Raving Toy Maniac

Monopoly Fans Worldwide Decide Cat Token Will Make Purr-Fect Addition to Classic Game

Iron Gets Flattened After Fans Fail to Save the Classic Token

PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- February 6, 2013 -- The next MONOPOLY game token to 'Pass GO!' and collect $200 will be... the cat! After a month of voting on Facebook, and an overwhelming response from fans and organizations from 185 countries around the world, the cat has been chosen and will become the newest addition to the classic game from Hasbro. The cat was able to scratch past the toy robot, guitar, helicopter, and diamond ring in the MONOPOLY "Save Your Token" campaign by receiving 31 percent of the fan vote.

Hasbro's Beloved EASY-BAKE Brand Celebrates 50 Years of Baking Sweet Memories

Milestone Anniversary for the Classic Cooking Toy Brand Commemorated with a Fresh Take on the Popular EASY-BAKE Ultimate Oven

PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- February 4, 2013 -- This year, Hasbro, Inc. celebrates 50 years of classic kitchen play with the iconic EASY-BAKE brand, stirring up culinary inspiration for generations of young chefs everywhere. To commemorate this milestone anniversary, the EASY-BAKE brand will 'mix things up' and unveil a new color scheme for its popular EASY-BAKE Ultimate Oven: a sleek silver, blue, and black model.

A pop culture staple since it first appeared in 1963 and one of Hasbro's top-selling items of today, EASY-BAKE ovens continue to be cherished favorites for bakers-in-the-making. In 50 years, more than 30 million EASY-BAKE ovens have been sold and more than 150 million mix refills used.

Fisher-Price® Reveals Redesigned Little People® Characters

New Look for Iconic Brand Unveiled Today During Special Musical Performance with Genevieve Goings at Citi Pond® at Bryant Park™

EAST AURORA, N.Y., Feb. 5, 2013 -- Fisher-Price, Inc., the leading manufacturer of infant and preschool toys and a subsidiary of Mattel, has made an unprecedented investment to refresh its iconic, beloved Little People® brand and transform it from a toy brand to a lifestyle brand. The company executed a complete toy design refresh, complemented by an award-winning writing, illustration and musical team to contemporize the Little People brand for today's new generation of preschoolers, while preserving the charm that has contributed to the ongoing success of the brand's 54-year heritage.

February 6, 2013 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

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NEW PREORDERS
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TRANSFORMERS TRADING CARDS - CLOSEOUT! - SAVE 89% ON BOXES, SAVE 94% ON CARTONS!!
We've found an amazing deal on a beautiful set of Transformers Dark of the Moon Trading Cards and are passing the savings on to you. A box of 48 packs/ 288 cards is only $14.99 (Originally $144) and a giant Master Carton of 576 packs / 3456 cards is only $99.99 (Originally $1728!) The Master carton also includes a free Collector Card Album.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=2558&company=1552

MOVIE MASTERPIECE GI JOE RETALIATION - STORM SHADOW 1/6 SCALE
Just listed! Hot Toys will be releasing a 1/6 Scale Storm Shadow figure from the upcoming GI Joe: Retaliation. The figure is listed at $204.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HOT10439&mode=re...

Skylanders SWAP Force™ "Mixes It Up" at Toy Fair 2013

From the Innovators Who Brought "Toys to Life" Comes an Entirely New Innovation – Swapability

16 New Characters With Swappable Top and Bottom Halves Can Be Customized into More Than 250 Unique Combinations, Taking Skylanders and the "Toys to Life" Category to a New Level

Stellar HD Graphics Deliver Cinema-Quality Visuals and Storytelling, Immersing Players in Gameplay Like Never Before

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- February 5, 2013 -- In just over a year, the novel concept of bringing toys to life has made Skylanders one of the most beloved and successful children's video game franchises of all time(1), establishing a new category in family entertainment. Today, Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), revealed Skylanders SWAP Force, the next installment in the popular franchise, which will be featured at Toy Fair 2013, February 10-13 at the Javits Center in New York City, in booth 3061.

Monster High™ Releases New Double Feature DVD

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- February 05, 2013 -- Monster High™, one of the fastest-growing and most popular tween girl franchises, today debuts its brand new DVD, Monster High™ Double Feature. The ghouls of Monster High™ serve up two fang-tastically fabulous adventures in one DVD: When the boys cannot compete in the Skultimate Roller Maze™ Championship, Frankie Stein™ convinces her friends that some "ghoul power" is needed to save the day in the all-new Friday Night Frights. Then, as the epic Sweet 1600th birthday of Draculaura™ approaches, she's got two crush-worthy guys out to steal her heart (literally) in the new-to-DVD movie, Why Do Ghouls Fall in Love? US SRP: $19.98 / CAN $23.99.

(RTM note - this does not involve toys, but was fascinating enough to share because viewing the advertising in question is a shared national experience.)

Who Won the Advertising Super Bowl? Keynote Reports on Who Scored and Who Fumbled

• Retailers and Automakers Impress
• Coke Chokes, As Does Century 21 (on Mobile)
• Smartphones Remain the Greatest Challenge, Though Some Still Struggle with Desktop and Tablet Performance

SAN MATEO, CALIF. – FEBRUARY 4, 2013 - Keynote® (NASDAQ: KEYN), the global leader in Internet and mobile cloud testing and monitoring, announces the winners and losers from Sunday's Super Bowl advertisers, measuring their Web performance across desktop, tablet and smartphone screens.

For the first time, Keynote measured Super Bowl advertisers' websites before, during and after the Super Bowl to see how they fared in speed and reliability once the traffic started hitting.

Disney at American International Toy Fair 2013

(RTM note - this is a long one, with lots of nifty gems mentioned, such as the LEGO Lone Ranger license...)

GLENDALE, CA (Feb. 5, 2013) - Innovation, creativity and powerful storytelling are the hallmarks of the 2013 toy line from Disney Consumer Products (DCP).

Some of the most innovative toys are from the new Monsters University toy collection and include features like sound and light detection technology and facial sync technology to allow for more interactive play than ever before, while The Little Mermaid and Disney Junior toy lines incorporate music and character voices to bring the products to life.

Sparking imagination, these toys capture the magic of playtime with evergreen play patterns. Here is a highlight of the top products from DCP at Toy Fair 2013:

DISNEY/PIXAR ANIMATION

Monsters University
Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan are an inseparable pair, but this was not always the case. Monsters University tells the story of how these two mismatched monsters overcame their differences and became the best of friends.

February 2013 - Cobra Special Forces has released this new recruiting video:

http://www.cobraspecialforces.com/

GI Joe Retaliation is in theaters on March 29 - http://www.gijoemovie.com/.

Two New Series of Marvel Minimates are in Stores Now!

February 2013 - The 48th assortment of Marvel Minimates, available now in comic shops and specialty stores from Diamond Select Toys, is dedicated entirely to the world of the Fantastic Four! Team leader Mr. Fantastic comes with manipulative foe the Puppet Master, the hotheaded Human Torch comes with the explosive Blastarr, the force field-wielding Invisible Woman comes with a Moloid, and the rare variant set includes a Moloid and blind sculptress Alicia Masters!