Raving Toy Maniac

October 30, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

Hi - it's been a busy day of new arrivals and new listings - here are some highlights:

Transformers Generations Voyager - Soundwave & Soundblaster. Cases, Sets, Singles
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=2339&category=9050

Marvel Universe Super Hero Team Sets - Series 05 listed
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=super+hero+team+05

First Edition Prime - Voyager Arrives - Deluxe Also In Stock
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=hasbro+first+editi...

Takara MP-12 - In Stock - $83.99
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=TAK11477&mode=re...

Star Wars Wolf Pack Exclusive - In Stock
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HAS22182&mode=re...

Takara Seeker and Seeker Elite sets - final pricing set at $129.99

Hess Toy Truck Fans Use Social Media to Reveal 2012 Model Early

Helicopter and Rescue Goes on Sale Nov. 9

NEW YORK, Oct. 29, 2012 -- Hess Toy Truck fans worked together to reveal the newest addition to the celebrated line of toy trucks ahead of its scheduled Nov. 1 launch: The 2012 Hess Toy Truck is a Helicopter and Rescue. Last week, fans began to uncover hints and image pieces of the new Toy Truck model through 30,000 linked social actions such as posting a Hess Toy Truck collectors badge on Facebook, tweeting #hesstruck2012 and checking in at Hess Express locations.

Lighting up the sky this year, the 2012 Hess Helicopter and Rescue takes flight Friday, Nov. 9 at participating Hess and Hess Express retail stores and, for the first time ever, will be sold online at http://www.hesstoytruck.com, retailing for $26.99 plus tax (plus shipping for online orders) – Energizer® batteries included. Preordering is available online starting Nov. 1.

The Great Big Toys"R"Us Book - Filled With More Than $8,000 In Savings On The Season's Hottest Playthings - Arrives In Homes And Stores Nationwide This Weekend

Much Anticipated and Authoritative Book on the Season's Most Coveted Toys Showcases Company's Competitive Strength in Offering the Broadest Selection of Branded Playthings, Along with Hundreds of Items that Can't be Found Anywhere Else

October 26, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

Hi - Some cool new items listed today:

Hot Toys Resident Evil - Ada Wong
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HOT10418&mode=re...

Takara Seeker Elite 3-Pack
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=TAK11621&mode=re...

TFC Uranus SR-71 Blackbird
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=TFC10028&mode=re...

Carlito's Way - Al Pacino 1/6
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=BLTZ10001&mode=r...

G1 Commemorative - Astrotrain, Ultra Magnus, Powermaster Prime
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=transformers+comme...

October 26, 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.

- Halloween Costumes: What to Look For

- Dorel Juvenile Group Recalls Eddie Bauer Rocking Wood Bassinets Due to Infant Suffocation Hazard

- ValcoBaby Booster Seats Recalled Due to Fall Hazard

After 45 Years, Mad Monster Party Action Figures Are Finally Here!

October 26, 2012 - Watch your back, Rudolph -- the Mad Monster Party has begun! Released in 1967 by stop-motion magnates Rankin-Bass, Mad Monster Party is the horror buff's bedtime story, the Halloween equivalent of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and a benchmark in the grand tradition of stop-motion animation. Now, 45 years later, Diamond Select Toys is giving the film the toys it so richly deserved! The first series includes Baron Boris Von Frankenstein, the Baron's creation Fang and the vampiric Count Dracula. Sculpted in a 7-inch scale (the creature is over 9 inches tall!) by Tony Cipriano, each figure comes with a display base and a variety of accessories. Check out the gallery below, then pick up a set at your local comic shop, or order one from your favorite online toy store today!

Middle-earth Comes to Denny's

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"-inspired menu items and memorabilia to land at America's Diner on November 6

SPARTANBURG, S.C., Oct. 24, 2012 -- Denny's, America's iconic family diner, announced today its partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures to bring menu items and one-of-a-kind memorabilia to the national diner inspired by the highly anticipated epic adventure "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM). Hobbit film fans can get their first taste of Middle-earth inspired fare in restaurants starting Nov. 6.

From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," is set to release in theaters on Dec. 14, and is the first of three films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece by J.R.R. Tolkien.

October 24, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

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NEW ARRIVALS
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G2 BRUTICUS - BBTS SHARED EXCLUSIVE
This exclusive set includes Onslaught, Brawl, Swindle, Vortex and Blast off in their G2 colors. Leave them in vehicle or robot mode, or merge them to create the mighty Bruticus!
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HAS22068&mode=re...

TRANSFORMERS PRIME ORION PAX
This figure of Optimus before he became the leader of the Autobots has Decepticon symbols and comes with a gold chromed version of Ratchet's Arms Micron. This figure is listed at $54.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=TAK11569&mode=re...

TRANSFORMERS COMMEMORATIVE G1 SOUNDWAVE

October 24, 2012 - DC has a new contest online, The DC Comics' Super-Villains Big Score Sweepstakes.

There's only one prize in this contest... but it's a doozy! To be more specific, the official rules for the contest list the prize package as:

The Business Of Scary Is A 7 Billion Dollar U.S. Industry

Billions are Spent on Costumes for Adults and Pets

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Oct. 23, 2012 -- Halloween has been transformed - it is no longer merely a day for candy and superstition; it is a multi-billion-dollar business, according to figures compiled by FEARnet, the cable industry's premier TV movie network, VOD channel and online portal featuring horror, suspense and thriller content. In 2011, Halloween-related spending neared 7 billion dollars; up from 3.29 billion dollars in 2005. This year, the average person will spend $72.31 on costumes, candy and decorations, and will have an estimated 15,000 pop-up Halloween stores to choose from. Costume sales, alone, for the 41,000,000 potential trick-or-treaters, are expected to rake in one billion dollars for children's costumes, 1.21 billion dollars for adult costumes and 310 million dollars for pet costumes. And the candy industry stands to make 23% of its annual candy sales during Halloween - the largest of any selling season.