Raving Toy Maniac

Toys"R"Us, Inc. Reports Results for Fourth Quarter and Full Year of Fiscal 2011
Fourth Quarter Net Earnings Increase $13 Million to $343 Million

WAYNE, N.J., Mar 21, 2012 -- Annual Adjusted EBITDA of $1,054 Million Marks Third Consecutive Year Over $1 Billion

Toys"R"Us, Inc. today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of fiscal 2011 ended January 28, 2012. For the fourth quarter, the company reported net sales of $5.9 billion, Adjusted EBITDA(1) of $749 million and net earnings of $343 million.

Jerry Storch, Chairman and CEO, Toys"R"Us, Inc., said, "We are pleased with the company's success in delivering our third consecutive year of Adjusted EBITDA in excess of $1 billion, and with the net earnings growth we realized in the fourth quarter. Importantly, we also increased our gross margin rate during the year through our strategies to expand exclusive product offerings and deepen relationships with manufacturers."

March 22, 2012 - Listed below are the toy (and child-related) recalls from this week; these links go to the official announcements on the Consumer Product Safety Commission web site.

Lacrosse Helmets Recalled by Easton Sports Due to Facial Injury Hazard

Safety 1st Cabinet Locks Recalled Due to Lock Failure; Children Can Gain Unintended Access to Dangerous Items

North American Product Safety Agencies Team Up in the Name of Poison Prevention

GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING GUITARIST TOM MORELLO AND MUSICIAN/WRITER CLAUDIO SANCHEZ TO APPEAR AT CHICAGO COMIC & ENTERTAINMENT EXPO (C2E2)

Noted Musicians Will Promote Their Latest Comic Books!

Norwalk, CT, March 21, 2012: Chicago native and Grammy Award-winning guitarist Tom Morello and noted musician Claudio Sanchez will be appearing at this year's Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2). In addition to their significant music credits, both Morello and Sanchez are well-recognized in the comic community for their writing talent. Best known for his tenure with the bands Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave and his acoustic solo act The Nigh(bleep)chman, Morello will conduct a panel on Friday, April 13, 6:15pm – 7:15pm and will also do a signing. Sanchez, an American writer and musician best known for being the lead singer and guitarist for the alternative/progressive rock group Coheed and Cambria, will be at C2E2 throughout the weekend and will promote his latest work and greet fans in the Evil Ink booth.

March 21, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

Hi - Here is a quick update from BBTS about a bunch of cool new preorders as well as more new arrivals.

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NEW PREORDERS
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TRANSFORMERS MP-11S MASTERPIECE SUNSTORM
We have a preliminary pre-order listing up for the Asian version of MP-11S Masterpiece Sunstorm. This version should include the coronation gear but it is unlikely it will have the collectible coin. We have it set at $249.99, although we expect that the price may change, and if it does we will let you know.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=TAK11419&mode=re...

DARK KNIGHT RETURNS BATMAN Vs. JOKER ARTFX STATUE
This piece is taken from the art of the bestselling book, and shows Batman on top of the Joker ready to dish out some pain. It is 1/6 scale and is priced at $109.99, $20 off the MSRP.

March 21, 2012 - The Four Horsemen have been interviewed by the New York Times!

We've seen a lot of interviews with the Horsemen over the years, and done a few ourselves, but this one is a bit different, discussing mostly their business model instead of which characters they are working on or what materials they are using to sculpt. It is part of a series of "case studies" about small businesses.

Here's the interview (two pages), and it looks like there will be a follow-up piece next week. The Horsemen's FANtastic Exclusive forum also has a thread going about the interview.

Zenescope Entertainment and The CS Moore Studio Launch Grimm Fairy Tales Action Figure Line with the Curvaceous Alice Liddle Figure!
Line Marks Moore's Long-Awaited Return to Action Figures

March 2012 - Leading comics publisher Zenescope Entertainment and award-winning Sculptor Clayburn Moore of The CS Moore Studio Ltd have announced plans to release the Grimm Fairy Tales Alice Liddle Premium Action Figure to celebrate the 1st issue of its upcoming Wonderland ongoing series. Alice will be the first in the Grimm Fairy Tales line of action figures based on Zenescope's popular stable of sexy characters.

Zenescope's Wonderland series follows Alice's grown daughter, Calie Liddle, as she travels back to Wonderland. With stunning art and a new take on the Alice in Wonderland fairy tale, Zenescope's stories have riveted readers and garnered critical acclaim.

March 2012 - There's a Storm coming! No, we're not forecasting the weather, we're telling you about the next figure in the Marvel Select action figure line! The weather-controlling mutant Storm will be joining the ranks of Diamond Select Toys' 7-inch-scale X-Men series, which means her Danger Room base will connect with the bases of Cyclops, Colossus and Gambit. Sculpted by Sam Greenwell and painted by Jason Wires, look for her in the fall, and be on the lookout for a rare variant featuring a more civilian hair style!

Get regular DST updates on Facebook and Twitter! And see more Marvel Select figures here!

March 2012 - Dwell and Pacific Standard Time have teamed up to present the LEGO® Modern Home Design Competition.

You have until March 29, 2012 to submit your entry, which should be a LEGO model of "an original home inspired by iconic California mid-century modern architecture."

The main contest page is here.

The entry page is here.

The rules are here, and mention the prizes:

Telltale Games Releases First Trailer for The Walking Dead

Reveals Pricing, Release Date & Pre-Order Offer

San Rafael, CA – March 20, 2012 – Telltale Games and Robert Kirkman, the Eisner Award-winning creator/writer of The Walking Dead for Skybound/Image, announced today that the first trailer for their upcoming game, The Walking Dead, is available to view on the game's official website.

Created by animator and director Daniel M. Kanemoto, the trailer blends 2D and 3D imagery in stunning fashion as homage to the art of the original comic book world on which Telltale's game is based. Kanemoto was asked by Telltale to create the trailer because of a "fan made" Walking Dead title sequence he had made, which can be seen at www.exmortisfilms.com.

March 20, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has a new item of interest to collectors:

Hi- we've just listed the MP-11S Sunstorm - Asia market version

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=TAK11417&mode=re...

This is preliminary preorder - the $249.99 price is subject to change (it will hopefully drop a bit, but waiting on final pricing confirmation)