Rosie Pope Teams with Birth Day Presence for In-Store Classes
Rosie Pope Maternity store locations in NYC will now offer childbirth education classes from New York City childbirth education and doula organization, Birth Day Presence.
The partnership with Rosie Pope and Birth Day Presence is an initiative to demystify the birth and postpartum stages by taking soon-to-be mothers through introductory tutorials. Birth Day Presence’s lessons will work in line with Rosie Pope’s MomPrep, a core curriculum of classes taught by top childbirth professionals in the New York area.
Classes held at Rosie Pope Maternity will offer expectant mothers and families education in Preparing to Give Birth by Cesarean, Pumping 101, Infant CPR & Safety, Combined Breastfeeding and Newborn Care, and Childbirth Education Express.
Skylanders to Offer Holiday Exclusives
Activision Publishing will debut a special holiday Skylanders Trap Team character, Winterfest Lob-Star, on December 7 to portal masters in North America. Skylanders players in North America can also get the fourth Eon’s Elite character, Whirlwind, which first debuted in Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure.
On Thanksgiving Day, Skylanders’ Eruptor will take flight in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Fans can check out behind-the-scenes footage of Eruptor prepping for the parade on the Skylanders YouTube channel, SkylandersGame.
Skylanders licensing partners will also roll out holiday exclusives, including:
• FunPlay HideAway Play Sets from PowerA, which enable fans to store and play with their favorite toys, now includes Dr. Krankcase’s Lair.
• Skylanders-themed construction sets from MEGA Bloks adds the all-new Cut Throat Carnival set, available at Toys “R” Us, Walmart, and Amazon.
• Skylanders Micro Comic Fun Packs from IDW Publishing feature three distinctive Legendary storylines and three exclusively-designed Legendary Traps that can be used to capture the most notorious villains in Skylanders Trap Team. The Legendary Skylanders Micro Comic Fun Packs and Trap are available exclusively at Toys “R” Us. Additional Micro Comic Fun Packs are available at Gamestop and Amazon.
• The Skylanders A-Z box set from Penguin includes two never-before-published books: the full-color, 192-page A to Z of Skylands and Pick Your Portal: The Trouble with Doubles. A sheet of stickers and a build-your-own Skylander paper model are also included. The Skylanders A-Z box set is available at retailers nationwide.
TIA Announces 2015 Finalists for Toy of the Year
The Toy Industry Association (TIA) announced the 83 finalists for the 2015 Toy of the Year Awards (TOTY). Between now and January 11, 2015, toy lovers of all ages can visit www.ToyAwards.org to vote for their favorite toys, games, and properties across 12 categories and enter to win exclusive prize packages.
The 2015 finalists were selected from more than 600 nominees submitted for consideration by 159 companies. Sixty academics, journalists, toy trend experts, play therapists, toy inventors and designers, and toy retailers staffed the nomination committees that narrowed the field to the slate of finalists.
Votes from mass retailers, specialty toy retailers, media, TIA members, and consumers will be weighted and used to determine each of the 12 category winners. The winners—including the overall Toy of the Year and the People’s Choice awards—will be announced at the TOTY Awards ceremony held on Friday, February 13, 2015 as the kick-off to the 112th North American International Toy Fair.
