Companies . . .

Mattel taps Audi, Porsche, Land Rover, and Mercedes for Matchbox toy cars relaunch. Mattel is launching an all-new range of Matchbox vehicles that will pay homage to the most iconic car manufacturers in Europe including Land Rover, Audi, Mercedes, and Porsche. The new range from Matchbox will celebrate names from across the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Russia, featuring 100 per cent licensed vehicles...

Barbie hits the runway with new reality show Mattel Television is partnering with Mission Control Media to develop design competition series Barbie Fashion Battle. Barbie Fashion Battle‘s 12 adult contestants will be divided into two teams—each headed by a celebrity fashion icon—to compete for a cash prize and an opportunity to design a line of Barbie doll fashions for the Mattel Creations e-commerce and content platform.

Sesame launches new racial justice resources Launching amidst a rise in violent attacks against Asian Americans, the "ABCs of Racial Literacy" content package aims to dismantle racism, says Kay Wilson Stallings. “ABCs of Racial Literacy” focuses on helping families celebrate their own unique identities, and provides kids with age-appropriate strategies to address questions around race and racism. 

From Almost Bankrupt to Most Profitable Toy Company; Lessons From LEGO. Reflecting on popular toy brands throughout the years, none stand out quite like LEGO. Today, LEGO is one of the largest, most profitable toy companies in the world. With so much success, it's easy to forget the company at one point was on the verge of bankruptcy. In 2003, LEGO was $800 million in debt. How did this household brand ever bounce...

Mattel, Twitter And Adobe Sign Equal Pay Pledge. California women lose a combined total of $78.6 billion each year because of the gender pay gap, and California’s First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls (CCSWG) are committed to reducing that figure.  Today, Equal Pay Day, they made some significant progress announcing that eight new companies...

(the above posted after March 19th)

Mattel: Empowering Kids for Over 75 Years. The global toy giant continues to foster innovation, imagination and inspiration among the next generation. When you think of toys, you think of Mattel. Which doll is more iconic than Barbie? Who hasn’t seen a Thomas & Friends railway instantly evoke a smile on a child’s face? Which retail toy aisle doesn’t boldly feature at least a half-dozen must-have Fisher-Price products...

Nickelodeon’s new slate is packed with social media-focused content and, oddly, characters named Ruby. At its upfront presentation yesterday, the kidcaster unveiled four upcoming shows in addition to a roster of previously announced Paramount+ projects. Corus-owned prodco Nelvana has two new concepts headed to Nickelodeon—ZJ Sparkleton and The Hamster Show (working titles). 

FAO Schwarz to open first flagship store in Italy A partnership with Prénatal Retail Group will see FAO Schwarz open a flagship store in Milan in 2021, before exploring further expansion in Europe. ThreeSixty Group is partnering with Prénatal Retail Group, one of the largest toy retailers in Europe, to introduce the FAO Schwarz brand, retail store and eCommerce concepts to Italy, with an eye to expand in to Spain, France, Portugal...

Monopoly will update Community Chest cards. Hasbro, Inc. announced that for the first time in its 85+ years, Monopoly will be changing all 16 of its Community Chest Cards. True to its longstanding history of inviting its fans to help make changes to the game, and during a time when community means more than ever before, Monopoly is asking consumers worldwide to determine the new cards by voting at ...

Spirit Untamed toy and lifestyle lines launch at retail. As fans gear up for the next chapter of DreamWorks Animation’s high-stakes adventure about a fearless girl and her beloved, wild Mustang, Spirit Untamed, Universal Brand Development launches a dynamic cross-category consumer-products program, inspired by the highly anticipated feature film. DreamWorks Animation’s Spirit Untamed launches summer 2021...

How Hasbro is phasing out plastic packaging. The global toy company plans to eliminate all plastic packaging for new products by the end of 2022 and is introducing two new products that will “bring sustainability to family game night.” “We're trying to sell toys, but we're also trying to genuinely make the world a better place and hopefully preserve some of the resources that this world has left to offer our kids,” said...

