U.S. Open Welcomes Uglydoll Characters

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) and Uglydoll announced today their partnership to create three limited-edition tennis-themed Uglydoll characters that will be available during this year’s U.S. Open, held in New York August 29-September 11.

The characters Ox, Big Toe, and Trunko will come with their own tennis-inspired narrative that will provide consumers with a unique and fun way to share their passion for tennis. The plush toy collection will be featured in three sizes. The toys will be available at U.S. Open event retail shops beginning August 23 and are now available at the FAO Schwarz Fifth Avenue store. Consumers also will be able to purchase the merchandise online at www.uglydolls.com and www.usopenshop.org.

Jakks Pacific to Acquire Moose Mountain Toymakers

Jakks Pacific, Inc. has entered into an agreement to acquire Hong Kong-based Moose Mountain Toymakers Limited, which sells and manufactures sports arcade products, foot-to-floor ride-ons, tents, safe soft-play environments, arcade pinball games, and wagons.

Jakks Pacific will acquire all of the shares of stock of Moose Mountain, a 15-year-old, privately held company, and its Parsippany, NJ-based affiliate, Moose Mountain Marketing, Inc. The business includes licenses for well-known characters and brands, and its children’s product lines are complementary to Jakks Pacific’s product portfolio.

The transaction is scheduled to close in the third quarter of 2011, subject to third-party approvals and other customary closing conditions.

Smack Sportswear Signs Licensing Deal with National Volleyball League

Smack Sportswear (Smack), a brand of custom-designed volleyball apparel for both indoor and beach volleyball players alike, has signed a licensing deal with the National Volleyball League (NVL), the U.S.’s new professional beach volleyball tour.

Smack will design and manufacture the NVL’s licensed beach and fan wear. The NVL licensed apparel will be sold at events, VBSuperstore.com, and many volleyball specialty stores nationwide.

—Melissa Tinklepaugh

Pretty Ugly, LLC, is releasing new Uglydoll products throughout the summer and fall, including two new dolls, Ikoy Yoki and Heu Googeuy, available later this month in three sizes.

Numbered editions of the Citizens of the Uglyverse will release this summer and fall as 9-inch tall dolls. This collection features the behind-the-scenes characters in Uglyverse: “The moms and pops, the fella behind the counter, the working stiffs, and the cogs in the machine… you know… you and me! Sure the pretty hero types get all the glory, but we bake the cakes and get the dealios done, so now it’s our time for some spotlight,” according to the release.

Other products include Uglybag Drawstring Tote Bags that will premiere at the San Diego Comic Convention this month. The totes come in four styles that will be available in September. Random House will release a hardcover Uglydoll children’s book in September, titled What Dat? The Great Big Ugly Book of Things to Look At, Search For, and Wonder About. Wind-up Uglydolls that hop, flip, walk, sneak, and swim will be available this month in 12 styles, and Badge Bomb Buttons are available now.

Lost in the packing and unpacking of boxes over here was the news that a new Uglydoll was released, which to us is kind of like when they pick a new Pope, but, you know, with Uglydolls.

Meet Suddy. Here’s her description:

“Suddy is a very busy girl with a lot going on. She’s got no time for slow pokes and doesn’t want to wait around for laggards. If you want to keep up with her, you’ll have to live life in the fast lane. That means waking up in the morning and lived your life to the fullest! But what does that mean? It means she loves you and also candy.”

Suddy loves candy and we love Suddy, but that doesn’t mean we love candy. Candy is a sometime food. Suddy is an all-the-time friend. Write it down. We just did.

The Licensing Book just got wind of the coolest news we’ve heard all day. In fact, it may be the coolest news we’ve heard ever.

Through a collaboration with Mighty Fine, you can now design your own Uglydoll T-shirts online! You can design shirts for the men, women, kids, or toddlers in your life, or design a whole bunch of them just for yourself (which is what I plan to do).

Once you get to the main website, towards the bottom is a little area on the Uglydoll map that says Tee Shirt Factory. Once you’re in the Tee Shirt Factory, you can choose men, women, kids, or toddlers. From there, things only get more exciting!

You can choose from great graphics including different Uglydoll characters and faces, and make your character say things like “I heart ….” Or “I DON’T heart….” with a bunch of little icons to fill in for what you do and don’t love.

Other things to choose include T-shirt colors and the size and placement of the design you’ve created.

The awesomeness of the invention cannot be adequately expressed here. You must go to the site and try it for yourself.

I have a pretty good idea where most of my paycheck will be going this month….

—Jennifer Sinclair