Highlighted Press Releases

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INVITE MOONLITE INSIDE THE KIDS’ ROOM EACH NIGHT SAY GOOD HOUSEKEEPING & PARENTS.COM. National Outlets & Toy Contests Tout This Sound And Light Storytime Show That Illuminates A Child’s Imagination Making Bedtime The Best Part Of The Day. St. Louis, MO (November 7, 2022) – When looking for a sign of whether to purchase a new product, it doesn’t get any better than the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval! In their just-released 2022 Best Toy Awards, GH editors “dig deeper to find out which ones are safe and easy to put together and will help your child learn and grow.” Parents.com lists the 2022 Best Toys that are curated by experts, tested by kids and rated by parents. Both prestigious outlets turn their spotlight on Moonlite ($45 Starter Packs of five themed stories), as they discovered that when mom or dad announces time for bed, kids actually leap to brush their teeth and snuggle under the covers!

***The above posted after November 4th***

SHOUT! KIDS PRESENTS – HIGHLY ANTICIPATED ANIMATED FEATURE MAKES ITS U.S. DEBUT! AINBO: SPIRIT OF THE AMAZON. DIRECTED BY JOSÉ ZELADA AND RICHARD CLAUS. SPECTACULAR MOVIE ADVENTURE LAUNCHES ON NOVEMBER 29, 2022.  This holiday season, families and world travelers are invited to journey to a tropical paradise in South America and be enchanted by the exciting adventure of a brave young girl, Ainbo, and the splendor of the Amazon – the fragrant flora, exotic animals, and ancient trees hanging above – in the new animated feature AINBO: SPIRIT OF THE AMAZON. While mesmerized by the awe-inspiring beauty and mystique of the Amazon Rainforest, be inspired by the film’s powerful message about the importance of protecting our environment and the Amazon’s diverse species.

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Safety and Counterfeiting

A Tesla Cyberquad modeled for children was recalled after the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) decided the toy vehicle did not meet safety standards. The CPSC issued the recall on Thursday, stating that the Cyberquad “fails to comply with the federal mandatory safety standard requirements for youth ATVs.” The Cyberquad also did not have a “CPSC-approved ATV action plan,” which includes safety requirements and measures, and is required to “manufacture, import, sell, or distribute ATVs.”

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​Associations, Shows, Awards, Events, and Festivals

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The 10 winners of The New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Books Award are chosen each year by a rotating panel of three expert judges. On the 2022 panel were Emily Jenkins, a prolific children’s author; Maggie Craig, a children’s librarian at the New York Public Library; and Raúl Colón, an award-winning illustrator of many acclaimed picture books.

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The Canadian Toy Association (CTA) has announced the winners of its 2022 Rising Star Awards, the first to be honoured in the inaugural year of the prestigious annual awards programme. The Rising Star Award recognises emerging leaders in the toy industry whose achievements reflect exceptional growth and impact across the fields of manufacturing, retail and marketing. The winners will be showcased, and...

***The above was posted after November 4th***

The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) has just announced a bold new logo for their organization. Ahead of their trailblazing new endeavor, the Toy Boat, on February 20-24, ASTRA has revamped its logo and restated its vision statement as they move forward into a new toy landscape. Registration for the Toy Boat can be found here.

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ASTRA RECOGNIZES SMALL BUSINESSES NATIONWIDE FOR 13TH YEAR. As an expanded version of Neighborhood Toy Store Day, the monthlong event serves as a reminder to shoppers to remember the neighborhood toy stores in their communities as they kick off the holiday shopping season. Spearheaded by the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA), the event is aligned with Black Friday, 

The Toy Authority, the leader in short form video focused on toys, announced that voting is now open for the People’s Play Awards. Comprised of 17 categories, finalists were independently selected by top industry experts. Calling on the most important audience, The Toy Authority is now asking consumers to choose their favorites in each category, creating the ultimate list for this holiday season.

The UK independent buying group Toymaster has announced, on behalf of its board, that it has a new Member Committee. Previously, the group had two committees: Marketing and Merchandise. However, the Toymaster Board has agreed to amalgamate these into a single committee, henceforce known as the Member Committee. The new Member Committee is made up of the following people...

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RIP - Rest in Play - Remembering Those that have Passed

If you know of a colleague's passing, please send us information so we may share with our colleagues. Archives can be found HERE.

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Lesley John Cooke - Toy World is sad to report that industry veteran Les Cooke passed away peacefully at his home on 15th October.

Les’s former colleague and close friend, Bob Brechin, shared his memories of Les with Toy World.

When Bob joined Palitoy in 1967 as a toy designer, Les was responsible for the marketing of Action Man, which had been licensed the previous year from Hasbro. Les famously once said: “I had the best job in the toy industry – Action Man’s first Brand manager.”

“Les was quick to realise that Action Man provided more play scenarios than solely military adventures,” Bob explains. “Attending a research study, he noticed that one little boy was playing with the Mountain and Arctic Trooper Action Man as Scott of the Antarctic. This inspired Les to develop a range of adventure sets, which I was instructed to design. Action Man began to live up to his name, took on many roles and became a truly British icon.” Action Man was named Toy of the Decade in 1980, after winning the title Toy of the Year in its first outing.

