Alex Brands Introduces More Than 350 Exciting New Products At Toy Fair 2016

Original Alex Brands Press Release via PR Newswire:

Alex Brands® Introduces More Than 350 Exciting New Products At Toy Fair 2016

New Items Span Multiple Categories of Play and Include Line Extensions for Award-Winning Brands

FAIRFIELD, N.J., Feb. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Alex Brands®, a family of brands comprised of some of the most iconic, recognizable and award winning products in the toy industry, today revealed its new introductions for 2016 at the North American International Toy Fair®. Alex Brands broadens its offerings in numerous categories of play, including: spa, crafts and DIY, outdoor/active, STEM, infant/preschool and licensing partnerships.

"Alex Brands has grown to include 12 brands, expanding our product offering to meet current trends and the various interests of children of all ages," said Neil Friedman, CEO of Alex Brands. "We continue our commitment to help children become more active and develop their imagination and creativity, with innovative and fresh, new concepts across the line, positioning us for continued growth."

Alex Brands' 2016 range of new introductions includes:

SPA, CRAFTS AND DIY

From body tattoos and hair fashion to nail polish and appliques, tweens can express their own personal style with chic and trendy new ALEX SPA items. Innovative new concepts in temporary tattoos include customizable, multi-layered effect body art with Layer & Wear Watercolor Tattoos. Tweens can host their own nail party with ice cream scented nail polish and micro bead sprinkles in the Sweet Scent Sprinkle Nails kit. They can add the finishing touches to their look with My Lites Custom Streaks, allowing tweens to glide washable, custom streaks of color through their hair.

The Maker Movement is gaining popularity with consumers who want to create and customize their own unique products and Alex Brands makes it easy to get started, with products such as the ALEX Toys Sweetheart String Art. Tweens who like creating their own room décor can take "string art" to the next level without the hassle of nails or pins, as each kit contains unique plastic molds that allow young designers to easily create a beautiful piece of art.

Tweens can incorporate embellished galaxy pendants, natural wood elements and butterfly hair accents into their own personal look with new DIY accessory kits, including; Stitch & Wear Wood Jewelry, Paint & Sparkle Galaxy Jewelry and Layer & Sparkle Butterfly Headbands.

Innovation in jewelry design and room décor is taken to a stylish new dimension with Shrinky Dinks! With patent pending silicon bracelet, ring and flower molds, children can infuse their own personal style as they color, bake, shrink and transform the flat sheets into three dimensional works of art! New items include Shrinky Dinks 3D Flower Jewelry, Shrinky Dinks Statement Jewelry and Shrinky Dinks 3D Butterfly Lights.

The Shrinky Dinks brand offers both activity kits and bulk sheets for the DIY consumers taking part in the Maker Movement. Six different bulk sheet sets are available for the crafter who truly wants to bring their own original designs to life.

OUTDOOR/ACTIVE

Designed for ultimate throwing ability, the new POOF Tunnel Ball is ergonomically designed to go the maximum distance, while the Fling Flyer will have children launching the foam rocket from the palm of their hand.

Buzz Bee Toys is expanding with high-quality, exciting new products. New to Air Warriors and Water Warriors are the Ultra-Tek Cyclonic and Stingray, which are sure to entertain the young and not so young audience by providing the ultimate play experiences. The Ultra-Tek Cyclonic is a clip-fed dart blaster that hits targets up to 72 feet away. Stingray, the newest water blaster, will drench the competition up to 42 feet away with high performance air pressure.

STEM

Children can design and build their dream city like an Urban Planner! The Scientific Explorer Young Architect City Planner allows them to design and build an entire stackable city in hundreds of unique combinations.

New CitiBlocs building sets take play to the next level with patent pending connector hardware found in four new building sets. These six new connector pieces allow classic CitiBlocs pieces to be joined, hinged and rotated for more versatile, creative building.

Space exploration continues with two additional ZOOB Galax-Z kits for younger builders, featuring easy instructions to build multiple creations.

INFANT AND PRESCHOOL

Kaloo presents little ones with soft and enchanting creations that offers tenderness and security. For Spring 2016, the beloved comfy classics are accompanied by the new Rouge Kaloo collection which features a family of three new animals (a mouse, a rabbit and a bear) available in three colors. Each animal is very soft, very stylish and very cuddly, with a nod to vintage design and style.

The new JANOD collection for 2016 is radiant and full of energy. New characters full of charm and originality, join long-standing favorites. Young children will enjoy building the roley, poley Zigolos Bear Stacker & Rocker with its combination of smooth wood and fluffy plush pieces. The Janod Firefighter Story Express birch-wood train set tells a new heroic story, complete with rescue vehicles, firemen and scenery. Enclosed in a gorgeous round gift box, the Giant World Map is a 300 piece puzzle offering children a fun and educational way to discover the different countries on the planet.

