No. 7 - Summer 2020

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ISSUE NO. 7

IN THIS ISSUE

45 | 46 | RICKY TO THE RESCUE eOne’s new motorbike zooms into preschool entertainment.

50 | 3, 2, 1... LET IT RIP

Beyblade’s dedicated and passionate fans keep the dynamic brand spinning.

52 | LICENSED MERCH SHOWCASE JUNIOR EDITION The best new toys and more featuring kids’ favorite characters.

DEPARTMENTS

7 | FROM THE EDITORS

COSPLAY CORNER

8 | NERDY NEWS

36 | Cosplayer/RN Maweezy embodies multiple definitions of “hero.”

We Are Resilient

Geeky Entertainment Updates

9 | STAT SHOT

A Look at the Video Game Industry’s Early 2020 Success Photo: @atomicnetwork

34 | POP PICKS

Our favorite licensed masks to keep you (and your face) covered.

60 | THE REWIND

The Empire Strikes Back at 40

66 | FLAUNT YOUR FANDOM

Dress to perfection with these fandominspired looks for summer.

68 | MINT CONDITION

Daniel Pickett discusses why it’s easier than ever to make your own collectibles.

Cover photo: Alyssa Fusco sports a Hello Kitty face mask from MaskClub. Source: the Pop Insider

FEATURES

10 | FANDOM IN THE AGE OF CHAOS AND CHANGE

14 | POP CULTURE TRENDS Q&A

A Forced Evolution of the Geek Economy

Experts weigh in on how the licensing industry is adapting to change.

23 | LICENSED MERCH PREVIEW

41 | POWER UP FOR PLAY!

The hottest new products featuring your favorite fandoms.

For kids and collectors, Hasbro brings home the fun.

62 | LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD How Women Are Staking Their Claim to the Longtime Boy’s Club of Competitive Gaming

6 | Issue No. 7 | THE POP INSIDER

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FROM THE EDITORS ®

CEO Laurie Schacht laurie@popinsider.com PUBLISHER Jackie Breyer jackie@popinsider.com EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Marissa DiBartolo marissa@popinsider.com Ali Mierzejewski ali@popinsider.com SENIOR EDITORS Jacqueline Cucco jc@popinsider.com Maddie Michalik maddie@popinsider.com James Zahn james@popinsider.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Madeleine Buckley mbuckley@popinsider.com ART DIRECTOR Joe Ibraham joe@popinsider.com PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Bill Reese bill@popinsider.com SALES & MARKETING James Devin jd@popinsider.com EDITORIAL INTERNS Nicole Savas nicole@toyinsider.com Elena Sorce elena@toyinsider.com Adventure Media and Events, LLC 307 7th Avenue, #501, New York, NY 10001 Phone: (212) 575-4510

Follow us @thepopinsider!

THE POP INSIDER, Summer 2020 — “THE POP INSIDER” (ISSN-2641-5496) is published quarterly by Adventure Media & Events, LLC, 307 Seventh Ave., Room 501, New York, New York, 10001. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY 10001 and additional mailing offices. © 2020 Adventure Media & Events, LLC. 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 Media & Events, LLC registered in the United States Patent & Trademark Office Postmaster: Send address changes to THE POP INSIDER, c/o Adventure Media & Events, 307 Seventh Ave., Room 501, New York, New York, 10001 or e-mail bill@popinsider.com.

WE ARE RESILIENT And we’ll get through this — together.

What a year (and it’s only August).

Normally, at the time of this writing, we’d already be in San Diego prepping for Comic-Con, planning parties and activations for our readers, and getting excited over every scrap of news coming out about all of the new movies, TV series, collectibles, and video games debuting in the fall. Instead, we’re home. We’re connecting with friends and family over Zoom calls, attending virtual cons from the comfort of our couches, and rewatching our favorite movies on repeat.

2020 has been challenging in so many ways, but the loss of live events marked a very significant change for the fan community. Back in March, the Pop Insider made its debut at ReedPop’s C2E2 in Chicago, one of the last cons to take place before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down so many major gatherings in the U.S. We are grateful for that experience, and we’re holding on to the (now almost surreal) feeling of walking the aisles, finding new products, meeting new people, and seeing incredible cosplays along the way.

Fandom is changing in the new era of COVID-19. (Read more about this on page 10). Local comic books shops might not make it out of the pandemic due to such significant loss in business. So many small companies that rely on making sales at cons are closing up shop, and artists who are typically selling hundreds of prints in Artists’ Alley are now turning to Etsy shops, trying to make ends meet. While some cons are rescheduled for next year, we may see that some never return at all.

And while this year has been challenging to say the least, so much good has come out of it, too. When PPE was in short supply, we watched cosplayers, makers, and apparel companies nationwide stop what they were doing and shift to create face masks to donate to first responders and people in need; we got to experience cast reunions we had only ever dreamed about in support of great causes like Feeding America; and most of us got a major wake-up call to focus on what really matters.

This year has shed new light on just how important community really is. And even though we are far apart, even though you are going to be reading this magazine online or at home instead of while sitting on the floor waiting for your next panel to start, the geek community is still strong. We’re resilient.

And we will be back faster than Iron Man can snap his fingers.

In the meantime, we give you this issue — written, edited, and published from our own couches in sweatpants and really old Star Wars T-shirts. It still features everything you love, from a full licensed merch preview showcase (page 23) to some of our favorite fandom-based face masks (page 34) to inspirational and empowering stories about cosplayers who are healthcare workers (page 36) and women conquering the esports industry (page 62).

We hope you enjoy this issue and that it brings you some joy. We hope you, your families, and your loved ones are well, and we are counting down the days until we can see you again — whenever that may be. ✪ Love you. Mean it.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE POP INSIDER! ABOUT THE EDITORS: Marissa DiBartolo and Ali Mierzejewski are editors-in-chief of the Pop Insider and the Toy Insider. They report on trends affecting the toy and pop culture industries, including the latest in TV, movies, video games, collectibles, and more. They have been featured on ABC World News Now, Good Morning America, The TODAY Show, MSNBC, Fox Business, and dozens more. Follow them on Twitter @thattoygirl and @ohsotrendy.

THEPOPINSIDER.COM | #FuelYourFandom | 7

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Read more at thepopinsider.com

NERDY NEWS THE LEGO GROUP DEBUTS FANDOM-FUELED LEGO ART ACTIVITY KITS

Marvel Studios Iron Man LEGO Art set.

LEGO already caters to the pop culture community with many of its building sets, but the company is launching a new line that combines building, creativity, and your favorite fandoms in a totally cool way.

This is LEGO Art, and these sets come with everything fans need to assemble a 2D art piece made up of small, colorful dots. They are designed specifically for adults and are intended to be a relaxing project.

There will be four LEGO Art kits to start, inspired by Andy Warhol (Marilyn Monroe), The Beatles, Marvel’s Iron Man, and The Sith from Star Wars. Each set costs $119.99 and yields a 15.5-inch square art piece. Fans can choose from multiple possible designs for each piece, or buy a few of the sets and combine them for larger art displays.

Each LEGO Art set also comes with an original accompanying soundtrack to listen to as you build. These sets will be available at retail on Sept. 1 in the U.S. ✪

THE MANDALORIAN ART BOOK, NOVELS, AND COMIC BOOKS ARE ON THE WAY Get ready to join Mando and The Child for even more adventures! No, we aren’t talking about the second season of The Mandalorian (although that is on the way, too). There is a full publishing program in the works, which means fans can expect a range of new books inspired by or about the popular Disney+ series. Set to start publishing this fall and with releases planned through the spring, the titles include three storybooks and novels for kids, and The Mandalorian: The Ultimate Visual Guide from DK. There are also two books already available to preorder: The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Season One) and The Mandalorian: Original Novel, an adult novel by Adam Christopher. In addition to these books, comics inspired by the show are coming soon from Marvel and IDW Publishing. ✪

THE ARROWVERSE EXPANDS WITH ITS FIRST BLACK BATWOMAN Javicia Leslie has signed on to take Ruby Rose’s place as the titular Batwoman in the second season of the Arrowverse series. Whereas Rose played Kate Kane, a character who came straight from the comics, Leslie will be Ryan Wilder, a completely original character.

Wilder is described as a likable person who’s a little goofy — ­­ and can also kill someone with her bare hands. She’s highly skilled, but undisciplined in her talents. Similar to Kane, Wilder is also a lesbian, something Leslie says she’s honored to portray as a bisexual woman. The second season of Batwoman is expected to premiere in January. ✪ Photo: Warner Bros. Entertainment 8 | Issue No. 7 | THE POP INSIDER

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STAT SHOT

U.S. GAMES INDUSTRY SALES 2020 YEAR-TO-DATE DOLLAR SALES, MILLIONS

2019 YTD*

2020 YTD

CHANGE

Total Video Game Sales

$4,662m

$5,480m

18%

Video Games Hardware

$1,072m

$1,431m

34%

PC & Video Games Software*

$2,167m

$2,456m

13%

Video Games Accessories & Game Cards

$1,424m

$1,593m

12%

Source: The NPD Group - U.S. Games Industry Sales - May 2020 *Physical and Full Game Digital Formats from the Nintendo eShop, PlayStation, STEAM, and Xbox platforms for DLP Participants

TOP-SELLING VIDEO GAMES Year-to-Date Ending May 2020 Top 10 Games (Physical and Full Game Digital from the Nintendo eShop, PlayStation, STEAM, and Xbox platforms for publishers in the Digital Leader Panel) ranked on dollar sales

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Activision Blizzard

Animal Crossing: New Horizons* Nintendo

Final Fantasy VII: Remake Square Enix Inc.

Grand Theft Auto V Take 2 Interactive

NBA 2K20 Take 2 Interactive

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Bandai Namco Entertainment

MLB: The Show 20 Sony

Resident Evil 3 Capcom USA

Madden NFL 20 (EA Sports) Electronic Arts

Red Dead Redemption II Take 2 Interactive *Digital sales on Nintendo eShop not included

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FANDOM FEATURE

FANDOM IN THE AGE OF CHAOS AND CHANGE A Forced Evolution of the Geek Economy

by James Zahn, senior editor

I

f you’re a time traveler who happens to be visiting 2020, or perhaps a vampire who's just now awakening from a lengthy slumber, here’s your spoiler alert: Everything is canceled. For those of us who have lived through the last seven or eight months in real time, it’s been an interesting year, with mileage varying greatly depending on personal circumstances, such as remaining employed.

Take some elements from your favorite disaster movie (wildfires, floods, earthquakes); sprinkle in some horror of the Biblical variety (locust swarms, murder hornets); add a dash of that chaos usually seen by most only while playing Call of Duty (drone strikes, assassinations, international animosity not seen since the Cold War), the biggest era of political unrest in the U.S. in decades, and a sweeping change regarding race and inclusion, protests, riots, and looting; and then tie it all up with a nice big global pandemic that shut down countless businesses and created a recession accompanied by

record unemployment numbers.

2020 has been a year, and we’re just a little more than halfway through it.

While it may seem far from important in the grand scheme of life, the cancellation of live events paired with disruptions in retail and the supply chain have delivered a crushing blow to the fandom economy.

A SWIFT COLLAPSE Almost immediately following the completion of ReedPOP’s C2E2 in Chicago, the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the biggest events of the year, including E3, Licensing Expo, Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC), Star Wars Celebration, Wizard World, Ace Comic Con, and more, simply vaporizing — at least in a traditional sense. Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle was the first major event to fall, and its quickly thrown-together online replacement would be the first taste of a growing “virtual” event space that continues to evolve and take shape.

For many companies, the swift closure of nonessential retail was enough to cause

major problems, but for those that have been largely tethered to the live event space, the potential for a swift and massive collapse would loom.

Washington-based Funko entered the year on a high note with sales of its Pop! Vinyl version of The Child (aka Baby Yoda) breaking records before the collectible figures could even hit stores. Just two months after debuting a robust lineup of new toys, games, collectibles, and apparel items at Toy Fair New York in February, the company furloughed “a significant portion” of its staff, while CEO Brian Mariotti began cautioning investors that a 60% sales decline in the second quarter was likely. By June, 25% of Funko’s staff was permanently let go.

While the hits for Funko — and the rest of the collectibles industry — might be far from over, Mariotti believes that the company can come back swinging next year and pick up right where it left off. This, he says, is due largely to some diversification in the company’s product mix that will soon hit the market.

“We’ve proven in 16 years that we can

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Top: Following its red carpet World Premiere in Hollywood in March, the release date for Disney’s live-action film Mulan was bumped twice. The film was set to debut on March 27, then July 24, and is now slated to hit theaters on August 21 (at press time).

Photo: Jasin Boland/Disney Left: Despite the shift in release dates, toys and collectibles from Mulan have been in stores since early spring. The Mulan and Xianniang fashion doll two-pack from Hasbro is available at select retailers including Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Photo: Hasbro

In NYC's Herald Square, the GameStop /ThinkGeek store is seen boarded up in June. Photo: Christopher O'Brien (@csobrien3000) via Instagram

handle tough times,” Mariotti stated on a recent call with investors and industry analysts. “It took a global pandemic for Funko not to grow.”

WOUNDS AT RETAIL If the news on the manufacturing side wasn’t tough by itself, the challenges at retail have been absolutely crushing for some. While brick-and-mortar retail was the hardest hit (the majors including Walmart and Target saw increases with competition closed), even online retailers have sputtered, and many are staying mum as to just how bad the hits have been.

Local comic shops were hit hard with no new releases for weeks, leading to a shift in long-term distribution plans. DC Comics ended its nearly 30-year deal with Diamond Comic Distributors, just as Diamond and its sister company, Alliance Game Distributors, ramped up a “Back the Comeback” campaign in hopes of raising money for some of the stores that were closed for months.

And the damage was perhaps even more profound for retailers that cater to

niche hobbies and vintage interests. The Nacelle Co.’s A Toy Store Near You docuseries debuted its first season on Amazon Prime and YouTube in June, with the intention of highlighting — and potentially giving back to — more than 50 independent toy and collectibles retailers.

ALTERING THE DEALS Low sales across the board have led to issues with licensing agreements as some manufacturers and sellers have been unable to make their regularly scheduled payments to licensors, due in part to products hitting retail tied to movies that have been delayed. This has even forced some companies to give up licenses, though none have been willing to go on record just yet. The rapid change is starting new conversations among several parties.

“This is a chance to look at contract language,” says Jennifer Staley, vice president, licensing at Bioworld Merchandising. “It’s an opportunity to change the business and modernize it.”

Bioworld, which creates more than

25,000 styles of licensed merch across more than 20 categories for more than 2,000 accounts, made a quick shift to remote work and direct-to-fan sales.

“Fans need engagement now more than ever,” says Beth Taylor, director, acquisitions and business development at Bioworld. “[We keep] 6,000 styles in stock, which is why we’ve been able to stay busy and supply our fans. We miss them.”

As part of its business, Bioworld had been developing convention booth space for its partners. Now, it’s exploring the options of participating in virtual conventions.

“We’re constantly engaging with the fan base and partnering with the companies that host cons to figure out how to pivot and continue the engagement,” Taylor says.

UNEXPECTED WINS While the event space and certain areas of retail have suffered in recent months, the toy industry as a whole has seen some increases, and the notable boom in sales of games and puzzles has been a win. It is entirely possible that some categories may THEPOPINSIDER.COM | #FuelYourFandom | 11

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FANDOM FEATURE Right: Cosplayers celebrate The Mandalorian as Cara Dune and Din Djarin (complete with The Child on his back) at ReedPOP’s C2E2 in February. Photo: the Pop Insider

“Fans need engagement now more than ever.

[We keep] 6,000 styles in stock, which is why we’ve been able to stay busy and supply our fans.

We miss them.”

Bottom: Funko designed a Pop! Vinyl Ad Icons version of the SDCC Toucan that was sold as an online exclusive, instead of an SDCC in-person exclusive.

Photo: Funko

Beth Taylor, director, acquisitions and business development at Bioworld MERCHANDISING

never again see the percentage increases that they’ve experienced as families were forced to stay at home or adapt to being “together apart.” According to The NPD Group (NPD), games and puzzles increased an unheard of 228% toward the end of March, and the momentum continued and spread into other categories, including a 107% boom in skate/skateboards/scooters in April, and construction sets and vehicles also charting big increases in the first quarter of the year.

“Strangely enough, we have benefited — sadly, perhaps — through this storm,” says Pete Fenlon, CEO of Catan Studio, developer and publisher of the popular Catan games. “Our Catan game is selling as well or better than ever … we’re having trouble keeping them in stock. Folks need a good value for their buck during these troubled times. They need awesome entertainment!”

One big reason that Catan Studio has been so successful is because its games are produced for the U.S. at a facility in Indiana.

While most of the game components are sourced domestically, the company already had reserves of the few components that come from Europe.

