Raving Toy Maniac

October 7, 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.

- Pink Angel Embroidered Girls' Denim Shorts Recalled by Buy Buy Baby Due to Choking Hazard

DARK HORSE ANNOUNCES NEW YORK COMIC-CON 2012 SCHEDULE!

OCTOBER 5, MILWAUKIE, OR - It's here! New York Comic-Con is upon us, and Dark Horse Comics is telling you all the goods ahead of time! Plan accordingly!

NYCC 2012 Dark Horse Comics Signing Schedule

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11

3:00 p.m. THE ART OF CAMILLA D'ERRICO: Camilla D'Errico

4:00 p.m. THE MIGHTY SKULLBOY ARMY: Jacob Chabot

5:00 p.m. ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES: Joshua Williamson

6:00 p.m. THE VICTORIES: Michael Avon Oeming

7:00 p.m. DR. MCNINJA: Christopher Hastings

8:00 p.m. STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC & LOST TRIBE OF THE SITH: Andrea Mutti

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12

10:00 a.m. DYNAMICS PRESENTS DARK HORSE SUPERHEROES: Phil Noto (Ghost), Joshua Williamson (Captain Midnight), Mike Richardson (Publisher)

11:00 a.m. HELLBOY IN HELL: Mike Mignola

12:00 p.m. TO HELL YOU RIDE: Lance Henriksen, Tom Mandrake*
*Ticketed event. Please see details below.

1:00 p.m. NAUGHTY DOG STUDIOS: Neil Druckmann, Faith Erin Hicks

October 4, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - A note from CollectorDASH for Action Figures:

The DASH Catalog Has Figures for Every Collector

Toys"R"Us, Inc. Launches Family-Friendly Digital Entertainment Service

With More Than 4,000 Titles Available and No Subscription Required, Toys"R"Us Movies™ Provides Families Hours of Wholesome Entertainment Specially Selected by the World's Greatest Kids Brand

WAYNE, N.J., Oct. 4, 2012 -- Toys"R"Us, Inc. today announced that it has launched Toys"R"Us Movies™, a brand-new digital entertainment service that provides families instant access to the movies and TV shows kids love. Available at ToysrusMovies.com, the service features more than 4,000 titles, specially selected to supply hours of entertainment and fun for parents and children. In addition, the service is equipped with easy-to-use, customizable parental controls to help moms and dads choose the most appropriate content for their family's viewing. Toys"R"Us Movies is powered by Rovi Corporation, a global leader in digital entertainment technology solutions.

TOMY's 2013 Early Introductions Reveal Commitment To Innovation And Global Focus

Timed to coincide with Fall Toy Preview, TOMY offers a sneak-peek at its 2013 highlights, spearheaded by the introduction of the new Pokemon line

OAK BROOK, Ill., Oct. 3, 2012 -- TOMY International, a leading global designer, producer and marketer of a broad range of toys and collectible products for children of all ages, previews its 2013 spring introductions in conjunction with the opening of Fall Toy Preview in Dallas, TX. TOMY kicks-off 2013 with the introduction of its Pokemon™ toy line, alongside innovative introductions across existing owned and licensed brands.

October 4, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

Hi - More fantastic news from Takara this morning!

MP-16 is Rumble & Buzzsaw - $59.99
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=TAK11583&mode=re...

MP-10B Masterpiece Optimus Prime - Black Version -
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=TAK11584&mode=re...

The MP-15 has been updated to Frenzy & Ravage
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=TAK11574&mode=re...

don't forget about Encore #23 - FORTRESS MAXIMUS
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/list.aspx?list=10800

Diamond Select to Hold Battle Beasts Signing at New York Comic-Con

October 2012 - The Battle Beasts have invaded San Francisco in the pages of IDW's comic book mini-series, and now they're invading Zoo York! Diamond Select Toys will hold a Battle Beasts signing at their booth at New York Comic-Con with Brooklyn-based artist Ulises Farinas, the artist behind the wraparound cover (and the SDCC exclusive cover) for Battle Beasts #1 from IDW Publishing. Farinas will sign free full-sized posters featuring the wraparound cover's detailed battle scene from issue #1, and will also sign Battle Beasts comics for fans at no charge. The signing will take place on Saturday from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm at the Diamond Select Toys booth, #2156.

Erector Unleashes Its Gears of War Collection

PARIS, Oct. 2, 2012 -- Fans of the Gears of War™ franchise will now be able to bring the game to life as they build model vehicles offered by Erector®, a division of Meccano®. The brand is set to release four buildable models inspired by Microsoft's billion-dollar franchise, one of the most popular video games of all time. The Gears of War Erector sets are available now exclusively at Toys 'R' Us and http://toysrus.com.

Enthusiasts can now build the most popular vehicles and recreate the Locusts vs. Delta Squad Battle with these highly detailed sets. With the expertise of the iconic Erector brand, the precision construction and attention-to-detail will engage the older fans and collectors, while the easy-to-follow instructions and cool vehicle designs will make it a fun experience for younger fans who haven't yet played the video game.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Make A Triumphant Return To Television In New Nickelodeon Series

Series Premiere Scores Cable's Top Spot for the Week with Kids Across All TV; Nearly 4 Million Total Viewers; and Nick's Highest Boys 2-11 Rating for 2012

NEW YORK, Oct. 2, 2012 -- Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello – aka the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – made a triumphant return to television in their new Nickelodeon series premiere this weekend (Saturday, Sept. 29, at 11 a.m., ET/PT), ranking as the week's top telecast with kids 2-11 (6.2/2.1 million) and boys 6-11 (8.2/837,000) across broadcast and cable TV, and the number-one kids program on basic cable with total viewers (drawing 3.9 million) for the week. Additionally, the new CG-animated version of the series hit a ratings high for Nickelodeon with boys 2-11 (7.5/1.3 million), and was the network's top-rated premiere for an animated series since 2009. During its premiere weekend the series reached nearly 12 million total viewers.

Toys"R"Us, Inc. Announces 'Price Match Guarantee' on All Items Available In Its Stores This Holiday Season

Toys"R"Us® Will Match Competitors' In-Store Pricing on All Products Now Through December 24, Definitively Answering the Question 'Why Shop Anywhere Else for Toys? Why?'

WAYNE, N.J., Oct. 2, 2012 -- Toys"R"Us, Inc. today announced that it will offer "Price Match Guarantee" on all items available in its Toys"R"Us® and Babies"R"Us® stores nationwide, helping customers to stretch their budgets further this holiday season. Now through Christmas Eve, the company will match competitors' in-store pricing on identical items, any time a customer presents a local competitors' current, valid print advertisement showing the item available for less. In addition, if a customer finds an item sold in Toys"R"Us or Babies"R"Us stores available for less on http://Toysrus.com or http://Babiesrus.com, the company will match the online price*.