Raving Toy Maniac

Jon-Paul Kaiser's Captain Sturnbrau Figure lands!

January 2012 - "Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated!"

Toy2R proudly presents Jon-Paul Kaiser's latest release, Captain Sturnbrau. Following his crew, Olaf the Mute 8" Qee Bear and Nathaniel Vigo, the 5" Mini Qee Mon, Captain Sturnbrau takes the Mini Qee platform to new heights featuring a completely new head sculpt, arms (one with a hook) and even a peg leg to capture Jon-Paul's complete vision of this cutthroat pirate.

Available now at art toy boutiques everywhere and priced at a sea shanty from a mermaid, capture the captain while you can... and complete your Jon-Paul Kaiser series - Tales of the Whispering Corsair.

Living Dead Dolls Thirteenth Anniversary Series Variant Set Now Available Exclusively from Mezco Direct!

January 2012 - This special series pays tribute to the very first set of Living Dead Dolls which first thrilled collectors 13 years ago.

This is the first time in Living Dead Doll history that a complete series has been reissued. Unlike the Thirteenth anniversary series offered earlier this year, these reproductions of original Series 1 dolls replicate the paint ops, accessories, and packaging of the highly sought after inaugural series. These recreations are virtually identical to their originals except for the use of the new style ball jointed body.

The lineup includes the 5 original Series 1 dolls:
Sadie - Accessories include knife, coffin purse, and bouquet.
Posey - Comes complete with her rose.
Sin - Comes complete with pitchfork.
Eggzorcist - Comes complete with basket and oversized roach.
Damien - Comes complete with his slingshot and trio of "books."

Qualcomm and Sesame Workshop Collaborate to Explore Educational Applications of Augmented Reality
- Companies Demonstrate Prototype Playset at CES 2012 -

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 10, 2012 -- Qualcomm Incorporated and Sesame Workshop, the producer behind Sesame Street, have joined forces to explore augmented reality experiences for children that encourage learning and imagination. A longtime advocate of embracing cutting-edge technologies to enrich children's early learning experiences, Sesame Workshop teamed with Qualcomm to create a prototype playset that brings physical toys to life. The application will be demonstrated at International CES, Jan. 10-13, in Qualcomm's exhibit (South Hall 3, Booth #30313).

Fisher-Price and Spatial View Partner to Bring View-Master® 3D Content Into the Digital Age

EAST AURORA, N.Y., Jan. 10, 2012 -- Fisher-Price, Inc., the largest infant and preschool toy manufacturer and a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc., announced a new partnership with Spatial View Inc., a leading innovator in stereo 3D content distribution and auto-stereoscopic display technologies.

Fisher-Price will offer a selection of images from the company's View-Master image archive, regarded as the largest collection of 3D still images in the world. "The View-Master archive is a virtual treasure-trove of 3D imagery capturing over 100 years of history and culture," said Peter Snajczuk, Vice President of Marketing for Fisher-Price. "We're thrilled to be working with Spatial View to make these spectacular images available digitally for download from ViewMasterDigital3D.com to a variety of 3D mobile devices and Internet-connected 3D TVs."

January 10, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several new items of interest to collectors:

Mass Effect Series 01 and Series 02 revived by Big Fish
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=mass+effect+01
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=mass+effect+02

Impossible Toys - Alpha Trion, Arblis, Kranix figures - 39.99 each
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=impossibletoys.com

BigBadToyStore.com

JAZWARES™ NAMED WORLDWIDE MASTER TOY LICENSEE FOR HALFBRICK STUDIO'S HIT APP, FRUIT NINJA™

First Line of Fruit Ninja Toys & Electronics to Hit Shelves in 2012

SUNRISE, FL - Jan. 9, 2012 - Jazwares™, a leader in the licensed products marketplace, slices into the mobile app category with the announcement it has been awarded the master toy license for Halfbrick's hit app, Fruit Ninja™. Inspired by Fruit Ninja's fruit-slicing, action-packed adventures, Jazwares' new range will include figures, plush and electronics with interactive features that will bring the Fruit Ninja app to life.

"Jazwares is extremely excited to add Fruit Ninja to our successful roster of licenses," said Laura Zebersky, executive vice president sales, Jazwares. "We hold master toy licenses for some of the top television shows and children's properties available, and there is no doubt that we are ready to move into the app category. Fruit Ninja is a fun, colorful and unique app that will translate well into toys and electronics."

Fisher-Price® Kid-Tough® Portable DVR Puts Preschoolers' Favorite TV Shows in the Palm of Their Hands

New device enables parents to digitally record any content that comes from their home cable box or satellite system and take it on the go!

EAST AURORA, N.Y., Jan. 9, 2012 -- Watching TV shows on the go has never been easier for preschoolers, thanks to the Fisher-Price® Kid-Tough® Portable DVR. Even new TV episodes can be recorded for viewing on this cool, kid-friendly, hand-held device.

Recording TV shows is easier than finding the remote! It takes parents only a matter of minutes to simply attach the Kid-Tough Portable DVR to its base unit that is connected to their TV and set top box (DVR, cable box, satellite box, digital converter box) and they can record their children's favorite TV shows. Recording can even be programmed for up to 24 hours in advance of the show's air time.

January 9, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several new items of interest to collectors:

Hi - a few new items and arrivals that may be of interest to your readers:

Square Enix - Play Arts Kai - God of War III Kratos
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=SEP10308&mode=re...

Play Arts Kai - Vanquish
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=vanquish+play

note that the price will likely drop quite a bit on all three of these play arts figures, we are just waiting for the domestic supplier to get info to us

Bandai / Tamashii January announcements - cool items from:
Tiger & Bunny
Gundam
Saint Seiya
Kamen Rider
One Piece, more
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/list.aspx?list=8490

A few new arrivals of note:

Hot Toys Captain America
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HOT10354&mode=re...

Hot Toys Jack Sparrow

New Toy Category Equals New Revenue for Retailers in 2012

AppGear™ to Premiere at CES 2012

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 4, 2012 -- from ShowStoppers @CES 2012 -- AppGear™ from WowWee is a line of collectible toys that interact with free downloaded apps, the latest trend in gaming and graphics. AppGear changes the way consumers interact with the world of gaming, connecting apps with traditional tangible toys providing the user with a unique interface combining the digital and real world, essentially creating a new reality... "Amplified Reality."

Launching in early 2012 with 6 unique titles, AppGear will be the low-cost innovative leader in the newly created category, known as AppCessories. A leading national newspaper recently said the AppCessory™ category will be the hottest toy category for 2012.

Last year, App sales surpassed 5.2 billion dollars and this year, that number is expected to increase to over 15 billion. By 2014, experts expect to see the number grow exponentially to 185 billion in sales.

WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT, TT GAMES AND THE LEGO GROUP ANNOUNCE LEGO® BATMAN™ 2: DC SUPER HEROES

The Highly-Anticipated Sequel to the Best-Selling LEGO®Videogame of All Time Returns with Help from Super Heroes including Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern

Jan. 5, 2012 – Batman is back to save Gotham City and the action will only build from here! Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, TT Games and The LEGO Group are teaming up once again to announce that LEGO® Batman™ 2: DC Super Heroes will be available beginning Summer 2012 for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, the Wii™ system, and Windows PC, as well as the Nintendo DS™ hand-held system, Nintendo 3DS™ hand-held system, and PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system. The game is the sequel to the best-selling LEGO® Batman™: The Videogame, which to date has sold more than 11 million units worldwide.