Rubie’s Costume Company, Inc., has received the 2011 Monster High North America Rookie Licensee of the year award from Mattel.

As one of the most successful children’s licenses of last year, characters from the Monster High Costume Collection include Frankie Stein, Lagoona Blue, Cleo de Nile, Clawdeen Wolf, and Draculaura. Available in children’s, tween, and adult sizes, each character comes to life with unique designs, intricate detailing, and coordinating accessories. In addition to the colorful costumes, the line also includes wigs and make-up kits.

With the expansion of the 2012 Monster High Collection, Rubie’s continues to create costumes that reflect the characters’ unique personalities while paying homage to their cool monster heritage. As they say at Monster High, freaky just got fabulous.

Paul Frank is partnering with Babies “R” Us to launch Small Paul designs that will be available exclusively at Babies “R” Us stores nationwide beginning May 23.

Parents can now outfit tots in Small Paul apparel and accessories, available in sizes 0-5T. The line also includes Small Paul-branded bags, backpacks, footwear, and hosiery, as well as Julius plush.

Paul Frank’s Small Paul merchandise will be showcased in a dedicated shop in Babies “R” Us stores nationwide through July.

Namco Bandai Games, 41 Entertainment (“41e”), and Arad Productions have appointed several new agents in relations to the U.S. licensing and promotional efforts for the upcoming Pac-Man TV series property slated to begin broadcast on Disney XD in fall 2013.

Striker Entertainment, led by Marc Mostman and Russell Binder, will be charged with securing licensees in the key categories of apparel, accessories, footwear, health and beauty aids, oral care, and publishing. The CDM Company, headed by Mitch Junkins, will handle all consumer promotional efforts. All categories not specifically handled by Striker and CDM will be retained by the 41e team in-house. 41e will manage the overall global licensing and merchandising program, and has already granted a number of key licenses.

Stride Rite Children’s Group brings blockbuster excitement to kids with the all-new X-celeRacers by Stride Rite Marvel collection. Premiering at locations where Stride Rite shoes are sold, X-celeRacers feature superhero favorites such as Iron Man, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, and Spider-Man.
The new X-celeRacers sneaker features a strap with an adjustable closure for extraordinary fit, X-Grip with a grooved outsole for traction, Extra Flex with a lightweight outsole for agility, and lightweight cushioning for comfort.

Stride Rite will advertise the product through an integrated marketing campaign, called “Imagination” that will inspire 3- to 8-year-old boys and their moms through TV, online, and in-store. Commercials, airing on Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and Disney XD, highlight boys imagining themselves as the legendary Marvel Universe Super Heroes through the Power of X in their X-celeRacers shoes. There will also be a special X-celeRacers by Stride Rite Marvel collection Web page that will host a variety of interactive activities for moms to share with their sons.

Danilo Promotions signed with V&S Entertainment to create a line of greeting cards based on the preschool program Everything’s Rosie.

As a supplier of licensed calendars and greeting cards in the UK, Danilo Promotions plans to produce greeting cards, sound cards, calendars, gift wrap and bags, and print on demand. An initial sample of products will be released this summer, with the full line to follow next year.

As the official Global Kids’ Ambassador for World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour initiative for a second year, Zinkia Entertainment’s character Pocoyo will support the new Earth Hour 2012 “I Will if You Will” campaign by spreading Earth Hour’s message to children around the world and by participating in his own challenge.

For Pocoyo’s challenge, Zinkia has pledged to plant up to 10,000 trees—one tree for every person who goes online to play Pocoyo’s Recycling Game, which launched in February through Earth Hour’s website and the Official Pocoyo Facebook page. A pre-launch test campaign generated nearly 10,000 plays in less than one week. The trees will be planted by charity partner Trees for the Future, whose mission for this year is to plant 17 million trees worldwide.

To promote Pocoyo’s initiative, a new public service announcement featuring Pocoyo is available for on-air broadcast and online across websites and social media platforms. There will also be special Pocoyo Earth Hour activity booklets available for printing and distribution as well as Pocoyo Earth Hour screensavers and wallpapers.

Namco Bandai Games, Inc., Arad Productions, and 41 Entertainment LLC (“41e”), announced that they have granted the U.S. television rights to Disney XD for a new animated action comedy series tentatively titled Pac-Man – The Adventure Begins (26×22), set for a fall 2013 airing.

Based on the brand owned by Namco Bandai, the series is created in stereoscopic 3-D, and executive produced by Avi Arad (Spider-Man for Sony Pictures, Iron Man for Paramount, Hulk for Universal, and Fantastic Four and X-Men for 20th Century Fox) and Rick Ungar (Biker Mice from Mars for New World, X-Men Evolution for Marvel, and Legend of the Dragon for BKN).

Saban Brands has partnered with Jones & Mitchell for a Paul Frank collegiate apparel collection to be sold in college bookstores nationwide, launching this spring. Paul Frank and Jones & Mitchell will collaborate by merging Paul Frank character Julius with mascots and insignias from universities and colleges across the U.S.

