A brand-new collection of authentic, interactive Ollivander wands has arrived at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal theme parks around the globe, bringing 12 all-new wands – plus an additional one that is exclusive to each destination – to Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Japan and Universal Beijing Resort.
What do you get when you combine rescue dogs, cool pet products and trendy canine couture? You get the inaugural Rescue on the Runway presented by Pet Retail World. It’s all happening on Saturday, December 10 from 3 to 9 p.m. at 873 Broadway at 18th St. in Manhattan. Rescue pooches will be the stars of the runway, but in order to be the best advocate for them, not all of them will be in designer duds. (Yes, not all pups like to wear clothes and we want to make sure all the animals are as comfortable as possible.) Instead, two-legged handlers will showcase the products as they walk the runway with the adoptable pups. Best of all, three New York City animal rescue organizations: Waggy Tail Rescue, Second Chance Rescue NYC and No More Pain Rescue will benefit from the proceeds of the event.
Academy Award-nominated French animation studio Xilam Animation has appointed experienced industry executive Jérôme Lacarrière to the position of VP of Digital Business Development, in which he will be responsible for continuing the growth and expansion of the company’s well-established digital ecosystem and footprint. He is based in Xilam’s head office in Paris and reports into Morgann Favennec, EVP Distribution. Xilam’s presence in the digital market continues to accelerate and now includes 40bn lifetime views and 63m subscribers on YouTube, alongside two highly coveted Diamond Play Buttons for its Zig & Sharko and Oggy and the Cockroaches channels; four brand accounts on TikTok with a total of 4m subscribers and 27m likes; five pages on Facebook with 2bn lifetime views and 2.7bn minutes viewed in the last 365 days, alongside two FAST channels in France and Brazil featuring titles from the studio’s extensive catalogue.
Laura Zebersky, president of Jazwares, the #5 toy company in the US, has been elected to chair the Board of Directors for Make-A-Wish Southern Florida. Zebersky has served on the Southern Florida chapter’s board for three years. She succeeds Richard Weissman and will lead the organization during a two-year term, which will include the opening of the Finker-Frenkel Wish House, a permanent home in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood for the nonprofit and the critically-ill children and families it serves.
CandyRific LLC has announced the promotion of Frank Puglia to Executive Vice President, Product Development. Previously Puglia’s title was Creative Director for CandyRific. Frank Puglia has worked with CandyRific for 18 years, ever since he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in fine arts with a concentration in graphic design from Long Island University, South Hampton, in 2004. It was then he worked for a design agency out of Long Island on CandyRific products. A year or so later, Puglia was working solely on CandyRific products, and in 2010 Puglia joined CandyRific full-time and was named Creative Director in 2013. CandyRific acquired Hilco in 2014, and Puglia has oversight responsibility for product development for Hilco, too.
Toho International, the Japanese studio’s U.S.-based subsidiary that brought global sensation Godzilla to life, announced the appointment of Kristin Parcell as General Manager and Stacy Burt as Director of Marketing to lead their expansion in the US. The former Crunchyroll executives will focus on building a scalable e-commerce experience catered to fandom for Toho’s iconic Godzilla property and its line-up of popular anime franchises. The platform is set to launch in 2023. In addition, Parcell will also be leading licensing efforts for the company encompassing verticals such as physical and virtual merchandise, video games, and live events. With her at the helm, Toho for the first time will be actively collaborating with current partners on managing their own licensing rights across all of Toho’s anime IP.
The Toy Authority, the leader in short form video focused on toys, announced today the winners of the 2022 People’s Play Awards. Consumers had cast their votes for their favorite toys across 17 categories helping to create a list of the most-wanted products just in time for the holiday shopping season. “The high voter turnout showed the consumer’s passion for toys,” said Jim Silver, CEO of TTPM/ The Toy Authority. “While many categories were close, the current popularity of Squishmallows, LEGO,Barbie and Hot Wheels really stood out. The People’s PlayAwards are designed to amplify a variety of play patterns across different categories to help holiday shoppers see some of the most popular toys for this holiday season.”
On December 10th and 11th the 2022 Holiday Chicago Toy & Gift Fair (CHITAG), North America’s largest toy & game fair open to the public, will be resuming their annual in-person event after a 2-year hiatus due to COVID. This marks the 20th year for CHITAG, which will take place at a new venue this year: the Donald J. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont (5555 N River Rd Rosemont, IL 60018). As one of the only toy and game fairs open to the public, thousands of families expected to attend will experience immersive events, interactive exhibits and activities for all ages. This year’s highlights include a Gel Blaster Activation, craft and build at the Spaghetteez booth, fan favorite the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, Giant Jenga games, the Beer and Board Game Garden is back, plus magicians and characters including Greg Heffley from Diary of a Wimpy Kid, sports mascots, and booths with the hottest holiday toys and games from industry leading companies.
In February 2023, the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) will be hosting the first-ever Toy Boat industry networking event on a four-day cruise. With the goal of expanding awareness and building relationships, ASTRA welcomes national media and influencers to attend and see the hottest toys firsthand.