Archive for November, 2010
« Older Entries |This post was written by Elizabeth A. Reid
MGA Introduces Mini Lalaloopsy Dolls
Tuesday, November 30th, 2010
MGA Entertainment has expanded its Lalaloopsy doll offering (formerly known as Bitty Buttons dolls) with the launch of Mini Lalaloopsy. Mini Lalaloopsy dolls come in their own collectible little houses, along with accessories such as Peanut’s Spinning Ferris Wheel, Pillow’s Sleepover Party, and Crumb’s Tea Party. The miniature versions—which fit in the palm of a hand—also come with a pet.
Lalaloopsy dolls are a collection of eight unique 13-inch rag dolls that have different personalities. Each doll was born on a special day in history and is fashioned in that theme; for instance, Crumbs Sugar Cookie was born on National Cookie Day and her clothes were made from pieces of a baking apron.
Tags: bitty buttons, Lalaloopsy, MGA Entertainment, Mini Lalaloopsy
Posted in New Products | 1 Comment »
This post was written by Elizabeth A. Reid
Rubie’s Wins Awards from Party City
Tuesday, November 30th, 2010
Party City has awarded Rubie’s Costume Company the 2010 Best Breakout License award for its Lady Gaga licensed costumes.
“We are very proud and honored to receive this distinction and thankful to be selected to receive this impressive award from one of the top retailers in the Halloween industry,” said Howard Beige, executive vice president of Rubie’s.
Rubie’s also won the 2010 award for Best Humor Costume, for its Mario costume.
Tags: Howard Beige, Lady Gaga, Mario, Party City, Rubie's Costume Company
Posted in Licenses | No Comments »
This post was written by Elizabeth A. Reid
New Product: Executive Buckyballs, a Desk Toy of Creation
Tuesday, November 30th, 2010
Maxfield & Oberton, the company behind the popular desk toy Buckyballs, has released new editions of the product, plated in real gold, silver, or black nickel. The Executive Editions of Buckyballs are just like the original, featuring 216 powerful rare earth magnets that can be shaped, molded, and snapped together, and then easily torn apart to create an endless amount of new shapes and patterns.
Named after the famous architectural modeler and engineer Buckminster Fuller, Buckyballs were created by Brooklyn-based blogger and online personality Jake Bronstein. The product is sold in more than 4,000 U.S. retail locations, including Brookstone, Urban Outfitters, and Hallmark.
Tags: Buckyballs, Executive, Maxfield & Oberton
Posted in New Products | No Comments »
This post was written by Elizabeth A. Reid
Jakks Signs Agreement for Kinectimals Plush
Monday, November 29th, 2010
Jakks Pacific, Inc. has signed a licensing agreement with Microsoft to design and manufacture interactive plush toys for Microsoft’s Kinectimals video game for the Kinect for Xbox 360 entertainment system. The new plush line launched with the King Cheetah and the Maltese Tiger.
The limited collector’s edition Kinectimals plush toys by Jakks will work with Microsoft Tag (mtag) technology, allowing players to scan the tag on their plush toy with the Kinect for Xbox 360 sensor and watch the animal appear in the game.
In the video game Kinectimals, players can interact with different creatures, some exotic. Using the controller-free Kinect for Xbox 360, animals will come running when they hear the player’s voice, responding to commands like “jump,” “roll over,” and “play dead.”
Tags: JAKKS Pacific, Kinectimals, Microsoft, mTag
Posted in Licenses, New Products, News | No Comments »
This post was written by Elizabeth A. Reid
Report: More Shoppers, More Money Spent this Black Friday Weekend
Monday, November 29th, 2010
According to a National Retail Federation (NRF) survey conducted over the weekend by BIGresearch, 212 million shoppers visited stores and websites during the Black Friday weekend, an increase from 195 million shoppers reported last year. The NRF also reports that consumers spent more during the weekend, spending an average of $365.34 per shopper, up from last year’s $343.31. Total spending for the weekend is estimated to be $45 billion.
More Black Friday shoppers hit stores in the early hours of the morning; nearly one-fourth of the day’s shoppers (24 percent) were in stores by 4 a.m. and 9.5 percent of Black Friday shoppers began their shopping at midnight, triple the number in 2009 (3.3 percent). Additionally, the number of Thanksgiving Day shoppers has doubled over the past five years, from 10.3 million in 2005 to 22.3 million in 2010. Online shopping jumped from 28.4 percent last year to 33.6 percent this year.
