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Toys in the News: 3-28-2014
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Toys in the News is updated Mon-Fri at 9:15 am PST
GE Capital Provides $75 Million Credit Facility to Toy Designer JAKKS Pacific, Inc. March 28, 2014 — GE Capital, Corporate Finance today announced it is serving as administrative agent on a $75 million senior secured credit facility for JAKKS Pacific, Inc...
Walmart Recall Raises Many Toy Danger Issues. March 28, 2014 — The trending topic of Walmart’s recall Tuesday of 174,000 “My Sweet Love/My Sweet Baby Cuddle Care Baby Doll” raises issues...
Toys 'R' Us Says It's Being Hurt By Declining American Birth Rates. March 27, 2014 — Toys 'R' Us sales are falling. The toy company has struggled for years, leading to store closures...
New Toys 'R' Us CEO's strategy to reverse declining sales: 'Be realistic'. March 27, 2014 — The holiday season never "R" Us. After lower demand for items including...
Teddy Ruxpin's Creator, Ken Forsse, Passes Away. March 27, 2014 — The man who gave us Teddy Ruxpin, the hit talking animatronic doll of the early 80's, has passed away...
Rainbow Loom toy sensation starts in Mich. living room. March 26, 2014 — A company that sells Rainbow Loom, a toy that transforms colorful rubber bands into intricate...
Consumers hate in-store tracking (but retailers, startups and investors love it). March 26, 2014 — Despite excitement from the business world, consumers aren't keen on the latest innovations in retail advertising...
Today’s Girls Love Pink Bows as Playthings, but These Shoot. March 25, 2014 — Once upon a time, Grace Maher twirled around the house in Disney princess costumes...
Hasbro, LeapFrog, and Mattel: 3 Toy Companies to Watch. March 25, 2014 — Toy companies Hasbro, LeapFrog, and Mattel sell toys that educate...
The Great Retail Demassification, Part 1. March 24, 2014 — We are on the edge of the Great Retail Demassification. Prior to the “great disruptor” (that would be the Internet)...
Grumpy Cat Stuffed Toys Recalled. March 21, 2014 — A certain frowning feline wouldn’t be happy about this. Toy manufacturer Ganz has recalled its Grumpy Cat stuffed animals...
Does Mattel’s Purchase of MEGA Brands Contradict its Strategy? March 21, 2014 — Mattel acquiring another toy business might sound about as exciting as clean-up time...
Jakks Pacific reveals first glimpse of Godzilla. March 21, 2014 — The new figure weighs in at 43 inches in length, reportedly the biggest ever to hit US stores...
Jason Blum, Scooter Braun Prods & Jon M. Chu Team With Hasbro On ‘Jem And The Holograms’: Video. March 21, 2014 — Hasbro, Blumhouse Prods, Scooter Braun Prods and Jon M. Chu (G.I. Joe: Retaliation) are partnering to bring Hasbro’s 1980s cult classic cartoon series Jem And The Holograms...
Vera Bradley Recalls 98,000 Bear Rattles And Bunny Stuffed Toys Due To Choking Hazard. March 21, 2014 — Vera Bradley is recalling approximately 98,000 bear ring rattles and bunny stuffed toys because...
SoapSox Cleans Up. March 20, 2014 — If you were at Toy Fair 2014, you might have stopped by the SoapSox booth, where CEO Ray Phillips presented his cute terry plush critters that secrete a bar of soap in their innards. Ray came up with the idea while managing a facility for children and encountering a boy who wouldn't bathe because his caretakers didn't allow him to take his stuffed animal into the bath. When Ray created reconfigured another plush toy to hide a bar of soap inside it, the kid happily cleaned himself. One successful Kickstarter campaign and Toy Fair debut later, Ray's company has signed a distribution deal with Calisson Inc. (the distributors of Sophie the Giraffe) that will put SoapSox in over 3000 retailers nationwide. It's rare that a new company strikes it big at Toy Fair! Congratulations Ray and here's to clean kids everywhere!
