Toy & Game International Excellence Awards - the TAGIEs

Companies and Brands​

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Spin Master Entertainment’s Mighty Express episodes will be premiered for the first time on Tiny Pop from Thursday 1st Sept. 2022. The pre-school show Mighty Express from Spin Master Entertainment is set in a place called Tracksville which is a world run by kids and trains; a playful. quirky world of criss-crossed rail tracks. A team of trains and their kid buddies have to keep things moving and deliver their cargo ...

 

Moose Toys Celebrates 5 Toy of the Year 2022 Nominees in 5 Categories: Magic Mixies Magical Crystal Ball for Creative Toy of the Year, Magic Mixies Magic Mixlings for Collectible of the Year, Heroes of Goo Jit Zu Goo Shifters for Action Figure of the Year, Dance & Play Bluey and Little Live Pets Mama Surprise for Plush Toy of the Year.

 

Marky Sparky is pleased to announce the launch of its latest Faux Bow® PRO archery set, bringing archery anywhere, anytime. Making it accessible for all using its patented impact arrows featuring DOESNTMATTER™ Technology. Faux Bow® Pro brings with it the complete experience of traditional archery, minus the pointy tips and delicate arrows. The Faux Bow Pro uses an ultra-lightweight arrow that carries...

 

Handmade by Robots, the creator and producer of collectible vinyl figures, has announced a new distribution partnership with UK-based gift and collectibles company, Fanattik. A growing Handmade by Robots fanbase in the UK presented an opportunity to establish a local distribution partner to support increasing demand for product and directly supply retailers in the UK and Ireland.

 

Asmodee games will be available on trains, boats and planes this summer as the co. tries to ease stress for travelling families. A selection of the games that travellers will be able to enjoy this summer. Delays, cancellations, lost baggage, Covid and post-Brexit rules have combined to create chaotic travel conditions so far this yr, with travellers made to queue or sit around for hrs with little in the way of ...

 

eBay, the mult'l e-commerce company, is teaming up with pop culture and lifestyle brand Funko to launch a new series of exclusive collectibles sold directly on their online shopping site. “With millions of sales of Funko products on our marketplace last year, we recognize that this incredibly engaged community of collectors are already shopping on eBay,” says Dawn Block, VP of collectibles, electronics, and home ...

 

Toy of the Year 2022 Finalist Miniland announces Together We Play Campaign. Miniland USA, Toy of the Year 2022 Finalists and makers of social emotional learning toys, including their award-winning Dolls with Down syndrome, has launched a powerful new initiative called Together We Play to encourage acceptance and inclusion among young children.

 

PBS KIDS Helps Kids Get Ready for New Friends and New Adventures this Back to School Season. Kids from coast-to-coast are heading back to school – and PBS KIDS is getting them ready for new friends and new adventures with content and resources designed to help students, teachers, and families as they make the transition back to school. The offerings include a range of tools for building confidence and social skills...

 

Fun In Motion Toys Ranks No. 281 on the 2022 Inc. 5000 Annual List.  Today, Incorporated revealed that Fun In Motion Toys is number 281 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America. The list represents a one-of-a-kind look at the most successful companies within the economy’s most dynamic segment—its independent businesses. Facebook, Chobani, ...

 

New Trading Platform Monsoon Digital Launches to the Public. Monsoon Digital, a new collectible trading platform and content producer of digital collectibles, cards and artwork, has officially launched its public beta. The first wave of items featured on the platform are digital trading cards that feature licensed artwork from Zombicide, the flagship tabletop game by CMON Limited, international publisher and designer of...

 

Scentco, Inc. Launches New Bedtime Defenderz Plush Toys That Fight at Night, So Kids Sleep Tight! When it’s time for lights out, nightmares better watch out! Scentco Incorporated, a renowned U.S. toy designer and distributor, is pleased to announce the launch of Bedtime Defenderz, a new line of 10-inch plush toys and animated entertainment content designed to protect kids from the “bad guys” as they sleep.

 

The Pokémon Co. International is beginning a new philanthropic initiative. The company responsible for managing the Pokémon brand outside of Asia is donating a minimum of $25 million over the next five years. The donations will be given to a predetermined group of organizations that help to create equitable communities, support children, or both. 

