The Toy Industry Foundation (TIF) is once again asking exhibitors to end their American International Toy Fair stay with donations. During the close of the show, 4 p.m. on February 15, exhibitors can donate their samples of plush, toys, and games to TIF’s signature program, The Toy Bank. The volunteers for the collection will wear bright orange T-shirts. To participate, companies must complete the one-page donation form, and submit it before Toy Fair via email, fax (212-675-1328), or on-site at booth No. 5201.

The annual collection is made possible through TIF’s partnership with Kids in Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.). All donations will benefit TIF’s partnerships with My Stuff Bags Foundation and Boys and Girls Clubs of America Military Services. Products will also be distributed to The Toy Bank’s NYC-area network of charity recipients.

This post was originally written by Elizabeth A. Reid and published by ToyBook.com. For more news, visit www.toybook.com, follow The Toy Book on Twitter, and like The Toy Book on Facebook. The Toy Book is a bimonthly trade magazine covering the toy industry, published by Adventure Publishing Group.

If I had a dollar for every key industry contact that told us the concept of a licensing showcase during American International Toy Fair was nothing short of brilliant, I would have at least $10. Maybe even $12.

After all, what isn’t right about endeavoring to create a “Licensing Upfront” for brand and property owners when all the right people with all the right innovation, influence, and interest are already in New York City for Toy Fair? And, what could be off the mark about bringing together an audience of Madison Avenue marketers, manufacturers from around the world, mass market and independent retailers, and critically important global media available only in New York City? The short answer is nothing. But the short answer just kind of falls short of telling the story.

A venture like this requires that you start with a clear objective, but just as important is the need to remain flexible and open to modification along the way. As it turned out, even with high levels of interest, the formats that prevailed were the small meetings with key partners, invitation-only breakfasts and cocktail receptions, and brand and property exposure through traditional advertising and promotional opportunities. So, while Toy Fair won’t be seeing “big screen showcases” this year, we are pleased that we have provided just the right solutions for these stakeholders’ needs.

The licensing community attends Toy Fair in greater numbers each year. At our 2011 event, we saw a 20 percent combined increase in licensor and entertainment executive attendance. Leading up to Toy Fair 2012, we are tracking double-digit gains year to date. This should come as no surprise.

As we know, there are three key partners who must be at the table when negotiating a license deal: the brand owner, manufacturing partners, and key retailers. Three’s the charm, right? If so, then Toy Fair is charmed because there is no other event in the U.S. that delivers so powerfully these three essential partners.

With great anticipation, we look forward to hosting our toy, youth product, entertainment, retail, and media guests back to Toy Fair. We join them in celebrating the 75th anniversaries of the Tonka and Dr. Seuss’ Mulberry Street brands, as well as the anniversaries of other well-established brands such as Girl Scouts (100 years), Clifford the Big Red Dog (50 years), Masters of the Universe (30 years), Where’s Waldo (25 years), K’nex (20 years), Build-a-Bear (15 years), and more. We are also looking forward to seeing exciting new product lines this year centered on Cinderella, Batman, Spider-Man, and Marvel’s The Avengers.

TIA is very proud of the marketplaces we produce for our members and prospective members. We are constantly looking for ways to better serve the industry we represent. Our base of stakeholders is much more broadly defined this year than it has ever been and we seek business growth opportunities for all of our members, whether they are manufacturers, importers, manufacturers’ reps, inventors and designers, retailers or, of course, licensors. We will continue to provide opportunities for all.

This post was originally written by Marian Bossard and published by ToyBook.com. For more news, visit www.toybook.com, follow The Toy Book on Twitter, and like The Toy Book on Facebook. The Toy Book is a bimonthly trade magazine covering the toy industry, published by Adventure Publishing Group.

Approximately 77,500 buyers and retailers from all over the world (119 countries) came to Nuremberg for the 63rd Spielwarenmesse International Toy Fair Nuremberg. The share of international visitors increased to 55 percent, which Spielwarenmesse EG attributes to the new Wednesday start date of the fair. Most of the buyers came from the U.S., Russia, and Great Britain.