'I Didn't Buy That': Friendly Fraud Costs Retailers $11.8 Billion a Year. March 20, 2014 — The words "friendly" and "fraud" may not seem to go together, but friendly fraud...
Hasbro hit with LGBT discrimination law suit. March 19, 2014 — Rhode Island-based toymaker Hasbro is facing a lawsuit from a former employee who claims the company dismissed...
Hasbro, Westar Added To Nasdaq Dividend Index. March 19, 2014 — The Nasdaq OMX Group recently announced changes to its Nasdaq Dividend Achievers Indexes...
Toy company settles suit against Beastie Boys. March 19, 2014 — The Beastie Boys may be rocking, but it looks like the GoldieBlox toy company is rolling...
Beyond Lego, some new toys are raising the stakes. March 18, 2014 — Building and construction toys have been a fixture in playrooms since, well, forever, and there are several reasons...
Retailers Face Big Hurdles in Bridging the "Omni-Channel Commerce Gap," According to New Research from Accenture and hybris. March 17, 2014 — Organizational, operational and technology challenges are hampering retailers’ efforts to meet customers’ demand for a seamless shopping experience across all channels and touch points...
Activision Is Almost Finished With Skylanders: Swap Force Toys. March 17, 2014 — The next wave of Skylanders: Swap Force figures hit Toys'R'Us this weekend, leaving hardcore...
John Gessert, President/CEO of American Plastic Toys, Elected Chair of Toy Industry Association. March 14, 2014 — John Gessert, President/CEO of Michigan-based toy company American Plastic Toys, Inc., was recently elected by members of the Toy Industry Association (TIA) to serve as Chairman of the TIA Board of Directors for a two-year term expiring in February 2016. The chairmanship gavel was presented to Mr. John Gessert, President/CEO of Michigan-based toy company American Plastic Toys, Inc., was recently elected by members of the Toy Industry Association (TIA) to serve as Chairman of the TIA Board of Directors for a two-year term expiring in February 2016. The chairmanship gavel was presented to Mr. Gessert on February 18th during the Association’s Annual Business Meeting. during the Association’s Annual Business Meeting, according to a press release.
Hasbro raises $1.4M with 'Monopoly Ball'. March 14, 2014 — Hasbro, Inc. raised $1.4 million for the Hasbro Children’s Hospital at a Monopoly-themed fundraiser last Saturday...
Toy-Fair Lesson: Crowdfunding Is Much More Than Child's Play. March 14, 2014 — Much has been written about the disruptive power of crowdfunding. Websites such as Kickstarter...
In Canada, U.S. retailers can be their own worst enemy. March 13, 2014 — For decades, Canada has remained a top choice for U.S. retailers looking to open stores abroad...
U.S. retail sales rebound from winter chill, jobless claims fall. March 13, 2014 — U.S. retail sales rebounded in February and new applications for unemployment benefits hit a fresh three-month low...
University Games Announces Acquisition of Briarpatch®, Inc. March 12, 2014 — University Games and Briarpatch, Inc. announced plans today to merge the two veteran game companies. University Games, a San Francisco company will acquire the assets of Briarpatch, Inc. of Essex, New Jersey. The purchase price was not disclosed by the parties. “Briarpatch is the leader in preschool specialty games and has been for the last 20 years,” stated Bob Moog, President of University Games. “Briarpatch has a rich portfolio of games and puzzles based on popular literary properties like I Spy™ and Fancy Nancy™. A great day for the toy industry,” commented Moog.
Sony, Panasonic to take video games to the ‘next generation’. March 12, 2014 — As if Titanfall wasn’t realistic enough, now the graphics in our video games are going to get a whole lot better...
LeapFrog Appoints Joanna Rees To Board Of Directors. March 12, 2014 — LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: LF) announced today that Joanna Rees has joined the company's board of directors...
Mattel Wins Battle Over Rights to ‘Masters of the Universe’. March 11, 2014 — A federal judge has sided with Mattel in its claim that it fully owns the rights to “Masters of the Universe”...
