Toys in the News: 9-27-13

By TDmonthly Staff
September 2013

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_{Toys in the News is updated Mon-Fri at 9:15 am PST}

Negative Award "Plagiarius" sheds public light on unscrupulous counterfeits. September 27, 2013 — The 38th Plagiarius-Competition was announced in a press release. Designers and companies affected by plagiarisms are invited to apply for the Plagiarius Competition 2014. The aim of Plagiarius is to inform the public – industry, politicians and consumers alike - about the sweeping extent of the damages and dangers incurred by fakes and plagiarisms. Furthermore Plagiarius is a great conduit for industry to shed light on this problem on an international basis.

Toy industry hopes holiday season will salvage lackluster year. September 27, 2013 — The toy industry is counting on Elmo, a flying fairy doll, and another...

Shopular Wants to Make Retailers Less Afraid of Mobile. September 27, 2013 — Shopular notifies users about deals at nearby retail stores based on their interests and current location...

Toys ‘R’ Us prepares for Halloween. September 26, 2013 — Toys ‘R’ Us has opened Trick ‘R’ Treat “Bootiques” inside Toys "R" Us stores nationwide and online at Toysrus.com...

Angry Birds Go getting Hasbro toys, reportedly launching Oct. 31. September 26, 2013 — Angry Birds Go, the upcoming kart racing installment in Rovio Entertainment's bird and...

Will curated social content bring about the next era of online retail? September 25, 2013 — Traditionally, retailers relied on advertising and direct response to succeed. To make more money...

With New Stylus, LeapFrog Tackles Reading and Writing. September 25, 2013 — For years, LeapFrog has developed tools to help children learn to read. Now, the...

Mattel Tops Holiday Toy List With Latest Disney Doll. September 25, 2013 — Mattel Inc. (MAT), the world’s largest toymaker, placed the most items on an annual industry list that tries...

Virtual Piggy marks milestone. September 25, 2013 — In a digital arena where e-commerce businesses are vying for traffic, Virtual Piggy...

Toys 'R' Us prepares for holiday shoppers. September 24, 2013 — Toys “R” Us is preparing for the holiday season with plans to hire 45,000 employees...

5 Ways Retailers Are Trying to Snag Holiday Shopping Dollars Extra Early This Year. September 24, 2013 — Most people like Thanksgiving to have passed before setting up Christmas decorations...

6 Things Online Retailers Can Learn From Amazon. September 24, 2013 — With global ecommerce sales reaching over $1 trillion in 2012, it’s easy to see...

Activision Blizzard files emergency appeal over decision blocking sale. September 24, 2013 — Activision Blizzard and parent company Vivendi have filed an emergency appeal...

Parents Petition Toys ‘R’ Us To Do Away With Gender-Specific Marketing. September 24, 2013 — Parents have begun a campaign to stop mounting Toys ‘R’ Us from marketing its toys by gender...

Holiday Retail Sales May Jump 4.5% as Housing, Jobs Rise. September 23, 2013 — Retail sales are projected to increase as much as 4.5 percent this holiday season...

U.S. Retailers’ Holiday Hiring Seen Falling 6.9%. September 23, 2013 — Holiday hiring by U.S. retailers may fall about 6.9 percent this year as shaky consumer confidence...

Safari Ltd® Introduces More than 70 Educational Toys. September 23, 2013 — Safari Ltd®, family-owned manufacturer and worldwide distributor of museum-quality, educational toys, is expanding its collections with more than 70 new hand-painted products for 2014. New additions include mythical creatures, wildlife, sea life, life cycle sets, miniature figures and dinosaurs, including the Carnegie Tyrannosaurus rex authenticated by Carnegie Museum of Natural History paleontologists, according to a press release.

Ghouls And Ghosts Galore, 158 Million People To Celebrate Halloween This Year, According To NRF. September 23, 2013 — Cooler fall weather may bring cooler sales this Halloween, as fewer Americans...

Block Party: Two LEGO Movies Are Coming Your Way. September 20, 2013 — Already we know that tiny yellow hands will save the (cinematic) world from destruction...