 

Spin Master scours the globe to find the next big thing in children’s entertainment. Each year, Spin Master evaluates more than 3,500 pitches for new toys, digital games, and entertainment content. The Toronto-based company has an internal innovation and design team dedicated to developing toy concepts, but it also recognizes that great ideas can come from anywhere. To find those creative breakthroughs...

 

Wizards of the Coast announced that they have partnered with R.R. Donnelley to provide WPN retailers access to customizable, print-on-demand point-of-purchase marketing materials. WotC has opened up a WPN Custom Marketing Materials Portal, which WPN Premium retailers have access to as the initial group of retailers able to use this new tool. Through this portal, WPN Premium retailers will be able to...

 

Toy World spoke to John Grice, managing director of Naylor Activity Tunnels, about the company’s growing range of durable products, which will help encourage physical play for many years. Tell us a bit about Naylor – what’s the company ethos, and what do you produce? We are a long-established UK manufacturer. Our product range, and the way in which we use technology, has evolved over the years in response...

 

Desi Dolls launches in FAO Schwarz, Selfridges London. Desi Dolls produces a range of faith-based toys representing the Muslim community, with huge potential to drive consumer spending around Ramadan and Eid. The range has been listed in the flagship FAO Schwarz Toy Shop in Selfridges, London, after buyers there contacted owner, Farzana Rahman. In what Farzana describes as a ‘dream transaction’, ...

 

***The above posted after August 12th***

 

Following the success of the popular Let’s Go Cozy Coupe cartoon series, Little Tikes has brought the cast of the popular pre-school animation to life with a new range of collectible ride-on toys. Perfect for small hands, the range comprises a selection of mini vehicles based on the show’s fun-loving cast. Children can roll them along and push down to hear them squeak.

 

MGA Entertainment (MGAE) is going back to its roots for an upcoming project. The company behind L.O.L. Surprise!, Rainbow High, and Little Tikes is resurrecting its original name — Micro Games of America — for Haunt Your House, an “App-Vanced” game. MGAE previewed the augmented reality (AR)-enhanced tabletop hybrid game at Gen Con in Indianapolis last week where more than...

 

After months of speculation by pundits, Disney+ is finally sharing details about its new AVOD, which will launch in the US on December 8.  Operating in a cluttered streaming market and with inflation on the rise, Disney and Netflix have both made moves to create a lower-cost option with ads for consumers who don’t mind that viewing experience. The new tier will launch simultaneously on Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+. 

 

The powerful price monitoring tool MAPP Trap has just launched InteliTips, a new system driven by proprietary machine learning algorithms and MAPP Trap’s expert knowledge base. InteliTips subscribers receive weekly emails that address changes to their ecommerce conditions. What makes InteliTips so intelligent? 

 

Lego is set to take fans and families on an immersive Mission to Mars in a free two-day event in London over the August bank holiday weekend. In Lego City Missions, cadets will board the spaceship before blasting off on a mission to Mars, where they will use their creativity and imaginations to solve problems, before being interviewed about their mission.

 

G.I. JOE: THE BADASSERY OF SERPENTOR AND MORE DECLASSIFIED INTEL FROM HASBRO. Last month, the Hasbro team made its return to Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) with a look at new toys and collectibles from several of its top brands. With SDCC sidelined for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the G.I. Joe Classified Series never got to have a proper push in San Diego following its launch in 2020.

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The Squishmallows Gamer Squad Honors the Tech of Yesteryear. Technology is evolving so quickly nowadays, it’s hard to keep up. Before we had new iPhones and Nintendo Switches launching every year, we had our trusty brick cell phones, Game Boys, and cassette players of yesteryear. Jazwares is throwing it back to the good old days with a Squishmallows Gamer Squad featuring plush versions of retro devices.

 

Walmart has held discussions with major media companies about including streaming entertainment in its membership service, according to 3 people with knowledge of the conversations, part of an effort to extend its relationship with customers beyond its brick-and-mortar stores. In recent weeks, executives from Paramount, Disney and Comcast have spoken with Walmart, the people said, as the retailer ponders...

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The LEGO Group is expanding its factories in the Americas.  This week, the global toy company officially opened an expansion at its factory in Monterrey. As part of a $500 million investment, this new expansion will increase production capacity in order to meet growing, long-term demand globally.  “Today marks an exciting milestone for our factory in Nuevo Leon; we are the largest LEGO manufacturing facility in the world...

