Feb 21-28, 2025
Welcome to Your Weekly News Brief!
Happy Bloomin' Friday!
Another DISTOY in the books! Brian Weiss, President of Goliath N.A. and Global Toys remarked, "Quiet, but effective. Some great innovation that will find its way to customer's wishlists." Great to see many of you at our DISTOY POP Pub Event Wednesday night. We raised a nice sum for the UK Toy Trust. We will share details and photos next week - thank you to all who contributed, congrats to the winners of the adorable French Bulldogs (plush, of course, donated by Michael Kohner) and thank you to our generous sponsors showcased and hats off to the DISTOY Pub Committee: Lizzy Moody, Eleanor Black, Hannah Palfrey and yours truly.
ASTRA is next week! Looking forward to seeing many of you in St. Louis! I'll be at the Young Inventor Challenge table with Ahren Hoffman. Stop by and find out more about our Young Inventor Challenge Neighborhood Toy Store Day Edition.
Thank you for reading the Bloom Report here or on the Bloom Report 24/7 News Feed! Please support our work by advertising and/or setting up a POP profile.
Mary
"Congratulations on the outstanding job that you and your team are doing on producing The Bloom Report. It seems like it is getting better and better almost every week!!! Bravo!!!" -Ron Cantor, Rainbow Concepts, Inc.
If you are tired of these quotes, send me yours!
Welcome 2
Welcome 2
Welcome 2
TA's Andy Keimach: What I’m Hearing – It’s a New Era for The Toy Association: Welcome, Greg Ahearn!
The Toy Association is ready to enter a new era under the leadership and guidance of toy industry veteran, Greg Ahearn, who will join as President & CEO on June 1st. During the months of June and July, I will be fully transitioning my interim leadership responsibilities to Greg.
Greg has a long history in the toy industry, holding executive roles at both small and large manufacturers including Mattel, OddzOn, Hasbro, and LeapFrog, as well as Toys“R”Us on the retail side. Outside the toy space, Greg’s experience extends to Uber Technologies and as co-president at Davis Elen Advertising. His broad range of expertise covers everything from brick-and-mortar retail and e-commerce to brand building, marketing, digital media, licensing and more.
Earlier this week, I sat down with Greg to talk about his plans for The Toy Association and his perspectives on the industry.
Andy: Greg, welcome to The Toy Association. I know the Association and its members will be in excellent hands under your leadership. What are some of your top priorities in your first weeks and months at the Association?
Greg: Thanks Andy. I appreciate the warm welcome from you and especially from people throughout the toy world since the announcement. READ MORE...
Financial, Legal and Tariffs
Tabletop game publishing and distribution giant Asmodee has acknowledged that its business model exhibits a "concentration risk", with more than half of its €1.2bn in annual net sales coming from just five product lines.The New York Times, Wordle's owner, accuses similarly-named geography game of "creating confusion."
Worldwide Magazines Weekly Top Stories
Some Added Friday Morning Chicago Time. Check Back for Complete Lists.
Toy Trade Monthly Issues
The Pop Insider’s Spring 2024 Issue
The Toy Book's Licensing and Entertainment issue
June Issue of Edplay
June 2024 issue of Toy World
The Toy Universe Magazine Edition 9
The 2024 Edition of The BIG Toy Book
Bugg Report Magazine - EDITION 47
International Toy Research Association 2024 1st Qtr Newsletter
Adventure Media & Events (US)
From the Editor: What Happens in Vegas… (The Toy Book)
Stacking a Legacy: Plans Fall Into Place for Tetris’ 40th Anniversary (The Pop Insider)
The Hottest Licensed Toys of Summer - Live from Licensing Expo (The Toy Insider)
The Kids Are Alright: New Brands and New-Stalgia Share the Stage at Licensing Expo (The Toy Book)
Licensing Expo: Brands At Play (The Toy Book)
Location! Location! Location! Toy and Game Brands Connect with Families Through Location-Based Entertainment (The Toy Book)
Toying with Fashion: How Fashion and Dolls Contend with a Digital Age (The Toy Book)
Celebrating 20 Years of Peppa Pig (The Toy Book)
Playmobil: Five Decades, One Iconic Smile (The Toy Book)
Hello Kitty Turns 50! (The Toy Book)
aNb Media (US)
The June 2024 Issue of TFE is Now Available!
