Category: Events

Mattel, Inc, together with officials from The City of El Segundo and partners from Save The Children, UCLA Health, The Los Angeles Library Foundation, LA’s Best,  Girls Inc. of Los Angeles, and The Boys & Girls Clubs of Carson, today declared the week of June 19 – 23 Mattel’s Play It Forward Global Volunteer Week. Mattel’s Play It Forward Global Volunteer Week enables its iconic brands to give back to communities who need it most. Play It Forward is a designated period each year where Mattel’s global offices host a week of opportunities for employees to share their time and talents to support local nonprofits serving children and their families. With participation from over 30 global offices impacting thousands of children and benefiting hundreds of nonprofits worldwide, the occasion celebrates Mattel’s volunteer and philanthropic efforts all over the world. Mattel’s purpose is to empower the next generation to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential, and it’s Play It Forward Global Volunteer Week gives employees a chance to further immerse themselves in that purpose in collaboration with their colleagues.

Hips – and toys – don’t lie, the excitement is growing for the Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards, hosted by The Toy Foundation (TTF). Taking place Friday, September 29 at Cipriani’s 42nd Street to kickoff Toy Fair, the TOTY Awards will roll out the best of the best as it’s a night to celebrate the very best in the toy industry. Featuring an exclusive performance by three-time Grammy Award winner and “Hips Don’t Lie” songwriter, Wyclef Jean, the TOTY celebration will also name the top toys, people, and campaigns in the toy industry, pay tribute to industry icons, and feature a one-of-a-kind auction. The best part, the night is the ultimate fundraiser that supports TTF’s work to deliver the extraordinary benefits of play to children in need. 

VidCon is back and just around the corner! YouTube is excited to return as the title sponsor and exclusive livestream sponsor for VidCon Anaheim 2023, providing attendees with new content and experiential activations across all three of VidCon’s signature tracks, in addition to taking the stage to deliver the Industry Track keynote address. Some of the biggest YouTube creators including Alan Chikin Chow, Blogilates, Colin and Samir, Ian Boggs, Jeenie.Weenie, KallMeKris, Ludwig, Manny MUA, SSSniperwolf, Steven He, Sydney Morgan and more will be attending and diving head first into VidCon – participating in engaging panel conversations, merch pop-ups, meetups, and more.

The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) just wrapped up their 2023 Marketplace & Academy show in Columbus, OH, where thousands of new toys were featured, from plush to science kits to puzzles to toys you didn’t know your kids needed, but now can’t live without!  The ASTRA team, composed of ASTRA staff, small retailers and Certified Play Experts, scoured the floor and spoke with members to discover the top trends in the industry.

The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA), has officially announced the winners of its coveted ASTRA Play Awards at their annual Marketplace & Academy event in Columbus, OH. The renowned program is the only one of its kind where independent and neighborhood specialty toy retailers vote to select the products that promote happy and healthy play in childhood and beyond! This year, 14 winners were chosen across a wide range of categories.

Intersell, the New Jersey-based brand behind the wildly successful KickerBall showcased at ASTRA in booth #951 in Columbus OH, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Released in 2018 KickerBall has helped soccer fans and athletes master their skill with its unique and revolutionary design and aerodynamic materials. The special panels channel air in ways a standard soccer ball can’t, allowing the KickerBall to swerve, bend and curve with ease. With an impressive celebrity fan base including some of the world’s greatest soccer players, Kickerball has sold over 2 million units globally, amassed over 1 billion views on YouTube and nearly 100 million on TikTok. 

Friendly Unofficial Networking (F.U.N.) launched a series of successful in-person networking events this week in Las Vegas to complement the Licensing Expo 2023 trade show. The week of F.U.N. events kicked off on Monday (June 12) with a Monday F.U.N.day Pool Party in the beach bungalows at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino Pool. The bungalows were hosted by Striker Entertainment, Most Management, Reemsborko, Toikido and Studio2pt0. The day party consisted of informal networking, pool food, frozen drinks, and inner tube rides on the lazy river. The informal pool event was packed all day long with guests dropping in and out between meetings and summits.

MGM, an Amazon company, is a leading entertainment company focused on the production of premium film and television content across platforms, announced the winners of the second annual MGM Consumer Products Leo Awards. The MGM Consumer Products Leo Awards honor MGM’s best-in-class licensees from around the world across a variety of categories released in the 2022 calendar year. The winners were announced during a special evening event hosted by MGM at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas.

The winners of the 2023 Licensing International Excellence Awards were unveiled last night in a ceremony that brought together industry executives from around the world to celebrate the best of the global brand licensing industry. The 30 award winners were selected from 201 finalists from across the globe. More than 850 submissions were received, narrowed down by an expert global judging panel and voted on by members of the licensing industry at large. This year’s Excellence Awards were hosted by Cakewalk Entertainment founder and CEO George Leon and La Panadería President and CEO Maca Rotter. The awards were presented by Alifish, Jazwares, Spaceport, and Spirit.