Look How Tech Has Ruined Your Childhood Toys. September 20, 2013 — Kids these days...If only they played with the same toys that...

Amazon workers strike at German sites; 2 retailers end partnership with online giant. September 20, 2013 — Workers at two Amazon.com Inc. distribution centers in Germany have walked off the job...

'Beanie Babies' creator Ty Warner charged with tax evasion. September 19, 2013 — Beanie Babies creator Ty Warner is widely know for his cult line of cuddly toys...

U.S. court halts $8.2 billion Activision deal with Vivendi. September 19, 2013 — A U.S. court has halted the closing of Vivendi's $8.2 billion deal to sell...

How Many U.S.-Based Online Retail Stores Are On The Internet? September 19, 2013 — We know the Internet is populated by a growing number of U.S.-based online...

ShopperTrak anticipates holiday retail sales boost. September 18, 2013 — ShopperTrak, a leading provider of shopper analytics, anticipates a 2.4% rise in retail sales this holiday season...

Toys'R'Us focuses on holiday season strategy following Q2 results. September 18, 2013 — Toys”R”Us reported financial results for the second quarter ended Aug. 3 on the heels...

The Retail Challenge Facing Manufacturers. September 18, 2013 — Omnichannel, the latest retailing model, represents a seismic shift for manufacturers. This form...

2013's Christmas Toy Hot Lists, Abridged: 7 Things Your Kids Will Want. September 18, 2013 — Christmas is still more than three months away, but the major retailers...

Thin Bag From Santa to U.S. Retailers This Yeart. September 17, 2013 — November and December sales in U.S. stores rose by only 3% in 2012...

Toy choice gets wider as internet inspires playtime revolution. September 17, 2013 — In the shadow of the noisy, attention-grabbing toys advertised on TV...

Activision steals Disney's thunder by flaunting Skylanders numbers. September 17, 2013 — Top-earning publisher Activision appears to have latched onto a PR opportunity following...

New Furby Boom touted as the top Christmas toy of 2013. September 17, 2013 — Furby has been around for almost 20 years, and improvements and added features...

Safari Ltd® Breaks into the Baby Market. September 16, 2013 — Safari Ltd®, family-owned manufacturer and worldwide distributor of museum-quality, educational toys, has lowered the suggested age for more than 60 figures in its Incredible Creatures® collection, according to a press release. Select figures previously suggested for ages 3 years and older are now suitable for ages 18 months and up, including the bearded dragon, flying fish, panda baby, moray eel, frilled lizard, sea turtle, 2014 piglet and many more.

Jakks Pacific is playing catch-up with toy-making rivals. September 16, 2013 — Jakks Pacific, which competes against fellow Southern California toy maker Mattel and others, desperately needs a blockbuster product...

The exception is the rule for early toy shopping. September 16, 2013 — As the largest toy retailers begin to roll out this year's holiday deals...

Retailers Fight Exile From Gmail In-Boxes. September 16, 2013 — Even in an age of Twitter posts and Instagram photos, e-mail is still ...

Activision Blizzard Gets $2.5 Billion Term Loan. September 16, 2013 — Santa Monica-based videogame maker Activision Blizzard said late Friday evening that it has...

Toys R Us Is Quietly Hoping You'll Start Your Holiday Shopping Now. September 16, 2013 — Toys R Us wants you to start your 2013 holiday shopping as early as next week...

NRF: Retail Sales Growth Remains Tepid, Up 0.1% In August. September 13, 2013 — Retail sales increased in the month of August but came in at a much slower pace...

Toys'R'Us unveils key holiday initiatives at special preview event in NYC. September 13, 2013 — Toys"R"Us held a special preview event at its flagship location in NYC's Time Square...

How Walmart Is Picking This Year's 'Hot Toys'. September 12, 2013 — Lots of retailers come out with "hot toy" lists every holiday season...

Maybe Showrooming Isn't Killing Retailers After All. September 12, 2013 — Among brick-and-mortar retailers, showrooming has become a dirtier word than shoplifting. Thievery...

