WowWee’s My Avastars Expand at Retail for the Holiday Season



My Avastars, the “Avatar Stars of the Metaverse,” are officially available at retail. Following a formal unveiling at The Toy Insider’s Sweet Suite event this summer, the doll line from WowWee is available at Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Additionally, WowWee partnered with Toys “R” Us at Macy’s to launch HYPEGIRRRL_77, a premium My Avastars doll that includes more than 1,000 looks. Read more…

MGA Entertainment’s Rainbow High Celebrates Dia de Los Muertos

A new Dia de los Muertos-themed doll is joining the Rainbow High Celebrations Collection, which first launched in January with the Chinese New Year doll. The doll, named Maria Garcia, is themed around the Mexican holiday that celebrates the dead. Read more…

Learning Resources Enters the Pet Industry with Brightkins Pet Toys



Learning Resources is expanding into the pet industry. Brightkins, the company’s new line of 13 pet toys, includes training activity kits, toys that dispense treats, and treat puzzles. Learning Resources hopes to engage both the pet and the family with these new products. Read more…

Exclusive: Nacelle Co. Reveals Plans for Sectaurs Wave 2



The Warriors of Symbion are expanding their ranks. Following a successful preorder campaign for the first wave of action figures from the relaunched Sectaurs brand, a second wave of figures is planned to debut in the first quarter of next year. Sneak a peek…

Create A Castle Scores a ‘Shark Tank’ Deal



Kevin and Laurie Lane are building Create A Castle to new heights. The creators of the award-winning brand of construction sets and tools for building castles out of sand and snow scored the support of guest shark Kendra Scott on last week’s episode of ABC’s Shark Tank. Find out more…

You Can Try on This Year’s Hottest Disguise Halloween Costumes with Snapchat



Going out to buy Halloween costumes can be a stressful experience. Snap, Inc., is teaming up with Disguise to bring an augmented reality costume shopping experience to Snapchat just in time for Halloween. Learn how at The Pop Insider…

Licensing Expo Announces June 2023 Date and Reveals Fashion Theme



Licensing Expo will take place from June 13-15, 2023, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. The show also announced that next year’s theme would be Fashion. This theme builds on last year’s Brand Licensing Europe theme that showcased collaborations from Balmain, HYPE, H&M, and more, with brands including Mattel’s Barbie, SEGA, Teletubbies, and Kellogg’s hitting the runway. Read more…

Mattel, Cryptoys Reveal Release Plan for Masters of the Universe NFTs

The Power of Grayskull is going digital. The Masters of the Universe series, a first in a collection of collaborative drops from Cryptoys and Mattel, will be released on Nov. 9. The collectible, playable non-fungible token (NFT) line will include a range of popular characters from the franchise. Check it out…

Cats vs Pickles Causes ‘Mayhem’ with Card Game Kickstarter Campaign



After almost three years on the market, independent toy company Cepia is taking its hot property Cats vs Pickles and turning it into a card game. This time, instead of simply releasing the item to market, Cepia turned to Kickstarter to launch Cats vs Pickles: Mayhem, a game of cats, chaos, and crazy pickles. Get ready to game…

Radio Flyer Introduces Flyer Folding Cargo Electric Bike



Radio Flyer is continuing to innovate. The 105-year-old company behind the iconic Little Red Wagon is expanding on the successful launch of its Flyer electric bike line with the introduction of a new folding bike. Check out the specs…

Nickelodeon, Republic Records: Kids & Family Come Together for Worldwide Music Deal



Nickelodeon and Republic Records: Kids & Family are partnering up for musical endeavors, starting with a first album release for the upcoming Blue’s Clues & You! movie. Republic Records, owned by Universal Music Group, launched its Kids & Family division in August. Read more…

Mattel’s ‘Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go’ Renewed for Two More Seasons

Thomas & Friends will ride the rails for at least two more seasons. Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go rebooted the long-running series in its 26th season and will continue chugging along in its current form for seasons 27 and 28. Check it out…

Epic Storyworlds Launches Online Studio Experience Focused on ‘Roblox’



Kids content creation company Epic Storyworlds is launching Freeground, an online studio experience focused on fan engagement through experiences centered around popular game platform Roblox. Freeground’s first collaboration will be with Falcon’s Beyond and will feature an entertainment destination, including a theme park and games based on Katmandu intellectual property (IP). Read more…

Spielwarenmesse Reveals Three New Toy Trends for 2023



Spielwarenmesse has identified three different global toy trends for next year through the work of its TrendCommittee — Discover!, Brands For Fans, and MetaToys. Trade visitors can learn more about these new trends at Spielwarenmesse, which takes place at the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre from Feb. 1-5. Read more…

Experience Fan-Favorites Like Never Before with Star Wars and Jurassic World Koosh Cameos

Tactile Koosh balls date back to the ’80s, but the retro toys are coming back big time as some of kids’ favorite pop culture characters. PlayMonster is debuting the new Koosh Cameos line with four designs inspired by Jurassic World and Star Wars’ The Mandalorian. Read more…

FAO Schwarz Celebrates 160 Years with Exclusive Limited-Run Schleich T-Rex



FAO Schwarz is celebrating 160 years by partnering with Schleich to release a figure of the only animal that makes sense for such a monstrous anniversary: the king of the Jurassic period, the T-Rex. Read more…

Toikido, Gary Vee Launch VeeFriends Collectible Line with Macy’s, Toys ‘R’ Us



The rebooted Toys “R” Us has its first major exclusive. VeeFriends is set to launch its first-ever limited series of collectible characters at Macy’s and Toys “R” Us, transforming the characters from digital non-fungible tokens (NFTs) into physical collectibles. Read more…

Raising the Bar: The Importance of Influencer Contracts



The Toy Book shines a light on influencers, who provide valuable customer lead generation. These social media content creators are a significant component of today’s marketing strategy; however, the system can sour if a company does not have clear contracts for its influencer network operations. Learn more…

Foodie Finds in the Toy Aisle

The Toy Book takes a look at food-themed toys, which retailers are stocking up on quicker than you can find fresh produce at the grocery store. Toymakers are getting creative with fresh foodie toys across multiple categories, including playsets, games, collectibles, dolls, and plush. Make sure to add these items to your list…

Toy Association Perspectives: Get Ready for Toy Safety Awareness Month



The Toy Association’s Toy Safety Awareness Month is set to take place once again this November, as the holiday shopping season gets underway, and the toy community is invited to be a part of the conversation. Find out how…

Jeff Pinkser Returns to University Games



Jeff Pinsker rejoined University Games on Oct. 1 in the newly created role of executive vice president. Pinsker began his toy industry career as a product manager at University Games in 1991. During his nine-year run at the company, he moved up through the ranks to become marketing manager, general manager, and then president of the company. Read more…