Similarly, companies including Buffalo

Games, MasterPieces Puzzles, Ravensburger, and Goliath Games reported major sales increases across the board. Following a twomonth closure of its manufacturing facility in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo Games was just starting to meet demand again by early July.

For Catan, the stoppage of live events meant shifting its 25th-anniversary celebration and the related event activations into next year.

Meanwhile, the video game industry has seen unprecedented sales increases thanks to digital software downloads. According to the Q1 2020 Games Market Dynamics: U.S. report from NPD, overall consumer spending on video gaming in the U.S. spiked 9% over last year, reaching a record $10.86 billion in sales.

The majority of sales — $9.58 billion — came from video game content, much of which was delivered direct-to-consumer via digital storefronts. That number alone has prompted some to question whether or not physical stores, such as GameStop, will come to an accelerated end.

RESTORING HEALTH If anything, the entertainment industry tends to bounce back from adversity, and if we’re calling 2020 a wash, next year could see a return to some sense of normalcy.

Fans are already craving the in-person connection that live events bring. A backlog of potential blockbusters is stacking up

for whenever audiences feel that it’s safe to start packing the multiplexes again.

And, while many companies will come through the chaos as smaller, more focused enterprises, there will be plenty of content creators looking forward to engaging with an enthusiastic public once more.

There are many questions yet to be answered as to how and when things will be able to start coming back safely.

In the July issue of the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) Monthly Economic Review, the timeline of rebound from the pandemic recession was put into question: “Before we prematurely celebrate the return of the consumer, the wave of new coronavirus outbreaks spreading throughout the country are a major threat to the recovery,” says NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz. “These outbreaks are alarming, and if they accelerate will certainly sway consumer and business confidence, taking a toll on output and employment and prolonging the time it takes to achieve a true economic recovery.”

Right now, it feels like we’re all a bit like the Avengers near the third act of Endgame.

There are cuts and bruises, and we’ve lost some friends along the way, but Iron Man is about ready to snap the gauntlet, and the world will come storming back into action.

It will be a little different, yes, but we will be ready to charge forward to fight the battle for another day. ✪

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NDS E R T P O P

Q&A

The Pop Insider spoke to industry experts, brand owners, studio execs, and manufacturers about the state of the licensing industry, trends in pop culture, and adapting to unprecedented, global change.

SUSAN BRANDT PRESIDENT, DR. SEUSS ENTERPRISES

What are you looking forward to the most in 2020?

Like a lot of people, we started the year with a very different view of how 2020 actually turned out. Our Q1 started, as it always does, with our celebration of Dr. Seuss’s Birthday and, as the world shifted with the COVID-19 pandemic, so did our focus. We worked to provide educators, parents, and children with staying home resources — such as printables, activities, and recipes — on seussville.com. During this time, Dr. Seuss also celebrated the 50th anniversary of Earth Day with our earth-friendly advocate The Lorax and a special Billabong apparel collaboration. Even with stay-at-home orders in place and graduation ceremonies canceled, Dr. Seuss celebrated this year’s graduates with an Oh, the Places You’ll Go virtual celebration featuring celebrities like John Cena and astronaut Scott Kelly, along with many of the celebrated first responders and teachers across the country.

And as kids and educators head back to school this fall — no matter what that looks like — we are looking forward to familiar rituals like back-to-school clothes; decorating classrooms, whether that’s at home or in school with licensing partners such as Eureka/Paper Magic, Raymond Geddes, and Oriental Trading; and supplementary educational materials including our Learning Library and educator guides on seussville.com.

Finally, it wouldn’t be the holidays without the Grinch! Some fans relate with the cynical Grinch who detests the “NOISE! NOISE! NOISE!” of the holidays, and some with his faithful dog Max who lives in the moment, and even others with sweet Cindy Lou who sees the good in all. Or there are those who love the transformed Grinch whose heart has grown three sizes. There’s something for everyone in Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and this year Dr. Seuss Enterprises has something for everyone’s holiday gift-giving list. We have amazing holiday programs with a number of retailers, including Walmart, Kohl’s, Amazon, Target, and Pottery Barn and a fantastic Grinch holiday product lineup with licensees such as Stance and Fetch for pets. We will also be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the release of the 2000 How the Grinch Stole Christmas movie with a special DVD release.

How are you staying in touch with fans that you would normally meet with face-to-face at in-person events now that those events are being postponed or canceled?

Dr. Seuss Enterprises is still connecting with fans through social media, our newsletter Seussville News, and on seussville.com. We’ve tried both to entertain and educate families while they stay home with celebrity fans reading their favorite Dr. Seuss books on social media, including Michelle Obama, Kate Winslet, Jeff Goldblum, Danny DeVito, and more. We’ve offered fun learning resources on seussville. com for parents and educators.

Fans can also enjoy several Dr. Seuss shows and movies streaming on Netflix, including Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That, Illumination’s The Grinch, Universal’s How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and Illumination’s The Lorax.

How do you balance connecting with your main audience of kids with products and partnerships that reach adult fans as well?

The Dr. Seuss brand speaks to audiences of all ages, from young kids to adult collectors. It all started with children’s books and we continue to publish new books for children, from new board books like Dr. Seuss’s School Things featuring Thing 1 and Thing 2 and new Cat in the Hat Learning Library Books that tackle STEM subjects, like Happy Pi Day to You! Believe it or not, Seuss is cool! Teens embrace our property when we collaborate with brands like Supreme, Champion, Billabong, Stance, or Comme de Garcons. These collabs keep us fresh and up to date.

And adults love Seuss as well. We have a robust art program that sells limited-edition, signed lithographs, serigraphs, and sculptures.

We also partner with artists like Jim Shore to marry his aesthetic with our Seuss characters. And we have adult apparel and pajama programs that continue to sell well at key retailers like Target, Walmart, and Amazon.

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ZACH OAT

MARKETING SUPERVISOR, DIAMOND SELECT TOYS AND GENTLE GIANT LTD.

With the COVID-19 pandemic leading to canceled and postponed events, how are you still staying in contact with fans when you can't meet face-to-face?

We continue to engage with the fans through social media — posting pictures and videos of upcoming products, answering questions, etc. — and we also have a Q&A on our blog where the president of [Diamond Select Toys] and Gentle Giant Ltd. answers questions posed by fans. We also spend a lot of time on message boards, including RebelScum, the Fwoosh, Statue Forum, and the Minimate Multiverse. Obviously, none of that is the same as seeing a product in person and talking with team members about the products face to face, but in an increasingly digital world, we’ve had to double down on our virtual engagement. In fact, we’re looking into some more indepth forms of that for future events.

Will the lack of any in-person events this year change the timing for the distribution of any exclusives? How do you plan to adapt?

Timing of exclusives obviously becomes less complicated — not needing to have it all in one place at one time — but we are moving forward with some great “exclusive” products that were originally slated for [Comic-Con International: San Diego]. Some may be offered online, some may be offered through various retailers, but hopefully making them more widely available will benefit more fans, and not lessen the cool factor of what should be some very cool figures.

CHRISTINA AMINI

EXECUTIVE PUBLISHING DIRECTOR, CHRONICLE BOOKS

With the COVID-19 pandemic leading to canceled and postponed events, how are you still staying in contact with fans when you can't meet face to face?

We are focused on the needs of our online community and independent retail partners now more than ever. Through our digital channels, we’re featuring tips and helpful products that make staying at home more enjoyable, including games, puzzles, crafting books, cookbooks, and stationery. Online, many of the authors we work with have been participating in virtual events and have stepped in to provide activity sheets and how-to videos on social media.

In July, we’ll be marking [Comic-Con International: San Diego] by offering the same exclusives and specials we would be at our booth to our newsletter subscribers and encouraging authors who may have attended to engage their fanbase with panel discussions and live virtual events.

The impact the coronavirus is having on consumer trends is particularly noticeable in the sudden demand for jigsaw puzzles. The LEGO Paint Party Puzzle, part of our new line with the LEGO Group, sold out in April before it went on sale. With a LEGO Minifigures puzzle already on the way, we decided to add two more LEGO puzzles to our Q4 list.

What products are you most excited about heading into the second half of 2020?

We’re thrilled about The Disney Princess, a landmark book celebrating the enduring magic and legacy of the iconic Disney Princesses from 1937 to today. Fans and collectors have the chance to get an inside look at how each of the princesses came to be, with behind-the-scenes stories, concept art, and photos from the Disney archive.

Star Wars The Jedi Mind seems particularly timely right now, as we could all use a few tricks from the Jedi and the Force to restore balance and peace in our lives. This book features tips on practices such as breathing, posture, and meditation, inspired by the Star Wars universe.

Something fun as we look forward to the holiday season is DC Christmas Carols: We Wish You a Harley Christmas, a sensational seasonal collection of classic sing-alongs with a twist.

Later this year, it’s the season of the LEGO mini-figure. We’ll be releasing a mini-figure journal, notecards, two puzzles, and LEGO We Just Click, which gives LEGO mini-figures a (love) life of their own.

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NDS POP TRE

Q&A

DANIEL BENKWITT

CONSUMER MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS, THE POKÉMON CO. INTERNATIONAL

What are you most excited about for 2020? How do you plan to expand your existing licensing programs and build up new ones?

At the center of the brand is the core video game series, and players continue to fall in love with Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, the latest titles in the franchise. They quickly became the fastest-selling games for the Nintendo Switch system with more than 17 million games sold worldwide as of March 2020. The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra expansion passes launching this year provide players with new areas to explore in the Galar region and discover new Pokémon.

We also launched new peripheral apps and games including Pokémon Smile, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon DX, and Pokémon Café Mix, and surprised fans by announcing the upcoming release of New Pokémon Snap for Nintendo Switch, a reimagined version of the classic and beloved video game. Fans also continue to [engage with] Pokémon mobile games including the globally popular Pokémon GO and Pokémon Masters.

Pokémon extends far beyond its video games … The iconic Pokémon animated series also launched its 23rd season in 2020 around the world. In addition to a new storyline for Ash and Pikachu, we’re excited to have this season premiere on Netflix in the U.S. The best-selling Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) continues to be a leader in its category with new Sword & Shield expansions launching quarterly and the first-ever Pokémon TCG board game, Battle Academy, [available now].

The Pokémon Co. International also continues to expand its offerings on pokemoncenter.com, the premier e-commerce destination for official, [exclusive] Pokémon merchandise in the U.S., … such as figures, imported plush, clothing, accessories, home décor, and more.

In 2020, highlights of the fan-focused merchandise include collaborations with Funko [and] custom skateboards with industry craftsman Bear Walker.

Key ongoing licensees for the growing lineup of official Pokémon merchandise include master toy licensee, Wicked Cool Toys — a Jazwares Co., Funko, Geox, Hybrid Apparel, Mattel, PowerA, and Ravensburger, [across] figures, plush, role-play items, clothing and accessories, puzzles, and more. So far in 2020, Pokémon has [also] introduced unique licensing programs with partners including adidas for a streetwear collection [and] a multi-faceted global program with world-renowned artist, Daniel Arsham, and UNIQLO. With the pandemic leading to canceled and postponed events, how are you still staying in contact with fans when you can't meet face-to-face?

Pokémon has a highly engaged online community … From web-exclusive animated series to evergreen brand content from across the franchise, our goal is to be a bright spot in their day. Pokémon also adapted live events where we would traditionally make brand announcements paired with a livestream to a streaming-only reveal of news called “Pokémon Presents.” We successfully hosted two of these segments [to give] fans Pokémon news around the world.

The Pokémon Co. International had to reimagine its live consumer events.

Every year, Pokémon welcomes nearly 1 million entrants to global Play!

Pokémon competitions. Local tournaments culminate in the Pokémon World Championships, which welcomes thousands of Pokémon TCG and video game “Trainers” from nearly 50 countries. With the postponement of the 2020 season, ... we knew we wanted to provide some iteration of the competitive program. In June, Play! Pokémon began hosting the Pokémon Players Cup, an online tournament open to eligible Masters Division competitors in the Pokémon TCG and video games. Similarly, the annual Pokémon GO Fest has been completely reimagined [in 2020] as a two-day global experience that players can play remotely from anywhere.

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ROBERT MARICK

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, GLOBAL CONSUMER PRODUCTS AND EXPERIENCES, MGM

We, of course, saw your virtual summit that took place instead of being able to meet face-to-face with brand partners at Licensing Expo this year. How are you adapting to these in-person events being canceled — both on the brand partner and the fan sides of things?

With traditional forms of interaction abruptly closing, new opportunities have emerged. As you noted we recently hosted MGM’s very first virtual summit and one of the first in the licensing industry. This initiative allowed us to create bespoke licensing presentations within three sessions across 15 time zones. And the buyer feedback was overwhelmingly positive. This new way of selling proved to us the power of online meetings and a new way for us to communicate in the future.

While it will never replace human interaction, it’s a new tool the industry has embraced and now another great opportunity to connect across the globe. As an organization we are stronger, more agile, and have the ability to talk to a wider group of business associates — at a fraction of the cost — than ever before.

Although production of new content is either being pushed back or put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are you seeing any resurgence in licensing programs from older, classic content available on streaming sites?

Absolutely! With more than 4,000 feature films and 17,000 television episodes, MGM has one of the largest modern film libraries in the world. As the pandemic surrounded every aspect of our lives, we saw consumers gravitating toward “comfort” or classic brands more than ever before — from Pink Panther to Rocky, Legally Blonde, and many more. Our fans reached out to many of our brands for inspiration, hope, or a fond memory for comfort during a challenging time. We have seen a huge resurgence in our brands across all our lines of business and a few new opportunities along the way. Have you seen the Pink Panther face mask? It puts a smile on your face.

What properties or content are you most looking forward to in 2020?

It’s a great time to be working with MGM. It’s a difficult question to answer as there is so much we are focused on developing. From a production perspective, the studio is running on all cylinders with new film and TV production that will establish an on-going pipeline for current and future licensing programs. Two that come to mind include The Addams Family and Vikings.

With a 75-year legacy and a recent global hit film, The Addams Family animated film has established this franchise as a perennial favorite for this upcoming Halloween and beyond. Both the current CGI interpretation and the classic TV version lend themselves nicely for licensing across all lines of business — and with a focus on family and family time, we are seeing heightened demand for the property this year.

Another property worth mentioning is Vikings. Set more than 1,000 years ago, Vikings enjoys a strong global fanbase with more than 17 million on Facebook alone. The Vikings series social fandom is increasingly popular with adrenaline junkies, pop culture fans, intellectuals, and history buffs. Later next year, Netflix will release Vikings: Valhalla, which will propel the storyline 100 years forward with compelling new characters, stories, and inspiration that will help grow our merchandising program to new heights.

Pink Panther-branded face masks from MaskClub, by Trevco

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BRENT FEUZ

MARKETING MANAGER, BUFFALO GAMES

With a lot of entertainment content being pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic, how is that affecting your new, licensed product launches?

We are moving forward with all of our licensed releases with the support of our licensees.

Thankfully, many of our licenses are not relying on major media releases to drive sales. We have been working very closely with our jigsaw puzzle partners, such as Star Wars and PokÊmon, to continue to push out new images. This is especially important during this time because puzzles have had a major jump in popularity due to many people staying at home with their families — people want new puzzle images to complete! Many of the new games we are releasing in 2020 are for properties that people have an instant connection with, like Plinko from The Price Is Right and a Saturday Night Live game that features many of the beloved sketches from over the years.

What new products are you most excited about heading into the second half of 2020?

Some of the new game releases we are most excited about include Apollo, a cooperative family strategy game based on the NASA moon missions; Listicles, a hilarious party game we are creating in partnership with BuzzFeed; Plinko, a giant wooden Plinko board where players play pricing games to earn chips to drop; and Saturday Night Live the Game, a social deduction party game where all the players know what sketch they are in except one!

JAMIE KISKIS

VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, CRYPTOZOIC ENTERTAINMENT

With the COVID-19 pandemic leading to canceled and postponed events, how are you still staying in contact with fans when you can't meet face-to-face?

We are reliant upon cons and shows to feed our passion for creating and also consuming pop culture products. Our team is generally exhausted after long days on the floor and after hours of meetings that go into the wee hours of the night. However, we get a charge out of seeing fans interact with our games, collectibles, and trading cards. It makes all that we go through to build things that we believe they will love worth it.

That being said, the moment we learned that Emerald City Comic Con was on the ropes, we knew that we had to find a new way to connect, especially as we have been planning to celebrate our 10th anniversary this year. We held our first virtual con, Cryptozoic Con on April 16-17, and the results were better than we could have imagined from an engagement and sales standpoint. Fan groups logged onto our livestream to learn more about our upcoming releases like Cryptkins Unleashed (our new 5-inch line of figures), Outlander Season 4 Trading Cards, and DC Deck-Building Game: Dark Nights Metal. We answered as many questions as possible and even fended off some lame Zoom Boomers. One of our most popular segments was on how collectibles are made, and it included behind-the-scenes renderings and discussion with our product development team and design. It was an authentic experience and our team enjoyed being on camera and engaging with the fans and some of our strategic partners.