 

A look inside the design center where Hot Wheels creates its timeless toy cars. The engineers can't just shrink down the real thing. Here's how they actually do it. During the height of the muscle car craze of the 1960s, Mattel co-founder Elliot Handler wanted to create toys that better reflected what was going on in the burgeoning hot rodding scene. 

 

As Posh Paws celebrates its 15th anniversary, Toy World catches up with Lauren Shipman to find out how the company has changed and where it is heading. Posh Paws has continued to grow and evolve with the changing retail landscape over the past 15 years, including looking at new ways to present its ranges during the pandemic when customers could rarely touch and feel products, and consumers were switching...

 

Tonies has released a new TV advertising campaign showcasing its Toniebox, the musical storybox for kids. The campaign, which took to the air from 8th August on Channel 4, ITV2, Sky and Sky Kids, among others, highlights that Tonies not only amazes kids but brings happiness to the whole family.

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Lego unveils largest store in the world in London. The revamped Lego store is packed with customer experiences including a Personalisation Studio, along with models of British icons. The Lego Group opens its new-look Leicester Square store today, on its 90th birthday, with a raft of customer experiences that it says will be scalable for other stores. The revamped store in the middle of the tourist hot-spot is now...

 

World Play Day is the first-ever global LEGO celebration and it’s happening to honor the moment that Danish carpenter Ole Kirk Kristiansen turned his attention to toymaking in 1932. World Play Day will feature a host of activities that families can take part in at home or at designated locations around the world. The company says that the activities are designed “to help families and communities find a quick...

 

FoxMind Launches Match Madness Duo at Gen Con and Receives Rave Reviews. It’s finally here, Match Madness Duo, the highly anticipated follow-up to the best-seller Match Madness from the award-winning toy and games manufacturer and distributor, FoxMind. Unveiled last week at Gen Con, the largest annual event dedicated to tabletop gaming and culture in North America, the new game did not disappoint....

 

NYC-Area Families Invited to Experience the Best of the Bronx at Free ‘Alma’s Way’ Alma Train Party at Grand Central Station. It’s The Alma Train Party! Join Fred Rogers Productions, the MTA, and Thirteen to celebrate Alma’s Way, the hit PBS KIDS series created by Sonia Manzano (the iconic “Maria” on Sesame Street) and the launch of the new digital game, The Alma Train. The special “block party”-like event will feature...

 

Sesame Workshop’s ‘Tamir on the Street’ YouTube Series Explores Family Traditions in New Episode. Sesame Workshop has released a new episode in the recently debuted web series, Tamir on the Street, available exclusively on Sesame Street’s YouTube channel. The series stars eight-year-old Sesame Street Muppet, Tamir as he creates his very own YouTube-style show where he learns more about the friends and...

 

Jack & June, a proud member of the Woodplay Playsets family of brands from Escalade Sports, announced its newest releases for 2022 in the outdoor play and leisure lines. The all-new Playhouse, Porch Swing, and Cedar Adirondack Chair provide more opportunities for families to enjoy the outdoors. Since 2018, Jack & June has quickly become the backyard favorite, thanks to its wide range of easy-to-use, do-it-yourself ...

 

The Pokémon Company International has announced a new Pokémon animated special, Pokémon: The Arceus Chronicles is coming to Netflix this September. Inspired by the popular Pokémon Legends: Arceus video game, the special follows Ash, his Pikachu, and friends as they adventure and explore the Sinnoh region. 

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This local card-game maker has already gone viral, and Nutt Heads is just getting started. When Chad Boyles wanted a kids version of the popular game Cards Against Humanity, he decided to create his own. The viral hit ended up launching Boyles into the card game business. “The game just went crazy,” Boyles said. In addition to landing his game, Kids Against Maturity, in top commercial retail outlets, 

 

Konami reveals Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG news. The Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game (TCG) has gone from strength to strength in recent years. A large part its success can be attributed to fan-pleasing packs that have offered new ideas, beautiful designs and strong desirability among players. Collector’s tins have been a staple of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG since it first came to the West in 2002, and the 2022 Tin of the Pharaoh’s Gods will...

 

With annual CG confab SIGGRAPH slated to start Monday in Vancouver, DreamWorks Animation announced its intent to release its proprietary renderer, MoonRay, as open-source software later this year. MoonRay has been used on feature films such as How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Croods: A New Age, The Bad Guys and upcoming Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. “We are thrilled to share with the...

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