July/August 2012

Vol. 28, No. 4

July/August 2012

Girls at Work

Construction Aisle No Longer Boys’ Domain The construction toy aisle is turning pink thanks to a trend to offer more girl-friendly building sets. From the new Lego Friends line—featuring five girl besties—to Mega Bloks’ Hello Kitty-branded building sets, girls are better positioned than they’ve ever been to take advantage of a category of play that has long been considered the domain of boys.

page 10

Games & Puzzles page 19

page 31

Build Relationships to Get Your Toy Store in the News

page S4

Showrooming and the Future of Retail

page S5

The Complete Package: Dolls Arent Just Eye Candy

page 25

table of contents Published by Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.®

July/August 2012 Departments Editor’s Viewpoint Page 4

Stat Shot

Volume 28, Number 4 www.toybook.com

Features

P UBLISHER Jonathan Samet jsamet@adventurepub.com

Girls at Work

E DITOR IN C HIEF Jackie Breyer jbreyer@adventurepub.com

Construction Aisle No Longer Boys’ Domain Page 10

Page 6

The Toy-Buying Habits of Latina Moms

TIA Perspectives Page 7

Games & Puzzles

Page 16

Page 19

Industry Update

E DITORIAL A SSISTANT Leah Rocketto lrocketto@adventurepub.com

5 Questions with Top Trumps The Complete Package

Page 18

Dolls Aren’t Just Eye Candy

Page 56

What’s New Political Edition

Page 25

To Test or Not to Test: Managing Increasing Toxic Substance Regulations Page 54

Toys & TV: The Best Marriage Ever Page 58

Page 57

Raising the Bar Page 59

Mayhem & Mishaps Page 60

Industry Marketplace Page 61

Flashback: July/August 1992 Page 62

A SSOCIATE E DITOR Melissa Tinklepaugh mtinklepaugh@adventurepub.com A SSISTANT E DITOR Sierra McCleary-Harris smcclearyharris@adventurepub.com

Page 8

What’s New

A SSOCIATE E DITOR Loren Moreno lmoreno@adventurepub.com

Specialty Toys & Gifts: Page 31

ights s n I ’s A R T AS S4 Page

News

Page S3

Showrooming and the Future of Retail Page S5

Games and Puzzles Page S6

Building Toy s Page S16

Dolls

Page S20

New Whatg’esS22

E DITORIAL I NTERNS Lindsay Gordon, Ali Mierzejewski, Gigi Rubin A DVERTISING D IRECTOR Diana Veach dveach@adventurepub.com P RODUCTION D IRECTOR Anthony K. Guardiola aguardiola@adventurepub.com C ONTROLLER /O FFICE M ANAGER Robert Forde rforde@adventurepub.com U.S. Corporate Headquarters Laurie Schacht, President laurieschacht@aol.com

Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.® 307 Seventh Ave., #1601 New York, NY 10001 Phone: (212) 575-4510 Fax: (212) 575-4521

Pa

Media Center Page S23

Member, International Toy Magazine Association

Editor’s

Viewpoint

A Look at Toys for Girls & Boys

G

ender-specific products are often a topic of issue in the toy industry. Some manufacturers have found that girly-girl dolls and rugged boys’ toys are top sellers. It makes sense, in that young children are developing their sense of self, and they often identify with products that are dramatically gender-specific. My daughter is almost 3, and she loves anything pink and sparkly. Will she play with trucks? Yes, and she has a wide variety of gender-neutral—and even boy-targeted— toys to choose from (her mom is a toy editor, after all). But she usually gravitates toward baby dolls and mermaids and kittens with pink noses. Boys like to crash and smash cars and action figures. There’s nothing wrong with that.

But there are many folks who believe kids play with these things because they are thrust upon them. That girls would play with G.I. Joe and boys would play with Barbie, given the option. And yes, they will—when the mood strikes, or when big sister demands that He-Man marry the Little Mermaid.

But purchases in certain categories are often driven by gender.

In this issue, we take a look at the dolls category, which is typically a girls’ domain, and focus on the way some manufacturers are introducing dolls that are designed to teach girls about being strong, caring, and confident. Check out the article on page 25.

We also examine the building toys category, which tends to be heavy in offerings targeting boys.

The article, on page 10, takes a look at the new wave of building sets geared toward girls and how they are being received at retail.

4 • THE TOY BOOK

Jackie Breyer editor in chief

Our third category of focus—games—is one of the most gender-neutral categories in the marketplace. There are games geared specifically for boys or specifically for girls, but many games are designed to be enjoyed by all kids, and their families as well. Flip to page 19 to see what’s new in the games aisle.

In this issue, we also look at each of these categories from a specialty retail perspective, so be sure to check out the related product showcases in the Specialty Toys & Gifts section, beginning on page 31.

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JULY/AUGUST 2012

S TAT S HOT

Top Five Properties Licensed to Toys Purchased Last Year Percentage of U.S. Households Purchasing Toys by Property in 2011

Percent

“Toys Market Dynamics is an annual study produced by NPD. This report’s comprehensive review of the U.S. toy consumer is based on longitudinal research, which is a continuous tracking of all household toy purchases over time among the same group of households. The chart shows the top five properties that the greatest percentage of U.S. households made toy purchases on last year, and the percentage point change versus 2010. Since toys in the arts and crafts supercategory are purchased by the greatest percentage of U.S. households of all supercategories, it’s not surprising that three of the top five properties are well-known arts and crafts brands.”

—Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group

ppts = percentage points

TOP 10 FAMILY E NTERTAINMENT & CASUAL GAMES TITLES R ANKED BY T OTAL U.S. U NITS , J UNE 2012

RANK 1 2

TITLE

LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES

TOM CLANCY’S GHOST RECON: FUTURE SOLDIER

Source: The NPD Group/Toys Market Dynamics

n/c = no change

A MAZON . COM B EST-S ELLING T OYS , J ULY 2012

1 SYMA S107/S107G R/C HELICOPTER

2 FISHER-PRICE OCEAN WONDERS SOOTHE AND GLOW

11 VTECH SIT-TO-STAND LEARNING WALKER

12 MANHATTAN TOY WINKEL 13 THE SETTLERS OF CATAN

3 CRAYOLA CRAYONS 24 CT

14 TRANSFORMERS G2 BRUTICUS

5 KING KOOL LOUNGE

4 INTEX RIVER RUN I

15 RORY’S STORY CUBES

3

DIABLO III

5

NBA 2K12

6 SPOT IT

16 THE HUNGER GAMES MOVIE MOCKINGJAY PROP REP PIN

7

POKÉMON CONQUEST

9

BATTLEFIELD 3

8 INTEX FLOATING RECLINER LOUNGE

18 LEGO NINJAGO EPIC DRAGON BATTLE

10 STOMP ROCKET JR. GLOW KIT

20 WABOBA PRO BALL

4 6

8

10

MAX PAYNE 3 BATMAN ARKHAM CITY

CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 3 THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN

Source: The NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service

6 • THE TOY BOOK

7 INTEX SIT N FLOAT LOUNGE

9 BABY SPRING FLOAT SUN CANOPY

17 LEGO GREEN BUILDING PLATE

19 ULTRA STOMP ROCKET

JULY/AUGUST 2012

Toy Industry Association Perspectives

Economic Impact Report Examines Toy Industry

by Kristin Morency, communications specialist, Toy Industry Association

Jobs Wages Econimic Impact provided by TIA, The NPD s part of its ongoing 533,177 $25,794,416,897 $80,908,349,074 Group, and other private secefforts to highlight tor sources. Statistics are the creative influence broken down into three cateand fiscal affect of the toy ingories, including direct (toy dustry in the United States, manufacturers, wholesalers, the Toy Industry Association distributors, and retailers), commissioned a research firm indirect (raw material, comto create an easy-toponent, and service suppliunderstand economic and fis253,103 $10,861,194,061 $29,055,363,971 ers), and induced (local cal analysis of the U.S. toy Direct 97,371 6,177,003,472 22,931,082,438 Indirect businesses supported by the industry.

8,756,219,364 28,921,902,665 Induced 182,703 re-spending of manufacturThe Economic Impact of the Toy Industry in the United States study found that the toy ers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers and their direct supindustry’s annual total economic impact in the U.S. is nearly pliers).

In addition to national data, economic impact reports are $81 billion. From toy inventors to store clerks, the industry supports 533,177 jobs and generates $25.8 billion in wages for U.S. available for each of the states and for each congressional, state Senate, and state House district. workers and $11.1 billion in annual tax revenue.

Copies of the national and individual state reports are acThe analysis was developed using figures from Dun and Bradstreet, Inc., and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, cessible to the public in the Toy Biz section of ToyAssociaamong other government sources, as well as toy industry data tion.org.

A

TIF Launches “Make a Stand for Kids” Campaign

T

his summer, kids of all ages from coast to coast will be able to “Make a Stand” for children in need, thanks to a new program created by the Toy Industry Foundation that provides a fun and engaging way for children, communities, and companies to get involved in the world of philanthropy.

The “Make a Stand for Kids” campaign, which kicked off in June, encourages children to set up lemonade stands in their own communities and donate the proceeds to the Toy Industry Foundation. The funds will be used by TIF to distribute toys and make play possible for kids in crisis around the world.

“Our new program empowers children to make a difference and learn about the importance of charity by giving back to their communities and those who are less fortunate,” says Jean Butler, executive director of the Toy Industry Foundation.

“We encourage creativity. Kids can sell anything they’d like at

JULY/AUGUST 2012

their stands—from lemonade and Kool-Aid to hot chocolate and brownies when the weather gets cooler.”

Toolkits and signs can be downloaded at MakeAStandForKids.org. The program is open to both families and toy com■ panies that wish to get involved.

The Toy Industry Foundation brings joy, comfort, and learning to children in need by donating toys and grant funding to worthy children's charities. TIF is generously supported by toy companies who donate new toys and by companies and individuals who provide monetary donations. Toys are distributed to national partners serving military families and foster children, as well as to local

charities serving underserved, at-risk, and homeless children throughout the U.S. and around the world. For more information on how to get involved, visit www.ToyIndustryFoundation.org.

THE TOY BOOK • 7

Industry Update FanTOYstic Fact

This year marks the 40th anniversary

of Boggle, the fast-paced word game that’s fun for the whole family.

Boggle was brought to stores by Parker Brothers in 1972. Unfortunately, the initial lack of sales forced store owners to pull the game off their shelves. As people began playing and enjoying the game at parties though, they started a letter campaign to put Boggle back on the market.

The game came back with buzz. Parker Brothers ran an expensive print campaign in New York City that featured Boggle on mock covers of real women’s magazines, including Cosmopolitan. This drove the desire for Boggle when it returned to stores in 1976.

Despite its initial flop, Boggle has found success. Today, several official Boggle clubs exist across the country, including ones at Dartmouth College and the University of California-Berkeley. Boggle is even available to take on the road via smartphone by downloading the Boggle app, by Electronic Arts, from the Apple and Andriod app stores.

DREAMWORKS ANIMATION AGREES TO ACQUIRE CLASSIC MEDIA DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc., has entered into an agreement to acquire Classic Media, owner of an extensive portfolio featuring many of the best-known and most-enduring franchises in family entertainment, for $155 million in cash from Boomerang Media Holdings I, LLC, a portfolio company of Chicago-based private equity firm GTCR. With well-established titles such as Casper the Friendly Ghost, Where’s Waldo?, Lassie, The Lone Ranger, George of the Jungle, and Rocky & Bullwinkle, Classic Media’s properties have been a fixture in mainstream entertainment for decades.

Classic Media has approximately 80 employees and is headquartered in New York City, with offices in the UK and a division, Big Idea Entertainment, in Nashville, Tenn.

For the 12 months ending February 29, Classic Media earned net revenue of $82.2 million and operating profit of $19.2 million.

DreamWorks Animation expects the transaction will be completed during the quarter ending September 30.

TOYFEST WEST HEADING TO LAS VEGAS The Western Toy & Hobby Representatives Association is presenting the 2013 ToyFest West, the country’s largest regional toy trade show, from March 10-13.

The show offers a playground of buying activity featuring many exhibitors showcasing their products.

South Point Hotel Casino and Spa will host the event. As an incentive to retailers and exhibitors attending the event, reservations at the South Point Hotel from Saturday and Sunday will include Monday for free. Make reservations early, as this offer is limited to the first 300 rooms booked.

For more information, to reserve the special room rate, or to obtain a program schedule, visit www.toyfestwest.com or call (909) 899-3753.

NATION RETAIL FEDERATION’S BACK-TO-SCHOOL SURVEY The National Retail Federation’s 2012 Back-to-School spending survey, conducted by BIGinsight, reveals that the average American with children in grades K-12 will spend $688.62 on their children, up nearly $80 from last year. Total

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8 • THE TOY BOOK

JULY/AUGUST 2012

spending is expected to reach $30.3 billion. Combined, K-12 and college spending will reach $83.8 billion, making the back-to-school shopping season the second biggest consumer spending event for retailers, behind the winter holidays.

