Year: 2023

There are no bad hair days for Malia M., Khari or Nia ($89.99 at https://brainsandbeautydolls.com/dolls/), a trio of multicultural 18” dolls, as their lustrous thick hair awaits styling by their young owner to brush, braid, twist, curl, straighten, apply Bantu knots, or leave as is. The message from Brains & Beauty Dolls is that empowerment, hence confidence, starts from within. If you don’t believe it, just give the doll a squeeze and listen for one of the 20 phrases that the doll speaks, such as, “You are unstoppable!”

WildBrain Ltd (“WildBrain” or the “Company”) (TSX: WILD), a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment, has closed its previously announced acquisition of House of Cool, one of the top pre-production companies in the global animation industry. A strategic extension of WildBrain’s focus on creative excellence, the acquisition significantly expands and enhances the Company’s pre-production capabilities for premium animated series, specials and features.

Imagine reading aloud a little board book that has the power to teach tots their ABC’s, boost confidence and practice positivity! Say hello to ABC Affirmation Board Book ($12.99) from Kids for Culture. The sweet 6” x 6” sturdy book is available at big box stores like Walmart and online at www.kidsforculture.com. This is where A is for Amazing and as the page continues, I am an amazing person!  Specialty website boppabug.com shared with parents, “This book is illustrated to mirror different skin tones…Whether daytime or night, enrich babies’ day with these beautiful words of encouragement.” 

When have you ever heard of the player who owns the most cats (in real life) goes first? In every round of Here, Kitty, Kitty, felines rule in this competitive card game! A little cat-titude goes a long way as three to six players interact with a cat burglar, a can opener, catnip, cat fights and the occasional stray dog. There are no fraidy cats here as Zoomers and Boomers claw their way to the winner’s circle! “This was a perfect game to play with Grandma and the kids while waiting for dinner to be ready,” wrote one Amazon buyer. “It’s a relatively short game with easy set-up, and the simple, silly game play kept everything light and fluffy.”

Barbie film fever is set to turn the world pink and skyrocket doll sales to an estimated US$14 billion by 2027, according to a Euromonitor expert. Loo Wee Teck, Head of Toys and Games at Euromonitor International, said the upcoming Barbie movie, releasing on 21 July featuring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, is set to jumpstart interest in Barbie and dolls globally. The much-anticipated Barbie film is expected to boost dolls and accessories sales by a massive 16% growth in 2026 compared with sales in 2022. Dolls’ purchases rose during the pandemic before falling away last year.