Retailers: Get The Toy Insider's 2023 Holiday Gift Guide for Your Specialty Store!

Want to help make your shoppers’ experience easy during the holidays? Have The Toy Insider’s Holiday Gift Guide on hand! For the first time ever, we're offering the annual guide direct to retailers. Get the details...

SDCC: LEGO Reveals Fresh Crop of Star Wars Playsets

LEGO has revealed a new collection of Star Wars buildable sets at Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) and plans to reveal more new products at the pop culture event this week. Read more…

SDCC: Hasbro to Debut New Products, Unveil Celebration Plans



In celebration of its 100th anniversary, Hasbro is leveling up in a big way at SDCC, which kicks off today at the San Diego Convention Center. The company will reveal a host of new products across numerous panels and Q&A sessions. Read more…

SDCC: Jazwares Heads to the Show with First-Ever Panel, Exclusive Squishmallows, More

For the first time ever, Jazwares will host its own SDCC panel. Collectibles connoisseur and Chief Brand Officer Jeremy Padawer will moderate the panel on Saturday. Read more at The Pop Insider…

SDCC: JAKKS Pacific, Disguise Hold Panel with Audience Giveaway

JAKKS Pacific and its costume division, Disguise, are hosting a panel to offer attendees a look at upcoming releases in licensed brands such as Super Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, and more. Read more…

Spin Master Makes Fast Company’s Best Workplace for Innovators List



Following the recent success of its Gabby’s Dollhouse collection and the unveiling of its new Bitzee virtual pet line, Spin Master has found itself on Fast Company’s 2023 Best Workplace for Innovators list. Read more…

‘Barbie: The Movie’ is Expected to Breathe New Life into Doll Sales



Barbie film fever is expected to turn the world pink and skyrocket the doll industry to an estimated $14 billion by 2027, according to the latest research from Euromonitor International. Read more…

Moose Games Acquires That's What She Said Party Game



Moose is in expansion mode, and the company’s latest acquisition for its growing Games portfolio is That’s What She Said, an adult party game where players must fill in the blank with their own cards to create the funniest, most innuendo-filled responses. Read more…

Cloudco Entertainment, Rainbow Loom Partner to Bring Care Bears to Jewelry, Craft Kits



Cloudco Entertainment, the owner of the Care Bears intellectual property (IP), and Rainbow Loom, known for its make-your-own jewelry and DIY craft kits, inked a licensing deal for a Care Bears-inspired line to hit retailers in 2024. Read more…

WiT, Gen Con Partner to Promote Women in Gaming

Women in Toys, Licensing, and Entertainment (WiT) is partnering with the annual tabletop gaming convention Gen Con to connect professional women in the tabletop gaming industry with new networks, opportunities, and shared experiences. Read more…

Miniso and Peanuts Plan to Release Variety of Product Collaborations



Miniso, known for its retail locations featuring a variety of goods such as dishware, office supplies, collectible toys, and more, inked a deal with Peanuts to create a series of collaborative products. Read more…

Step2’s Latest Toys Elevate Pretend Play with Climbers, Kitchens, and Space Swings

As the summer goes on, kids’ play habits change as they grow bored of some toys and look for new ways to play. Step2’s latest toy releases are full of pretend play for kids to shake it up this summer. Read more at The Toy Insider…

Toikido, Supersocial Launch Piñata Smashlings Roblox Game



Toikido plans to bring the Piñata Smashlings brand to a variety of products through new partnerships, from Topps trading cards to PMI Kids’ World. Now, with the recently launched Roblox game developed by Supersocial, Piñata Smashlings is finding its way to a pile of platforms. Read more…

Licensing International Names 2023 Accelerator Program Participants



Anboran, Confidence by Gabby Goodwin, World of EPI, Limelight Entertainment, Smart Zone, and WatchinU are Licensing International’s 2023 Diversity & Inclusion Accelerators. Read more…

Backstory: The Legend of the Toys “R” Us Geoffreymobile

The Toy Book opens the archives for an updated look back at a unique vehicle with ties to legendary car builders George Barris and Dick Dean, as an all-new version prepares to hit the open road on a coast-to-coast tour this week. Read more…

Super7 Reveals Private Equity Investment from The Newcastle Network

The designer and producer of pop-culture-inspired toys, collectibles, apparel, and lifestyle products received an initial $12 million investment from The Newcastle Network, an East Coast private equity firm. Read more…

U.S. Retail Sales Rise as Spending Cools

While the back half of the year remains a wild card viewed with optimism by most of the toy industry, overall retail spending points to a slowdown at the cash register amid modest growth. Read more…

Babies 'R' Us Returns to the U.S. with Flagship Store at American Dream

The flagship store is a 10,000-square-foot retail space on the first floor of the American Dream Mall in Bergen County, New Jersey. Described as “nostalgic, yet modern,” the store offers a full range of baby gear and essentials from top brands in the infant and toddler space. Read more…

CAMP Plots First Chicago Shop-and-Play Retail Experience

A Chicago CAMP location has been in the works for years, and now it’s finally happening. This summer, CAMP is opening its first shop-and-play retail experience in the Chicagoland area with a 7,500-square-foot destination in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. Read more…

Toys ‘R’ Us Geoffrey's Tour Across America Begins Today

Toys “R” Us’ Geoffrey Mobile has a long history, and now that history continues with the vehicle’s newest 2023 iteration, as the brand plans a tour for giraffe mascot Geoffrey across the U.S. Geoffrey’s Tour Across America will get its start in New York City at Macy’s flagship store at Herald Square. Read more…

Funko's Brian Mariotti to Take Leave of Absence, Cease Serving as CEO

There are changes afoot at Funko as the Washington-based purveyor of pop culture and lifestyle products revealed that Brian Mariotti is immediately taking a leave of absence and will cease serving as the company’s CEO. Read more…

Schylling Appoints Vincent Santore as Senior Vice President of Sales

In his new position, the former Spin Master exec will work with stakeholders and the organization at large to lead the sales team and encourage continued team development. Read more…

Bob Iger to Stay at the Helm of Disney Through 2026

It was a short “retirement” when Robert A. “Bob” Iger was called back into action last year to right the ship at The Walt Disney Co. Now, the Board of Directors has unanimously voted to extend Iger’s contract by another two years under which he will continue to lead the company as CEO. Read more…

Neopets Welcomes New Leadership Team, Roadmap



Neopets is restructuring once again, with a change in corporate ownership and a new roadmap designed to bring back the nostalgic pet site’s prior success. The brand will be led by Dominic Law who has previous experience with Neopets under the ownership of NetDragon Websoft. Read more…

In Memoriam: Shelley Sax-Eldridge, Stern Pinball’s Jack-of-All-Trades



Shelley Sax-Eldridge, who helped found Stern Pinball in 1986, has passed away after a brave fight with cancer. Sax-Eldridge worked alongside Founder Gary Stern for more than 40 years, wearing many hats, such as receptionist, purchasing clerk, bookkeeper, traffic manager, personnel manager, office manager, and administrative assistant. Read more…