Bright Kingdom, Discovery Partner for Shark Week and Beyond
Bright Kingdom has partnered with Discovery Consumer Products to launch products for Discovery Shark and Discovery Channel’s Shark Week in mid-2018. Under the terms of the agreement, Bright Kingdom will create toys to maximize activity for Shark Week’s 30th anniversary this year and offer an expanded assortment of Discovery Shark ocean theme toys for holiday.
Snaptoys to Distribute BanBao, BiODUDDi
Snaptoys will introduce the building block lines of BanBao and BiOBUDDi to the U.S. With more than 50 SKUs and compatibility with other makers, BanBao’s line features the classic Peanuts brand with its iconic characters including Snoopy and Charlie Brown. BiOBUDDi’s green building blocks are manufactured in The Netherlands and are made of bio-based materials derived from sugarcane, the first of its kind. Its packaging, stickers, instructions, and glue are 100 percent green. The line consists of more than 13 items. It’s available in May.
Funrise, Hasbro Extend Agreement for TONKA
Funrise and Hasbro have extended their licensing relationship for the TONKA brand and will introduce several new vehicle segments starting this fall.
Under license from Hasbro, Funrise will continue to drive the brand as the exclusive TONKA vehicle licensee worldwide, spearheading product development and marketing for TONKA vehicles and playsets.
As part of the licensing extension, Funrise will continue to innovate within the vehicle category by introducing several new product segments starting this fall. New segments include the highly anticipated TONKA Power Movers vehicles with Motion Drive Technology, a new line of construction vehicles that changes the sounds of the vehicles as kids play, and additional series of TONKA Tinys, including a new construction-themed carrying case playset.
SAVVi Announces PEEPS Prouct
SAVVi, the retail division of TM International, expands its licensed offering with the addition of PEEPS-branded products. New PEEPS licensed products include puzzles, stickers, temporary tattoos, and activity items.
EQtainment Acquires Color Black Moment
EQtainment has acquired Color Black Moment. Color Black Moment is the creator of the first-of-its-kind social skills tool, the Moment AR App that uses the technology of augmented reality tool to increase social responsiveness in children.
Two Harvard alumni, Sofia Dickens, founder and chief creative officer, and Erica Buxton, CEO, created EQtainment to improve children’s social and emotional skills through entertaining games, books, pop music, and the Q Wunder show, featuring “Q the monkey” as a vehicle to help teach important life skills.
Founder of Color Black Moment, Kevin Chaja, will join the EQtainment team as chief technology officer.
The Moment AR software utilizes AR technology to help increase student engagement during individual or group counseling sessions, helping children to identify their feelings and emotions with the use of unique 3-D images in the palm of their hand.
The app helps parents and educators to better identify a child’s feelings, enabling them to engage in discussion and encouraging one-on-one social and emotional interaction. The AR application can be used for intervention for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and those with mental health needs.
The app is multi-purposed for psychologists, marriage/family therapists, behavior specialists, occupational therapists, speech/language pathologists, and other mental health support providers, serving as both an intervention and assessment tool.
EQtainment recently launched a curriculum to accompany its content and products that is currently being piloted in schools.
Product will include action based playsets, figures, roleplay toys, and vehicles.
Sakar Unveils L.O.L. Surprise! Kids Electronics
Sakar has teamed up with MGA Entertainment to create a collection of L.O.L. Surprise!-branded youth electronics. Among the new electronics are molded kid-safe headphones, which feature graphics of the dolls as well as either a crown or a bow on the top of the headband, as well as molded walkie talkies and L.O.L. Surprise 3-piece Adventure Kits that include a telescope, flashlight, and binoculars. There will also be a L.O.L. Surprise Disco Ball Karaoke set that, using a simple TV connection, displays lyrics on screen with a light-up disco ball that illuminates the room. All L.O.L. Surprise youth electronics will be available this fall.
Looney Labs Creates Star Trek Games
Looney Labs has partnered with Gale Force Nine to create two new Fluxx games featuring Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Each Fluxx version will feature the most popular characters from each series including Captain Kirk and Captain Picard.
Under license by CBS Consumer Products, Star Trek Fluxx and Star Trek: The Next Generation Fluxx are for 2-6 players and will be available nationwide this August.