Worldwide Licensing News . . .

Hasbro Introduces a New Potato Head: The Yamdalorian.  Spuds are the way! The latest Star Wars-inspired Potato Head toy from Hasbro has arrived, and it might be the funniest thing we’ve seen in a long time. Say hello to “The Yamdalorian and the Tot,” a Potato Head set inspired by the titular character from the Star Wars series The Mandalorian and his adorable space-toddler sidekick, Grogu.

Disguise Announces Squid Game Costume and Accessory Launch in North America and APAC in 2022. Disguise, Inc. announces design and development of costumes and masks based on Netflix’s hit series Squid Game for 2022. Squid Game became a fast favorite on Netflix this year with over 142M views in just 4 weeks, becoming their most watched show to date.

Jakks Pacific extended its long-running Sonic the Hedgehog licensing partnership with SEGA of America to include the upcoming Netflix animated series, Sonic Prime. Under the new deal, Jakks will design, produce, and market a full range of action figures, playsets, vehicles, plush, and collectibles inspired by the show. Disguise — the costumes and seasonal division of Jakks Pacific — is on board as the official costume...

The world of Play-Doh is expanding thanks to a new pact between Hasbro and Creative Kids.  Creative Kids inked a multi-year, international licensing deal with Hasbro to create and produce a new range of Play-Doh branded products, including toys, air dry compounds, and modeling clay. The first wave of new products is set to launch this spring with more to follow. 

JAKKS Pacific, Disguise and Sega of America Announce "Sonic Prime" Toy and Costume Collection. JAKKS Pacific, Inc. announced a partnership with Sega of America, Inc. for the upcoming animated Sonic the Hedgehog series, Sonic Prime. Under this partnership, JAKKS will produce action figures, playsets, vehicles, plush and other collectibles associated with the upcoming new show. 

​

People . . . ​

HASBRO NAMES CHRIS COCKS AS CEO, ERIC NYMAN AS PRESIDENT AND COO. The company’s board of directors named Chris Cocks as Hasbro’s new CEO and member of the board effective Feb. 25. Cocks takes over for interim CEO Rich Stoddart who stepped in to lead the company following the death of longtime CEO Brian Goldner last fall. Stoddart will become chair of the board. Cocks joined Hasbro from Microsoft in 2016 and currently serves as president and chief operating officer of Hasbro’s Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming division.

Jazwares has announced that Jeremy Padawer joins the c-suite as Chief Brand Officer. Padawer is a toy industry veteran with deep expertise in brand development across multiple toy categories including collectibles, as well as an experienced executive in e-commerce and animated content. Padawer has been instrumental in Jazwares’ growth since joining the company in 2019 when Jazwares acquired Wicked Cool Toys. 

Funko announced that Charles Denson, a current member of the Board, has been appointed Chairman of the Board. Mr. Denson replaces Ken Brotman of ACON Investments, who will continue to serve as a board member. “I feel very privileged to take on this role at such an exciting time for Funko,” said Mr.Denson. “The company is at the center of fan culture and innovation in consumer products...

Making It In the Toy Industry, a podcast hosted by The Toy Coach, Azhelle Wade, is celebrating the launch of its 3rd season. This is the only toy podcast designed to support and inspire inventors, entrepreneurs, and corporate toy people with advice and insider tips about concept development, marketing, sales, and manufacturing.

Talking strategy with MGM’s Robert Marick. Home to Bond, Rocky and The Pink Panther, MGM is a powerhouse of a studio. We asked Robert Marick, EVP Global Consumer Products & Experiences, to tell us about developing licensing strategies for some of the most iconic properties in entertainment, and how his stints at Disney, Mattel, Twentieth Century Fox and Discovery have shaped his approach to global brand mgt.

Industry veteran Andy Moberg has joined Fun In Motion Toys as Vice President of Sales & Marketing. The exciting news was announced by Kevin Daniels, Founding President of Fun In Motion Toys.  His distinguished industry career has included senior management positions at University Games, Play Visions and Toysmith. Throughout, he has played a major role in creating a wide variety of remote control, flying, ...

(the above was posted after December 31st)

‘Power Kid Podcast’ top 10 episodes of 2021. We made it through another year, and that means that it’s time to take a look at some of the biggest hits of 2021! On the “Power Kid Podcast” — presented by The Toy Book Podcasts by Adventure Media & Events — host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design delivers fresh conversations with some of the biggest names and rising stars in the toy, game, and family entertainment industries. 

UM-Dearborn students built STEM toys and donated them to the local toy library. Students in the IMSE 382 manufacturing course delivered for the holidays.  You have to hand it to Assistant Professor Georges Ayoub for finding ways to make engineering education both rigorous and fun. A couple semesters ago he had his students concept, design and manufacture original board games — a highly detailed process that involves a surprisingly wide range of skills in the engineer’s toolbox.