Parents are expected to spend the most on clothing, accessories, and electronics this summer—an estimated average of $246.10 on clothes and $217.88 on electronics. Nearly 60 percent will invest in some sort of electronic device. Additionally, the average person with children in grades K-12 will spend $129.20 on shoes and $95.44 on school supplies, such as notebooks, pencils, and backpacks.

More families say they will shop at department stores and online for school items as they look to get the best bang for their buck. Nearly 40 percent will take their school shopping lists online, up from 31.7 percent last year and nearly doubling since 2007, when 21.4 percent planned to shop online.

WINNING MOVES GAMES LAUNCHES PASTIME PUZZLES Pastime Puzzles, a line of jigsaw puzzles for the specialty toy and game market, will hit shelves in August. New from Winning Moves Games, each 500- and 1,000-piece Pastime Puzzle includes specially shaped pieces called whimsies, which include birds, animals, objects, and symbols. Fifty whimsies can be found in the 500-piece puzzles and 100 whimsies in the 1,000-piece puzzles. No two pieces are alike.

Inside each package is a secret code that might be a winner. For a chance to win a hand-cut, wooden Pastime Puzzle, puzzlers can enter the code at pastime-puzzles.com. The retailer that sold the winning puzzle will also win a puzzle. One winner will be drawn every month.

RETAIL SALES SEE THREE MONTHS OF DECLINE Retail sales continued to stall in the month of June as consumers held off on discretionary and non-discretionary spending—marking three consecutive months of retail sales decreases—implying that persistently-high domestic unemployment, stagnant job growth, and international economic unease have taken a toll on U.S. consumers this spring.

According to the National Retail Federation, June retail sales (excluding automobile, gas stations, and restaurants) decreased 0.4 percent seasonally adjusted from May, but increased 1.7 percent unadjusted year-over-year. This year-overyear increase marks 24 consecutive months of sustained retail sales growth.

June retail sales, released by the U.S. Department of Commerce, showed total retail and food services sales (which include non-general merchandise categories such as automobiles, gasoline stations, and restaurants) decreased 0.5 percent seasonally adjusted month-to-month, but increased 3.8 percent unadjusted yearover-year.

JULY/AUGUST 2012

SPIELWARENMESSE EG ORGANIZE INDIAN TOY FAIR

TO

Fair organizer and toy sector marketing service provider Spielwarenmesse eG is set to organize its own fair in India in 2013.

Kids India will take place in the Bombay Convention & Exhibition Centre in Mumbai. The new fair is intended to serve as a platform for Indian and international exhibitors to present products such as toys, baby articles, licensed products, sports articles, and leisure and hobby articles.

In addition, Spielwarenmesse eG will organize a World of Toys Pavilion so that small and medium enterprises can also showcase their products. The pavilion will make it easier for companies around the world to enter the Indian market.

JAKKS PACIFIC ACQUIRES MAUI TOYS Jakks Pacific, Inc., has acquired Ohio-based Maui, Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of spring and summer activity toys, outdoor sports toys, and impulse toys including Wave Hoop and Sky Ball products.

Jakks Pacific acquired all of the shares of stock of Maui, a 24-year-old, privately held company, and its Hong Kong-based affiliate, A.S. Design Limited.

The company expects that the Maui acquisition will be accretive to earnings in 2013. The determination of the impact to 2012 is subject to completion of the purchase price allocation for 2012, which has not yet been completed.

THE TOY BOOK • 9

Girls at Work ! Construction Aisle No Longer Boys’ Domain

by Loren Moreno

T

he construction toy aisle is turning pink thanks to a trend to offer more girl-friendly building sets.

From the new Lego Friends line—featuring five girl besties—to Mega Bloks’ Hello Kitty-branded building sets, girls are better positioned than they’ve ever been to take advantage of a category of play that has long been considered the domain of boys.

Traditional block sets, with their deep blues and reds and greens, are often a turn-off to girls, says Roger Glazebrook, store manager at Mary Arnold Toys in New York City. Customers have responded well to girl-oriented building sets. By offering blocks in pinks and pastels, such as those from Lego’s Duplo line, girls are more apt to build, he says.

“There are people who say you shouldn’t be sexist, that all toys are

10 • THE TOY BOOK

for all kids,” says Glazebrook. But he doesn’t agree. “It’s a way to draw girls in, by changing the format.”

Reeves International, the maker of the magnetic building set Geomag, recently released a pink building set.

Bob LaRocca, national sales manager for Reeves, says consumers have been programmed to associate building toys with boys.

“We saw the color change as a way to get consumers thinking differently,” says LaRocca. Otherwise, girls are missing out on a category of play that is beneficial for their development.

A 2007 research study by the Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute, for instance, found that children who played with blocks scored 15 percent higher on language arts tests than kids who didn’t.

“Building exposes kids to another way of exploring, thinking, and learning,” says LaRocca.

Other companies are taking it a step beyond a color change, though, to get girls interested in the world of building.

Girls love to tell stories, says Adrian Roche, vice president of brand licensing and preschool for Mega Brands.

Mega Bloks is reaching preschoolaged girls with its new Little Princess

Little Princess collection, here and bottom left, from Mega Bloks’ First Builders line

At a Glance

— Nineteen percent of U.S. households purchased building sets in 2011.

— U.S. sales for building sets for the 12 months ending in June were $1.7 billion, up 21 percent from the previous year.

Source: The NPD Group

collection in its First Builders line. The sets bring fantasy to life with princesses, fairies, ponies, and enchanted castles— all allowing for the type of imaginative play that girls enjoy.

Boys tend to enjoy heavy construction and using all their play time building a structure from start to finish. “Girls, on the other hand, would much rather get to their play time faster,” he says. “They love to design and decorate, customize and accessorize. So we made sure to design our girls’ play sets in such a way as to offer all these important features.”

JULY/AUGUST 2012

Mega Bloks has offered building sets for girls since the ’80s, and it plans to continue to expand its offer ings. Later this year, the company will launch its Mega Bloks Barbie collection. The line will feature Barbie and her friends in a buildable world of fashion and dream locations.

Lego is also reaching out to the girl demographic in a big way. At the end of 2011, 91 percent of Lego sets sold were to boys, a trend that was common for years, says Michael McNally, brand relations director at Lego. The Lego Friends line, after being on shelves for only six months, increased sales to girls. One in four sets sold in the U.S. is now to a girl.

The line features a group of best friends—Mia, Emma, Andrea, Stephanie, and Olivia—and the fictional town of Heartlake. Each character is unique.

Mia is a veterinarian and has a green thumb, for instance, and Andrea is a singer-songwriter and a drama queen.

Building Toys

12 • THE TOY BOOK

McNally says Lego is challenging the assumption that girls prefer to play rather than build.

“The success of Lego Friends, which provides as much building as any other Lego theme, is proof that girls do indeed like to build before they play,” he says.

“We see Lego Friends expanding the consumer base for building toys while also punctuating what they love about other dolls and role-play toys.”

Retailers say the demand is there.

Stephanie Lucy, vice president of toys and sporting goods for Target, said the retailer will offer exclusive girl-directed building toys this holiday season, including Emma’s Horse Trailer from the Lego Friends line.

“We learned that expanding our selection of construction-themed toys for

Olivia’s House, from the Lego Friends line

girls was important to (our customers), and we’ve adjusted our assortment accordingly to ensure we have the latest and greatest toys,” says Lucy.

One thing many agree on: building toys for girls is more than a fad; it’s a category retailers and companies hope to see expand.

■

Hasbro’s Kre-O boldly goes where no one has gone before with its Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise building set. Based on the upcoming Star Trek sequel from Paramount Pictures, the Kre-O Star Trek line, under license from CBS Consumer Products, features a variety of vehicles from the movie, along with fun Kreon figures based on iconic Star Trek characters.

JULY/AUGUST 2012

Building Toys The Ohio Art Company is expanding its nanoblock line with a wide variety of mini building sets.

Already a phenomenon in Japan, where nanoblock was developed, the tiny building block system features a patented double-feather design to lock micro-sized pieces firmly together, allowing for realistic creations.

Going beyond basic blocks and play figures, Cubikals from Tollytots are versatile, collectible playthings that encourage role play, stacking, and sorting, plus recognition of animals, numbers, letters, and shapes. This themed, 12-block set includes 10 standard Cubikals blocks and two spinner blocks featuring images that advance the set’s educational theme.

14 • THE TOY BOOK

Lego expands its selection of licensed building sets with its Lord of the Rings: The Mines of Moria. On their epic journey across the lands of Middle-Earth, the heroic Fellowship of the Ring travels through the abandoned Mines of Moria.

Pursued by the evil Moria orcs and a giant cave troll, Pippin, Boromir, Gimli, and Legolas make a stand in Balin’s Tomb. This 776-piece set comes with six minifigures and two Moria orcs, along with a giant cave troll and two skeletons.

Neat Oh! partners with Lego and Lucasfilm for the Lego Star Wars ZipBin Carry Case and Placemat. Kids can now take their droid army on the road. When unzipped, the ZipBin becomes a Star Wars-themed battle bridge and play mat. Zip up to store away building blocks until the next galactic battle.

The carrying case weighs only 1 pound.

JULY/AUGUST 2012

Mega Bloks brings World of Warcraft to life with its buildable Goblin Zeppelin Airship, featuring a balloon and a brick-blasting cannon launcher. The set includes buildable Goblin Rogue, Tauren Paladin, and Worgen Rogue micro action figures with customizable weapons, and armor. Darkhowl, the Worgen Rogue, comes with his Alliance crossbow to launch a sneak attack on the Zeppelin. Other World of Warcraft sets include a buildable Stormwind Castle and a Deathwing Dragon with fully articulated wings.

Playmobil enters a futuristic world with its ERangers’ Headquarters. Equipped with a swiveling LED spotlight to help illuminate the surrounding terrain, a knockout cannon to disable enemy vehicles, and a functioning solar panel, this galactic headquarters is filled with technology. The balance racer can be turned into a propeller or a jet car racer.

BrickStix, LLC, manufactures decals for plastic bricks like Lego and Mega Bloks.

The new Mod Stix are removable and repositionable stickers that have a special adhesive that won’t ruin the plastic connecting bricks. Kids can turn ordinary mini-figures and brick walls into medieval- or zombiethemed play sets. Mod Stix won’t leave ick on kids’ bricks. They come off clean.

With this set, Angry Birds fans can build and destroy levels from the original game. The Angry Birds Hammin’ Around set, from K’nex, comes with a working launcher just like in the game, two birds, three pigs, and enough parts to build and knock down.

Everything included works with other K’nex Angry Birds sets.

JULY/AUGUST 2012

For more Building Toys, see page S16.

THE TOY BOOK • 15

The Toy-Buying Habits of Latina Moms M o m s p o l le d e x p r e s s e d p r e f e r e n c e s f o r l i c e n s e d c h a r a c te r d o l l s , b i li n g u a l d o ll s , a n d m u s i c a l t o y s .

Credit: BabyCenter en Español

B

abyCenter en Español launched a poll in March to find out what Latina moms who live in the United States are looking for when they buy toys for their kids. The poll surveyed more than 400 moms with kids from newborns to age 6 and older.

Bilingual Character Dolls The poll results indicate that Latina moms are not necessarily interested in dolls that have features and skin color similar to those of their family. When asked for the three main requirements they look for in a doll, only 5 percent of respondents said they chose dolls with these characteristics. They are more interested in dolls that are bilingual, a characteristic that 16 percent of moms chose.

The winning characteristic, with 40 percent of respondents agreeing, is the representation of a character their son or daughter loves, such as Dora the Explorer or Baby Blue’s Clues. Almost equally important is that dolls are made from nontoxic materials (39 percent) and that they interact by talking, singing, or making noise (37 percent).

Dolls for Boys?

When asked if they thought that both girls and boys should play with dolls, 43 percent of respondents said yes, while 31 percent said that it didn’t seem right. Fifteen percent of moms said that although they approve of their sons playing with dolls, they have never bought one for them.

Toys with a Latin Flavor When asked what kinds of toys they’ve bought their kids in the past six months, more than 50 percent of moms said musical toys, such as drums, guitars, or pianos. Additionally, in response to what kinds of toys their children prefer, musical toys ranked highest, with 50 percent of moms indicating this preference.

16 • THE TOY BOOK

In addition to instilling in their children a love of music through toys, Latina moms also want their kids to be passionate about sports. Thirty-four percent said sports-related toys, such as balls or baseball gloves, were the most popular toys they’ve bought in the past six months.

Other favorites are digital “toys”—such as a camera, a computer, an iPad, or a video game console—and building toys, such as blocks or Lego sets.

Among the most strongly disliked are military toys (guns and soldiers), toys that make too much noise and use batteries, as well as anything that is made of materials that could be toxic.

