Toy Fair 2010 Kicks off in New York

Festivities kicked off last week ushering in Toy Fair 2010. Mattel hosted two events last Friday spotlighting its partnership with World Wrestling Entertainment as well as new careers for Barbie.

WWE Superstar Triple H joined Mattel and World Wrestling Entertainment to celebrate Mattel’s first line of WWE action figures and accessories, including several scheduled to debut in fall 2010.

Mattel also announced that girls around the world chose news anchor as Barbie’s 125th career in the Barbie I Can Be… doll series. While many people in this economy don’t even have one job, Barbie now has two. Mattel also announced that, by popular demand, Barbie was given career No. 126 as a computer engineer.

Toy Fair kicked off Sunday morning with a Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 3 presentation that included new toys as well as appearances from John Lasseter, chief creative officer of Walt
Disney and Pixar Animation Studios; Lee Unkrich, director, Toy Story 3; Darla K. Anderson, producer, Toy Story 3; and John Ratzenberger, voice of Hamm. The filmmakers also revealed a look at Toy Story 3 with an all new film trailer introducing a plush bear character named Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear, (seen exclusively on the cover of Toys & Family Entertainment), which is one of the 14 new toys featured in Toy Story 3‘s Sunnyside Day Care, and the first plush toy to appear in the film franchise. Licensees for the film include Thinkway Toys, Mattel and Fisher-Price, LEGO, Hasbro, and Jakks Pacific.

Dancing with the Stars winner, Donny Osmond helped launch Mattel’s Dance Star Mickey on Monday. It’s the company’s latest feature plush to walk, talk, and dance. It can perform
five different songs with styles including soul, disco, Latin, and techno and is packed with interactive games.

Robert Downey Jr. was on hand Monday night in the Hasbro showroom to present a sneak peek at scenes from Iron
Man 2. The film is due in theaters May 7, 2010. Hasbro is the lead licensee for the film.

Here are some of this week’s highlights thus far. More Toy Fair news will be available on Thursday.

• Spin Master, Walmart, and DreamWorks announced a partnership to bring toys to market starting March 1 for the film How to Train Your Dragon, according to Reuters. The film, expected in theaters March 26, is based on the book of the same name. The line will include figures, playsets, and roleplay toys priced $5-$30.
• LEGO announced that it is entering the game category with 10 constructible board games. Each of the 10 LEGO Games leverages classic board game play of guessing, strategy, memory, logic, and chance to offer a new way to play. The first five games are due to release online on March 1, and all 10 will be available August 1.
• MGA Entertainment announced at the end of last week that in celebration of the 10th anniversary of Bratz, it’s launching a new edition of Bratz fashion dolls. Slated for release in August, the dolls are back sporting a fresh new look featuring updated faces, bodies, and fashions, according to MGA. The Bratz Anniversary Edition will introduce 10 new characters. Mattel did not respond to requests for comment about this line or the continuing litigation.
• Nickelodeon is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Dora the Explorer. Licensees such as Fisher-Price, Mattel, Hasbro, MEGA Brands, and more are showing lines at this week’s show.
• Crayola and Wild Planet announced an extension to its partnership where Wild Planet will release its first line of Crayola-licensed games in the fall. The games will have a suggested mass retail price of $9.99-$14.99.