What’s New Bandai Relaunches the Tamagotchi Brand
B
andai will relaunch the Tamagotchi phenomenon under the brand Tamagotchi Friends. The Tamagotchi Friends brand, supported by a handheld device, new technology, a character brand segment, and an immersive portfolio of interactive lifestyle products, will launch in Europe throughout the spring and in the U.S. in the fall. The Tamagotchi Friends Digital Friend allows kids ages 6 and up to take care of the fun, interactive virtual friend that grows and develops differently depending on how well they take care of it. Once the Tamagotchi egg hatches, kids can feed it, give it medicine, potty train it, bathe it, and play games to earn Gotchi points. For the first time, kids can “bump” with other Tamagotchis to send text messages and gifts and go on play dates. The more kids bump, the more points and rewards they earn. Points can be used to buy meals, snacks, and jewelry, or to share items with friends by giving and receiving gifts. The Tamagotchi Friends brand will also feature action figures and play sets that bring the characters from the virtual friends and webisodes to life.
Giddy Up with Tek Nek Toys
T
he Rockin’ Rider Flowers and Bandana Vintage Rocking Pony, from Tek Nek Toys, have a vintage look and feel. These new ponies feature fun retro floral and bandana patterns and a twisted yarn mane and tale. Both have the same Rockin’ Rider features as previous ponies, including the “I’m a little pony…” song; six talking phrases and sound effects; a synchronized moving mouth; a soft, huggable pony body; easy grip handles; non-slip foot steps; and parental volume control. The ponies are designed for kids ages 18 months to 3 years. The Polaris Green Camo Scrambler ATV rideon, for kids ages 1 to 3, features authentic Scrambler styling, Polaris’ exclusive camo pattern Pursuit, two melodies, three talking phrases with sound effects, three dash buttons, super-grip tires, and parental volume controls. This ride-on is also available in Pink Camo.
Hog Wild Toys Zips into Toy Fair
Rockin’ Rider Bandana Vintage Rocking Pony
T
he ZipStix collection, from Hog Wild Toys, is a new line of stunt toys designed for kids ages 4 and up. These high-flying launchers come in various collectible designs and are ready to crash, jump, and race in seconds. Using a patented launching system, ZipStix fly across the table and launch off the ramps. Kids can flatten out the ZipStix, load them into the launcher, press the back to curl them up, take aim, let go, and watch them fly. ZipStix are available in a single pack, a double pack, a stunt pack, and a mega-stunt pack with various accessories. Shield Popper is the ultimate attack-and-defend foam ball blaster with gravity-fed auto-load and six soft foam balls. Kids can fire at their opponents from more than 40 feet away directly through the shield by pulling back the foam hammer. The translucent shield also protects kids from incoming fire.
74 • THE TOY BOOK
FEBRUARY 2014