The program was such a success that we immediately began planning Cryptozoic Con II for July 11-12. We are also looking at Cryptozoic Con III for August to support new lines coming to shelves for the the back half of the year when stores are open again and hopefully there are some cons to attend.

Are global stay-at-home orders and other effects of the pandemic changing your content strategy for this year? How are you adapting?

During Cryptozoic Con, we sold exclusive products originally scheduled for events directly to the collectors right after each segment in which the items were featured. The live debuts and unboxings of products that were then on sale felt like a home shopping network for collectors, and it led to quick sell-outs of those items. It was like people running to our booth at the beginning of [Comic-Con International: San Diego] without having to break a sweat.

We will definitely continue to offer our exclusives at future Cryptozoic Cons and surprise drops throughout the rest of the year.

When everyone is ready to get back to in-person cons, we will enthusiastically be there.

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CLAUDE ALARY SALES DIRECTOR, WREBBIT 3D PUZZLE

With the pandemic canceling and postponing live events, how are you still staying in contact with fans?

Our No. 1 way to stay connected with fans is via targeted social media campaigns. We’ve been very active mainly on Facebook and Instagram. We reach out to specific groups of people according to their profile and we invite them to visit our website, for which we’ve seen a huge increase in traffic in the past few months. We also organize contests in which fans can win exclusive prizes — like we did last year with a few copies of our Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes & Daily Prophet 3D puzzle, which were signed by the Phelps twins who played the roles of Fred and George Weasley in the series of Harry Potter films.

Which new products are you really excited about for 2020?

Most of our best-sellers for the past four years have been models from our Harry Potter Collection. Again this year, we have already added two new models to this collection, which now has 12 in total. The 395-piece Hogsmeade — The Three Broomsticks was released in January and it instantly became a best-seller. And in April, we launched the 270-piece Hagrid’s Hut, which was one of the most requested models by fans of the Wizarding World. Both models will certainly please thousands of fans in the coming months.

SUZY RAIA

VICE PRESIDENT, CONSUMER PRODUCTS & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, BBC

What new properties are you most excited about this year? How will you expand licensing programs?

Our Emmy Award-winning preschool show Bluey launched in Australia in 2018 and was a massive hit. BBC Studios brought it to the U.S. through a deal with Disney Channels in 2019, [including Disney Channel, Disney Junior, DisneyNOW, and Disney+]. The show follows a loveable, inexhaustible 6-year-old Blue Heeler pup, Bluey, who lives with her Mum, Dad and her 4-year-old little sister, Bingo. Bluey celebrates the everyday events of family life, turning ordinary experiences into extraordinary imagination-packed adventures and games. It’s hilarious and a great representation of a modern family with its beloved characters and community. After sell-out demand in Australia, we are launching toys stateside at all major retailers with Moose Toys this summer.

We are also launching new products for BBC Earth in the U.S. with the mission of sustainability at the core of all our partnerships. We kicked off with a collaboration with S’well, which launched just before Earth Day, selling at double the rate of comparative launches. We are looking forward to the next S’well line launching this fall with illustrative designs. Up next is our activewear launch with Together California, who have developed a line of BBC Earth-inspired apparel made from recycled ocean plastics.

Are global stay-at-home orders and other effects of the pandemic changing your content strategy for this year? How are you adapting?

BBC’s content strategy remains true to our audience — we always have and always will endeavor to create the best in bold, British content. We are continuing to engage with our best-in-class distribution and production partners. With viewers stuck at home, we are adapting how we engage with fans globally. Fan conventions and on-the-ground experiences are an important way to engage hardcore fans, but with ongoing social distancing requirements in place, digital and social marketing are more important than ever. Marketing budgets are being redirected toward social influencer campaigns, YouTube presence, and earned editorial efforts. On the licensing side, although we were initially concerned about the launch of product during the pandemic, recent news of the uptick in toy sales has us optimistic about upcoming launches. Parents continue to engage their kids to keep them happy during these uncertain times and have proven that they will continue to nurture play. And considering Bluey is all about play, it’s truly the perfect antidote.

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PAM KAUFMAN

PRESIDENT, GLOBAL CONSUMER PRODUCTS, VIACOMCBS

We saw that you recently signed Alaya High “That Girl Lay Lay." What are your plans for the multimedia programming and consumer products that will go along with this brand?

We have a comprehensive strategy for Lay Lay that will amplify her across all Nickelodeon touchpoints across all media. Specifically, we are looking to develop multiplatform programming, as well as support for her music career. We are also developing an extensive consumer products line spanning categories such as fashion, accessories, publishing, and more. With more than 2 million social media followers, Lay Lay is a rising star ready to take it to the next level!

What other new properties are you most excited about this year? How do you plan to expand those licensing programs?

The combined ViacomCBS portfolio opens tremendous opportunity in consumer products for every age and every aisle, everywhere. We are so excited to grow the iconic Star Trek franchise, plus we have huge momentum for Blue’s Clues & You! with our toy launch this summer and fall. We’re thrilled to expand our offerings around Baby Shark and, following our acquisition of Garfield last year, we are excited to reignite this beloved consumer products franchise globally. Additionally, we recently announced a partnership with LAFIG Belgium and IMPS to bring The Smurfs to a new generation of kids and families around the world.

We are also building out our influencer roster from a local and global perspective. We have started working with Mexico’s Bala and [as mentioned,] we recently announced an overall global deal for hip-hop artist Alaya High “That Girl Lay Lay.” In the adult brands, we are expanding the offerings around MTV, South Park, BET, and Paramount, including several opportunities around two highly anticipated releases: Coming to America 2 and Top Gun: Maverick. We are also seeing tremendous growth in the expansion of our direct-to-consumer sites including the MTVShop with Wild N’Out. Are you seeing any resurgence in licensing programs from older, classic content available on streaming sites?

The recent release of the Avatar content library on Netflix has driven a renewed interest for the franchise amongst nostalgic audiences while also reaching a new generation of kids. In addition to the Netflix launch, we redesigned the Avatar Amazon Storefront, which has seen strong growth versus prior months, launched a dedicated Avatar channel on YouTube that quickly became our fastest growing VDS channel launched in the last 12 months, and we are currently working with our partners to develop new products while our retailers are taking in more SKUs. ✪

Nickelodeon properties clockwise from top: Alaya High "That Girl Lay Lay"; Blues Clues & You!; Avatar: The Last Airbender Photos: Nickelodeon

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LICENSED

MERCH PREVIEW Cons and trade shows are canceled and major movie launches are on hold, but there’s still no shortage of awesome new toys, collectibles, games, apparel, and more featuring your favorite fandoms. This showcase features lots of merch you’ll want to get your hands on later this year, plus sneak peeks of what’s to come from major brands.

INSIGHT EDITIONS Some of the dishes featured in Insight Editions’ Marvel Eats the Universe: The Official Cookbook include Dazzler’s Glittering Pizza Bagels, Hulk Smashed Potatoes, and a Green Goblin Pumpkin Bomb. The cookbook has 60 recipes inspired by the long history of Marvel Comics.

Fans can journey into the Wizarding World this fall with the Harry Potter: Pop-Up Guide to Diagon Alley and Beyond.

The pop-up book gives never-before-seen looks at magical shopping and the adventures of Harry Potter. It features pull-tabs to command the action, new insights and facts, and other hidden surprises.

Destiny: The Official Cookbook is inspired by the Guardians and locations seen within the video game’s universe. It includes full-color photos and invites fans to go on a culinary exploration.

Fans might want to stay away from Rachel’s Trifle in Friends: The Official Cookbook. The book features more than 100 recipes inspired by the ‘90s sitcom, including Monica’s Friendsgiving Feast, the Moist Maker, and Phoebe’s Grandmother’s famous cookies.

The Nightmare Before Christmas: Pop-Up Book and Advent Calendar features a countdown to Christmas with a ghastly pop-up tree. Hidden compartments contain 25 displayable ornaments.

STUDIO 71

ASMODEE ENTERTAINMENT Asmodee Entertainment is the newest platform from the board games publisher and distributor Asmodee, which owns intellectual property rights for more than 300 established games, such as Catan, Ticket to Ride, Arkham Horror, Pandemic, and more. Asmodee Entertainment launched Aconyte Books as a wholly owned fiction publishing imprint, and will continue to offer many new products through its global licensing program. It is actively seeking additional partnerships in interactive games, apparel, accessories, collectibles, social expressions, home decor, and more.

Half Truth from Studio 71 brings together the game design from Richard Garfied (creator of Magic: The Gathering) and the trivia knowledge of Jeopardy’s greatest winner, Ken Jennings, to create something truly unique.

Created in partnership with Nighthawk Gaming, Half Truth combines trivia, strategy, and betting as players choose which answers to questions are wrong or right.

Edmund McMillen designed Tapeworm to bring fans some disturbingly cute things in game form. The strategy card game challenges 2-4 players to take turns creating and cutting apart their tapeworms by connecting cards.

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MERCH PREVIEW TEKNOFUN Teknofun is bringing light to the world of fandom this year. The Light-up 3D Figure Pikachu Happy is a 10-inch Pikachu figure that features two lighting intensities: progressive or fixed. You can touch Pikachu to change the lighting mode and you can power the wireless figure with batteries or the included USB cable. It’s also available in a Snorlax and Sleeping Pikachu version, and a Pokéball style that also features a hand strap.

Fans can get glowy with two new multicolored neon lights. The Hello Kitty Neon Light features three colors, while the Pikachu Neon Light has a two-color design.

You’ll have no excuse for being late with the Pikachu Light-up 3D Figure Alarm Clock, which also works as a night light. The wireless alarm clock features Pikachu on top and is powered with batteries or the included USB cable.

Fans can keep their Tamagotchi by their side while they sleep with the Tamagotchi Light-up Alarm Clock, featuring a self-lighting screen that displays the time, date, and temperature with a soft LED light.

Pikachu Light-up 3D Figure Alarm Clock

JAKKS PACIFIC Jakks Pacific will ring in the holiday season with the Elf Talking Plush and Elf Advent Calendar.

The 12-inch scale plush features 15 phrases from the film. To spread more holiday cheer, the Elf Advent Calendar counts down to Christmas with 24 days of collectible surprises.

It includes 1-inch posed figures of Buddy, Papa Elf, Leon the Snowman, and more, along with pop-up environment pieces to recreate iconic scenes.

For a more creepy countdown, fans can grab the Gremlins Gremlins Countdown Calendar Countdown Calendar, which offers 31 days of collectible surprises to mark the days until Halloween or any other holiday that needs some more spook. It features pop-up environment pieces and 1-inch figures of Gizmo, Stripe, and more, allowing fans to recreate the iconic movie theater scene.

Fans of any age can collect the Sonic 4-inch Articulated Figures based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video games. The poseable figures each feature multiple points of articulation and include an accessory piece to recreate the Sonic world. The 18-inch Jumbo Plush Sonic and Tails (sold separately) feature hookin-loop fasteners on their hands, so Sonic and Tails can connect together like they do in the game. With the Green Hill Zone Playset, fans can recreate the action from the games with the included 2.5-inch Sonic figure and a spinning loop in which Sonic can move around at super speed.

The Apex Legends 6-inch Scale Action Figures include Wraith, Bloodhound, and Pathfinder. Fans can collect them all to build their very own Apex Legends squad. Each character comes with weapons and accessories.

BANDAI AMERICA Anime fans can recreate their favorite moments with Bandai America’s Anime Heroes. These highly detailed, 6.5-inch collectible figures feature more than 16 points of articulation. Each Anime Heroes figure includes two additional sets of switchable hands, character-specific accessories, and premium packaging that is influenced by Japanese manga and art. The first figures to launch are Naruto and Saint Seiva: Knights of the Zodiac.

Fans can celebrate the 40th anniversary of Pac-Man with the Pac-Man Tamagotchi, which features a totally new variation on the virtual pet. Players can raise and nurture their Tamagotchi character with the help of Pac-Man, who will come to the rescue when ghosts and bugs invade the screen. There are also new mini-games that players can enjoy: the Pac Game and the Catch Game. The PacMan Tamagotchi is available in two styles: yellow or black maze.

Pac-Man Tamagotchi

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FACTORY ENTERTAINMENT

RAVENSBURGER Ravensburger launched new licensed board games this summer featuring fan-favorite heroes, witches, and more.

In Marvel Villainous: Infinite Power, players compete as iconic comic book villains — including Thanos, Hela, and Ultron — who each follow a unique path to victory, using different abilities to face other villains and heroes from the Marvel Universe.

Great Scott! In Back to the Future: Dice Through Time, Biff has stolen the DeLorean for a joyride through time, disrupting events and scattering items through space and time. It’s up to players to help Doc and Marty repair the space-time continuum by completing events and returning items before the universe unravels.

Players work together to stop the Sanderson sisters in Disney Hocus Pocus: The Game. This cooperative game features quick gameplay, spells and quotes from the movie, and a special appearance from Binx the cat.

Get ready for mystery and misfortune in Ravensburger’s Disney Jungle Cruise Adventure Game. Players keep their cargo and passengers safe from jungle dangers and find out which families have fallen out of favor with company owner, Alberta Falls. The player who presents the most valuable freight of cargo and passengers wins the game (and a cruise back home!).

Factory Entertainment unleashes the Monty Python Killer Rabbit Plush, based on the bad-tempered rodent from the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

The evil, cuddly plush is 13 inches long. Based on the same film, the Talking Holy Hand Grenade Plush is 8 inches long and features 14 fan-favorite quotes. Fans can pretend to inflict flesh wounds on the Black Knight Talking Premium Motion Statue. The highly detailed, hand-painted statue comes with removable arms and contains 10 of the phrases that the valiant knight replied in the film.

The Yellow Submarine Band Member Plush Box Set brings fans straight to Pepperland. The set features 9-inch plush versions of John, Paul, Ringo, and George as they appear in the 1968 animated classic Yellow Submarine. Fans of the rock group can also find the 14-inch Yellow Submarine Plush based on the aquatic vessel from the film.

The scaled replica line continues to offer an affordable price and small size.

This summer, Factory Entertainment will release scaled replicas of the God Killer Sword from Wonder Woman, multiple tridents from Aquaman, and multiple weapons from The Masters of the Universe.

XTREME PLAY Hazel and Cha Cha — but make them cute! Xtreme Play has a new set of The Umbrella Academy Small Plush, which includes the two animal-masked hitmen and the Hargreeves’ advanced chimpanzee assistant Pogo as stylized 8-inch plush, each sold separately.

Continuing the Umbrella Academy offerings, Xtreme Play has two series of The Umbrella Academy 3.25-inch Stylized Collectibles Figures. Inspired by the graphic novels and styled after the Netflix series, these detailed figures include all of the Hargreeves family members and their foes. Series one includes Luther, Five, Vanya, Pogo, Hazel, and Cha Cha. Series two, which debuts this month, includes Diego, Allison, Klaus, Ben, Sir Reginald Hargreeves, and Grace.

This fall, the company also expands its Ubisoft Six Collection Figures with a second series. The chibi-style figures are about 3.25 inches tall and include 10 characters inpired by Operators in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege video game.

The Umbrella Academy Small Plush

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MERCH PREVIEW MCFARLANE TOYS Exclusive to Walmart, McFarlane Toys’ RAW10 Creature Line will debut in August. The part-animal, partmachine figures will include CY-GOR, FREN-Z, Battlesnake, and Raptar.

In partnership with Games Workshop, McFarlane will release a Warhammer 40,000 7-inch figure line.

Fans will be able to collect Ultramarines Primaris Assault Intercessor, Necron Warrior, and Space Marine Primaris Intercessor. Each figure features ultra articulation with up to 22 moving parts.

The DC Multiverse White Knight line features Azrael: Batman: Curse of the White Knight No. 1, Batman: White Knight No. 1, and The Joker: Batman White Knight No. 8 from the DC comic books. Each figure includes accessories and a collectible art card, which features artwork on the front and a character biography on the back.

MONOGRAM INTERNATIONAL

This year, Monogram International has collectibles and gift items for three new licensed properties: Dragon Ball Z, Golden Girls, and Ultraman. The company also has new products for returning licenses, including Disney, Pixar, Universal, Hasbro, TOHO, Marvel, Star Wars, Warner Bros., Toei Animation, Funimation, and Fox. In June, Monogram released The Mandalorian new products for the Disney+ series 7-inch The Child Bank The Mandalorian. The line includes an adorable, 7-inch The Child Bank that is made of lightweight, sturdy PVC material. The company also launched a blind bag collection inspired by the show. Each blind bag includes a bag clip attached to a miniature character, such as The Child, the Mandalorian, Cara Dune, Greef Kargo, and IG-11.