Mattel’s HIT Entertainment Firing Up Thomas the Tank Engine (Exclusive). September 12, 2013 — A new direct-to-DVD movie will help ramp up the 67-year-old preschool kids franchise...

Video-Games Major Indicator Of Children's Well-Being. September 12, 2013 — Too much gaming is an indicator of low well-being in children. But is this chicken or egg, cause or effect?...

Decline of 'once upon a time...' as a third of parents no longer read a bedtime story to their children. September 12, 2013 — The traditional bedtime story is dying out as a new study shows...

JAKKS PACIFIC SHAREHOLDER ALERT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP Remins Investors of Class Action Against JAKK. September 12, 2013 — Levi & Korsinsky announces that a class action lawsuit has been commenced in the United States District Court for the Central District of California on behalf of investors who purchased JAKKS Pacific, Inc...

Activision Shareholder Sues Vivendi to Halt Insider Sale. September 12, 2013 — A shareholder of Activision Blizzard Inc. (ATVI) sued the company’s co-chairman, chief executive officer...

Hachette Book Group Recalls Children’s Books Due To Choking and Laceration Hazards. September 12, 2013 — The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced a recall of about 70,000 children's books titled “Count my Kisses, 1, 2, 3” and “Red, Green, Blue, I Love You” from Hachette Book Group, sold at Barnes & Noble, online at Amazon.com and by other booksellers and retailers from June 2013 to August 2013 for about $8. Consumers should immediately take the recalled books away from children and return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Educational toys that teach kids to code. September 12, 2013 — Every parent knows the drill. Eager to foster your children’s development and prepare them for life...

Be Amazing! Toys Recalls Monster Science Growing Spiders Due to Serious Ingestion Hazard. September 11, 2013 — The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced a recall of about 26,500 Water-absorbing Monster Science Growing Spider polymer balls from Be Amazing! Toys, sold at Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores nationwide from August 2011 to August 2013, Spirit Halloween stores nationwide from August 2011 to November 2011 and from August 2012 to November 2012, and Target stores nationwide from September to November 2012 for between $3 and $5. Consumers should immediately take this recalled toy away from children and contact Be Amazing! Toys for a refund.

Eco-Novelty Recalls Jumbo Size and Jumbo Multipurpose Cosmo Beads Toys Due to Serious Ingestion Hazard. September 11, 2013 — The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced a recall of about 3,500 Water-absorbing Jumbo Size and Jumbo Multipurpose Cosmo polymer beads, sold at Amazon.com, ifleemarket.com and crystalsoilusa.com from June 2011 through August 2013 for between $2 and $20. Consumers should immediately take this recalled toy away from children and contact Eco-Novelty for a refund.

Will toy companies keep us from ever getting a superheroine movie? September 11, 2013 — Today we're discussing how toys affect movies — or prevent them...

‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Universal Movie & Hasbro Get Counterclaim From Producer. September 11, 2013 — The legal maneuvering over who actually owns movie rights to Dungeons & Dragons has...

Disney wants you to bring your iPad to 'The Little Mermaid' in theaters. September 11, 2013 — Whether it's set to silent mode or not, the dazzling glare of a smartphone screen is a pretty good way...

The toy industry - Child’s play. September 10, 2013 — Two toy industry heavyweights are in unfamiliar territory: they are watching their numbers tumble...

Retailers Stocking Up Ahead Of Holiday Season. September 10, 2013 — Import volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to grow 5.1 percent...

LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc.: Expensive Products; Inexpensive Shares. September 10, 2013 — My 5- and 3-year olds are addicted to LeapFrog's technology-based, educational products...

Toys ‘R’ Us Antes Up in Kid-Tablet Battle With New Tabeo. September 10, 2013 — Toys “R” Us Inc., the struggling retailer, is making a bigger bet on kid-focused tablets...

ASTRA Teams Up With Popular Mommy Blogger to Increase Consumer Awareness of Specialty Toys. September 9, 2013 — Liz Gumbinner, author of the popular MOM-101 blog and Editor-in-Chief of Cool Mom Picks, will help promote the 2013 Best Toys for Kids award winning toys and the 2013 Neighborhood Toy Store Day, the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) announced today in a press release.

