A film based upon J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy tale The Hobbit is due for a UK cinema release on 14th December 2012.  That can only mean one thing: the time is ripe for Lego to launch a collectible range of construction toys based on The Lord of the Rings trilogy; which had its first part premiered in late-2001.

Lego, for its own reasons, will launch construction sets based upon The Hobbit in 2013. However, there has been great anticipation for the first batch of The Lord of the Rings Lego kits.

The sets will launched in August 2012 and will include:

• Gandalf Arrives (9469)

• Shelob Attacks (9470)

• The Uruk-hai Army (9471)

• Attack on Weathertop (9472)

• The Mines of Moria (9473)

• The Battle of Helm’s Deep (9474)

The numbers assigned to each Lego kit reflects its size (and therefore price) rather than the chapter order of the series books.

Here are some of the movie-style posters and pictures of minifigures released by Lego:

Peppa Pig has been crowned as the number one toy character for the second year running; according to data published by the NPD Group.

The animated character also shifted over 5 million DVDs, making Peppa Pig the top pre-school license in children’s DVD. Muddy puddles were also the central theme to the most popular pre-school books, bringing home the bacon to publisher Ladybird.

Peppa Pig continues to be a television show with one of the highest ratings on Channel Five’s Milkshake programme and Nick Jr. More episodes – of the multiple BAFTA Children’s Awards winner – are in production.

Informer: Toys 'n' Playthings

Shareholders will enjoy an increased dividend; the world’s largest toy maker’s share price rose on the news.

It has also been announced that the acquisition of HIT Entertainment (from a consortium of funds led by Apax Partners) in a $680 million cash deal has been completed. Details of Mattel’s proposal were first released in late-October 2011.

HIT Entertainment owns of a number of famous children’s intellectual property brands: including Thomas (the Tank Engine) & Friends, Barney, Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam and Angelina Ballerina.

Q4 Highlights

• Total worldwide net sales up 1% on prior year
• Domestic gross sales down 2%
• International gross sales up 5%
• Barbie up 6%
• Hot Wheels up 11%
• Fisher‐Price toys down 3%
• American Girl up 4%
• Operating income was $497.5 million (up from $428.6 million in Q4 2010)
• Earnings per share of $1.07 vs. prior year of $0.89

Full‐Year Highlights

• Total worldwide net sales up 7% on prior year
• Domestic gross sales up 3%
• International gross sales up 12%
• Barbie up 12%
• Hot Wheels up 6%
• Core Fisher‐Price up 2%
• American Girl up 5%
• Operating income was $1.04 billion (up from $901.9 million in 2010)
• Earnings per share of $2.18 vs. prior year of $1.86 (includes tax benefit of $0.05 per share)

Dividend

Q1 2012 cash dividend declared at $0.31 per share, based on an annual dividend of $1.24 per share (a 35% increase on last year’s total dividends).

Lego is a product close to The Toy Detective’s heart – yet, closer still is the Moleskine notebook; because I almost alway carry one in an inside jacket pocket.

So, I could hardly contain my delight upon hearing that there would be a “cult limited edition” of my most trusted form of on-the-road stationery.

Previous special editions worthy of note include: Woodstock, Pac-Man, Petit Prince, Peanuts and Star Wars. This particular Moleskine will contain a Lego baseplate set in its front cover.

Also included are a set of sticker sheets, with both brick designs and Minifigure shapes. The notebooks also have embossed and decorated covers.

Released on the 1st March 2012, there are four notebooks to collect – with two sizes of lined and unlined Moleskines being released.

However, I’m surprised, surely squared notepaper would have been absolutely perfect for those Lego Master Builders and their thoughts upon their next grand design?

Informer: BrickStix
Sources: Moleskine, BrothersBrick & RevistaDesign

The latter half of the last century saw bitter rivalry between the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R. in the so-called space race. With the two ideologically opposed nations achieving the technological feats of sending into space: rockets, satellites, a dog, men and then landing men on the moon. Further endeavours include, a space station orbiting the earth and even probes exploring beyond the Solar System.

Alas, the years of research, the expense and the danger of the astronauts and/or cosmonauts are all but forgotten as the YouTube audience collectively exclaims: “awesome” as they witness a little Lego Minifigure ascend 80,000 feet above the planet.

Two teenagers from Toronto were responsible for adding Canada to the league of space-age nations. Mathew Ho and Asad Muhammad, both 17, bought an $85 weather balloon online, $160 worth of helium from a party store and a special wide-angle video camera. A mobile phone was used for its GPS function and to beam pictures back. Four cameras were on board the styrofoam craft, with mitten warmers used to keep them working at high altitude.

When the balloon reached a height of four miles it passed beyond mobile phone reception range, and therefore the GPS signal cut-out. Some 97 minutes after take-off, an alert on an iPad told the pair that the Lego man had landed in a field (near Rice Lake) 75 miles away.

This adventure into space is said to have cost no more than 400 Canadian dollars.

At a mighty $21.5 billion, the U.S. toy market is greater than the nation’s music and movie industries combined.

During the recession’s peak (2009-10), money on food was cut-back seeing a 0.5% drop in spending in U.S. supermarkets. Yet at that time, sales of toys grew by 2%. These fascinating facts and more have been put together in the following beautiful infographic, published by Frugal Dad and called Toying with the World:

Source: frugaldad.com

Subbuteo as a brand never disappeared completely, final batches were sold for few years at Toys R Us stores, Marks & Spencer released an edition in retro packaging and the name appeared on a football card game; which many would say was a complete travesty to the name of the most popular game of its type.