How Often Do They Buy Toys?

How often do Latina moms open up their purses to buy toys? The survey results show that it’s very often. One in four moms buys toys for her kids every month or even more often (21 percent buy each month and 5 percent buy each week). Twenty percent buy toys once every two to three months. Eighteen percent buy them only for major holidays, including Christmas, Children’s Day, and Three Kings Day. Thirty-six percent of moms spend between $10 and $20, and 30 percent spend $20 to $30 on most toys for their kids.

Only 5 percent of moms spend between $50 and $100 on toys.

Do Moms Approve of the Toys Their Partners Buy? Half of the moms surveyed said their partners always buy very nice toys that earn their approval. The only thing some of them may be afraid of is that they spend too much.

That is especially true for those moms (7 percent) who said their partners leave the store with toys not only for their children, but also for themselves.

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BabyCenter en Español (www.babycenter.com/espanol) offers comprehensive parenting content in Spanish for Hispanic moms in the U.S., including core articles and expert answers.

JULY/AUGUST 2012

The Voice Reaching Both Trade and Consumers

CONTACT: JONATHAN SAMET OR LAURIE SCHACHT ADVENTURE PUBLISHING GROUP 307 7TH AVENUE, SUITE 1601 NEW YORK, NY 10001 TEL: 212-575-4510 FAX: 212-575-4521 WWW.ADVENTUREPUB.COM

QUESTIONS

5

WITH

Tom Liddell, Top Trumps brand guardian 1. How has Top Trumps evolved, especially after Winning Moves took it over in 1999?

Top Trumps has been a hugely popular card game since the ’70s. (Top Trumps is most similar to the card game “war” in the U.S.) Back then, the main subject matter was things like cars, battleships, and planes. When we bought the brand in the ’90s we added exciting licenses. This gives kids the opportunity to still play Top Trumps in its original format, but now they interact with their favorite TV or movie characters.

In fact, one of our first big licenses in 2007, High School Musical, remains our best-selling pack of all time.

license. Therefore, we are often able to be first to the market with a new license. We can turn around production very quickly—sometimes in a matter of weeks (as long as the licensor approval process is as quick as we are).

2.

What’s the state of Top Trumps in the U.S. market?

Top Trumps has a healthy but small presence in the U.S. In terms of brand awareness, we have secured the hottest licenses that appeal to the U.S. market (Star Wars, Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Moshi Monsters, etc.) to ensure we get space on shop shelves. We also like to just get kids experiencing the game. We are doing a lot of work with the Girl Scouts, as an example, which means we are able to reach millions of kids across the entire country. There is no better advocate than a child talking about a new game they have just tried.

4. Describe the collaborative process between Top Trumps and the various property owners.

We work very closely with our licensors to ensure that the packs we create represent their brands. We have a strong product development team who really “get under the skin” of the licensors’ subject matter. We need to know all the facts and stats about every character, and we work closely with licensors to get it right. When we produced our Harry Potter packs, for example, J.K. Rowling herself was directly involved in the approval process to make sure the game remained true to the books.

3. What advantages does Top Trumps have over other types of toys in responding to the newest license?

We are very fortunate in that we do not have to “re-tool” our product every time we get a new license. Each product is essentially the same, but tailored carefully to suit the given

18 • THE TOY BOOK

5. What’s on the horizon for Top Trumps?

We recently extended our Top Trumps product range to include really cool collector tins. They contain full decks of Top Trumps neatly housed in a round, branded tin. My personal favorite is the Star Wars tin, due out this fall. The tin itself is the Death Star, and every time it is opened, the sound of a TIE fighter is heard. Brilliant!

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G A M E S & PUZZLES Turn out the lights and try to be the last mammal standing in Chupacabra: Survive the Night, a glow-in-thedark survival dice game based on Latin American folklore, from The Haywire Group. Players ages 8 and up take turns removing opponents’ animals from their hands based on how many Chupacabras are rolled. Be the first to collect all dice in play—but watch out for “Chupacabra Loco,” when someone rolls all Chupacabras and has the power to take out the largest pack of animals in play.

The Joker is up to his usual tricks, and he must be stopped! Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, and The Flash team up in DC Super Friends: The Joker Fun House Game from Wonder Forge, calling on their special powers— X-ray vision, the Batarang, force fields, and lightning speed—to dodge The Joker’s gags and stop him in his tracks before he reaches the getaway car. The Fun House gameboard is packed with preschool play power: a wacky rolling ball, secret messages, and a launching Batarang to draw young superheroes into the action. For players ages 4 and up, this action-packed game of teamwork helps develop strategic thinking and physical dexterity.

Temple Run Danger Chase, from Spin Master Games, has all the speed and suspense of the Temple Run app, now in a multiplayer electronic board game. Players ages 8 and up roll the dice and race ahead on a never-ending pathway, avoiding obstacles and outrunning the Evil Demon Monkey. Roll fast, or you’ll go back, and the Demon Monkey will make a meal out of you. The last player left running is the winner.

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THE TOY BOOK • 19

& PUZZLES

Goliath Games, LLC will be haunting kids with its new 3-D board game, Ghost Castle.

Be the first player to make it through the rooms, climb the stairs, and close the coffin lid to put the ghost to rest.

Each room has several traps, and players must avoid getting caught. Avoid the haunted tree and leaping bear trap to win. The game comes with a 3-D castle and seven traps that are easily assembled. The game is for two to four players ages 6 and up.

Cardinal Industries’ Barbie Fashion Magic Dress Up Puzzle is a dynamic 150piece puzzle with images of Barbie that kids can dress up in seven different mix-and-match “cling-on” outfits.

Look, see, play, and score with Gamewright’s iota. Add cards to a grid, making sure that color, shape, and number are either all the same or all different across the line. It may sound easy, but as the grid expands, so do the possibilities. Whoever sees the opportunities will seize the win. For two to four players ages 8 and up, the game helps kids learn spatial relations, visual discrimination, and strategic thinking.

In the Word Winder game, from HL Games, players attempt to create a continuous winding line of words creating a path from one side of the gameboard to the other. Words can be spelled in any direction—from left to right, right to left, up or down, diagonally, or any other combination.

The gameboard is made up of 16 double-sided, 4-inch by 4-inch letter grid boards that can be organized differently for each gameplay.

The Word Winder brand, first launched in May, includes a board game, a puzzles book, and a Nook app.

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& PUZZLES Pressman introduces Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Don’t Scramble the Egg Game, where players ages 8 and up toss Rowley’s egg to each other as they call out items that fit the category on the card— scary movies, breakfast cereals, or boys’ names, for example. It sounds easy until the pressure is on. The electronic egg randomly ticks until it splats. The player holding the egg when it goes splat collects the card, and the last player standing wins.

With the new Where’s My Water? game, from Hasbro, children guide “water” marbles to Swampy while avoiding obstacles along the way. Each player draws a card that features images of obstacle pieces to add to the board for a build-as-you-play game that keeps the outcome ever changing.

Once all pieces are in place, the player then drops “water” marbles in the top and watches the action unfold. Just like in the app, players score extra points for each duck knocked down along the way. The first to win three rounds wins the game, designed for one to two players ages 5 and up.

High flyin’, dip divin’ Louie is looking for chickens. TCG’s Loopin’ Louie game, for two to four players, challenges hand-eye coordination when Louie starts loopin’. Players ages 4 and up use their springboard to bounce Louie back into the air before he knocks down their chickens. The player with the most chickens in their coop wins.

University Games recently formed an alliance with Tactic to distribute its Angry Birds Action Game in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The Angry Birds Action Game includes a gigantic play mat, one yard in diameter; two plush birds; one plastic pig; and three wooden blocks.

Gather friends and family, set up the wooden blocks on the scoring mat, and take turns tossing the Angry Birds to take the pig down. Players can customize scenarios and control the tosses as they rack up points. Pack it up in its carrying bag and Angry Birds can be brought to the beach, the family barbecue, or the company picnic for all to enjoy.

Instead of solely hovering over a smartphone’s screen, everyone can now toss these Angry Birds into action together.

Also launching this summer is a series of add-on characters and wooden blocks for the game.

22 • THE TOY BOOK

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Games Sales According to NPD’s Toys Market Dynamics Study, 46 percent of U.S. households purchased at least one game last year.

Traditional board games sold $970MM in the 12 months ending in June, which was a -8 percent change versus a year ago, according to NPD’s consumer tracker, which measures sales.

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From Ravensburger’s line of augmented reality puzzles, Over the Rooftops of Paris offers a memorable tour of the City of Lights with a 360-degree view of Paris at night, including the Eiffel Tower, presented with background information about city sights set against a musical backdrop.

Over the Rooftops of Paris is one of four Augmented Reality puzzles introduced this year. The debut collection of four 1,000-piece, 2-D puzzles comes to life with a downloadable free app from Apple’s App Store. The app utilizes the camera function of the iPhone or iPad 2 to animate the scene and provides a deeper connection to the puzzle through a 3-D experience.

The audio in the AR app is available in six languages: English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Dutch.

THE TOY BOOK • 23

With more than 12 million images, National Geographic is renowned for its comprehensive and unique collections of photographs. Now these visually stunning images are available for any puzzle fan in 750-piece and 1,000-piece puzzle collections from Techno Source. Including a range of themes—World Travel, Natural Wonders, Monumental Marvels, and In the Wild—the collection takes a trip around the world to visit exotic places and vistas, magnificent monuments, and amazing animals in their natural habitats. These high-quality puzzles feature fully interlocking pieces, fit standard frames to easily display finished puzzles, and include bonus content from the National Geographic Society Archives to learn more about each photo.

Warner Bros.

Consumer Products, Warner Bros. Television Group, and Cryptozoic Entertainment have launched The Big Bang Theory: The Party Game, based on the television comedy series.

Players compete to pair category cards with show phrases and references. Points are awarded based on judging and ranking the card combinations. The player with the most points wins. Designed for three to seven players (ages 15 and up), the game also features special Bazinga! cards that add a bit of chaos and surprise to the gameplay. Every card offers a different The Big Bang Theory moment, complete with photographs from the show.

For more games and puzzles, turn to page S8.

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T h e C o m p l e te Pa c k a g e Dolls Aren’t Just Eye Candy

by Sierra McCleary-Harris

F

or decades, Mattel’s Barbie dolls have been inspiring girls to achieve their dreams, most recently with the “I Can Be” line. As the doll category continues to thrive—it saw a sales increase of 7 percent in 2011, according to The NPD Group— many other manufacturers are seeking to give consumers an expanded variety of options, releasing numerous dolls with detailed, multiplatform backstories meant to inspire and encourage young girls.

Researchers are continually seeking to decipher just how important doll play is and how it affects a growing child’s value system, notions of body image, and selfesteem. According to a 2006 study from Ditmar, Halliwell, and Ive, fantasy and play are crucial to socialization for young children—specifically, to forming values and healthy body images. Tapping into this idea, new offerings across the category offer aesthetically appealing dolls that not only seek to engage children’s imaginations, but also to empower them and boost their selfesteem.

Hearts for Hearts Girls, a line of dolls from Playmates Toys, Merida—Forest Adventure, was born when Vice Presifrom Tollytots

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Hearts for Hearts Girls, from Playmates Toys

dent of Marketing Gina Beebe was tasked with creating dolls that are not only inspiring, but that also teach girls about different cultures and how to respect and appreciate others. Lauryce, one of the newest additions to the doll line, is a New Orleans native and Hurricane Katrina survivor who started her own charity, Living in Louisiana (LIL) Hearts, to raise money for her local animal shelter and displaced Haitian children, according to the doll’s back-story.

Girls are able to connect with Lauryce and the other HFHG dolls through their online pages and diary entries.

The website also offers girls the chance to share stories about real-life HFHGs. “We have real stories about inspiring girls who have overcome challenges to help change other people’s lives within their own communities and around the world,” Beebe says.

THE TOY BOOK • 25

La Dee Da World Tour Collection, from Spin Master

This ongoing emotional engagement can help to reinforce value systems and further empower girls.

Known for their Disney princess dolls, Tollytots and its new Merida offerings provide consumers with trusted Disney products with a new slant. Based on the main character from Brave, the Disney/Pixar production that released this summer, Merida is a fearless, Scottish princess who follows her own dreams.

Unlike some other Disney princesses, Merida remains independent and unmarried at the end of the film.

As a mother and the public relations director for Tollytots, Carolyn Sutton is hyper-aware of the importance of encouraging imaginative play and offering dolls that inspire girls to be confident and creative.

“The great thing about Brave is Merida was truly the first heroine in a leading role for a Pixar movie.

Merida really chooses her own fate. She goes for what she believes, despite what her mom feels she should do. It’s a great story about family relationships, wishes, and magic,” Sutton says.

Sutton says that Tollytots places significant importance on imaginative play and, specific to the princess line, imagination with a princess friendship.

