August 2023 - aNb Media, Inc.

schleich Appoints Stefan De Loecker as New CEO

Schleich, the German manufacturer of figurines and playsets, has just announced a new change to their executive team appointing Stefan De Loecker as the new CEO effective January 1, 2024. Before joining Schleich, Stefan De Loecker was CEO of Beiersdorf and previously President of its emerging markets and has had a broad and long-standing career in FMCG, namely with Nestlé. Dirk Engehausen, CEO of Schleich for more than eight years, left Schleich on 15 August 2023. After a transition period, he will join its Advisory Board.

Clixo Launches First Themed Packs, Mars Rover & Ocean Creatures, Elevating Imaginative Play

Renowned toy design studio Toyish Labs announced the launch of two new packs in its award-winning Clixo toy line: the Mars Rover Clixo Pack and the Ocean Creatures Clixo Pack. They have also proudly announced that both packs have been named finalists for the 2023 Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards: the Mars Rover Clixo Pack has been named a finalist for Creative Toy of the Year and the Ocean Creatures Clixo Pack has been named a finalist for Specialty Toy of the Year. The Mars Rover Clixo Pack is a glow-in-the-dark flexible magnetic building experience designed for imaginative minds. With all-terrain wheels, fire blasters, and custom pieces, you can build countless rovers, motorcycles, and space drones to explore the most challenging Martian landscapes. Get your spacesuit ready to unleash STEAM skills and creativity. The pack is currently available for pre-order here and will start shipping in mid-October. The pack will be available on Amazon in October as well. The Ocean Creatures Clixo Pack brings underwater wonders to life! Take your imagination to new depths with specially designed glow-in-the-dark pieces, fins, and tentacles. Inspire creative confidence, foster STEAM learning, and discover the power of play as you build countless underwater creations. The pack is currently available for pre-order here and will start shipping in mid-October. The pack will be available on Amazon in October as well.

News

The LEGO Group Outpaces Toy Industry Leaders in H1 2023 While Accelerating Long-term Growth Initiatives

The LEGO Group has announced earnings for the first six months of 2023. Revenue was DKK 27.4 billion, a growth of one percent compared with H1 2022. Consumer sales grew three percent, outperforming other leading toy companies and contributing to strong market share growth. Operating profit was in line with expectations at a solid DKK 6.4 billion compared with an exceptionally strong DKK 7.9 billion in H1 2022. The company continued to accelerate spending in long-term strategic initiatives including manufacturing, digital and sustainability.

Heathside Trading to Launch Special Edition Stargate Line Through License Agreement with MGM

Heathside Trading Ltd has established an agreement with MGM to become a licensee for Stargate. The agreement was brokered by Rocket Licensing. The Stargate licensed line, which will launch spring 2024 through selected retail partners, as well as direct-to-consumer through MasterReplicas.com, will include die-cast ships, prop replicas and figures based on the Stargate library. Rather than releasing all the ships in one go, Heathside Trading Ltd through Master Replicas will be making a curated selection of vehicles, prop replicas and figures available over the course of the license. This will allow fans to add to the continuance of their collections. with selected resellers who will be making stock available on a limited basis online.

O2C Brands Acquires Green Sprouts Expanding Company’s Lineup of Sustainability-Minded Brands

O2C Brands announces the acquisition of Green Sprouts, an innovator in natural baby products that reimagines the possibilities for swimwear, sun wear, mealtime, bath time, hair care, toys and more. The line stands out for its wide range of products for newborns, infants, and toddlers up to 4 years old. “Green Sprouts exemplifies the very essence of O2C Brands core values – a fusion of innovation, sustainable materials, unwavering quality, distinctive design, and an emphasis on family. We are focused on strengthening Green Sprouts dedicated and loyal customer base, while building awareness through multiple market channels,” said Eric Lockwood, CEO of O2C Brands.

PBS KIDS Expands Growing Library of Podcasts this Fall with New Offerings, including ‘Jamming on the Job’

As podcast popularity soars among kids and families, PBS KIDS continues to deliver free, engaging, and entertaining content for young audiences nationwide. Just in time for the back-to-school season, things will kick off in September on the PBS KIDS Video App with a new original podcast series, Jamming on the job, which introduces kids to a variety of interesting jobs while helping them see how their own interests and skills relate to those of the professionals they meet in the series. An eagerly anticipated third season of The Arthur Podcast, the hit podcast based on the well-loved, long-running animated series, will premiere this November. And in January, Playdate with the Wombats! will launch, fulfilling many kids’ wishes for playdates with the characters they know and love from the animated preschool series Work it out Wombats!.

Razor Unveils the Ground Force Rad Rod, the First Electric Go Kart for Kids

Razor USA, the leading innovator of scooters and wheeled goods, announced the introduction of the all-new Ground Force Rad Rod, a small-sized electric-powered go kart for younger riders (6+) and the latest product in Razor’s Ground Force line. The Rad Rod is the smallest addition to the line-up, joining the mid-size Ground Force and larger Ground Force Elite. Its peak performance, agile drifting ability and parental speed control switch make it a perfect introduction to powered play for kids. Razor had the family in mind when creating the Ground Force go-kart series with compelling and age-appropriate options for children, tweens and teens, and they are excited to add the Ground Force Rad Rod to the crew.

Superights Reorganizes Sales Team

Superights, international distribution division of Seperpod Group, ups Hugo Brochard to International Sales Manager and hires Élodie Friess as new sales coordinator. They will report to Nathalie Pinguet, Superights’ Deputy Managing Director Sales and Acquisitions. Based in Paris, Hugo will oversee sales in Eastern Europe territories, Spain, Portugal, Africa, Latin America and Inflight zones while Elodie will ensure sales coordination and administration. According to Pinguet, the appointments “support our objective of strengthening the team to manage a growing catalogue with many new series to come.

APC Kids Secures International Sales for TeamTO’S Jade Armor

APC Kids, part of leading co-production and distribution group APC Studios, has secured key international sales for TeamTO’s action-comedy series Jade Armor. New deals for the 26 x 26’ series, produced by TeamTO in partnership with France Télévisions and Super RTL, include: Téléquébec (Canada); WildBrain (Canada); RTBF (Belgium), and DR (Denmark). The martial arts action-comedy series, aimed at 6-10 year olds is currently airing on Cartoon Network (EMEA), France Télévisions (France), Super RTL (Germany); ABC (Australia), and SRC (Canada).