LICENSING PARTNERSHIPS

(Graphic: Business Wire)

Alex Brands expands its licensed product offering with fresh new activities for Nickelodeon's animated series, Shimmer and Shine® and Blaze and the Monster Machines®. New items for younger crafters include a Shimmer and Shine Knot-a Pillow and a Blaze Color Scroller.

Alex Brands has also partnered with Universal Studios for the July 2016 animated movie release, The Secret Life of Pets®, which tells the adventures of two NYC dogs lost in the city. An array of crafts activities and novelty products will embody the movie's characters, including Slinky Pets, Scra-fitti and Knot-a Pillow Max.

ABOUT ALEX BRANDS
The ALEX BRANDS® family of brands is comprised of some of the most iconic, recognizable and award winning toys in the industry today. With a commitment to helping children become more active and develop their imagination and creativity, ALEX BRANDS offers toys for children of all ages. Brands include ALEX Toys®, POOF®, Slinky®, Ideal®, Backyard Safari®, Buzz Bee Toys®, Kaloo®, Janod®, ZOOB®, Zillionz®, Scientific Explorer® and Shrinky Dinks®. Through their corporate contribution program, Alex Brands Cares™, they have created meaningful partnerships that brighten children's days through play, and to give back to communities locally and nationwide. For more information, visit www.alexbrands.com, www.facebook.com/alextoys or www.twitter.com/alextoys.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160211/332513

SOURCE Alex Brands

RELATED LINKS
http://www.alexbrands.com

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"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" Talk, Sprint And Blast Their Way Into Action In 2016

Original Playmates Toys Press Release via PR Newswire:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Talk, Sprint And Blast Their Way Into Action In 2016

Playmates Toys to Introduce 2016 Toy Line at North American International Toy Fair, Including All-New Segments with Innovative Play Patterns

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Feb. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Playmates Toys, the company behind the popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toy line, will unveil its thriving 2016 collection during the North American International Toy Fair. Inspired by Nickelodeon's hit TV series, the collection features all-new segments with innovative play patterns and totally awesome ninja action. Playmates Toys' entire product line will be on display at Toy Fair from February 13-16, 2016 in booth #2245.

"With the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles basic action figure assortment being ranked the #1 selling sku in action figures in 2015 according to The NPD Group, Playmates Toys understands the wide appeal of the brand and takes great pride in developing new products to delight fans," said Karl Aaronian, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Playmates Toys. "The new lineup this year provides fans with even more action figure releases, totally new ninja play experiences, including a collection of character driven Ninja Turtles blasters that launch Turtles darts into battle, and a collection of mini Turtles that feature a unique flywheel so kids can rev them up and send sprinting into action."

"Nickelodeon is thrilled to partner with Playmates once again and unveil this new, innovative line of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toys," said Jon Roman, Senior Vice President, Toys, Nickelodeon. "The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles continue to be some of the most popular toys in the market and the new T-Sprints, T-Blasts and other toys in this line are sure to be a hit this year."

Highlights of the 2016 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line from Playmates Toys include the following:

With Talk-to-Me Mikey, kids can have hours of fun conversing with Michelangelo, the most fun-loving and energetic of all the Turtles. One of the most intelligent Turtle toys ever, Talk-to-Me Mikey recognizes a child's questions and responds in hundreds of unique ways. The highly interactive Turtle features movement and position sensors to react hilariously based on how a child moves Mikey. Known for being the Turtle brother with the most enthusiasm, Mikey even sings songs and plays games with kids.

T-Sprints Segment
An innovative new figure and wheels play pattern - the mighty, motorized mini T-Sprints can quickly take off on wild adventures--just rev, drop and go! The highly stylized figures, which capture the personalities of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, feature a unique flywheel so kids can rev them up, drop them into a vehicle shell and send them racing into action. T-Sprints are available in a collectible assortment of Single Packs with Vehicles.

Additionally, the T-Sprints playsets provide kids with even more exciting action. With the T-Sprints Sewer Duel Playset and Mutagen Menace Playset, kids can rev up their T-Sprints figures and send them sprinting through the playsets, dodging the evil mutants along the way. Kids can also rev up their T-Sprints figures to get them through the maze of the Tower Trap and on to the zipline basket to safety in the T-Sprints Tower Trap Deluxe Playset.

