People of Play​

Dane Chapin, CEO of The Op Games, reflects the company's journey over the last three decades. Board games are more important now than they've ever been, and we're thankful that we get to help bring them to families around the world 💙

Power Saber inventor wins Toy Innovator of the Year. Yair Shilo’s first-of-its-kind retractable, extendable saber is this year's must-have toy. Also nominated: Inventors of Nerf Better than Balloons. “Since I was a little kid, I always wanted to have a saber. I mean, who doesn’t?” Shilo, 43, explained in a video about the product. But he didn’t want it only for himself; he wanted to invent a toy for the masses. He spent years building...

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April Mitchell of Cedar Point won the prestigious Toy and Game International Excellence (TAGIE) Award for Game Innovator of the Year on Nov. 11. In the past 14 months alone, Mitchell has designed and released six new games through various publishers. Her creations span a wide range of genres, including card games, party games, family games, light strategy games, and even an outdoor game.

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Onyinye Nwaneri is joining Sesame Workshop as managing director for South Africa, stepping into the role in January 2025. Leading growth strategy and operations in the region, Nwaneri will focus on strengthening the nonprofit’s presence and efforts to reach kids in the country by leveraging Takalani Sesame, the locally produced South Africa version of Sesame Street. 

*** the above posted after November 22nd when tBR circulated ***

AMAV US today announced the appointment of Steve Markey as VP of Sales and Marketing North America. In his new role, Markey will oversee all sales and marketing initiatives, with an immediate focus on retail expansion in North America in mass and specialty markets. “Steve brings decades of experience and a deep understanding of the toy industry,” said Asher Diamant and Ben Diamant, co-founders of Diamant Toys,

Q+A: Jakks Brings Popular IP Into Toy Form. Stephen Berman is the chief executive of Jakks Pacific Inc., the Santa Monica-based toy company.

He is also a co-founder of the company, along with his late business partner Jack Friedman, who died in May 2010. In the 30 years since the company was founded, moving quickly to fill space on shelves has been part of its business model.

Barbie mania: Meet the architect behind the marketing. Josh Silverman explains how he orchestrated the marketing drive behind the Barbie film. In this instalment of our weekly video series, My Business Leader Secret, we talk to Josh Silverman, who is the executive vice-president and chief franchise officer at Mattel. Californian toymaker Mattel makes the Barbie doll range.

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AIS pays tribute to outgoing chair, Neville Moore. The Association of Independent Stores (AIS) has expressed its sincere gratitude to outgoing chair, Neville Moore, for his exceptional leadership and dedication to the membership organisation for independent retail in the UK and Ireland. Neville Moore is managing director of Ulster Stores, which includes The White House Portrush, Moores of Coleraine and De Gruchy Jersey.

PSA parent company's CEO added to GameStop board.  GameStop Corporation announced that they have appointed Nat Turner, Chairman and CEO of Collector's Holding, Inc., to their board of directors. This move comes after GameStop became an official PSA dealer back in October 2024.  

PlayStation finds two new execs for its mobile game division. PlayStation has uploaded a new pair of executives to lead its mobile division. As of today, Olivier Courtemanche and Justin Kubiak hold respective positions as the head of mobile and leader of mobile business development and partnerships at Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE). ​

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Companies and Brands​

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Melissa & Doug, Walmart Debut New Pop-Up Play Area for the Holidays. This play area inside a Springdale Walmart brings Melissa & Doug fun to a local community. he company, acquired by Spin Master earlier this year, is opening an exclusive toy shopping experience inside an Arkansas Walmart to give families an up-close look at this season’s hottest sustainable toys. 

Somehow, Nintendo Began Secretly Publishing a Comic Over a Year Without Anyone Noticing. Nintendo might be widely known as an international video game company, but that hasn’t kept it from venturing into other forms of media, including comics. In fact, Nintendo has secretly been publishing a manga-style comic strip for over a year now, and most people haven’t even noticed.

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University Games announced Am I the Ass?, a new party game, which is currently available on Amazon. In this game, players are presented scenarios where people are displaying questionable behavior. They then use Ass-o-Meters to predict how many respondents deemed this person in the scenario "The Ass." Correct predictions gain a point, and the first player to earn five points wins the game.

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PlayMonster launches marketing campaign for 5 Second Rule. PlayMonster UK is launching a unique large-scale marketing campaign that enables cinema goers nationwide, London commuters and National Rail travellers to play the famous game on the big screens. The renowned 5 Second Rule game, which challenges players to come up with three answers in five seconds or less, has sold millions of copies...

