September 9, 2010 11:21:39 PM
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Toy Industry News
Toy Industry News for September 2010 SUBMIT your news to TDmonthly. See previous toy industry news.  2-Dream Acquires World Rights to The Koogles (License! Global). September 9, 2010 — The Koogles from Emily Garcia, creator of Mife Mouse, has granted 2-Dream worldwide rights, including TV, digital, merchandising and publishing. Think Tank Emporium has been tapped to handle the North American market. Toys R Us Opens Pop-Up Shops. September 8, 2010 — Toys R Us has announced plans to open 600 temporary "Express" stores in shopping centers around the U.S. The toy store opened 90 similar shops for the 2009 holiday season. 300 Toys R Us "Express" stores have opened since the program's June launch, and the remaining 300 will open by November. Most will close in January, but some could become permanent outlet stores, according to the Associated Press.  Step2 Company Recalls Sand & Water Transportation Station Toys. September 8, 2010 — The Consumer Product Safety Commission and Step2 Company have announced a voluntary recall of about 56,000 Sand & Water Transportation Station Toys due to a choking hazard. The light blue plastic wheels on the station's train cars can detach. No injuries have been reported. For more information, visit www.step2.com. Hasbro Launches Trivial Pursuit YouTube Challenge. September 8, 2010 — YouTube and Hasbro have teamed up for an online challenge in which the YouTube visitors can compete against YouTube "stars" in a Trivial Pursuit tournament. The contest, which starts September 8, will feature internet sensations including Tay Zonday and "The Numa Numa Kid" Gary Brolsma, according to a press release. The World's Rarest Barbie by Stefano Canturi (Luxist). September 8, 2010 — This Friday night for Fashion's Night Out, Canturi Jewels will unveil the "World's Rarest Barbie." This Barbie was meticulously designed, from her hair and makeup to her frame, dress and shoes, by Stefano Canturi himself. Booster Seat Safety Has Improved, Says Insurance Institute. September 8, 2010 — Car booster seats have made significant safety gains, according to an insurance industry evaluation released Wednesday. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave its top "best bet" award to 30 percent of the booster seats it reviewed for properly restraining children, compared with only 15 percent in its 2009 evaluation. Harmony Juvenile Products earned the highest marks with five "best bet" booster seats, followed by Dorel Juvenile Group with five "best bet" or "good bet" seats, according to the Associated Press. GreenLight Raises Growth Equity. September 8, 2010 — GreenLight LLC has announced that it has received a significant equity investment from a group of individual investors. Proceeds will be used in the development of new products and in Greenlight's expansion into licensed die-cast products, according to a press release. HarperCollins Acquires World Rights to Meerkat Madness (License! Global). September 8, 2010 — HarperCollins Children's Books has acquired the world rights, including TV, film and merchandising, for publishing property "Meerkat Madness" by Ian Whybrow. National Geographic MAPS Exhibit Opens at Strong Museum of Play. September 7, 2010 — The National Geographic Society's international traveling exhibit, "MAPS: Tools for Adventure", will open at the Strong Museum of Play on October 2. The exhibit will include interactive displays allowing children to simulate piloting Amelia Earhart's plane, search for life on Mars and explore the Egyptian Pyramids, among other activities. The exhibit is scheduled to run through January 9, 2011, according to a press release.Webkinz Wheels Turn Slowly. September 7, 2010 — TDmonthly recently revisited some of the specialty retail stores that are suing or have sued Ganz, makers of Webkinz. The following table summarizes the status of the cases. Although two suits have been resolved, various anti-trust actions from around the nation were subsumed into a single class-action suit that is being heard in California. This case is currently awaiting judgment on Ganz's Motion to Dismiss:
 Fat Brain Toy Opens Voting for 2010 Fat Brain Toy Awards. September 7, 2010 — Fat Brain Toy has selected the finalists for its Third Annual Fat Brain Toy Awards. Public votes for the final winners will be accepted online until November 2, 2010, according to a press release. Claire's Debuts GLEE Accessories Collection. September 7, 2010 — Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products and Claire’s have announced the launch of a jewelry and accessories line based on the Fox series "GLEE." Three branded pop-up shops launched Friday, with a nationwide launch scheduled for September 9th. In honor of the partnership, Claire’s will transform the "L" in its logo to resemble the iconic index finger and thumb pose featured in the "GLEE" logo, according to a press