It is this friendship that Sutton believes teaches girls the importance of strong friendships, confidence, and

26 • THE TOY BOOK

trust, each of which can be reinforced by parents throughout the child’s life.

With the La Dee Da line from Spin Master, two of the most popular categories among girls are combined: fashion dolls and activities. Dee forges her own path as a teen fashion designer who runs La Dee Da with her three BFFs. Dee’s entrepreneurial-business attitude is a rarity among dolls. With Dee, Spin Master aims to not only encourage girls to create and design, but also to look at the world differently, according to Georgia Lopez, marketing director of girls’ brands for Spin Master.

The La Dee Da dolls’ oversized heads, big eyes, and tiny lips and noses all contribute to a high-fashion, exaggerated look. At first glance, these dolls and their slim proportions may cause concern for some.

Lopez, who stresses that their over-the-top outfits, makeup, hairstyles, and bodies are not grounded in reality, isn’t worried. “We think the emphasis on creativity, DIY, and self-expression will inspire real girls and therefore appeal to parents,” she says. While other brands may focus on a particular aspect of play, one of the most important aspects of the La Dee Da brand, according to Lopez, is for girls to express themselves in a healthy, age-appropriate way that is great for self-esteem.

The trend toward inspiring, self-empowering dolls is refreshing, and the options availAt a Glance able to con—43 percent of U.S. households pursumers are chased at least one doll in 2011. growing. Whether girls are playing —For the 12 months ending June 2012, with the entreU.S. doll sales increased by 3 percent, garnering $2.7 billion. preneurial La Dee Da dolls, or Source: The NPD Group feeding hungry children in the Amazon through the purchase of a HFHG doll, they will be learning a variety of values, from being strong and independent to helping those less fortunate. While Barbie is sure to continue to inspire generations of girls, she may have to make some room in her caravan for a new troupe of role models.

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Fa b u l o u s & F u n :

A Doll for Everyone

Now kids can collect all the Winx Club fairies and relive their magical adventures with the new line of dolls, play sets, and role-play items from Jakks Pacific and Creative Designs International. These dolls were designed for children ages 4 and up.

The Winx Club Magic Wings Bloom Feature Doll lets kids control Bloom’s Believix transformation. Place Bloom in the Transformation Station, slide the lever to see magical lights, hear the Believix song, and see Bloom spin as her wings attach and she transforms into a Believix fairy.

The 11.5-inch Winx Club Believix Basic Fashion Dolls feature the Winx Club girls in their fashion-forward everyday outfits, straight from the show. With seven points of articulation and a beauty brush included, kids can style their friends for a night out. These Winx Club Magic Wings dolls are available in two collections: Concert and Everyday.

Bloom Feature Doll The Winx Club Believix Deluxe Fashion Dolls feature the six friends with 11 points of articulation, trend-setting outfits, and hinged wings.

It’s snack time for the Baby Alive Baby All Gone doll, from Hasbro, and she’s hungry for strawberry yogurt. Kids can put the yogurt in the spoon and feed it to the doll to watch her eat it all up. If the baby is still hungry after her snack, she’ll call for her mommy to feed her more with sayings like “Strawberries are yummy!” and “Where did it go?”

When it is time for a drink, the Baby Alive Baby All Gone doll can be fed from her bottle, and her milk will magically disappear. This doll is designed for children ages 3 and up.

28 • THE TOY BOOK

Cutie Pops, the newest doll line from Jada Toys, are trendy friends who love to decorate and accessorize everything in their world. This line of fashion activity dolls, pets, and accessories is inspired by hearts, rainbows, sweets, and parties. The line allows girls to express their own style with “style pops.”

Chiffon loves cupcakes and has blonde hair, Cookie has brunette hair and loves cookies, and Candi has black hair and is crazy for candy. These dolls were designed for children ages 4 and up and include pop-on style pops, hair pops, and “Accessor-Eyes.”

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Merida, the Scottish heroine who stars in the Disney/Pixar film Brave, dreams of being an archer. Kids looking for adventure can gallop into a world of enchantment with Merida with Angus, from Tollytots. Merida comes dressed in a shimmering gown with long, flowing hair and moveable arms and legs. Kids can seat her in Angus’ saddle before setting off on their magical journeys together.

The Barbie Photo Fashion Doll, from Mattel, combines fashion and photos with a simple click. The doll is actually a digital camera, and her shirt displays the digital image. Girls can select from pre-loaded graphics or take their own pictures to change the image on the doll’s T-shirt. Girls have the ability to add frames and effects to photos and make their own slide shows. Once images are downloaded and saved to a computer, the camera memory is freed, allowing for more photo fun. A website with Barbie imagery lets girls customize images taken with their doll, which can hold more than 200 images and features an internal, rechargeable battery.

This doll was designed for children ages 6 and up.

Waverly and the Magic Seashells Mermaids of Azarella, a new line of dolls from The Bridge Direct, combines the fun of collecting seashells with the magical world of mermaids. Waverly and her friends are featured as 3-inch mermaids, each accompanied by a special pearl that holds the secrets of the seas. When placed in the pearl reader in the Magic Seashell Playset (sold separately), each pearl’s secrets are revealed in that mermaid’s voice. The dolls also include a sceptershaped hairbrush and a special accessory, such as a treasure chest, trophy cup, or pedestal.

How do New York’s trendiest teen designers celebrate a Sweet 16 birthday? By creating amazing candy-themed outfits to wear to the party. In the Sweet Party Collection, from Spin Master, Dee and her BFFs are inspired by peppermints, lollipops, and cotton candy. Girls can choose from four dolls—Dee as Candy Dots O’Fun, Tylie as Peppermint Blast, Cyanne as Cotton Candy Crush, or Sloane as Lollipop Swirl—each of which includes an outfit, a party gift, and a pair of shoes. The line is designed for children ages 6 and up.

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THE TOY BOOK • 29

Just Play releases the Doc McStuffins Time for Your Check-Up Doll, based on the new Disney Junior animated series about a girl who heals toys out of her backyard clinic. Accompanied by a plush version of her best friend Lambie, this large interactive doll can talk and sing while using her magic stethoscope and special tools to listen to Lambie’s heart beat, check her ears, and take her temperature. Lambie magically responds to Doc’s tools and says several phrases.

This doll was designed for children ages 3 and up.

The soft-body Fabulitz dolls, from LittleMissMatched, include interchangeable arms and legs and buttonon accessories. The 16-inch Fabulitz line, currently sold exclusively at Michael’s retail stores, was designed for children ages 3 and up. Each doll includes some starter Fabulitz and an extra mismatched arm and leg.

Uptown Girl is a born leader and comes fully dressed with a trench that kids can remove and interchange. Rocker Girl is outgoing and fun, and knows how to rock out in her funky skirt, vest, and hat. Sporty Girl is smart and funny, and loves to play all sports in her hoodie and shorts. Artsy Girl is sassy, cute, and loves to paint and draw in her hipster blazer.

With’ Hearts for Hearts Girls, from Playmates Toys, kids can change the world one heart and doll at a time. Dolls in this collection embody the lives of girls from places around the world, each with her own inspiring story to tell as she tries to make a difference in her life and community. A portion of the purchase price of each HFHG doll is donated, via charitable partner World Vision, to programs that support children in each doll’s country of origin. HFHGs were designed for children ages 6 and up.

Lauryce, the newest Hearts for Hearts doll, is a New Orleans native and Hurricane Katrina survivor. She shares her values of helping people and animals in need through her very own charity: LIL (Living in Louisiana) Hearts.

Bratzillaz, from MGA Entertainment, is a new line of fashion dolls that possess magical powers. The enchanted good-witch cousins of the Bratz, Bratzillaz dolls take girls on a supernatural flight of imagination and discovery to reveal their own inner secrets and special powers, including the ability to communicate with animals, fly through the air, see into the future, and find true love. These dolls were designed for children ages 8 and up.

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T HE D EFINITIVE I NFORMATION S OURCE

FOR THE

T OY

AND

G IFT M ERCHANT

NEWS ASTRA’S MARKETPLACE BREAKS ATTENDANCE RECORDS

ASTRA’s 2012 Marketplace & Academy, held in June in Baltimore, broke all previous attendance records. The number of attendees, not including exhibitors, increased nearly 10 percent. The number of retail stores represented increased 15 percent from last year. More than 1,700 members of the specialty toy industry participated. Next year’s ASTRA Marketplace & Academy will be held June 16-19 in Nashville, Tenn.

ABC KIDS EXPO 2012 GAINING STEAM

ABC Kids Expo 2012 will take place in October at Louisville’s Kentucky Exposition Center. The expo hosts more than 1,000 exhibitors showing new and innovative products and services. Many U.S.-based manufacturers or distributors of products for maternity, infants, and small children will show their latest products. Exhibitors may reach more than 14,000 qualified retail stores, importers and exporters, distributors, online retailers, mail order businesses, and interior designers and decorators.

The U.S. juvenile products industry, comprised of companies manufacturing goods for children from infancy to age 5, is expected to grow 4.4 percent per year through 2015, primarily driven by the expansion of the baby accessories segment, which is expected to grow 5.9 percent annually. The other major segments—toys and furnishings—are expected to grow 3.5 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively. The ABC Kids Expo will include the following specialty areas: New Product Showcase, Naturally Kids Pavilion, Modern Child Pavilion, and Maternity Square.

Special this year is the Very Important Badge Program, a discount program for show participants to use while in Louisville. It provides special offers and discounts from the city’s most popular sites.

For more information on how to exhibit or register, visit the ABC Show website, www.theabcshow.com.

CHITAG ADDS FASHION SHOW

The Chicago Toy & Game Fair, the largest toy and game fair in the U.S. that is open to the public, will be held from November 17 to 18. New this year, there will be a toy and game fashion show held prior to the fair on November 14. The event will serve as a pre-press party for the TAGIE Awards and ChiTAG Fair. ChiTAG brings together consumers, families, inventors, manufacturers, retailers, educators, hobbyists, and the media at the start of the holiday season.

ON THE COVER: MEET ARTSY GIRL, SPORTY GIRL, UPTOWN GIRL, AND ROCK ’N ROLL GIRL, FROM LITTLEMISSMATCHED. EACH MEASURES APPROXIMATELY 15.25 INCHES IN HEIGHT AND HAS 10 POINTS OF ARTICULATION, ALLOWING FOR A NUMBER OF STYLISH POSES. EACH DOLL COMES FULLY DRESSED WITH A BAG, A HAIRBRUSH, A PACK OF SOCKS, AND A PAIR OF SHOES.

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S3

CEACO LAUNCHES BRAINWRIGHT

Ceaco has launched a new division, Brainwright–For Curious Minds. In addition to the Gamewright family games division, Brainwright will feature brainteasers, mind benders, and other items that aim to inspire right- and left-brain thinking, improve memory, and exercise logic skills in a fun way. Some of the Brainwright-branded items will include The Baffler, Flexi Puzzle, Hexus, and Puzzle Blox.

SCHOLASTIC

TO

PUBLISH BOOK

FEATURING TWILIGHT TURTLE

Cloud b, creators of products and programs designed to help children sleep, and Scholastic, publisher and distributor of children’s books and children’s media, have teamed up to feature Cloud b’s award-winning Twilight Turtle in a new children’s book to be published in September.

My Turtle and Me, by Owen Bernstein, will be published by the Cartwheel Books imprint. Scholastic will publish and distribute the title through its distribution channels both domestically and internationally. Cloud b will offer a book and toy bundle exclusively through www.Cloudb.com.

SPECIALTY TOYS & GIFTS

ASTRA’S INSIGHTS

Y

Start Now: Build Relationships to Get Your Toy Store in the News

by Kathleen McHugh, president, American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA)

ou are always eager to get your independent toy store in the news. But when fall rolls around and consumers start thinking about Christmas, media coverage can give your marketing efforts a special and timely boost.

Favorable publicity is especially valuable for small business owners. Most have modest marketing budgets at best, so a mention in a local news story is often the equivalent of thousands of dollars of paid advertising. This type of “earned media” has an advantage over advertising because it comes from a third party that does not have a stake in your business.

How can independent toy retailers get in the story? It takes work to build the relationships you need to get good coverage. The good news is that locally owned toy stores are specially suited for getting coverage, thanks to their expertise, camera-friendly interiors, access to families, and contributions to the community. By following a few quick tips, you can build your store’s public relations program on a shoestring budget.

Build a community event around Neighborhood Toy Store Day. The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association leads the effort to communicate the advantages of shopping local at an independent toy store that specializes in quality products and top-notch service. This message is underscored in communities across the country on ASTRA’s annual Neighborhood Toy Store Day, which will be held on November 10 this year. The event is a celebration of toys, locally owned businesses, families, and fun. Each retailer tailors the day according to the needs of the local market. ASTRA retailers get a full package of turnkey resources to use in planning a Neighborhood Toy Store Day in their own markets, including ready-to-go press releases.

Understand what journalists need and what you can offer them.