For the first time in the company’s 144-year history, shoppers can now add an exclusive FAO Schwarz ear tag to their Steiff Teddy Bears. This one-of-a-kind opportunity at Rockefeller Plaza will turn Steiff’s beloved bears into a personalized holiday keepsake that families can enjoy for years to come. As the creators of the original Teddy Bear, Steiff knows good products don’t have to change to keep up...

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Following the launch of The Entertainer’s biggest ever Christmas brand campaign, which stars Ray as a previously loved but now forgotten plush after his child receives a remote controlled monster truck, Toy World’s Rachael Simpson-Jones spoke to Caroline Smith, the retailer’s head of Marketing, about brand ‘body language’, surprising your customers and much more. 

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Bandai reveals 'Dragon Ball Super TCG: Fusion World - First Anniversary Set'. Bandai revealed Dragon Ball Super TCG: Fusion World - First Anniversary Set, a new TCG boxed set, which will hit stores on July 11, 2025. This set comes with a total of 15 reprinted cards that are essential for pulling off Super Combos in battle.

USPS Operation Santa launches online catalog: Santa’s Gift Shoppe powered by Toys“R”Us. The U.S. Postal Service is announcing the debut of an online e-commerce catalog for the fulfillment of gifts: Santa’s Gift Shoppe, an online option developed exclusively for USPS Operation Santa letter adopters, powered by Toys“R”Us, just in time for the start of the program’s first day of letter adoption. 

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Hasbro launches AI-powered Game Finder. Users can find the perfect Hasbro game for them. Hasbro is unveiling a new AI-powered tool to help consumers find the perfect game for any occasion. The Game Finder takes any prompt, such as “Give me a game that is perfect for a cozy night in,” and recommends a Hasbro game (In the case of this prompt, it recommends Life in Reterra, Monopoly: Harry Potter, and Jenga).

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Keymaster offers direct sales for retailers, allows stores to stock up on key titles for the Holidays. Keymaster Games now offers direct sales for retailers through their new, easy-to-use wholesale site.  Additionally, Sara Erickson has come on board the team to support the initiative and connect more with stores. Retailers can now open a wholesale account or join their retailer newsletter. 

AEG unveils 'Cascadia Junior': New version of award-winning habitat game. AEG unveiled Cascadia Junior, a new version of the award-winning habitat game, which will hit stores in Spring 2025. Cascadia Junior is a simplified version of the Spiel des Jahres winning game. This version is aimed at teaching players of all ages pattern building and set collection mechanics as well as and basic math skills. 

‘La Liebre’ races into first place for Hot Wheels Global Legends Tour title. The winning model will be honored with a die-cast release. “La Liebre,” a custom-built race car crafted on a 1968 Ford Falcon chassis, claimed victory at the 2024 Hot Wheels Legends Tour Global Grand Finale. The car competed against 5,000 vehicle from 13 countries and is the seventh vehicle to be inducted into the Hot Wheels Garage...

TikTok comedian pranks Manchester drivers with the help of Scalextric. TikTok comedian, Jack Skipper, took to the streets of the city recently crowned as the parking fine hotspot, with Manchester’s PCN rate a whopping 901.33% higher than the national average, to spread joy to drivers by handing out free Scalextric sets in a surprise parking fine prank. 

'Splendor' hits 'The Silk Road' in new expansion from Space Cowboys. Splendor: The Silk Road offers a pair of expansion modules for the 2014 game of gem collecting. Players can replace the Noble tiles with new City tiles that players compete over to gain prestige, or add the Trading Posts which award bonuses during play.

Booghe Toys unveils new virtual reality space.  The new space boasts a collection of top-tier virtual reality technology, as well as the new Dragon Fly Café and expanded retail areas. The new gaming zone officially opened its doors on Monday 17th November, but was visited by friends, family and industry colleagues over the weekend to test out the VR experience and get a first taste of the Dragon Fly Café.

New Holiday-themed 'Flesh and Blood TCG' Armory Kit heads to retail. The newest Armory Kit features a holiday-inspired theme. It comes with 40 copies of Cracker Bauble (that comes in 20 different variations), which are intended to be given away at FLGS to customers purchasing $20 in Flesh and Blood TCG product from the store. The kit also contains 33 copies of a rainbow foil "Count Your Blessings," 4 "Spirit of Christmas" …

Z-Man Games unveils a 'Love Letter' to Lovecraft with 'Arkham Horror: Lovecraft Letter' by Seiji Kanai. The classic game of Love Letter takes on the Lovecraft Mythos again, but this time with the help of the Arkham Horror brand. In this game, players can immerse themselves in the town of Arkham to detect eldritch horrors and uncover clues all while trying to keep their sanity intact.