Monogram will also release a second series of Friends blind-bag clips. The collection has 11 designs in all, including Rachel, Monica, Ross, and Chandler in their ‘90s fashions; Phoebe with her guitar; and Joey as Dr. Drake Ramoray.

There is also an exclusive chase design: The Holiday Armadillo.

MGA ENTERTAINMENT Rainbows in Pieces vinyl figures from MGA Entertainment take cute unicorns and show them on the other side of the rainbow. Each ill-fated figure features a colorful display and a holographic trading card with a limerick eulogy.

The 12 figures in the collection each come in a dumpster box which may include Bobby Bruises, Happy Trappy, Jim Bones, Dann Ville, Gary Guts, Undead Ned, or more.

DC Multiverse White Knight line — The Joker

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LICENSED

MERCH PREVIEW BARE TREE MEDIA At a time when digital communication has become especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bare Tree Media team used its digital content studio to create licensed, custom digital content in the form of emojis, messaging stickers, GIFs, mobile themes, augmented reality effects, and video conferencing backgrounds.

The company publishes this content on leading digital platforms, including Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Zoom. Fans will recognize officially licensed characters and environments from Dreamwork’s Trolls World Tour, Felix The Cat, Garfield, King Features’ Betty Boop and Popeye, Teletubbies, The Golden Girls, Ubisoft’s Assassins Creed and Rabbids. These partnered content releases will continue through the end of this year and into next year.

TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS

Tsuburaya Productions, the entertainment company behind Ultraman, has partnered with a variety of manufacturers for new, licensed merchandise featuring the Tokusatsu hero. Some of the products for Classic Ultraman include a ceramic figure from Bait, a Changes T-shirt, Fansets collector pins, a Marvel Comics comic book, and a coin bank from Monogram International. For anime Ultraman products, there is a lunch box from Factory Entertainment and another set of Fansets collector pins.

SPIN MASTER Mansion, apartment, shack, or house?

Spin Master is reimagining M.A.S.H. as an adult party game this fall. The game features a quick, 10- to 20-minute play time and thousands of possible different futures. There are 300 fate cards across six categories, 40 scenario cards, and dry-erase cards, which players can use to write whatever answer they want.

This year, Etch A Sketch celebrates its 60th anniversary. Spin Master is launching a full 60th Anniversary Program to celebrate, including a retro package design; a limited-edition diamond Etch A Sketch; and licensed versions of the classic Etch A Sketch, including Monopoly, Rubik’s, Stan Lee, and NASA.

EVOLUTION

The Golden Girls digital stickers

The stealth horror video game Hello Neighbor, from TinyBuild, has two new games in the series coming next year and a graphic novel coming this summer. Current licensees creating products for the game include Arcane Wonders, Bulls i Toy, Changes, Fiesta, Franco Manufacturing, Funko, Handcraft, Jazwares/Zag, Komar Kids, McFarlane Toys, Pyramid, Rubie’s Costume Co., and Scholastic.

Altered Carbon is a Netflix series based on a cyberpunk novel set more than 300 years in the future. Fans can expect products coming from Funko, Hunters Entertainment/Renegade Studio, Hybrid, and Titan Publishing.

Altered Carbon Takeshi Wedge

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MERCH PREVIEW CRITICAL ROLE Fandoms collide in Munchkin: Critical Role, a new game from The Op that combines the successful weekly, role-play gaming web series, Critical Role, with Steve Jackson Game’s popular card game, Munchkin.

In the game, players take risks, betray their friends, and grab loot in an attempt to reach Level 10 and win the game. Munchkin: Critical Role will be available in specialty stores this fall.

MATTEL Mattel will expand it’s The Office license this fall with UNO The Office. Fans join Michael, Pam, Dwight, and all of their other favorite coworkers in a game that combines classic UNO gameplay with new rules, like dropping everything with Kevin’s Famous Chili rule.

UNO SpongeBob SquarePants Meme Edition takes on the classic cartoon’s most famous forms.

Star Wars The Child 8-inch Basic Plush The game includes a special “Wild Draw Six Cards” rule.

Gotta catch ‘em all? Fans can build a 10-inch tall Eevee using the 800 pieces in the Pokémon Jumbo Eevee set. The almost full-sized Pokémon features articulated movements so fans can position it in a variety of ways.

Mattel will also expand its buildable Game of Thrones construction sets.

The Mega Construx Game of Thrones Ice Viserion Showdown recreates one of Jon Snow’s most memorable moments from the show in the Battle of Winterfell. The undead dragon features a wingspan of 28 inches and fans can place the mini Jon Snow action figure nearby to recreate the battle. The Mega Construx Game of Thrones Battle of Winterfell features the castle of House Stark as it sits on the frontline during the battle against the Night King. Fans can build the epic battle with Jon Snow, Sansa, Arya, and Ghost figures.

Available now, Disney • Pixar’s Alien Remix Assortment features the lovable aliens dressed up as characters from all across the Pixar universe. The 3-inch figures take on Merida, Nemo, Woody, and more. Plus, the Pixar Figures Assortment features an array of heroes from various movies. Each one has 12 points of articulation in order to recreate iconic scenes. In the fall, fans can find the Pixar Spotlight Series, which will deliver highly collectible, deluxe versions of the characters.

And finally, we want to see the baby. The Star Wars The Child 8-inch Basic Plush features the adorable alien’s robes as seen in The Mandalorian and lifelike glass eyes. It has a soft body and sturdy base filled with beans to make it perfect for cuddling.

COBI COBI introduces three buildable planes inspired by those seen in Top Gun: Maverick.

Fans can choose from two different versions of the F18E Super Hornet: one with 555 blocks and the character Rooster included, the other with 570 blocks and a Maverick figure. Each features moving ailerons, a working undercarriage, missiles, and an opening cockpit.

The smaller scale P15-D Mustang comes with 265 bricks and a Maverick figure.

F18E Super Hornet

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WREBBIT 3D BOSS FIGHT STUDIO Boss Fight Studio expands its Vitruvian H.A.C.K.S. (Highly Articulated Character Kit System) line of figures with Hero H.A.C.K.S. These highly customizable figures are the first licensed characters that are H.A.C.K.S. compatible, meaning the body parts are interchangeable with the rest of the H.A.C.K.S. line. Hero H.A.C.K.S. will feature Flash Gordon, Phantom, Tarzan, and Zorro. The Flash Gordon line will feature three waves, including a 40th anniversary movie Flash in a collectible lunchbox.

A highly articulated action figure of The Little Prince is availLegends of Lucha able for preorder Libre — Rey Fenix now and will hit stores early next year. The 6-inch figure comes with a moon stand, a rose accessory that plugs into the moon, and a fox accessory.

Preorders are open for the Legends of Lucha Libre Penta Zero M and Rey Fenix figures, as well as the first two accessory packs in the line.

The highly articulated figures include multiple heads and hands so fans can replicate the wrestlers’ classic poses.

The next premium figures include Lady Maravilla and Konnan. The basic Fanaticos series includes Penta Zero M, Rey Fenix, Juventude Guerrera, and Taya Valkerie. Boss Fight Studio will also launch a wave of Mini Luchadors and a blind box mask series.

After launching its 395piece Hogsmeade — The Three Broomsticks puzzle in January, Wrebbit Puzzles is producing its 12th Harry Potter 3D puzzle: Hagrid’s Hut. This new puzzle is available now and has 270 pieces.

Hagrid’s Hut In addition to its partnerships with Warner Bros.

Consumer Products for Harry Potter, HBO Licensing for Game of Thrones, and NBCUniversal for Downton Abbey, Wrebbit continues to seek out new licenses to create puzzles from movies and TV series.

WELDON OWENS Weldon Owens brings some fan-favorite characters into the kitchen with two new licensed cookbooks.

The Official Downton Abbey Christmas Cookbook includes a collection of classic British holiday recipes from the Edwardian era and narratives about Christmas traditions. For fans of the PBS series, the book also features seasonal anecdotes, character quotes, and images from the award-winning show’s Christmas episodes. It will be available to purchase in October, just in time to plan a holiday feast.

This August, get ready make exciting school lunches with The Peanuts Lunch Bag Cookbook. The book features delicious, nutritious meals inspired by the classic Peanuts Gang characters and comics. Each recipe — including Charlie Brown’s Lonesome Peanut Butter and Jelly Pockets, Snoopy’s Flying Ace Pizza, and Lucy’s Crabby Avocado Toasts — connect to a Peanuts comic strip. All of the recipes are designed to be kid-friendly, portable, and packable.

PLAYMOBIL In celebration of the iconic film’s 35th anniversary, Playmobil offers two sets for Back to the Future fans. The Playmobil Back to the Future DeLorean features Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett Brown in their 1985 outfits, as well as Einstein the dog. The DeLorean comes equipped with a plutonium tank, a flux capacitor, and a dashboard time travel indicator.

The Playmobil Back to the Future Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett Brown set features the pair in their 1955 outfits. Marty carries his electric guitar and Doc holds a magical newspaper.

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POP PICKS

FANDOM TO THE FACE COMPILED BY JACKIE CUCCO, SENIOR EDITOR

Not all superheroes wear capes — but they do wear face masks. Thanks to COVID-19, cosplayers are not the only fans walking around in masks anymore. There’s no need to be boring with a plain, white mask when you can use all that real estate to show off your favorite characters, movies, TV series, and sports teams front and center. We’ve got you covered — literally — with these fandom-fueled face masks you can rock all summer long.

1. DISNEY MAGIC

1

Disney can add a little bit of magic to anything — even a face mask. These masks come in themed packs of four, including designs featuring characters from Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, and more. Disney is donating all profits up to $1 million from U.S. face mask sales to MedShare through Sept. 30.

MSRP: $19.99 per four-pack | Available: shopdisney.com

2. BATMAN TO THE RESCUE

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Someone tell Batman that his cowl is cool and all, but not covering his mouth sort of defeats the purpose. Luckily, Warner Bros. has some masks that will save the day. If you’re not into the Batman options, there are also Superman, Wonder Woman, Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo, and Friends styles available.

MSRP: $15.95 per three-pack | Available: wbshop.com

3. GO, TEAM, GO!

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No matter which team you root for, sports fans lost their seasons this year with the cancellation of live sporting events starting back in March. Make up for lost time with Foco’s sports selection of face masks, featuring NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, WNBA, college, and NASCAR teams.

That’s a slam dunk right there.

MSRP: $14 per mask; $25 per three-pack | Available: foco.com

4

4. PRETTY AS A KITTY MaskClub jumped into action when COVID-19 hit the U.S. in April, launching the first branded subscription face mask website that helps give back to first responders. The selection is massive, with options including Betty Boop, DC characters, Hello Kitty, Rick and Morty, The Twilight Zone, and so many other fandoms. It’s impossible to choose just one, but you don’t have to!

MSRP: $9.99 per mask (with subscription); $13.99 per mask (one-time purchase) | Available: maskclub.com

5. I WANT MY MTV

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ViacomCBS is covering all its fandom bases with a huge variety of reusable face masks, featuring some of its top TV series both current and nostalgic. Get playful with SpongeBob, go retro with MTV-inspired designs, show love for the 20th anniversary of Survivor, or live long and prosper with a superb Star Trek selection.

MSRP: $18.95 per mask | Available: spongebobshop.com (SpongeBob masks); cbsstore.com (Star Trek and Survivor masks); shop.startrek.com (Star Trek masks); mtvshop.com (MTV masks)

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COSPLAY CORNER

A TALE OF

TWO MASKS

New Jersey-based cosplayer Maweezy embodies multiple definitions of a hero.

by Ali Mierzejeski, editor-in-chief

It’s hard to tell whether it’s the burst of optimism or the burst of humanity

that shines through cosplayer and Instagrammer @maweezy’s Heroes Behind the PPE viral video and sends goosebumps up and down your arms — but the goosebumps are there. This video, which stars 23 cosplayers whose alter-egos are healthcare professionals, is truly something that gave people in quarantine a kick of positivity — in the healthcare community, in the cosplay community, and beyond.

Maweezy’s Night Queen cosplay Photo: @jonambo

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COSPLAY CORNER Valkyrie cosplay Photo: @jessiekana

The woman behind the video (and the @maweezy Instagram account) is Marie, a New-Jersey-based registered nurse and cosplayer. You can scroll through her Instagram and see that her cosplay is fun, spirited, artistic, and playful.

“I have this interest — or this really cool obsession — with doing mashup cosplays, where I would take one character and then another character, or a different version of a character, and just create that,” Marie says.

From Battle Sally — a look that mixed Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas with battle armor — to a Game of Thrones-inspired mashup of Daenerys Targaryen and a White Walker, Marie makes a big impression with her creative takes on characters she loves — sometimes, it’s so big that she finds herself in awkward confrontations with fans.

“When I came out with that [Game of Thrones] cosplay, it was right before the final season of Game of Thrones. So there were a lot of theories being thrown around about the fate of all the characters … When people saw that I did a White Walker version of Daenerys Targaryen, some were actually pretty upset with me because they thought that was kind of like a spoiler,” Marie laughs as she recalls the story. Although it may

have accidentally upset some fans, the look also earned HBO’s attention; the network asked her to do a makeup tutorial for one of its Halloween campaigns.

Marie got into cosplay after attending her first con in 2012. Beyond two sewing and design, home-economics-type courses in high school, Marie’s cosplay artistry skills are all self taught. Whether she was influenced by her grandma’s sewing lessons, her mom’s passion for DIY and arts and crafts, or YouTube makeup tutorials, Marie spent the last few years really honing her cosplay style into her own individual expression.

“For me, the process of making a cosplay is super important,” she says. “There would be times when I would feel pretty stressed, pretty overwhelmed with the workload that I pretty much put on myself when it comes to making a heavy-duty type cosplay. But the outcome of it and just the response and the feedback that I get from other people, especially when I wear these to conventions and seeing everyone’s reactions to it, that’s what makes it all worth it and I forget about all the stress and all the hard work that I put into this cosplay.”

But this year, the cosplay community — and the rest of the world — was shaken up by the global COVID-19 pandemic. As

the virus began to spread and stay-at-home orders were put in place, live events — such as comic cons and other events that are so important to the community — were postponed, canceled, or turned into virtual shells of what they once were (read more about this on page 10).

“I relied heavily on conventions to take pictures to put out content on my Instagram and my Facebook,” Marie says. “With that being gone and out of the picture, it’s been pretty tough to create content just to take a picture, just to have a picture in cosplay.”

The lack of new photos and content is one thing, but the other, larger void left by canceled cons was the sense of community itself. The cons and live events provide cosplayers with a place to swap ideas, form partnerships, build networks, and — most of all — have each others’ backs.

“The one thing that I do love about the cosplay community is how accepting everyone is and the judgement-free vibe that everyone gives off,” Marie says. “Also, just meeting talented cosplayers throughout the years has been so inspiring to me.

I mean, looking at the hard work that I do and looking at the cosplays that I put out, sometimes I feel like it’s nothing compared to what everyone else puts out — and it’s so

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COSPLAY CORNER inspiring to see that I also can be that type of role model for them as they are to me.”

The pandemic also served as an additional challenge for cosplayers like Marie who are also healthcare professionals in their everyday lives. Their “day jobs” changed immensely, and being considered “essential” took on a whole new, very exhausting meaning.

“I’ve been working a lot, very hard, in the hospital,” she says. “Just the environment, the type of situation that we’re in, is very devastating and kind of heartbreaking. Seeing these types of patients in the hospital and seeing this virus affect so many people has been breaking down our spirits, so to speak.”

Marie and some fellow nurses who cosplay started a group text thread to support each other by giving each other a safe space to vent and to talk. She realized that the foundation the cosplay community was built on — that concrete support system — was still there, and it inspired her to do the Heroes Behind the PPE video. Playing off the Pass the Brush challenges on Instagram and TikTok — where creators edit together a compilation of makeup videos that begin and end with the talent appearing to physically pass a makeup brush between screens — Marie built up an idea that could give healthcare professionals a much-needed outlet for their pent up creativity.

From there, the network grew. “It started to become me reaching out to one person who knows another person, so there are a couple of people in that video that I’ve never met before, but it’s like I’ve known them for so long because of just reaching out to them and asking them to be a part of the video turned into something more beautiful where we get to talk to each other about our experiences as well, so we were connected in that way,” she says.

With the help of this network of cosplayers, Marie was able to edit together the powerful Heroes Behind the PPE video, giving all of the participants an opportunity not only to show off their craftsmanship, but also to find a sort of purpose in a seemingly devastating world.

