MAY/June 2016

®

Volume 32, No. 3 — Published by Adventure Publishing Group

Jonathan Samet Publisher jsamet@adventurepub.com

DEPARTMENTS 10 Editor’s Viewpoint 12 Industry Update 14 Stat Shot 15 Euromonitor 16 Talking Social Media How to Create an Effective Influencer Campaign

24 TIA Perspectives

Summer Toy Trends

104 Compliance & Regulations

94 Property Profile:

ICTI CARE’s Committed Brand PLUS Program

100 Toys & TV:

105 Industry Marketplace

Disney•Pixar’s Finding Dory The Evolution of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

106 Flashback: May/June 1996

Jackie Breyer Editor-in-Chief jbreyer@adventurepub.com Marissa DiBartolo Senior Editor mdibartolo@adventurepub.com Ali Mierzejewski Senior Editor amierzejewski@adventurepub.com Maddie Michalik Assistant Editor mmichalik@adventurepub.com

17 Sweet Suite 2016

Varuni Sinha Assistant Editor vsinha@adventurepub.com

FEATURES

Joe Ibraham Assistant Visual Media Editor jibraham@adventurepub.com

18 Being Smart About Smart Toys

What Toymakers Should Do to Stay on Top

Stephanie Grassullo Editorial Assistant sgrassullo@adventurepub.com

102 Game Changer Why Toy Companies Are Consolidating

Bill Reese Production Director breese@adventurepub.com

20 Smart Toys 2016: Showcase

Lori Rubin Controller/Office Manager lrubin@adventurepub.com

82 Licensing Expo 2016 A look at this year’s licensed brands and properties on display.

U.S. Corporate Headquarters Laurie Schacht President laurieschacht@aol.com

98 ’80s Toys Are Back and Totally Awesome!

Sony Pictures Consumer Products Is Riding the Time Machine to Success

Slimeball Flinger Darts, by Diggin

specialty toys & gifts: 25 26 ASTRA’s Insights

Certified Master Retailers discuss how the credential improved their business.

27 News

28 Chatting with the Industry

Retailers and manufacturers discuss the challenges of the specialty toy industry.

36 ASTRA Marketplace 2016

A Selection of Toys Being Exhibited at the Show

78 How Play Works

Sandbox@MIT explores ways research can help kids play better.

80 Donating to Your Bottom Line

Why You Should Consider Donating Excess Inventory to Charity

On the Cover: Adora’s BathTime Baby Kitty, Berg’s Buzzy Nitro, Blue Orange Games’ Kaboom, Edushape’s Dr. Pooch, Faber-Castell’s Craftivity Super String Lanterns, Folkmanis’ Monarch Life Cycle, Green Toys’ Fire Station Playset, Gund’s Swim Trunks Curious George, Learning Resources’ New Sprouts Grow It!, Mindware’s E-I-E-I-GO!, Play Monster’s My Fairy Garden, Thames & Kosmos’ Geckobot

Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.® 307 7th Avenue, #1601, New York, NY 10001 Phone: (212) 575-4510 • Fax: (212) 575-4521 The Toy Book Volume 32, No. 3 THE TOY BOOK (ISSN-0885-3991) is published bimonthly by Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.® Editorial and advertising offices are located at 307 Seventh Ave., Room 1601, New York, NY 10001, Phone (212) 575-4510. Periodicals Postage paid at New York and additional mailing offices. Copyright © 2016 Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.® All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. Printed in U.S.A. Subscription rates: $48 one year, foreign $200. The Toy Book is a trademark of Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.® Registered in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Postmaster: Send address changes to: The Toy Book, c/o Adventure Publishing Group, 307 Seventh Ave., Room 1601, New York, NY 10001. Opinions and comments expressed in this publication by editors, contributing writers, or solicited or unsolicited documents are not necessarily those of the management of The Toy Book.

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