T-Blasts Segment
Playmates Toys introduces kids' first foam blasters, targeted to the youngest of players! With the all-new T-Blasts collection of blasters, kids have ninja power in the palm of their hands as they launch the Turtles into battle against Shredder and the Foot Clan! The personalities of the Turtles characters are brought to life through the unique, highly stylized character design of the blasters. Each blaster fires up to 40 feet and comes with Ninja Turtles character darts, which are oversized and made of safer, soft foam.

The collection includes a Double Barrel and Cross Bow Blaster assortment, where kids can load two Turtles darts and then simply pull back and release to launch the Ninja Turtles. The assortment of Quad-Blasters each come with four Ninja Turtles character darts, allowing kids to press the trigger to rotate the barrel and then simply pull back and release to launch the next dart. Rounding out the line is the Talking Shell Cannon assortment, with each blaster featuring a cartridge to load up to six darts and saying over 10 Turtle battle phrases.

Half Shell Heroes Preschool Segment
The popular Half Shell Heroes collection features toys with bright colors, fun expressions and safe play features for smaller preschool hands, enabling kids as young as three to experience open-ended imaginative play adventures with the whole family of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles heroes and mutants. Additions to the line include dino-themed toys, inspired by Nickelodeon's TV special titled "Half-Shell Heroes: Blast to the Past." The assortment includes 2.5-inch figure 2-packs, with each pack containing a 2.5-inch Turtle action figure dressed in a caveman-style and a dinosaur play-pal. An assortment of Dino-themed Vehicles with Figures and a large T-Rex with Donatello complete the line.

In addition to the dino-themed toys, extensions to the Half Shell Heroes line include an assortment of construction-themed 2.5-inch figures and vehicles, a Half-Shell Headquarters Playset which features four levels of Ninja Turtle fun with awesome transformation and new 6-inch PowerSound FX Figures with easy to operate features and sounds.

About Playmates Toys
With a history of nearly 50 years, Playmates Toys is today among the most well-respected and innovative marketing and distribution companies in the global toy industry with a proven history in the creation of imaginative products as well as the development and management of profitable, long-term brand franchises. Key brands include TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, one of today's top-selling male action brands. From its offices in Hong Kong and California, Playmates designs, develops, markets and distributes its products in over 60 countries worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.playmatestoys.com or http://facebook.com/TMNTPlay.

About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 36th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in almost 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 20 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B).

About Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Since its launch in 2012, Nickelodeon's all-new CG-animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has re-energized these iconic characters of this wildly popular franchise. Currently in its third season, the series is seen in over 170 countries and territories, and translated in over 50 languages. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles follows four mutant turtles—Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo—trained in the art of ninjutsu by their mutant rat sensei, Master Splinter, who teaches the turtles to battle evil from the New York City sewers. Executive produced by Ciro Nieli and Brandon Auman, the series is created at Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, Calif.

SOURCE Playmates Toys

RELATED LINKS
http://www.playmatestoys.com

Talk-to-Me Mikey demo:

Kemar Roofe Gets Custard Pied In Brand-New Episode Of "Nick Kicks"

The next time Kemar Roofe shouts "on me head" to a teammate, he'll probably be hoping it's a football rather than a custard pie!

Along with his Oxford United comrades Johnny Mullins, Freddie Grant and Chey Dunkley, Roofe appeared on Nicktoons UK & Ireland as part of Nickelodeon UK's brand-new football programme – and got a face full of custard!

Kemar Roofe, presenter Roman Kemp and Chey Dunkley

The footballers appeared on Nick Kicks, which lets fans of football clubs gain access behind the scenes to meet their Footballing heroes.

The 30-year-old defender Johnny Mullins said he enjoyed taking part in the show, which airs on Saturday 13th February 2016 at 8am, and on Sunday 14th February 2016 at 7am.

He added: "It was good fun to film. There were two elements to it, a technical challenge and then a bit of fun where people got custard-pied.

"There was quite a big audience for that part, with most of the squad watching from behind the camera.

"I think it's a great way to show the light-hearted side of the club, and if a few of the kids who watch it then come along to see a match as a result then it will have been very worthwhile."

As part of the 22-minute programme, the U's stars were asked 11 quick-fire questions, which included who's their favourite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle? Members of the squad were also asked to do impressions of their favourite animals.

The next section of the episode which involves some of the player's being custard-pied is set to air at a later date.

U's fans and players are enjoying the increase in media attention since the club made it to the JPT final at Wembley.

Alison Bakunowich, head of editorial for Nickelodeon, said: "We know that kids love football, whether it's played in stadiums or in the back garden, so it is brilliant to be producing a series that will bring families a Nickelodeon take on the nation's top sport.

"Nick Kicks is going to be funny and will give fans a unique look at their favourite clubs and players."