Think about what you can offer a busy journalist: expertise about toys, play, kids, and families; child development; small business; local business alliances; environmentally friendly products and practices; connections to moms, dads, and grandparents for interviews; and a store

SPECIALTY TOYS & GIFTS

S4

that can make a great backdrop for holiday stories. Think about the pressures a reporter or blogger faces: demanding editors, deadlines, limited time to research articles, and high standards for accuracy. Your challenge is to make sure the reporter knows you and how you can help with a story on a moment’s notice.

Create your store’s media list and keep it up-to-date. Ask your customers what they read or watch, and start reaching out to those reporters or bloggers. Target journalists who write about parenting, children and families, education, leisure, and small business. Send an email detailing what you can offer, and follow up by phone. Make sure the journalist knows you well before the holiday season. Check in periodically to keep yourself on the top of the reporter’s mind.

ASTRA’s Neighborhood Toy Store Day guidebook for retailers includes step-by-step methods for introducing yourself and your store to the media.

Offer news, not thinly veiled ads. Next week’s sale is not news.

The announcement of ASTRA’s Best Toys for Kids list and your knowledgeable explanations about how those toys contribute to healthy, productive play is useful to readers and viewers, and it is a worthwhile story.

Know your message and practice it. Specialty stores are special and different from the everyday mass market. If you have a chance to describe your store in the media, make that clear.

• “We’re the kind of store that cuts through all the hyped electronic razzmatazz in favor of safe, creative toys with staying power.”

• “We’re locally owned, so 70 to 80 cents of every dollar you spend here stays right here in [your community], compared to only 20 to 40 cents that you spend at the big chain stores.”

Remember, most newspapers, magazines, morning shows, evening news broadcasts, and blogs that target parents as readers or viewers will cover what’s new, what’s hot, what’s a bargain, and what’s not for the holiday season. Toys are an important part of that story, and it’s a story that’s yours to tell. ●

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T

Showrooming

and the Future of Retail

by Alexander Muse, founder and CEO of ShopSavvy arget asks suppliers for exclusive products to help set itself apart from competitors. Toys “R” Us offers in-store pickup of items purchased online, and it carries products that can be purchased only in its stores or on its website. All are moves in response to showrooming, the increasingly common practice of browsing items in stores with the intention of buying them online.

Retail experts say certain product categories are more likely candidates for showrooming. They include electronics, small household appliances, games, sporting goods, some housewares, and toys.

“The prevalence of smartphones provides customers with the ability to do price comparisons in real time, while still in the store, increasing the challenge retailers are faced with to offer the best price,” says Perry James, president of home and office supplies at The NPD Group. NPD recently conducted a survey that found up to 20 percent of consumers admit to trying out a product in a store before purchasing it online.

And while consumers clearly are driven by price, they are open to other information. That’s where mobile shopping apps come in, offering retailers and brands creative avenues to market to consumers. So, mobile shopping—and showrooming—should be embraced, and sooner rather than later.

Leveraging New Technologies and Practices Mobile technology is here to stay. Businesses that refuse to embrace it will be left at a competitive disadvantage. Remember that discussions about online versus brick-and-mortar retailing don’t always have to be about price. What about the shopping experience? And don’t disregard the fact that mobile shopping drives revenue by offering in-store marketing at the point of sale.

To show retailers and brands a path forward, ShopSavvy has become a consistent, vocal educator and advocate of mobile shopping. More than two years ago, we launched the “Scan with ShopSavvy” initiative in cooperation with Ford, Gold’s Gym, Washington Metro, and other brands to educate consumers on scanning QR codes. Continuing that educational advocacy, the company is working to provide online retailers and brickand-mortar retailers a forum for their viewpoints on critical retailing issues of the day, such as showrooming and the impact of Amazon.com and other online outlets on local retail and local communities.

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S5

Seeing Showrooming as an Opportunity Fears about showrooming are very real. At a recent retail conference, panelists recommended various “solutions,” including disconnecting Wi-Fi, blocking cell signals, and banning the use of devices that can be used as barcode scanners.

Those suggestions make it obvious that retailers aren’t approaching this situation proactively. They need to see showrooming as a way to grow their own businesses. It may sound obvious, but at any given moment more shoppers are in their competitors’ stores than in their own.

What if a retailer could start a conversation with the shoppers in the locations they don’t own? Mobile technology can enable a retailer to start a conversation with a consumer at the point of purchase both inside and outside of their own retail store locations.

Retailers that leverage an omni-channel approach, as well as mobile applications such as ShopSavvy, can reach far more shoppers than through retail locations alone. The key is to start a conversation where consumers are, not where we wish they were. ● Alexander Muse is the founder and CEO of ShopSavvy, the mobile shopping assistant with more than 30 million downloads and 10 million unique users. Muse, a business leader with more than a decade of startup experience, speaks at conferences and universities throughout the U.S. and Europe on topics ranging from mobile shopping to entrepreneurship.

BEST BUY TARGETS SHOWROOMING TREND

Best Buy plans to convert 60 of its big-box stores into smaller Apple Store-like locations in hopes that it can combat the increasing trend among shoppers to peruse products in stores before buying them online for a cheaper price.

The new stores will include a help desk similar to the Apple Genius Bar, which will be staffed with its Geek Squad, as one way to improve the in-store experience and decrease showrooming, according to the Wall Street Journal, which broke the news. Company officials believe that better one-on-one service can curb the trend.

The stores will also focus more on mobile devices and smaller electronics, rather than large appliances and televisions.

SPECIALTY TOYS & GIFTS

Game Makers:

I

Competing for Consumers’ Entertainment Dollars

by Mary Couzin, president and founder, Chicago Toy and Game Group

believe that we are part of the same entertainment industry as movies, books, and music, and that we can compete better by putting a face to our products, as those segments do. We have firsthand knowledge of the excitement consumers experience when meeting inventors and designers at our Chicago Toy & Game Fair. There are lines, smiles, recounting stories, tears even—a real connection. Everyone remembers their favorite toy and the happy times spent playing and connecting.

Inventors have a vested interest in seeing their products sell, and they make terrific partners for manufacturers and retailers. Last year at this time, I wrote from the inventor’s perspective for The Toy Book’s games section. This time, I asked manufacturers and retailers for their thoughts on why they use inventors to promote their products and their stores.

Tim Kimber, PlaSmart:

For fans of any game, the inventor is a celebrity. Meeting them adds a special connection to the game, making it more personal. Even for those not yet familiar with a game, meeting the inventor is a special treat. The “wow” factor of speaking to them, learning about the gameplay and history, and getting tips firsthand all strengthen the connection to the product. This drives sales and increases product visibility and recognition for all involved.

David Norman, Goliath Games:

Goliath inventors are the backbone of Goliath’s business. More than 90 percent of our products are developed by inventors, and we have found our inventor partners to be outstand-

ing at selling their creations. TV programs, radio stations, and newspapers would rather hear from the person who actually thought up a toy than from anyone else on our staff. For instance, Bruce Lund’s passionate radio interviews, newspaper articles, and blogs about Doggie Doo have helped make the game such a successful hit.

Donna Jaffe, Peaceable Kingdom:

People love meeting celebrities, and for some people, game inventors are celebrities—except they’re approachable. Imagine getting to play a favorite game with the person who created it—that’s why inventor events are important to us. Most of our games are for young kids. We want the families of those kids to get to know the games personally. They realize that a great game is the hard work and creative play of a real person, and that, one day, maybe they could do that too.

Al Waller, Out of the Box:

Inventors are absolutely the best connection between the product and the consumer. There is no one who knows the game better and who has more excitement for the game than the person who invents it. Consumers are totally thrilled when they meet the person who actually came up with the concept behind their favorite product, and inventors love to see and feel that excitement on the consumer’s face. We take every opportunity to partner with game inventors whenever we can.

Catherine McMillan-Gill, Top Trumps:

Last year, we introduced our Top Trumps Toy & Game Guru’s special edition collector’s pack at the Chicago Toy & Game Fair. Nearly all the inventors featured were on-site to speak with and autograph their unique Top Trumps card. Talking to the person whose name is on the card and drawing the connection to the game they love is magical for kids.

Seeing the emotion expressed by inventors as fans lined up to get their autograph made the creation of this collector’s pack worthwhile.

PlaSmart’s Perplexus Twist

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game we produce and carry—the element of the game that grabs the customer and makes them say, “That’s awesome!” The inventor doesn’t just know that moment in their game, they are a part of it. Letting a customer into the details of the game, such as who created it and why, gives the game a deeper personality and builds a connection between the game and the person playing it.

Charlotte Fixler, ThinkFun:

We love celebrating our inventors.

When we share inventor photos or facts with our online communities, the response is always enthusiastic. Fans love putting faces to games. We’ve featured inventors at the ASTRA and ChiTAG shows, and people are thrilled to meet and challenge inventors to their own games. They ask questions and feel more emotionally connected to the product and to our brand.

Stores near one inventor’s home were so excited by the connection that they featured her at their game night.

Johannes Zirm, Haba:

Kristin Gallagher, MindWare:

MindWare loves finding fun and exciting new ways to promote our games, and our inventors are brilliant partners in this endeavor. Last year at ChiTAG, our booth featured a giant game of Q-bitz and the game’s inventor, Peggy Brown. Children, adults, and even Storm Troopers raced to arrange the 1-foot cubes to match the poster-size pattern cards. It was a riot!

Katherine McHenry, Building Blocks:

Customers come to my specialty toy shops because they want to interact with the people, the “spirit” of the business. Offering our clients products that are invented and created by “real people,” as well as passing on the stories behind the birth of a toy/game, is a big part of what my customers seek when they choose to shop with Building Blocks Toy Store.

Lisa Guili, Educational Insights:

Introducing a consumer or retail staff to our inventors creates a personal connection and backstory that really makes an impact. People love meeting the inventors and hearing firsthand about their inspiration for a game or a funny anecdote about their invention process. Our “Meet/Beat the Inventor” store tours, show appearances, and the inventor photos and mini-biographies featured in our catalogs and on our packages have been extremely well received.

Scott Brown, Marbles:

At Marbles, we’re always looking for that “ah ha” moment in each

For almost 75 years Haba has been inventing highquality toys that reveal a world of fun and learning. We wouldn’t have come that far without the constant and passionate collaboration with our inventors. So, promoting names and faces of inventors is, first of all, a sign of appreciation and transparency. Beyond that, we want to encourage all of our customers: You can do it, too—regardless of profession or age. That’s why we have game inventors from 8 years old to nearly 80. That variety and individuality also reflects our customers and their demands. ●

Mary Couzin is president and founder of the Chicago Toy & Game Group, which is composed of the Chicago Toy & Game Fair (www.chitag.com); the Toy & Game Inventor/Industry Conference (www.tandgcon.com); the Social Media at Play Conference (www.tandgcon.com); the Inventor Summit; the Toy & Game Inventor of the Year Awards (www.tagieawards.com); Games for Educators (www.g4ed.com), in partnership with Live Oak Games; and DiscoverGames.com. She is passionate about promoting play, as well as toy and game inventors.

Chicago Toy & Game Fair

When: November 17-18

Where: Navy Pier, Chicago Visit: www.chitagfair.com/

• Meet with media and influential bloggers at the Media/Blogger Preview Event.

• Make direct connections with influential social media mavens, who will post, tweet, and blog about products during the holiday buying season.

• Interact directly with targeted consumers.

• Introduce new products.

• Sell product and offset the cost to exhibit.

• Kick off the holiday shopping season. Solidify topof-mind awareness with holiday shoppers.

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G A M E S & PUZZLES The 7 Habits of Happy Kids Game, from EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS, offers a playful way to introduce, practice, and promote seven kid-friendly principles of personal happiness. Share thoughtful, personal responses, and really listen to one another in this family-friendly game that includes a gameboard, character pieces and tokens, and a pair of “Ear-Resistable” Jumper Rabbit ears. In this game for three to seven players ages 6 and up, players choose playing pieces based on characters from the 7 Habits of Happy Kids books. They take turns reading cards, responding, and moving around the board to collect tokens for each of the seven habits. The first player to fill his or her token holder with seven tokens becomes the card reader. Play continues until all players have filled their token holders—a true win-win.

In R&R GAMES’ Pass-Ackwords, each round offers a secret word with a list of clues to help players figure it out. On their turn, players announce the worst clue possible off the list to try to disguise the secret word from their opponents. The catch: they still want their teammate to guess correctly. On each turn, their list of possible clues shrinks while the hints get better and better.

The first team to guess the word wins the round.

From GEORGE & COMPANY, LLC, LCR (Left Center Right) Dice Game is fast-paced, with three specially marked cubes that are rolled to determine where players distribute their chips. Players compete to keep as many of their chips as they can. The last player with chips is the winner and wins the center pot.

The game helps development/fine motor skills, kid-to-kid social interaction, and parent and child social interaction.

