Toys in the News: 6-27-2014

By TDmonthly Staff
June 2014

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Why Trade Shows Deliver Value to Retailers. June 30, 2014 — Big box stores and small independent retailers have one thing in common whether they realize it or not – they need trade shows...

Worlds Inc. vs. Activision Blizzard, Inc. Patent Infringement Markman Hearing Set for October. June 30, 2014 — The Markman Hearing for the patent infringement suit by Worlds Inc. against Activision Blizzard, Inc., Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. and Activision Publishing, Inc. (Activision Blizzard et al) (ATVI), has been set by the court for October 3, 2014...

'Made in America' not easy for retailers to deliver on. June 30, 2014 — Nothing screams USA pride more than a skimpy red, white and blue bikini...

Toy firms told to make chemistry and building sets more appealing to girls (UK). June 30, 2014 — Toy makers were today urged to make chemistry and building sets more appealing to girls in a drive to get more women into science...

Mattel to make 'Beautiful and Bald Barbie' dolls for patients. June 27, 2014 — Special chemotherapy Barbie dolls are helping to give young cancer patients an emotional lift...

With Skylanders, Activision Blizzard, Inc. Has Changed Video Games Forever. June 27, 2014 — If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Activision Blizzard, Inc. has an undisputed winner in Skylanders...

Generation Z Is A Complete Nightmare For Retailers. June 27, 2014 — The youngest generation of consumers, Generation Z, are traditional retail's worst nightmare...

Top 10 children's toys for Christmas 2014 include doll synced with smartphone and 3D printer. June 26, 2014 — This year's Christmas gifts are set to be more hi-tech than ever as children opt for state-of-the-art presents...

Disney Hopes New (and Nostalgic) Formula Will Draw 'Tweens'. June 26, 2014 — Disney Channel has a history of serving up programming that defines pop culture for pre-teenage girls...

Apple buying Disney? A consultant explains why he thinks a deal is ‘frighteningly obvious.’ June 26, 2014 — Apple’s success has started to become a problem. The company’s revenue and profits...

Why Retail Isn't What It Used to Be. June 26, 2014 — Consumers are more educated than ever on the purchases they make, which makes retail a dynamic...

'Disney Infinity 2.0' Release Waves And Disney Originals. June 25, 2014 — One downside of the drip-feed approach to video-game announcements from the likes of Disney Infinity...

LeapFrog Unveils New LeapPad Tablets. June 24, 2014 — LeapFrog, the manufacturer of educational learning toys, today announced the newest additions to its line of toy tablets...

3 Huge Risks Facing Activision Blizzard. June 24, 2014 — Activision Blizzard has been on a huge winning streak. The publisher's share price...

ASTRA's 2014 Best Toys for Kids Award Winners Announced. June 23, 2014 — The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) unveiled its 2014 Best Toys for Kids award winners today. The list includes 20 winning toys in 13 categories...

First entrepreneur Barbie created with smartphone, tablet. June 19, 2014 — Life in plastic just got innovative. Barbie is now an entrepreneur. Mattel, Inc., the American toy manufacturing...

Kid Brands, Inc. Announces Pursuit of Sale of Substantially All of the Assets of the Company Facilitated Through a Voluntary Chapter 11 Filing. June 19, 2014 — Kid Brands, Inc. today announced that it plans to pursue a sale of substantially all of the assets of the Company, or one or more of its subsidiaries, facilitated through the filing of voluntary chapter 11 petitions in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey...

Hasbro Doubles Down On The Direct Market With Individual Figure Orders. June 19, 2014 — Fellow toy enthusiasts, have you been desperately searching for the new Marvel Legends Infinite Black Widow figure...

Mattel, Hasbro Gear up for Licensing Expo 2014. June 19, 2014 — Major U.S. toymakers like Mattel, Inc. and Hasbro Inc. are set to entertain at the upcoming Licensing Expo 2014...

The world's largest video game collection sells for $750K at auction. June 18, 2014 — The world's largest video game collection — a compilation of more than 11,000 games that have been verified by The Guinness Book of World Records...

NRF, RILA not happy with swipe fee settlement. June 18, 2014 — The National Retail Federation (NRF) and the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) have asked an appeals...

