Raving Toy Maniac

Marvel's Spider-Man and the Avengers Team Up with Visa Inc. to Help Children Become Financial Superheroes

New Comic Book Brings Unique Approach to Financial Education

SAN FRANCISCO, March 6, 2012 -- Marvel Comics and Visa Inc. have teamed up to create a new, one-of-a-kind financial literacy comic book called Avengers: Saving The Day. Combining Marvel's iconic characters, including the Avengers and Spider-Man, with Visa's financial literacy expertise, this free comic introduces children to basic money concepts.

"In today's increasingly complex financial world, we must find creative ways to help parents and educators teach children the fundamentals of money management," said Jason Alderman, Senior Director of Global Financial Education, Visa Inc. "A comic book with Spider-Man and the Avengers is the perfect device for making the sometimes dull subject of financial literacy entertaining and educational," Alderman added.

"CHiPs" Inducted into Diecast Hall of Fame

Co-stars Wilcox and Pine Attend Ceremony

LOS ANGELES, March 6, 2012 -- "CHiPs" star Larry Wilcox and his fellow series co-star Robert Pine appeared at the 2012 SuperConvention on February 24th at the Golden Nugget Las Vegas to receive an award on behalf of "CHiPs" and its successful toy line. The popular TV show, which ran from 1977-1983, was inducted into the Diecast Hall of Fame. Pine and Wilcox also signed autographs and posed for pictures with excited fans, many of whom grew up watching the duo, along with fellow co-star Erik Estrada, who declined to attend, patrol the freeways of Los Angeles every Saturday night. They were joined by Catherine Bach, best known for her iconic role as Daisy Duke on "The Dukes of Hazzard".

Old time racing friend and mentor Parnelli Jones was also inducted into the Hall of Fame and they had a good chat about Wilcox's Land Speed records in Bonneville. "But Parnelli was the real deal!" Wilcox said with a smile.

March 6, 2012 - Ares Games is hosting a contest starting March 7, with Wings of Glory WW2 Airplane Packs and a Wings of Glory WW2 Starter Set as the prizes. It is a trivia contest, so get ready to put some thought into it.

If you win and have "liked" Ares Games on Facebook, you'll win an additional prize.

See all the details at: http://www.aresgames.eu/2992

Universal Pictures and Hasbro Announce Ouija Set for Release in 2013

LOS ANGELES, CA, March 5, 2012 - Universal Pictures today announced an agreement with Hasbro Inc., Platinum Dunes and Blumhouse Productions to produce Ouija, a suspense thriller inspired by one of Hasbro's most iconic brands.

Ouija will be produced by Brian Goldner and Bennett Schneir for Hasbro, Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form for Platinum Dunes and Jason Blum for Blumhouse Productions.

KidKraft Debuts New Beachfront Mansion Dollhouse at 2012 American International Toy Fair

DALLAS, March 1, 2012 -- KidKraft, a Dallas-based children's furniture and toy manufacturer, unveiled its brand new Beachfront Mansion at the 2012 American International Toy Fair in New York.

The Beachfront Mansion is a modern wooden dollhouse that provides young girls with a whole new world to play in, decorate and explore. It accommodates all fashion dolls up to 12 inches tall and is large enough that multiple girls can play at once.

The Beachfront Mansion's exciting features include:

• Stands at over four feet tall
• Convenient storage space built in to the base with two sliding doors
• 14 pieces of doll furniture
• Gorgeous cloth canopy
• Plastic molded staircase
• Outdoor patio area
• Gliding elevator
• Packaged with detailed, step-by-step assembly instructions

DARK HORSE GRAPHIC NOVELS NOW AVAILABLE ON NOOK® BY BARNES & NOBLE

MARCH 5, 2012 - MILWAUKIE, OR - Just under a year after the launch of Dark Horse's digital initiative, it is announced today that the company has expanded the number of platforms on which comics fans can access their favorite Dark Horse titles! After an incredibly successful first year of Dark Horse's proprietary iOS app and digital storefront, Dark Horse is proud to partner with Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the leading retailer of content, digital media, and educational products, to make a library of titles available on Barnes & Noble's award-winning NOOK Tablet and NOOK Color™.

Dark Horse digital graphic novels are now available for purchase in the NOOK Comics™ store, featuring over 100 of the company's top titles, like Mass Effect, Hellboy, Star Wars, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Serenity, Sin City, and more!

Marvel Universe Hurtles its Way Onto Disney XD Sunday, April 1, With Compelling New Series "Ultimate Spider-Man" and the Return of "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes"

Block to Include Short-Form Series that Bring the Heroes and Powers of the Mighty Marvel Universe to Life in New and Unexpected Ways

DARK HORSE COMES TO KOBO!

THE COMPANY MAKES DIGITAL LIBRARY OF GRAPHIC NOVELS AVAILABLE ON THE KOBO VOX eREADER!

MARCH 5, 2012 - MILWAUKIE, OR - Dark Horse continues to make headlines today, with news that the company's best-selling titles are going beyond the iOS platform! Now, the largest independent publisher of graphic novels is pleased to announce a partnership with the top-selling eReading company, Kobo, to offer a library of nearly 100 titles available from Kobo.com to be read on the Kobo Vox eReader! This move follows an incredibly successful year of distributing titles digitally through Dark Horse's proprietary iOS app, and corresponding digital storefront at Digital.DarkHorse.com.

The Hub Television Network Unveils 2012-'13 Program Slate With Four New Original Series Joining Eight Returning Original Series

Scott Wolf, Freddy Rodriguez, John DiMaggio and Phil LaMarr Featured In New Animated Series "Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters" Premiering This Summer

Other New Original Series Include Animated "Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot" and "Littlest Pet Shop," as well as Live-Action Series "Spooksville" Based on Popular Kids' Book Series from Christopher Pike

LOS ANGELES, March 1, 2012 -- Programs based on iconic names and strong, beloved properties are among the four new original series that will join eight returning popular original series on The Hub TV Network's 2012-2013 programming lineup. The announcement was made today by Margaret Loesch, President and CEO of The Hub, a TV network for kids and their families. The new series continue the network's strategy of building a schedule with programs based on well-known brands. The Hub launched October 10, 2010, replacing the former Discovery Kids Network.

K'NEX Announces March Mission: K'NEX 20 on 20 Contest
Contests Run Monthly Through December, 20 Chances to Win Each Month

Hatfield, PA - March 01, 2012 - K'NEX, the only US construction toy company focused on Building Worlds Kids Love™, announced its third in a series of twelve contests, Mission: K'NEX 20 on 20, monthly "hunts" for secret codes on various K'NEX related web pages.

Every month on the 20th day, through December 2012, K'NEX will be giving away 20 products to 20 lucky fans! On the 1st weekday of every month a prize will be revealed and a new "mission" is assigned. Missions can be found on the K'NEX website: http://www.knex.com/20thanniversary/Mission20on20/ which directs participants how to find secret codes. Once a code is found, participants must return to the K'NEX site and enter the code. If correct, they are eligible to be entered for a chance to win a prize. On the 20th of each month, when the contest closes, 20 winners will be randomly chosen from those eligible entries.