Raving Toy Maniac

Skylanders SWAP Force™ "Mixes It Up" at Toy Fair 2013

From the Innovators Who Brought "Toys to Life" Comes an Entirely New Innovation – Swapability

16 New Characters With Swappable Top and Bottom Halves Can Be Customized into More Than 250 Unique Combinations, Taking Skylanders and the "Toys to Life" Category to a New Level

Stellar HD Graphics Deliver Cinema-Quality Visuals and Storytelling, Immersing Players in Gameplay Like Never Before

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- February 5, 2013 -- In just over a year, the novel concept of bringing toys to life has made Skylanders one of the most beloved and successful children's video game franchises of all time(1), establishing a new category in family entertainment. Today, Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), revealed Skylanders SWAP Force, the next installment in the popular franchise, which will be featured at Toy Fair 2013, February 10-13 at the Javits Center in New York City, in booth 3061.

Monster High™ Releases New Double Feature DVD

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- February 05, 2013 -- Monster High™, one of the fastest-growing and most popular tween girl franchises, today debuts its brand new DVD, Monster High™ Double Feature. The ghouls of Monster High™ serve up two fang-tastically fabulous adventures in one DVD: When the boys cannot compete in the Skultimate Roller Maze™ Championship, Frankie Stein™ convinces her friends that some "ghoul power" is needed to save the day in the all-new Friday Night Frights. Then, as the epic Sweet 1600th birthday of Draculaura™ approaches, she's got two crush-worthy guys out to steal her heart (literally) in the new-to-DVD movie, Why Do Ghouls Fall in Love? US SRP: $19.98 / CAN $23.99.

(RTM note - this does not involve toys, but was fascinating enough to share because viewing the advertising in question is a shared national experience.)

Who Won the Advertising Super Bowl? Keynote Reports on Who Scored and Who Fumbled

• Retailers and Automakers Impress
• Coke Chokes, As Does Century 21 (on Mobile)
• Smartphones Remain the Greatest Challenge, Though Some Still Struggle with Desktop and Tablet Performance

SAN MATEO, CALIF. – FEBRUARY 4, 2013 - Keynote® (NASDAQ: KEYN), the global leader in Internet and mobile cloud testing and monitoring, announces the winners and losers from Sunday's Super Bowl advertisers, measuring their Web performance across desktop, tablet and smartphone screens.

For the first time, Keynote measured Super Bowl advertisers' websites before, during and after the Super Bowl to see how they fared in speed and reliability once the traffic started hitting.

Disney at American International Toy Fair 2013

(RTM note - this is a long one, with lots of nifty gems mentioned, such as the LEGO Lone Ranger license...)

GLENDALE, CA (Feb. 5, 2013) - Innovation, creativity and powerful storytelling are the hallmarks of the 2013 toy line from Disney Consumer Products (DCP).

Some of the most innovative toys are from the new Monsters University toy collection and include features like sound and light detection technology and facial sync technology to allow for more interactive play than ever before, while The Little Mermaid and Disney Junior toy lines incorporate music and character voices to bring the products to life.

Sparking imagination, these toys capture the magic of playtime with evergreen play patterns. Here is a highlight of the top products from DCP at Toy Fair 2013:

DISNEY/PIXAR ANIMATION

Monsters University
Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan are an inseparable pair, but this was not always the case. Monsters University tells the story of how these two mismatched monsters overcame their differences and became the best of friends.

February 2013 - Cobra Special Forces has released this new recruiting video:

http://www.cobraspecialforces.com/

GI Joe Retaliation is in theaters on March 29 - http://www.gijoemovie.com/.

Two New Series of Marvel Minimates are in Stores Now!

February 2013 - The 48th assortment of Marvel Minimates, available now in comic shops and specialty stores from Diamond Select Toys, is dedicated entirely to the world of the Fantastic Four! Team leader Mr. Fantastic comes with manipulative foe the Puppet Master, the hotheaded Human Torch comes with the explosive Blastarr, the force field-wielding Invisible Woman comes with a Moloid, and the rare variant set includes a Moloid and blind sculptress Alicia Masters!

MCFARLANE TOYS REVEALS NEW 'THE WALKING DEAD'COMIC STATUE...

PREORDER BEGINS 2/11 on McFarlane.com

Each Limited Edition Statue Hand-Signed by The Walking Dead Creator Robert Kirkman

February 2013 - McFarlane Toys' Collectors Club continues to bring fans the most exciting statues ever created and our next resin statue is a true collector's dream. Michonne from The Walking Dead's comic book is the next to join McFarlane Toys' line of limited-edition resin statues.

The meticulous sculpted and hand painted statue, captures Michonne, the woman transformed by pain and loss, as she is thrust into the role of a badass zombie warrior, as she battles endless hordes of flesh-eaters in an unforgiving post-apocalyptic world.

Arnaud Pagés x outsmART originals: Playground Kommando T-Shirt Release

February 2013 - Ready for spring? We are and to kick off the season, outsmART originals is proud to announce the release of our first collaboration with French artist Arnaud Pagés! Arnaud is a pop-art, graphic designer whose influences includes street-art, pop-art and history. With a long list of gallery exhibits to his credit, he continues to create his modern vision of iconic figures throughout history. From Mao to Obama, from Elvis to Snoop, Arnaud has a unique flair for capturing the essence and attitude of pop culture.

February 2013 - Abrams has sent word of a new book that makes us instantly feel old and yet makes us want to curl up with it and read it all the way through in one sitting - Did I Do That? The Best (And Worst) of the '90s.

Did I Do That? The Best (And Worst) of the '90s (Abrams Image, March 2013, paperback, $19.95, ISBN 1-4197-0678-0) by Amber Humphrey is an outrageously fun compilation of 1990s pop culture that celebrates everything kids begged their parents for, and comments on what made all of it so invariably irresistible. Relive the decade that brought us the Power Rangers, Saved By the Bell, and Beanie Babies. Fully illustrated (it even includes a DIY Urkel t-shirt transfer!), this jam-packed book is perfectly timed for our current craze for all things 90s.

http://www.abramsbooks.com

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Hats Off to Dr. Seuss! Campaign Launches In New York City With The Debut Of Dr. Seuss's Personal Hat Collection, A Partnership With Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation, And A Guinness World Records® Attempt

Yearlong celebration to include nationwide tour of Dr. Seuss's never-before-seen personal hat collection

NEW YORK, Feb. 4, 2013 -- Random House Children's Books and Dr. Seuss Enterprises announced today the launch of the Hats Off to Dr. Seuss! (http://www.HatsOffDrSeuss.com) campaign at the famed 42nd Street branch of the New York Public Library in New York City. Inspired by the 75th anniversary of The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins (Anniversary Edition on sale January 22, 2013), the yearlong celebration salutes the breadth of Dr. Seuss's work, not only the remarkable library of children's books he created, but also the span of his incredible career and legacy as a man who wore many hats: as an ad man, a political cartoonist, filmmaker, and a fine artist, to name a few.