In 1968, the Palitoy brand and its Coalville factory were bought by new owners General Mills. Les became Marketing director and was instrumental in introducing many iconic lines, including the hairstyling and makeup toy, Girls World; pocket-sized fashion doll, Pippa and the Discovery Time pre-school range.

When the Star Wars phenomenon exploded, Palitoy became the UK distributor of toys developed by sister company Kenner. Bob tells us that Les was loath to market the Star Wars range alongside Palitoy’s flagship Action Man concept, nervous about relying on the success of an unknown film to sell toys. He was persuaded by Kenner president, Bernie Loomis, who declared: “Star Wars will go on for twenty years.” After seeing the film, Les agreed with him.

Palitoy owner General Mills began to pursue global branding, introducing more ranges from the US to add to the success of Star Wars. As the likes of Care Bears joined the company’s portfolio, many of the classic ranges developed by Palitoy – including Action Man – started to be phased out. Les resigned from the company to join outgoing UK MD Bob Wilson to establish Emblem Toys in Leicester. Later they would resuscitate the ailing Matchbox Company.

“During my long association with Les Cooke, I have found him to be very committed, willing to embrace my ideas and always giving total support,” says Bob Brechin. “Everone I have talked to has demonstrated their respect and admiration for him. He had a strong affinity to toys and the long list of products he introduced attests to that. The British toy industry will mourn the passing of one of its stalwarts.”

Bob added that his thoughts were with Les’s wife Diane, and his children and grandchildren, at this sad time. Toy World would like to add its condolences to the family and all who knew Les.

Stevanne Auerbach aka Dr. Toy -  (Tribute by Jacqueline Fulmer, Ph.D., Director of Omnidoll Research.)  Pioneering mass media toy reviewer and early childhood studies author, Stevanne Auerbach, Ph.D., known to her readers and viewers as “Dr. Toy,” passed away in San Lorenzo, CA, on Wednesday, October 19, 2022, at age 84, due to complications from stroke. 

Stevanne Auerbach was an accomplished speaker, consultant, and author, who had trained in child development and special education. Her works ranged from the esoteric: editing volumes on early childhood studies; to the practical: handbooks on the Peace Corps, careers in Home Economics, physical education for differently abled children, and the search for quality childcare; to the creative: a children’s book (The Alphabet Tree, 1988), a novel (The Contest, 2009), a book of poetry (Petals, 1973), and a screenplay. Her title, “Dr. Toy,” dated to her first assignment with Creative Playthings in 1968, where she developed its first education marketing program. She became one of the first mass media “toy reviewers,” evaluating toys, publishing articles, and appearing on radio and television in American markets from coast to coast, from 1986 to 2018. When her distinctive gold foil “Dr. Toy Award” stickers appeared on retail products, consumers would know that they were purchasing a quality toy that would enrich their children’s lives.

To have known Stevanne was to experience her enthusiasm for the value of play in everyone’s lives and her generosity in helping people at every stage of their lives.

Stevanne is survived by her husband Ralph Whitten, daughter Amy Beth Auerbach, grandson Josiah Metz, and sister Judy Schwartz (Martin Schwartz).

Stevanne was born to Jeane Sydney Rosen Stockheim and Nathan Carl Stockheim on September 22, 1938, in New York City. She was raised in Juniper Park in Middle Village, a newly developed neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City. Her mother spent most of her career working in public health, and her father worked as a firefighter and math and science teacher.   READ MORE...

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Rieko Kodama. Skies of Arcadia producer and team leader on the original Phantasy Star games Rieko Kodama has passed away at age 58. According to a Sega statement to IGN, Kodama passed away in five months ago in May 2022. No cause of death was given.

Word of Kodama's possible death began to spread after owners of Sega's Mega Drive Mini II retro console noticed her inclusion in the console's credits, which stated "In Memory of Rieko Kodama." In response to queries about the message, Sega Producer Yosuke Okunari confirmed fan suspicions, writing "as you understand it. We respected her."

Kodama's three-decade career in video games (which she began under the name Phoenix Rie) spanned multiple console generations and game genres. She is often credited for being a trailblazing artist, director, and producer in an era when women's contributions to the video game industry were less-recognized.

Her early games at Sega included work on games llike Champion Boxing, Sega Ninja, and Quartet. Her art appeared in several landmark Sega titles including Altered Beast and Sonic the Hedgehog. Most recently, she produced the Sega Ages series of classic game ports on Nintendo Switch. Many of those ports brought games she helped create to modern audiences.

In 2019, the organizers of Game Developers Conference (disclaimer: our sibling organization) honored Kodama with the Pioneer award. In a message where she accepted the award, she gave thanks fellow Sega collaborators like Yoshiki Kawasaki for supporting her in her career.

In a rare interview with Kotaku around the same time period, Kodama reflected on the success of Skies of Arcadia, which has remained a cult classic among fans of Japanese Role-Playing Games. "Portrayal of dark worlds was certainly what was trending in Japan at the time, but our team preferred to create an optimistic protagonist who explored the world," she said in reflection. "[That] gave birth to Skies of Arcadia’s scenario and characters."

With Kodama's passing, the video game industry has lost one of the few women who has been a constant presence from the console industry's early days all the way into the modern era. Even fewer have worked on so many titles that would inspire game developers around the globe.

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