The New York Toy Fair has returned to the Jacob K. Javits Center to dazzle fans, collectors and kids-at-heart with a tidal wave of new goodies inspired by favorite franchises. The show runs February 22-25.
eOne announced a major expansion for its preschool hit PJ Masks (season 4 premieres on Disney Junior this spring), with top-notch new consumer products partners across the U.S. and Canada and more than two dozen renewals across a range of categories. The property boasts more than 90 licenses in the U.S. and 50 in Canada, plus 13 million app downloads in NorAm. Big additions include:
- Procter & Gamble (Pampers Easy Ups training underwear) – U.S. and Canada
- Just Play (master toy, including the PJ Masks 2-in-1 Mobile HQ, the PJ Masks Air Jet, and Romeo’s Flying Factory.) U.S. and Canada
- Simon & Schuster (master publishing) – U.S. and Canada
- VTech/Leapfrog (LeapStart™ and electronic learning aids, including the PJ Masks flashlight) – U.S. and Canada
- Disguise, Inc. (Halloween costumes) – U.S. and Canada
Epic Story Media has been tapped by Outfit7 Limited as the U.S. & Canadian licensing agent for its award-winning flagship family brand Talking Tom and Friends. ESM will assemble a consumer products program with key categories including toys, plush, publishing, party/novelty, experiential/events and promotions.
More than 22 Talking Tom and Friends mobile games have received over 10 billion downloads globally to date. In 2019, the innovative virtual pet game My Talking Tom 2 ranked as the sixth most-played mobile game in the world. The brand is also one of the top 20 favorite game brands in the U.S. and has amassed over 325 million local views across its YouTube content. Talking Tom and Friends content boasts over 40 billion total views to date. Fans spend around 1.6 million hours watching shows like the award-winning CGI animated Talking Tom and Friends (the seventh most-viewed brand on YouTube in 2018 — over 23 billion views worldwide), Talking Tom Shorts, Talking Tom and Friends Minis or the new Talking Tom Heroes series every day.
Funko of course pulled back the curtain on a wide variety of new licensed collections. New POP! Figures, keychains, minis, plushes, etc. cute-ify characters from Marvel, DC, The Boys, Sanrio, Pokemon and anime favorites like Inu-Yasha, Dragon Ball and Yu-Gi-Oh!, classic cartoon and comics brands Looney Tunes, The Flintstones, Arthur, Archie and Disney Villains, as well as upcoming Pixar original Soul. You can shop the whole Funko Toy Fair collection here.
The company also unveiled a patent-pending machine for in-store that will dispense a new line of collectibles called Snapsies. The characters include a rock-star unicorn named Jett, an athletic mountain goat named Billie and a hedgehog baker named Boe. After purchase, the $9.99 capsule toys can be customized.
Hasbro once again had plenty to reveal at NYTF, spotlighting new goodies for Transformers, Ghostbusters, G.I. Joe and Power Rangers, coming to retailers nationwide. Highlights of the colorful DreamWorks Trolls World Tour collection include:
- Tour Balloon (Ages 4+, SRP $19.99, Fall) This playset opens up to reveal everything Poppy needs to travel in style, including a fold-down bed, shower with curtain, attachable slide, moveable flowers to customize, and an included Poppy figure (and room for her friends). Packed playset includes a handle to take the fun on the go.
- Blooming Pod Stage (Ages 4+, $29.99, Fall) Put Poppy in the Pop World pod on top and push a button to open it for a grand entrance, then take her down the elevator to the Hard Rock stage, DJ booth or Lonesome Flats. Push-button effects and three songs from the film: “Trolls Just Want to Have Fun,” “Rock You Like a Hurricane” and “One More Time.”
- Rappin’ Tiny Diamond (Ages 4+, $14.99, Fall) 8″ tall figure with scepter and hip sunglasses sings his signature rap from the movie at the push of a button, batteries included!
- Dancing Hair Poppy (Ages 4+, $49.99, Fall) This interactive character toy features a wild hairdo that moves in different directions as you play with her, sings two songs from the movie (“Just Sing,” “Good Times”) and encourages kids to dance along with phrases like “Come on, let’s do the Hair Dance!” Eyes and head also move, and Poppy features a light-up headband. She reacts to having her hair brushed, and comes with skates to go “trollerskating.”