When Subbuteo (as we know it) was no longer dstributed to Italy, toy firm Edilio Parodi released a brand called Zeguo and have been making new table footballers, pitches and accessories ever-since.

The new official version promises more detailed figures that are flexible and players which are made of stronger stuff (broken players were often a common  problem with the game). An improved pitch makes the action faster and should help greater flicking accuracy.

A range of fully licensed Premier League teams will be available and accessories at launch include: packs of three footballs, pitches, fencing, match referees (including, for the first time, a forth official) and goal posts.

Subbuteo Team Edition and more will be available from Amazon.co.uk from 5th March 2012.

At £39.99, Subbuteo Team Edition contains

The 59th International Toy Fair has begun today in London at the Olympia exhibition centre.

2011 has been a good year for the UK toy industry with sales increasing by 3%, despite many families the tightening purse-strings because of worries about the current economic situation. The UK toy market is now valued at £2.96 billion.

The show features awards for the Best New Toys for 2012; where 32 winners were picked by a panel of independent retailers.

Among the many familiar categories of toys which the judges had to consider, there was a new one: App Toys. Afterall, there’s no getting away from the fact that advanced, touch-screen, commutative and computational devices have been seen for what they really are by children : shiny toys.

Majen Immink, Communications Manager, British Toy & Hobby Association, said: “This year’s Toy Fair Best New Toy Award winners show just how innovative and ‘on the pulse’ the UK toy industry is with exciting new product launches across traditional and cutting edge categories.”

The BTHA International Toy Fair continues until Thursday 26th January 2012; this event  is open to members of the trade only.

Best New Toys of 2012: that list in full

Action Figures/Accessories
Ben 10 Omniverse Rooks Truck (Bandai, £29.99)
Pirate Ship (Playmobil,£59.99)
Gladiators and Battle Rhinoceros (Schleich, £41.49)

App Toys
AppGear (Character Options, £9.99+)
Moshi App Monster (Vivid Toy Group, £22.99)
Tardis Smart Safe (Zeon, £19.99)

Construction/Building Sets
Friends Olivia’s House (Lego, £69.99)
Ninjago Dragon (Lego, £89.99)
Construction Advanced Tool Box (Meccano, £19.99)

Creative
Crayola Colour Wonder Metallic Paper (Vivid Toy Group, £8.99)
myStyle Japanese Best Friend Dolls (Interplay, £9.99)
Aquarelle (Ravensburger, £4.99+)

Games and Puzzles
Logo “What Am I?” (Drumond Park, £20.00)
The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Puzzle (H P Gibsons, £11.99)
Poppin Hoppies (University Games, £19.99)

Girls
Sylvanian Families Ice Cream Van (Flair, £22.99)
Dizzy Dancer Dix Studio (Hasbro, £19.99)
Hello Kitty Vellutata Mushroom House (HTI, £19.99)

Hobby and Models
Scalextric Micro – Star Wars Death Star Attack (Hornby Hobbies, £69.99)
Outspeeder (Revell, £19.99)

Infant/Preschool
Mike the Knight Action Playsets (Character Options, £14.99)
Letter Factory Phonics (Leapfrog, £14.99)
Winnie the Pooh Spin n Play Acorn Train (Tomy Europe, £19.99)

Olympics
Team GB Mini (Golden Bear, £14.99)
London 2012 Pictagram Figurine Collection (Hornby Hobbies, £19.99)
Team GB Trunki (Trunki, £40.00)

Outdoor
Fireman Sam Rescue Tri-Scooter (MV Sports, £29.99)

Plush Toys
Lalaloopsy Talking Plush (Underground Toys, £5.99+)
Roaring Raa Raa (Tomy Europe, £29.99)

Pocket Money
The Trash Pack (Flair, £2.49+)
Corgi Toy Die-cast (Hornby Hobbies, £2.00+)
Redakai (Spinmaster, £12.99)

A planned action figure based upon the late Apple computer company founder and CEO, Steve Jobs, has been cancelled by the firm In Icons.

Steve Jobs passed away on 5th October 2011; and his passing, life and times was widely covered and celebrated by the press, television and new media (various internet sources). Recently an announcement was made about the production of a surprisingly well-sculpted, articulated toy representing the likeness of the man that oversaw the production of the Apple II, iPod, iPad and many other such technological creations.

The figurine itself, was supposedly based upon an original one-off made around four years ago by an Apple enthusiast; photographs of it, show it to be almost chillingly realistic.

Naturally, Jobs family members and lawyers working on behalf of Apple took exception to a small company or entrepreneur about to gain financial advantage from the death of Steve Jobs. Therefore, In Icons has cited “immense pressure” from concerned parties as the reason that they have decided to cancel production of the and refund any pre-orders made by would-be collectors.

Informer: In Icons

The VTech InnoTab was among the most wanted toys of Christmas 2011 and just a few days into 2012 an updated version is being marketed to retailers in the toy industry’s trade press.

A full page advert for the new InnoTab has appeared in the February edition of Toy News. As well as sporting a more refined appearance, the new iPad-like tablet computer for children will feature a microphone and a camera with a lens can be twisted to face towards or away from the user that’s viewing the screen.

This twistable camera lens is similar in principle to the kind found on the current VTech Kidizoom Twist digital camera (also known as Spin & Smile in some countries). The new InnoTab’s camera is expected to be capable of taking pictures at 1.3 mega pixel resolution and will also be able to film movie video clips.

Not only will the new built in microphone be used for recording audio to go with moving images, it will also be used in gameplay where specially designed apps allow it.

New picture and sound editing software, with fun features including, will also come built-in on the the new InnoTab.

Informer: The Toy Spy
Source: Toy News