Peter Jackson’s cinematic return to Middle Earth has been long awaited, especially by beardy ale-drinking weirdos like myself, who became all too obsessed with the Lord of the Rings trilogy when it began its cinematic release in 2001. Yeah, I know, makes me feel old too. Toy Biz covered the toy licence for those movies, [...]
Guest Review > Yazneg (The Hobbit, The Bridge Direct)
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worth 1000 words:1000 ksoids
Oh my garsh these little creatures are cracking me up. Please tell me they’re hiding in my walls right this very second? Found via Share Some Candy, or see Danil Krivoruchko’s entire project.
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Manhattan Toy Adds a Seussical Twist to Infant, Preschool Lines
Manhattan Toy has partnered with Dr. Seuss Enterprises L.P. to introduce five new Dr. Seuss toys. Products are suitable for babies 3 months and up. Check out some of the new offerings below. The Cat in the Hat Discovery Mat provides tummy time play with a Seussical twist, featuring the Cat in the Hat with [...]
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The Lone Ranger LEGO Sets Coming This April!
The Lone Ranger LEGO Sets are a comin’! This is part of our 2013 New York Toy Fair coverage. The Toy Fair runs from February 10th to February 13th and is the event of the year where toy companies unveil their brand new toy lines. We’ll bring you all kinds of coverage, which includes new toy releaseRead More
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‘Flesh’ H.U.S.T.L.E Artist Series Wave 1
Tru:Tek of Man-E-Toys is proud to present the standard 'Flesh' H.U.S.T.L.E Artist Series Wave 1. Featuring 10 mini figure designs kit-bashed, customised and originally sculpted from a diverse selection of the art toy scene's finest (Tru:Tek, Rampage Toys, Killer Bootlegs, Brutherford Industries, Nama Niku, Taylored Curiosites, Manny X and Hungry Imp), the 1"-2.5" tall M.U.S.C.L.E [...]
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Coming in August 2013: Jake’s Pirate Ship Bucky Playset by LEGO DUPLO
Disney announces a new line of Jake and the Never Land Pirates Toys coming soon! This is part of our 2013 New York Toy Fair coverage. The Toy Fair runs from February 10th to February 13th and is the event of the year where toy companies unveil their brand new toy lines. We’ll bring youRead More
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Coming in July 2013: Disney’s Sofia the First Magical Talking Castle
In Spring 2013, Disney Consumer Products is releasing a new line of Sofia the First Toys! This is part of our 2013 New York Toy Fair coverage. The Toy Fair runs from February 10th to February 13th and is the event of the year where toy companies unveil their brand new toy lines. We’ll bring you allRead More
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McFarlane Toys’ AMC The Walking Dead Series 3 Action Figures Arrive March 2013
This morning, over on AMC’s official ‘The Walking Dead” blog they have posted the pre-Toy Fair news of wave 3 of the TV version of McFarlane Toys’ “The Walking Dead” figures: Following the success of its previous AMC’s The Walking Dead action figure lines, McFarlane Toys and AMC have teamed up to deliver an all-new [...]
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An Update About Ant-Man IGN spoke with Edgar Wright recently to...
An Update About Ant-Man
IGN spoke with Edgar Wright recently to talk about his new upcoming film for the summer, The World’s End, starring none other than Shaun of the Dead/Hot Fuzz duo, Nick Frost and Simon Pegg. But IGN also got to ask some questions about the writer-director’s other upcoming project that hasn’t had much buzz lately: Ant-Man.
Edgar commented about how Ant-Man will take shape:
It’s a way of doing a superhero film within another genre. I wanted to tell an origin tale in a slightly different way. It’s part of the Marvel cinematic universe, but it also feels like its own piece.
He also told IGN why he’s taking so long with the film.
I’ve been collaborating with [Marvel boss] Kevin [Feige] during the whole of that cycle. I think people have always assumed… ‘Oh why is it taking so long to make?’ Part of it is because I wanted to make two other movies first. I wanted to make World’s End… me and Simon were very keen to make it and it felt like it was unfinished business and we wanted to wrap up the trilogy. The script came together really fast. Well not really fast, but it came together at a certain point where it was like ‘I really want to do this next.’
But to be honest, the later I do it, it feels like I could learn more, especially about special effects. It’s a big effects movie, so I’m pleased to go into it having done Scott Pilgrim and The World’s End because you’re always learning more about that side.
Here’s hoping the Ant-Man has a lot of the comic book style and effects that Scott Pilgrim vs. The World did, and much more to offer. Real stoked for this. Read the interview bits over here, via IGN.
Check it: More Marvel on Albotas
Buy it: The Irredeemable Ant-Man by Robert Kirkman
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Hot Toys’ Storm Shadow Collectible Figure
Hot Toys has announced the latest figure from the G.I. Joe Retaliation movie license. The sixth-scale Storm Shadow Collectible Figure is specially crafted based on the image of Lee Byung Hun in a white ninja bodysuit in the movie, highlighting the new developed heads, highly detailed costume and weapons. Sideshow Collectibles currently has the figure [...]