Highlighted Press Releases . . . 

SmartLab Toys Inspires Budding Scientists, Launches the Most Advanced Human Body Discovery Toy with Ultimate Squishy Human Body

Raising the bar for all other human body kits, this comprehensive kit features a 16-inch-tall human anatomy model with realistic removable squishy organs, articulated joints and an electronic sound module powered by SmartScan Technology. 

​

News from Associations, Trade Shows, Awards, Events & Festivals . . . 

The Toy Association expects to safely host Toy Fair New York at the Javits Center from February 19-22, 2022. All who enter Toy Fair will be required to wear masks. “Our steadfast requirement for proof of vaccination and mask wearing was seen as somewhat controversial last spring and today provides confidence that all health and safety standards are in place,” added Pasierb.

Toymaster confirms details of 2022 May Show. The popular annual event will return to the Double Tree by Hilton Majestic Hotel in Harrogate from 17th-19th May.  The Toymaster buying group has officially sent out the invite to its 2022 May Show, which makes its highly anticipated return this year after being forced to sit out 2021 due to Covid. Running from Tuesday 17th May to Thursday 19th May (with a set-up day on the 16th)...

The British Toy and Hobby Association has released a statement reassuring the trade that the annual Toy Fair will take place as planned from 25th-27th January. The official statement, sent out today, reads: “Over the past months and weeks, we have continuously been monitoring the government regulations and industry guidance in order to best prepare and work towards delivering a safe and successful Toy Fair 2022 for...

The Children’s Media Conference has announced that its Editorial Director Greg Childs has been awarded an OBE for Services to Int'l Trade and the Children’s Media Sector in the Queen’s New Year’s Honors List. The award has been presented to Greg in recognition of his considerable contribution to children’s media throughout his career, which started at the BBC where he worked for 27 yrs, primarily as a director, producer...

China Toy Expo and China Kids Fair, organized by China Toy & Juvenile Products Assn, originally scheduled for Feb.23-25, 2022 at Shanghai New Int'l Expo Center will be postponed to Oct 19-21, 2022 at the same venue. Though the COVID-19 situation has largely been controlled within China, the recent scattered new cases still pose great challenge and threat to large-scale tradeshow. (from email)

(the above posted after December 31st)

Childcare registration is now open for GDC 2022. Parents: If you've been eager to attend GDC next year but are in need of safe childcare options during the event, we've got exciting news. In-person childcare is returning to GDC 2022! The Game Developers Conference is once again partnering with KiddieCorp to provide a children's program at the Moscone Center during GDC 2022, for kids ages 6 months to 12 years old. The team of excellent childcare workers will engage your children with activities they want to attend, providing you with that critical peace …

RIP - Rest in Play - Remembering Those that have Passed . . . If you know of a colleague's passing, please send us information so we may share with our colleagues. Archives can be found HERE.

John Madden: NFL coach, broadcaster and video game icon dies at 85. Legendary American Football coach and commentator John Madden has died at the age of 85, the National Football League (NFL) has announced. The league said he died unexpectedly and did not give a cause.  Madden led the then-Oakland Raiders to their first Super Bowl victory in 1977 and became a hugely popular television analyst after retiring from coaching. He later became the face of Madden NFL Football, one of the most successful sports video games ever.  "Nobody loved football more than Coach," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.  "There will never be another John Madden, and we will forever be indebted to him for all he did to make football and the NFL what it is today."  Madden coached the Raiders from 1969 to 1978. He won Super Bowl XI when they went through the 1976 regular season with a 13-1 record.  He boasts the best winning percentage of NFL coaches who have taken charge of more than 100 games.  But he will perhaps be best remembered for his three-decade career in commentary, after retiring from coaching at just 42.  Known for his unpretentious style, Madden travelled to games in his own bus because he suffered from claustrophobia. He also developed a fear of flying.  Many younger fans know him as the man who gave his name to Madden NFL, published by EA Sports since 1988. The video game became so influential that some players and coaches learned new tactics from playing it.  Madden NFL became renowned for its realistic gameplay. EA first approached Madden with the idea in 1984, but it took four years before he was finally satisfied with the game, insisting it had to be as realistic as possible.  John Madden won 16 Emmy Awards and covered 11 Super Bowls from 1979 to 2009. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.  "People always ask, are you a coach or a broadcaster or a video game guy?" he said when was elected to the Hall of Fame. "I'm a coach, always been a coach." 

