Archive | May, 2008

UK Games Expo 2008 Coming Up

The annual UK Games Expo will be held this year May 31 – June 1 in Birmingham, England.  This short-but-sweet conference hosts every possible game format now on the toy market, from miniatures and  board games to role-playing and card games. And don’t forget the state-of-the-art video games. The feature everyone is looking forward to [...]

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Iron Man Renewing Vintage Robot Image

Last week’s popular release of Iron Man in theaters has galvanized our fascination with robots and cybernetics. The original Iron Man was drawn up in 1963 as your average, metallic American freedom fighter. But the new movie’s styles have taken hints from robotics portrayed in Japanese anime, reminiscent of vintage tin toys from the 1950s.

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Atari’s Hand Slapped by Nasdaq

The struggling Atari, Inc has been booted from public trading.  Maybe Atari Inc has other things on its mind, like its merger with Infogrames. It’s a bizarre turn of events for the company that is mostly responsible for inventing not only the game entertainment industry, but also the personal computer craze in the 1980s. Atari [...]

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We Spotted Webkinz’s New Spotted Leopard

According to the Webkinz Insider , Ganz has a new Webkinz in its clutches: the spotted Leopard. Ganz has not confirmed a release date for this cute addition to the Webkinz family.  We are hoping sooner than later.

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Losing Boardgames Gracefully

Just for fun: check out this article that lists some perfect excuses next time you lose at playing a boardgame. The folks over at Boardgamenews.com are industry leaders, so be sure to check them out for news and information about the latest boardgames and role-playing games.

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Boys love Ugly Dolls

What is the secret of Ugly Dolls’ success? It’s not just the handmade styles, or the gruesome, teethy cuteness. The real secret is that Ugly Dolls have captured an elusive toy market: dolls that boys like.

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HABA and Product Safety

Something a toy company must always balance is the value of the product versus the cost of production.  Even with quality wood toys, safety and inspection have to be an integral part of the process. Because of rising demand for wood and labor, many makers of wood toys like HABA have found that some toys [...]

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Toys that Make a Difference

Watching the news can leave anyone feeling like the world is in jeopardy.  So one of our missions here at Toy-tma.com is to remember that we have the choice to build the world we want our children to grow up in.  Doom and gloom is a choice, not a reality! And our children learn by [...]

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Playing Dress-Up is like Halloween Everyday

For kids, everyday is Halloween.  Maybe not so much going door-to-door for the free candy, but the excitement about playing dress-up is always on children’s minds.  As parents and educators, it’s good to keep in mind that bringing out some costumes for kids is a great way to brighten a rainy spring day. Playing dress-up [...]

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