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TDMONTHLY MUST READS |
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Ready to watch? Check out TDmonthly’s toy video demos, with highlights on one of our featured categories... 
Christmas decorations, handbags, food and apparel are likely to face prices hikes of up to 15 percent for the holiday season... |
TDMONTHLY TOY VIDEOS |
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TDMONTHLY SHOP TALK |
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At the Lollipop Shop in Jonesborough, Tenn., and Kiawah Island, S.C., Owners Jeff and Candy Gurley believe that candy and toys appeal to all demographics.... 
It’s natural to be hesitant about a toy you don’t know much about. But are you missing big sales by being too cautious?... 
Achieving success in retail today is more challenging than it was 10 years ago, four of 10 toy-store owners and experts told TDmonthly Magazine.... 
Most specialty toy-store owners told TDmonthly Magazine they get requests for items they don’t carry quite often, even daily — but they don’t bring all the toys in.... |
TDMONTHLY TOP-10 MOST-WANTED LISTS |
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Which die-cast vehicles are to-die-for in the specialty market? A TDmonthly Magazine survey of 55 specialty retailers revealed that public service vehicles, such as school buses... 
Which action figures are the last ones standing? Knights, pirates, dinosaurs and mythical creatures are strongest in battle, 55 retailers told TDmonthly Magazine, with Papo figures by Hotaling Imports dominating... |
TDMONTHLY SPECIALTY TOYS REPORT |
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TDMONTHLY TRENDS |
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TDMONTHLY TOY REVIEWS |
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Lavender-scented and buckwheat-filled, Warm Whiskers aren’t typical stuffed animals, TDmonthly Magazine’s Homeschool Roundtable discovered.... 
TDmonthly Magazine’s Dolls Roundtable participants recently reviewed Language Littles’ French doll, Jolie. While the two storeowners had several suggestions for improvement, the girls were intrigued by Jolie and enjoyed trying out another language.... 
TDmonthly’s Girls’ Roundtable reviewers were intrigued with the secret compartment they found in Treasure Chest Pets, a combination of a treasure box and stuffed animal...... 
It didn’t take TDmonthly Magazine’s Homeschool Roundtable participants long to see that the ease of use and practical application of the Digital Bookmark by Mark-My-Time make it a product to … well … bookmark as a favorite.... 
Dr. Wright put on her sports mind for this round of reviews, delving into soccer, football and racing. Read on to see how the products scored:... 
If you want to know which books to sell in your toy store, find out what the kids have to say. Each month, children's book author Amy Downing reads new titles to children...... |
TDMONTHLY HOLIDAY PREVIEW |
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TDMONTHLY TOY BUZZ |
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Named after the world grid, Griddly Games makes sports-themed games that feature diverse, hand-painted characters. Reisa Schwartzman, now owner and president, took over the bankrupt company in December 2006 and, with Penny Osborn, director of operations, revamped the business.... 
Buffalo Games began in 1986 as a family business. When Mark Predko, now director of sales and marketing, joined Buffalo Games in 1994, there were only seven people running the company, he told TDmonthly Magazine.... |
TDMONTHLY POPULAR STORIES |
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Between fighting for a national toy safety standard and educating presidential candidates, the Toy Industry Association’s agenda has been a lot more about politics than play these days.... 
I have a lot of friends among small toy retailers. I sold to them when I ran a toy company in the late ‘90s, and always felt that many large manufacturers were taking advantage of them just because they were small.... 
June saw an increase for hardware at a 54.3-percent clip, software at 60.6 percent and accessories at 25.4 percent. The entire category grew by a dizzying 57.2 percent. Growth rates in both hardware and software continued to accelerate.... |
TDMONTHLY MANUFACTURER'S CORNER |
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Last month’s column focused on purging platitudes from your strategic marketing. Today’s marketers use almost identical marketing messages, so “outside perception” reads all things as equal.... 
Picking up from May’s article on the branding promise, we’ll now look at the second of the 4Ps of branding: positioning — the compact and clear definition of what your company offers.... |
TDMONTHLY NEW TOYS |
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TDMONTHLY UPCOMING ISSUES |
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Is it a good idea to hold sales in your specialty store? Find out what other retailers say about the when, why and how of marking down items...... 
Visit the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association’s annual Marketplace & Academy after the show!... 
