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Jan 30 2012
Random House, Sesame Street Crack Open e-Books
Digital titles include Elmo Says Achoo! and Elmo’s Breakfast Bingo, both available now, as well as another 19 titles—such as Baker, Baker, Cookie Maker and Big Bird Says…—set to launch later this spring. “Sesame Street has always aimed to reach children everywhere, and today that includes the evolving digital arena,” said Jennifer A. Perry, vice president […]
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Jan 30 2012
Douglas Touts Tatty Teddy
On Tuesday, New England-based Douglas Company, one of the biggest plush manufacturers in the U.S., unveiled its latest Carte Blanch Me to You brand line: The Tatty Teddy Birthday collection. The line features seven bears, including: a 6-inch bear with a blue or purple plush star, an 8-inch bear with a gift box, an 8-inch […]
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Jan 30 2012
Social media site Pinterest Driving Significant Traffic to Retailers
Pinterest, a 2-year old social media site that allows users to collect and share their favorite photos from the web, is beginning to drive a significant amount of traffic to retailers’ websites, according to tech blog Mashable. The number of unique visitors to Pinterest.com increased by 429 percent from September to December 2011, jumping to […]
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Jan 23 2012
Sonic the Hedgehog Makes a Comeback
Sega is bringing back its popular hedgehog at sonic speed. The brand has signed toy producer Meccano to create a line of Sonic the Hedgehog construction toys including figurines, vehicles and play sets, set to launch in Fall ’12. In addition, Sega teamed up with RHM Solutions to launch an online store for Sonic the […]
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Jan 23 2012
DisneyBaby.com Goes Live
DisneyBaby.com, an online destination and showcase for Disney Baby brand products, was launched Wednesday by Disney. The site, which is exclusively sponsored by Huggies, features Disney Baby Magical Moments—a tool that allows parents to upload their most beloved baby photos and memories to create a community of shared family experiences—and Disney Baby product collections, ideas […]
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Jan 23 2012
Disney Store to Remodel and Open 13 Stores in 2012
The Disney Store on Tuesday announced its plans to open 13 news and remodeled locations in North America in 2012, as well as the company’s first ever store in China, in Shanghai. The North American openings include the debut of Disney’s new interactive format in stores in Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Utah and Virginia.
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Jan 13 2012
Douglas Company Adopts the Big Red Dog
Douglas Company, known for its plush products, has signed an agreement with Scholastic Media to produce Clifford the Big Red Dog plush dogs, as well as fashion plush, such as the Sassy Pet Sak. The Douglas Clifford collection will target specialty toy and gift stores in the U.S. and Canada and will debut at the Winter Shows […]
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Jan 13 2012
Jakks Gets Heroic
Marvel Entertainment has appointed Jakks Pacific, manufacturer and licensee of assorted toys and figures for brands like Cabbage Patch Kids and The Smurfs, to create a line of plush products based on its Marvel Super Hero Squad. The line—which ties into the new Marvel virtual online world, HeroUp.com – will launch at specialty retailers this spring […]
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Jan 13 2012
December Sales Beat NRF Forecasts; Children’s Apparel Top Category
Holiday sales rose by 4.1 percent, to $471.5 billion, topping the 3.8 percent growth initially predicted by the National Retail Federation, the organization announced Thursday. December retail sales figures released by the Commerce Department Thursday show total retail sales for the month increasing by only 0.1 percent over November, but by more than 6 percent […]
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Jan 13 2012
Isaac Mizrahi and bon bébé Team Up
Womenswear designer Isaac Mizrahi will launch his first line for infants. The line will be manufactured and distributed by the licensor bon bebe. The debut 25-piece collection will be available in department and specialty stores starting this fall. Mizrahi plans to eventually expand the collection to bigger sizes.
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Jan 9 2012
Thinkway Toys to be Global Master Toy Licensee for Despicable Me 2
Universal Partnerships & Licensing and Illumination Entertainment have formed a partnership with Thinkway Toys to create globally distributed toys based on the animated children’s movie Despicable Me 2, which hits theaters this July 2013. Thinkway will develop a variety of toys featuring the “Minions” and other key characters, including interactive toys, figures, plush, dolls, […]
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Jan 9 2012
Joester Loria Nabs Eric Carle Licensing Deal
Global brand management and brand licensing firm Joester Loria landed a deal with Eric Carle to represent The World of Eric Carle licensing program. With plans to expand the program—which includes Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar—in the U.S., the U.K., Australia, Europe and Japan, Joester Loria will focus on key merchandising categories such […]
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Jan 9 2012
Kohl’s Adds Princess Vera Wang
For the 2012 back-to-school shopping season, Kohl’s and Vera Wang Group will launch Princess Vera Wang, a juniors’ contemporary lifestyle collection. The first collection, set to hit stores in August, will include apparel and jewelry. Plans to grow the juniors line into other categories are in the works.
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Jan 9 2012
Barbie Named Top Import
A recent report from Panjiva, a company that collects date on global trade, names Barbie as the top holiday import to the United States for a second year in a row. From August to September, the months when a majority of holiday imports are received, the U.S. accepted a total of 2,598 shipments of […]
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Jan 9 2012
CEO of Claire’s Stores Steps Down
Claire’s Stores announced Friday that the company’s CEO Eugene S. Kahn resigned. Kahn had served as CEO since the chain went private in 2007 in a $3.1 billion takeover by private-equity firm Apollo Management LP. Claire’s Stores President James G. Conroy and Jay Friedman, president of Claire’s North American Division, will immediately form an […]
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Jan 9 2012
Children’s Place Lowers 4Q Profit Expectations due to Markdowns
Children’s Place Retail Stores Inc. lowered its fourth-quarter earning guidance citing aggressive markdowns and higher apparel costs, according to The Wall Street Journal. Unseasonably warm weather forced the children’s specialty retailer to mark down winter clothing to clear out the inventory, said the company’s chief executive Jane Elfers. She added that in 2012 the […]
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Jan 9 2012
Robar, Inc. Joins Cutie Pie Baby Family
Robar, Inc., a twenty-year veteran of the children’s clothing industry, has been merged into children’s fashion house Cutie Pie Baby. Eli Yedid, president of Cutie Pie Baby, calls it “the perfect merger.” After the merger, Cutie Pie Baby will be the surviving company and will step into the shoes of the $30 million dollar business, […]
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Dec 19 2011
Holiday Online Spending up by 15 percent
Retail e-commerce spending for the first 42 days of the 2011 holiday season is up 15 percent year-over-year, for a total of $26.8 billion spent online, according to data released Wednesday by comScore. The most recent week of data (ending Dec. 11) reached a record $6.1 billion in online spending. The fastest growing online retail […]
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Dec 19 2011
Toys “R” Us to Stay Open for 112 Consecutive Hours
Toys”R”Us announced Thursday that its stores nationwide will remain open for 112 uninterrupted hours beginning at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 20 and continuing through 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve. The retail giant will also hold a two-day sale from Tuesday, Dec. 20 to Wednesday, Dec. 21.
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Dec 19 2011
Barbie Named Top Import
A recent report from Panjiva, a company that collects date on global trade, names Barbie as the top holiday import to the United States for a second year in a row. From August to September, the months when a majority of holiday imports are received, the U.S. accepted a total of 2,598 shipments of Barbie […]
The No. 1 Magazine for Childrenswear Professionals
The No. 1 Magazine for Childrenswear Professionals
