Raving Toy Maniac

Saban Brands Celebrates 20 Years of Power Rangers at American International Toy Fair 2013

NEW YORK, Feb. 7, 2013 -- Saban Brands and its licensing partners will showcase a playful assortment of Power Rangers inspired toys next week during the American International Toy Fair, Feb. 10-13 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. There will be a variety of action figures, plush, board games, consumer electronics and more to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the iconic franchise. New Power Rangers Megaforce products will be on display for the all-new season now airing on Nickelodeon, as well as some items inspired by the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series to commemorate the 20th anniversary year. All products are expected to hit shelves throughout the year.

The LEGO Group Announces Building Sets Inspired by Disney's The Lone Ranger

NEW YORK, American International Toy Fair (February 7, 2013) – The LEGO Group today announced an upcoming collection of LEGO® construction toys inspired by the Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer Films' feature film The Lone Ranger, which debuts in theaters July 3, 2013. Scheduled to launch this April, six new building sets will bring the action and stories of the film to life in LEGO form, and will include iconic characters such as John Reid (aka The Lone Ranger), Tonto and the horse, Silver.

"We are thrilled to once again collaborate with Disney Consumer Products to create construction toys based on a live action film," said Jill Wilfert, vice president licensing & entertainment at The LEGO Group. "We have not offered a LEGO western theme in over 10 years, and The Lone Ranger provided the quintessential inspiration with familiar characters, stories and scenes, allowing us to develop authentic and exciting models for children and adult collectors alike."

February 8, 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.

- Mutsy USA Recalls EVO Strollers Due to Strangulation Hazard

- Play Yard Sheets Recalled by 4moms Due to Entrapment Hazard

BANDAI AMERICA AND SABAN BRANDS CELEBRATE THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF POWER RANGERS WITH AN ALL NEW TOY LINE INSPIRED BY POWER RANGERS MEGAFORCE TV SERIES

Cypress, California – February 6, 2013. -- Saban Brands and Bandai America Incorporated are pulling out all the stops for the epic 20th season of Power Rangers. The all-new Power Rangers Megaforce TV series will captivate kids as well as long-time fans and drive an inspired toy line that delivers on the series' action and excitement. Additionally, the toy line integrates key elements from the TV series with mobile innovation that allows for a deeper play experience, all while celebrating 20 years of Power Rangers.

Saban Brands Announces Nickelodeon as U.S. Broadcast Partner for Brand-New Digimon Fusion Series

The Powerful Anime Icon Gets a Reboot in 2013

NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 2013 -- Saban Brands announced today its new animated series, Digimon Fusion, will air on Nickelodeon in 2013. Digimon Fusion is the sixth installment of the hugely successful Digimon franchise, which Saban Brands re-acquired in 2012. Unleashing countless Digimon combinations, Digimon Fusion takes today's tech-savvy kids inside an adventure-packed digital world, where the heroes' courage is matched only by the fusion of their teamwork, loyalty and humor.

"Digimon is the longest-running Japanese anime property and has been enjoyed by kids for more than a decade," said Elie Dekel, President of Saban Brands. "We're thrilled to be bringing the all-new Digimon Fusion TV series to Nickelodeon, where we have the opportunity to introduce the series to a new generation of children while still engaging long-time fans."

NECA/WIZKIDS UNVEILS NEW Dota 2 AND TEAM FORTRESS 2 COLLECTIBLES, GAMES, WITH VALVE

Announce Dota 2 HeroClix and Team Fortress 2 'NextChess' Preview at New York Toy Fair, 2013

Hillside, NJ - February 6, 2013 - From game world to real world, game creator and leading entertainment conglomerate, NECA/WizKids, under a merchandise licensee agreement with game developer and publisher Valve, today unveiled plans to launch an upcoming Dota 2 HeroClix collection and new game platform entitled 'NextChess', featuring Team Fortress 2 (TF2), both based on the best-selling game franchises. Both titles are set to launch this summer.

The announcement follows NECA/WizKids' publication of the much-anticipated Half Life 2 Zero-Point Energy Field Manipulator (a.k.a. "Gravity Gun") replica and release of the Limited Edition Portal 2 Gun Replica, which launched with overwhelming response last fall.

"We're pleased to once again team up with Valve to bring popular characters and elements from the Dota 2 and Team Fortress 2 franchises to life in physical form, " said Justin Ziran, president at NECA/WizKids.

Monopoly Fans Worldwide Decide Cat Token Will Make Purr-Fect Addition to Classic Game

Iron Gets Flattened After Fans Fail to Save the Classic Token

PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- February 6, 2013 -- The next MONOPOLY game token to 'Pass GO!' and collect $200 will be... the cat! After a month of voting on Facebook, and an overwhelming response from fans and organizations from 185 countries around the world, the cat has been chosen and will become the newest addition to the classic game from Hasbro. The cat was able to scratch past the toy robot, guitar, helicopter, and diamond ring in the MONOPOLY "Save Your Token" campaign by receiving 31 percent of the fan vote.

Hasbro's Beloved EASY-BAKE Brand Celebrates 50 Years of Baking Sweet Memories

Milestone Anniversary for the Classic Cooking Toy Brand Commemorated with a Fresh Take on the Popular EASY-BAKE Ultimate Oven

PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- February 4, 2013 -- This year, Hasbro, Inc. celebrates 50 years of classic kitchen play with the iconic EASY-BAKE brand, stirring up culinary inspiration for generations of young chefs everywhere. To commemorate this milestone anniversary, the EASY-BAKE brand will 'mix things up' and unveil a new color scheme for its popular EASY-BAKE Ultimate Oven: a sleek silver, blue, and black model.

A pop culture staple since it first appeared in 1963 and one of Hasbro's top-selling items of today, EASY-BAKE ovens continue to be cherished favorites for bakers-in-the-making. In 50 years, more than 30 million EASY-BAKE ovens have been sold and more than 150 million mix refills used.

Fisher-Price® Reveals Redesigned Little People® Characters

New Look for Iconic Brand Unveiled Today During Special Musical Performance with Genevieve Goings at Citi Pond® at Bryant Park™

EAST AURORA, N.Y., Feb. 5, 2013 -- Fisher-Price, Inc., the leading manufacturer of infant and preschool toys and a subsidiary of Mattel, has made an unprecedented investment to refresh its iconic, beloved Little People® brand and transform it from a toy brand to a lifestyle brand. The company executed a complete toy design refresh, complemented by an award-winning writing, illustration and musical team to contemporize the Little People brand for today's new generation of preschoolers, while preserving the charm that has contributed to the ongoing success of the brand's 54-year heritage.

February 6, 2013 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

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NEW PREORDERS
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TRANSFORMERS TRADING CARDS - CLOSEOUT! - SAVE 89% ON BOXES, SAVE 94% ON CARTONS!!
We've found an amazing deal on a beautiful set of Transformers Dark of the Moon Trading Cards and are passing the savings on to you. A box of 48 packs/ 288 cards is only $14.99 (Originally $144) and a giant Master Carton of 576 packs / 3456 cards is only $99.99 (Originally $1728!) The Master carton also includes a free Collector Card Album.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=2558&company=1552

MOVIE MASTERPIECE GI JOE RETALIATION - STORM SHADOW 1/6 SCALE
Just listed! Hot Toys will be releasing a 1/6 Scale Storm Shadow figure from the upcoming GI Joe: Retaliation. The figure is listed at $204.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HOT10439&mode=re...