Right at Home: Beyond Lego, Some New Building Toys. March 11, 2014 — Building and construction toys have been a fixture in playrooms since, well, forever, and there...
Are Retailers Missing A Huge Profit Opportunity By Keeping Wages Too Low? March 11, 2014 — The fight for low-skilled higher wages is being fought on many fronts, from a legislative push...
'Tsunami' of store closings predicted for U.S. retailers. March 10, 2014 — The experts who keep track of store openings and closings have been forecasting for more than a decade...
How indie devs are finding success, and publicity, in toys and merch. March 10, 2014 — There is nothing easy about creating a game, but creating products based on that game...
Attleboro Man & Former Hasbro CEO Celebrates G.I. Joe Milestone. March 10, 2014 — G.I. Joe, a military action figure aimed at American boys, was born in the mid-1960s, just as the Vietnam War...
Critics Want Girl Scouts to Give Barbie the Boot. March 7, 2014 — In the latest controversy surrounding the iconic doll, two advocacy groups have appealed...
Interactive Unit at Disney Cuts a Quarter of Its Staff. March 7, 2014 — Disney’s struggling video game and Internet division laid off roughly 700 employees on Thursday...
Weather blamed for disappointing retail sales. March 7, 2014 — Weather in February was once again a roadblock for retailers, who said sales figures...
U.S. retailers say business picked up later in February. March 7, 2014 — Sales at many major U.S. retailers rose in February, as shoppers ventured out later in the month...
JAKKS Pacific Renews Saban Brands Deal. March 6, 2014 — The stock price of California-based toymaker JAKKS Pacific, Inc. nudged up a mere...
Economic Hardship Is Hurting Both Toy Makers And Retailers. March 5, 2014 — According to NPD, Infant and Preschool toys were at $3.66 billion and with a 16.8% share of the total...
Yup, It’s True: Video Games Are Killing The Toy Industry. March 5, 2014 — We all know that if given the choice between playing a video game or playing with an old school...
A toy, a 9-year-old, YouTube and millions of fans. March 5, 2014 — She has 2.4 million views on her YouTube channel, a shout-out from Jimmy Kimmel and an app in her name...
Activision at War with EA: Free Call of Duty MP. March 5, 2014 — Like someone wandering around, hands in pockets, whistling and not looking at the huge, venomous snake that could kill it...
Report: Toys 'R' Us says it will cut 200 jobs at headquarters. March 4, 2014 — Toys "R" Us is expected to announce layoffs at its headquarters in Wayne, and some 100 store closings...
'Skylanders' Prove That Old Toys Do Matter. March 4, 2014 — Skylanders has done an excellent job of supporting old versions of its toys. You can use...
Recall of two teething toys. March 4, 2014 — Two kinds of teething toys sold at Target stores are being recalled...
RadioShack Is Doomed (and So Is Retail). March 4, 2014 — As ingeniously self-deprecating as RadioShack's Super Bowl commercial was, its finances are sadly even...
How One Investor Profited From LeapFrog And Nintendo Before Wall Street. March 4, 2014 — What does the Nintendo Wii, Nintendo's (OTC: NTDOY [FREE Stock Trend Analysis]) most successful game console, have in common with LeapFrog...
 Mattel to buy Mega Brands to build up against Lego. February 28, 2014 — Mattel Inc, the world's No. 1 toymaker, offered to buy Canada's Mega Brands Inc for about $460 million...
At Hasbro, Girls Toys Become a Big Market. February 28, 2014 — Shortly after joining toymaker Hasbro (HAS) as a senior executive more than a decade ago...
CEO Confirms Bandai Toys For Disney's 'Big Hero 6' Movie. February 28, 2014 — In a busy booth full of Power Rangers, Tamagotchis and Moxie Dolls I squeezed...
2014 Toy Fair: Here’s the Toys Your Kids Will Want This Year. February 28, 2014 — Every February, Toy Fair comes to New York City. This trade show allows all the toy companies from around the world...
Lego expects to keep on outperforming toy market. February 27, 2014 — Denmark's Lego increased sales and operating profit by 10 percent in a sluggish global...
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