OnChain Studios has announced a global, multi-year partnership with Mattel for its Cryptoys NFT platform, a new generation of digital toys that live on the blockchain. The partnership, OnChain Studios’ first and only with a toy company, will bring Mattel’s iconic brands into a collectible, interactive world through Cryptoys’ expansive and playable universe, ushering in a new era for the toy and game industry on the Flow blockchain. Unlike static NFT projects, Cryptoys are animated, playable collectibles that come to life the moment they’re unwrapped.

ASTRA is excited to announce the winners of the 2022 Excellence and Lifetime Achievement Award recipients for their accomplishments in 2021! The annual ASTRA Excellence and Lifetime Achievement Awards recognize the outstanding contributions made by members of the specialty toy industry. Join us in congratulating this year’s recipients! The winners will be recognized and honored at ASTRA’s award ceremony on Monday, June 13th at Marketplace and Academy.

Sesame Workshop is launching Welcome Sesame, new educational resources for displaced and refugee children, available on SesameStreetinCommunities.org/WelcomeSesame in Dari, Pashto, Ukrainian, Spanish, and English, with additional languages to follow. The teaching and learning materials, which are part of the Welcome Sesame initiative to support families affected by conflict and crisis, are designed to help families cope with the trauma of forced displacement, communicate and process what they are experiencing, and develop a sense of belonging in new places.

MerchSource, a leader of ideation, design and distribution of consumer products, announced PlayWise Partners, LLC as their Public Relations Agency of Record for FAO Schwarz. PlayWise Partners will oversee global communications for the brand, including the portfolio of FAO Schwarz toys and the flagship retail store at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City.