- Poppy’s Rock Guitar (Ages 4+, $24.99, Fall) Covered in wild pink plush, the guitar has Pop Mode to play “Trolls Just Want to Have Fun” or Rock Mode for a supercharged version. Kids can rock out like the movie characters by moving the “strum” to play and hitting the button to add fun riffs.
Kidrobot is ramping up its vinyl offerings with limited-edition 4″ Bhunny figures inspired by six iconic characters and designed by world-renowned artist and Kidrobot Chief Creative Officer, Frank Kozik. The first, inspired by Godzilla, will be available exclusively to Loot Crate (www.lootcrate.com) subscribers with the March 2020 box. The remaining five will be released simultaneously priced at $11.99 for each numbered figure: Hello Kitty, SpongeBob SquarePants, TMNT Donatello, Beetlejuice and Bob Ross. Hundreds of new, licensed Bhunnies are expected to launch throughout 2020, available at select retailers including Target, Walmart and specialty stores, as well as www.kidrobot.com.
MasterPieces unleashed a line of games and puzzles for Clifford The Big Red Dog as part of a new licensing agreement with Scholastic Entertainment. Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the company’s product launches for Spring 2020 include:
- Clifford’s journeys and adventures come alive as children create their own stories with Clifford’s Story Cards ($9.99), in this imaginative-play card game.
- The Clifford The Big Red Dog Matching Game ($9.99) is a fun memory game for preschoolers and children.
- The Clifford The Big Red Dog Sing-A-Long 24-piece sound puzzle ($14.99) has a self-contained push-button sound chip, with an on-off switch, that fits into the puzzle. The sound chip plays a 30-second Clifford The Big Red Dog song while the 24 extra-large pieces of the puzzle are assembled. The puzzle completes to an 18″ x 24″ size. The thick recycled puzzle board and random cut pieces ensure a tight interlocking fit and create a fun activity that can be built repeatedly.
- The Clifford The Big Red Dog Giant Floor Puzzle ($15.99) is shaped to match Clifford’s loveable form, and is over 3 feet wide. MasterPieces created this extra big puzzle featuring the extra big dog with three special custom-shaped pieces for kids to discover.
Australia-based Moose Toys (Booth #2535) introduced its first collection of toys based on the smash-hit series Bluey from Ludo Studio (ABC KIDS / BBC Studios). Having made its U.S. premiere on Disney Junior in Fall 2019, the charming pup’s toy collection will arrive at retail beginning August 1. The debut line was a sellout success last year in Australia: a collection of play sets, figures, plush characters, and accessories featuring Bluey, Chilli (Mum), Bandit (Dad) and Bingo (Sister) designed to inspire kids and families to recreate their favorite moments from the popular show at home.
The Force is stronger than ever with fans of all things Star Wars. The Disney brand made a big splash with reveals of products inspired by The Mandalorian and the Emmy-winning animated series The Clone Wars — the final, 12-episode season of which will join Mando on Disney+ starting Feb. 21. Additional products tied to milestones such as the home video release of The Rise of Skywalker and the 40th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back.
With fans champing at the bit, a number of all-new The Mandalorian items were announced across multiple categories. Highlights include:
- The Child Animatronic Edition figure (pre-orders open)
- New Mando editions of Star Wars Trouble and Star Wars Operation (Hasbro)
- LEGO construction sets featuring the Razor Crest ship; BrickHeadz The Mandalorian & The Child kit
- Sought-after items featuring The Child from Hasbro, Funko, Mattel, Build-A-Bear, shopDisney.com | Disney store and more are expected to start hitting shelves next month.
- Plus com | Disney store and Disney Park exclusives.
Newly revealed items inspired by Star Wars: The Clone Wars include:
- Mandalorian Darksaber Lightsaber
- All-new Mission Fleet line of vehicles and figures, including Anakin Skywalker Jedi Starfighter set, Ahsoka Tano Aquatic Attack micro vehicle & figure, and Captain Rex Clone Combat set
- Disney Parks exclusives including Clone Trooper pins, apparel and Ahsoka Tano Mickey Ears designed by voice actress and Her Universe founder Ashley Eckstein