After being posted on her Instagram feed, the video went viral in a way that Marie never expected. With more than 48,000 views, the video shows the cosplayers clad in PPE, then using medical equipment to swipe the screen and reveal themselves in cosplay, all set to The Score’s “Unstoppable.” An MRI tech becomes Wonder Woman, an ICU RN morphs into Catwoman, a lead surgical anesthetic aide transforms

into the Joker, and that’s just to name a few.

However, the benefits of the video’s viral fame extended far beyond healthcare professionals and the cosplay community. The pandemic brought a lot of media attention to healthcare professionals nationwide, and Marie’s video showcases a little bit of the humanity behind those masked faces we see on the news day in and day out — a reminder that there are real people with full lives, interests, emotions, and people of their own to care for behind those N-95 masks.

Plus, it brings a new spotlight to the cosplay community in general.

“As healthcare professionals, this is basically our time to shine, so to speak,” Marie says. “It’s almost like there’s this big magnifying glass that was put over front-line workers. We’ve always been around and because of this pandemic and global crisis, more eyes are on us. Putting forth this video also kind of helps the world realize that there are also cosplayers out there, because not a lot people know what cosplay is or what cosplayers do.”

But underneath it all, you’re watching these humans come together in a time of crisis and uncertainty. As you watch the video, your heart fills up because you’re seeing all of these “essential workers” come out from behind their protective gear and show us who they are. The video exudes compassion, togetherness, selflessness, and fun in a way that even inspires the viewer to regain hope.

“I’m just really proud of everyone,” Marie says. “It was my idea, sure, but it wouldn’t be what it was without everyone else in it because they really were the ones that brought it together. I honestly did this to just celebrate them because they are also my colleagues and they’re also my heroes, so it was really cool to see it all together.”

However, Marie is helping more than just those who are in her network. Because the video got so much attention, she added organizations to donate to in the video’s caption to spread awareness and help both big, national organizations and smaller ones

“As healthcare professionals, this is basically our time to shine, so to speak.”

Marie (BSN, RN) at work in the ICU during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Photo: @maweezy

closer to home. From Feeding America to Direct Relief to The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, fans of the video can get direct links to organizations that they can give back to in order to help out those in need.

Just like the rest of us, Marie is daydreaming of a post-pandemic world where we can gather up our outfits, armor, makeup, and wallets and head to a con and hug all of our geeky friends again. Along with meeting new friends — especially those from the video who she has not had the pleasure of meeting in person yet — and feeding off of everyone’s in-person energy and getting inspired by their new creative looks, Marie is anticipating another favorite con passtime.

“I’m really excited to just go to the merchants’ hall and get more stuff from different vendors because those are the main reasons why I love going to conventions,” she says.

“Not just cosplay, because that’s great, too, but also just spending so much money on different nerdy stuff. So that’s another thing that I look forward to.”

Whether it’s PPE, a fresh coat of makeup, or an expertly crafted, homemade helmet, remember that there is always more to the hero behind the mask. ✪

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FANDOM FEATURE

For kids and collectors, Hasbro brings home the fun!

by James Zahn, senior editor

S

ince the debut of Mr. Potato Head in 1952, Hasbro has been providing kids and families with an endless supply of new toys and games that have been passed down — and in some cases, continually reinvented — across multiple generations.

This year, with many families spending more time together due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rhode Island-based toymaker launched a new, digital resource platform aimed at helping families to #BringHomeTheFun. The site is packed with fun ideas to inspire play, including activity sheets and original videos from brands such as Power Rangers, Baby Alive, and Beyblade, and even newly created virtual rules for playing titles from Hasbro Gaming such as Clue, Scattergories, and Yahtzee with friends and family who may be “together apart.”

“It has been inspiring to see many of our brands including Play-Doh, Hasbro Gaming, Monopoly, and NERF provide some relief and comfort to families adjusting to their new normal,” says Eric Nyman, chief consumer officer at Hasbro.

“Many of us at Hasbro are parents and grandparents ourselves, and we hope Bring Home the Fun will continue to foster connections and help families and friends create moments of joy, laughter, and play for the foreseeable future.”

And, as families continue to play together and collectors seek to explore their passions while live events and conventions have (temporarily) gone virtual, Hasbro continues to debut exciting new and innovative toys and games for nearly every age and interest.

This summer, some familiar faces from the past are called back into action as G.I. Joe and Cobra face-off once more, the classic Ghostbusters strap on their Proton Packs, and the Transformers and My Little Pony crews team up with some ‘80s icons. The NERF Ultra range continues to expand with new high-performance blasters, and kids can interact with the adorable new member of the Furreal family, Mama Josie, the Kangaroo. Families will be enamored by the breakout star of The Mandalorian as The Child Animatronic Edition comes home with adorable action that’s out of this world. Finally, it’s time to meet up with Bucky the Stag for a competitive round of Deer Pong!

Top: Star Wars The Child Animatronic Edition comes with a Mandalorian-inspired Bantha Skull pendant

Right: The Snake Supreme Cobra Commander includes a soft goods cape, premium accessories, and custom box artwork from Sana Takeda

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FANDOM FEATURE Left: Scarlett returns with her iconic crossbow ready for battle.

Right: Gung Ho is ready for whatever Cobra can throw at him.

A new era for G.I. Joe begins with the introduction of the G.I. Joe Classified Series.

For the first time in the 56-year history of the iconic brand, characters from G.I. Joe are presented in an action-packed, 6-inch scale.

For the G.I. Joe Classified Series, characters from the legendary 3.75-inch G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero line (1982-1984), have been reinvented to be highly articulated for maximum poseability and presented with premium deco.

The line debuted at Toy Fair New York in February with the triumphant launch of the Hasbro Pulse exclusive collector’s edition Snake Eyes Deluxe Action Figure. The mysterious, fan-favorite ninja shipped with exclusive accessories, including an Arashikage Ninja Clan-inspired gear storage rack to hold Snake Eyes’ signature katana, sheath, and multiple other pieces of gear, all packed in a limited-edition box.

In July, the G.I. Joe Classified Series emerged at retail with a first-wave deployment including Roadblock, Snake Eyes, Destro, Scarlett, and Duke. With the villainous Cobra weapons dealer, Destro, in the mix, it’s only appropriate that the sinister Cobra Commander is waiting in the wings in Standard and Regal Variant editions. Additional members of the G.I. Joe and Cobra teams that will report for duty later this year include Gung Ho, Arctic Mission Storm Shadow, Red

Ninja, and Profit Director Destro — a figure inspired by a legendary 3.75-inch figure that most fans never owned.

“The G.I. Joe Classified Series is all about reintroducing the classic brand to a new global audience, and we’ve had a lot of fun reimagining fan-favorite characters with some inspiration from current trends,” says Nyman. “We know that there is always new action on the horizon in the near-future setting of the Classified Series, leaving the opportunity to introduce additional G.I. Joe and Cobra characters and their many allies and adversaries. The fun narrative art included in the packaging artwork brought many characters from the expansive G.I. Joe universe together, but also may be a nod in many cases of toys to come.”

Collectors who prefer to display their collections in their original packaging will appreRoadblock and ciate the numbered window the surprising display boxes featuring cusProfit Director Destro from the tom artwork from Francesco 6-inch scale Francavilla, Tracie Ching, OlG.I. Joe Classified iver Barrett, Phil Noto, Mike Series Thompson, and more.

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From the industrial battlefields of Cybertron and the quaint suburban landscape of Hill Valley to the dusty canyons of Tatooine and the ghost-filled streets of Manehattan, Hasbro is taking fans to unexpected places with new spins on classic brands.

STAR WARS THE CHILD ANIMATRONIC EDITION Ever since The Mandalorian first streamed on Disney+ last fall, audiences have been in love with the adorable creature who looks like “Baby Yoda,” but is officially called The Child. This fall, kids and collectors can pretend to be a protective bounty hunter as they interact with The Child.

“As soon as The Child was revealed ... we knew we had to get to work immediately on bringing this character to life within the Hasbro product line,” Nyman says.

The animatronic toy includes more than 25 sound and motion combinations including happy and excited giggles, babbles, and more. The Child can close its eyes, raise its arm, and let out a sigh as if its spending all of its energy using The Force before taking a nap.

HASBRO PULSE & HASLAB: WHERE FANS COME FIRST “In addition to our Bring Home the Fun campaign [for families], we’ve also remained committed to those who are interested in Hasbro’s portfolio of fan brands, which includes Marvel, Star Wars, Transformers, Power Rangers, G.I. Joe, and more,” Nyman explains. “Through Hasbro Pulse, we are able to stay connected to fans and ensure their voices are being heard with activities such as our Fan First Friday livestream events on the Hasbro Pulse Facebook page, wherein fans are given the opportunity to virtually touch base with brand and design team members to discuss updates and new product reveals, and more recently through HasLab — our very own crowdfunding platform — to bring coveted items into the hands of fans.”

The recent launch of the X-Men Legends Marvel’s Sentinel HasLab project reached more than 9,000 backers in less than 72 hours. “[It’s] been met with enormous success and an overwhelmingly positive reaction from fans, impressively surpassing the campaign’s minimum threshold,” Nyman says. “[Marvel’s Sentinel] will officially be going into production once the campaign concludes in late August.”

Transformers Collaborative features mashups with franchises including Back to the Future and Top Gun

My Little Pony Crossover Collection Ghostbusters Plasmane

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FANDOM FEATURE

From cuddling to competition, families can play together with some of the newest and hottest toys!

FURREAL MAMA JOSIE THE KANGAROO PET NERF ULTRA FIVE BLASTER Last year’s release of the NERF Ultra One ushered in a new era of foam-blasting fun. The NERF Ultra line features blasters with advanced design and performance to deliver extreme distance, accuracy, and speed. This fall, the range expands with new offerings including the NERF Ultra Five — a dart blaster that features a four-dart internal clip and can send darts flying up to 120 feet!

“We work hard to provide the NERF fan base, known affectionately as NERF Nation, with the products and experiences they want most,” says Nyman. “For more than 50 years, the NERF franchise has had a keen ability to captivate fans across all different generations and connect them over a shared love for the brand ... NERF serves as a great resource to encourage kids and families to get up, get outside in your own backyard, and get active together.”

With the NERF Ultra Five, opponents can slide the priming handle and press the trigger to fire four darts in a row.

Kids can play with this mama kangaroo and her adorable trio of Joeys (AKA baby kangaroos). Mama Josie responds to touch with more than 70 sound-and-motion reactions, including loving kisses and feeding sounds, such as hiccups and burps. Mama Josie plays music and does a hopping dance with her three little joeys that kids can unbox. One ‘roo is a boy, the other a girl, and the third is a surprise for kids to discover.

“Mama Josie the Kangaroo is the first FurReal pet to feature a family dynamic!,” says Nyman. “Together, Mama Josie the Kangaroo and her Joeys are one big hoppy family to love and encourage both imaginative and nurturing play for children who will love Josie’s lifelike expressions.”

DEER PONG Gather the whole family to meet Bucky the Stag, the talking deer who challenges teams to be the first to land three balls in his antler cups. The wise-cracking stag was a hit at Toy Fair New York in Feburary and is one of this season’s hottest new family games. When the trash talk is done, players can switch Bucky to “Joke Mode” to hear more wacky quips and phrases.

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Cover: Alter Nation from Panda Mony

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RICKY TO THE RESCUE

POP JUNIOR: FANDOM FEATURE

EONE’S LATEST BRAND ZOOMS INTO THE PRESCHOOL MARKET.

BY MIRANDA SIWAK, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Y

oung rescue motorcycle Ricky Zoom has driven onto the TV scene and captivated preschoolers’ attention. Developed by Entertainment One (eOne), the animated Ricky Zoom series debuted last fall, introducing kids to the red bike, his twowheeled friends, and the animated town of Wheelford.

“It’s the first preschool show based on motorcycles,” says Joan Grasso, senior vice president of North American licensing at eOne. “I think some of the themes and the backstory of the show are really different in that it’s really about Ricky and his friends working together to overcome whatever

challenge comes up in an episode.”

On the brightly colored Nick Jr. series, the little rescue bike lives in a town made only for vehicles. Ricky and his friends Loop, Scootio, and DJ go on adventures around Wheelford, often guided by their close-knit community, as they learn to stand on their own two wheels. Ricky Zoom promotes friendship, teamwork, and imaginative play — chock full of stunts, fast-moving bikes, and inventive rescues — Grasso explains.

Initially, the show was inspired by creator Alexander Bar’s own kids, who excitedly watched motorbikes during a traffic jam in London. The animated series features a cast of unique characters that families can connect with on an emotional level, according to Grasso.

“I think it really makes for more interesting storytelling,” Grasso says. “If everyone’s the same and they don’t have individual personalities, I don’t think it’s going to resonate as well with kids. They probably will identify with one specific character that they feel has a similar personality to themselves.”

A ZOOMING GLOBAL DEBUT

Ricky Zoom Core Racers assortment from TOMY

Before Ricky Zoom debuted on the streets stateside, the rescue bike took the global market by storm, premiering abroad last summer and resonating with an international market prior to its U.S. release in the fall, where Nickel-

odeon reported it as the No. 5 preschool show with boys ages 2-5 and among the top 10 preschool shows with kids ages 2-5.

Fans have turned out in droves to watch and experience Ricky Zoom through on-air broadcasts, YouTube videos, and social media posts. The show has gained popularity thanks to its engaging storytelling and the aspirational challenges that each bike overcomes. In each episode, Ricky and his friends work to overcome obstacles, which is what is so endearing and appealing to preschoolers, according to Julie Christopher, senior vice president of marketing at eOne. “I think [the show’s] really immersive in that bike world, and even going into Ricky’s home, you can see how the home is really for bikes, and not for humans with two legs; the whole world is bike-focused,” Christopher says. “I think that’s the magic of the show: ... It makes a lot of sense to the kids that are watching. I don’t know if they even notice that Ricky is not their friend, but they don’t think of him as a bike, they think of him as Ricky. I think it’s that nice connection that they’re getting with something that would normally be an inanimate object that has become a character and a friend.”

According to Grasso, the brand has leveraged kids’ interest in the show’s storytelling and animation to create a range of licensed merchandise that debuted earlier this year.

“The rich storylines and the stunning CGI animation translate exceptionally well to a broad consumer products program, starting with the characters themselves, [which] also happen to be motorbikes; the

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In Ricky Zoom, Ricky and his friends DJ, Loop, and Scootio explore the town of Wheelford and go on exciting rescue missions.

town of Wheelford; and all of the places that Ricky and his friends visit throughout their adventures,” Grasso says.

RACING TOWARD LICENSING Kicking off eOne’s licensing program, TOMY has signed on as the master toy partner to develop a line of vehicle figures and playsets based on the show. The toy range was designed to capture the show’s key characters, themes, and environments.

The first collection hit store shelves in March with a dedicated feature space inside Walmart stores and an additional display by the front entrance. Subsequent lines are currently in development and slated for release in the coming years.

The first iteration of the product assortment focuses on core themes and characters from the show’s first season.The toy line incorporates original, interactive features, and future ranges will dive into other characters and Wheelford locations, as well as further explore each bike’s personality.

“The idea is really to transport preschoolers to the wonderful world of Ricky Zoom and provide toys that directly resonate with the essence of the show and what

our audience is currently familiar with,” says Morgan Weyl, TOMY’s senior director of global toys. “The show is very unique, and we must ensure that the same uniqueness is driven in our line.”

Using the bike characters as inspiration, TOMY created figures that double as drivable vehicles. Many of the toys feature a push-up button, which provides more interaction during playtime.

“It’s really all about the bikes and the world,” Grasso says. “So [the goal was] creating a product line that looks physically as amazing as it does on the show, [with] a focus on the bikes. I think one of the great things that TOMY was able to figure out was that this [line] is for preschoolers, and the bikes will easily stand up.” eOne is currently in negotiations to expand the show’s licensees across publishing, games, crafts, apparel, sleepwear, party supplies, home goods, and accessories — all set to launch next year.

The company has already signed deals with Scholastic to launch new books inspired by Ricky Zoom. In addition, Bentex Group and its affiliates H.I.S. International and Dreamwave will soon develop new

apparel collections based on the red rescue bike. While details and plans are still in early developmental phases, Grasso notes additional character figures and merchandise will roll out next year.

PAGING RICKY ZOOM With the Ricky Zoom: Welcome to Wheelford mobile app, kids can get to know the characters from the show. The free app has had more than 7.5 million downloads since it launched in conjunction with the show’s broadcast debut, Grasso says. Kids can meet the bikes, test out their gadgets, and explore the town of Wheelford — all from a mobile device.

Moving forward, eOne plans to air new episodes of the series with special themes and stories. The series was recently renewed for a second season, which will debut this November.

