January 2023 - Page 3 of 11

ZAG Names Gaye Dean VP of North America Retail Development

Award-winning global independent animation studio ZAG announced the appointment of Gaye Dean, a thirty-plus year veteran of Target Corporation, as Vice President, North America Retail Development. The announcement was made by Jeremy Zag, Founder and CEO, ZAG. Reporting to Lisa K. Foster, Sr. Vice President, Licensing, North America, Dean will manage strategic relationships across all tiers of retail throughout North America for the roster of properties under the ZAG Heroez label—an umbrella brand franchise that brings together the superheroes from ZAG’s animated properties

CoComelon Franchise Connects With More Audiences Through Spin Off Shows

CoComelon, the world’s most popular kids entertainment brand, is poised to support even more little ones in their foundational years as the franchise continues to expand. Moonbug Entertainment, a subsidiary of Candle Media, has announced significant momentum across the entire franchise, including an additional beloved character getting their own show in 2023 – Nina! The launch of Nina builds on the successful roll out of Cody Time and JJ’s Animal Time. Through these spin-offs and the strength of the original CoComelon show, the franchise continues to connect with new audiences: global YouTube subscribers grew 33% and viewership increased by nearly one third (29%) last year. Additionally, JJ and his friends reached a new milestone – more than 50 billion views on YouTube in one year – and CoComelon continued its weekly reign throughout 2022 in the Netflix Top 10 list.

Barbie Honors Bessie Coleman With Inspiring Women Series Doll

Barbie has officially announced the launch of the Bessie Coleman Inspiring Women doll, recognizing the first Black and Native American female pilot with a doll made in her likeness, in advance of her birthday, January 26th, and in celebration of Black History Month. To ensure Bessie’s legacy is truly represented, Barbie teamed up with Gigi Coleman, Bessie’s great-niece and President of The Bessie Coleman Aviation All-Stars, to celebrate this Inspiring Women Doll.

Funko Games Announces All-New Pop! Puzzles, Featuring SpongeBob SquarePants, Ted Lasso, Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic Park

Funko Games has announced the latest assortment of its fandom-inspired Pop! Puzzles featuring beloved pop-culture favorites including SpongeBob SquarePants, Ted Lasso, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic Park. Since the debut of Pop! Puzzles Avatar: The Last Airbender, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Elf, Funko Games has contributed to the growing popularity of jigsaw puzzles. Featuring Funko’s signature Pop! Figures, the newest assortment brings fans an immersive pastime experience as they piece together original illustrations inspired by popular films and hit TV shows in pop culture, including Ted Lasso, everyone’s favorite square yellow sponge named SpongeBob, Groot and Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy, and the heroic Alan Grant from Jurassic Park.

ZAG Play Brings Miraculous Secrets Trading Card Game to the Europe in Partnership with Epopia

Award-winning global independent animation studio ZAG has launched Miraculous Secrets, its first trading card game for the billion-dollar Miraculous franchise at retail in Germany and Austria and will roll-out to other European countries in the coming months. The announcement was made today by Jeremy Zag, Founder and CEO, ZAG. Miraculous Secrets, from the ZAG Play Toy Division, was developed in partnership with Epopia, the creator of the groundbreaking, multiple award-winning interactive platform that encourages children to read and write who first partnered with ZAG in April 2021, acquiring global licensing rights to ZAG’s brands to create personalized and interactive storytelling. Miraculous Secrets is distributed by Amigo, the well-established European game maker.

Paragon FX Group Batman Utility Set Aims For Growing Adult Collector Market

In December NPD Groups released a report showing that “kidults” are responsible for one-fourth of all toy sales annually, around $9 billion worth, and are the biggest driver of growth throughout the industry. While this may be shocking news to some, it’s common knowledge in the halls of Paragon FX Group, as is evidenced by their latest offering, the 89 Batman: Modular Utility Grapnel Set. The multi-purpose, hand-held unit allowed for Batman to store numerous items on his utility belt yet deploy them all from a single device. The Paragon FX Group team spent a full twelve months recreating the device out of cnc machined aluminum.

Pokémon TCG: Crown Zenith Expansion Releases with Special Illustrations and Galarian Gallery Subset

The Pokémon Company International has released the latest expansion in the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG), Crown Zenith, available worldwide starting now at participating retailers including Pokémon Center, the premier online destination for official Pokémon merchandise in the US, Canada and the UK. The Crown Zenith expansion features new art styles and unique illustrations with a focus on alternate art cards, including the first-ever special art Pokémon VSTAR.

MegaChess Announces the Creation of the Perfect Chess Set

MegaChess, the world’s largest supplier of Giant Chess Sets, is pleased to announce the creation of the Perfect Chess Set. This tournament-style set was designed as a learning and training tool to help chess players at all levels develop their skills and master the game of chess. To help achieve its goal of creating the perfect tournament chess set with training, MegaChess collaborated with Chess Vibes Academy’s Nelson Lopez, a Chess Master with over 30 years of playing experience. Lopez shares his Master-level knowledge and skills in a series of easy-to-follow and friendly lessons.

The Woobles Partners with Miffy to Release First Licensed Crochet Kits

The Woobles, the first learn-to-crochet company to leverage emerging ed-tech tools to successfully teach the art of crocheting to complete beginners, just released its first licensed kits- starring Miffy! Thanks to The Woobles, fans can now crochet their very own Miffy, along with ear-resistable themed accessories. Known for its adorable amigurumi plushies, a collaboration with the marvelous Miffy was a natural fit for The Woobles.