Raving Toy Maniac

January 15, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer Urban-Collector has several new items of interest to collectors:

This week we are featuring new arrivals including Thor Modern Museum Statue, Hot Wheels Elite A-Team Van and Star Wars Movie Heroes Legend action figures!

Featured Pre-Orders

• Batman Black Costume ARTFX Statue
• Evil Dead 2 Series 1 action figure Set

ReedPOP to Add "Fantasy Football Fest" to its Roster

New Event Serves a Devoted Fan Base in a Thriving Industry

(NORWALK, Conn Jan. 13, 2012) - ReedPOP, the boutique pop culture focused division of Reed Exhibitions, is launching Fantasy Football Fest, August 18-19, 2012 at the Atlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic City, NJ. Taking the virtual Fantasy Football fan experience to the gridiron, the Fantasy Football Fest will provide a unique in-person experience by catering to the passion and devotion of millions of fantasy football and general football fans. In 2010 alone, fantasy players spent in excess of $1B pursuing their passion for the game through millions of leagues all over the world.

Prize #1 of the 20 Big Prizes From K'NEX®

Enter for a chance to win 4 tickets to any 2012 Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam® event of your choice

Hatfield, PA - January 13, 2012 - K'NEX Brands, the only US construction toy company focused on Building Worlds Kids Love™, is pleased to announce the launch of the Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam® Ticket Giveaway Sweepstakes. From January 13, 2012 at 8:00am EST through January 30, 2012 at 3:59pm EST, K'NEX fans can enter for their chance to win four tickets to any 2012 Monster Jam event from February 15, 2012, through December 31, 2012, excluding the 2012 Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam World Finals. Monster Jam, owned by Feld Motor Sports® is the largest and most popular touring monster truck property in the world, entertaining over 4-million fans yearly across the globe.

JOSH GATES TO APPEAR AT CHICAGO COMIC AND ENTERTAINMENT EXPO (C2E2)

Star of SyFy's Destination Truth is First Entertainment Guest Announced for Annual Midwest Pop Culture Convention

January 15, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has an item of interest to collectors:

It's been a while since the Hot Toys Mark 1 was available, and they are now very hard to get. Hot Toys has created a new version 2.0 of the Mark 1 that is even better!

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HOT10377&mode=re...

preorders open at $199.99 - $20 under MSRP

BigBadToyStore.com

Toy Hunters Premieres on Jan 15th at 11:00pm on Travel Channel

January 13, 2012 - Follow Toy and Collectibles dealer Jordan Hembrough and his team as they travel the country searching out the rarest and most sought after toys and pop culture collectibles! Join Jordan as he meets incredible people and learns about the history of some of the most popular toy lines in the past 30 years. He's out to uncover the Holy Grails of the collecting community... and time is running out!

Travel with Hembrough and his Hollywood Heroes as they journey to New York Comic Con, gathering rare and never before seen toys along the way. Comic Con is the "Super Bowl" of toy wheeling and dealing, gathering thousands of people each year. It's the event where the biggest comic and toy collectors turn out to spend BIG money on the rarest toys!

Gruesome Goodies Benefit Beloved Bulldogs

Darkly Romantic Auction Benefits Bulldog Charity

January 2012 - New York - Mezco Toyz - Within 48 hours of being announced to fans, the Living Dead Dolls 2012 Valentine Day Mystery Box, a limited edition of 250 pieces worldwide, sold out.

Now, die hard fans have a second chance not only to add a very exclusive set of gruesome goodies to their collections, but to help animals as well.

A single set of the 250 sets produced produced will be sold on the popular auction site eBay.

100% of the sale price of the items will benefit HeavenSent Bulldog Rescue.

The charity exists to rescue Bulldogs from abuse, neglect and shelters; take bulldogs whose owners surrender them & find stable, loving homes; rehab Bulldogs by providing medical treatment & training; reduce population of unwanted pets by spaying/neutering pre-placement; place Bulldogs in suitable homes safely & quickly, so they can enjoy new lives, while carefully screening applicants; educate prospective adopters about unique needs of bulldogs.

January 13, 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.

Chariot Carriers Recalls Child Bicycle Trailers and Conversion Kits Due to Injury Hazard

The Land of Nod Recalls Bed Frames Due to Entrapment Hazard

Bicycle Helmets Recalled by Triple Eight Distribution Due to Risk of Head Injury

Proactive at the Ports: CPSC Stops Unsafe Products Before They Reach Consumers

Toys"R"Us, Inc. Raises Record-Breaking $4 Million to Help Kids in Need During its Eighth Annual Toys for Tots Campaign

Joined by Superstar Shaquille O'Neal's Holiday Alter-Ego, Shaq-A-Claus, Company Helped Spread Holiday Cheer to Kids in Need with More Than 400,000 Toys Collected in "R"Us® Stores Nationwide

WAYNE, N.J., Jan. 11, 2012 -- Toys"R"Us, Inc. today announced that its eighth annual fundraising campaign to benefit the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation was its most successful to date, raising $4 million and collecting more than 400,000 toys to help make the holidays brighter for kids in need across the United States. During the nine-week campaign, Toys"R"Us® and Babies"R"Us® stores nationwide served as THE holiday giving headquarters as they collected new, unwrapped toy donations. Customers also made monetary contributions in stores and online at Toysrus.com/ToysforTots through Christmas Eve.

January 11, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several new items of interest to collectors:

Hi - Here is a quick update from http://www.bigbadtoystore.com about some
great new arrivals and many more cool new preorders:

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NEW PREORDERS
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MASS EFFECT FIGURES - SERIES 01, 02 - SETS, SINGLES
The Mass Effect figures are once again up for pre-order, with Big Fish
taking over where DC Direct left off. Both Series 01 and Series 02 are
available again, with the sets of four going for $67.99 each ($12 off
MSRP), and singles of all eight figures listed at $17.99 each. The
upcoming shipment will also include bonuses - each character includes
updated photos, character bio, storyline, and logo, and is packaged with
Mass Effect 3 branding. Each has a pack-in card and bonus downloadable
in-game content, which is exclusive and different for each character.