Retail Industry Adds 43,600 Jobs In August. September 9, 2013 — The National Retail Federation (NRF) today issued the following statements from NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay...

China Kids Expo to open in October in Shanghai. September 9, 2013 — China Kids Expo, mainland China's most influential baby products fair, is scheduled...

NRF reports retail import growth. September 9, 2013 — Import volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to grow 5.1%...

Retail revolution is led by an iPad. September 9, 2013 — Retail sales associates just became obsolete. We don’t need them anymore...

U.K. Toys ‘R’ Us Going Gender Neutral. September 6, 2013 — Toys “R” Us, a retail giant in the toy industry, bowed to pressure from U.K.-based lobbying...

Activision Executive Explains Strong Wii U Support. September 6, 2013 — Activision isn't pulling any punches when it comes to Wii U support, as...

Max Steel movie: Mattel action figure to get big screen treatment. September 6, 2013 — The popular cartoon and toy line hero Max Steel is set to take his turbo-energy powers to the big screen...

Did Disney Bumble A $1 Billion Franchise Without Anyone Noticing? September 6, 2013 — This summer’s The Lone Ranger movie may have been an unmitigated disaster for Disney...

Lego Beats Hasbro as World’s No. 2 Toymaker Amid Asia Sales Jump. September 5, 2013 — Lego A/S, the Danish building-block maker, said first-half sales jumped 13 percent with the...

Report: USA's top 10 fastest-growing retailers. September 5, 2013 — While optimism about the economy fell slightly in August, consumer sentiment remained...

Americans Spent $2.88 Billion On Video Games In 2nd Quarter. September 5, 2013 — Despite a significant slowdown in the number of new products and the looming end...

Kiss LeapFrog, Get a Toad. September 5, 2013 — LeapFrog Enterprises has been more of a frog than a leaper lately...

Disney's 'Infinity' video game sees brisk retail sales. September 5, 2013 — Walt Disney Co's recently launched video game "Infinity" is selling strongly and major...

Charity toy drive is a new world record. September 4, 2013 — Kind-hearted UAE residents have helped to set a world record by donating...

Dr. Toy Talks About the Power of Construction Toys. September 4, 2013 — One of the most important areas of play involves building with construction...

Rainbow Loom’s Success, From 2,000 Pounds of Rubber Bands. September 3, 2013 — LAST weekend in Fair Harbor, N.Y., on Fire Island, a few dozen children gathered...

Toy manufacturer gets good response at launch of Max Steel line. September 3, 2013 — MAX STEEL is the ultimate aspirational teen hero with a secret. The story...

Toys R Us Announces Exclusive 'Disney Infinity' Tron Power Disc. September 3, 2013 — Continuing the pattern they followed for Skylanders Giants, Toys R Us have announced another...

NRF Issues Statement On New Government Report On Patent Trolls. August 30, 2013 — The National Retail Federation (NRF) issued the following statement on the release of a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on the negative impact of patent trolls...

Build-A-Bear Recalls Stuffed Animal Toy Due to Choking Hazard. August 30, 2013 — The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced a recalle of about 25,000 (in the U.S., and 1,100 in Canada) Sulley character stuffed animals, sold exclusively at Build-A-Bear Workshop stores and online at www.buildabear.com during June 2013 for about $23. The stuffed animal’s eye can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children. Consumers should immediately take the recalled Sulley from children and return it to any Build-A-Bear Workshop store to receive a coupon for any stuffed animal from Build-A-Bear Workshop.

Video game retailers' expo plays well in Las Vegas. August 30, 2013 — In preparation for the most critical season in many years for the video game industry...

When clicks aren't enough, online retailers become old-fashioned brick and mortar stores. August 30, 2013 — Balsam Hill has enjoyed seven years as a booming online retailer and...

Activision's Infinity Fears Are Probably Overblown. August 30, 2013 — Now that Disney has entered the toy-meets-video-game space with its Infinity gaming platform...