ABCmouse that will extend the brand into a range of STEM/STEAM toys and other educational products. Read more…
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Cubles, Semaphore Collaborate on Influencer Collectibles
The world of the 3D paperboard Cubles is expanding. Cubles inked a deal with influencer marketing agency Semaphore to create 3D paperboard collectibles inspired by some top digital personalities from the agency’s roster. Minecraft celebrity Tyler Pappas, known for his LogdotZip and Craftee channels, is the first personality to have a customized Cubles figure. Read more…
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Kroeger, Identity Games Ink Pact for Escape Room: The Game
Beginning Jan. 1, Kroeger will offer the multi-SKU Escape Room: The Game brand to retailers across the U.S. and Canada, including specialty, mid-tier, mass, and e-commerce. Since its launch in 2016, Escape Room: The Game has grown to include nearly 40 titles across multiple categories for kids and adults of different skill levels spanning base games, expansion packs, and even VR editions. Read more…
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Pixar Villains Join Ravensburger's Disney Villainous
They say there’s no hero without a villain, and Ravensburger is proving yet again that there’s no fun in being good with the latest addition to its Disney Villainous board game series. Titled Disney Villainous: Bigger and Badder, the new “expandalone” game will feature Pixar villains for the first time, introducing Syndrome of The Incredibles and Lotso of Toy Story 3 to the collection’s crooked crew. Read more…
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Hasbro x Champion Collab Flaunts Game-changing Style
Get your cozy game on with the new Champion x Hasbro collab. The licensing crossover features colorful, limited-edition hoodies, joggers, T-shirts, sweatshirts, slides, and slippers inspired by Candy Land, Twister, Scrabble, and more classic games. Read more…
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HUGE Play!, Epic Storyworlds Ink Deal for GameBud Expansion
Following the launch of the GameBud Talking Tom this fall, HUGE Play! is attracting interest in its interactive technology. Epic Storyworlds, the sister company to Epic Story Media, put forth a strategic investment in HUGE! Play in an effort to extend the GameBud platform to include additional characters and stories. Read more…
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Distroller World Continues to Support Miracle Babies’ Santa’s Workshop
Distroller World is continuing its support of Miracle Babies line with a contribution to its Santa’s Workshop toy drive event. San Diego-based Miracle Babies is a nonprofit organization dedicated to uniting families with their hospitalized newborns through financial assistance, transportation, and supportive services. Read more…
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Talkin’ Toys: Disguise Stays On-trend to Dress-up the World for Halloween and Beyond
The Toy Book caught up with Tara Hefter, president and general manager at Disguise — the costumes and accessories division of Jakks Pacific — for an update on how the company is growing its business as it looks ahead toward its 35th anniversary next year. Read more…
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More Than 148 Million Americans Plan to Shop on Super Saturday, NRF Says
The finish line for the 2021 holiday shopping season is coming up fast, and the National Retail Federation (NRF) says that consumers are preparing to turn up in droves for the final push. More than 30% of consumers have already purchased toys this season, and NRF data shows that consumers are planning to do holiday shopping on Super Saturday — the final Saturday before Christmas — in numbers that rival 2019. Read more…
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Toys “R” Us Canada Lassos Jazwares’ Dino Ranch Toys
Fresh off a successful retail launch at Amazon and Target in the U.S., the “pre-westoric” characters of Dino Ranch are trotting onto shelves at Toys “R” Us Canada. Jazwares developed the line, which debuted at our sister publication the Toy Insider‘s Sweet Suite at Home event this summer. The toy line includes action figures, playsets, and vehicles for kids ages 3 and up. Read more…
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U.S. Retail Imports Boom Despite Supply Chain Crisis and Ongoing Pandemic
The numbers are in, and consumer demand is insatiable. According to the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates monthly Global Port Tracker, 2021 is headed toward a record finish for U.S. retail imports. The organizations say that this year should chart both the largest volume and fastest growth on record for ocean freight. Read more…
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U.S. Video Game Sales Dip as ‘Call of Duty’ Season Begins, Console Availability Declines
For the first time in months, U.S. video game industry sales took a sizable hit. An overall lack of available inventory at retail for new console hardware, including the Sony Playstation 5, Microsoft’s Xbox Series X|S, and the Nintendo Switch OLED sent November video game hardware sales off a cliff for a 38% decline over last year, according to The NPD Group. Read more…
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'PAW Patrol' Success Prompts New Hire and Expanded Role for Spin Master Entertainment’s Jennifer Dodge
Effective immediately, Jennifer Dodge takes the lead for sales and distribution of content and outbound licensing for consumer products at the company. As part of the expansion, Dodge hired licensing vet André Lake Mayer to step into the newly created role of senior vice president, global strategic partnerships and consumer products. Read more…
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IMC Toys Taps Michael Pisors to Lead Marketing
The company behind Cry Babies, VIP Pets, and Bloopies says that it’s looking to expand its market share across North America. In his new role, Michael Pisors will manage brand marketing strategies for all IMC products in the region while working to expand the company’s portfolio through the development of new product lines. Read more…
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Genius Brands Names Zrinka Dekic as Chief Financial Officer, Head of Strategy and Mergers & Acquisitions
Dekic, who previously held executive roles at The Walt Disney Co. and Goldman Sachs, joins the company from Houlihan Lokey’s Investment Banking Technology, Media & Telecom Group where she served as vice president. Read more…
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