Waboba, the company behind a myriad of hit outdoor products including the Moon Ball, is donating $5 from all of its popular Blue or Yellow Moon Ball purchases made on waboba.com or Amazon.com for the month of April, with all proceeds devoted to supporting the World Central Kitchen providing nourishing meals for people who had to flee Ukraine.
Mrs Wordsmith, leader in hilariously illustrated literacy products for educators and kids, has launched a handout for families entitled How to Talk to Kids about War, in light of current events in Ukraine. This resource guide was designed to help kids navigate this difficult subject with tips from experts, followed by illustrated social-emotional vocabulary around compassion, empathy, resilience, and solidarity.
Paramount Global (NASDAQ: PARA, PARAA) has announced that Pam Kaufman will take on the role of President, Consumer Products and Experiences, effective immediately. In addition to leading the Consumer Products business representing well over $5.5 billion in worldwide retail revenue, Kaufman will now have oversight across the Paramount global portfolio of Live Experiences including Hotels, Resorts, Theme Parks, Tours, and Broadway, as well as VidCon and Gaming.
Donkey Hodie, the hit puppet series from Fred Rogers Productions and Spiffy Pictures, has been greenlit for a second season on PBS KIDS. The series is produced by Fred Rogers Productions, the award-winning children’s educational media organization behind multiple well-loved, Emmy-winning PBS KIDS series, including Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, and Spiffy Pictures, the award-winning production company behind many acclaimed series for kids and families, including PBS KIDS’ Emmy-nominated animated hit Nature Cat. Inspired by original characters from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Donkey Hodie is a social-emotional learning series for kids ages 3-5 that empowers viewers to dream big and overcome obstacles through practicing skills including resilience, persistence, and problem solving. The second season of Donkey Hodie is expected to premiere in spring 2023 on PBS KIDS.
WarnerMedia Global Brands and Experiences will launch a spellbinding collection of products to help fans celebrate the magic of the highly anticipated Warner Bros Pictures film Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, debuting in theaters in the UK on April 8th and in the USA April 15. Allowing wizards, witches and Muggles everywhere to relive unforgettable Fantastic Beasts movie moments and engage with the new adventure, the collection includes fashion, toys, home goods and themed experiences from partners around the world.
Spin Master Corporation (TSX: TOY), a leading global children’s entertainment company, announced that its Sago Mini studio has partnered with Otsimo, a developer of game-based learning apps for children with special needs, to release a new app focused on early speech development. Designed with speech pathologists, child psychologists and early child development experts, Sago Mini First Words provides children ages five and under with a customized learning experience, strengthening critical language skills through enriching activities, playful mini-games, and interactive videos.
People of Play Announces Three Truths and a Lie, a new virtual series held the second Monday of every month at 8pmET in the POP Pub on the POP website. Rich Mazel, VP of Innovation and Inventor Relations at Spin Master will host the first show on Monday, April 11th and will kick-off with guests:
· Dougal Grimes, VP of Innovation and Inventor Relations-Games, Gund, Outdoor and Activities – Spin Master
· Peggy Brown, President – Peggy Brown Creative
· Robert Fuhrer, Founder – Nextoy
· David Fuhrer, Managing Director – BlueSquare Innovations
Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street, has received an Epic MegaGrant from Epic Games, which will be used to support the production of a 360° capture of the set. The $150,000 Epic MegaGrant helps with the creation of a high-definition digital version of the Sesame Street set that captures iconic locations including the 123 Sesame Street brownstone and its front stoop, Oscar’s trash can, Hooper’s Store, and Big Bird’s Nest. Utilizing Epic’s Unreal Engine, an innovative real-time 3D creation tool that has been used to create cutting-edge content and advance the art in virtual production, the capture will be leveraged for future Sesame Street XR (“extended reality”), interactive, and gaming applications.
The Toy Association is reminding companies that Friday, April 8 2022 is their last chance to apply for the Best of Spring & Summer 2022 Influencer Choice List, presented by Clamour.