Raving Toy Maniac

Star Trek Action Figures Return to Toys "R" Us!

June 2013 - With Star Trek on everybody's mind again, thanks to the latest blockbuster film, Diamond Select Toys is bringing back Star Trek toys in a big way, to comic shops, specialty stores... and even Toys "R" Us! In addition to the previously announced TRU-exclusive assortment of Star Trek Legacy Minimates, DST is happy to announce that the iconic toy retailer will have their own exclusive edition of the two newest 7-inch action figures, Kirk and Spock!

NASA Partners With The LEGO Group For Design And Build Contest

WASHINGTON, June 5, 2013 -- NASA and the LEGO Group are partnering to inspire the next generation of aerospace engineers by offering a new design competition. The competition will spur students of all ages to use the toy bricks in building models of future airplanes and spacecraft.

The "NASA's Missions: Imagine and Build" competition opens Wednesday with an entry deadline of July 31. Winners in each category will be selected by a panel of NASA and LEGO officials and announced Sept. 1.

The first category in the contest is "Inventing our Future of Flight." In this challenge, participants will design and build their idea for an aircraft of the future based on real concepts and new technology NASA's aeronautics innovators are working on to increase fuel efficiency and reduce harmful emissions and noise.

June 6, 2013 - 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.

- President of LM Import-Export Sentenced to 22 Months in Federal Prison, Fined $10,000 for Importing Banned Children’s Products

- Country Life Recalls Target-Mins Iron Supplement Bottles Due to Lack of Child-Resistant Packaging

June 5, 2013 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

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NEW PRE-ORDERS
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STAR WARS BLACK FIGURES - 3.75", 6"
Hasbro's new line of well-articulated Star Wars figures is up for pre-order. The 3.75" Series 01 includes characters like Darth Vader, Luke, Biggs, Biker Scout and more, and they are listed at $114.99 for the Case of 12, $89.99 for the Set of 8 and $9.99 for the singles that are listed. We also have the first wave of 6" figures up, with the Set of Darth Maul, Luke Skywalker, R2-D2 and Sandtrooper at $83.99 or $22.99 individually.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=3184&category=9517

GI JOE RETALIATION SERIES 03.5 CASE, SINGLES
This assortment contains new figures as well as Ultimate versions of previously-released figures. We have the Case of 12 at $114.99, with singles at $9.99 - $14.99 each.

May 2013 - May 2013 - Funko has announced a new batch of POP! vinyl figures based on The Walking Dead.

Expect to see The Walking Dead POP! - Series 3 in stores around July 11th. Series 3 includes Rick Grimes, the Governor, Merle Dixon, and a Prison Guard Walker Zombie.

There are also several variant versions of the Walking Dead POP! figures coming this summer. Scroll past the pictures to see the list, or stop at the Prison Guard Walker picture to avoid spoilers from Season 3 of the television series.

Remember to stop scrolling at this next picture if you don't want to see the spoilers. No, I don't think you have a short attention span, mostly I need more text here to bump the spoilery bits off the "preview" portion that shows up on the news page.

Kids Who Read Beat Summer Slide

WASHINGTON, May 30, 2013 -- For kids, few moments in life are more glorious than the end of the school year and the start of summer vacation. Hooray! Three whole months of sweet freedom!

But when school's out, kids from low-income families have a real problem on their hands.

Unlike their more affluent peers, most of them don't spend summer break at the library or reading books in the backseat on family trips. In fact, many of them won't open a book until school starts up again.

Those three months off take a disastrous toll. Experts call the effect "summer slide" and it erases months of hard-earned progress in school, lost ground that kids in need can't afford.

Books are the answer. Studies show that kids from low-income families who have access to books over the summer not only beat the summer slide, but make even greater gains than kids from wealthy and middle-class families.

Actor Jaden Smith Focuses On Earth Science in a New NASA PSA

WASHINGTON, May 30, 2013 -- Jaden Smith, star of Columbia Pictures' movie "After Earth," is featured in a new NASA public service announcement that describes the contributions of the agency's Earth science program to environmental awareness and exploration of our home planet.

The public service announcement features imagery from "After Earth" as well as animations of Earth data from 17 orbiting NASA satellites. The satellites are making cutting-edge observations of the entire Earth system, including the atmosphere, oceans, land surface, and snow and ice. The observations are used by scientists worldwide to improve our understanding of our complex planet, better predict the future of our changing climate, and enhance life on Earth today.

May 30, 2013 - 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.

- Fred Meyer Recalls "Chicken Dance" Easter Chicks Due to Hearing Damage Hazard

- Pottery Barn Kids Recalls Sweet Lambie Crib Bumpers Due to Entanglement Hazard

- Vive La Fete Recalls Children’s Pajamas Due to Violation of Federal Flammability Standard

- H&M Reannounces Recall of Children’s Water Bottles Due to Choking Hazard

Toys"R"Us® Introduces Lemon Smiles Challenge To Kick Off Its 2013 Campaign To Benefit Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation

Company Anniversaries Nationwide Fundraising and Awareness Program to Help Find a Cure for Pediatric Cancer

May 30, 2013 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

We've just received the go-ahead from Hasbro to list the highly awaited Star Wars Black line!

View Everything Here:
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=2013%20star%20wars...

6" Figures Wave 1 includes:

Luke Skywalker
Darth Maul
R2-D2
Sandtrooper

The set of 4 is priced at $83.99, singles are also available.

The 3.75" series case includes:

1x SW EPII PADME AMIDALA
1x SW EPII CLONE TROOPER SERGEANT
2x SW EPII ANAKIN SKYWALKER
2x SW EPIV BIGGS DARKLIGHTER
1x SW EPIV LUKE SKYWALKER
2x SW EPV DARTH VADER
2x SW EPVI BIKER SCOUT
1x SW EPIII CLONE PILOT

Sets & Singles are also available

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We've just listed more exciting new Hasbro items:

GI Joe Retaliation 3.75" Figures Series 03.5

This great new case features many new figures and is priced at $114.99 - Singles are available as well: