Companies, Brands . . .

Nickelodeon launches TMNT design competition  ViacomCBS Consumer Products has partnered with PROSPECT 100 to roll out new Ninja Turtles merch featuring artwork from a young creator. The contest is open to creators ages 16 to 25, and in addition to a US$7,000 cash prize, the winner’s original artwork will be featured on an official range of TMNT merchandise that’s set to launch globally on Amazon in August.

Mattel drives into NFTs with Hot Wheels Consumers can bid on three exclusive digital versions of Hot Wheels vehicles using cryptocurrency starting on June 22. They’ll take the form of three exclusive digital Hot Wheels cars that will be offered up at auction on the Mattel Creations e-commerce platform from June 22 to 29.

Smart Games unveils XXL versions of its best-selling brain busters. Jump In, Squirrels Go Nuts and IQ Puzzler Pro are now available with larger boards and pieces, plus extra challenges to complete. Commenting on the launch of the new XXL games, Karen Clarke, UK brand director of Smart Toys and Games, said: “We are delighted to unveil our new XXL games  – the chunky pieces are super fun and ideal to play both indoors...

Jazwares subsidiary Kellytoy unveiled a new line-up of Squishmallows launching for Halloween. The squad features jack-o-lanterns, mummies, vampires, bats, ghosts, witches, and other creatures, available as five-inch, eight-inch, 12-inch, 16-inch, 20-inch, and 24-inch versions.

New this year are Detra the red octopus witch and Zelina the Day of the Dead-themed black cat. Other classic characters will be available...

IMC Toys signs second Nickelodeon partnership deal for Cry Babies Magic Tears  A UK TV and social media campaign will support the autumn/winter product launches for the popular doll range from IMC Toys. Designed to reinforce brand awareness and engagement, the Cry Babies Magic Tears content will continue to stream simultaneously across the Nickelodeon network in commercial airtime, and IMC Toys’ ...

THE FIRST-EVER MATTEL ADVENTURE PARK IS SET TO OPEN IN ARIZONA NEXT YEAR. A host of branded Family Entertainment Centers and other location-based entertainment experiences were in the works before the world was derailed. Now, following the plans for Mission Play! by Mattel — the first Mattel FEC in Europe — families in N.A. will soon have a destination where they can interact with their favorite toy brands...

(the above posted after the Bloom Report sent on June 11th)

Hasbro kicks off second ‘Yo Joe! June’ with G.I. Joe Classified Series, Jada Toys reveals. Hasbro kicked off its second annual Yo Joe! June campaign with a Fan First Friday live stream that went heavy on the G.I. Joe Classified Series reveals alongside a couple of surprises via the team at Jada Toys. The 6-inch scale G.I. Joe Classified Series continues to do big business across major retailers, fan channel retailers, and hobby and...

Spin Master Introduces The Future of Play Scholarship. Spin Master has announced a new initiative to support the education and career advancement of individuals from underrepresented communities in the fields of toys, entertainment, and digital games. The company has committed investing up to $100,000 annually in financial aid, as well as mentorship and on-the-job experience. Spin Master will grant eight...

PlayShifu Launches Virtual Board Game Platform Tacto. PlayShifu has launched the first-ever “phygital” board game platform, Tacto, based on innovative technology and augmented reality (AI) that turns screen time into family time. Using iPads, kids can utilize real figurines to access the virtual gameplay on Tacto’s platform.

Playmonster launches UK summer campaign for My Fairy Garden  Over 20,000 activity packs and wild flower seeds have been given to primary schools to encourage children to look after wildlife as part of #Fairiesfornature. The brand has gone from strength to strength over the last couple of years as parents turn to wholesome and inspiring toys and #Fairiesfornature will encourage kids to be part of a team of mini...

LEGO goes vintage with its latest LEGO Ideas launch, the LEGO Ideas Typewriter  LEGO has unveiled the latest building set to launch via its LEGO Ideas platform, a classic Typewriter building set that will transport LEGO fans to a bygone era as they reconstruct the vintage styled ornament. The LEGO Ideas Typewriter was designed by the UK LEGO fan, Steve Guinness from Chester, who saw the project advance …

Mattel launches sustainable new Barbie Loves the Ocean range  The new Barbie Loves the Ocean range is the brand's first fashion doll collection to be made from recycled ocean-bound plastic. “This Barbie launch is another addition to Mattel’s growing portfolio of purpose-driven brands, which inspire environmental consciousness with our consumer as a key focus,” said Richard Dickson, president and COO, Mattel.

Moose Toys unveils 'biggest boys brand to date' with new Akedo franchise. The new Akedo franchise combines action figures, battling and collectability with cutting edge content and licensing. Akedo marks Moose’s biggest boys’ launch to date and will be backed by a full-scale marketing campaign that will include an animated series to mark Moose’s largest investment in content.

Hasbro announces new Mobius toy from Loki. Hasbro has now revealed a new toy based on a character that appears in the upcoming Loki TV series on Disney+. The character getting released is Mobius. Mobius is a character in Loki played by comedy legend Owen Wilson. While Loki is available now at toy stores, you will have to wait for the Mobius toy because it's being released in Fall 2021. 

Cartoon Network orders its first African superhero series Ridwan Moshood's prize-winning short Garbage Boy and Trash Can is being produced as a full series in collaboration with Baboon and the African Animation Network. Created by Nigerian animator Ridwan Moshood, the 10 x 2.5-minute comedy-driven toon is about a boy with imaginary superpowers who fights for justice with his trusty sidekick.

WeCool Toys, the company behind the Compound Kings and Activity Kings brands, has entered into a licensing deal with Mattel to develop a new line of Barbie and Hot Wheels branded compounds and activities. WeCool Toys will feature the brands in a variety of new dough sets and activity sets that will launch under the Compound Kings and Activity Kings lines this fall. Compound Kings and Activity Kings are sold...

The how behind the Wow! at Wow! Stuff Rachael Simpson- Jones spoke to Wow! Stuff CEO Richard North about the company’s plans for the second half of 2021, and his often unorthodox approach to business. Wow! Stuff has enjoyed a strong first half of the year, with a raft of new appointments under its belt, multiple new licences signed, and all-encompassing marketing plans that will see more consumers than ever...

IP Push Helps Drive Mattel’s Transformation. “There’s no question that the new Mattel is very different from what the company was just a few short years ago,” Kreiz said during a June 2 webcast. “The biggest change is that we transitioned from being a toy manufacturing company into an IP-driven, high-performing toy company.” Kreiz also cited Mattel’s latest financial metrics, including substantial growth in EBITDA and gross...

Casdon Toys celebrates its 75th anniversary   With role-play at the heart of Casdon, the company is launching a ‘Helping out in the Home Corner’ initiative this month to coincide with its anniversary. Casdon Toys celebrate its 75th anniversary this month. Launched on 8th June 1946 by Thomas Cassidy, the family of toymakers continues to inspire imaginative and creative play for children via its range of well-known....

Kidz Bop & LEGO VIDIYO Premiere Music Video Collaboration. Kidz Bop’s 20th anniversary celebrations this year continue with a joint Kidz Bop and LEGO VIDIYO video series and fan sweepstakes. Two new videos launch from the collaboration this month. In the first, called “Behind the Scenes with LEGO VIDIYO,” Kidz Bop Kids Alana and Ayden show how they direct their own music video by scanning in their Bandmates...

My Garden Baby to ‘cultivate appreciation of nature’ in children as Mattel unveils new nurturing doll line. Mattel is taking new steps into the nurturing doll category with the launch of My Garden Baby, a classic baby doll with the mission of encouraging kids to cultivate an appreciation for nature and the world around them. My Garden Baby is a diverse collection of dolls featuring new colourways and butterfly ...

Find the clues before the suspect flees in 'Turbo Sleuth'. WizKids revealed Turbo Sleuth, a puzzle-solving game, for release into retail in August. In Turbo Sleuth, players take on one of five cases as fast as they can. The cases have many different solutions, and depend on which cards are drawn. Players need to solve the case quickly to lock in the most points, but a wrong answer costs them.

Asmodee USA brings 'Meadow' to U.S. retail. Asmodee USA will release Meadow, a set collection game by Rebel Studio, into U.S. retail on July 23. In Meadow, players take the role of wanderers watching nature as the roam around looking for breathtaking scenery. On their journey, they collect ground cards (animal life habitats), observation cards (specific species observed during the journey), landscape, and discovery cards ...

Super7 relaunches ’80s Silverhawks franchise. Following the successful relaunches of ’80s action brands, including G.I. Joe, Masters of the Universe, ThunderCats, and Voltron, the SilverHawks are reporting for duty. Super7 is relaunching the SilverHawks brand and its “partly metal, partly real” heroes as a new line of toys and collectibles. SilverHawks launched as an animated series from Rankin/Bass productions in 1986 ...

Asmodee USA will release 'so Clover!' into U.S. retail. Asmodee USA will release So Clover!, a new word-association game by Repos Productions, which hit retail in Q3.  So Clover! is a cooperative word-association game where players team up and try to get the high score. Teams receive Keywords and secretly write the words' common features on the Clover board as Clues. 

Richard Garfield invites players to unleash 'The Hunger'. Renegade Game Studios will release The Hunger, a new vampire themed deck building game from Magic: The Gathering creator Richard Garfield, later this year. The Hunger puts players in the role of vampires awakening from their sleep as eternal roses begin to bloom in a hidden labyrinth.  

Asmodee USA will release 'Project L' in U.S. retail. Asmodee USA will release Project L, a tile-matching puzzle game by Boardcubator, on July 30. Project L is a tile-matching game featuring triple-layered 3D puzzles. Players use acrylic pieces to complete puzzle blocks in outlined spaces, similar to a miniature version of Tetris. They start with just two basic pieces, and can use up to three actions every turn to solve puzzles ...
Zimpli Kids’ Gelli Baff and Slime Baff are first toys to receive British Skin Foundation seal of approval. Zimpli Kids’ Gelli Baff and Slime Baff are the first toys to receive accreditation from the UK’s leading and most respected skin disease charities, the British Skin Foundation. Following an in-depth review, BSF approved; Gelli Baff, Slime Baff, Gelli Play and Slime Play as skin safe. 

Thames & Kosmos bolsters FEAK XL STEM range as ‘kids interest in space exploration rockets’. Children’s interest in space exploration has rocketed over the past six years, according to the team at Thames & Kosmos UK, who has witnessed ‘steady interest in its astronomy-focused FEAK range of STEM kits’ since new additions were welcomed to the line up earlier this year. 

Soviet super-soldier 'Omega Red' heads to 'Marvel Crisis Protocol'! Atomic Mass Games will release a Marvel Crisis Protocol: Omega Red character pack, which will hit stores in Q3.  Omega Red is a the result of Soviet-era super-soldier experiments that turned Russian criminal Arkady Gregorivich Rossovich into a living weapon. His model features Omega Red's signature implanted carbonadium tendrils as his primary...

Pegasus Spiele reveals new 'Undo' game. Pegasus Spiele revealed Long Live the King, a mystery scenario game, for release into retail on July 23. In this latest installment, players time-jump to medieval Europe. Their goal, this time around, is to try and reverse the poisoning of a monarch. They must figure out how the chalice he drank from ended up with the poison, and thereby change the events that led to his untimely death.

Fantasy Flight Games Announces Two 'Edge Of The Earth' expansions for 'Arkham Horror: The Card Game'. Fantasy Flight Games announced Edge of the Earth Campaign Expansion and Investigator Expansion, for Arkham Horror: The Card Game, which will release later in 2021. The Edge of the Earth Campaign Expansion sends players to Antarctica to explore the horrors that await in the ice sheets.  

The Op unveils two new versions of classic games. The Op (USAopoly) unveiled Clue: Nightmare Before Christmas and Monopoly: The Sopranos, which will hit retail in July. Clue: Nightmare Before Christmas re-imagines the original mystery game with Jack Skellington twist.  This time, Sandy Claws has been kidnapped and the players must figure out who took him in time to save Christmas. 

​