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Enticing the video game crowd back to the toy aisle is tough these days, so piquing retailers' interests in a category like remote control takes more than just a snazzy [...]

Dress the part. Spooky signs, sweepstakes and an eclectic merchandise mix are all tactics for selling product during one of the biggest shopping events of the year: Halloween. But what [...]

NEW YORK -- As toy sales in the U.S. retail universe, by most accounts, have been declining over the past few years, there is somewhat of a countertrend in the [...]

Children's Television Workshop (CTW) has granted licenses to firms in over 30 countries to produce books, toys and audio products featuring characters of its Sesame Street television program. The total number of licensees reached 350 as 15 more US firms were granted licenses. Tyco is CTW's major licensee for infant and preschool toys, while Sony partnered with Sesame Street licensees to produce premiums, coupons and other promotions to support its Sesame Street audio, video, and book and tape line., Since the inception of its licensed product program in 1970, CTW has worked with such industry giants as Tyco, Fisher-Price and Hasbro, as well as numerous innovative smaller companies. Today, [...]

TiVo it! That's one option for parents looking for educational programming for their kids. The system, which allows viewers to record up to 80 hours of programming off the television, [...]

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that innovation is the lifeblood of any growing industry, and nothing could be more accurate than describing innovation as the driving force [...]

Cliff Annicelli, Editor-in-Chief Is Sears' effort the start of a toy shopping resurgence? Igrew up in New Jersey. And because that growing up was done in the New Jersey of [...]

By Brent Felgner Focused and more measured in tone, TIA works to win converts When the Toy Industry Association decided to move the October Fall Toy Preview to Dallas after [...]

By Cliff Annicelli In a world where independent retailers are so regularly tossed aside for branches of deeper-pocketed chains, it's heartening to find that, yes, there are still long-lived specialty [...]

By Cliff Annicelli The 11th annual Toy & Game Industry Conference convened last month outside of Pittsburgh. It was a smaller affair than in years past, but for those toy [...]

By Cliff Annicelli A peek at the playthings on display at this month's Fall Toy Preview Alex 2008 is shaping up to be the year Alex, Northvale, N.J., tells kids [...]

By Karyn M. Peterson What retailers are doing to protect customers-and their businesses Ever since this summer's recalls involving China-made playthings, the mainstream media has been stoking a frenzy of [...]

By Tina Benitez American toy manufacturers grapple with the realities of stepping up quality control efforts at factories in China. Toy testing has always been a vital step in Hasbro's [...]

By Karyn M. Peterson Homegrown toy companies make a play for China-wary consumers Dean Helfer, Jr., is having a very, very good year. The president and founder of Charleroi, Pa.-based [...]

By Karyn M. Peterson Kids' accessories help toy retailers diversify Walk into any specialty toy store these days and you're bound to see a lot of exciting product for kids [...]

By Pamela Brill Toy retailers diversify with European designed or inspired playthings Move over, USA. It's time to make way for preschool toys from across the pond-and beyond. The movement [...]

By Tina Benitez Pretend play makers find there's no license necessary for success Dr. Allison Mullady, a Ph.D. in early childhood education from Arizona State University and former preschool and [...]

By Lisa Everitt Gentler action figures appeal to violence-averse parents Toy makers have gone on a heroic quest to serve a different action figure market-one in which the figure is [...]

By Staff Saley Exits KB Toys KB Toys appointed retail veteran Andrew Bailen as president and chief executive officer, replacing Gregory R. Staley, the retailer's CEO for the past two [...]

By Karyn M. Peterson Religious toys find their calling at retail Creating quality, well-designed toys is a hallmark of specialty manufacturers. That dedication-and a focus on family-friendly, educational products-has seen [...]

By Tina Benitez Multicultural toys celebrate people from around the globe When Mia Galison was 10 years old, she always played with a collection of small, plastic dolls that represented [...]

By Karyn M. Peterson Key brands promote self-esteem, empowerment When I was young, lots of role models could be found among my favorite toys. Princess Leia fought for peace and [...]

By Staff Discovery Channel stores liquidate Discovery Channel Stores, headquartered in Silver Springs, Md., will close all 103 of its mall-based and stand-alone locations in favor of partnerships with major [...]

By Karyn M. Peterson How plush companies are keeping the category fresh for today's kids I confess. Though I'm happily married to my husband of seven years, there's another guy [...]

By Karyn M. Peterson Popular gift companies court toy retailers What do Rich Frog Industries, Jack Rabbit Creations, Petra Toys and Noted* have in common? For starters, they won't be [...]

