AAA Teams with Richard Scarry’s Busytown for PSA
AAA has teamed up with Cookie Jar Entertainment and its Richard Scarry’s Busytown Mysteries animated series to educate parents, caregivers, and children on the importance of safely securing young passengers in the family vehicle.
Starting on Saturday, September 11, a new public service announcement (PSA) is scheduled to air during CBS Saturday morning shows and on ThisTV digital network. The 30-second PSA will feature Busytown Mysteries characters and AAA’s child passenger safety messages. Later this fall, AAA’s 2011 TourBook travel guides and online TripTik Travel Planner will introduce specially created print and digital ads featuring Lowly Worm, Sally Cat, and Huckle Cat along with AAA safety tips.
AAA will also highlight Busytown Mysteries characters in its 2010 Halloween Safety and 2011 Schools Open—Drive Carefully campaigns. AAA’s network of clubs will run ads in its member magazines. To watch the PSA, click here.
TIA Seeks Participants to Assess Tricycle Safety Standards
The Toy Industry Association (TIA) has issued a call for members to participate in the review group that will consider an update of ANSI Z315.1-2006, American National Standard for Tricycles—Safety Requirements. This standard is the nationally recognized safety requirement for tricycles and provides a basis for common understanding among producers, distributors, and users of these products. The deadline to register as a participant in the review group is Friday, October 8, 2010.
In accordance with procedures established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), every approved American National Standard must undergo a periodic review every five years. As the organization responsible for development and maintenance of the Z315.1 tricycle safety standard, TIA is now responsible for convening a group of “directly and materially affected interests in the subject covered by the scope of the standard” to review the draft and determine whether there is consensus for approval.
In compliance with the Consumer Product Safety Act, persons not affiliated with the toy manufacturing process (representing consumers, retailers, and general interest groups) are encouraged to participate in the maintenance and approval of new editions of this standard. TIA says it will strive to assure a balance of interest categories among the final list of participants. TIA also says that efforts will be made to assure that no single interest category has undue influence in the final decision regarding approval.
Questions and requests for additional information about ANSI Z315.1-2006 can be directed to TIA’s Lorca Hjortsberg at lhjortsberg@toyassociation.org
Everest Wholesale to Distribute Buffalo Games in Canada
Buffalo Games announced that Everest Wholesale will be the exclusive distributor of Buffalo Games products throughout Canada. Everest Wholesale has been serving Canadian retailers since 1992. Everest specializes in board games, card games, roleplaying games, toys, plush, action figures, collectibles, and now adult jigsaw puzzles.
TIF Now Working with K.I.D.S
The Toy Industry Foundation (TIF) announced that it’s now working with Kids In Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.). TIF is assigning the New York City-based not-for-profit organization responsibility for logistics and related administrative support of the TIF’s signature program, The Toy Bank. K.I.D.S. assumed its new role effective September 1, 2010. It is assuming Toy Bank responsibilities that were previously administered by Gifts in Kind International, Inc.
KI.KA. to Air Babar and the Adventures of Badou
Nelvana Enterprises announced that German broadcaster KI.KA has purchased the first 26 episodes of its new animated series, Babar and the Adventures of Badou. The series will launch on the channel in spring 2011. The CGI series is an updated version of the classic Babar, and introduces King Babar’s 8-year-old grandson, Badou, and his friends, including Chiku the monkey and Zawadi the zebra. The show is for ages 4–7 and is a Canada-France co-production from Nelvana Studio and TeamTO, in association with The Clifford Ross Company.
The series will premiere on YTV in Canada this November and is set to air on TFI in France, Playhouse Disney Japan, Disney Channel in Italy and Spain, ABC TV in Australia, TV2 in Norway, YLE 2 in Finland, DR TV in Denmark, Thai PBS, SRC for French Canada, and MNet in South Africa, amongst others.