Most exhibitors plan to return for the fair next year. Of the 2,776 exhibitors, 92 percent said they will come back for International Toy Fair 2013, and 87 percent of visitors said they will attend the fair next year. Additionally, 347 exhibitors presented their products for the first time at this fair, compared to 325 new exhibitors in 2011. The 2013 show is slated to run from January 30 to February 4.

This post was originally written by Elizabeth A. Reid and published by ToyBook.com. For more news, visit www.toybook.com, follow The Toy Book on Twitter, and like The Toy Book on Facebook. The Toy Book is a bimonthly trade magazine covering the toy industry, published by Adventure Publishing Group.

Hasbro is teaming up with Britney Spears for the new Twister Dance game. The game combines today’s best dance movies with the iconic Twister spots to give girls a new way to learn moves to popular dance songs, including a customized Twister remix of “Till the World Ends” by Britney Spears.

In addition to having the remix of her song in the game, Spears will be featured on game packaging, in a television advertisement, and in dance instruction videos, all releasing this fall. Other artists include Ke$sha and Willow Smith. An exclusive Twister Dance song called “Caught Up in a Twister” will also make an appearance. The game, which features a built-in beat detection system, can connect to any MP3 player.

This post was originally written by Elizabeth A. Reid and published by ToyBook.com. For more news, visit www.toybook.com, follow The Toy Book on Twitter, and like The Toy Book on Facebook. The Toy Book is a bimonthly trade magazine covering the toy industry, published by Adventure Publishing Group.

The Good Luck Troll was originally created in 1959 by Danish fisherman and woodcutter Thomas Dam. At various times since the early 1960s, Trolls have been a top-selling toy, building a seldom-achieved brand equity. Dam Things, which holds all rights to the works of Thomas Dam, is in the process of launching a complete slate of merchandise activities and products for the Good Luck Trolls. Dark Horse Comics has been granted the license for a collectibles program. The line will consist of 15 different trolls, some of which are rare, sold in mystery box assortments.

Dark Horse felt the Good Luck Troll would be a natural fit in the designer vinyl and specialty retail arena, and has created Trolls with unique variations of color and surface treatments. The product development was closely supervised by Dam Things and its brand manager Dannie Festa of Festa Entertainment, including a trip from Denmark to the West Coast prototyping facility to assess and approve the works in progress.

The mystery box, or “blind-box” trading figures, are essentially the same product, varying in decoration and materials and sold at random in sealed packages. Some of the figures are common to every counter display, and some are scarce, and are known as “chase” figures. The ratio of availability is printed on a graphic on each package, so the consumer knows the relative scarcity of the figure purchased. This type of assortment is common in Japan, but a relatively recent phenomenon in the U.S. The Good Luck Trolls “mystery box” is presented in a counter display unit, holding 15 individual blind boxes. Each Troll is packaged in an opaque foil bag inside its box to prevent tampering or viewing prior to purchase.

Dark Horse’s previously produced “mystery box” assortments of Japanese stop-motion animation character Domo have continually sold out at retail. Rather than reprint its Domo figures, the company has simply created new designs, and presented a new series. This will be the approach intended for Good Luck Trolls as well.

Dark Horse will debut an all-new mystery box assortment at Toy Fair.

This post was originally written by Jackie Breyer and published by ToyBook.com. For more news, visit www.toybook.com, follow The Toy Book on Twitter, and like The Toy Book on Facebook. The Toy Book is a bimonthly trade magazine covering the toy industry, published by Adventure Publishing Group.

This year, ToyAwards, presented to new products at the Spielwarenmessee International Toy Fair in Nuremberg, were awarded to products that displayed a unique play idea, concept, or creative design, as well as products with material properties and safety aspects. The four categories include Baby & Infant, Preschool, School Kids, and Teenager & Family. The awards aim to provide consumers and the trade guidance on the best new products. Visitors also had the opportunity to choose their personal favorite, the Traders’ Favorite, from the four ToyAward winners. The awards were announced at the closing press conference, and the winners received a prize of 20,000 euros.

