Pillow Pets is releasing new plush foldable stuffed animals of characters from Nickelodeon, DreamWorks Animation, and Disney, among others. The newest Pillow Pets plush lines include Thomas the Tank Engine, Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Shrek and Donkey. Pillow Pets’ Disney plush characters include Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Lightning McQueen (Cars), and Tow Mater (Cars). Additional new characters and styles will be introduced at Toy Fair 2012.

CJ Products offers Pillow Pets plush in a premium line for specialty retailers and a standard line for the mass marketplace. The Pillow Pets Premium plush line features softer, more luxurious fabrics and special “collector-level” branding, including an exclusive tag. The premium styles are exclusive to specialty retailers for a limited time and then introduced to the mass market as new premium styles are created.

“The premium line allows specialty retailers to offer new Pillow Pets plush before they hit the mass market,” said Jennifer Telfer, CEO of CJ Products, LLC. “This enables them to be the go-to purchasing destination for the first wave of styles.”

IDW and Nickelodeon have stated a long-term commitment to revitalize the universe of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics and graphic novels It’s all part of a larger initiative to bring Turtles to a new generation of fans, starting with these new story lines that recapture the magic of the original Turtles comics and continuing in 2012, when Nickelodeon will premiere a new CG-animated version of the wildly popular Turtles franchise.

If the Turtle franchise is being revitalized and will hit the small screen soon, then I bet that a new Turtles movie won’t be far behind.

—Melissa Tinklepaugh

Walt Disney Co.

Disney bought Marvel in 2009, but Viacom Inc.’s Paramount Pictures released Marvel’s Thor and Captain America in a deal that ended this year. Disney will release Marvel’s The Avengers next spring.

Nickelodeon Consumer Products (NCP) also announced company changes this week. NCP, a division of Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN), plans to take its Canadian licensing and merchandising business in-house as of October 1. NCP Canada’s Toronto-based office will exclusively represent VIMN’s portfolio of properties and brands, including Nickelodeon, MTV, and Comedy Central, and manage all operations and retail and licensee relationships for NCP.

FremantleMedia Enterprises will launch the animated franchise Monsuno, targeting boys ages 6-11, on Nicktoons in the U.S. in Spring 2012. The show will be supported with a toy line from Jakks Pacific. Nickelodeon will launch the series on its channels in Latin America, the U.K., “key” European and Eastern European territories, Australia and New Zealand, India, Southeast Asia, Russia, and Africa. Darn near everywhere, basically.

This is just another salvo in the battle for boys ages 6-11 using animated programs, a battle the Wall Street Journal’s Amy Chozick covered quite well last week.

On the actual stage, Warner Bros. kicked off a four-year Batman Live! world tour in the UK with a performance in the Manchester Evening News Arena. Two and a half years in the making, and without the overblown drama of the Spider-Man musical, the show (which is not a musical) kicked off without a hitch. Batman Live! is the origin story of Robin, and how he becomes Batman’s crime-fighting partner.

The show will cross the UK and Ireland and then mainland Europe before landing in North America in 2012.

Anthony Van Laast, the show’s creative director, was happy the show went off without a hitch after its long journey from concept to reality. “I think the best moment was one child came up to me and said it was like watching a movie live in 3-D,” he told Sky News’s Jane Witherspoon.

In other stage show news, M!ke Licensing has been appointed as the exclusive licensee for StinkyKids to create StinkyKids The Musical.

The musical (which will not stink) is slated to launch in early 2012, and will be geared toward boys, girls, and families. M!KE Licensing is currently seeking licensees in categories including toys/games, coloring books, jewelry, stickers, keychains, puzzles, gift and novelty, party paper products, apparel and accessories.

Finally, there’s big screen news from Cartoon Network, which announced that it has hired Transformers producer Don Murphy to develop a live-action movie based on Captain Planet, the 1990s animated superhero/environmentalist.

—Bryan Joiner

The comics are part of a larger initiative to bring the heroes in a half shell to a new generation of fans.

Nickelodeon will premiere a CG-animated version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in fourth quarter 2012.

Barnes & Noble is now offering a dozen interactive NOOK Kids Nickelodeon titles, and will expand to more than 20 next month.

The presentation was set to begin with Victoria Justice, star of Victorious, debuting her new single, “Beggin’ on Your Knees.” Guest appearances were scheduled by iCarly stars Miranda Cosgrove and Jerry Trainor (who is the voice of Nick’s T.U.F.F. Puppy); Nick alumnus Kenan Thompson, currently of Saturday Night Live; Jason Biggs, who will voice Leonardo in the new CG-animated version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; and Jennifer Hudson and Raphael Saadiq, who were set to close the event with a cover of the Motown classic “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” and performances of their latest two singles, respectively, “Where You At” and “Radio.”

At the upfront Nick announced that it is expected to close Q1 2011 as basic cable’s No. 1 network in total day with kids 2-11, 6-11 and total viewers and post its best quarter ever with total viewers.

Additionally, Unilever has renewed its deal for toothpaste for Turkey and Northern Cyprus, and Pentra has signed on as a SpongeBob licensee for a range of bags, backpacks, badges and charms, mobile cases, clocks, lamps, mugs, and stationery for Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

Nick Stars Perform at the Parade

The 84^th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will see several Nickelodeon stars offering “mini concerts” at the event. Big Time Rush will perform on the Hess’s Bridge to the Future float and Victoria Justice—from Victorious fame—will perform on the Build-A-Bear Workshop’s International Cele-bear-ation Clock Tower float. Grammy Award-winning India Arie will even belt out her Emmy-nominated song “”Nochebuena” on the Dora the Explorer float.

What’s New?

Although they won’t be singing as far as I know, the Samurai Power Rangers will make their first public appearance at the parade when they walk with the Planet Earth balloon. Additionally, Po the Panda, from Kung Fu Panda, will make his balloon debut.

—Mackenzie Allison

The new guides use GPS technology to provide parents with a fun way to navigate a family road trip. Infused with ParentsConnect.com’s detailed lists of great restaurants, hotels, parks, and shops from all over the United States, the guides are specifically engineered to help parents answer the age old question, “What can I do and where can I go with the kids?”
Nickelodeon – Swell Family Destinations with SpongeBob powered by ParentsConnect includes tens of thousands of family-friendly locations across the country. Each listing comes with a brief, detailed review and description, operating hours, cost, and more. Simply choose one of SpongeBob’s favorite places and the GPS will guide the car to the location using SpongeBob’s voice. Nickelodeon – Dora the Explorer’s Guide to Family Adventures powered by ParentsConnect includes the same rich content, but with the voice and trademark phrases of Dora the Explorer.
Both options are available now at Amazon.com, Fry’s Electronics, nickshop.com, and other on-line retailers.