release. NBC Plans "Kung Fu Panda" 3-D Special. September 7, 2010 — NBC will air a 3-D holiday special based on the animated film "Kung Fu Panda" in December 2010. The network has partnered with original studio Dreamworks to produce the special, according to the Press Association. Disney Leads Summer Box Office Overseas (The Hollywood Reporter). September 7, 2010 — Foreign box office was hurtling along at a record pace for the year's first half but took a bit of a holiday during the summer ... Still, distributors remain on track to log another record year on the foreign theatrical circuit. All except Sony are logging year-over-year foreign box-office increases from January-August.Strong Museum Issues Call for Whimsical Art Trail Submissions. September 7, 2010 — The Strong National Museum of Play has announced an open call for artists to showcase "playful and whimsical" multi-dimensional work in its Whimsical Art Trail display, which will launch February 19, 2011. Artists can submit their work for consideration at www.museumofplay.org, according to a press release.  Taking the 'Book' Out of Bookstores (Publishers Weekly). September 6, 2010 — With sales of trade titles down, chains expand nonbook offerings. In Feast of Data on BPA Plastic, No Final Answer (New York Times). September 6, 2010 — The research has been going on for more than 10 years. Studies number in the hundreds. Millions of dollars have been spent. But government health officials still cannot decide whether the chemical bisphenol-A, or BPA, a component of some plastics, is safe. petitePARADE Hosts Spring 2011 Kids' Fashion Week. September 3, 2010 — petitePARADE will launch the first children's fashion week on September 10th and 11th during New York's Spring 2011 Fashion Week. The runway showcase will be held at the Metropolitan Pavilion and will feature collections from designers including Roberto Cavalli, Sonia Rykiel and Monnalisa. The event will also feature a Plaworkgroup Edun organic t-shirt workshop and installations from Not Rational and Unoemezzo Tea. Show sponsors include New Grass, Jana Water, Fisher-Price, Hiho Batik and Giggle, according to a press release. Mattel Files Suit Accusing MGA of Hiding Assets. September 3, 2010 — Mattel Inc. has filed a lawsuit alleging that MGA Entertainment transferred hundreds of millions of dollars to defraud creditors, according to the Associated Press. The suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims that MGA transferred $430 million in assets to its chief executive Isaac Larian and other parties to prevent creditors, including Mattel, from collecting funds. CPSC Issues Children’s Vehicle Testing Notice. September 3, 2010 — The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a notice explaining the criteria and process for third-party testing of children’s all-terrain vehicles. Assessment bodies can find the regulations at the CPSC website. Contest asks you to animate William Shatner (Kidscreen). September 3, 2010 — William Shatner is about to get a little more animated. Montreal,Canada-based animation software maker Toon Boom Animation has launched the Myouterspace Contest, hosted by the Shat himself. TIA Opens Submissions Call for 2011 TOTY Awards. September 1, 2010 — The Toy Industry Association (TIA) has opened the submissions process for its 2011 Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards. Toy companies and retailers can submit products in 11 categories between September 1 and October 15, 2010, according to the TIA website. The Juno Company Introduces Juno Jr. Line, Hosts Events at FAO Schwartz. September 3, 2010 — The Juno Company, creators of the Emmy Award-winning Juno Baby line, has launched Juno Jr., a range of preschool DVDs, CDs, plush, books and apparel. Juno products are available at on New York’s FAO Schwartz Fifth Avenue, where the company will host a series of events in September. The events, held each Saturday from September 4 to September 25, will feature puppet shows and meet-and-greets with Juno costumed characters, according to a press release. U.S. Retail Sales Up in August (License! Global). September 3, 2010 — Same-store retail sales for August were up 3.4 percent compared to a decline of 2.4 percent for August 2009, according to Kantar Retail. Last month's sales topped July's increase of 2.9 percent. CPSC Finds No Connection Between Dry Max Diapers and Rashes. September 2, 2010 — The Consumer Product Safety Commission has found no link between Pampers Dry Max Diapers and the severe diaper rashes reported by parents’ groups. The group announced Thursday that after reviewing 4,700 complaints, it located no specific cause linking the product to the skin reactions, according to the Associated Press. Handstand Kids to Attend Los Angeles Times Food and Wine Festival. September 2, 2010 — Handstand Kids Cookbook Company will showcase its products at Booth 430 at the Los Angeles Times Food and Wine Festival on Sunday, September 5. The