Mark Taylor - A legendary figure in the creation of Mattel’s Masters of the Universe (MOTU) franchise has died. Designer Mark Taylor was credited with shaping much of the MOTU aesthetic and the design for countless characters that contributed to the massive success of the MOTU brand in the 1980s. While formal credits for the development of He-Man and Skeletor have often been disputed over the years, Taylor’s work, along with that of another Mattel designer — Roger Sweet — eventually became the toys that are familiar to millions.  Some key design elements that shaped He-Man and other residents of Eternia were pulled from Taylor’s Torak: Hero of Pre-History, a barbarian-esque character that was in and out of development for many years pre-dating the launch of the MOTU brand in 1982.  Taylor’s work at Mattel began in the 1970s as a member of the Visual Design Group working on packaging for Barbie. Following his work on the MOTU franchise, Taylor went on to become a key figure in the development of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) line at Playmates Toys in 1987. Taylor’s work has been explored in numerous documentaries, including Power of Grayskull and The Toys That Made Us.  His Christmas Eve passing was confirmed by his wife, Rebecca Salari Taylor via Facebook.  Mark Taylor was 80 years old.

Jeff Hunter, Owner and CEO of Hunter Products Pty Ltd., popular Australian toy stalwart Jeff Hunter sadly passed away just before Christmas. 

Jeff was a hugely popular, larger-than-life character who was always seen at global toy industry shows and social events in Hong Kong, London, Nuremberg and many other places around the globe. Jeff’s daughter, Madeleine Hunter, product manager at Hunter Products, posted the following notice on LinkedIn: “As many of you know, we lost our Dad, the greatest salesman, Jeff Hunter on Thursday at 12.30am. He was surrounded by the six of us, as he would have wanted. Dad could sell ice to the eskimos and he got the biggest buzz when he got the order. He was a big kid and he just loved toys. Dad, we will ‘never never never give up’ and we will ‘sell, sell, sell’ and get that massive hit we always talked about – I promise you that. Rest in Peace Dad, your bubbly energy and enthusiasm will live on inside us all every day.”

MGA’s Isaac Larian referred to Jeff as “a legend in our industry”, while Richard North added the following tribute to Jeff: “For those who don’t know Jeff, he would light up any room he entered and leave it brighter than when he walked in. For those who did know Jeff, they will know he was always laughing and his stories were legendary and often carried words of wisdom. I know he would be proud to know that I’ve forgotten most of them simply because by the morning of any night out with Jeff and Jimbo, my head would hurt and my memory had gone. God bless you Jeff and your fantastic kids, who take the business forward in your amazing spirit and honour.”

Barry Burlison - Tribute from Jack Morrissey: Barry Burlison was a highly talented and creative individual. He always found a way to make things he developed work and as such sell at retail. In the late 1970's I worked with him on an ingeneous greeting card project he developed called POPCORN. It was comprised of 3D Popup cards for Birthday, Thank you, Congrats, etc. Barry set the standard for this genre that exists today. He also developed Popup Cards for travel/vacation destinations, such as Graceland, Duns River Falls. Etc. The photo above is of us at the NYC Stationery Show in 1980. Barry had great success in marketing the Science Tech line with Bowen Hill Mfg in Hong Kong. The line consisted of Microscopes. Telescopes, and science based playthings including flying saucers. Barry's talent, his kindness and his humor will be missed by all that had the privilege to know and work with him.

Henry Orenstein, Hole Card Cam Inventor & Transformers Catalyst, passes Away at 98.  The man responsible for changing the way we watch poker on TV, Henry Orenstein, passed away at age 98. Details of his passing weren't immediately available. Orenstein, a Holocaust survivor from Poland, is credited with inventing the hole card cam, arguably the top game-changer in poker. The hole card camera, which exposes each player's cards to a television audience, was invented and patented by Orenstein in 1995. He didn't introduce the revolutionary product to the public until 1999 when the U.K.'s Channel 4 Late Night Poker show was first to use the hole cam. Poker has never been the same and has grown significantly in popularity since that creative invention. Nowadays, virtually every poker event on TV or livestream utilizes the hole cam. Without it, there likely never would have been a poker boom in the early 2000s, and few recreational fans would be able to pick Chris Moneymaker out of a lineup.  Orenstein lived a full life and was one of the most respected and treasured members of the poker community. He was born October 13, 1923 in Poland. He survived a Nazi concentration camp, dealt with his parents being murdered by Nazis in Germany, and emigrated to the U.S. where he became a successful businessman and poker player. When Orenstein arrived in the U.S. in 1942, he lived with his uncle in New York. He'd go on to start a toy company that was highly profitable and innovative. The future Poker Hall of Famer left such a mark on the toy industry that he was given credit for being the catalyst behind the creation of Transformers, one of the hottest selling children's toys in history. Without his vision to see potential in an unknown toy in the 1980s, Transformers may have never become so popular. As a poker player, he could hold his own on the felt. In 1995, he reached the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final table and took eighth place for $51,900. The following year, he won his first and only bracelet, a $130,000 score in $5,000 Limit Seven Card Stud. In 2014, he reached the $10,000 Seven Card Stud final table and was eliminated in eighth place for $31,419.