FROM THE EDITORS
TOYS RULE OUR WORLD And We Came to Play Aaaaaaaaand we’re back! The Pop Insider is back for, as DJ Khaled would say, “another one!” Welcome to our extra special winter issue of the Pop Insider. Lucky for you, you CAN sit with us. (We recommend sitting in a comfy chair snuggled up with a warm blanket and a cup of tea, since it’s freezing here in New York, but we won’t tell you how to live your lives.) In this issue, we bring you lots and lots of toys—and for good reason. It’s Toy Fair season! Toy Fair New York is the largest North American toy trade show. It’s a very special time when grown adults in full business attire pack into a convention center to play with thousands of toys, and we are #blessed to be a part of it. And of course, it’s v exclusive. Most of these toys will be available on store shelves later this year, and we’re giving you a sneak peek of the hottest collectibles, party games, and more that will knock your socks off. Turn to page 31, then brag to all your friends about how you know, like, waaaaay more about toys than they do. But alas, life is not all fun and games. Sometimes aliens try to ruin Earth. Luckily, there are some pretty badass superheroes to help out when things get tough. We’d like to introduce you to the newest member of our #girlsquad, Carol Danvers. With Captain Marvel hitting theaters next month, we break down what this new fierce female superhero means for the next phase of the MCU, plus give you a behind-the-scenes look at a day on set. Oh, and of course, plenty of merch. Check it all out starting on page 12. And winter is (f.i.n.a.l.l.y.) here! Dust off your cloaks, call your bannermen, and fill up your goblets—it’s almost time for the final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones. On page 80, we take a look at the iconic series, and preview a whole slew of products that will help you show off your House loyalty and claim the throne. Plus, we’ve got an extra special Pop Junior section, starting on page 49. In this section, you can peruse all you need to know about popular fandoms for the youngest 6 | Issue No. 2 | THE POP INSIDER
fanatics—kids. We take a look at mega-hits like eOne’s PJ Masks, Hasbro’s Power Rangers, and Pinkfong’s Baby Shark (doo doo doo doo doo doo). We also have even more Toy Fair coverage there—can you believe?! 2019 will be an epic year for entertainment and collectibles, and we are absolutely giddy over all the awesomeness to come. We love to chat and hear what you think, so @ us on Twitter, Insta, wherever @thepopinsider. Love you. Mean it.
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JACKIE BREYER Publisher jbreyer@adventurepub.com MARISSA DIBARTOLO Co-Editor-in-Chief marissa@popinsider.com ALI MIERZEJEWSKI Co-Editor-in-Chief ali@popinsider.com MADDIE MICHALIK Senior Editor maddie@popinsider.com JAMES ZAHN Senior Editor james@popinsider.com JACQUELINE CUCCO Associate Editor jc@popinsider.com MADELEINE BUCKLEY Editorial Assistant mbuckley@popinsider.com VICTORIA ROSENTHAL Editorial Assistant victoria@popinsider.com MIRANDA SIWAK Editorial Assistant miranda@popinsider.com JOE IBRAHAM Art Director joe@popinsider.com BILL REESE Production Director bill@popinsider.com ANAKIN Office Pupper @anakin_thechosenpup U.S. Corporate Headquarters LAURIE SCHACHT CEO laurie@popinsider.com Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.® 307 7th Avenue, #1601, New York, NY 10001 Phone: (212) 575-4510
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@thepopinsider SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER! popinsider.com/subscribe ABOUT THE EDITORS: Marissa DiBartolo and Ali Mierzejewski are editors-in-chief of the Pop Insider and the Toy Insider. They report on trends and hot topics affecting the toy and pop culture industries, keeping up to date with the latest in TV, movies, video games, collectibles, and more. Top toy experts, they have been featured on ABC World News Now, Good Morning America, The TODAY Show, The Steve Harvey Show, MSNBC, Fox Business, and dozens more. Follow them on Twitter @thattoygirl and @ohsotrendy.
THE POP INSIDER, Winter 2019 — “THE POP INSIDER” (ISSN-2641-5496) is published quarterly by Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.®, 307 Seventh Ave., Room 1601, New York, New York, 10001. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY 10001 and additional mailing offices. © 2019 Adventure Publishing Group, Inc®. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in U.S.A. Subscription rates: $48 per year. THE POP INSIDER is a trademark and service mark of Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.® registered in the United States Patent & Trademark Office Postmaster: Send address changes to THE POP INSIDER, c/o Adventure Publishing Group, 307 Seventh Ave., Room 1601, New York, New York, 10001 or e-mail bill@popinsider.com.