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.

These new licensees join existing Where’s Waldo? partners, including Candlewick Press (publishing), Ludia (Apple mobile games), Gameloft (mobile games excluding Apple platforms), and Elope (costumes). Many of these licensees showed Where’s Waldo products at Toy Fair.

Techno Source, a division of LF Products and part of Li & Fung Limited, will be developing innovative Where’s Waldo? board games, puzzles, card games, and novelty items, including the original Where’s Waldo? search-and-find glitter wands.

Concept One Accessories will develop a diverse line of Where’s Waldo? fashion accessories for a wide variety of consumers. They will launch Where’s Waldo? bags, headwear, belts, wallets, and slippers that appeal to juniors, young men, and tweens.

Jem Sportswear and Awake will develop a line of fashion forward Where’s Waldo? fashion tops across all their divisions, including men, juniors, boys, and girls.

Alexander Doll Company, Inc. will commemorate Where’s Waldo’s 25th anniversary with a line of limited-edition dolls. The company will develop a collectible version of Where’s Waldo? soft dolls, vinyl dolls, and dolls with coordinating Where’s Waldo? accessories.

Virtual Greats will launch Where’s Waldo? virtual items online to reach a growing global virtual goods market. They can be purchased as virtual gifts/collectibles, or as elements used to enhance/accessorize user avatars and/or digital worlds.

Skinit, Inc. launched Where’s Waldo? electronic skins in November. The covers, referred to as “skins,” can be applied to a broad range of devices, including smartphones, laptops, MP3 players, gaming consoles, and everything in between.

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.

Tomy, Ludorum’s master toy partner for Chuggington, led the way with the introduction of an all-new track system for its Chuggington Die-Cast Railway. The system enables fans to build track layouts vertically for the first time by providing the stability required to achieve tall, spiraling layouts. Easy to connect and simple enough for preschoolers to build on their own, the new track system is a durable and sturdy solution for adding elevation to train sets and creating action. Tomy’s Chuggington Wooden Railway system will be augmented with new engines or “chuggers” based on the characters who will appear in the new Chuggington episodes premiering this year on Disney Junior. Feature-packed starter train sets, buildings, and tunnels will debut at key price points. All are made with classic, high-quality wood construction, which is compatible with other major wooden railway toys.

Other Chuggington licensees at Toy Fair:

• Playhut exhibited a Wilson play tent from its 2012 line
• Little Kids introduced Chuggington bubbles and bubble toys, including the Chuggington Bubble Train Whistle and the Chuggington Light-Up Bubble Chugger
• Hedstrom displayed new Chuggington playballs
• Mega Brands introduced Chuggington Mega Bloks line, which includes four sets and six buildable chuggers
• Modern Publishing showed Chuggington titles in its coloring and activity lines
• Publications International showcased its line of Chuggington electronic sound books
• Bendon Publishing introduced a proprietary publishing line as well as educational workbooks based on Chuggington’s Training Times lessons
• Trends International unveiled a Chuggington sticker line with a Sticker Flip Pack and a Sticker Dimensional Scene at the show
• Cardinal Industries, Inc. introduced additional puzzles to its Chuggington line
• Ravensburger debuted seven puzzles, including Chuggington: Four Seasons, a set of four puzzles in a collectible tin that helps teach children about the seasons; and Traintastic Crew, a 40-piece puzzleballfeaturing the colorful world of Chuggington
• Wonder Forge showcased its line of Chuggington games

American International Toy Fair, held in New York City at the Javits Center every February, is always a blast, and this year’s event did not disappoint. Below is only a snapshot of the interesting people, places, and things the editors of Adventure Publishing Group saw at the fair. So click away, and see you next year!

Tons of pictures after the jump!

Read the rest of this entry »

Licensing@Russia, the new expo that will take place in Moscow on March 14–16, has unveiled the floor and location plan. The event, which incorporates a trade show, conference, seminars, property presentations, and networking events, will run in the same pavilion and in the next-door hall of the Crocus Expo Centre as Toys & Kids Russia. In addition, Licensing@Russia will also run concurrently with the Skrepka Stationery Fair.

According to organizer Goran Krnjak, interest is running extremely high. “Since announcing the move to Russia we have been dealing with constant demands for information from the international licensing community,” Krnjak says.

Licensing@Russia presents an opportunity for anyone looking to become acquainted with the potential offered by the Russian licensing sector. The timing of the event also gives visitors the chance to enhance the value of their visit by attending a number of shows and tapping into the depth of expertise that will be available. For more information, visit www.licensingshowrussia.com or contact Goran Krnjak (goran@creata.hr).

New York City is slated to become the next stop on the global licensing circuit as the Toy Industry Association (TIA) launches its new Brand & Entertainment Showcase in February. Co-located with the 109^th American International Toy Fair, February 12-15, the showcase offers an impactful and convenient content connection for entertainment licensors and brand owners alike. The event provides opportunities for exclusive access to top-tier media, marketing agencies, and an audience of 30,000+ tradeshow guests from more than 90 countries. Adventure Publishing Group is the exclusive media partner of the Brand & Entertainment Showcase.

The new Brand & Entertainment Showcase satisfies increased demands from the licensing community to collaborate in a formalized setting at the show. Content providers will be able to simply show up and show off in small, private meeting spaces or large, public theaters. Turnkey presentation solutions and an audience of marketers ensure that all participants’ needs will be met.