SPECIALTY TOYS & GIFTS

USAOPOLY releases Yahtzee: Spider-Man Collector’s Edition this summer in specialty stores throughout North America. Players join Spider-Man as he battles his fiercest enemies with America’s No. 1 dice game. Roll three Green Goblins and two Venoms for the classic combination Full House.

Roll five Doc Ocks or five of any one character and you’ve got Yahtzee with a web-slinging twist.

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Faux•Cabulary is a game of wild new words from OUT OF THE BOX PUBLISHING. First, a crazy definition is read to the group of three to seven players.

Next, players ages 13 and up use the wacky word parts to create wildly funny new words to fit the definition. Each new word is read out loud, and the “Wordmeister” picks the best one.

Faux•Cabulary Expansion 1 and 2 contain 12 new cubes and 120 new definitions. Add these cubes to the original game for more than 9 million word combinations.

& PUZZLES

BANANAGRAMS, INC. is releasing super-sized versions of two of its best-selling word games this summer. Jumbo Bananagrams is a giant version of the original word game, and features 144 waterproof, 3inch square tiles packaged in a funky, giant yellow banana-shaped tote bag.

Jumbo Zip-It is a large-scale edition of the fastpaced, two-player crossword race that can be played in as few as 20 seconds. Jumbo Zip-It features 24 wooden, lettered 2-inch square cubes, and colored scoring zips that come built into the pouch.

Both games are great for indoor or outdoor play.

Fast-paced and easy to play, Wangle, from JESSE JAMES GAMES, begins as a simplified version of gin rummy, using cards with playful themes and amusing illustrations. As a twist, plastic sticks must be snatched from the center of the table as soon as the player with a winning hand grabs one.

Designed for three to eight players, ages 10 and up, this family-friendly game utilizes 120 unique playing cards organized by themes such as baseball, outdoors, and winter. Each card has a colorful, light-hearted illustration that’s easily recognized. Players hold five cards in a hand with the goal of getting four-of-a-kind or a run of five cards in the same theme.

Katatu, a new game from CURTLIN TOYS AND GAMES, is a strategy game with roots going back more than 3,000 years to ancient Rome and Egypt. Derivations of the game eventually traveled down into Southern Africa. Katatu teaches decision-making, geometry, and fair gameplay for kids ages 5 and up.

Similar to Tic-Tac-Toe, Katatu challenges players to form three(s) in a row, known as a Katatu Mill in the game, allowing them to capture an opponent’s piece. The game features 12 magnetic bees and grasshoppers as playing pieces, and is played on a flat colorful pyramid-esque gameboard.

Katatu also features a Bug Bag to store the magnetic playing pieces, making the game easy to pack and play almost anywhere.

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& PUZZLES

BEGINAGAIN’s Butterfly A to Z Puzzle is a 26-piece, brightly stained butterfly that teaches letters with doublesided puzzle play. One side features uppercase letters; turn it over to learn lowercase letters. For ages 3 and up, the Butterfly A to Z Puzzle is carefully crafted and colored with child-safe stains that reveal the beautiful woodgrain. Made from plantation-grown rubberwood, an environmentally friendly hardwood, this puzzle comes in a beechwood box for storage and display.

Kids can flex their mind with the Flexi Puzzle from BRAINWRIGHT, a division of Gamewright. The 12 cubes of the Flexi Puzzle can be bent in every direction, but which is the right way?

With 80 challenges and four levels of difficulty, this brainteaser will have kids twisting and turning, but that’s half the fun. This game is for one player ages 8 and up.

For ages 6 and up, Flag Frenzy, from GEOTOYS, is a fast-paced card game where players race to match flags from 57 countries around the world. Each of the 49 flag cards features eight flags, and every set of two cards has exactly one flag in common. Players must find the matching flag, play the card, and then match the next one. Eight continent cards add to the fun, as players can match a flag to the appropriate continent.

Perfect for early puzzle play, each of the Soft Shapes Giant Shaped Puzzles from INNOVATIVEKIDS contains 24 chunky pieces made from durable, soft, washable foam. New additions to the line include the best friends and fire truck shaped floor puzzles, which are packaged in a paint-can style bucket for easy travel and storage.

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WEE BELIEVERS’ Noah’s Ark Matching Game + Kaleidoscope includes 48 sturdy game pieces featuring Noah’s animal friends, for ages 3 and up. The pieces are stored in a keepsake, reusable container that doubles as a colorful kaleidoscope when empty.

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Coming in August from WINMOVES GAMES is Pastime Puzzles, a line of jigsaw puzzles for the specialty toy and game market. Each 500- and 1,000-piece puzzle will include uniquely shaped pieces—called whimsies— such as birds, animals, objects, and symbols. Fifty whimsies can be found in the 500-piece puzzles, and there are 100 whimsies in the 1,000-piece puzzles. Sorting the pieces to find the whimsies becomes part of the fun. Additionally, no two pieces will be alike within the puzzles.

Inside each package is a secret code that might be a winner. Puzzlers can enter the code on pastime-puzzles.com, launching August 1, for a chance to win a special, hand-cut, wooden Pastime Puzzle. The retailer that sold the winning puzzle will also win a special hand-cut, wooden Pastime Puzzle. One winner will be drawn every month.

NING

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Experience 3-D puzzles with the 890-piece Wrebbit 3D Big Ben, which celebrates Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee and the renaming of the Clock Tower.

WREBBIT PUZZLES, INC. creates largescale puzzles with higher piece counts, providing a greater challenge to 3-D puzzle fans.

SPECIALTY TOYS & GIFTS

& PUZZLES

New from SMART TOYS AND GAMES, AntiVirus is a single-player sliding puzzle game with a new twist: tiles that only slide diagonally and can move in groups. Children ages 7 and up will have hours of fun with the game’s 60 challenges in five levels. Use the included travel bag to take it on the go—once a child “catches the Anti-Virus bug” he or she will have a hard time putting it down.

NEW YORK PUZZLE COMPANY has partnered with Silvergate Media to create a series of jigsaw puzzles featuring art from the Peter Rabbit storybook series. The puzzle line features artwork from Beatrix Potter.

The initial series of puzzles will feature both children’s floor puzzles as well as higher-piececount puzzles for older children and adults. Putting together a floor puzzle with a child while reading along in the book makes story time an interactive experience. All puzzles made by New York Puzzle Company are manufactured in the U.S. using recycled chip board.

4D CITYSCAPE allows kids ages 8 and up to build the history of the U.S. over the fourth dimension of time with its USA History Over Time Puzzle. Starting with the base layer, the jigsaw showcases the evolution of the U.S. based on territorial expansion from the year 1783 to the 1900s. Assembling the second layer “modern” jigsaw map showcases the formation of all 50 states in a time sequence based on each state’s date of established statehood. The third layer is constructed using the 4-D time poster, where 93 of the most famous U.S. monuments and buildings are placed into the puzzle in the order that they were constructed.

Among B. DAZZLE’s new Scramble Squares releasing this summer is the Black Capped Chickadee.

Each puzzle package includes a panel of fascinating facts on the subject of the puzzle, as well as a trivia question and hidden answer. The Scramble Squares nine-piece brain-teaser puzzles are easy to play, but hard to solve for all ages, from children to senior citizens. Scramble Squares puzzles teach patience, perseverance, fine motor skills, and critical thinking skills, and help maintain mental agility.

For more games and puzzles, turn to page 19.

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Building Toys

Slotto, by the DARCOMPANY, utilizes slotted wooden blocks that become just about anything builders can dream up. Reminiscent of the classic Tinker Toys sets, Slotto leaves construction up to the imagination of the engineer—explore geometric shapes, create functional cars or trucks, or make replicas of favorite buildings. Slotto includes 262 smooth wooden blocks of various shapes.

LING

Erector, by MECCANO, releases its Gears of War range this fall, featuring a selection of detailed model vehicles from Microsoft’s best pre-selling game.

The authentic C.O.G. Centaur Tank has a hood-mounted 360-degree rotating turret with a mobile cannon, four real-working large wheels, and a mobile front tread. The set comes with four figurines and four weapons: Marcus Fenix and Augustus Cole from the Delta Squad, and two locust drones. Building instructions, stickers, and tools are included with more than 120 pieces.

This affordable Terra Kids Automobile Assembly Kit of 33 wooden parts, from HABA, is perfect for budding engineers.

Just loosen the parts from the wooden board and glue them together following the included instructions.

Quickly wind the crank and tense the rubber, and The MOOV the scooter zips across the floor. Similar assembly kits Starter Kit, from include a twirling prawn and a prehistoric crab. The kit BERG TOYS, comincludes two axles, four wheels, a silicon ring, two bines buildability and metal disks, two strong propulsion rubbers, two rideability. MOOV is a spare rubbers, and glue. full-size construction toy that allows kids to build three different vehicles by themselves without the use of any tools or help from their parents. The wooden parts, rings, shafts, and frames are multi-functional. The starter kit contains more than 125 parts, and is designed for kids ages 5 to 12.

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EITECH’s Harvester and Tractor with Trailer Construction Set is a building kit that develops three-dimensional thinking and promotes creativity.

The set includes more than 1,000 parts and illustrated step-by-step instructions. The tractor includes many different mechanical functions, soft tires, and a toy figure. This set is great for those who have mastered Eitech’s basic building sets. All pieces are made of highquality steel.

HAPE’s Quadrilla Twist & Rail Set is a buildable marble run structure with long and short, curved and straight birch rails and color-coded rubber wood blocks.

Add in a funnel or teeter totter and watch the marbles roll, drop, and swirl. Change up the layout for play on a table, down the hall, or even down the stairs. The set includes 147 pieces.

This 100-piece assorted Neon building set, from CITIBLOCS, will brighten up any creation. Made from eco-friendly New Zealand pine and water-based paints, each piece is identical in shape and size. No glue or magnets are necessary. Citiblocs promotes fine motor skills, spatial awareness, and problem solving in young children. When play time is done, just dump them back into the handy storage pail.

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UNDERGROUND TOYS has released the Doctor Who Character Building TARDIS Console Room Mega Set. (TARDIS, or Time and Relative Dimension in Space, is the Doctor’s time machine, which looks just like a wooden police telephone box from the 1950s on the outside, but is of infinite space on the inside.) Build the Eleventh Doctor’s iconic vehicle with this detailed construction play set featuring an interior console room and exterior with alien world landscape. The set includes four Doctor Who micro-figures. Underground Toys will also offer micro-figures in blind packs.

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What’s new with Geomag, by REEVES INTERNATIONAL? Pink. The company has created two new sets featuring pink rods and panels to encourage girls to explore and learn more about magnets and construction. Each comes with a Geomag instruction brochure to guide kids in creating magnetic geometric structures using rods and spheres. Adding panels allows for the creation of secure structures.

For more Building Toys, see page 10.

W hat a D ol l!

Just give ADORA’s Giggle Time Babies a hug and experience their contagious giggles. Giggle Time Babies are lightweight, making them easy to transport. They have life-like features, doeskin bodies, and beanbag-weighted bottoms. The dolls are handmade in baby powder-scented Gentle Touch vinyl and were designed for children ages 2 and up.

The American Indian Doll Sihu, from HABA, is a fearless 15-inch doll. Sihu has a padded body and chenille hair, and she comes wearing an American Indian dress, boots, a feathered hair-band, hair ties, and an American Indian necklace. Sihu’s baby sits in an included papoose. This doll was designed for children ages 18 months and up.

The La Newborn collection, from JC TOYS, allows youngsters to role play the hugs, kisses, and cuddles that they observe in their own family. This collection was designed for children ages 2 and up.

The 15-inch Real Boy or Real Girl Newborns are available in nine different varieties, each with a different sculpted face and expression. Each of the dolls comes dressed in a onesie, booties, and a cap. Stripes, dots, bows, and collars distinguish the boys from the girls. Two styles offer footed pajamas instead of booties.

With the Phoebe Hair Play Doll, from BATTAT, every day is a good hair day. Girls can pull gently on the doll’s hair to make her locks grow, and then crank the dial for a quick trim. The newest doll in the Our Generation line, Phoebe comes with a comb, two hair extensions, and two heart-shaped hair clips; a shrug, tank top, undies, jean skirt, and shoes; and a hairstyle booklet. Phoebe was designed for children ages 3 and up.

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The new Forever Elf Fashion Collection, from ELF MAGIC, was designed with the most fashion-conscious Elves in mind and accompanies the Female Brunette Elf. The Elves have added new designs with pieces that can now be mixed and matched to create more than 50 different “elfits.” The Daisy Patch dress with lime green leggings, Jingle Bell Jammies, and the Everything Posh eight-piece ensemble have been added to the collection. The doll and elfits were designed for children ages 2 and up.

The 18-inch Cloth Sweet Tooth Silverlicious Doll, from MADAME ALEXANDER, features a stenciled face and short brown wig topped by a sparkly embroidered crown. She is clad in a dress with an iridescent lace bodice; a yellow, striped cotton skirt with a yellow sparkle tulle overlay and sparkle pink organza; and sheer puffed sleeves. Pink undies, fuchsia Mary Janes, and a gold lamé wand with pink ribbons accompany this doll, which also comes complete with a bear.