Lock Up Your Bronies, Hasbro May Be Claiming Creative Control Over My Little Pony‘s Adult Fans. June 18, 2014 — Frankly, I’m surprised it took this long: after four years of growing ubiquity, the good “Brony” name...

Activision’s Eric Hirshberg Explains Why His Company Is Disruptive. June 18, 2014 — CEO Eric Hirshberg sat down with TIME at E3 to discuss how Activision has grown...

Disney Brands Generate Record $40.9 Billion from Licensed Merchandise in 2013. June 17, 2014 — Merchandise featuring Marvel’s superheroes, Disney’s princesses, Pixar’s toons and Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars” helped the Mouse House...

Big Retailers Agree to List Unit Prices on Websites. June 17, 2014 — Is that television-size box of graham crackers at Costco really a better deal than a standard box at Walmart...

Saban Brands And JAKKS Pacific Team Up And Announce Emojiville, New Multi-Platform Property In Development. June 17, 2014 — Saban Brands and JAKKS Pacific, Inc. announced today their strategic collaboration on the development of a new multi-platform property, Emojiville...

E3 2014: Activision vs. EA. June 17, 2014 — This year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, illustrated a lot of interesting match ups in the world of video gaming...

Waste-to-toys: the growing market for eco-friendly, high-quality toys. June 16, 2014 — Startups are embracing circular economy principles and taking on the big players by making safe, locally made toys...

Rovio and Hasbro team up to present Transformers and Angry Birds in a brand-new mash-up. June 16, 2014 — Rovio Entertainment and Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) are teaming up again to bring together two of the world’s largest and most popular entertainment brands and their fans. Angry Birds Transformers will come to life in multiple forms, including a mobile game, consumer licensed goods and a product line from Hasbro, according to a press release.

Licensing Business for Entertainment Industry Grows 4.3% to $51 Billion in 2013. June 16, 2014 — The overall licensing industry grew for a third straight year in 2013, generating nearly $115.8 billion in retail sales, an increase of 3.3%...

E3 Still Dazzles, Even as Video Game Sales Go Digital. June 16, 2014 — The Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, the video game industry’s annual convention, is very good at a certain ritual...

Netflix Pacts with Mattel for ‘Ever After High’ Animated Movie and Series. June 16, 2014 — Netflix and Mattel next year will launch an all-new animated “Ever After High” original series and movie for kids, based on the toymaker’s doll franchise...

Tokyo Toy Show 2014: Robot pets, maglev toys and more! June 16, 2014 — It's our first year touring Japan's premier toy show, and we'd be happy to do it again. Among traditional wooden blocks, tricycles, action figures and card games (so many card games!) there's a number of toys with a high level of technology...

High-speed maglev toys are coming in 2015. June 13, 2014 — Takara Tomy promised us that maglev technology would make its way to playsets next year...

Hasbro to Launch ‘Transformers: Robots in Disguise’ Show in Spring 2015. June 13, 2014 — "Transformers: Robots in Disguise" will be the name of Hasbro's new animated series starring its shape-shifting characters...

E3 2014: Heavy on games and toys, light on hardware. June 13, 2014 — Each year, the video game industry converges on downtown LA for the Electronic Entertainment Expo to show off their latest games and hardware...

U.S. retail sales miss expectations, jobless claims rise. June 12, 2014 — U.S. retail sales rose less than expected in May and first-time applications for unemployment benefits increased last week...

Warner Bros. Consumer Products And Mattel Extend Strategic Alliance. June 12, 2014 — Warner Bros. Consumer Products, with DC Entertainment, announced today that it has once again extended its successful relationship with leading worldwide toy manufacturer, Mattel, Inc...

From Skylanders to Amiibo: Video games embrace the toy. June 11, 2014 — Nintendo's hot to cash in on the appeal of action figurines that come to life in a game, and Marvel Comics won't be far behind. But does the fad have staying power?...

Gadgets: Hottest toys of 2014. June 11, 2014 — Toy Guy Chris Byrne is our featured guest for this edition of Gadget Day as he shares some of the top toys for 2014...

What’s Behind Play-i’s Code-Teaching Robots? June 11, 2014 — The robots are coming this Christmas, coming to teach your six-year-old to code...

