Raving Toy Maniac

September 21, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

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NEW PREORDERS
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REISSUE TRANSFORMERS
The Commemorative G1 Optimus and G1 Soundwave with Ravage & Laserbeak figures have just been listed. They are priced at $69.99 and $59.99 respectively.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/list.aspx?list=10681

2013 HOT WHEELS RETRO & MORE
A bunch of new Hot Wheels have gone up on the site. Among them are 1:50 Scale Series 07 Batman, 1:64 Scale DCU, 1:50 Scale Star Trek and Retro Entertainment Assortments.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/list.aspx?list=10688

NEW BOWEN DESIGNS STATUES

Walmart Unveils Top Toy List and Gives Parents Confidence to Shop Now for the Toys Kids Want at Everyday Low Prices

No Reservations Required: America's Largest Toy Seller's Hassle-Free Layaway Program Begins this Sunday

BENTONVILLE, Ark., Sept. 19, 2012 -- Walmart announced today its Top 20 Toy List featuring FURBYS, LeapPads, Novi Stars Dolls and 17 other toys bound to be on kids' wish lists. Walmart's Top Toys are available now at Walmart stores in time for the retailer's layaway program, launching this Sunday. Customers who like their local Walmart store's Facebook page can begin using layaway today.

If a customer puts a toy on layaway and Walmart rolls back the price later in the season, Walmart will honor the rolled-back price if it is in effect at the time of final payment. Walmart will also match competitor pricing during checkout for layaway products through its ad match policy. Customers will be able to pick up their toys once they complete their layaway payments. Once completed, customers will receive a full refund of the $5 layaway open fee on a Walmart gift card.

Toys"R"Us® Announces 2012 Holiday Hot Toy List

A Toy-Rrific Doctor, Giants from Skylands, a Micro-Charged Speedway, Kid-Friendly Tablets and a Fur-bulous Blast from the Past, Among the Toys Expected to Top Kids' Wish Lists This Christmas

Kohl's is the Destination for Top Toy Brands This Holiday Season

Kohl's announces top 25 most dreamed of toys for the holidays and expanded toys offering in store and Kohls.com

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. -- September 19, 2012 -- Kohl's Department Stores today announced its top 25 toys for the holiday season from its expanded in-store and online toy collection. Kohl's and Kohls.com will offer the toys kids dream of from top toy brands, including Disney, Fisher-Price, Hasbro, Leapfrog, Mattel, V-Tech and more. With an extensive toy selection from tablets to dolls, Kohl's is the destination for gift givers to dream big, find it all and save this holiday.

"Customers expect great things at Kohl's and this holiday shoppers need to look no further than Kohl's for all the toys on their lists at incredible values," said Don Brennan, Kohl's chief merchandising officer. "As toys continue to top holiday wish lists, Kohl's has strengthened and expanded its toy offerings both in store and online, making it easy for customers to shop their entire list at Kohl's and make holiday dreams come true this year."

Legoland Discovery Center Hosts Brick Factor Competition To Find Their Next Master Model Builder

GRAPEVINE, Texas, Sept. 20, 2012 -- LEGOLAND Discovery Center Grapevine is hosting open auditions to find the attraction's next Master Model Builder during a public build-off competition held on Saturday, October 6 starting at 1 p.m. and Sunday, October 7 starting at noon at Grapevine Mills Mall. There are only three other people in the U.S. that carry the official designation of LEGO Master Model Builder at a LEGOLAND Discovery Center. Applicants from all over North Texas and the surrounding region will gather at the Grapevine Mills Mall Food Court for two days of intense competition, where a fourth person will get the chance to win the dream job and full-time salaried position of Master Model Builder.

Kmart® Unwraps Fab 15 Must-Have Toys For Holiday Season

Parents Take a Trip Down Memory Lane with New Twists on Classic Toys

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Sept. 20, 2012 -- Today, Kmart® announces its annual Fab 15 toy list – the ultimate list of toys that kids want. This year's list features the hottest toys of the season from top brands including Hasbro, Mattel and Fisher-Price, as well as popular characters that kids know and love like Barbie, Mickey and more.

"Each year we select toys for our Fab 15 list that are sure to top the wish lists of children everywhere and deliver smiles on Christmas morning," said Hugo Malan, SVP and president, Fitness, Sporting Goods and Toys at Sears Holdings. "Parents are thrilled that this year's list is making shopping easy by helping them identify toys that are the next big thing."

From classics like Twister and Power Wheels, to new hits like LeapFrog and Air Hogs, this year's Kmart Fab 15 list includes:

• Air Hogs® Hover Assault™ by Spin Master™
• Cinderella Enchanted Carriage Vanity by CDI Toys™
• FURBY by Hasbro®

HEROCLIX ONLINE RELEASES NEW MARVEL CONTENT: SIX ALL-NEW HULKED-OUT HEROES CHASE FIGURES

September 2012 - HeroClix Online developers today released all-new Marvel content, featuring six new figures from the Hulked-Out Heroes collection. The new figures include Winter Hulk, Hulklops, Icehulk, Hulkmariner, Mighty Thorr and Wolverage.

The new figures, compatible with all other Marvel figures with Marvel maps and tournaments are available as tournament prizes beginning today.

For more information on HeroClix Online, visit http://hco.heroclix.com.

For news updates and announcements, follow HeroClix Online on Facebook and Twitter.

About Marvel Entertainment

September 20, 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.

- H&M Recalls Children's Water Bottle Due to Choking Hazard, Sold Exclusively at H&M Stores

- Escaping the Invisible Killer: New CPSC Research Demonstrates Technology That Can Significantly Reduce Poisonous Carbon Monoxide from a Generator - Consumers' escape time increased from eight minutes to 96 minutes

September 19, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - A note from CollectorDASH for Action Figures:

The Collector-ActionFigures Community is Moving Forward

Much like Raving Toy Maniac itself, there are a lot of great online communities for action figure collectors, but none are as unique as the group of fervent toy lovers making up Collector-ActionFigures. Our members are dedicated to creating and maintaining the world's most expansive catalog of action figures. Whether you're a fan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Street Fighter, or have gone stark raving mad over Iron Man (multiple puns intended), DASH's community has something to offer you.

LEETUP "AWESOMESAUCE. LIVE" TOUR POSTPONED

LOS ANGELES - September 19, 2012 - Due to conflicting promotional obligations from added markets for Kevin Pereira's new Warner Bros. show, "Let's Ask America," the inaugural leetUP "Awesomesauce.Live" tour has been postponed. The interactive comedy variety show, which Complex Magazine dubbed "Kevin Pereira's Coachella for Nerds" was set to descend upon and ravage pop culture fanatics in 10 cities this fall, beginning September 20 in Seattle, with stops in Portland, Austin, Dallas, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Minneapolis, Madison, and Chicago. Pereira, who was to be joined on tour by a series of geeky celebs and interweb stars including Epic Meal Time, VJ Mike Relm and YouTube darling, Grace Helbig, assures fans efforts will be made to bring leetUP to a city near them as scheduling permits.