University Games to remove single use plastic from portfolio as part of its Taking Steps to Protect Our Planet push. UGis taking positive strides to improve their environmental impact in 2021, in its quest to be the most environmentally friendly games and puzzles company in the UK. As part of its plans, the games, puzzles and gift specialist has created a new ‘Taking Steps to Protect Our Planet’ logo that will help enforce

Mattel Teams up with Pizza Pizza and Pizza to Celebrate UNO in Canada. Canadian families can now order a hot pizza pie with a side order of UNO. Mattel entered into a partnership with Pizza Pizza and Pizza 73 locations across Canada to offer a special UNO Combo featuring a co-branded UNO deck to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the popular card game. 

No Kiddin’ Around | Why Playmobil is taking the adult fan market seriously this year and beyond. It doesn’t take a DeLorean for a journey into your own past, but it certainly does help, as more and more toy companies are seeing audience numbers increase across their kidult product offering. Among them, is Playmobil, a company that is blazing a new trail with its expanded Back to the Future line-up this year.

Wise Wizard Games offers direct-to-retail purchasing. Wise Wizard Games announced that they will be offering direct-to-retail purchasing for their games for Wizards Retailer Guild Member stores. The direct purchase program is only open to brick-and-mortar stores who sign up to become Wizards Retailer Guild Members, and all payments for products must be made via credit card. 

Lucky Duck will bring Game Trayz to global retail. In their GAMA Expo presentation, Lucky Duck Games revealed that they will be partnering with Game Trayz to bring their products to retail. Additionally, they will launch a kids brand called Lucky Duck Kids, and have two titles in the works.  Lucky Duck Games struck a deal with Game Trayz to bring their inserts and organizers to the global market. 

This kid-friendly 3D printer is the toy you wished you had growing up. One of the perks of being a parent is watching your childhood dreams come true for someone much younger and smaller than you, and one of the best examples is 3D printer technology. Now, anything that you can imagine can become a physical reality, provided you have the proper tools and know-how.

Brainstorm’s Eugy sales grow as range expands. 2021 sees Brainstorm entering its third year collaborating with New Zealand manufacturer Dodoland as distributor of the popular Eugy range. Brainstorm initially launched with eight models but plans to have over 40 of the cute animal craft projects in stock ready for the second half of 2021. Eugy is an eco-friendly craft collectible that allows children to create their own 3D...

How Waffles + Mochi found its puppeteers. With diversity in mind, Higher Ground had to broaden its search for talent way beyond the usual suspects, says Qadriyyah Shamsid-Deen. Significant headway has been made over the past year to improve diversity behind the scenes of the kids entertainment industry. But when Higher Ground Productions started casting its new series Waffles + Mochi, the studio realized...

Jazwares’ First Act to Sponsor Virtual #SchoolsGotTalent. ClassTag and Jazwares announced the second annual #SchoolsGotTalent virtual talent show, sponsored by Jazwares’ musical instrument brand, First Act. Bringing together ClassTag’s community of more than 25,000 schools and five million parents, the #SchoolsGotTalent contest invites children from across the nation to submit their talent performances for the...

Hasbro Pulse Fan Fest Announced for April 9, a brand-new collector-focused event. Hasbro Pulse Fan Fest brings collectors a schedule filled with exciting brand panels that will offer exclusive news and opportunities to secure their favorite products before anyone else, as well as special guest appearances including Henry Golding, star of the upcoming film Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins and cast members of the new series Power ...

Hasbro is celebrating the 65th anniversary of Play-Doh by skipping to the end that most cans of the famous compound face: they get all mixed up. According to Hasbro, kids’ true colors likely end in muddy grey, and with that in mind, they’re ready to “bring parents face-to-face with their unavoidable, cringeworthy compound truth” with the very first can of pre-mixed Play-Doh Compound. 

Russian Cosmonaut Inspires Mattel to Create New Barbie Doll.  ​Kikina, who has worked for Roscosmos since 2016, said Mattel’s new creation will send a signal that with hard work, anyone can become a cosmonaut. "We don’t expect every girl, who play with this doll to become a cosmonaut. The most important thing is for them to understand that every girl has a choice, they can choose any profession they like"...

eOne announces new content plans for Peppa Pig. The new content plan for Peppa Pig includes 104 new episodes, ensuring a continuous pipeline of fresh content through to 2027. Hasbro’s global content studio, eOne, has outlined a new content plan for Peppa Pig which confirms that 104 x 5” episodes have been greenlit for production, ensuring a continuous pipeline of fresh content through to 2027.

