Raving Toy Maniac

April 2012 - Hasbro has sent along four new pictures of upcoming Marvel action figures:

(RTM note: we've really been enjoying seeing the variety of licensed Angry Birds items. Every now and then, there is a license that is just plain fun to watch and see how far it can go.)

Red Hot Angry Birds® Brand Lands In The Oral Care Aisle Thanks To New Licensing Agreement With Dr. Fresh®, Inc.

BUENA PARK, Calif., April 19, 2012 -- Dr. Fresh®, Inc., maker of the best-selling FireFly® toothbrush, announced that it has entered a new licensing agreement as the exclusive U.S. manufacturer and marketer of Angry Birds® branded oral care products. Angry Birds fever has captivated a broad swath of consumers across all generations, and Dr. Fresh is the first to leverage the brand's appeal in an innovative oral care line.

HEROCLIX ONLINE REVEALS UPCOMING MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS MOVIE COLLECTION

Hillside, N.J. & Cary, N.C. - April 16, 2012 - Wizkids/N.E.C.A., the makers of HeroClix Online, a digital transliteration of the table-top game, today revealed the latest Marvel collection, Marvel's The Avengers, to be incorporated into the online game. The collection, available as a Starter Pack and as Single-Figure Boosters on Thursday, April 26, will add over one dozen new figures for players to collect and will also be available via codes in physical sets starting this Wednesday, April 18.

Marvel's The Avengers Starter Pack includes six figures: Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Hulk. The pack joins Marvel's Fantastic Four set as a starter option for new players.

Marvel's The Avengers Single-Figure Boosters add another 10 figures, including Thor, Hulk, Nick Fury, Captain America, Iron Man, Agent Coulson, Skrull Infiltrator, Hawkeye, Tony Stark and Heimdall.

Additionally, beginning April 18, players and collectors can find codes for virtual Marvel's the Avengers figures - both the Starter Pack and Single-Figure Boosters - in physical sets.

Mattel Reports First Quarter 2012 Financial Results and Declares Quarterly Dividend

First Quarter Highlights

• Worldwide net sales down 2%;
• North American1 gross sales down 9% and International gross sales up 7%;
• Worldwide gross sales by core brands: Barbie® down 6%; Hot Wheels® down 5%; Fisher-Price® flat and American Girl® up 4%;
• Gross margin increased 130 basis points of net sales; SG&A increased 230 basis points of net sales (includes 170 basis points or approximately $16 million of HIT Entertainment acquisition and integration costs);
• Operating income of $28.7 million compared to operating income of $36.8 million in the first quarter of 2011; and
• Earnings per share of $0.02 (includes the negative impact of $0.04 of HIT Entertainment acquisition and integration costs) vs. prior year earnings per share of $0.05.

Capital Deployment

• Board declared 2012 second quarter cash dividend of $0.31 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend of $1.24 per share;
• Acquired HIT Entertainment for $680 million; and

The Expendables Get Collectable! Two Sets of Minimates Coming This Summer

April 2012 - On-screen, the stars of the instant-classic action film The Expendables are all larger-than-life, but in the real world, many of them are no bigger than you or me. Jason Statham? Five-foot-nine. Sylvester Stallone? Five-foot-nine-and-a-half. Jet Li? Five-foot-six-and-a-quarter. So translating all of them into 2-inch Minimates minifigures was a piece of cake!

This summer, DST will release two sets of Expendables Minimates, one at Toys "R" Us and one at comic shops and specialty stores.

The Toys "R" Us set will feature:
- Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone)
- Trent Mauser (Arnold Schwarzenegger)
- James Munroe (Eric Roberts)
- Paine (Steve Austin)

And the Specialty set will feature:

Prize #7 of the 20 Big Prizes From K'NEX®
Enter for your chance to win a Nintendo 3DS™ and Mario Kart 7™ game!

Hatfield, PA (PRWEB) April 19, 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 Win a Nintendo 3DS and Mario Kart 7. From April 19, 2012 at 9:00am EST through May 3, 2012 at 3:59pm EST, K'NEX fans can enter for their chance to win a Nintendo 3DS handheld game system and a Mario Kart 7 game, an estimated retail value of $210.

Entrants 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/Nintendo-3DS.php

"We are happy to give back to our K'NEX fans who have shown such great support for us over the past twenty years," said K'NEX President and CEO Michael Araten.

April 18, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

Hi - Here is a quick update from BBTS about a variety of cool new preorders as well as some fresh new arrivals.

-------------
NEW PREORDERS
-------------

TAKARA TRANSFORMERS PRIME, UNITED ITEMS
We have just listed many new Transformers Prime and United items from Takara. The Arms Micron line continues with Darkness Megatron, Vehicon Jet, Autobot Swerve, Airrachnid, Gaia Unicron and Iron Hide, and they are priced at $29.99 - $64.99 each. The Arms Micron figures get then own subline of kits, with the first twelve entries priced at $7.99 each. The EZ line adds the Energon Driller with Medic Knockout at $64.99 and Ultra Magnus at $15.99. Finally, Transformers United adds three new items - EX Combat Master Prime Mode and EX Jet Master Prime Mode at $79.99 each as well as EX Roller Master Vs. Chopper Master at $64.99.

Loki's Army Revealed! The Final Diamond Select Avengers Figures Unveiled At C2E2

April 2012 - If you were lucky enough to be at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) this past weekend, you were treated to a major unveiling! The final figures in Diamond Select Toys' Avengers toy lines were finally shown to the public, providing a detailed look at Loki's Army from the highly anticipated film!

As part of Marvel Minimates Series 45, a 2-inch minifigure of Loki's Army Footsoldier will come out in early May as part of a two-pack with Maria Hill. And be on the lookout for a rare variant set, which will pair the Footsoldier with his even more intimidating General!

HASBRO'S 2012 AVENGERS LINE UNITES MARVEL'S BIGGEST MOVIE HEROES
Kids Everywhere Can Assemble Their Favorite Super Heroes With Expansive New Toy Line

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (APRIL 11, 2012) - As IRON MAN, HULK, THOR, and CAPTAIN AMERICA unite on screen, Hasbro, Inc. is ready for the biggest Marvel movie ever with an extensive line of action figures, role-play toys and innovative new play patterns! Opening in the U.S. on May 3, 2012, MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS assembles its blockbuster Super Heroes - including IRON MAN, THOR and CAPTAIN AMERICA - into one film alongside heroes BLACK WIDOW, HAWKEYE, NICK FURY and the incredible HULK. Hasbro's full line of toys will bring the characters, action and excitement of Earth's Mightiest Heroes straight into kids' hands.

The expansive Hasbro toy line, rolling out this month at national retailers, features action figures of every major character, plus innovative new toys and role-play items. Highlights from the line include:

April 13, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer Urban-Collector has several new items of interest to collectors:

This week we are featuring new pre-orders including Gentle Giant Captain America statue, Star Wars Security Droid bust and Red Snaggletooth Kenner figure!

Featured Pre-Orders

• Dr. Evil 12 inch deluxe action figure
• Gentle Giant Wolverine Yellow Mini-Bust