The brown plush bear is dressed to complement Silverlicious in a white cotton pinafore that has a pink, sparkle organza tutu trimmed with a pink sash and bow. This doll was designed for all ages.

Entering the Babipouce collection of huggable friends, Babipouce Candy Flowers, from COROLLE, is an 11-inch doll featuring a velour cloth body, pale pink printed nightshirt, and soft knitted cap. This doll was designed for all ages.

The Groovy Girls are welcoming a new dude to the collection. Groovy Boys Asher, from MAN-

HATTAN TOY, is ready for a totally tubular time. Fun is always around the corner for this Groovy boy,

which was designed for boys ages 1 and up.

Groovy Girls Holiday Wishes Hadley is a merry reminder that the holidays are always just around the corner. The latest addition to the Groovy Girls line, Hadley wishes all a happy holiday season full of holiday cheer. This doll was designed for girls ages 1 and up.

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WHAT’S NEW

ALLERMATES is a new line of fun, character-driven adjustable wristbands, dog tags, and lunch boxes that identify a child’s allergy with designs kids will love to wear. Each of the 14 original characters represents a common allergy among kids, from P. Nutty to Professor Wheatley. Designed by the mother of a child with multiple food allergies, AllerMates products are hypoallergenic, and nickel- and latex-free.

Happi by Dena, a new collection from the whimsical CUPCAKES & CARTWHEELS, features bright colors, fresh patterns, and modern designs intended to make every baby feel “happi.” The collection includes items such as the ruffled baby diaper cover, reusable boo boo cold pack, growth chart, terry cloth wash mitt, love photo frame, and a set of three suitcases, all featuring stylish patterns and trendy prints.

GLITTER GIRLZ HEADBANDZ are handmade by Jacki Ralph and her daugher Abby from metallic, velvet ribbon. The headbands are backed with a fabric that makes them comfortable and keeps them in place during all types of sports and activities. While they sparkle, the headbands don’t have actual glitter on them, so they won’t shed. Glitter Girlz offers 28 .75-inch glitter-colored bands and more than 40 .63-inch polka-dot grosgrain styles. The company plans to launch new lines for ages 3 and up this fall.

The American Medical Association and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that kids spend a full 20 seconds washing their hands to eliminate germs and help prevent colds. SOAPTIME provides a multimedia “edutainment” experience of lights, music, and fun facts to keep kids at the sink long enough. The three themed bottles—ABC, Earth, and Elephant—all attach to a SmartBase that spouts songs and Professor Goodhabits’ factoids relating to each bottle’s theme when soap is dispensed. SoapTime is sold in a four-piece kit including a SmartBase and one of each bottle. Refill packs including three soap bottles are available.

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MEDIA CENTER

Randy Kaplan’s latest CD, Mr. Diddie Wah Diddie, gives children the chance to leap back in time and explore the music of the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s with country and ragtime classics. Prodced by MYKAZOO MUSIC/UNIVERSAL MUSIC ENTERPRISES, the album feaures introductions by Lightnin’ Bodkins, whose scratchy voice tells listeners all about the Fathers of the Blues. The CD features comprehensive liner notes so children may learn more about America’s music heritage.

In the latest addition to the Captain McFinn and Friends book series by Phyllis Carafo, Captain McFinn and Friends Rock!, Captain McFinn starts a band with his Undersea friends.

Throughout the book from MCFINN PRESS, the group learns the value of friendship. Despite McFinn’s bullying ways, the Undersea Friends help in desperate times. Written for ages 4 and up, the series includes three storybooks, an activity book, a sing-along music CD, and educational materials for use in the classroom. The main message of the book series is to “be a buddy, not a bully.” Carafo created the books to teach her own grandchildren real life lessons.

The Cat’s Pajamas: Backseat Driver is meant to bring fun to family road trips. From HOWLIN RECORDS, the album features 11 songs that will get both kids and parents moving.

Kids can embark on their own road trip in the “Catmobile,” with a pullout map that’s included with the CD. The album features revamped versions of classic fairytales and nursery rhymes, such as “Funky Bears” (an updated version of Goldilocks) and a brassy version of Humpty Dumpty.

In one of the latest books from KIDS CAN PRESS, the legends of a sasquatch come to life with Larf, the only sasquatch in the world. Larf lives a life of privacy in the woods, with his only companion, a bunny named Eric. One day, Larf discovers that he might not be the only sasquatch in the world when another sasquatch schedules an appearance in a nearby town.

The story follows Larf’s journey into the big city for the adventure of a lifetime. Children can take the lesson of expanding one’s boundaries and opening their minds from this tale.

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To Test or Not to Test: Managing Increasing Toxic Substance Regulations

by Cheryl Rieser, director of global business development, TÜV Rheinland

I

n an effort to protect consumers from toxic chemicals, legislators, scientists, environmental advocates, and businesses have been making great strides in identifying harmful ingredients and enforcing regulations to limit exposure. As children are most vulnerable to the effects of toxic chemicals, it is no wonder that toys fall under particular scrutiny.

Toy manufacturers, along with importers, distributors, and retailers, have been operating in an uncertain regulatory environment. New chemicals are continually added to the lists of harmful substances, and, in addition to the federal laws regulating their use, many states are adding their own rules, affecting all businesses that manufacture or sell within the state.

Federal Regulations A number of federal laws regulate toxic substances in consumer products, including toys. The Toxic Substances Control Act of 1979 provides the Environmental Protection Agency with authority to require reporting, record-keeping, testing requirements, and restrictions relating to chemical substances and/or mixtures, such as polychlorinated biphenyls, asbestos, radon, and lead-based paint.

Passed by Congress in July 2008, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act limits the amount of lead and phthalates allowed in children’s toys and child care articles.

The American Society for Testing and Materials International F963 Standard regulates eight heavy metals found in toys: antimony, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, and selenium.

State-Specific Regulations In addition to federal laws, many states are pioneering their own toxic substances legislation. This year, proposed

54 • THE TOY BOOK

legislation agendas include classification of chemicals harmful to children in 13 states and a ban on cadmium in children’s products in four states.

California’s Proposition 65 In toxic substance regulations, California leads the way with its Proposition 65. In effect since 1986, it now lists more than 850 chemicals considered cancerous or responsible for causing reproductive harm. Companies may not expose Californians to these chemicals without providing a “clear and reasonable warning.” Companies that fail to provide notices face civil penalties as high as $2,500 per violation per day.

Prop 65 is enforced when legal action is brought against a business that has allegedly discharged a listed chemical into a source of drinking water. The state government office, as well as private individuals acting in public interest, can serve a 60-day notice of violation to any business suspected of breaking the law. Many retailers now require their suppliers to be compliant with listed Prop 65 settlement limits.

However, testing a product to an existing settlement will not grant businesses immunity from potential notices; it only reduces the risk.

California’s Green Chemistry Program In addition to Prop 65, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control is putting finishing touches on its Green Chemistry Program. The DTSC released the informal draft for public comment last October and plans to finalize the regulation later this year. Manufacturers, importers, and retailers will all be responsible under the proposed law.

The initiative expands the list of Chemicals of Concern to roughly 3,000 and imposes extensive risk and life-cycle

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analyses for prioritized products. The required analyses may lead to limitations on the use of certain chemicals, reformulation requirements to eliminate targeted chemicals, or the outright ban on sales of certain products in California.

The alternative assessment process, intended to promote the development of safer, alternative products, will require manufacturers to select an alternative chemical to replace a hazardous one. As another option, they can decide to discontinue distribution of the product within the state.

Washington’s Children’s Safe Products Act The first deadline to report harmful chemicals in children’s products is this August for the Children’s Safe Products Act, a law imposed by the Department of Ecology of the State of Washington. Established in 2009, it lists 66 substances as Chemicals of High Concern to Children. Similar to the Green Chemistry initiative, it holds importers and distributors of toys just as responsible as manufacturers.

A responsible party is required to notify the state if a compound is intentionally added with a concentration greater than the Practical Quantitation Limit. Likewise, if the manufacturer uses a quality control program designed to minimize the presence of contaminants related to these chemicals, it need not test its finished products. It will need to present the quality control information if the government tests the products and finds a chemical on the CHCC list at a level higher than 100 ppm. Recently introduced legislation will also prohibit toys from containing more than 100 ppm TRIS (Tri[2,3-dichloropropyl phosphate]).

The reporting deadlines are tiered according to the type of products and amount of sales. The largest manufacturers of products likely to be placed in a child’s mouth or on their skin, or products for children ages 3 and under, must report first.

To Test or Not to Test?

It is not cost-effective or practical to test every product for all of the chemicals in an effort to comply with each state’s specific regulations. Toy manufacturers need to determine which regulated chemicals are likely to be present in their products and test for the ones that pose the highest compliance risk. Partnering with a reliable testing laboratory will help determine the substances of high concern for

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a particular toy product and distribution market.

Toxic chemicals most often found in toys include lead, cadmium, and phthalates. Therefore, toy manufacturers are well advised to test for them. It is also helpful to keep the following in mind: • Metals do not need to be tested for phthalates; • Cotton fabric does not need to be tested for lead; • Nylon does not contain BPA; • Chlorine-free products do not need to be tested for vinyl chloride, methylene chloride, pentachlorobenzene, or hexachlorobutadiene.

Manufacturers are responsible for maintaining a database for all their products and should track all ingredients and raw materials used in the production process via detailed records, including Material Safety Data Sheets.

It can be beneficial to monitor recent trends of settlements, notices, and recalls to identify areas of concern, collect information on individual formulation constituents, and create a risk matrix of chemicals for each product type.

To keep up with the ever-changing regulations, manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers need to have an in-house regulatory or product safety/quality team, or work with an independent laboratory, consultant, or agency that monitors regulations and standards updates. This is especially true when toys are imported to or exported from the U.S., as international product safety regulations and standards change daily.

As state legislators address their constituents’ requests to reduce the use of hazardous substances in products, toy businesses need to comply with increasingly complex and fragmented regulations. Tracking ingredients used in toys, testing for the most frequently found hazardous ingredients, keeping up with the industry developments, and working with a knowledgeable compliance partner can ease the compliance journey significantly.

■

Cheryl Rieser, director of global business development for TÜV Rheinland, has 15 years of experience in consumer products, quality assurance, technical support, and global key account management. She is experienced in international consumer product safety regulations and standards, as well as how they influence product design and manufacturing.

THE TOY BOOK • 55

What’s New Get Puzzled Kids can collect and trade Puzzle Erasers, from Zowa.

The first series, designed for children ages 6 and up, has more than 50 erasers to collect in five different themes: fantasy, jobs, imagination, sports, and monsters.

Zowa erasers are available individually or in packs of three.

Scoot Out T he Shockwave full-suspension scooter, from Radio Flyer, takes the ride to new heights. Designed with Flexdeck Technology, kids can experience bigger jumps and fewer bumps on the scooter. The solid steel frame also increases speed and minimizes damage, for a longer-lasting scooter.

Spin Some Art

Turn Up the Music

The Fuze Wheel Writer, from SkyRocket Toys, displays high-tech light effects on bike wheels while kids ride. Start pedaling and watch the super-bright LEDs flash on and off to create a dozen different images and patterns, including the rider’s speed. The Wheel Writer is compatible with bikes 20 inches and larger.

From Electric Friends, these Animal-Themed Speakers for the iPod and iPhone include 5-watt speakers, 40-millimeter full-range neodymium drivers, volume-adjusting touch controls located on the ears, a built-in charging dock, and a 3.5-millimeter stereo auxiliary input to connect other audio devices. Chew Chew the Dog is pictured; other options include Sing Sing the Panda, Kwack Kwack the Duck, and Ki Ki the Cat.

Dress Up or Down with Zylie the Bear Zylie the Bear is a new teddy bear line from Mary Beth Minton. Wanting to merge dolls and stuffed animals, Minton put her sewing to the test and developed the Zylie the Bear collection. The collection merges the character, stories, and high-fashion of a doll with the cuddly lovability of a bear.

56 • THE TOY BOOK

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What’s

New: Election Edition

Be Politcally Incorrect Channeling your favorite political leader? Disguise offers Politically Incorrect full vinyl masks of some of the nation’s most infamous politicians. New additions to the line include a Mitt Romney mask and a lightweight, vacuform President Obama mask that is less expensive than the full vinyl mask and only covers the front of the face.

Do You Have What It Takes?

The Presidential Game, from The Presidential Game, LLC., is a game of strategy played atop a map of the U.S. displaying Electoral College votes distribution. Two teams duke it out for control of state delegations while real-life battleground states, such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, South Carolina, and Michigan, play major roles in the outcome of the game. Players can enjoy battling for one of the most powerful jobs in the world.