Presented by Roman Kemp and Rachel Stringer with commentary from Peter Pundit, the programme features highlights from the week's football as well as the humorous moments and a look ahead to upcoming games.

Nickelodeon megastar SpongeBob SquarePants also plays a part in the series as he takes on club mascots in weekly challenges.

Shaun Harvey, chief executive of the Football League said: "Offering a fun insight in to life at clubs up and down the country, Nick Kicks will help us to engage and inspire a new generation of fans."

Check out nicktoons.co.uk/nickkicks and the award-winning Nick Play app for more footie-tastic videos, behind-the-scenes content, polls, quizzes and games!

Original source: Oxford Mail.

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Nickelodeon UK Releases Fifth Episode Of Brand-New Digital Series "Tinkershrimp & Dutch"

Jump aboard the Regius Hunnibunibus Double Decker Castle with best friends Tinkershrimp the langoustine & Dutch the slow loris and follow their bonkers adventures across New Great Great Britain!

Nickelodeon UK and Ireland has today premiered the fifth episode of their brand-new digital series "Tinkershrimp & Dutch" exclusively at nick.co.uk/tinkdutch & nicktoons.co.uk and on the Nick Play app!

In "Tinkershrimp & Dutch" episode five, "Time to Be Cool", King Hunnybun III welcomes the extremely cool King Candycane, the King of America and all-round Beefcake, to New Great Great Britain! However, King Candycane doesn't like bodyguards, and Tinkershrimp & Dutch soon find their services are no longer needed as Hunnybun thinks they're a "pair of darn tootin' wackadoodle". When Michael The Fowl, the world's most dangerous headless Chicken, misunderstood genius and evil master of disguise, finds out about King Candycane's visit, he hatches a especially fiendish plan to send both Kings into the Sun! King Candycane's coolness soon rubs off on King Hunnybun, and the two attend the exclusive Cool Kings Club! However, all is not as it seems, and luckily, being sacked won't stop Tinkershrimp & Dutch looking out for King HB! Can Tinkershrimp & Dutch run back in time to stop the crime and save King Hunnybun III and King Candycane? And who are Blastercrab and Smudge, two very secret, secret service agents who Talk and Rhyme to Stop The Crime? Find out by watching the fifth all-new episode now at nick.co.uk, nicktoons.co.uk and on the Nick Play app! Find out by watching the fifth all-new episode now at nick.co.uk, nicktoons.co.uk and on the Nick Play app! Boom Time!

Fans who watch the fifth episode of "Tinkershrimp & Dutch" on nick.co.uk and nicktoons.co.uk can also help Tinkershrimp and Dutch find Michael The Fowl, and help design a new disguise for him to help him sneak out and eggscape from jail!

Don't forget to follow Tinkershrimp and Dutch on Twitter at @TinkAndDutch and Instagram at @TinkershrimpAndDutch, plus the grumpy Michael The Fowl on Twitter @MichaelTheFowl! #TinkershrimpAndDutch

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Nickelodeon Australia And New Zealand Announce "Slime Cup 2016", A Brand-New Adventure Game Show For Families!

Nickelodeon Australia and New Zealand has announced Slime Cup 2016, a brand-new locally produced adventure game show for families!

SLIME CUP 2016 is the ultimate messy, irreverent adventure show inspired from Nickelodeon's hit global SLIME CUP concept and adapted for Australia and New Zealand audiences to build on the success of Camp Orange. The show revolves around larger-than-life challenges with more touch points for audiences and sponsors to be involved across multiple platforms and screens!

SLIME CUP is a fresh new show which maintains the core values of Camp Orange and encourages co-viewing. Contestants are required to compete against each other to make it through as one of the four remaining teams in the final rounds – kids can even sub in their parents to play on their behalf!

There'll be audience voted awards, expanded digital/social media content and opportunities for bespoke integration for advertisers across multiple episodes.

With more tailored and experiential advertising integration opportunities than ever before, SLIME CUP will be the most comprehensive multi-platform production in Nickelodeon's history!

Nickelodeon Australia and New Zealand will begin filming SLIME CUP 2016 April 2016!

Now in its eleventh season, Camp Orange is Nickelodeon Australia's multiple ASTRA Award-winning local production. Designed to give kids the ultimate adventure experience, it's a reality game show which brings best friends together and celebrates kids being kids in the Aussie outdoors. Focusing on positive fair play, teams compete for cool prizes and experiences, but ultimately aim to be voted the best and fairest title of "Champ Orange". The original series has had international success with the format being reproduced in Italy and the UK.

For partnership opportunities with Nickelodeon, please contact Multi Channel Network via their official website, mcn.com.au.

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