industry update KLUTZ TO LAUNCH KLUTZ JR. IN JANUARY Klutz will launch Klutz Jr., a book and craft kit product line for kids ages 4 and up, to celebrate the company’s 40th anniversary next year. Klutz Jr. will launch with four kits in January, with four more planned for fall 2017, and four planned per year thereafter. Unlike Klutz products, which are typically for kids ages 8 and up, Klutz Jr. is developmentally appropriate for preschool-aged kids. Created with a team of early learning educators, safety experts, and kid-testers, each kit comes with a handle, a full color idea book for inspiration, and content and components to get started right away. The line will launch with My Clay Critters, which lets kids make 10 ocean critters; My Egg Carton Animals, with which kids can transform egg cartons into six barnyard animals; My Twinkly Tiaras, with which kids can decorate tiaras any way they like; and My Hand Art, which promotes fine motor skills and teaches kids to draw 20 designs. »
SESAME WORKSHOP LAUNCHES FIRST FEMALE AFGHAN MUPPET Sesame Workshop has unveiled its first Afghan Muppet, Zari, a curious and eager 6-year-old girl, who will make her debut in the fifth season of Baghch-e-Simsim, the local co-production of Sesame Street. Zari, whose name means “shimmering,” will be featured in locally produced segments that focus on topics such as female empowerment, national identity, physical health, and social and emotional wellbeing. The 26 new 25-minute episodes will still feature locally produced, live-action films about traditions, culture, and other aspects of urban and rural life in Sesame Workshop’s new Muppet, Zari
Klutz Jr. line, from Klutz
Afghanistan. Segments from other Sesame co-productions, adapted and dubbed into Dari and Pashto, will continue to introduce children to Muppet friends from series in Egypt, Bangladesh, Mexico, and Russia. Zari will be featured in three formats: speaking directly to viewers, interacting with children in person, and interviewing a variety of Afghan professionals. Segments include exercising, the explanation of a greeting, and an interview with a doctor. »
VTECH COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF LEAPFROG VTech Holdings Limited has completed its acquisition of LeapFrog Enterprises Inc. Under the terms of the previously announced transaction, VTech agreed to acquire 100 percent of the outstanding common stock of LeapFrog at $1 per share through an allcash tender offer followed by a second step merger. The tender offer commenced on March 3 and expired on April 1. Approximately 56.6 percent of all issued and outstanding shares of LeapFrog common stock were tendered into the offer and accepted for purchase by indirect wholly owned subsidiary of VTech, Bonita Merger Sub LLC. »
WHITE HOUSE BREAKS DOWN GENDER STEREOTYPES IN MEDIA AND TOYS Representatives from toy, media, retail companies, and more came together April 6 for a day-long conference sponsored by the White House Council on Women and Girls, The Department of Education, and the Media, Diversity, & Social Change Initiative at the University of Southern California. As part of the conference, companies and organizations committed to taking new action to break down gender stereotypes in toys and
media to help children explore, learn, and dream without limits. Companies invited to participate included littleBits, Dream Big Toy Co., Disney, Mattel, and DC Comics. According to the White House, research shows that the media that kids consume and the toys that they play with can shape their interests, ambitions, and skills, potentially influencing everything from the subjects they choose to study to the careers they ultimately pursue. Consequently, those early experiences can affect not just their development and life choices, but the composition of the country’s workforce and the strength of the economy for decades to come. »
HASBRO, INDIEGOGO LAUNCH SECOND CROWDFUNDING CHALLENGE The Hasbro Gaming Lab Spring 2016 Next Great Game Challenge is now open to game designers in the U.S., the UK, Canada, France, and Germany. Following its successful debut in the U.S. last year, Hasbro and Indiegogo’s challenge provides a platform for independent game designers to get visibility for their ideas and allows Hasbro to celebrate the growing gaming community and discover and develop new games. Game designers can submit their ideas through May 15, and a team of Hasbro game experts and designers will evaluate each submission based on its level of new mechanics, visual style, and creative narrative. Fifteen semifinalists will be chosen to submit a prototype of their game for review. Hasbro will select five finalists to launch campaigns for their concepts on Indiegogo, which will run from Oct. 13 through Nov. 13 this year. The grand prize winner will be announced later this year and will receive $25,000, a trip to Hasbro’s headquarters in Rhode Island, and the opportunity to work with Hasbro to produce the game. »
TOYBOOK.COM | March/April 2016 | THE TOY BOOK 11