One thing’s for sure: This little motorcycle is off to the races and is ready to take over the tracks. ✪

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Beyblade’s dedicated and passionate fans keep the dynamic brand spinning.

by Madeleine Buckley, associate editor Back in the early ‘00s, a young boy went out for recess one day and noticed some kids playing with a toy he’d never seen before. They launched spinning top-style toys into a lunchbox, battling to see whose would keep spinning the longest.

This, he would learn, was Beyblade.

Soon, the boy asked his mom to buy him Beyblade toys of his own. The toys were hard to find, but eventually they tracked some down in the downtown Toronto Toys “R” Us — he got Metal Draciel and Galzzly.

Fast forward about 18 years, and that boy is now Scott Williamson, the director of the World Beyblade Organization (WBO), the largest Beyblade fan organization in the world. Known in the Beyblade community as Kei, Williamson has since hosted more than 100 Beyblade tournaments in Canada, the U.S., and Japan. He has placed within the top three at more than 150 Beyblade tournaments and has become an integral part of the fan community.

There are seemingly endless potential entry points to discover Beyblade, which originally launched as a Japanese toy line in 1999. You can find Beyblade products in toy aisles, the Beyblade anime series on Netflix, Beyblade battling games in the app store,

Beyblade content on YouTube, Beyblade fans at tournament events, and more.

Yet, according to Shawn Wada, president and CEO of ADK Emotions NY — a subsidiary of ADK Emotions, which has developed Beyblade into a global franchise — most kids’ stories are similar to Kei’s.

“Beyblade is a phenomenon that spreads on the playgrounds and playrooms across the globe,” Wada says. “This is a game that new fans encounter by watching friends play, so there is an amazing peer-topeer connection.”

Since its initial launch back in ‘99, Beyblade has expanded both in its offerings and its global reach. The companion anime series first launched in 2001, and is now in its third generation.

The first two generations included seven series, three spin-off series, two movies, and countless toys. The newest generation, Beyblade Burst, debuted in 2016 and just finished its fourth series. In the show, kids follow the adventures of champion Beybladers as they train and battle. Then, fans can take the fun off-screen and collect and battle Beyblades in the real world.

For those who may not be familiar, Beyblades (or “Beys,” as most fans call them)

are spinning top toys that players send into an arena using a rip-cord launcher. Beyblades are made up of three interchangeable parts, which players can swap to create their ideal combinations — the possibilities are truly endless. The Beyblade battle ends when one of the tops stops spinning, either from running out of momentum; getting ejected from the stadium (called a “ring out finish”); or, with the most current Beyblade models, bursting apart.

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The battles, as Wada explains, combine skill and luck, which makes the toy appealing to a demographic that spans a variety of ages and geographic locations.

This is what Kei says he enjoys about the game most: “It’s easy to play, but hard to master.” As players learn about different Beyblade types, they can craft thousands of combinations with different strengths and weaknesses. He explains it best with something he wrote as part of a WBO 10th anniversary project: “The brilliance of Beyblade to me is its duality. Despite how simple the game is on a surface level — you build a top and launch it into a stadium — there exists a deeper, more complex level that challenges players who want to invest the time to learn it. To play competitively, you need to not only understand what the good combinations are, you need to understand how they work against any number of other potential opponents. … It’s not good enough to just walk into a tournament with what you think is the ‘best’ combo; you need to be able to react to anything.”

Kei’s passion for Beyblade is obvious, and certainly not unique to him. While it may not be a household name like Pokémon or Marvel, Beyblade has an incredibly passionate, substantial fanbase that plays a key role in driving the franchise.

Sonal Majmudar, who is the director of global brand strategy and marketing at Hasbro — which produces and sells Beyblade Burst toys in the U.S. — says the Hasbro team works closely with ADK Emotions NY to develop new products, always keeping fans first in mind.

“The passion the fans of the brand bring to the Beyblade community is unmatched,” Majmudar says. “Based on consumer insights from Beyblade fans who crave innovation and high performance, we’re proud to deliver an exhilarating new product lineup each year that encourages friendly competition and social play.”

That passion is evident everywhere that you can seek out Beyblade content online, from the “BeyTubers” who get hundreds of thousands of views on their Beyblade YouTube content to fan organizations such as the WBO. Founded in 2008 by a fan known as Bey Brad (who Kei credits as the person “largely responsible for growing the western Beyblade fan community online in the early ‘00s”), the WBO community is a fan-run, nonprofit group that isn’t affiliated with Hasbro, ADK Emotions, or any other official Beyblade license holders.

However, it does serve as a place where Beyblade fans can go to discuss the game, trade products, and request customizations.

The WBO also hosts Beyblade tournament events around the world.

Kei says that finding the online Beyblade community is what truly solidified his love for the brand. He explains that the WBO aims to provide that sense of community, and to give people a place to trade or sell Beys and discuss Beyblade with other genuine fans.

“We recognize that there are innumerable iterations and ways to play the game and ultimately want to help unite and support all Beyblade fans and smaller communities around the world,” he says. “We want everyone to enjoy the game and make new friends in the process.”

As the Beyblade fandom continues to grow, and with this year bookended by the 20th anniversary of the brand and the upcoming 20th anniversary of the original anime, ADK Emotions NY and Hasbro are both launching new initiatives and products for fans.

For the toy line, Hasbro launched Hypershere tops and arenas this year. These new Beyblade Burst tops offer specialized Performance Tips for additional speed and climbing abilities. Majmudar says the Hypersphere line is inspired by extreme sports, such as skateboarding.

Hasbro’s Beyblade Burst Battle app, which launched at the end of 2016, also remains a popular part of the brand. It has more than 30 million users around the world, with nearly 1 billion in-app battles.

ADK Emotions NY, meanwhile, is fo-

cused on producing video content for fans via the Beyblade Burst official YouTube page, including episodes of the anime series, music videos, and content featuring popular BeyTubers.

The company is also preparing to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the original anime. The ADK Emotions NY team created a separate style guide for classic Beyblade merchandise opportunities aimed at fans of all ages.

“It’s wonderful to see some new families with parents who were fans now sharing their love for the brand with their young kids,” Wada says. “We are always looking for ways to meet our fans’ increased demand for content with a wide variety of creative and engaging material.”

Also, in line with responding to fan feedback, ADK Emotions NY will begin uploading episodes of the first generation of Beyblade to its YouTube channel this summer and into next year, which is something Wada says fans have been asking for.

Perhaps one of the strongest indicators of Beyblade’s power of community?

Beyblade maintained sales during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a spike in online sales. “It’s a game that families can play together,” Wada explains. “We are hopeful that the recovery will start soon and, in the meantime, we are working within the current reality to keep fans engaged and still attract new kids and provide some entertainment and distraction while we wait for our communities to safely reopen.” ✪

Players compete in a tournament hosted by the World Beyblade Organization.

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Kids’ favorite TV shows, movies, books, and more come to life through toys, collectibles, apparel, and accessories. Celebrate kids’ love for their favorite characters with some of these new licensed products coming later this year.

Alter Nation Alpha figure

PANDA MONY SubSurf Shorties

SYBO GAMES SYBO Game’s Subway Surfers mobile game has been downloaded more than 267 million times, and this year there are a variety of products based on the game arriving at retailers. Sakar will release a skateboard, protective gear, a helmet, a scooter, and a hoverboard in November.

Alpha Toys will launch a full toy line based on the game, arriving exclusively at Walmart this fall. It includes Kustom Kings customizable foot-long subway cars with figures, Street Jammers Spray Can and Boom Box plush with musical capabilities, SubSurf Spray Crew individual figures, Fresh Kicks miniature sneakers, and SubSurf Shorties collectible figures.

Fans of the game will also be able to find bags, backpacks, and travel accessories from Accessory Innovations; home textiles from Franco Manufacturing; and multiple lines of apparel and accessories from Bioworld.

FAR OUT TOYS The Ryan’s World Road Trip Game from Far Out Toys is inspired by family road trips and the Ryan’s World YouTube channel.

Players ages 5 and up must race their van around the U.S., collecting power-ups, microfigure cards, and rarity stars along the way. The player with the most rarity stars at the end of the trip is the winner.

Panda Mony’s Alter Nation brand includes an original toy line, comic books from Dark Horse Comics, an animated web series created in partnership with Lil Critter Workshop, and more.

Alter Nation consists of six human-animal hybrids dedicated to protecting humanity from forces that no typical human can defeat. Characters include Daart, who is young and still training and leaps before he looks — literally, since he is a poison dart frog/ bullfrog hybrid. Sham, the veiled chameleon/tokay gecko/alligator hybrid, is a brilliant but manipulative spy; El Ray is an electric eel/catfish/sting ray hybrid who serves as the aquatic leader; and Albert VII, AKA the longhorned prankster with an affinity for bananas, is a toro bravo bull/capuchin monkey hybrid. Additional characters include Quillroy, a fruit bat/crested porcupine/black rhinoceros who loves heavy metal; Sabotage, a villainous cybernetic creature who is always upgrading himself; and two new characters who are coming soon: Bomber, a scorpion/bombardier beetle/Hercules beetle/stink bug hybrid; and Alpha, the first and most powerful human-animal hybrid.

Panda Mony’s goal with Alter Nation is to introduce kids to a new, fresh brand full of exciting content. Alter Nation was developed with hours of input from kids, and encourages healthy physical and psychological development, while also promoting quality time between kids and adults.

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HERSCHEND

PLAYMOBIL Spooky surprises await kids with the new line of Scooby-Doo toys from Playmobil. Kids ages 5 and up can help Scooby, Fred, and Daphne solve the mystery and avoid traps with the Playmobil Scooby-Doo! Adventure in the Mystery Mansion playset, available this August. The haunted mansion features the figures, a vampire, a coffin with a projector and sound effects, three ghost cards, and more.

Kids can activate ghoulish holograms with the help of the Playmobil app.

Available now, the Playmobil Scooby-Doo! Mystery Machine has everything kids need for a ghostly adventure.

It includes Fred, Daphne, and Velma figures and more accessories. The set features an illuminated monitor where kids can insert the included Playmobil Scooby-Doo! ghost cards to learn how to solve the case.

Mystery Figures (Series 1) The Playmobil Scooby-Doo! Scooby & Shaggy with Ghost set comes with plenty of snacks for the friends to munch on before they reconvene with their pals. Kids can combine this set with the rest of the Playmobil Scooby-Doo line.

There are also 12 ghosts to collect in the Playmobil Scooby-Doo! Mystery Figures (Series 1) line. Kids assemble the figures to reveal the character and can collect the stickers and ghost cards that come with it.

Herschend Entertainment Studios relaunched its kids’ show Chuggington: Tales from the Rails with new episodes premiering in June, two half-hour specials, new interstitials, and new music. In partnership with the relaunch, the brand’s master toy partner Alpha Group will release a new line of toys next year, including trains, playsets, and R/C vehicles.

Herschend plans to continue existing partnerships with long-running licensees, as well as expand into new categories, including publishing, secondary toys, puzzles and games, party goods, food and drink, sleepwear, and apparel. The brand has also partnered with a major railroad company in the U.S., with more details to be announced soon.

Chuggington: Tales from the Rails

MOOSE TOYS Moose Toys celebrates GIFs IRL with OH! MY GIF. Kids can collect and share more than 50 “GIFbit” characters, each with unique movements. The collection launched this spring with a typing cat and a #failburger hamburger.

Moose will launch a licensing program next year to expand the toy into new categories, such as apparel and accessories.

Kindi Kids debuted on toy shelves last summer with items based on the YouTube series for preschoolers. This year, a licensing program is launching in the U.S., the UK, and Australia. Licensing partners include Scholastic for books, Bentex for swimwear and apparel, Bendon for activity books, and Jay Franco for homewares. The brand will expand next year with a larger rollout of top-tier licensees.

Shopkins, the collectible brand based on household items continues in its fifth year as an evergreen license for Moose Toys, with items such as Shopkins Kellogg’s Cutie-O’s cereal and Shopkins toothbrushes.

OH! MY GIF

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PILLOW PETS Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? The new SpongeBob Pillow Pet! Pillow Pets launched a plush version of SpongeBob that kids can transform into a pillow by unfastening the hook and loop around the belly. It acts as both a plush pal and a comfy pillow for reading, watching TV, studying, or sleeping.

Fisher-Price Little People Collector The Office

MATTEL This June, kids ages 1 and up can meet their very first coworkers. The Fisher-Price Little People Collector The Office set offers big fun in a little package and features Michael Scott, Dwight Schrute, Pam Beesley, and Jim Halpert.

In the fall, kids’ favorite characters from StoryBots join them for playtime with the Fisher-Price StoryBots Plush. Kids ages 3 and up can bring their StoryBot on an adventure and squeeze it to hear fun songs and phrases. The Fisher-Price StoryBots A to Z Rock Star Guitar helps kids explore the alphabet with StoryBots tunes.

The Fisher-Price Imaginext SpongeBob Figure Six Pack features SpongeBob, Patrick, and more fan-favorite characters from under the sea so that kids to recreate their favorite Bikini Bottom moments.

Kids ages 4 and up can activate the Jurassic World Epic Roarin’ Tyrannosaurus Rex to act out scenes from the animated series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. It features a swinging tail, a moveable head, a twistable body, and chomping action.

This spring, kids who love Minecraft can collect a new line of mini-figures called Minecraft Earth Boost Minis. Kids ages 6 and up can scan their Boost Minis with a phone in order to gather XP in the game. Each figure is based on a specific Boost and there will be 20 different Boosts available at launch.

Kids who can’t wait for Wonder Woman 1984 can find the Wonder Woman 84 Fashion Doll Assortment, which features recognizable looks from the movie.

Kids ages 6 and up can choose Diana herself or her enemy Cheetah. The Wonder Woman 84 Deluxe Golden Armor Feature Wonder Woman Doll has a light-up feature so kids can recreate their favorite movie moments. With the Wonder Woman 84 Young Diana and Horse, kids can recreate Diana’s origin story. The doll is articulated and can ride her horse sitting, standing, and more to keep up with the action.

American Girl celebrates the Olympics with the Team USA Medal Ceremony Set, Team USA Gymnastics Set, and other various sporting sets. Each set features the outfit and accessories to transform kids’ dolls into Olympic athletes. Designed for kids ages 8 and up, the line also includes an American Girl Team USA Doll and Girl Shirt, so that kids can match their dolls.

KAWANIMALS Kawanimals is currently seeking licensing partners for its brand that aims to nurture kindness and empathy in kids through free online content. The content and activities are revised by child psychologists and early childhood educational experts. The fun stories, games, and activities feature cute animal characters and teach kids to be kind to others, themselves, and the planet.

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MASTERPIECES Get ready for a sweet treat with MasterPieces’ Hershey’s Kiss Puzzle, designed for kids ages 8 and up. When assembled, the 500-piece jigsaw puzzle is shaped like the classic candy and the image shows a collage of colorful Hershey’s Kisses. The puzzle’s box is also in the shape of a Hershey’s Kiss, and the chipboard is made of recycled paper and soy-based inks.

The Raggedy Ann & Andy Puzzles come in a four-pack of 100-piece puzzles that depict Raggedy Ann and Andy on bike riding adventures, in the garden, at the beach, and playing with their animal friends. These puzzles are designed for kids ages 6 and up.

BONKERS TOYS Kids ages 6 and up can groove along with the FGTeeV Party in the Elevator from Bonkers Toys. Based on the popular FV Family YouTube video with more than 55 million views, the set features groovy figures, light-up party favors, and a musical button that plays the “Party in the Elevator” song.

The FGTeeV Raptain Hook Sea FGTeeV Raptain Hook vSea Wagon Wagon features a sea wagon with figures hidden in secret compartments, a barrel of noise putty, a DJ booth with a light-up dance floor, and a built-in microphone and speakers so kids can sing along with Raptain Hook. The FGTeeV Raptain Hook Sea Wagon is available exclusively at Target.

Based on the Skate Everything YouTube series, the Braille Mystery SK8 Set includes a collector wheel storage case, four finger boards, advanced trucks, a construction tool, mini stickers, a ramp, and a grind rail. The set also features replicas of actual boards seen on the channel.

Designed for kids ages 3 and up, the Trinity & Beyond Mystery Heart Jewelry Box is based on the Trinity & Beyond YouTube channel and features secret storage compartments and a fashion mirror. Each set includes three surprise buildable mystery figures. Kids can mix and match the figure’s faces, outfits, and shoes to make custom characters. It also includes jewelry, hair accessories, and interchangeable charms that kids can use throughout the Trinity & Beyond toy line.

RUBIE’S COSTUME CO. The Imagine by Rubie’s Wonder Woman Child Dress-up Set from Rubie’s Costume Co. includes a red and blue, goldtrimmed tutu dress featuring the iconic Wonder Woman logo.

Young superheroes-in-training can complete their Wonder Woman look with the included belt, cape, and handbag.