E3 2014: Sony Announces Exclusive Marvel Disney Infinity Content. June 10, 2014 — Sony has revealed a partnership with Disney which will bring exclusive Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes 2.0 content to PS4....

Customer Engagement Top Goal For Retailers. June 10, 2014 — Within five years, 75% of retailers plan to identify customers when they walk in the store...

Kid Reporters Take the Floor at ASTRA. June 9, 2014 — TDmonthly is excited to be working with two talented Kid Reporters, who will be scouting the floor of the 2014 ASTRA Marketplace for the year's most exciting, innovative and FUN toys! Kinzer, Bali, Max and Alicia will be sharing their unique kids' perspective to make purchasing toys your customers will really love easier than ever. Stay tuned to see which products they think are a must-have for kids this year!

ASTRA Members Elect New Representatives to Board of Directors. June 9, 2014 — Members of the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) elected three new specialty toy industry leaders to its Board of Directors at ASTRA’s Marketplace & Academy today in Phoenix, Arizona. ASTRA is pleased to welcome: Retailer Todd Andersen, Hub Hobby Center, Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN; Manufacturers Dee Farrell, Neat-Oh! International LLC, Chicago, IL, and Erik Quam, Fat Brain Toy Co., Elkhorn, NE.

Lego 'neutral' over referendum. June 9, 2014 — Toy company Lego has asked the UK Government to withdraw images of its figures illustrating ways Scots could spend £1,400...

How a Partnership With Amazon Could Provide a Spark for Mattel. June 9, 2014 — Toy and games company Mattel has been locked in a long battle with Hasbro. For now, it seems that Hasbro is winning...

Upsurge In Hacking Makes Customer Data 'Toxic' To Retailers. June 9, 2014 — With hackers stealing tens of millions of customer details in recent months, firms across the globe are ratcheting...

Activision Publishing, Inc. Showcases Next Generation Lineup at Electronic Entertainment Expo 2014. June 9, 2014 — Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc., is set to kick-off this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo with a blockbuster lineup featuring the #1 and #3 videogame franchises of 2013 in the U.S., including toys and accessories,according to the NPD Group...

LEGO introduces female scientist Minifigs, or as we like to think of them, scientists. June 6, 2014 — In the wake of the hugely popular female LEGO scientist minifig, LEGO goes one giant step for humankind further in introducing a LEGO Research Institute set featuring female scientists...

Retail sales up 4.3% in May. June 5, 2014 — Good weather and sales promotion in stores drove consumers into malls in May as the summer...

Families in a Frenzy Over Disney's 'Frozen'. June 5, 2014 — For the Calder family, the "Frozen" frenzy began when the Disney movie came out in late 2013...

Exclusive: Disney Says Star Wars Toys for Girls Are Coming. June 5, 2014 — Disney told TIME on Wednesday that it would add Princess Leia toys...

JAKKS Pacific® Announces Increase in Size and Pricing of Convertible Senior Notes Offering. June 4, 2014 — JAKKS Pacific, Inc. today announced the pricing of $100 million principal amount of 4.875%...

The Changing Face of Retail. June 4, 2014 — The way we shop is changing. The reasons are varied: our unfolding economic circumstances...

II, III and IV: The meanest supervillains facing toy makers. June 3, 2014 — How many Spider-Man action figures does one child need? That's the big question for investors in Hasbro Inc...

JAKKS Pacific, Inc. Announces Proposed Private Placement. June 3, 2014 — JAKKS Pacific, Inc. JAKK -7.81% today announced that it proposes to offer, subject to market and other conditions...

Movie figures garnering little action at toy stores. June 3, 2014 — The US toy industry has a problem, and it’s called “action-figure fatigue.” Toy sales tied to a trio...

STEM Education Going the Way of the Robot. June 3, 2014 — The room is abuzz with power tools and little people shuffling back and forth. The hum of their voices...

Amazon and a Mattel Unit Plan a 'Content Hub' Focusing on Children. June 2, 2014 — "Fireman Sam," a cartoon aimed at preschoolers, has long been a hit overseas...

Why the Future of Retail Will Blow Your Mind. June 2, 2014 — For the past few years, brick-and-mortar retailers didn’t have...