The winners were:

Baby & Infant: Mini Micro with Seat/ Micro Mobility Systems Ltd. The Mini Micro grows with the child. One-year-olds can take their first ride on a Mini Micro and convert the roller later on.

Preschool: Appmates/Spin Master International S.à.r.l. Using a free app for the iPad, children place a racecar from Disney’s Cars series onto the touchscreen for a racing experience.

School Kids: Lego Friends Dream House / Lego GmbH. The Lego Friends Dream House, designed specially for girls, is a pink dream house that enables them to use their imagination for role play.

Teenager & Family: Talat/ Huch! & Friends Hutter Trade GmbH. Talat stands for the Arabic numeral three, and is a game for up to three players. Players maneuver their pieces over a multidimensional, three-section board.

This post was originally written by Ericka Johnson and published by ToyBook.com. For more news, visit www.toybook.com, follow The Toy Book on Twitter, and like The Toy Book on Facebook. The Toy Book is a bimonthly trade magazine covering the toy industry, published by Adventure Publishing Group.

by Julie Livingston, director, business development and accounts, Child’s Play Communications

That crazy mix of anticipation, excitement, and adrenaline occurs each year for me, as I walk into the Javits Center on opening day of Toy Fair. There is so much to do in advance of the show, not to mention managing the intensity of the four-day event and post-show follow up.

If you have already reached out to the media and bloggers to schedule appointments to meet and give them a heads up on your new products, that’s a good thing. There is a chance that some reporters may spend times “walking the floor,” but with staff cutbacks at many media companies, their time is often limited. It is more likely for reporters to come to Toy Fair with predetermined ideas of what they want to see; they may also narrow their search for specific products that exemplify a particular toy trend (or trends) they are covering, such as tech or connected toys.

As a Toy Fair exhibitor, what is the best way to handle the media on site at the show? This is often the biggest challenge for exhibitors who are preoccupied with retailer meetings and managing a handful of product samples. This post includes tips and advice on how to work with the media that attend the event.

Scheduled Appointments

If you have preset appointments, tell your exhibit booth administrator and designate another colleague as a backup, in case you are unavailable. If your backup is someone unaccustomed to dealing with the press, provide an overview of the media outlet and leave any press materials for them, as well as your business card and mobile number. Given the hectic nature of Toy Fair, it is not unusual for appointments to show up early or late, which may throw a curve ball into your day. However you handle it, make sure the reporter is taken care of properly and professionally.

Drop Ins

Being in the frenzy of Toy Fair can make it frustrating when a media representative drops in without an appointment. This can be a good thing, if handled properly. Although your first priority must be to work with retail buyers, try to be accommodating. Do your best to find a staff member to help or see if they can come back at a more convenient time (although note that once the reporter leaves your booth, they may not return).

Bloggers

Blogs are a type of niche media outlet, and the ones with strong followings are highly influential at driving purchases, especially the mom blogs. Bloggers should be treated with the same respect as a journalist.

That said, not everyone at your exhibit booth will be well-versed on what a blog is and how a product feature can contribute to sales. According to the Merriam Webster online dictionary, a blog is a website that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer. Toy Fair exhibitors will be interested in bloggers, mainly “mom” bloggers who write product reviews. In order to gain access to Toy Fair, bloggers must show their credentials, and provide examples of recent blog posts they have written. That said, it is perfectly acceptable for you to request to see a few sample blog posts before you invite them in. Importantly, if you have an internet connection, go online and look at the blog to check out its quality, tone, and regularity of posts.

Toy Samples

If a media outlet requests product samples during the show for photography or broadcast, this can present a unique set of challenges, since only a few prototypes may be available. Following are suggestions:

Give priority to top tier media outlets. Track when the samples leave your possession and note the expected return time. Take down all contact information so the reporter can be reached by mobile phone, and get a signature to make the loan official.