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Gameplay Trailer & Release Date For That ‘Walking...
Gameplay Trailer & Release Date For That ‘Walking Dead’ FPS
The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct follows the Dixon boys, Daryl and Merle, as they fight for survival and kill dead things while trekking through the Georgia countryside. Both characters are also voiced by their AMC TV series actors, Norman Reedus and Michael Rooker.
Trailer below.
In addition to the all the undead-slaying action, the game will also feature a survival element where you’ll have to scrounge for food, water, and supplies to stay alive. Kind of like The Hatchet or Castaway, only in a post-zombie-apocalypse setting.
Both GameStop and Amazon have their own exclusive DLC pre-order packs, but the GameStop version also comes with a severed ear keychain if you’re into that sort of thing. Check it:
- GameStop Herd Mode Challenge – How many frenzied flesh-eaters can you survive against before joining their ranks? Take on endless waves of walkers, each more dangerous than the last, in the all-new Herd Mode. Each wave of undead held off brings with it a new outbreak of hungry biters and new opportunities to rack up an even higher score.
- Amazon Walker Execution Pack – Give yourself an edge (or five) with this ‘unique’ weapon kit. The Amazon Walker Execution Pack adds multiple melee options to your arsenal, including a survival knife, sawtoothed machete, kukri, reinforced hatchet, and advanced machete. With ammo scarce and the undead attracted to loud noises, a sharp, silent blade might just be your most trusted companion.
The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct drops March 19, 2013 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. The WiiU version arrives March 26.
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Big Idea Entertainment Presents Veggietales Live! Happy Birthday Bob & Larry Tour
Big Idea Entertainment has announced the official tour dates for its VeggieTales Live! Happy Birthday Bob & Larry tour. The show will run in more than 35 major markets nationwide this spring, including Nashville, Tenn.; Kansas City, Miss.; Atlanta, Birmingham, Ala.; Tallahassee, Fla.; and Fort Myers, Fla., in addition to a seven-day tour run in [...]
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Bids to save the iron fall flat
The results of the Hasbro Monopoly Token vote are in, and for 92 per cent of the voters, they are something to celebrate.
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DC Collectibles Injustice Gods Among Us Harley Quinn and Cyborg 2-Pack
DC Collectibles Injustice Gods Among Us Harley Quinn and Cyborg 2-Pack
Yesterday DC Collectibles was posting “Spoiler Alerts” all day teasing an upcoming product and if you were...
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Pause x Kevin Gosselin - Mystery Collabo Project Teaser #4
Here is the 4th and final teaser pic from Pause and Kevin Gosselin’s collaborative figure. This teaser brings a lot more light to the mysterious release and now we get a clear glimpse of what looks to be Pause’s signature dual chainsaw wielding panda character. Interested in this piece? Well,...
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Mezco Reveals New Items in Time for Toy Fair
Mezco Toyz hosted an exclusive preview of the new items to be revealed at the American International Toy Fair next week. The Universal Monster line continues with a 9-inch-tall stylized Creature from the Black Lagoon and Mummy. A Dracula figure also joins the Living Dead Dolls. The Mez-Itz line of designer vinyl figures grows with the [...]
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Huck Gee The Eagle Hunter Custom
As speculated with his latest print release, Huck Gee is already working on what looks to be the “The Eagle Hunter” custom Munny figure. Above we see a bow and a handful of arrows to go with what may be another epic release. If you got the print, you have...
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From the NY Times: Leaving Behind Malibu in Search of a New Dream Home
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| A rendering of the touring exhibition "Barbie the Dreamhouse Experience," which is planned for Berlin and Sunrise, Fla. EMS Entertainment/Mattel |
Leaving Behind Malibu in Search of a New Dream Home
By Stuart Elliott
ONE of the best-known residents of Malibu, Calif., alongside
billionaires like David Geffen and Larry Ellison, is embarking on a
national promotional effort to help sell her home there for the
eye-popping price of $25 million.
Potential buyers may want to try bargaining down the price when they
realize the house has only one bedroom and one bathroom — and three
walls.
Those clues ought to point to the owner: Barbie, the doll who has, in
the imagination of millions of girls, lived on the beach — in a home
formally known as the Barbie Malibu Dreamhouse — since the introduction
of Malibu Barbie in 1971. Mattel,
the toy maker that has marketed Barbie since 1959, is to announce on
Thursday that Barbie is posting a “for sale” sign on her house in
preparation for a move.
The announcement will kick off a campaign that is to culminate with a
disclosure of Barbie’s new home, which will be brought to life in a
playset that will come out in the fall, in time for the 2013 Christmas
shopping season.
