Raving Toy Maniac

JOHN CUSACK TO APPEAR AT CHICAGO COMIC & ENTERTAINMENT EXPO (C2E2)

Critically Acclaimed Actor to Preview Trailer for The Raven

Norwalk, CT, March 19, 2012: John Cusack, a Chicago native and one of Hollywood's most accomplished and respected actors of his generation, will appear at this year's Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2). Mr. Cusack will participate in a Q&A session on Sunday, April 15th and show a trailer for The Raven, his new movie from Relativity starring Mr. Cusack as Edgar Allen Poe. The independent period thriller, which will be released on April 27th, is directed by James McTiegue and tells the fictionalized account of the last days of Poe's life in which the poet teams up with a young Baltimore detective to hunt down a serial killer who uses Poe's works as the basis for his murders. Mr. Cusack will also do a limited signing for 100 fans at C2E2.

Hasbro Named as One of Ethisphere's 2012 World's Most Ethical Companies

Award recognizes exceptional ethical leadership across continents and industries

PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- March 19, 2012 -- Hasbro, Inc., a global branded play company providing children and families with a wide-range of immersive entertainment offerings based on the Company's world-class brand portfolio, announced today that it has been recognized as one of the "2012 World's Most Ethical Companies" (WME) by the Ethisphere Institute. The Ethisphere Institute is a leading business ethics think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability.

Hasbro secured a place on the WME list from a record number of nominations by implementing and maintaining "upright business practices and initiatives that are instrumental to the company's success, benefit the community and raise the bar for ethical standards within the industry."

836 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fans Invade Nickelodeon Universe to Break the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS Largest Gathering of Ninja Turtles

BLOOMINGTON, Minn., March 17, 2012 -- Fans dressed as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles united in Mall of America to break the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS largest gathering of ninja turtles and celebrate the grand opening of the newest thrill ride at Nickelodeon Universe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shell Shock, the first ever ride of its kind in the United States. Fans from across the nation traveled to Mall of America to shatter the previous record of 786 with 836 fans dressed as ninja turtles. The Mall welcomed guests with commemorative Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles t-shirts, face masks and free passes to check out the ride.

DARK HORSE JOINS THE GEEK & SUNDRY PROGRAMMING SLATE WITH REVOLUTIONARY NEW MOTION COMICS!

MARCH 17, 2012, ANAHEIM, CA - Today at WonderCon, it was announced that Dark Horse would be bringing their most well-known characters to Felicia Day's all-new YouTube channel, Geek & Sundry, beginning on April 2!

This highly anticipated premium YouTube channel and company, founded by Felicia Day and the producers of the hit web series The Guild, today announced a lineup of six new original series premiering online starting April 2. The channel will present the very best of indie geek culture by exploring fun themes in comedy, gaming, comics, music, and literature that are sure to captivate audiences every week. Geek & Sundry will also provide a social destination and community for fans connecting online and offline about nerd culture worldwide (GeekAndSundry.com).

DST Announces Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Photo Contest! Minimates... Fight!

March 2012 - The second wave of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Minimates minifigures is in stores now, and they're spoiling for a fight! Spider-Man, Chris Redfield, Wolverine, Viewtiful Joe, Crimson Viper, Super Skrull, Jill Valentine and Storm have joined Series 1 on the pegs, which means there are now 24 Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Minimates in all! Even though they're only 2 inches tall, Minimates pack enough articulation, accessories and interchangeable parts to create some crazy fight scenes, so Diamond Select Toys is issuing a challenge -- stage a fight scene between two or more Marvel vs. Capcom Minimates and send us a picture of it! The winner will get a set of Minimates from every Minimates line we make, plus some rare MvC3 prizes!

Rules:

VIZ MEDIA INVITES MANGA FANS TO "SHOW YOUR SHONEN JUMP LOVE" WITH A FUN NEW PHOTO CONTEST

Contest Encourages Fans To Submit Photos Showing Their Passion For SHONEN JUMP; iPad 2 With WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA Membership And Other Prizes To Be Awarded

San Francisco, CA, March 16, 2012 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, invites fans to show their love for SHONEN JUMP with a brand new contest that will award a variety of valuable prizes to several lucky winners. Contestants are encouraged to upload a photo showing their love for SHONEN JUMP to the contest page at sjalpha.com/ipad2.

Encourage friends, family and other fans to vote for your entry during the two, week-long voting periods! Prizes will be given to the fan with the most votes for that given week. A Grand Prize will also be awarded to fan with the most overall votes.

Prize #5 of the 20 Big Prizes From K'NEX®
Enter for your chance to win a Space Camp Family Program Gift Certificate for Two!

Hatfield, PA - March 16, 2012 - K'NEX Brands, the only US construction toy company focused on Building Worlds Kids Love™, is pleased to announce the launch of K'NEX'S U.S. Space Camp & Rocket Center Family Camp Program Gift Certificate Sweepstakes. From March 16, 2012 at 8:00am EST through April 2, 2012 at 3:59pm EST, K'NEX fans can enter for their chance to win a 3-day Family Program gift certificate for one child and one adult to Space Camp or Aviation Challenge at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

The U.S. Space and Rocket Center offers lessons in space, aviation and robotics and has been attended by more than 500,000 participants. Camp attendee hopefuls can enter once per day either through the K'NEX Facebook page (which links to the K'NEX 20th Anniversary Celebration page of the Knex.com website), or directly through KNEX.com. Contestants must be 18 years or older to enter. Please see official rules for details. http://www.knex.com/20thanniversary/20BigPrizes/USS-and-RC.php

Special Olympics USA Games Names First Founding Partner With $1 Million Pledge From the Toys"R"Us Children's Fund

PRINCETON, N.J., March 15, 2012 -- The Organizing Committee of the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games and Toys"R"Us® today announced a $1 million commitment from the Toys"R"Us Children's Fund, making Toys"R"Us the first Founding Partner of the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games. In addition to its Founding Partner status, Toys"R"Us will be the Presenting Sponsor of the Young Athletes™ Festival, a first-of-its-kind feature at a Special Olympics USA Games event.

The Toys"R"Us Young Athletes Festival will provide opportunities for children, ages 2-7, and their families to take part in the Special Olympics Young Athletes program, Healthy Athletes® activities and family seminars geared toward the future stars of Special Olympics.

March 2012 - With so many talented artists creating customs each day, every now and then a custom piece comes along that makes you stand up and notice while harkening back to your younger days. ViseOne not only transports us back to the lazy and adventure filled life of Bill Watterson's Calvin & Hobbes - but the detail that he put into the custom simply makes one smile and be astounded at the same time. Part of ViseOne's continuing Comic Stripped series, this new 16 inch Qee Custom is another fine example of his work and talent. Departing from the hero genre and focusing on one of pop culture's loveable duos, here is a custom that captures the essence perfectly! Toy2R is thrilled to have ViseOne select Qee as his platform for this amazing and clever creation.

ANNE RICE TO BE SPOTLIGHT GUEST AT CHICAGO COMIC & ENTERTAINMENT EXPO (C2E2)

Legendary Author to Appear on Panel and for Signing