According to multiple news outlets, including the Financial Times, Mattel is in talks with Apax Partners to buy Hit Entertainment for £500 million. Two anonymous sources told the Financial Times that Mattel is in the final stages of negotiations to purchase the company that Apax bought in 2005 for £489 million. The sale of Hit will not include the group’s stake in children’s channel Sprout, but will include Bob the Builder, Thomas the Tank Engine, Angelina Ballerina, Fireman Sam, and Pingu.

Interactivity

“One of the key items we selected is Fijit Friends. You look at Fijit and the ability to put it in dance mode, and the voice-recognition and built-in responses. Also, Let’s Rock Elmo is interactive for a much younger child, but we believe interactivity is important.”

Personalization

“We also believe personalization is important, like Barbie Designable Hair Extensions. It gives the girl the ability to not only create hair extensions for her doll, but to create her own personalized hair extensions. In essence, she’s role-playing, creating, and personalizing.”

Movie Releases

“As in years past, theatrical releases, and the great toyetic content associated with that, will naturally be important. One in particular that we believe will continue to be strong is Disney•Pixar’s Cars. One of the items we have selected is Cars 2 Charge Ups Charge ‘N’ Race Speedway, which is actually a Target exclusive.”

Classic Games

“We are also seeing a trend around modernized versions of classic games. So we believe Scrabble Flash, Simon Flash, and Yahtzee Flash will continue to be strong this fall season.”

Educational

“We know when mom is making the choice to spend her money on gifts for her children she has a desire that there will be an educational component. So, another item we have selected is LeapFrog’s LeapPad.”

Let your imagination soar with Disney•Pixar’s new space-themed “Toymation” video. The video features the Toy Story Buzz Lightyear Command Center and other action figures from Mattel.

In the video, Buzz Lightyear, Woody, and sidekick Rex venture into outer space to battle the evil Emperor Zurg. Using stop-motion animation, this video combines old techniques with new concepts to create a modern animated short for Toy Story fans everywhere.

Facts about the video:

- It took a crew of eight people more than 1,300 hours in a span of four weeks to complete the Toymation video.

- Every second needed 12 frames of pictures.

- Every shot needed at least three takes, many of which had to be done separately with each toy and then placed together later.

- Each toy had to be taken apart and reassembled with wire and museum putty in order to be rigged properly to animate.

- The dust bunnies were created from an old carpet the team almost threw out right before production on the Toymation project began.

- The crew made five trips to the supermarket to clear out their asparagus, big broccoli heads, and artichokes to build the vegetable forest set.

Thomas the Tank Engine will star in a live-action fantasy film adaptation of the popular children’s television series. Academy Award-nominated director Shane Acker (9), has signed on to lead a creative team consisting of Academy Award-winning Weta Workshop (Avatar, The Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Mattel’s entertainment properties design team. The goal of the new film is to make the Thomas characters and storyline more appealing to the entire family.

Hit Entertainment, which owns the Thomas franchise, has also named Chris Viscardi and Will McRobb (Alvin and the Chipmunks) and Josh Klausner (Shrek the Third, Date Night) as the writers for the film. Julia Pistor (Charlotte’s Web, Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events) will serve as the producer.

In celebration of the upcoming 30th anniversary of Masters of the Universe, Classic Media and Mattel are launching a consumer products program for the franchise. The Masters of the Universe Classics toy line, featuring updated sculpts of vintage Mattel toys, will continue throughout next year, exclusively on Mattycollector.com. The 2012 annual subscription will go on sale the week of San Diego Comic-Con, starting July 22.

The program will also include Halloween costumes and accessories from Disguise, launching first with Skeletor, He-Man, and She-Ra adult costumes, available this fall through a leading online e-tailer. Other new products include a 30th anniversary apparel line from Changes and a special 30th anniversary edition DVD box set from Mill Creek Entertainment (fall 2012). Publishing partners will be announced shortly.

Additionally, Classic Media is introducing a brand-new comprehensive Masters of the Universe style guide this summer, featuring retro artwork, all-new modern artist renderings, as well as a special 30th anniversary logo (above).

“We could not be more pleased that Neil is joining our leadership team,” says Storch. “Neil has extensive knowledge of, and has made significant contributions to, the toy and juvenile product businesses throughout his career. We look forward to working with Neil to further our growth strategy as we continue to advance our authority and specialist positions through our many initiatives ahead.”

Friedman’s career with Mattel began in March 1997, when Tyco, where he then served as president, preschool, was acquired by Mattel. In 1999, he was named president, Fisher-Price Brands, and served in that role until October 2005 when he was appointed president of the newly formed Mattel Brands, which brought Mattel and Fisher-Price together under one corporate unit. Prior to Mattel, Mr. Friedman held a number of key executive positions in the toy and juvenile products industries, including president, MCA/Universal Merchandising; senior vice president, sales, marketing, and design, Just Toys; vice president and general manager, Baby Care, Gerber Products; executive vice president and COO, Lionel Leisure, Inc.; and president, Aviva/Hasbro.

Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP) is gearing up for the June 17 release of Green Lantern with a worldwide licensing program led by DC Entertainment’s master toy licensee, Mattel.

The video above shows some of the company’s Green Lantern products showcased at Toy Fair. Mattel’s multi-category Green Lantern toy line will include basic and deluxe action figures, figure/vehicles, role-play, play sets, games, puzzles, and vehicles.

Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP) has announced the worldwide licensing program for Warner Bros. Pictures’ Green Lantern, to hit theaters June 17. The program will be led by DC Entertainment’s master toy licensee, Mattel.

Mattel will debut a toy line that will include the Green Lantern Ring Blast Jet Figure & Vehicle, the Green Lantern Battle Shifters Figures, and the Green Lantern Movie Masters Figures. The company’s multi-category toy line will include basic and deluxe action figures, figure/vehicles, role-play, play sets, games, puzzles, and vehicles. Each basic action figure will come with a Green Lantern ring that can make kids feel as if they have been “chosen” to be a Green Lantern, too.

Additional key licensees include Rubie’s, with a line of Green Lantern costumes and costume accessories; the Noble Collection, offering high-end ring and lantern prop replicas; NECA, with a Green Lantern Projection Ring and other accessories; as well as Pressman Toy, Hewlett-Packard, Funko, Horizon Group USA, Hy-Ko Products, Kidz Toyz, LPG International, Mezco Toyz, SRM Entertainment, Toy Factory, Trend Setters, Ltd., Formation Marketing Canada, Ltd., and University Games.