Raving Toy Maniac

VIZ MEDIA INVITES MANGA FANS TO "SHOW YOUR SHONEN JUMP LOVE" WITH A FUN NEW PHOTO CONTEST

Contest Encourages Fans To Submit Photos Showing Their Passion For SHONEN JUMP; iPad 2 With WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA Membership And Other Prizes To Be Awarded

San Francisco, CA, March 16, 2012 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, invites fans to show their love for SHONEN JUMP with a brand new contest that will award a variety of valuable prizes to several lucky winners. Contestants are encouraged to upload a photo showing their love for SHONEN JUMP to the contest page at sjalpha.com/ipad2.

Encourage friends, family and other fans to vote for your entry during the two, week-long voting periods! Prizes will be given to the fan with the most votes for that given week. A Grand Prize will also be awarded to fan with the most overall votes.

Prize #5 of the 20 Big Prizes From K'NEX®
Enter for your chance to win a Space Camp Family Program Gift Certificate for Two!

Hatfield, PA - March 16, 2012 - K'NEX Brands, the only US construction toy company focused on Building Worlds Kids Love™, is pleased to announce the launch of K'NEX'S U.S. Space Camp & Rocket Center Family Camp Program Gift Certificate Sweepstakes. From March 16, 2012 at 8:00am EST through April 2, 2012 at 3:59pm EST, K'NEX fans can enter for their chance to win a 3-day Family Program gift certificate for one child and one adult to Space Camp or Aviation Challenge at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

The U.S. Space and Rocket Center offers lessons in space, aviation and robotics and has been attended by more than 500,000 participants. Camp attendee hopefuls can enter once per day either through the K'NEX Facebook page (which links to the K'NEX 20th Anniversary Celebration page of the Knex.com website), or directly through KNEX.com. Contestants must be 18 years or older to enter. Please see official rules for details. http://www.knex.com/20thanniversary/20BigPrizes/USS-and-RC.php

Special Olympics USA Games Names First Founding Partner With $1 Million Pledge From the Toys"R"Us Children's Fund

PRINCETON, N.J., March 15, 2012 -- The Organizing Committee of the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games and Toys"R"Us® today announced a $1 million commitment from the Toys"R"Us Children's Fund, making Toys"R"Us the first Founding Partner of the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games. In addition to its Founding Partner status, Toys"R"Us will be the Presenting Sponsor of the Young Athletes™ Festival, a first-of-its-kind feature at a Special Olympics USA Games event.

The Toys"R"Us Young Athletes Festival will provide opportunities for children, ages 2-7, and their families to take part in the Special Olympics Young Athletes program, Healthy Athletes® activities and family seminars geared toward the future stars of Special Olympics.

March 2012 - With so many talented artists creating customs each day, every now and then a custom piece comes along that makes you stand up and notice while harkening back to your younger days. ViseOne not only transports us back to the lazy and adventure filled life of Bill Watterson's Calvin & Hobbes - but the detail that he put into the custom simply makes one smile and be astounded at the same time. Part of ViseOne's continuing Comic Stripped series, this new 16 inch Qee Custom is another fine example of his work and talent. Departing from the hero genre and focusing on one of pop culture's loveable duos, here is a custom that captures the essence perfectly! Toy2R is thrilled to have ViseOne select Qee as his platform for this amazing and clever creation.

ANNE RICE TO BE SPOTLIGHT GUEST AT CHICAGO COMIC & ENTERTAINMENT EXPO (C2E2)

Legendary Author to Appear on Panel and for Signing

March 16, 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.

Guidecraft Recalls Children's Play Theaters Due to Tip-over Hazard

Universal Monsters Minimates Series 3 Scares Up Some New Monsters!

March 2012 - As Diamond Select enters its third year of making officially licensed Universal Monsters toys, they're expanding their Minimates mini-figure line to include a new monster, as well as resurrecting a monster from the vault!

The first specialty-exclusive 4-pack due out this fall is based on The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Universal's first film adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel, released in 1925. It starred Lon Chaney as the abused bellringer Quasimodo, a mute, half-deaf hunchback who lives in the famed Paris cathedral. In the film, Quasimodo is coerced into kidnapping the beggar Esmeralda, which runs him afoul of the smitten Captain Phoebus. That set's characters include Quasimodo, Phoebus and the set-exclusive Esmeralda and "King of Fools" Quasimodo.

Gentle Giant is proud to bring you two new items for March 2012!

Modern Wolverine Mini Bust

*Snikt*

The unique sound of Wolverine's Adamantium claws unsheathing sends chills through villains everywhere. One of the most popular characters of the Marvel Universe for almost forty years now, Wolverine has come a long way since his first appearance in Incredible Hulk #180 back in 1974. Now a leader of his own team of X-Men, the former loner has taken responsibility for the future of mutantkind by following in Professor Charles Xavier's example and opening the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. But don't think he's gotten soft in his old age. Just remember bub, "I'm the best at what I do, and what I do isn't very nice."

Death Star Droid Jumbo Kenner 12" Retro Figure

VISIT VIZ MEDIA AT WONDERCON, BOOTH #206

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES ACTIVITIES AND CONVENTION EXCLUSIVES FOR WONDERCON 2012

VIZ Media Treats Attendees To Special "Test Drives" Of New WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA Digital Manga Magazine

San Francisco, CA, March 13, 2012 - VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, returns to WonderCon 2012 as the show comes to Anaheim, CA, March 16th-18th at the Anaheim Convention Center. WonderCon is one of the country's best comics and pop culture conventions. VIZ Media will be located in Booth 206. Complete details on WonderCon are available at: www.comic-con.org/wc.

Throughout the convention, VIZ Media will treat WonderCon attendees to special "test drives" of the company's new WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA digital manga magazine. Drop by the VIZ Media booth, sample the new digital content, and complete a special survey to be entered to win a new Apple iPad 2! The winner will be notified following the show.

BIOWARE AND DARK HORSE ANNOUNCE MASS EFFECT 3 ­­ IN-GAME ITEMS ON PC AND XBOX 360 FOR FANS WHO PURCHASE MASS EFFECT ART BOOK