SESAME WORKSHOP In addition to putting out various public health initiatives to help kids understand the COVID-19 pandemic, Sesame Workshop expanded its license to help kids understand mindfulness with a Headspace partnership called “Monster Meditations.” The animated shorts are available on YouTube and teach kids how to handle their emotions.

The Champion x Sesame Street collaboration features Sesame Street characters on apparel, such as sweatshirts and T-shirts, in sizes for men, women, and kids.

On HBO Max, kids can discover the animated special The Monster at the End of This Story this summer. Based on the book, it continues Sesame Workshop’s “Year of Monsters” campaign to celebrate all things furry, lovable, and brave.

Kids can also watch The Not Too Late Show with Elmo on HBO Max. The show features Elmo chatting with celebrity guests.

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WOWWEE

PLAYMONSTER PlayMonster adds JoJo Siwa and PAW Patrol designs to its Face Paintoos line, which give families the fun of face painting without the hassle of wet paint. Parents can use a wet sponge to apply the designs like they would a temporary tattoo. Designed for kids ages 4 and up, Face Paintoos won’t smudge and can be easily removed.

Peanuts Latchkits is a latch hook craft kit that kids ages 6 and up can use to create soft and fuzzy Snoopy designs by looping, hooking, and pulling the yarn through the canvas. The kit includes everything needed to create the designs: five bundles of precut yarn and a color-coded, easy-to-follow grid.

The sturdy canvas features fabric-lined edges and hanging loops.

Kids ages 3 and up can create their own scenes and stories with the new Colorforms Classic Retro Replay Editions, featuring Mr. Potato Head, My Little Pony, and Barbie Dream House styles. Kids can stick the characters and pieces on the boards again and again to build scenes as many times as they want. The Colorforms — Barbie Dream House features a two-story house that opens up to reveal indoor and outdoor play scenes.

It includes more than 50 restickable pieces, including groovy furniture and accessories inspired by the original set. The other two sets feature classic characters updated for today.

The Rare Entbrat is a limited-edition, 5-inch collectible that looks and sounds exactly like the rare monster from the My Singing Monsters mobile game. Designed for kids ages 6 and up, the collectible monster can sing solo or blend its voice with other monsters from the collection.

Preschoolers can enjoy brushing their teeth with Baby Shark, thanks to the new BriteBrush Pinkfong Baby Shark toothbrush. BriteBrush toothbrushes use engaging games, sound effects, and live coaching to encourage proper brushing. With this Baby Shark version, kids will experience bubble popping adventures, treasure hunts, and the popular “Baby Shark” song.

SPIN MASTER Spin Master expands its Batman products this fall with the DC Launch and Defend Batmobile R/C, which kids ages 4 and up can drive from up to 250 feet away. It also features a spring-loaded eject feature to launch the included Batman figure out of the car and into action. This Batmobile is compatible with Spin Master’s DC Batman 4-inch Figures, which are currently available. These figures feature 13 points of articulation and come with three mystery accessories.

This fall, kids ages 5 and up can teach Toothless to fly with the How to Train Your Dragon Flying Toothless. This toy uses the same technology from Spin Master’s Owleez toys to really fly and features a variety of interactive elements.

Spin Master will also add two new Monster Jam toys to the arena this fall. The Monster Jam Megalodon Storm is an R/C vehicle that kids can drive on water, featuring a water-resistant design and custom performance tires. Designed for kids ages 4 and up, the vehicle is a replica of the real Megalodon Storm Monster Jam truck.

The Monster Jam Official 2-in-1 Transforming Hauler Playset has two side-by-side ramps off the back, which kids ages 3 and up can use to race two Monster Jam trucks.

The set includes a donut spinner; an exclusive, 1:64-scale El Toro Loco; and room to store up to four additional Monster Jam trucks (sold separately).

Kids ages 6 and up can prepare to battle in the Bakugan Battle League Coliseum. Featuring banked walls for trick shots and inspired by arenas featured in the TV Show, the coliseum includes an exclusive Howlkor x Serpenteze fused Bakugan and a drawer to store Bakugan gear.

The Tech Deck Single Board collectibles are fingerboards that feature graphics from real skate companies. Each comes with accessories, including stickers, board stands, and skate tools. This fall, the Tech Deck Street Sports World Tour will offer three iconic, real-world skate spots as Tech Deck ramps. Each ramp includes a Tech Deck board.

DC Launch and Defend Batmobile R/C

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EPOCH EVERLASTING PLAY Epoch Everlasting Play expands its Aquabeads collection with sets based on Dreamworks’ Trolls World Tour.

With the Trolls World Tour Playset, kids ages 4 and up can craft Poppy, Branch, and new characters by placing the beads over the provided template, and then spraying them with water to fuse them together. The set features a flip tray to set the artwork aside for faster drying and also includes 800 jewels and solid beads, a case, a template sheet, and a sprayer.

The Trolls World Tour Character Set features more than 600 jewels and solid beads, a template sheet, and a sprayer that kids can use to make creations based on the colorful characters from the movie.

BASIC FUN!

Kids ages 4 and up can squish and mash Mash’ems Disney Frozen 2 Series 1 from Basic Fun!. These squishy collectibles feature six characters from Frozen 2, including Elsa; Anna; Olaf; Kristoff; Sven; and an ultra-rare, liquid glitter mystery character. Each collectible is sold separately.

INSIGHT EDITIONS

Insight Editions expands its L.O.L. Surprise! Officially Blinged Out Collection with new products available this fall.

Kids can learn about their favorite L.O.L. Surprise characters in the L.O.L. Surprise! Book of Surprises.

In addition to character details, this book features secret messages kids can reveal by looking through the magic mirror decoder. There are more than 100 surprises to unveil, including hidden pictures, secret stories, and doll-sized mini books.

With the L.O.L. Surprise! Photo Studio, kids can unfold four Instagram-ready, 3D scenes for their L.O.L. Surprise dolls or the three included paper dolls. They can also lift the flaps to reveal hidden surprises.

Kids can follow the step-by-step instructions in L.O.L. Surprise! Make Your Own Pop-Up Book: Fashionably Fierce to color and create eight pop-up scenes, featuring L.O.L. Surprise dolls, pets, accessories, and more.

The L.O.L. Surprise! Bling-A-Tree Advent Calendar lets kids count down to Christmas with daily surprises. First, they can build the Christmas tree, then look behind a numbered flap each day to discover a hidden ornament. The calendar also includes several blinged-out bonus surprises.

UNIVERSITY GAMES

Kids can enter the world of Dog Man and the Supa Buddies books by Dav Pilkey with University Games’ expanding line of Dog Man games and puzzles.

The collection features artwork and themes from the book series, which highlight a hero that is part dog and part man.

Aquabeads Trolls World Tour Playset

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THE REWIND

BY JAMES ZAHN, SENIOR EDITOR Nearly three years to the date that George Lucas’ Star Wars hit theaters to kick off a global phenomenon in 1977, audiences were back in theaters to witness the second chapter of the epic saga. Veteran filmmaker Irvin Kershner took the helm to direct The Empire Strikes Back from a screenplay penned by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan based on a story by Lucas.

On May 21, 1980, the growing Star Wars fandom would be introduced to new planets such as Hoth and Dagobah, and viewers would gasp at the revelation that Obi-Wan Kenobi (Sir Alec Guinness) wasn’t entirely forthcoming when he told Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) what happened to his dad. By the time that Darth Vader (performed by David Prowse and voiced by James Earl Jones) told the budding Jedi that he was, in fact, his father, the Star Wars universe had been massively expanded with the introduction of characters such as Yoda (Frank Oz), Boba Fett (Jeremy Bullock), and Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), not to mention a full crew of sinister bounty hunters, new aliens, new Droids, and Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) maturing from a damsel in distress into a leader of

the Rebellion during the Battle of Hoth.

In the years following its release, The Empire Strikes Back became legendary as a saga favorite for many Star Wars fans and a shining example of how a sequel can surpass an original story. Plus, it reminds us that movies don’t always need to come with a happy ending.

While the film was nearly universally hailed as a cinematic achievement for its visuals — created under Lucas’ supervision through his growing visual effects company Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) — it wasn’t necessarily received as a masterpiece by everyone right out of the gate.

The New York Times said “The Empire Strikes Back Strikes a Bland Note,” and The Hollywood Reporter famously confused Yoda and Boba Fett in a review that went to print calling the bounty hunter “a fascinating green-hued character” that provides “most of Luke Skywalker’s good advice.” Oops.

On its 40th anniversary, The Empire Strikes Back feels a lot like a metaphor for 2020. The Rebellion is beaten and battered as The Empire makes its presence known with battalions of Imperial Stormtroopers setting up shop in locations such as the idyllic Cloud

City that had at one point seemed far, far away from the revolution.

Celebrate 40 Years of Empire This year, fans can find a host of awesome merch that celebrates the anniversary, including new waves of Hasbro’s Star Wars: The Black Series action figures that come packaged on cardbacks that recall the toys that kids who grew up playing with the original Kenner Empire Strikes Back collection will remember and love.

Additionally, shopDisney offers an exclusive collection of products including apparel, accessories, and a die-cast Probe Droid replica that is perfect for scouting icy planets that have become a haven for Rebel scum. ✪

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: James Zahn, best-known as The Rock Father, is a senior editor of the Pop Insider, the Toy Insider, and the Toy Book. He was formerly the proud owner of an AT-AT from the Kenner Empire Strikes Back collection. Connect with him on LinkedIn or follow him @therockfather on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

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Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader face off above the Carbon Freezing Chamber in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.

Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd.

Left: Yoda offers encouragement to Luke Skywalker on Dagobah. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd.

FAST FACTS Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back Release Date: Wednesday, May 21, 1980 Original Budget: $18 million; grew to $33 million Worldwide Box Office: $547,897,454 across multiple theatrical reissues Returned to No. 1 at the U.S. Box Office in July 2020 with $290,000 in drive-in ticket sales *Source: Box Office Mojo

Products featured, clockwise from left: New Zealand Mint Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back 40th Anniversary 1/4 oz Gold Coin; GAP Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Millennium Falcon T-shirt; Funko Han Solo (Carbonite) Pop! Vinyl figure; Hasbro Star Wars: The Black Series Rebel Soldier (Hoth) action figure; FiGPiN Classic: Star Wars Luke Skywalker #504; shopDisney Imperial Probe Droid Limited Release.

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FANDOM FEATURE

Top: Dignitas FE at DreamHack Showdown, a tournament for women Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players. Photo: Dignitas FE

The first thing that Dignitas FE’s Vice President of Marketing Heather Garozzo — gamertag sapphiRe — warned me about as we walked toward the esports team’s training center is that the team was a little bummed out after the results of their most recent tournament.

This caught me slightly off guard, given that the tournament was the 2020 Girlgamer E-Sports Festival in Dubai and Dignitas FE had finished in second place.

When I pointed this out, she laughed. “I know,” she said, “but they won the last two.”

Women have been gamers as long as there have been games to game — the Entertainment Software Association’s 2019 survey of gaming demographics reported that women made up 46% of all gamers in the U.S. But those numbers lag significantly in the world of professional gaming, where women make up 30% of viewers, but only 5% of competitors — with some major leagues lacking women completely. Esports presents an incredible opportunity to create a 21st century sport — it’s international, accessible, and intersectional, without barriers based on gender or physical ability. But when the dismissal, belittlement, and harassment of women has been a brutal constant throughout the history of gaming, it’s important to ask: As we look toward esports’ bright future, how do we make sure women aren’t left behind?

And that was why I found myself in Los Angeles this past February. Well, that and the taco game in LA is just unstoppable. But mainly the article.

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Dignitas FE poses with the Fearless Girl in New York City. Photo: Dignitas FE

“And now, I’m realizing my team is moreso my family, more than just my teammates.”

Tacos aside, in the last decade, LA has become the epicenter of competitive gaming in the U.S. Many of the largest and most competitive North American gaming organizations have permanent offices in LA, and the city has multiple dedicated gaming arenas, including LCS Studios, which is home to the North American division of League of Legends, the world’s most popular esport.

The future of American esports runs through LA, and so do the people who will shape said future. People like Amanda Smith, Emmalee Garrido, Kiara Makua, and Melisa Mundorff — the four players who currently make up Dignitas FE. Dignitas FE is a well-established team, and many of its members’ careers predate the team itself. Makua — gamertag Milk — has been playing Counter-Strike since 2009;

Smith, who goes by Rain, since 2006; Garrido, the team founder and captain who plays as EMUHLEET, has been fragging terrorists since 2004; and when it’s Garozzo’s turn around the circle, the esports Hall of Fame player hesitates a moment: “It dates me,” she mutters, “but 1999.”

The original iteration of the team came together in 2014, when Garrido decided to assemble a squad to compete in the women’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament at the Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC) in Paris, France. Her reasoning?

“Of course I wanted to go to France,” she says, laughing, “but I wanted to show that, yeah, I am one of the best — if not the best — female gamers in the world. So that was kind of my chance to prove it.”

She reached out to friends she had

met through her time playing — including Garozzo, who she met just three weeks before the tournament — and the newly minted Team Karma took second place at ESWC 2014. Though some teammates have come and gone, they’ve been playing together ever since.

“And now, I’m realizing my team is moreso my family, more than just my teammates,” Garrido says, “and that’s something I didn’t know would happen when I first created the team.”

And it’s a good thing that Team Karma got along so well, because its first couple years of existence were marked by close quarters and deep personal commitment.

“First tournament, we had

Emmalee Garrido (EMUHLEET) and former Dignitas FE member Carolyn Noquez (artStar) Photo: Dignitas FE

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HOW FANDOM TO TRAIN FEATURE YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD

Emmalee Garrido (EMUHLEET) at DreamHack Showdown Photo: Dignitas FE

six people in one hotel room,” Smith recalls.

“We all shared one bathroom with five [other] girls. Oh, that was rough. But we made it work because we wanted it so bad.”

“We were one of the only teams that were going to events with no financial backing and no sponsors,” Garrido clarified. “For two, almost three years, we were paying out of pocket. But that just shows how much time and money we wanted to invest in proving ourselves to the world.”

Those years of perseverance proved worthwhile in 2017, when the team was acquired by Dignitas, a longtime esports organization that itself had been acquired by the National Basketball Association’s Philadelphia 76ers in 2016. The support of Dignitas and the Sixers — and the deep bench of support staff that came with them — have been huge boons for Dignitas FE. All three players I talked to extolled the virtues of being able to meet with the Sixers’ sports psychologist.

Garozzo shouted out the access to the organization’s PR teams, which has granted FE visibility and outreach not often available to women’s esports teams. But Garrido points to a different, larger benefit of working under the Dignitas — and the Sixers — umbrella.

“The whole esports community is still learning, where should there be places structured? And I’m noticing that we’re being treated like these traditional athletes,” she says. “These are things that people didn’t know a few years ago would help esports teams excel.”

It’s an important point to consider. In its early years, esports was often a wild west — even as its popularity grew, infrastructure like

"Opening those doors doesn’t always have to be about education — it can be something as straightforward as a strong sign that women are welcome in the gaming space."

media training, organizational mental health support, and safety measures didn’t match the growth rate. On one hand, this could be exciting: It heightened that closeness, that sense that these pros weren’t that far removed from us. On the other hand, it put gamers at risk: It supercharged exposure while limiting accountability led to increased opportunity for online and in-person harassment, and female-identifying gamers — who had always been popular targets of the worst tendencies of the large toxic subsection of the gaming community — bore the brunt of it. The support that Dignitas provides for the team and its positive effects raises an important question: Could making that much-needed structure more widely available provide safety throughout the gaming community — and in turn, make competitive gaming a more welcoming place for women?

One person who thinks the answer is “yes” is Nicole Lapointe Jameson, CEO of Evil Geniuses (EG), a 20-year-old gaming organization with teams across multiple games. Jameson, who after one year into her tenure as EG’s CEO has already established a deep and measured understanding of the history and future of gaming, is quick to hop on the point.

“Eight years ago — and I know I’m going to make people grumpy — I would describe it as more grassroots,” she recalls.

“Funding wasn’t readily available. It wasn’t a comfortable or well-established or low-risk lifestyle, and it was generally not understood.

It is not an inclusive or well-structured space

that has checks and balances and provisions to accommodate [anyone other than] the predominant individuals, which at the time [were] males and young males. So part of it was just how the industry is structured ... it self-selected out females from participating.”

Now, though, as the structure has fortified, the gates have begun to crack open as well. “Workplace cohesion and inclusivity is better thought about and structured,” Jameson points out. “Pay is more stable and career paths are more demonstrated.

So people from all different walks of life feel more comfortable entering the space.”

But then the next big question arises: Once you make the space comfortable for women, how do you convince them to come inside? Remember that 46% statistic from earlier? There’s an important caveat: While a large percentage of women play games, a very small amount — only about 6% — of women would call themselves “gamers,” compared to 15% of men.