The Presidential Game was designed for ages 11 and up.

Which Way Do You Swing?

Made in the swing state of Ohio, Election Edition, from Topozoo, is an eco-friendly, wooden playset with interchangeable parts. Kids can learn about the two-party system with the Red Elephant of the Republicans and Blue Donkey of the Democrats, while adults can show their true colors at home or in the office. There is also the option to show you’re undecided by mixing the animals up.

Trumped Up Presidential History

Pop the Competition

From George Washington to Barack Obama, this pack of U.S. Presidents Top Trumps contains the complete history of the Presidents of the United States of America. Packed with fun facts and a timeline detailing each president’s key moments in office, this edition of Top Trumps takes players right to the heart of the White House and tells them everything they need to know about these figures in American history.

Hog Wild’s Political Poppers are just in time for the election season. Now the opposition will know exactly how kids feel when they “pop” them with a soft, foam ball.

Squeeze the animal’s belly to launch the soft, foam balls.

The harder the squeeze, the farther the ball shoots, soaring up to 20 feet. Each Popper comes with six balls and a carry net and was designed for children ages 4 and up.

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THE TOY BOOK • 57

TVandToys:TheBestMarriageEver

by Stuart Fischer

T

he 1980s. There really isn’t a decade quite like it. It was the Reagan-era. Deregulation was making an impact on the toy and television industries, increasing collaborations between the two and creating opportunities that did not previously exist.

Prior to the 1980s, a hot TV show would become the basis for a toy line.

Many Disney and Hanna-Barbera characters found their way to the toy aisle in the form of figurines and board games, but the efforts were separate and the show always came before the toy.

All of that changed when Mattel and Filmation decided to conquer both worlds with Masters of the Universe.

Masters of the Universe was released as a line of toys in late 1981, before Filmation made an animated television series, which went on the air in the fall of 1983. This was the first case where the toy preceded the television show. When the series premiered, the ratings went through the roof. So did sales of the toys.

Filmation remained true to the original toy incarnation, but it breathed new life into the storyline— a prince with a magic sword that would enable him to transform into a mighty superhero named He-Man. He-Man battled his arch-nemesis, Skeletor, who was intent on taking over the prince’s home of Eternia.

Both Filmation and its corporate

58 • THE TOY BOOK

Part 2 of a Series parent Group W decided to take the show into first-run syndication, which was typically reserved for re-runs, to deliver a brand new show for kids. The effort proved successful. Masters of the Universe became a phenomenon.

This property worked for a number of reasons. The show, like the toy line, had aspects of heroics and fantasy that captured children’s imaginations. When Filmation and Mattel got together to achieve a common goal, a new model was born.

The series appeared five days a week, mostly in the late afternoon.

The brand’s exposure was grand. Toy store windows, or even stores with varied products, featured the brand.

Parents could not avoid buying HeMan products for birthdays or for Christmas—the toys were coveted by kids everywhere.

The combined effort of television producers and the toy company made Masters of the Universe a success. This success, which is now part of American pop culture history, opened the door for more collaborations between toy companies and television studios; some were successful and others were not. This period of

deregulation proved one thing: lessening restrictions on an industry can unleash creative potential.

Masters of the Universe proved that just as a book or a comic book can make for good television, a toy can as well.

Filmation, which had been a major television supplier of animated programming for kids, is no longer around. But this studio’s library of shows still exists.

Lou Scheimer, one of the founders of the Filmation studio, will be remembered as a producer with a vision and an eye for material. He recognized the potential of Masters of the Universe and how it could become a success if written and directed well.

■

Stuart Fischer has worked at Universal Studios, where he helped develop shows to be sold to networks, as well as Hanna-Barbera Productions, where he developed shows to be sold to the networks and to the first-run syndication market. Fischer has written the books Kids’ TV: The First 25 Years and The Hanna-Barbera Story: The Life and Times of TV’s Greatest Animation Studio, as well as various magazine and trade journal articles. He also created his own comic book, The Man-O-Saurs.

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Raising

the Bar

Patents: The Business Gold While securing patent protection comes at an expense, patents for a toy’s ancillary features and technology can prove to be a valuable investment for manufacturers.

by Howard N. Aronson, managing partner of Lackenbach Siegel LLP

P

egged at $35 per ounce until 1971, the cost of gold now hovers at $1,600 per ounce. Forty years of free trading increased its value by 4,700 percent. But consider patents, the business gold that cost about $10,000 or so to secure. Prices per patent in the sale of large patent portfolios have reached $1 million, representing a 10,000 percent increase in value, often in less than 10 years.

The toy industry is no stranger to patents and the lucrative licensing and effective civil lawsuits that patent ownership allows. In the first half of this year, the U.S. Patent Office granted more than 200 patents for inventions specifically referring to toys in their titles. A plethora of additional patents exist for features and facets of toy products. The patent owners who are presently litigating bath toys, board games, and learning games seem to understand the great value of their patent investments. There are numerous patent applications filed for seemingly unsophisticated toy technologies that are a part of water pistols, projectiles, robots, vehicles, game controllers, and the like. But there may be great value in patents that are related only to ancillary features or components of a toy. By way of analogy, technology for the “slide to unlock” iPhone feature, meant to avoid what current culture calls “pocket dialing,” is embodied in only two primary patents. With such low technology patents, Apple successfully sued its competition to encumber and slow them down. While any competitor can likely design around a low technology patent, should the patent owner decide a competitor’s feature is not dissimilar enough, it can sue, causing uncertainty and great expenses.

Patent infringement lawsuits that have more than $25 million at risk now cost an average of $6.02 million, and even patent suits with less than $1 million at risk cost an average

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of $916,000. The costs of being sued for a patent infringement and the delays and logistics of having to design around a patented feature are significant. Recently, a large number of patents have been granted for toy guns and water guns, as well as for wagons, cars, and planes—toy items of timeless attraction and value. In the toy industry, the significant expense of seeking patent protection is still overbalanced by the potential benefits and value.

Some years ago, a “patent troll” that owned a few patents related to smartphone technology sued BlackBerry and settled for a reported $612 million. Little did we know then that $600 million would soon be eclipsed by the sale of patent portfolios for $1.1 billion, $4.5 billion, and $12.5 billion. So when Apple, Microsoft, and others purchased 6,000 patents for $4.5 billion, the $700,000 per patent price did not offend.

When $12.5 billion traded hands recently to buy a company that reportedly owns approximately 20,000 patents worldwide, the price of less than $520,000 per patent seemed palatable. It has not been necessary to spend fortunes for large patent portfolios when only a few key patents were sufficient to secure hundreds of millions of dollars in a publicized patent infringement settlement or when Apple needed only two patents to assault its key competitors.

Patents—the business gold—have been recognized by the toy industry as useful and valuable, protecting subtle and even diminutive advances in technology.

■ Howard N. Aronson has provided legal counsel to toy industry companies for the past 30 years. He is the managing partner of Lackenbach Siegel LLP, an intellectual property law firm recognized for its nine decades of handling toy company issues.

Contact Aronson at haronson@LSLLP.com or (914) 723-4300.

THE TOY BOOK • 59

Mayhem & Mishaps

Would You Like Some Fries with That Drive?

Working and playing in the toy industry for more than 25 years, McHale Design has experienced its fair share of wacky escapades. Mayhem & Mishaps is an occasional report from the land where princesses aren’t always rescued from the evil dragon and the rainbow doesn’t always end with a pot o’ gold. But taken with a sense of humor, the journey is always worth it.

by Maureen McHale, CEO of McHale Design, Inc.

A

client was sending us highly sensitive files on a flash drive. When extra-careful transport is required, a dependable messenger service is contracted.

On this occasion, the flash drive ended up on an unfortunate adventure that concluded with its undignified demise. After a few hours passed and the package still hadn’t arrived, we made frantic phone calls, receiving confirmation from both our client and the messenger service that the package had indeed been picked up and was in transit.

Hours later, an envelope arrived.

Surprised to find an empty data reader— no flash drive and no data—we phoned the client to see if the wrong item was sent. We were informed that they definitely sent a flash drive containing the data. As the client described the drive and the envelope, we realized the envelope in our hands was not the same one. The address scrawled upon it wasn’t even in our client’s handwriting! Was our innocent messenger doing competitive espionage?

Thus began our CSI amateur hour. No shattered glass.

No empty shell casings. And no way to gather fingerprints.

A thorough analysis of events yielded no definitive conclusions. Finally, a call from the messenger service and

60 • THE TOY BOOK

a much more helpful confession from the (now defunct) messenger told the story of a hungry guy spilling hamburger drippings all over the envelope, guiltily discarding the flash drive, inexplicably purchasing a data reader, stuffing it into a new envelope, and pawning it off as the original cargo. Not the slickest plan, but very amusing.

We canceled the order for a fingerprinting kit, and the client sent us a replacement drive with the original data. Though our story won’t be featured on America’s Most Wanted, we were left with a classic tale to share with our toy industry colleagues and the realization that we’ll never look at a juicy burger the same again.

Do you work in the toy industry? Email your own tales of Mayhem & Mishaps to realstories@mchaledesign.com, and let’s commiserate— sharing is caring!

■ Maureen McHale is the CEO and chief creative officer of McHale Design, Inc., the premier branding and design agency specializing in style guides, toy and home entertainment packaging, and interactive design. Contact McHale Design at www.mchaledesign.com or call (562) 498-6717.

JULY/AUGUST 2012

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Megahobby/Wholesale "Profits by the Square Foot" The Toy Book Volume 28, Number 4 THE TOY BOOK (ISSN-0885-3991) is published bi-monthly by Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.® Editorial and advertising offices are located at 307 Seventh Ave., Room 1601, New York, NY 10001, Phone (212) 575-4510. Periodicals Postage paid at New York and additional mailing offices. Copyright © 2012 Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.® All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. Printed in U.S.A. Subscription rates: $48 one year, foreign $200. The Toy Book is a trademark of Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.® Registered in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Postmaster: Send address changes to: The Toy Book, c/o Adventure Publishing Group, PO Box 47703 Plymouth, MN 55447.

Opinions and comments expressed in this publication by editors, contributing writers, or solicited or unsolicited documents are not necessarily those of the management of The Toy Book.

Advertiser Index

ABC Kids Expo .......................................................................S15 Adora Doll .................................................................................S2 Adventure Publishing Group .....................................................17 Bananagrams ..............................................................................S9 Berg USA.................................................................................S19 Dub Garage Toys..........................................................................5 Forum Publishing .......................................................................61 George & Company .................................................................S13 Hape Toys ................................................................................S17 Haywire Group...........................................................................23 Jada Toys ....................................................................................27

Jonny Hawkins Cartoons ...........................................................61 MEGA Brands............................................................................13 Megahobby Wholesale...............................................................61 NPD............................................................................................63 Ollie’s Bargain Outlet ................................................................61 Pressman Toy .............................................................................24 R&R Games .............................................................................S11 Reeves International ...................................................................11 Small World Toys.......................................................................64 University Games.......................................................................21 Violight.........................................................................................2

THE AD INDEX IS PUBLISHED AS A COURTESY. WHILE EVERY EFFORT IS MADE TO BE ACCURATE, LATE ADDITIONS AND CHANGES IN LAYOUT MAY RESULT IN ERRORS OR OMISSIONS.

JULY/AUGUST 2012

THE TOY BOOK •

61

Flashback: July/August 1992 1.

Tyco Toys & Matchbox Officially Married

T

1. Cacado makes some noise with Boom Ball, a racket game that features a special drum head paddle face. 2. Gak, a new neon compound from Mattel, can be squished, twisted, and sculpted into an array of creations.

2.

yco Toys and Universal Matchbox signed a formal agreement to join forces. The deal was finally inked after changes were made with the terms of the deal, because Tyco felt the original asking price was too high, analysts said.

Under the revised proposal, Tyco paid $107 million for the Hong Kong-based company, as opposed to the previous asking price of $135 million.

Analysts, many of whom criticized the original price as too high, hailed the new deal. “The terms were much improved,” said Jill Krutick, toy analyst for Solomon Brothers.

Universal Matchbox officials said they were willing to accept the new terms, and Matchbox chairman and majority shareholder David C.W. Yeh recommended that the Matchbox board approve the new deal.

What’s Hot! TV Promoted Toys 1. S u p e r S o a k e r ( L a r a m i )

6. T o t a l l y H a i r B a r b i e ( M a t t e l )

2. T r e a s u r e T r o l l s ( A c e N o v e l t y )

7. N e r f S l i n g s h o t ( K e n n e r )

3. B a t m a n F i g u r e s ( K e n n e r )

8. M e r m a i d B a r b i e ( M a t t e l )

4. N e r f B o w a n d A r r o w ( K e n n e r )

9. R o l l e r b l a d e B a r b i e ( M a t t e l )

5. T r o l l s ( R u s s B e r r i e )

10. T e en a ge Mu ta n t Nin ja T ur tle s (P la ym at es )

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