Among the top type of stores were department stores (52 percent of the weekend’s shoppers this year vs. 49.4 percent last year) and clothing stores (24.4 percent vs. 22.9 percent). The percentage of people who shopped at discounters declined to 40.3 percent from 43.2 percent last year.
Tags: BIGresearch, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, holiday shopping, National Retail Federation, NRF
Posted in News, holiday season | No Comments »
This post was written by Elizabeth A. Reid
Early Results from NPD Show Higher Conversion Rate for Black Friday
Monday, November 29th, 2010
The NPD Group has announced its early results for the Black Friday weekend in a report entitled The Anatomy of Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2010. According to the NPD’s early results, there was a slight rise in conversion (those shoppers that actually made purchases) for the weekend compared to last year’s Black Friday weekend, up 4 percent.
“Conversion rates for Black Friday and super Saturday are always very high but to see growth of 4 percent over the year before tells us two big things,” said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst of The NPD Group. “One is that those people that went to shop, bought and two, retailers did a better job of luring consumers in with big deals and great savings.”
NPD also reported that 33 percent of consumers bought items for themselves on Black Friday, compared to 26 percent during the normal holiday period.
The Anatomy of Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2010 is an online survey of 1768 U.S. consumers ages 18 and older. The survey assesses what the consumers did on Black Friday (and to come on Cyber Monday) and why. The preliminary data was collected between November 26 and the morning of November 27.
Tags: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, holiday season, The NPD Group
Posted in News, holiday season | 1 Comment »
This post was written by Elizabeth A. Reid
Colorado’s Aguirre Family Named the Ultimate Spy Family
Wednesday, November 24th, 2010
The Aguirre family from Colorado has been named the Ultimate Spy Family, beating out other families in an online sweepstakes co-hosted by the International Spy Museum and Wild Planet’s Spy Gear brand. As grand-prize winners, the family received a box—unmarked, of course—that contained a dozen Spy Gear toys, including the new remote-controlled and programmable Spy Video TRAKR.
The family was also sent on a “top-secret mission” as they traveled to Washington, D.C. to the International Spy Museum’s Operation Secret Slumber and to a private meeting with former CIA undercover agent Peter Earnest, who is also the executive director of the International Spy Museum. The family’s total prizes and activities are valued at $4,000.
Runners-up of the sweepstakes included the Beran family of Florida and the Davis family of North Carolina.
Posted in New Products | No Comments »
This post was written by Elizabeth A. Reid
Disney Tangled: The Video Game is Now Available
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010
Disney Tangled: The Video Game—inspired by Tangled, the 3-D Disney movie that opens in theaters tomorrow—is now available at retailers nationwide. Click the postcard above to zoom in and read more info, and view sample screenshots below.
Tags: Disnet Interactive Studios, Disney, Disney Tangled: The Video Game, Tangled
Posted in New Products, Photo | 1 Comment »
This post was written by Elizabeth A. Reid
This post was written by Elizabeth A. Reid
TIA Announces 2011 TOTY Nominees, Toy Industry Hall of Fame Inductees
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010
In a special press conference held at New York City’s Bryant Park, the Toy Industry Association (TIA) unveiled the 70 nominees for the 2011 Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards and the inductees for the 2011 Toy Industry Hall of Fame. The TOTY finalists were selected from a record pool of 500-plus toys, games, and properties that were submitted for consideration.
TIA announced that through January 14, retailers, media, members of the toy industry, as well as families, can vote for their favorite toys and each ballot will be weighted to determine the 2011 TOTY winners. Winners will be announced during the TOTY Awards ceremony on Saturday, February 12. To see the 2011 nominees, visit www.ToyAwards.org.
Also announced by the Association were the 2011 inductees for the Toy Industry Hall of Fame: Al Verrecchia, chairman of the board of directors at Hasbro, and the late Donald Duncan, founder of Duncan Toy Company. Verrecchia and Duncan will be recognized for their contributions and service to the toy industry at the TOTY Awards.
Tags: Al Verrecchia, Donald Duncan, TIA, TOTY Awards, Toy Fair, Toy Industry Association, Toy Industry Hall of Fame
Posted in News | No Comments »
