Hit Entertainment has signed a licensing deal with Ontel Products Corporation and CJ Products, LLC to create Thomas the Tank Engine-inspired Pillow Pets, the first property that Ontel Products Corporation and CJ Products have taken on for My Pillow Pets.

The Thomas & Friends Pillow Pets will be available this year at mass and specialty retail stores in the U.S. and Canada. The product will feature a strap that closes underneath to transform Thomas from his engine form to a pillow.

Hit Entertainment has announced an internal realignment of its business units. As a part of the realignment four new divisions will be created. The divisions will form two new lines of business: one focusing on Thomas & Friends, and the other on HIT Global Brands (Angelina Ballerina, Barney, Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam, Pingu, and Rainbow Magic). The realignment is effective immediately.

The Thomas & Friends line of business will comprise three divisions: the New York-based “Thomas Americas,” London-based “Thomas EMEA, ” and the Hong Kong-based “Thomas Asia.” The HIT Global Brands business unit will be managed from London as one global division.

HIT’s Finance, Legal, HR, and IT groups will remain centralized staff units supporting both lines of business. As a part of the restructuring, Peter Byrne, executive vice president of International Consumer Products and Home Entertainment, will be leaving the company

HIT Entertainment is celebrating the 65^th anniversary of its preschool brand Thomas & Friends with partnerships with Minor League Baseball, Celebration Foods, Six Flags Entertainment, and Sprout.

Celebration Foods, the makers of Carvel ice cream cake, has been named the presenting sponsor of Thomas’ 65^th anniversary. The company will serve as the exclusive Thomas partner for Thomas & Friends title nights, to take place at 22 Minor League Baseball teams’ games between May 15 and June 30. Celebration Foods will offer free Carvel ice cream cake samples and coupons to fans at the games, and will run free consumer offers at select regional grocery stores.

Also at the Minor League Baseball games, there will be Thomas & Friends activities such as sneak peeks at movies, photo opportunities for kids, and free Thomas goodies. Minor League Baseball and its participating teams will feature Thomas & Friends on their website.

On June 5, Six Flags Entertainment will celebrate “65 on 6/5,” by hosting Thomas birthday parties at park locations with Thomas Towns. An all-new Thomas Town at Six Flags America in Baltimore/Washington, D.C. will host its grand opening on June 5. The birthday parties will feature entertainment, activities for kids, special giveaways of Thomas goodies, and more. Global partner Mega Bloks will donate a giant replica of Thomas made out of Mega Bloks to every Thomas Town and will challenge guests to guess how many blocks make up Thomas.

Six Flags will also premiere a screening of Thomas & Friends: The Greatest Stories and Sprout will celebrate Thomas’ birthday on June 4 on The Sunny Side Up Show.

HIT Entertainment has signed new licensees to develop, manufacture, and market new Thomas & Friends products. The agreement marks the first time HIT has worked with Tara Toys, Think Wow Toys, The Toy Workshop, and Upper Deck.

Tara Toys will develop a new arts and crafts line for the property including magnetic sets, rolling art desks, activity cases with pads, markers, crayons and stampers, giant activity floorpads, Sit n’ Play activity trays, and 5-in-1 activity easels.  All of Tara Toys’ Thomas items will be available at both mass and specialty stores starting this fall.

Think Wow Toys will launch a new line of Thomas & Friends pools, pool toys and accessories, such as child-sized goggles, swim vests, swim rings, arm floaties, noodles, rafts, kick boards, and more. These products are slated to premiere by summer 2011.

The Toy Workshop will create and distribute a full line of wooden Thomas & Friends room décor items, from hangers and growth charts to bookcases, clothing racks, benches toy boxes, and more.  The company’s Thomas line will be available in specialty stores only.

Upper Deck has been appointed to produce collectible trading cards that will include pop-up, sticker, and temporary tattoo trading cards targeted to preschoolers ages 3-6. The company will also develop trading cards based on the characters from the Island of Sodor, to be distributed at mass and specialty retailers in June.

Catch up on last week’s news! Read The Toy Book Toy Report for 01/05/10.

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Bachmann Trains has signed a licensing agreement with HIT Entertainment that grants the toy train manufacturer rights to distribute Thomas & Friends HO scale products in China and Hong Kong. The agreement marks the first time that Thomas & Friends products will be available outside the U.S.