Here are the nominees for the 2015 TOTY Awards:
Activity Toy of the Year: Crayola Paint Maker (Crayola); DohVinci Style & Store Vanity (Hasbro); Hot Wheels Airbrush Auto Design (Mattel); It’s My Biz (Fashion Angels); LEGO Mixels (LEGO); Roominate Chateau (Roominate); Washi Tape Stickers (Klutz)
Boy Toy of the Year: Air Hogs Rollercopter (Spin Master); Disney Planes: Fire & Rescue Fire Blastin’ Dusty Crophopper (Mattel); Marvel Super Hero Mashers (Hasbro); Max Tow Truck (Jakks Pacific); Nerf N-Strike Mega Thunderbow (Hasbro); Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie Action Figures (Playmates Toys); Zoomer Dino (Spin Master)
E-Connected Toy of the Year: Barbie Fashion Design Maker Doll (Mattel); Kurio Xtreme (Techno Source); LeapTV (LeapFrog); LEGO Fusion (LEGO); Skylanders Trap Team (Activision Publishing); Tiggly Counts (Tiggly/Kidtellect); Virtual Design Pro (Crayola)
Educational Toy of the Year: GeoSafari Jr. My First Microscope (Educational Insights); GoldieBlox and the Builder’s Survival Kit (GoldieBlox); InnoTab Max (VTech); LeapBand by LeapFrog; LEGO Technic (LEGO); Little Scholar (School Zone Publishing); Remote-Control Machines DLX (Thames & Kosmos)
Game of the Year: Bounce-Off (Mattel); Disney Eye Found It Game (Wonder Forge); Kanoodle Genius (Educational Insights); Moustache Smash (Spin Master); Peek-A-Doodle (Fat Brain Toy Co.); Shark Mania (Spin Master); Simon Swipe (Hasbro)
Girl Toy of the Year: Barbie Endless Curls (Mattel); Cool Baker Magic Mixer (Spin Master); Design Your Own Jewelry Charm Bracelet Kit (Sugar Lulu); Disney Princess Palace Pets: Magic Dance Pumpkin (Blip Toys); Doc McStuffins Walk N’ Talk Doc Mobile (Just Play); LEGO Disney Princess (LEGO); Shopkins Small Mart Playset (Moose Toys)
Infant/Toddler Toy of the Year: Go! Go! Smart Animals Zoo Explorers Playset (VTech); Gymotion Activity Playland (Yookidoo); In My Room Jr. Mr. Happy Moon (Uncle Milton); Lamaze Pippin the Push Along Pup (TOMY International); PipSquigz (Fat Brain Toy Co.); Tree Top Adventure (Manhattan Toy); Twinkling Firefly Frog (Cloud b)
Innovative Toy of the Year: Hot Wheels Street Hawk (Mattel); Laser Maze (ThinkFun); Loopa (Yvolution); MiP (WowWee); Ogobild with AnimateIt! Studio Kit (OgoSport); Osmo (Tangible Play); Ozobot (Evolve)
Outdoor Toy of the Year: Fantasia Bubble Machine by Bubble Blitz (Imperial Toy); Firetek Bow (Zing); Fuze Cyclone Water Blaster (Skyrocket Toys); Kidoozie Hop & Squeak Pogo Jumper (International Playthings); Nerf Rebelle Dolphina Bow (Hasbro); Razor PowerRider 360 (Razor); Y Fliker LIFT (Yvolution)
Preschool Toy of the Year: Camp Site (Playmobil); Doc McStuffins Get Better Talking Mobile (Just Play); Kidizoom Smartwatch (VTech); LEGO Juniors (LEGO); Paw patrol Lookout Headquarters (Spin Master); Razor Jr. Zombie and Monster Kix Scooter (Razor); Snow Glow Elsa (Jakks Pacific)
Property of the Year: Disney’s Frozen (The Walt Disney Company); Minecraft Series 2 (Mojang/Jazwares); Paw Patrol (Spin Master); Skylanders Trap Team (Activision Publishing); Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Nickelodeon); The LEGO Movie (LEGO)
Specialty Toy of the Year: Balance Boat: Endangered Animals Game (BeginAgain); Gravity Maze (ThinkFun); Green Toys Safe Seas Set (Green Toys); Magnetron (Tegu); Geek & Co. Monster Sewing Workshop (Thames & Kosmos); Squigz (Fat Brain Toy Co.); VEX Robotics Spider (Hexbug/Innovation First)
KISS Launches Official Photo App
Epic Rights, the global brand management agency for KISS, partnered for the creation of the first KISS Official Photo App. The app turns a smartphone into a photo tool that puts fans alongside the band with official KISS makeup, costumes, instruments, and iconography.
The KISS Official Photo app will also be the focal point of periodic KISS Me! contests, where fans dressed up using the KISS Official Photo app will be able to submit their own KISS-ified photos. The best entries for these contests will have a chance to win KISS prizes, including KISS memorabilia, apparel, and trips to see the band live and to meet them back stage.
The KISS Official Photo app for iOS smartphones debuted in the Apple App Store on November 24. Versions for Android smartphones and the Apple iPad will follow in early 2015.
The free app will also be enhanced over time through additional in-line packs that will add new visuals, features, and styles. The first of these is a new feature called KISS Yourself!, coming in mid-December. This add-on will offers unique video capabilities that put fans in the middle of a KISS concert video, complete with the real audio and instruments.