all-day festival will feature chef demonstrations, book signings, panel discussions, food trucks and other attractions, according to a press release. Tickets and more information are available at http://events.latimes.com/foodandwine/. The School That Gives Kids Their Own iPads (Forbes). September 2, 2010 — No more pencils, no more books, no more clunky desktop PCs or laptops either. Instead, a private school in Scotland has given sleek new iPads to every single one of its pupils to use in class and to even take home, nixing the excuse that the dog ate their homework. Universal Monsters Stalk The Toy Aisles Once More (Dread Central). September 2, 2010 — This October, the Universal Monsters return to the pegs of a toy store near you, courtesy of Diamond Select Toys. UPS Store Announces Children's Literacy Award Finalists. September 1, 2010 — The UPS Store, in cooperation with the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, Scholastic Inc. and the National Center for Family Literacy, has revealed the peer-nominated finalists for the 2010 Alferd Williams Literacy Award. The finalists for the honor, which celebrates childhood literacy advocates, are Kirsten Bremer of Michigan, KK Cherney of Florida, Margaret King of New York, Greg Ruiz of California and Marla Standage of Missouri. The public may vote online at www.scholastic.com/literacyaward, and the finalist with the most public votes will be given an advantage at the final panel judging. The winner will be announced November 1, 2010, according to a press release. Child’s Ordeal Shows Risks of Psychosis Drugs for Young (New York Times). September 1, 2010 — At 18 months, Kyle started taking a daily antipsychotic drug on the orders of a pediatrician trying to quell the boy’s severe temper tantrums.Thus began a troubled toddler’s journey from one doctor to another, from one diagnosis to another, involving even more drugs. American Girl Retires Felicity Merriman Doll. September 1, 2010 — American Girl LLC has announced plans to cease production of Felicity Merriman, a colonial-era character doll introduced in 1991. The Felicity collection, which includes the doll of her friend Elizabeth, will be retired and placed in the American Girl Archives. The Felicity books will still be sold in retail stores and on AmericanGirl.com, according to a press release. Stones Roll Dice With Monopoly Edition (Marketing). August 31, 2010 — Legendary rockers the Rolling Stones have extended the bands' brand presence by teaming with toy manufacturer Hasbro for a special Monopoly edition.CPSC Makes Electronic Recall Data Available to Businesses and Software Developers. August 31, 2010 — The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) will offer product safety and recall information from 1973 to the present to businesses and developers in an electronic data set. The data, available through an Application Program Interface and formatted in XML, will also come with a function that allows online retailers to automatically flag or remove recalled products quickly after a recall is announced, according to a press release.TIF Teams With Kids in Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.) for Toy Bank. August 31, 2010 — The Toy Industry Foundation (TIF) has partnered with with Kids In Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.) in support of the TIF Toy Bank program, which collects about $5 million worth of toys for in-need children each year. The New York nonprofit will assume Toy Bank responsibilities starting September 1, taking on a role previously held by Gifts in Kind International Inc., according to a press release. U.S. Pediatricians Decry Media's Portrayal of Sex (HealthDay News). August 31, 2010 — The nation's leading group of pediatricians has issued a strong policy statement directed toward pediatricians, parents and the media on the danger of messages American teens and children are getting about sex from television, the Internet and other media outlets.  Strawberry Shortcake Sweetens Childhood Cancer Awareness Campaign (Kidscreen). August 31, 2010 — Strawberry Shortcake is collaborating with Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) to help raise national awareness and support fundraising efforts in the fight against childhood cancer. Read news from past 3 months: Toy Industry News for August 2010 Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products and Claire's are teaming to launch an exclusive "Glee"-inspired jewelry collection... read more toy news from August 2010 Toy Industry News for July 2010 Stevanne Auerbach, PhD, known as Dr. Toy, has revealed the winners of the fourth annual Dr. Toy Best Green Product Awards... read more toy news from July 2010 Toy Industry News for June 2010 TOMY Corporation has announced plans to introduce TOMICA, a best-selling die-cast car and train brand in Japan, to North America... read more toy news from June 2010 |
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