Top tier media outlets will expect an exclusive. However, if a singular product is your top item, and you have no choice but to give it to all outlets, make sure that the story or broadcast segment has a different theme, such as price/value, new technology, licensing, toy anniversary, etc.

Photography Display Components

Send along any critical display components that will help position your toy well in photography or live broadcast, as many media outlets do not have these readily available. This may include a doll stand or clear Lucite platforms to prop up an item (especially important for soft toys or when displaying multiple items of different sizes and shapes). Also, send along electrical or masking tape to hold batteries in place.

Toy Demonstrator

In some cases, especially with prototypes or electronic toys, it may be necessary to send a toy demonstrator or “wrangler” on set with your product. A toy wrangler is an industry expert who is well-versed in how a toy operates. Over the course of my time in the industry, these individuals have been invaluable, especially with regard to electronic toys, which can be complicated to activate and have a short delay in broadcast segments. If your toy doesn’t “perform” live, chances are it won’t translate into real visibility, so a wrangler may be a worthwhile investment.

Special thanks to Reyne Rice, toy trends expert, for her contributions.

Coming next week: How to keep the momentum going after Toy Fair

About Julie Livingston

A strategic communications expert, Julie Livingston has spent the past decade immersed in the toy and youth entertainment sectors. Before joining Child’s Play Communications, specialists in reaching moms, she was senior director of public relations for the Toy Industry Association, and earlier served as director, corporate communications for Scholastic, Inc, the global children’s publishing, education, and media company.

To read Tip 1, click here.

To read Tip 2, click here.

To read Tip 3, click here.

To read Tip 4, click here.

This post was originally written by Julie Livingston and published by ToyBook.com. For more news, visit www.toybook.com, follow The Toy Book on Twitter, and like The Toy Book on Facebook. The Toy Book is a bimonthly trade magazine covering the toy industry, published by Adventure Publishing Group.

Source: NickMom press release

At a press conference in New York City, Nickelodeon announced its slate of programming for NickMom, to premiere this fall on Nick Jr. Nickmom’s development slate includes a mix of talk shows, stand-up, sketch comedy, hidden camera, game shows, and more:

• A hybrid sketch/talk series starring and executive produced by comedian and actress Caroline Rhea and Emily Cohen (Title TBD).

• It’s Nighttime with Annabelle Gurwitch – A new breed of talk show that looks at the world through Gurwitch’s unique mom-colored glasses, executive produced by Gurwitch and Elyse Roth (former The Daily Show producer).

• The 5^th Hour – A scripted comedy show inspired by morning news shows and hosted by mom comics in the roles of the news team. Executive produced by Mad Cow Productions (Madeleine Smithberg, executive producer of The Daily Show with John Stewart), Sarah North, and Jordan Tilzer (Roar).

• The Judi & Kate Show – A real-life, modern-day Laverne and Shirley, these two mom video bloggers have a lot to say, and the worldwide web is listening. The Judi & Kate Show is a show within a show, going inside their world for their own unique take on motherhood. The show is executive produced by Coolfire Productions (Welcome to Sweetie Pies).

• Mommy Double – Because every mom wishes she had a twin helper, we bring in a mommy double to get the job done… or at least try to.  The show is executive produced by Magda Liolis and Eileen Braun (Figure It Out, Bet the House).

• Oblivious – A game show contestants don’t know they are on, where unsuspecting moms get the chance to answer trivia for cold hard cash. The show is executive produced by Scott Stone (Stone and Company, Brain Surge).

• My 63 Moms – Completely uneducated about babies, comic and first-time mom Andrea Rosen turns to moms across the country to tell her everything they think she needs to know, and then some. The show is executive produced by Linda Schaeffer and Barbara Kanowitz Small, with Andrea Rosen.

• Road Mamas – This docu-series follows three stand-up comedian moms and eight kids in one RV, where they buckle up for a funny, messy ride. The show is executive produced by Chris Debeic/Triternal Studios.