This Toy Company Reopened Its Office. Here's What Its Employees Think. When Basic Fun! CEO Jay Foreman told his employees to come back to work last summer, not everyone was happy. Here's what their operation looks like today. A dozen years ago, Jay Foreman (below) started a company that makes toys, including classics like Tonka trucks, Care Bears, and Lincoln Logs. It’s called, appropriately, Basic Fun! 

Hasbro Gives Brand A Starring Role.  Since the 1990s, toy manufacturer Hasbro has promoted its Nerf brand of foam balls and dart blasters with the slogan “It’s Nerf or Nothin’. Now, Hasbro’s strategy for the brand could be described as “It’s Nerf in Everything.” As Hasbro seeks to transform itself from manufacturer to multi-dimensional and multimedia powerhouse with three operating units—digital, entertainment...

Asmodee announces three distribution deals. Asmodee USA announced three new distribution deals today, adding the Tabletop Tycoon lines and beginning exclusive relationships with Thundergryph Games and Fantasia Games.  The Tabletop Tycoon lines, including Victory Point games, Starling Games, Flying Meeple, Spark works, and Polyhero Dice will be available to Asmodee customers beginning April 2 ...

Arcane Wonders reveals 'Aquatica: Cold Waters'. Arcane Wonders revealed Aquatica: Cold Waters, a new expansion for Cosmodrome's Aquatica board game, for release in spring 2021. Aquatica: Cold Waters adds new modules to the base game, and allows games of Aquatica to support a fifth player. It also offers new location types, new cards for Ocean’s creatures, and mechanic that replaces the goal-track. 

Devir will release two 'Mazescape' games into U.S. retail. Devir Games will release MazEscape Labyrinthos and MazEscape Ariadne into U.S. retail in late spring 2021. MazEscape is a one player game where the goal is to find the exit to a labyrinth. These games include seven maps that the player needs to transverse using a compass rose, a pointer, and their wits. In MazEscape Labyrinthos, the player makes their way ...

Wizards of the Coast to Launch Dark Alliance in June. Wizards of the Coast, a division of Hasbro, Inc. announced that Dark Alliance, the explosive action roleplaying game that builds upon the rich lore of the Forgotten Realms in Dungeons & Dragons, launches on June 22, 2021 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One Consoles and Xbox Series X|S. “Dark Alliance marks an important milestone for us...

Steve Jackson Games' 'Random Fun Generator' is headed to retail. Steve Jackson Games announced that a retail version of their Random Fun Generator will hit stores in August. Steve Jackson Random Fun Generator, which raised $90,423 from 3,930 backers on Kickstarter (about $23 a backer), is headed for a retail release. This game box is chockfull of fast-playing dice games for all ages. 

MasterPieces announces Elf on the Shelf license deal. Direct from the North Pole, MasterPieces, Inc. announces a license agreement with The Lumistella Company to deliver a line of puzzles and games featuring Santa’s famous helper, The Elf on the Shelf. This holiday season Santa will get some extra daily reminders about children having fun with new puzzles and games featuring the phenomenally popular The Elf on the Shelf. 

Funko unveils 'Seinfeld' Pop! dolls. Funko is launching a line of products based on the TV show "Seinfeld." Funko's "Seinfeld" program includes vinyl Pop! figures, as well as backpacks, wallets, glassware, T-shirts and the new Funko Games party-starter, "The Party Game About Nothing." Figures include "Jerry" wearing The Puffy Shirt, "Elaine," "George" and "Kramer." 

Genius Brands, Tankee bring Roblox to Kartoon Channel! The ever-expanding world of Roblox is coming to Kartoon Channel! thanks to a new partnership deal between Genius Brands International and Tankee. Production is underway for an all-new, 12-episode Roblox series that will feature top Roblox influencers and will begin streaming on Kartoon Channel! in June. 

Dan Dee International named 2020 Walmart Sustainability Supplier of the Year. Walmart recently held its seventh annual Supplier Growth Forum as a virtual event in place of the usual in-person gathering that typically takes place in Rogers, Arkansas. Amid the yearly updates on the retail giant’s strategic initiatives, key focus areas, future growth strategies,