Magic: The Gathering Foundations hits the market. Foundations showcases powerful new and returning cards from Magic’s storied history, offering a quintessential play experience and the perfect entry point to join the Gathering. Foundations is the classic Magic that players know and love, modernized for a new era of play. Longtime fans will appreciate the return of beloved cards and artists while new players are …

Spin Master celebrates 50 Years of the Rubik’s Cube.  Spin Master, which acquired the world-renowned brand back in 2021, hosted a puzzle-filled event in central London. The event, hosted at the premier museum of illusions, Twist Museum, brought puzzle enthusiasts and curious minds together for an unforgettable day of solving, speed, and nostalgia. 

Bandai will release 'Union Arena TCG: Black Clover': New booster set and starter deck. This new booster set will feature fan favorite characters from the Black Clover anime and manga. These cards are color-coded to recreate this fantasy world: Red cards focus on the Black Bulls, Asta, and Yuno; Green cards have the Magic Knights; and Purple cards focus on the Black Bull and Dark Triad characters...

New Chaos Battletome revealed for 'Warhammer Age of Sigmar'.  This 128-page rulebook covers all of the background for this Chaos faction. The book features Battle Traits, Battle Formations, and Heroic Traits as well as Spell Prayer and Manifestation Lores. Alongside the new battletome, GW will release a new Spearhead: Darkoath Raiders boxed set.

Asmodee will release 'Res Arcana Duo': New wizard dueling game by Sand Castle Games. Res Arcana Duo is a new standalone game in the series of Res Arcana games by Tom Lehmann. In this game, two mages duke it out in a competitive battle of magical mastery. The new standalone offers players a new set of Mages, Artifacts, Monuments and Places of Power to utilize in their duel.

Lucky Duck reveals 'Critter Kitchen' for retail. Players will take on the roles of restaurant owners trying to impress the Critics. To accomplish this task, they send out Chefs to gather ingredients to make amazing meals. The chefs can also listen in to rumors about the Critic's likes and dislikes in order to craft the perfect meal. 

'Fuego' heads to retail: New trick-taking game by Keymaster Games. Fuego, designed by Jason Hager and Darren Reckner, is a classic team trick-taking game with a few twists. In this game, high cards take tricks and low cards gain points. The unique twist to this game comes with Flame tokens, which can be stolen or transferred upon taking tricks. 

'Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG' 2025 product release calendar: An ICv2 Retailer Resource. This ICv2 calendar tracks the release dates of Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG sets announced by Konami Digital Entertainment. The calendar begins with releases coming out on January 1, 2025 and runs till January 1, 2026 (it is a running article located in the Calendar section of the ICv2 website). For information on 2023 releases, check out our 2024 calendar...

GamerMats evolves into GameHead: New brand expands into games publishing. GamerMats will re-brand as GameHead. GamerMats, headed up by President Alan Hochman, is expanding into the realm of games publishing under a new brand, GameHead. GamerMats, a playmat company that had done work with Wizards of the Coast, Pokemon Company, Upper Deck, and more, had been evolving over the years...

'Pokemon TCG' 2025 product release calendar: An ICv2 Retailer Resource. The calendar begins with releases coming out in January 1, 2025 and runs till January 1, 2026 (this is a running article that will be located in the Calendar section of the ICv2 website). For more information on Pokemon TCG products, check out ICv2's Pokemon TCG 2024 release calendar

Toybox introduces two 3D printers for kids and families: The Alpha Two and Comet printers offer a small footprint for in-home use. Toybox Labs has two new 3D printers for home use, Comet and Alpha Two. The printers are specifically designed for long-term use by children and families.

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'Hack The Future' with 'Munchkin: Shadowrun': New expansion by Steve Jackson Games. Steve Jackson Games will release Hack the Future, a new expansion for Munchkin: Shadowrun, which will hit stores in March 2025. Munchkin delves further into the realm of Shadowrun with more guns, magic, and digital monsters. The new expansion features cards like Syntax Error, Boomstick, and Ascalon Rail Gun.

Japanime Games reveals three Roll & Clash Anime-based games featuring 'Naruto,' 'Tokyo Ghoul,' and 'The Seven Deadly Sins' IPs. These three games all operate on the same fast-paced Roll & Clash game system featured in the Naruto: Ninja Arena game. These games are cross-compatible with each other and offer players a fast-paced dice rolling experience with real-time gameplay.​

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