Toy & Game International Excellence Awards - the TAGIEs

Companies . . .

Nearly three years after its acquisition of Interplay UK Ltd, Wisconsin-based PlayMonster is rebranding its UK outpost as PlayMonster.

No change to staffing or responsibilities will take place and UK Managing Director Adrian Whyles will continue reporting to PlayMonster CEO Bob Wann at the company’s Beloit, Wisconsin headquarters.

Hot Wheels Ultimate Drive-Thru heads to Six Flags Over Georgia. The Hot Wheels Monster Trucks fleet along with iconic rides from the Garage of Legends, giant robots, and some additional big surprises will make their east coast debut at Six Flags Over Georgia on Jan. 28. Created by Raycom-Legacy Content Co. in partnership with Mattel Inc., the special socially-distanced event allows families to experience a special...

Capstone Games will release two board game titles in April. Capstone Games will release a new edition of Glass Road and Juicy Fruits into U.S. trade in April. Uwe Rosenberg's classic resource management game Glass Road is headed back to retail courtesy of Captsone Games and Feverland. Previously, this game was launched in the U.S. by Z-Man Games. Juicy Fruits is a brand-new game tile placement game by...

Plan B Games unveils 'Equinox'. Plan B Games unveiled Equinox, a new board game by Reiner Knizia, for release into retail in June. This game is a re-themed version of Knizia's Colossal Arena with two new creatures, revised gameplay, and new art. In Equinox, forest creatures gather to write themselves into the legendary storybook, but there is only room for four stories to be added. .

Crawl through dungeons to become the new 'Keepers of the Questar'. Upper Deck announced Keepers of the Questar, a new dungeon-crawling board game, for release in Q1. In Keepers of the Questar, parties of adventurers compete to complete the Quest Masters' quests and become the new Keepers of the Questar. It is a one-on-one dungeon crawling game where both players assume the roles of both the party...

Playmates takes us back with retro TMNT 6-pack exclusives. Playmates Toys is releasing two tubular six-pack box sets featuring your favorite heroes in a half-shell. The Previews-Exclusive Retro Rotocast Sewer Lair and Mutant Module are jam-packed with all your ninja favorites. Prepare to go back to 1988 because each action figure in the six-piece sets was recreated with its original body, and oversized Roto head, along with...

Waterline Toys introduces Skimbe four season disc toys. As winter sets in and warmer weather looms, Waterline Toys is introducing a new toy that can be used outdoors in all four seasons. SkimBe is a patented polyurethane disc that skims, skips, slides, and jumps across water, snow, ice, and other slick surfaces when thrown in a cross-body motion or with a flick of the wrist. SkimBe features a rocker bottom and comes in three...

VTech to launch green ELPs as part of ongoing sustainability commitment  VTech's ongoing efforts to develop eco-friendly products and packaging, plus recycling programmes demonstrate the company’s commitment to the 5-year Sustainability Plan unveiled in June 2020. VTech branded eco-friendly products include four new vehicles in the popular Go! Go! Smart Wheels series, all made from plant-based plastic, and...

LEGO Ideas hits the history books with the launch of the Medieval Blacksmith’s set. LEGO Ideas has been hitting the history books for the launch of its latest set, a Medieval Blacksmith’s house based on an original design by LEGO superfan, Clemens Fiedler. The design has been given the green light to enter production after it achieved over 10,000 votes on the LEGO set creation platform.

Bandai UK releases the Timber Tots Song amid ‘heavy investment plans’ for the retro ’70s toy line. Following the successful revival of the hit ’70s toy line, Timber Tots, Bandai UK has detailed plans for a round of heavy investment into the retro children’s brand, kicking things off with the release of the Timber Tots Nursery Rhyme. The new song has been created to inspire a new generation of young fans to create stories...

Wow! Stuff flashes to the beat with new Chibies. Chibies characters flash to the beat of any tune a child plays across any genre; K-pop, rock, pop, hip-hop, even classical. High-tech sound sensors embedded into the character listen to the music and react in real time, even synchronising with every other Chibie in the room. To activate the sound sensor, children simply ‘Nudge their Nose’. They can then play any music and...

Asmodee earmarks ‘massive year for Pokémon Trading Card Game’ as it readies 25th anniversary Shining Fates expansion. Asmodee UK has cited 2021 to be a ‘massive year for the Pokémon Trading Card Game’ which is gearing up top release the Shining Fates expansion, its first major product release in the year as the brand celebrates its milestone 25th anniversary this year. Despite the challenges of the pandemic,...

Para Bellum announces four 'Conquest: First Blood' Faction Taster sets. Para Bellum Wargames announced four Conquest: First Blood Faction Taster Sets, miniatures skirmish battle starter sets, for release on January 25. Conquest: First Blood is the skirmish battles version of the Conquest: The Last Argument of Kings mass combat, epic battle system (see "Para Bellum Draws 'First Blood' for 'Conquest'"). .

Madballs vs. Garbage Pail Kids face off in brand collab. Cloudco Entertainment, owner of the venerable-but-irreverent Madballs brand, and The Topps Company, owner of the renowned-yet-subversive Garbage Pail Kids brand (“GPK”), have teamed up for a collaboration that playfully pits classic 1980s icons and “co-heavyweights of gross” against one another. The collaboration will feature all-new 1980s inspired artwork...

PlayMonster builds on Snap Ships line with new sets. The epic and award-winning new construction line Snap Ships is enhancing its Build to Battle play with six new drone sets. Collect and combine the three Forge and the three Komplex sets to create the two unstoppable Fusion Builds! At its core, Snap Ships is a collectible, versatile, modular building system that allows kids to build multiple crafts. .

Asmodee USA will release 'Pakal' for U.S. trade. Asmodee USA will release Pakal, a real-time sliding-puzzle game by Cranio Creations, into U.S. trade on February 12.In Pakal, players are trying to forge a path through the jungle to claim the treasure at the end. Each player has a four-by-four grid with 15 mixed solid and clear blocks. At the beginning of each round of play, they reveal an objective cards and slide their blocks...

Luma gets Sit Down! Luma Imports has acquired exclusive English-language distribution rights to games for Belgian board game publisher Sit Down! for the U.S., the company announced.  Sit Down!’s key backlist title is Magic Maze, which was nominated for the Spiel des Jahres and has previously been distributed in the U.S. by Dude Games. Luma will handle new printings of Magic Maze and Magic Maze Kids, and support ...

KATY PERRY HEADLINES 'POKEMON' 25TH ANNIVERSARY  The Pokemon Company is launching a major celebration of the brand’s 25th

anniversary, including multiple music partnerships headlined by Katy Perry, video games, mobile apps, animation, merchandise, and more. The music collaborations come via an overall deal with Universal Music Group, and will include additional artists in addition to Perry, who touted...

The Lego Group launches Lego Bygge Hygge The Lego Bygge Hygge initiative has been designed to create not only an occasion, but an atmosphere, that can become part of a cosy, or "Hygge" family routine. Lego Bygge Hygge is all about the art of cosy building, inspired by the Danish ‘Hygge’ which acknowledges a feeling or moment as cosy or special, alongside the Danish word ‘Bygge’ which means building or...