As the largest and most important gathering for youth entertainment in the Western Hemisphere, Toy Fair last year welcomed an unprecedented surge in entertainment executives (+31 percent) and licensors (+8 percent). In 2010, licensed toys represented 25 percent of total industry sales.  In addition, the co-located Brand & Entertainment Showcase gives participants access to the important ancillary advertising, marketing, and promotion-oriented industries that are concentrated in and around the media epicenter of the world.

Adventure Publishing’s signature publications—The Licensing Book and The Toy Book—and its online communities will be a primary conduit of information and updates about the Showcase to the global community, and the key vehicles for brand advertisers during the event itself.

For more information about participating in TIA’s Brand and Entertainment Showcase, contact Jennifer Coleman, sales executive and producer (973.760.8181, jennifer@jcinc.biz); for information about advertising opportunities, please contact Jonathan Samet at Adventure Publishing (212.575.4510, jsamet@adventurepub.com).

Dress up your imagination with Rubie’s at Fall Toy Preview. The 2012 collection from the Rubie’s Dress Up Division will be on display from October 4-6 at Booth 501, on the 12th floor of Dallas Market Center. Make an appointment by calling 516-326-1500.

American Idol fans take note: a new book, cataloguing the past 10 years of the groundbreaking show, is now available. Licensed by FremantleMedia Enterprises and published by Abrams Image, American Idol: Celebrating 10 Years (The Official Backstage Pass) is designed as a yearbook and takes readers through each season up to the 2010 “class.” Know what Kelly Clarkson’s profession was prior to her American Idol fame or Fantasia’s biggest hit on the show? Find out this and more with the new book.

In other American Idol news, remember Brian Dunkleman? Well, he was Ryan Seacrest’s co-host on the first season of American Idol. He famously walked away from the show after the first season and, well, yeah…

My colleague Elizabeth Reid of The Toy Book and I got to meet Mr. Dunkleman at Toy Fair a few weeks ago while he was promoting Sky Ball League—a new coed game that combines basketball, volleyball and handball. Starting next month, the company will visit several U.S. cities with a televised competition looking for the best Sky Ball players. Elizabeth and I were not aware our interview with Dunkleman was being taped, but it was and here is the proof:  watch?v=ySSh9qKSSLw

Yesterday, I told you about some cool games that made their debut at Toy Fair. Today I bring you dolls and plush.

I remember as a kid, I had a teddy bear named Radar—the same name as Big Bird’s teddy bear on Sesame Street. As far as I know, the bear was not based on any particular movie, book or TV show and now, after years of love, it is quite worn out and barely even looks like a bear anymore. Kids today have the opportunity to take their favorite characters home with them in the form of cuddly plush and adorable dolls.

A few new licensed items in the plush and dolls categories include a Girl Scouts collection under the Adora brand from Charisma, and three new 18-inch dolls will be added to the Wizard of Oz collection. Both product lines will be available mid 2011.

Zoobies is also expanding its Eric Carle offerings and adding products featuring the Big Red Dog, Clifford.

Of course, we will bring you more on Toy Fair soon!

-Mackenzie Allison

Imagine a brightly lit, stadium-sized room filled with toys. Imagine four days walking down aisle after aisle of the hottest items to hit shelves in 2011, including adorable plush, every gadget and gizmo known to man, games, games and more games and even encountering a mascot or two. No, this wasn’t the best dream EVER, it was Toy Fair 2011 held at the Javits Center in New York City. This is where the toy industry comes to meet every year and show off what will inevitably be on every kids wish list come holiday season.

It’s a hard job, but someone has to do it and here are just a few of the hottest licensed products at Toy Fair.

GAMES

Bringing Home a Bit of Primetime TV and Big Screen Fun
Test your knowledge of everything Jersey Shore with a new trivia game from Cardinal Games. The new game, which hits shelves in March, is the perfect opportunity to impress your friends–and co-workers–with your knowledge of the MTV series.  Think the questions on Million Dollar Money Drop are a cinch? Well, the company will also debut a new board game based on the hit Fox show.

Pressman Toy is getting on the Smurf train with several new products based on the Columbia Pictures’ release, which hits theaters in August. The lineup includes a matching game, Race to Smurfs Village and a bingo-style game. Other big (and small) screen releases that translate to new product include an action-style game for Green Lantern, a Modern Family trivia game, and a new game for Happy Feet 2, where players fish for penguins.

From USAopoly, Pirates of the Caribbean will get a Yahtzee twist this year, as well as Glee and Family Guy. Other new products include Muppets Monopoly, Glee Cranium and a Three Stooges Yahtzee game.

There was so much to see at Toy Fair and this is just the first entry in our series on Toy Fair news. Stay tuned for more!

–Mackenzie Allison

The University of Missouri, my alma mater, is known for two things: having the first—and best—journalism school in the country and the distinction of having Brad Pitt as a former student…although he opted for Hollywood over earning a degree. However, the school has several other notable programs of study and a few more famous grads, including Beetle Bailey creator Mort Walker. A large statue of his iconic comic strip character even welcomes visitors to the Alumni Center.

I was instantly reminded of my days at “Mizzou” when I heard about the new clothing line inspired by Mr. Bailey. The Americana and military-infused menswear and accessories collection was created by fashion designers Darren Romanelli and Hitoshi Tsujimoto in conjunction with King Features Syndicate. The limited-edition line will be unveiled at PROJECT New York January 16-18.

As an added bonus, the fashion industry will salute Beetle Bailey with a comic strip retrospective exhibit and a special appearance by Mort Walker.

I wonder if Mr. Walker considers himself a trendsetter? I would love to see his fashion tips in the next alumni newsletter.

-Mackenzie Allison