Spin Master Launches Punirunes, An Unexpectedly Squishy Digital Pet
Jazwares Signs Master Licensing Agreement with Paramount Global for ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’
Baby Jellycat Brings Luxe Finishes and Hero Characters to New Ranges for Chic Newborn Comfort
Jazwares Named to TIME’s Prestigious List of the TIME100 Most Influential Companies
Reminder: Submit Your Nominations for the 2025 Toy Industry Hall of Fame
Entry Deadline Extended for The Licensing Awards 2024
DC Shop Unveils Pride 2024 Collection
Nelvana Appointed Merchandising Agency for MGA Entertainment in Canada
Major Stores and Top Buying Groups are Heading to Dallas Market Center for June Markets
Toyworld (UK)
Après le déluge… it’s the Friday Blog!
The June issue of Toy World is out now
Bruno Gallone set to begin retirement
Get involved in the July issue of Toy World
Lego releases six new Minecraft sets
Clive Wooster’s family shares funeral details
Jazwares signs master licensing agreement with Paramount for Avatar: The Last Airbender
Yu-Gi-Oh! 25th Anniversary Rarity Collection II out now
Carl Lawrence wins Toy World Fantasy League for second time
Registration is live for Autumn Fair 2024
Licensing.biz Powered by Toyworld
CoComelon revealed as most-watched kids show on Netflix
CBeebies immersive experience to open in Westfield London
Licensing International announces new board members
Jazwares signs master licensing agreement with Paramount for Avatar: The Last Airbender
Minecraft’s first touring interactive experience set to open in 2024
Hasbro and Secret Location bring Lite-Brite to life
Lego releases six new Minecraft sets
Lego Duplo Peppa Pig mobile app available now
Shaun the Sheep comes to Northumberland National Park this summer
Series two of Odo lands on Milkshake! next week
ICv2: The Business of Geek Culture (US)
- WizKids Reveals New 'Pathfinder Battles' Dragon Miniature
- 'Magic: The Gathering' Designers Rebrand 'Tribal' Again in 'Modern Horizons 3'
- ACD Games Day 2024 News: Catalyst Launches More 'BattleTech'
- Fantasy Flight Games Unveils New Deets on Next 'Star Wars: Unlimited' Set
- Rolling for Initiative -- Former WotC CEO Gets New Gig
- 'Elestrals TCG' Incoming
- Renegade Game Studios Reveals Updated Edition of 'Nexus Ops'
- Licensing Show News: Comic Licenses Announced
- 'Mork Borg' Action Figures Hit Kickstarter
- ACD Games Day 2024 News: FanRoll Reveals 'D&D Signature Series'
Nación Juguetes (Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Chile & Spain)
FAMOSA creates a campaign to reinforce its “Nenuco Movement” concept
Disney celebrates 90 years of Donald Duck with exclusive products
Mediawan and ZAG announce the birth of Miraculous Corp
Spin Master will distribute the Punirunes digital mascot
MGA presents its “Miniverse” brand in Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru
Global Toy News
The Bugg Report (Australia)
The Toy Universe (Australia)
hobbyDB
The Many Face of Skeletor: Keldor Action Figures Through the Years
10 Highly Valuable Indianapolis 500 Model Racecars and Other Collectibles
From Princess Diana to Kurt Cobain, the Most Valuable Collectible Sweaters
Designer Notes: The First Magnet Traction Slot Cars
Casual Game Revolution
7000 employees at Microsoft FIRED! Is it the end of something?
[ALERT] Microsoft recently fired 3% of its workforce owing to some strategic decisions take within the company. People all over social media are speculating their own versions but the real reason? Well, watch the full video to get all the answers and u
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
JOIN PEOPLE OF PLAY (POP)
It's Linkedin + IMDb + Wiki
- Display your entire portfolio, unlimited products, videos, photos, media, and more
- Easy-setup and a real live helpful person to talk to if you have questions
- Advanced search for industry contacts by roles, skills, location, and more
- POP Pub networking – just one connection can change your life!
- Access to information of products, people, and companies
- Find person-to-hire based on skills, roles and expertise
- Ad campaigns, target members of the industry
- Exclusive discounts and events
- Classified Ads
What are you waiting for? We've got the most powerful platform in our industry!
Join here: www.peopleofplay.com