It’s not surprising. Companies have always marketed games that have competitive scenes — Call of Duty, Counter-Strike, League of Legends, NBA 2K — more heavily toward men than women. For that work to be undone, it requires information at an early stage, and that requires education. Under Jameson’s leadership, Evil Geniuses has set out to do just that.

“Kids will go to elementary schools and

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know ‘OK, firefighters exist, doctors exist, teachers exist,’” she says. “But not too long ago, esports wasn’t something that most people would have in their vocabulary.

So, we are working really hard to roll out education at an earlier age in a positive way.

Because the more people understand and are educated on, the more legitimacy and opportunity in the space, the better it is for everyone.”

The women of Dignitas FE have been working hard in this area as well. For the past several years, members of the team have attended an esports welcome week event for new students at the University of California, Irvine; and they run workshops for women interested in gaming. “A lot of them don’t play Counter-Strike, but that’s OK,” Garozzo says. “They’re just looking for female role

about getting women more choices. I saw a hole where all these options don’t exist, so I just wanted to give them opportunities to choose what they want.”

Sugita’s career is breathtaking in its expanse and prowess. A top-ranked competitive Starcraft 2 player, she transitioned to hosting and commentating on Starcraft before moving into management. Along each of those steps, she was often one of few women — if not the only one — in her field.

But she’s quick to point out that she doesn’t think of things that way.

“I have my own standard for myself,” she says. “I see myself as just a CEO. Just me.

Just a person. I understand that other people like me may feel more comfortable with the only female this or that. I think both can exist.

I don’t think we have to be so small minded.”

Dignitas FE at DreamHack Showdown Photos: Dignitas FE

models to look up to, and that’s something [that’s] incredibly important to us.”

Opening those doors doesn’t always have to be about education — it can be something as straightforward as a strong sign that women are welcome in the gaming space. Tricia Sugita, the CEO of gaming organization Flyquest, was the architect behind Flyquest’s women’s clothing line. When the line debuted in 2019, it was the first clothing line for women in esports. For her, however, it was important to make sure the message in the marketing was clear.

“When our PR person put it together, I ripped it apart,” she recalls. “It was such from a male point of view. It was all about ‘We finally have it! It’s about time!’ And I was like, ‘Yo, we don’t speak for all women.’ This was

It’s an interesting line that women in esports are asked to walk.

They are made standard bearers not necessarily because they want to be, but because when there are painfully few to choose from, you have little choice.

“I was sort of like, ‘oh, girls, I don’t think I’ll get along with them,’” says Makua, Dignitas FE’s newest member. “I always kind of shifted away from playing on a girl team.”

And that’s understandable. The goal for these women was never to be the best female gamer — it was to be the best gamer, period. The majority of the year, Dignitas FE

plays against all-male teams.

“We do the women’s events because they promote female participation in esports,” Garozzo says, “but still, in terms of other events, we want those to be gender agnostic. We want to and can compete with the males and we want to be the best Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team in the world, regardless of our gender.”

“We’d like to be much more purposeful with gender and diversity initiatives because we'd like to help be a driving force in bringing the space to where we believe it should be,” Jameson says, “both for its own perpetuity and success, as well as showcasing the best of all gamers. I think that is a really, really good starting step for both showcasing and breaking all presuppositions around ‘females could not play at this pro level’ or ‘they don't belong or cannot hold their own in this space.’”

Sugita worked along the same lines for Flyquest. “My goal was to be much more inclusive,” she says. “I want to hit not just the hardcore fans, but the fans that are like ‘hey my boyfriend likes sports or league, so I watch it with him, but I don't really have a reason for it.’ I wanted my girlfriends [who don’t play games at all] to like my team. I'm thinking of my niece.”

Women in esports are no longer an oddity or a singularity. They’re in the scene.

They’re in the front offices. They’re behind the hosting desks and designing the jerseys.

The groundwork is there, and it is continuing to grow. The next step, then, is how to normalize it; how to take one of the rarest unicorns in sports — a sport that still has room to grow, that has no skill barrier across genders, that has no reason for sexism to be inherent in its DNA — and code equality into its progress. It’s a step that people like Jameson, like Sugita, like the women of Dignitas, are making great strides toward, and that we, as fans, consumers, and gamers, can help to bring over the finish line.

For Garrido, it’s the chance to fill a gap for those who come after her. “I’m just thinking of me as a little girl going shopping and seeing a female gamer poster at a normal store, and saying ‘wow, that’s just like me.’ So I’m just waiting for the chance to do that.” ✪ THEPOPINSIDER.COM | #FuelYourFandom | 65

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FLAUNT YOUR FANDOM

SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW

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You may not be going to Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon anytime soon, but you can still have a Disney summer with this Mickey Mouse Pool Float Ear Headband.

Whether you plan on sporting it on Main Street in Magic Kingdom or at a pool party of one in your own backyard, at least you’ll look the part of a Mouseketeer.

MSRP: $29.99 Available: shopdisney.com

Never have we felt so seen by Batman as in issue No. 241 of Detective Comics, in which the caped crusader says: “I must, Robin – I must wear a different-colored Batman costume each night!” You, too, can distract your villains with the Entertainment Earth-exclusive Batman Rainbow Logo Mini-Backpack from Loungefly, featuring a colorful display of bat symbol logos inspired by “The Rainbow Batman” cover of the comic.

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Change out of those crusty pajamas and dress for the occasion when you’re binge-watching your favorite Star Wars flicks. Pay your respects with new additions to Cakeworthy’s Star Wars line, including a Darth Vader and Stormtrooper printed T-shirt; an ‘80s-inspired, twopiece set; a Dark Side denim jacket; a black-and-white, tie-dye dress; and more.

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UP, UP, AND AWAY STANCE

In honor of Pixar’s 25th anniversary, Stance is keeping toes toasty with stripped-down designs of Pixar classics to showcase the art behind the animation process. The Pixar box set includes two exclusive pins and six pairs of socks, featuring Up, Toy Story, Finding Nemo, WALL-E, Monster’s Inc., and the Pixar logo.

MSRP: $200 (box set); $19.99 (per pair) Available: stance.com

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Don’t be a lew-who, za-her. Look your summery best with RSVLTS’ Ace Ventura Short Sleeve Shirt collection. The patterned shirts look like tropical, Hawaiian-style designs from afar, but when you take a closer look, you’ll find clever Ace Ventura-inspired details, including Jim Carrey in a tutu, Ray Finkle’s football jersey, and dolphins galore.

MSRP: $65 Available: rsvlts.com

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Electrify your wardrobe with new Pokémon apparel from Uniqlo and artist Daniel Arsham.

The line features designs based on Arsham’s “Relics of Kanto Through Time” project, in which he imagines Pokémon characters unearthed a thousand years into the future as part of a fictional archaeology concept. We’d rather excavate Cinnabar Island than King Tut’s tomb any day.

MSRP: $14.90 each Available: uniqlo.com

CARE BEAR STARE IRREGULAR CHOICE

Let’s be real: Bedtime Bear is one of the more relatable Care Bears (along with Grumpy Bear, obviously). When you’re not spending your summer catching up on sleep with glorious naps, stash your stuff in this playful Sweet Dreams Bag, part of Irregular Choice’s Care Bears collection.

The candy-colored masterpiece features heartshaped gems, metallic details, and can be worn as a backpack or a crossbody bag.

MSRP: $215 Available: irregularchoice.com

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MINT CONDITION

FANS MAKING FIGURES Thanks to the internet, it's easier than ever to make your own collectibles.

by Daniel Pickett, editor-in-chief, Action Figure Insider

W

e are currently in a golden age of toy making and collecting where not only is the technology of digital sculpting and rapid prototyping available in affordable home versions, but the internet also gives hopeful toymakers a global connectivity they can use to reach license holders and leverage overseas factories for toy production. Add in the proliferation of crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter and Patreon, and you suddenly have the fan equivalent of venture capital to help back products that, even a few years ago, would have been thought of as impossible to produce.

If you have a love of toys, a drive to succeed, and an entrepreneurial spirit, then all of that can add up to the fact that fans are able to make figures for themselves. New, smaller, independent toy companies are popping up each month, and we have now seen at least two waves of these companies succeed and inspire new, hopeful toymakers into the market.

There has been a significant shift from the toymakers of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Many of those toy forefathers were engineers and designers who thought they would end up designing cars or industrial products and happened to find their way into toy design and manufacturing. But today’s toy companies are filled with the kids who grew up with the amazing toys of the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s, and now want to see improved versions of their favorites, or make products based on iconic movies, TV shows, comic books, and video games.

No longer are the large and mid-sized toy companies the gatekeepers of what products get made. Because of all of these new tools, toy fans are forming their own independent toy companies and making some very impressive lines. These are not the small, “art toy” makers, doing homecastings and small runs of figures out of their garage. These are actual factory-made figures featuring both licensed properties and original intellectual properties (IP).

In this feature, we have a conversation with the newest class of fans who have successfully launched new lines of action figures, talking about how to turn an idea

into fully realized plastic, the biggest pitfalls and snags in this process, and if passion is enough to succeed.

STAND ON THE BACKS OF THE GIANTS WHO CAME BEFORE There is already a “first class alumni” of established toy companies that started out as fans wanting to make toys. Companies such as The Four Horsemen Design Studio, Onell Design, Spy Monkey Creations, and Boss Fight Studio are all great examples of early pioneers that proved it could be done, and that the fans would show up and support with their wallets. These toymakers inspired the next generation and have supported and advised the maker community to help get more cool products made.

For some of these up-and-coming toymakers, the moment when they realized they could make toys themselves came very early in life. “It came very young for me, maybe [age] 5 or 6, when I used some bakeable clay to mold a Mega Man figure,” says Jesse DeStasio of Toy Pizza and Knights of the Slice, creator of the “Figure of the Month” club. Although it would take him three more decades to take the chance and do this on a professional scale, he says, “It was like a doorway opening, making it possible to give life to the characters I wanted to see as toys.”

For David Silva, founder of Creative Beast Studio and the Beasts of the Mesozoic action figure line, he looked to those who came before him. “I suppose the first signs of this being a possibility happened when I saw the Four Horsemen’s success with their Gothitropolis Raven Kickstarter back in 2013,” he says. “After that, I noticed that action figures were being crowdfunded each year by small companies, and again with the Horsemen’s Mythic Legions a couple years later. It was around that time, [in] 2015, that I experienced another failed attempt at bringing dinosaur action figures to market with an established toy company … so I decided that if it was going to get done, I’d have to do it on my own.”

Ryan Magnon of Panda Mony Brand Toys, which just launched

its successful line of 6-inch Alter Nation figures, always had an unrelenting passion to start a business and work with talented people to bring new ideas to life for characters and stories. He said he could always come up with dozens of ideas for stories a day, but he needed a way to get them out into the world.

“While toys was a riskier industry because it required a higher upfront cost, it was significantly less saturated than content creation outlets such as comics, games, and animation,” Magnon says of his entry into the toy world. “We mitigated the extra risk by testing our concepts with kids to see what appealed to them. That way, even if we’re putting a lot of extra investment into a project, at least it’s not a total shot in the dark or a personal passion project.

We wanted to make sure it resonated with kids. We had no delusions that it was going to be easy, and I was totally inexperienced in manufacturing, but we expected a bold move to pay off bigger than a safe play.”

Inexperience is often enough of a hurdle to keep most people from embarking on an entrepreneurial venture, but these plastic pioneers saw far because they stood on the backs of giants and sourced those who came before them for advice on how to get started.

“Before I did my first Kickstarter campaign, I spoke with Jim Preziosi (Four Horsemen) and Fred Aczon and Dave

Flash Gordon Action Figure from Boss Fight Studio

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MINT CONDITION Proctor (Boss Fight Studio) who all gave me helpful insight into the process along with advice based on their own personal experiences with Kickstarter,” Silva says about launching his Beasts of the Mesozoic: Raptor and Ceratopsian crowdfunding campaigns. “There were a lot of things I had no clue about before I spoke to them, such as keeping the main funding goal attainable, fulfillment challenges, and how to incorporate stretch goals via BackerKit.” Bill Murphy of Fresh Monkey Fiction, makers of the Amazing Heroes and Eagle Force figure lines, says he reached out to several other successful toymakers before jumping into those waters. “Finding a reliable factory has been plaguing me for four years,” he says. “I’m thankful that other indie toymakers were kind enough to help me get to a new factory … Know your market, do your research, and build a fanbase.

This was the best advice and I still use it as a baseline for every project.”

Toy Pizza’s DeStasio gives credit to one of the granddaddies of the independent toy movement and creator of the Glyos system: “The entire line of Knights of the Slice owes a life debt to Matt Doughty and Onell Design. I wouldn’t be doing this today without standing on the shoulders of what he built.”

OVERCOMING THE FINANCIAL HURDLE The biggest hurdle to getting started is often a financial one. “It’s a minimum investment of $10,000-20,000 to manufacture a figure over in China, and that doesn’t include the cost of time you put in,” DeStasio remembers. “I’m thankful now to have a prosperous Patreon and dedicated fanbase … With them, I can self-finance most of my creations.”

For others, the biggest obstacle has been overseas manufacturing, an issue that haunts every toy company, regardless of size. “Each step is full of challenges from crowdfunding to production and then fulfillment,” says Silva, who literally and figuratively was getting dinosaurs to walk.

“But my biggest challenge being a small, independent toymaker is distribution. Many people don’t realize that funds from these crowdfunding events really only cover the cost of producing the figures. Potential profits can’t really be assessed until after all the rewards go out and then [the] remaining stock, which is to be sold to the general public, is where the real profits happen … Getting into stores and creating retail partnerships from the ground up after a Kickstarter is a slow process, a lot of work.

I’ve been fortunate enough so far to have

Panda Mony Brand Toys’ Alter Nation figures

my product in many great online stores and specialty shops, but I’m always looking for new ways to reach customers via retail.”

Even with the roadblocks, the setbacks, the sleepless nights, and the early mornings, there are priceless rewards to taking on these projects, from seeing your first factory-painted sample to releasing your original IP into the world. Then, the real reward: Through the power of social media, you get to see the evidence and pictures of fans enjoying your labor of love.

ADVICE TO THE NEXT GEN OF ASPIRING TOYMAKERS We asked each of our contributing toymakers what piece of advice they would give anyone who was interested in launching their own new toy line, and while there is not exactly a common thread to their answers, you can tell that each tip has been colored by their personal experience of the process.

“Focus on handmade/resin projects stateside for a couple years before moving into manufacturing in China. Everyone wants to run before they walk,” says Toy Pizza’s Destasio. “Work on building up 100 unique customers who buy everything you release before you invest in tooling. Iterate every single day on your ideas, be it through Instagram, Facebook, etc. Starting at mass-manufacturing is a recipe for failure.”

He adds, “If you do, in fact, move to manufacturing overseas, you must go to the factory. I cannot overstate this enough. You will not be treated the same way if you are a faceless name in email. And yes, I realize this is an extra tall ask right now because of the pandemic, but you should weigh that risk into your plan.”

Panda Mony’s Magnon says to start with some simple questions: “The most important [thing] is to focus on the business first: Who’s the audience, what do they want, and how can you deliver?”

Fresh Monkey Fiction’s Murphy warns, “Don’t do it for the money (because you

won’t make a lot). You need to do it for the passion ... But passion is not enough: You have committed to not only your projects, but also the fans who are supporting you.

If you don’t want to put in the work — and trust me, it’s a lot of work — don’t bother.

This is not something you can do unless you’re 100% invested in making it a reality.

That said, don’t go into debt to make this happen, it’s not worth it. Like everything in life, you need to find the right balance.”

“If you are considering this, I urge you carefully and honestly think about your motivation for doing it, because it will consume your life,” Creative Beast’s Silva says. “Personally, I love it because, as Bruce Banner said, ‘I was made for this’ ... If your motive is that you want to see your characters get made into action figures because you like action figures, that may not be enough.

It’s important to see what’s missing in the marketplace and come up with a way to fill that void. Take an honest look at the action figure market and think about how you can improve it for others, not just for yourself.”

Everyone of these quoted toymakers are regular fans — just like us. They took their dreams and made them plastic. If you have an action figure line that you think should be made, don’t simply put that dream on a shelf. Put together a business plan, talk to the experts who came before you, build a fanbase, find some funding, and see if just maybe you could put your own creation on that shelf instead. ✪

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Daniel Pickett founded his toy and pop culture news and review site, Action Figure Insider, 15 years ago. He built relationships with every major toy manufacturer and grew his hobby into a worldwide expertise that the industry has embraced. He has hosted panels about the toy industry for conventions such as Comic-Con Interational: San Diego for more than 15 years, and even spent several years on the inside of the industry as the marketing manager for Gentle Giant Ltd. and Gentle Giant Toys.

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