Toy manufacturer Toysmith will produce a spring garden collection for children. All products will feature Paul Frank patterns and its signature color palette. The garden collection will be available from February to April.

MZ Berger has signed on for the production of Paul Frank and Power Ranger timepieces. The line will be sold in both specialty department and mid-tier stores, and Paul Frank watches are set to hit select Kohl’s stores in March.

Age Group, Ltd. will produce a daywear, swimwear, and sleepwear collection for Paul Frank. The new designs will launch nationwide this fall for juniors and women.

Bart Simpson made his New York Fashion Week debut last week. Bart Simpson-inspired fashions walked down the runway at fashion designer Jeremy Scott’s February 15 show at MILK Studios. Scott, known for designing outrageous pieces and inspired by the spirit and personality of The Simpsons, created a collection of limited-edition pieces for the fashion show. Scott has designed for stars in music and Hollywood, including Madonna, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga.

Countless licensed products made their debut at American International Toy Fair, held February 12-15 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City. Our roundup below summarizes just a portion of the new and expanding licensing programs for popular properties showcased at Toy Fair.

Ludorum’s Licensees Ride the Rails at American International Toy Fair

Chuggington will continue riding the rails into toy stores and onto TV screens this year with support from Ludorum’s licensees and Disney Junior, which will premiere the third season of Chuggington to coincide with the launch of the 24-hour Disney Junior channel on March 23. Disney now holds the rights to 46 episodes. Several of Ludorum’s licensees for Chuggington unveiled new products at the American International Toy Fair, held February 12-15 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City. Read more…

U.S. Partners Find Waldo at Toy Fair

Classic Media signed new consumer products partners for Where’s Waldo? in the U.S. The new Where’s Waldo? program will hit retail timed to Waldo’s 25th anniversary, which commences this fall. Read more…

Moshi Monsters Mania to Hit U.S. Retail

Moshi Monsters fans will soon be able to hold their virtual characters in their hands, hug them in their arms, and wear them on their bodies. Mind Candy, the entertainment firm behind the global children’s property, is launching a huge Moshi Monsters merchandising program in the U.S., set to hit mass-market and specialty stores nationwide beginning Q1. Read more…

Classic Media and Pressman Toy Introduce Tinga Tinga Tales Board Games

Pressman Toy Corporation signed a licensing deal with Classic Media to develop games based on the new preschool series Tinga Tinga Tales. Pressman Toy’s games will be available at mass and specialty retailers nationwide in August. Read more…

Mr. Potato Head Rises at Toy Fair

Warner Bros. Consumer Products announced new partnerships timed to coincide with Toy Fair. WBCP awarded The Bridge Direct, Inc. the master toy license for Looney Tunes. WBCP also partnered with Wonder Forge for preschool products, which will include DC Super Friends. Both companies previewed their lines at the American International Toy Fair. WBCP also partnered with PPW Toys, under a licensing agreement with Hasbro, Inc., to launch a line of Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head figures. Read more…

Official Marvel Colognes and Perfume Launch at Toy Fair

Jads International, LLC debuted its line of Marvel prestige colognes and perfumes at Toy Fair in New York City. The Avengers Cologne Set, Black Widow Perfume, Infinity Formula for Men, and Mischief Cologne will be available to the public in April in the U.S. and Canada. Read more…

New Tetris-Themed Products Introduced at Toy Fair

The Tetris Company, LLC, the exclusive licensor of the Tetris brand, and its merchandising agent, Licensing Works!, announced several new Tetris-themed products from licensees Techno Source, Paladone, and Fundex, which showcased their new Tetris products at Toy Fair. Read more…

Jakks Pacific Sings a New Tune with Deal for Toys Inspired by Songify App

Jacks Pacific signed a license agreement with Khush, a developer of intelligent music applications, to create a new product inspired by the Songify app. Songify, developed in part by YouTube sensations The Gregory Brothers along with Khush, launched this past summer as the first mobile app that turns speech into music instantly. Jakks Pacific plans to bring the technology to the toy aisle this summer. Read more…

Hasbro Scores a Direct “Hit” with Gaming and Toys from Universal Pictures’ Battleship

Hasbro, Inc. will turn one of its timeless brands into a multimedia entertainment property this year with the release of Universal Pictures’ epic action-adventure Battleship. Hasbro will augment the experience of the film with an action-packed line of Battleship-themed toys—both in the gaming realm, where the Battleship brand originated, and in a brand new line of Kre-O building sets—as well as an expansive line of licensed goods, several of which debuted at Toy Fair. Read more…

Jakks Pacific Sings a New Tune with Deal for Toys Inspired by Songify App

Jacks Pacific signed a license agreement with Khush, a developer of intelligent music applications, to create a new product inspired by the Songify app. Songify, developed in part by YouTube sensations The Gregory Brothers along with Khush, launched this past summer as the first mobile app that turns speech into music instantly. Jakks Pacific plans to bring the technology to the toy aisle this summer. Read more…

Nickelodeon and Partners Unveil New Products at Toy Fair

Nickelodeon unveiled products for both new and established properties at Toy Fair, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Winx Club, Team Umizoomi, Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Victorious. Read more…