November 2022 - Page 7 of 10

Sesame Workshop Names Kim Díaz New Vice President of Creative Development

Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind decades of award-winning educational content, today named Kim Díaz the newest Vice President of Creative Development. Since joining Sesame Workshop in 2016, Díaz has been a leader in her field, overseeing all aspects of content development, generating new program ideas for kids and families, and serving as Creative Producer for select current series. As the VP of Creative Development, Díaz will develop and lead the creative development strategy for new long-form and short-form series, specials, and other programming initiatives which align with Sesame Workshop’s mission and creative vision. She will also be responsible for developing and vetting innovative program ideas and genres and identifying and partnering with the right distributor for each property. She will report to Kay Wilson Stallings, Executive Vice President of Creative and Production.

New England Successfully Launches the First Ever Game and Kit Day!

New England hosted the first-ever New England Game and Kit Day on October 27th at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, MA. Thirty-seven vendors exhibited at the event with the goal of teaching and training retailers about their new games and craft kits for the upcoming holiday season. Vendors included Ravensburger, Fat Brain Toys, Eeboo, Goliath Games, Carma Games, Winning Moves and many more.

The Bratz Pack Returns to Consoles and PC in Bratz: Flaunt Your Fashion

Outright Games, the leading worldwide publisher of family-friendly interactive entertainment, and MGA Entertainment (MGA), one of the world’s largest and fastest growing privately held toy and entertainment companies, are excited to launch Bratz: Flaunt Your Fashion. This brand-new video game stars the girls with a passion for fashion, available now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC and Nintendo Switch. Developed by Barcelona-based Petoons Studios, Bratz: Flaunt Your Fashion is the first new Bratz game for consoles and PC in over a decade. Fans can play as the original, trendsetting Bratz Pack, starring Cloe, Sasha, Yasmin, and Jade as they work together to create the coolest magazine in the world and become the ultimate fashion influencers!

Bonnie Arnold Inks Overall Deal with WildBrain to Spearhead Multiple Projects

WildBrain, a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment, has signed an overall “first look” deal with acclaimed producer Bonnie Arnold (How to Train Your Dragon, Toy Story) in a move that builds on the company’s commitment to working with the industry’s best creative talent. Academy Award- and BAFTA-nominated Arnold will spearhead numerous episodic projects, TV specials and features for WildBrain. Initial projects include Which Way to Anywhere, the latest novel from Cressida Cowell, the bestselling author of the How to Train Your Dragon series, as well as Cowell’s beloved Emily Brown picture books. WildBrain has exclusively optioned both properties from Cowell.

The Unstoppable Godzilla Re-Emerges to Raid the Crunchyroll Loves Streetwear Collection on Godzilla Day

“Long live the King!” Godzilla has returned for a third collaboration with Crunchyroll Loves, the in-house streetwear label from global anime brand Crunchyroll. Launched in celebration of Toho’s Godzilla Day, this monster-sized collection in honor of the Heisei Era of Godzilla films is available for pre-order exclusively on the Crunchyroll Store until November 17th. Crunchyroll Loves x Godzilla III is an eight-piece, clothing all-out attack featuring iconic Godzilla scenes and adversaries, including Biollante, Destroyah, Mothra, Little Godzilla, MechaGodzilla, SpaceGodzilla, and of course, the King of the Monsters themself, all paired across vibrant colorways.

Create A Castle Breaks Toy Industry Glass Ceiling in Going From “Best Outdoor Toy” to Year-Round Success

When newcomer Create A Castle shook up the toy industry by winning the coveted TOTY for “Best Outdoor Toy” in 2020, everyone admired its success in beating out more-established brands as a hot summer toy. But that wasn’t good enough for the fledgling company’s co-founding husband-and-wife team – Kevin and Laurie Lane – who were certain their unique, patented sand castle-building toy had equal potential as a year-round winner if it could be adapted, not only for building snow castles in the winter, but equally for indoor use with different materials.

People of Play Commits to In-Person Conferences for 2022 with Pitching Opportunities, Speakers, a Pub Night, and More

Get ready to learn, pitch and network your way to success with some of the most recognizable brands in the toy and game industry! The People of Play Inventor & Innovation Conferences, the largest and longest running toy and game inventor conference in the world, are back in person this year with an extensive lineup of speakers and panels inside and outside the industry. Plus, on the much anticipated Pub Night, we’re putting one of our own to roast, the indelible Matt Nuccio, President of Design Edge.

Jade City Foods and Dr. Seuss Enterprises Bring Whoville Market Website Online with Grinch Themed Goods

The wanna-be citizens of Who-ville and Grinch fans everywhere are in for a tasty treat! Jade City Foods is collaborating with Dr. Seuss Enterprises to create a line of Grinch-themed products from Grow Your Heart 3 Sizes Grinch Dark Roast Coffee to Roast Beast Sauce that will be available online at the Whoville Market and at Foxtail Coffee Co stores throughout Florida and Georgia throughout the Yuletide season. The store is also launching just in time for the 65th publishing anniversary of How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

New Pokémon Trading Card Game: Crown Zenith Expansion Introduces Special Illustrations

The Pokémon Company International has announced a new special expansion for the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG), Crown Zenith, releasing worldwide beginning January 20, 2023. The Pokémon TCG: Crown Zenith expansion will introduce a multitude of new art styles and unique illustrations, with an emphasis on alternate art cards, including the first-ever special art Pokémon VSTAR. Crown Zenith will also introduce a Galarian Gallery subset of 70 cards highlighting regular Pokémon, Pokémon V, Pokémon VMAX, Pokémon VSTAR and Supporter cards with special illustrations that showcase the uniqueness of each featured Pokémon and character. Fans can look forward to discovering Mewtwo VSTAR, Darkrai VSTAR and Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR in the Galarian Gallery. In addition, with a new linked illustration feature, Trainers will also have the chance to collect and connect nine different Galarian Gallery cards to reveal a larger image.