This post was originally written by Elizabeth A. Reid and published by ToyBook.com. For more news, visit www.toybook.com, follow The Toy Book on Twitter, and like The Toy Book on Facebook. The Toy Book is a bimonthly trade magazine covering the toy industry, published by Adventure Publishing Group.

Today at a press conference, Nickelodeon announced that General Mills, Target, and Reckitt Benckiser have signed on as charter sponsors for NickMom, Nickelodeon’s new multiplatform content destination that targets moms. The just-announced deals will include brand integration, content development, and sponsorships across the new NickMom TV block, launching this fall on Nick Jr. The deal also includes NickMom.com, which launched last year.

“With the creation of NickMom, we are offering a unique comedy and entertainment destination created just for today’s moms,” said Jim Perry, head of sales of Viacom’s Nickelodeon Group, in a press release. “Our partners clearly understand the value of moms and recognize our ability to serve moms with relevant entertainment across all platforms.”

The NickMom nightly television block will feature a mix of original long- and short-form humor-based programming, including talk shows, stand-up and sketch comedy, hidden camera television shows, and more. NickMom.com, a blog that debuted last November, currently features editorial franchises, photos, and video. Throughout this year, Nickelodeon expects the site to grow, complete with more editorial, photos, videos, gaming, and a community, becoming a fully integrated website timed to the TV launch.

At the press event, Nickelodeon announced a new series pick-up and its development slate for NickMom. The network has picked up 26 episodes of the stand-up comedy series NickMom Night Out for the television block. The series features comedians such as Judy Gold, Corey Kahaney, B Phlat, and Deena Blizzard. Also announced were more than 50 projects in development. The programs span TV and digital, and include work from stand-up comedian and actress Caroline Rhea, actor/author Annabelle Gurwitch, and Madeleine Smithberg of Mad Cow Productions.

Click here for NickMom’s development slate.

Nickelodeon has also announced that Bronwen O’Keefe has been named senior vice president of NickMom. In this newly created position, O’Keefe will spearhead the creation and development of all television and online content for NickMom.

O’Keefe will be responsible for managing the content creation, editorial, and programming development, in addition to overseeing the planning and execution of all linear and digital content for NickMom. She will also work with senior management to set and champion the creative strategy for NickMom.

A 15-year Nickelodeon veteran, O’Keefe was most recently senior vice president of event and original programming, where she was responsible for overseeing the production of network television events, specials, and shows such as Nickelodeon’s Kids Choice Awards, TeenNick HALO Awards, Worldwide Day of Play, Speed Racer, Kappa Mikey, The Secret World of Alex Mack, and Degrassi, among others.

The presentation also included exclusive research findings from Nickelodeon’s latest research study, “UnMommed,” conducted in partnership with Reckitt Benckiser. The results offered an in-depth look at the modern family dynamic and the role moms play within it. The NickMom presentation also included performances from several mom comics, including Sherry Davey, Caroline Rhea, and Wanda Sykes (headliner).

This post was originally written by Elizabeth A. Reid and published by ToyBook.com. For more news, visit www.toybook.com, follow The Toy Book on Twitter, and like The Toy Book on Facebook. The Toy Book is a bimonthly trade magazine covering the toy industry, published by Adventure Publishing Group.

Pretty Ugly, LLC announced a licensing partnership with Funko, LLC to manufacture Pop! and Blox Vinyl figures of Uglydoll characters. Pop! figures, available this month, are 3.75 inches and feature articulated heads. Blox Vinyl figures are flat with cut-out styling and details, and will hit retail shelves as early as April. Both can be found at specialty retailers nationwide, and are available in an assortment of styles and colors.

This post was originally written by Elizabeth A. Reid and published by ToyBook.com. For more news, visit www.toybook.com, follow The Toy Book on Twitter, and like The Toy Book on Facebook. The Toy Book is a bimonthly trade magazine covering the toy industry, published by Adventure Publishing Group.