Raving Toy Maniac

August 1, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

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

G2 BRUTICUS (BBTS SHARED EXCLUSIVE) - PREORDERS OPEN AGAIN
Did you miss Bruticus when it first went up? We have reopened the preorder, get yours now while they are still available!
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HAS22068&mode=re...

TRANSFORMERS SCI-FI REVOLTECH #040 OPTIMUS PRIME DX
This new release of the movie figure includes jetwings, an energon axe, his energon sword, multiple hands and more. We have this piece listed at $69.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=KAI10446&mode=re...

BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT 1/4 SCALE HD MASTERPIECE BATMAN, JOKER

JAKKS Pacific Announces Acquisition of Maui Toys

JAKKS adds popular Wave Hoop(R), Sky Ball(TM) and other toys to enhance portfolio

MALIBU, Calif., Jul 26, 2012 -- JAKKS Pacific, Inc. announced today that it has acquired Ohio-based Maui, Inc. ("Maui"), a manufacturer and distributor of spring and summer activity toys, outdoor sports related toys, impulse toys including the popular Wave Hoop(R) and Sky Ball(TM) products under the Maui Toys brand.

JAKKS Pacific has acquired all of the shares of stock of Maui, a 24-year-old, privately held company, and its Hong Kong based affiliate A.S. Design Limited. The business is comprised of proprietary non-licensed brands that are complementary to JAKKS Pacific's wide-ranging product portfolio.

Nicholas Brendon to attend Meta Con

Bloomington, MN - July 31, 2012 - Meta Con is thrilled to announce that Nicholas Brendon, the actor for Xander Harris in all seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, will be appearing at Meta Con 2012 in Minneapolis. Meta Con is a three-day multi-genre comic convention that will bring together over 2,000 fans for a Labor Day weekend celebration at the Doubletree by Hilton in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Nicholas Brendon is best known to audiences as Xander on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a role he played for the seven-year run of the show. His film credits include the cult favorite Psycho Beach Party, My Neighbor's Secret for Lifetime, A Golden Christmas for Ion, Blood on the Highway, and The Portal.

He recurs on the hit CBS series Criminal Minds, has guest starred on the ABC drama Private Practice, and also starred on the Fox series Kitchen Confidential. In 2010, he launched the weekly webcomic Very Bad Koalas, with Steve Loter. Convention attendees will be able to attend Q&A sessions with Nicholas, and they will have the opportunity to get autographs and pictures with him.

K'NEX Launches Angry Birds™ "Find the Golden Egg" Sweepstakes

Five Grand Prize Winners to Receive Prize Pack

Hatfield, PA, August 2012 - K'NEX, the only US construction toy company focused on Building Worlds Kids Love™, is celebrating the introduction of its new officially licensed Angry Birds building sets with an exciting "Find the Golden Egg Sweepstakes"!

U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for August 1

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2012 -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1: SPIDER-MAN AT 50

Profile America - Wednesday, August 1st. Spider-Man continues to stay near the top of the heap in the superhero game, as his latest movie opened last month, this time in 3-D. And his Broadway musical, after a costly and controversial development phase, continues its run on the Great White Way. Actually, Spidey gets around pretty well for his age. It was 50 years ago today that "Amazing Fantasy Comics" appeared with the first story about Spider-Man. Bitten by a radioactive spider, teenager Peter Parker finds he has super powers and has to deal with the responsibilities that come with them. About 40 new shows open on Broadway each year, drawing audiences of more than 12 million. You can find more facts about America's people, places and economy from the American Community Survey at http://www.census.gov.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2012, p. 385

August 1, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

Hi - Here is a quick update from http://www.bigbadtoystore.com about some great new listings just added this morning!

Star Wars Vintage - Wave 05 - Limited Distribution. This wave won't be widely distributed, but BBTS was able to secure stock with Hasbro and is offering sealed cases of 12 at $119.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HAS22114&mode=re...

New Bowen Marvel Statues:

Warpath, Cable Exclusive, X-Force Warpath Exclusive, Dr Strange Faux Bronze, Hercules Variant - all listed here:
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=bowen

Takara Micron Arms Capsules - Volume 3 - $17.99 gets you a bag of 6 figures, which including a full set of 4
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=TAK11527&mode=re...