By Staff A 'TRU' party Dream of getting birthday greetings from Geoffrey the Giraffe, hunting for dinosaurs or having a disco party in a toy store? Toys 'R' Us Times [...]

By Jane Kitchen In today's toy market, less can be more when it comes to learning products for infants and toddlers Because infants and toddlers have limited abilities when it [...]

By Staff R/C knock-offs switched off Silverlit Toys Manufactory and Spin Master, Silverlit's North American distribution partner, won a preliminary injunction against Hobbytron.com stopping the importation and distribution of knock-off [...]

By Cliff Annicelli, Editor Where have all the outdoor toys gone? As an adult, the toys that most strongly inspire me to want to be a kid again are outdoor [...]

By Tina Benitez Designer toys for fashionable collectors Toys designed by elite or underground artists--like a bright orange, vinyl dog figure; a colorful, plush Shiitake mushroom; or a line of [...]

By Cliff Annicelli The world's largest toy show: bigger and better There's no toy show anywhere in the world as overwhelming--and at the same time as convenient--as the Spielwarenmesse International [...]

By Daniele Caroli A stronger economy helps its kid businesses rebound There were positive signals in Italy at the end of 2006. Though facing concrete difficulties, the toy sector still [...]

By Nancy Zwiers Girls' love for pet playthings knows no bounds From Web sites and electronics that let kids care for 'virtual' pets to life-like pet plush and figurines, the [...]

By Pamela Brill Makers of outdoor toys give kids reasons to get up and out of the house As the calendar turns to spring, it brings the promise of warmer [...]

By Jane Kitchen Ride-on toys keep chugging along in sales Ride-on toys are returning to the classics this year, with manufacturers looking to combine nostalgic lines with today's technology. It's [...]

By Cliff Annicelli, Tina Benitez, Pamela Brill, Lauren Kellachan, Karyn Peterson and Peter Suciu The world's toymakers pause in New York to preview their newest products. A Broader View Drawing [...]

By Tina Benitez Though still a niche category, 'organic' toys make important strides Rubberwood, bamboo and hand-picked organic cotton--one day, a much larger percentage of toys might be made using [...]

By Karyn M. Peterson Harcourt Harcourt has been exhibiting at Toy Fair for about 15 years,' says Zoe Lawler, specialty retail sales manager. 'Our strategy there is to reach out [...]

By Cliff Annicelli Reynolds returns with new toy company After more than a four-year absence, Peter Reynolds is back in the specialty toy business with big ambitions and a newly [...]

By Cliff Annicelli Roll out the welcome mat for these first-time Toy Fair exhibitors Applepie Toys Distribution , Orinda, Calif., the newly formed U.S. unit of Britain's Applepie Toys, brings [...]

By Staff 4Kids' trading cards, online gaming For the first time, 4Kids Entertainment will directly produce trading cards under two newly formed subsidiaries: a trading card company, TC Digital Games [...]

By Cliff Annicelli The events that made 2006 another memorable year Yes, it was another tumultuous year in the toy business. At retail, the top three accounts--Wal-Mart, Toys 'R' Us [...]

By Staff New Line Cinema and Scholastic Media's The Golden Compass , due out next November, is the first chapter in Philip Pullman's fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials . The [...]

By Staff TIA responds to trade show talk In an exclusive interview, TIA's Carter Keithley and Marian Bossard discuss this year's reformatted International Fall Toy Show at the Javits Center, [...]

By Staff Tuchman and Van Epps return to specialty toy retailing New specialty toy stores open up all the time. Many of them are run by experienced business people. Others [...]

By Karyn M. Peterson Music retailers diversify with toys and collectibles As music retailers continue to experience declines due to customers' rising preference for downloading as well as ongoing competition [...]

By Cliff Annicelli Holiday shoppers expected to reverse 2006 sales decline By now it's become a familiar story: annual U.S. toy sales aredown by a few percentage points. 2005 was [...]

By Tina Benitez Video game-inspired toys extend play and cross sell When Pokemon first came on the scene in 1996 for the Game Boy Advance system, its popularity exploded in [...]

By Staff Coming soon: more Wonder Women Women In Toys and Playthings magazine announced the third annual Wonder Women of Toys Awards nominees. Participants in the nominee process recommended a [...]

By Tina Benitez Rock 'n' roll toys stay in tune 'Life is too short to have anything but delusional notions about yourself,' Kiss bassist Gene Simmons once said. Yet anyone [...]