The campaign is meant to mix actual and imaginary elements. For example, a section of Trulia, the real estate Web site, will carry the for-sale listing for what is being called “the dreamiest of dreamhouses.” Josh Altman, a cast member of “Million Dollar Listing: Los Angeles,” a reality series on the Bravo cable channel, is being “hired” by Barbie to list the house.
And four designers are forming a dream team, in Mattel’s parlance, to advise Barbie in her hunt for a new home. They are Jonathan Adler, who brought the Malibu playset to life in 2009 as part of a commemoration of Barbie’s 50th anniversary; Lulu de Kwiatkowski; Celerie Kemble; and Trina Turk.
Although the campaign will include some traditional advertising like an ad in Us Weekly magazine, the bulk of it will involve digital media, on platforms like trulia.com and the Barbie Web site, barbie.com; social media like Facebook and Twitter; and public relations.
The campaign will also include so-called experiential marketing in the
form of “Barbie the Dreamhouse Experience” — a touring exhibition, in a
partnership between Mattel and EMS Entertainment — that is to begin this
year in two markets, Berlin and Sunrise, Fla.
When Mattel reported its fourth-quarter results on Friday, executives said that Barbie sales fell about 4 percent, representing the third quarterly decline during 2012. That trend has set off efforts by Mattel to generate interest in Barbie and address challenges like the sluggish economy and the growing interest among children in electronic toys.
Recent examples of Mattel initiatives include a campaign, predominantly in social media, to reunite Barbie and her boyfriend, Ken, after a seven-year separation; a Web video series, “Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse,” that can be watched on barbie.com/dreamhouse and YouTube; and cruises with Barbie themes on Royal Caribbean International ships.
“Over all, we’re pleased with the position of Barbie in the marketplace,” said Stephanie Cota, senior vice president for girls’ brands worldwide at the Mattel Brands division of Mattel. “No. 1 is a good place to be.”
Still, “it’s our job that she remain top of mind,” she added, and “we are at our best when we recognize the cultural relevance of Barbie.”
The campaign is being introduced amid signs that the battered American housing market is healing, like an acceleration in groundbreaking for new homes and a spate of prominent ads by national realty companies that included a commercial for Century 21 during Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday. Those may be indications that consumers are ready for a lighthearted campaign about a doll’s foray into the real estate market.
Barbie is “a fun brand, an iconic brand, to partner with,” said Ken Shuman, head of communications at Trulia in San Francisco. The location of and high asking price for Barbie’s home fit with the focus of a Trulia blog “on luxury celebrity properties,” he added.
Besides, “we’re a Silicon Valley company, technology-focused,” Mr. Shuman said, “and Silicon Valley has embraced Barbie, voting that computer engineer be her next career” in 2010.
Mr. Altman, who works frequently with Trulia, is also getting into the
spirit of the campaign. He said he would be glad to show Barbie new
homes “anywhere on the planet” because “she speaks God knows how many
languages.”
“And Ken is fine with whatever she wants to do,” he added, laughing.
After suggesting that he might advise Barbie to buy “a skyscraper in Manhattan,” Mr. Altman ended the conversation by declaring: “This is Barbie on the other line; I’ve got to go.”
All the nontraditional elements of the campaign make it difficult to determine spending. Ms. Cota said it would be comparable to Mattel’s spending on Barbie in recent years.
According to the Kantar Media unit of WPP, Mattel spent $11.6 million to advertise all Barbie products in major media in the first nine months of last year, compared with $8.4 million in the same period of 2011. Full-year spending was $18.4 million in 2011, $17.2 million in 2010, $23.7 million in 2009 and $31.7 million in 2008, Kantar Media reported.
The campaign is being led by an internal agency at Mattel, which is working with Attention, a digital and social media agency, and, for public relations, the HL Group, part of MDC Partners.
A version of this article appeared in print on February 7, 2013, on page B3 of the New York edition with the headline: Leaving Behind Malibu in Search of a New Dream Home.
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24 Hour Toy Break This Friday
Join the entire Toy Break crew for their third annual 24 Hour Toy Break where they'll be broadcasting live with guests, exclusives, and goodies for sale/auction to help raise funds for Toy Break. The fun starts at 5PM PT on Friday February 8th 2013. Check out some of the goodies we will be debuting on [...]
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Amazing Papercraft and So Can You! We’ve seen people do...
Amazing Papercraft and So Can You!
We’ve seen people do amazing things with paper, but this tops them all. These unbelievable pieces from artist Destro2k look like they were pulled straight from the games.
The best part? Destro2k even added tutorials on how to make these awesome pieces. But be warned, they are hard. I couldn’t even make a Companion Cube.
Check out all of the other awesome stuff he’s done, including a Gundam, Eva Unit and more.
I’m gonna go try to make that Arwing now…
Check It: More Papercraft on Albotas
Buy It: Papertoy Monsters
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