Teen pop singer Cody Simpson and The Wish Factory, Inc. unveiled two Cody Simpson dolls at Toys “R” Us Times Square today. I attended to learn more about the dolls and meet Cody Simpson.

The collection consists of two dolls, both 11.5 inches, featuring the Australian singer’s side-swept surfer-styled hair and clothes Simpson wears. One doll is dressed in a Gold Coast T-shirt and khakis, and the other doll wears a denim jacket and black pants. Both dolls include a pair of shoes, sunglasses, a microphone, a guitar pick, and lanyard. The guitar pick included varies from box to box, some with angel wings and the word “Angel,” and others with an emoticon smiley face and the numbers “143” to mean “I love you.”

Scott Bachrach, president of The Wish Factory, which designed the dolls, said the guitar picks’ designs came from the fans, who call themselves Cody’s angels, and can become collectible items used as key chains and more. Simpson told us that he was involved throughout the doll-making process to give feedback on the look of the doll and its clothes.

The dolls, completed from start to finish in 106 days, are available exclusively at Toys “R” Us stores nationwide and online for $16.99 each.

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

Australian recording artist and teen heartthrob Cody Simpson will appear at Toys “R” Us Times Square this Thursday, December 8 to launch his new doll collection by The Wish Factory. Fans will be able to purchase one of the dolls in the line and also get it signed by Simpson. The event starts at 3 p.m.

Available exclusively at Toys “R” Us stores nationwide and toysrus.com, the Cody Simpson doll line includes two basic dolls, both 11.5 inches. The dolls are fashioned after Simpson, complete with his signature side-swept surfer-do. One doll features a Gold Coast T-shirt and khakis, and the other doll features a denim jacket and black pants. Both dolls include a pair of shoes, sunglasses, a microphone, a guitar pick, and a lanyard.

Simpson recently released his EP, Coast to Coast, which debuted Top 15. The album includes hit “On My Mind” and the heartbreak ballad “Not Just You.”

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.

Image Credit: ToysRUs.com

The Wish Factory has been named toy licensee for the Cody Simpson brand through a strategic licensing agreement with Atlantic Records. Cody Simpson is an Australian-born singer and songwriter who recently released his EP Coast to Coast, featuring singles “On My Mind” and “Not Just You.” Simpson ranked No. 13 on Billboard’s 21 Under 21: Music’s Hottest Minors for 2011.

The Wish Factory’s deal covers dolls, figures, play sets, key chains, plush koalas, concert kits, play-dance mats, and guitars. The initial line of fashion dolls will be available exclusively at Toys “R” Us stores and online at Toysrus.com this holiday season. The line will expand to other mass-market retailers in the spring and next fall.

For more information on Cody Simpson licensing opportunities, contact Sara Nemerov of Warner Music Group at sara.nemerov@wmg.com.

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.

Toys “R” Us, Inc. is expanding its layaway service for this holiday season for Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us stores nationwide. The retailer’s layaway service was introduced in 2009 for “big gift” items, such as bikes, sing sets, dollhouses, play kitchens, and more. Beginning Saturday, October 15, Toys “R” Us will offer layaway on nearly all of its products in 450 of its approximately 600 Toys “R” Us stores nationwide.

The in-store layaway option gives customers 90 days to pay for their items. A 20 percent down payment is required and there is a $5 service fee for layaway. In order to guarantee that items will be ready by Christmas, all layaway orders for toys must be paid in full by December 4. For more information, click here.

Team Umizoomi, the educational preschool show airing on Nickelodeon, is launching its first consumer product line, Team Umizoomi Preschool Math Kits. These new products help promote social and cognitive development in young children before they reach kindergarten.

The Math Kits will address the nine essential areas of math that preschoolers need to know: numbers, counting, patterns, shapes, measuring, positioning, sorting, classification, and reasoning. Each kit is based on one of three popular Team Umizoomi episodes and is equipped with a workbook, a storybook, an activity book, Math Mission Cards, and a Team Umizoomi episode on DVD.

The Team Umizoomi Preschool Math Kits will be available exclusively at Toys “R” Us stores beginning July 1st. The kits can also be purchased online from Nickelodeon starting in mid-July.

“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.

Starting next month, Toys “R” Us customers can experience Rio via a new exclusive partnership between the retailer and Twentieth Century Fox. Toys “R” Us stores and Toysrus.com/Rio will offer consumers a first look at the upcoming family film, scheduled to premiere in theaters April 15.

At Toys “R” Us, customers will be able to find a merchandising assortment, including an exclusive toy line from ToyQuest, featuring poseable 3.75-inch mini figures in two packs, eight-inch basic plush pals, 10-inch animated talking plush, nine-inch feature plush and beanies, a nine-inch interactive plush version of Blu and Jewel chained together, and a seven-inch walking and talking plush Luiz bulldog.

Customers who buy the Rio video game, from THQ, for the Xbox and Wii will receive a DVD featuring never-before-seen sneak peeks of the film, while supplies last. Those who purchase the video game for the PlayStation 3 will receive a free Blu-ray version of the DVD.

The retailer has also launched a microsite for Rio merchandise, Toysrus.com/Rio. The site includes movie trailers, exclusive downloadable coloring pages from the Modern Publishing coloring books, and more.

Roary the Racing Car is zooming onto store shelves in the U.S. next month. Following the U.S. broadcast launch of the television series on Sprout, the new Roary line will hit Toys “R” Us stores and Toysrus.com in March.

As the U.S. master toy licensee for the brand, Bandai will offer a full line of Roary toys, including die-cast, push-along Racing Stars, Talking Turbo Vehicles, Roary R/C, Silver Hatch Racetrack play sets, and more. The die-cast vehicles, Talking Turbo Vehicles, and Roary R/C will be packaged with a special episode of Roary the Racing Car on DVD.

Following the Bandai toy launch, K’nex will release sets that will allow kids to recreate their favorite Roary characters and scenes.

The first Roary DVD, Roary The Racing Car, from Lionsgate Home Entertainment, will launch at mass retailers in June. The series was created by Chapman Entertainment and is represented by Hit Entertainment in North America.

According to The Economic Times, Toys “R” Us is close to signing a joint-venture agreement with Mumbai-based Reliance Retail to open a store in India. An anonymous official told the newspaper: “Reliance is still working on the nitty-gritty of the joint venture and is expected to close it in the next few months.” A spokesperson for Reliance Retail refused to comment. In April, Reliance Retail opened a Hamleys outlet in Mumbai.

Jakks Pacific’s new line of Disney Princess character dolls is now available at Toys “R” Us stores nationwide. The Princess & Me doll collection is a new assortment of 18-inch dolls, fashions, accessories, and dress-up products. The line is the brand’s first foray into the large doll category, and is targeted towards girls ages 5 to 8.

For the first time, girls can dress their Disney Princess dolls in sleepwear and ballet outfits that are designed in their signature colors and styles. Also available from Jakks’ Creative Designs International (CDI) division are mimicking dress-up outfits for girls.