http://www.tdmonthly.com Trade Magazine for the Toy, Hobby, Game, and Gift Industry en-us http://www.tdmonthly.com http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/images/5-12-03logo.gif http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3178 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3178 Sunny summer days are just around the bend, and with kids on break from school, there's lots of extra time to play http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3184 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3184 TDmonthly Magazine's May Issue is full of marketing tips, product reviews and trend coverage of baby products, travel toys and bath items... http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3218 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3218 Mega Brands Inc. suffered a loss of $9.6 million/26 cents a share during the first quarter, but marked improvement over the same period last year http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3206 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3206 Need to fill up your baby section and looking for the best new products to do the job? Watch these product videos http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3175 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3175 At Creative Kids Toy Shop in Columbia, S.C., the Lee Middleton Newborn Doll Nursery is a main attraction, according to Owner Melodie Ingwersen... http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3174 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3174 Although Melodie Ingwersen has childhood memories of playing “toy store” with her sisters, she didn’t aspire to be a toy-store owner, she told TDmonthly Magazine. http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3194 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3194 Staying up-to-date with current trends, finding innovative manufacturers who’ve just hit the market, and looking for the toys your customers request are necessary parts of business, but retailers often feel they don’t have time. http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3217 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3217 A mid-April “New York Times” article reported that midsize retailers such as Sharper Image and Levitz have declared bankruptcy thanks to falling sales and overwhelming debt. The winds of change are sweeping the toy world, too http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3213 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3213 Optimism can cure a slew of predicaments, but how do you know when it’s time to shut the “Glad Book” and face the facts? http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3221 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3221 Despite reports of store closures and economic challenges, many stores are surviving, and even thriving, as mid-year approaches. Several toy-store owners gave TDmonthly Magazine these eight tips for making it through rough waters: http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3182 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3182 Some of today’s hottest evergreen properties are celebrating milestones in their brand heritage with creative marketing plans and new products, manufacturers told TDmonthly Magazine. http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3216 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3216 When TDmonthly Magazine spoke with 40 specialty retailers about infant and toddler products, one sentiment was echoed again and again: parents and caregivers want products that are safe http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3222 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3222 TDmonthly Magazine spoke with 40 specialty retailers to find out which bath toys are making the biggest splash. More than 62 percent of retailers named products by Alex-Panline USA Inc. as the most popular in their stores. http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3223 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3223 TDmonthly Magazine spoke with 40 specialty retailers to find out which items are on their must-have list when it comes to travel items http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3214 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3214 Manufacturers: Do you want your product to be in the running for a 2008 TDmonthly Top Toy Award? http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3094 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3094 If you want to know which books to sell in your toy store, find out what the kids have to say. http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3161 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3161 With Zoobie™ Pets, what seems to be a simple stuffed animal opens to a pillow and detachable blanket. Did the moms and kids in TDmonthly Magazine’s Preschool/Early School Roundtable fall for Zoobies’ patented three-in-one concept? http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3180 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3180 TDmonthly’s Homeschool Roundtable families recently faced the challenge of Voxal, a three-dimensional puzzle that is easier to describe than assemble. Did the families conquer it? Read on... http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3189 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3189 Participants in TDmonthly Magazine’s Dolls Roundtable reviewed the Eloise doll by Alexander Doll Co. http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3191 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3191 A twist on the ancient craft of origami, I-Gami from PlaSmart Inc. awakened creativity in TDmonthly Magazine’s Grade-School Roundtable as the moms and kids who participated, despite some difficulties in disassembly, enjoyed constructing bright and educational creations. http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3207 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3207 The Knee-Rider by Danoco Corp. gained yeas and neighs from TDmonthly Magazine’s Toddler Roundtable with its innovative, interactive concept and realistic sound effects. http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3219 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3219 Things have been shaded yellow and green for TDmonthly Magazine’s Psychologist Mom, who rated the following five products with 1 to 5 TD stars (for TDmonthly!); 5 is the top mark. http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3197 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3197 Santa's hard at work on his list ... have you started yours? Find out what toys kids want in their stockings by taking a peek at TDmonthly's Holiday Preview articles http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3181 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3181 In 2004 stay-at-home mom Maureen Farinella, a former district manager for Barnes & Noble's software division, realized timing her elementary school-aged children’s required reading was difficult, as one child was a voracious reader, and the other reluctant http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3183 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3183 Want to snowboard in the summer? Ten years ago the answer would have been, “Yes, but…” Now, the answer is the Flowboard. http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3193 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3193 Glad you’re not a kid in this hooked-in, constant-access, grow-up-now world? If you were, wouldn’t you need a little help wading through society’s ethical quagmires? http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3212 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3212 Mark Salzwedel, president and CEO of Strategic Space, Inc., reflects on the history of his game design and his first year publishing tabletop games. http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3163 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3163 “Where’s my new AirBook? Did you take it again?” I yell to my shell-shocked assistant, who is looking for my super-thin notebook yet again. http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3188 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3188 Looking for amazing new toys and games by small, inventive companies that no one's discovered yet? http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3192 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3192 Going green isn’t just for fuel, detergents and paper products. Kids’ products are greening up, too. http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3209 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3209 Video games and the companies associated with them — console makers, game publishers and retailers — are on a roll. http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3224 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3224 There is little doubt that things are tough in toy land. By the end of April, my retailer panel reported declining sales by 5 percent over all categories compared to the same period last year. http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3162 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3162 Picking up from last month’s article, “Branding Toys Isn’t a Game,” we will now look at one of the 4Ps of branding: http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3177 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3177 The reason most strategic advertising and marketing does not work today is that most companies’ inside reality and outside perception do not match. http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3215 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3215 In January, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairwoman Nancy Nord scolded the toy industry for widespread failure to comply with safety laws, particularly violations of the 600 parts-per-million (ppm) federal limit on lead in surface paints and coatings. http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3220 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3220 Fourth-quarter sales are the game-breaker for independent retail businesses, but the other 75 percent of the year is just as critical, because that's when decisions are made about what product will be there for the crush of holiday shoppers. http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3190 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3190 See all the new toys we've uploaded in the last month to make your ordering easier http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3210 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3210 Toys in the mass market aimed at boys are still heavy with super powers http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3211 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3211 What's up in the mass market for girls? Lots of dolls and pink, of course http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3185 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3185 Retailers: How might you compel customers to step into your store time and time again? http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3186 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3186 The ASTRA Marketplace & Academy in June is a great place for specialty retailers to hook up with specialty toy makers. TDmonthly Magazine will be there, too http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3187 http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3187 Marketing evolves as quickly as the next car design. In TDmonthly Magazine’s June issue, learn how to leverage your marketing momentum by following a simple equation...