The feature everyone is looking forward to is the Living Dungeon: a life-sized dungeon maze, complete with monsters, traps and puzzles!  This should delight every kid-at-heart who remembers the humble beginnings of the gaming community with Dungeons & Dragons.

There will also be a World of Warcraft competition as well as the annual Grand Boardgame Tournament.  We can’t make it to this conference but we appreciate how the UK blends its enthusiasm for both traditional boardgames and computer games!

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.

The distinctive styling is really an example of American and Japanese cross-pollination. As C.B. Cebulski reports in Anime fringe:

“Keron Grant is the new penciler of Iron Man for Marvel, and he was asked to redesign Iron Man’s armor. When Keron met Kia Asamiya at Wizard World, he confessed to Kia that for inspiration for Iron Man’s new armor, he looked at Kia’s character from Steam Detectives, the Emperor of Steam. Kia just looked at Keron and rather matter-of-factly replied, ‘That’s cool! When I was designing the Emperor of Steam, I looked at Iron Man for my inspiration.”

There is just something satisfying about armor and robots made of real metal… is it nostalgia for when the whole world wasn’t seemingly encased in plastic?

Atari has always been committed to educational video games, so we hope Infogrames shores up Atari’s stock quickly.  Today’s video game industry caters to sensationalism - for instance, the highest earning game launch in history is now Grand Theft Auto IV - but we still hold out hope that Wii and other video games companies remember their roots in education and learning.

Ganz has not confirmed a release date for this cute addition to the Webkinz family.  We are hoping sooner than later.

Webkinz Insider also reports that this rare and cuddily cat has been referred to as a “leopardess.”

If you’re new to the Webkinz phenomenon, be sure to check out our quick and easy Webkinz guide to get the lowdown.

Details have not been released to the public yet, but we do know that the large open-floor store will be called Grandpa Grey Goose. Kids and parents will be able to roam around the store freely, with access to hundreds of toys, games and activities.

The investment group behind this amazing toy multiplex is Vision Investment Ventures, who promise a new kind of toy shopping experience that combines safety and freedom to play.

Thanks to Toy News Online for the story.

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.

Think about it: when was the last time an eight-year old boy could be seen walking down the street with a doll clutched in the hands? Not an action figure, mind you, a doll.

The closest trend coming to mind here is Garbage Pail Kids, which were not even dolls, but trading cards popular in the 1980s.

Boys love Ugly Dolls for the same reason they loved Garbage Pail Kids: self-identification. The toys reflects back to them that being gross is part of being a boy. But Ugly Dolls go further, really capturing the essence of childhood. Practically every Ugly Doll is a happy-go-lucky young male who pretty much just wants to eat snacks and hang out.

Ugly Dolls are also clumsy, good-natured, and well-aware they are in an awkward stage. Also, for both Uglys and boys, girls are few and far between, and they all are brainy and somewhat sophisticated (comparatively speaking!). Sound familiar? It does to the thousands of boys who are proudly bringing their Ugly Dolls to show-and-tell.

It’s no secret that boys are called, almost on a daily level, “little monsters.” Ugly Dolls is a way for boys to own that label and find social acceptance. Just like Garbage Pail Kids, Ugly Dolls show boys that it’s okay that they are a little rough around the edges. And that they like snacks.

We respect HABA for their transparency about which products are made overseas, as well as the care that goes into their inspection procedures no matter where they are made.  This level of transparency is necessary these days when so many cheap toys are on the world market, only to be recalled later for atrocious omissions such as baby toys made with lead paint and other heavy metals.

Our advice to parents and educators is to do some independent research into toy companies before bringing them into your home.  We also hope that we make that task a little easier for you here at Toy-TMA!

In this spirit, here’s a heartwarming story about how the Swiss toy company HaPe is making a difference in China.  Teaming up with the Chinese government, HaPe has funded two new schools in one of the most remote territories of the country, the Guizhou province.

In a region where children often have to trek three hours through the jungle to attend school, this project will make life easier for about 500 children between the ages of 5 and 10 years old.  Showing strong dedication to the children of the world, HaPe’s president Peter Handstein visited the schools to ensure the project met to his satisfaction.

Playing dress-up is more than a fun way to pass the time, too.  Psychologists suggest that games with costumes are an avenue for children to test their boundaries and explore the different roles in society.  Dress-up is also a natural way to explore gender identification.  Don’t worry, Dads, it’s just a phase!  By trying on new roles, children learn how to take on the perspective of others as well as increase their ability for empathy and consideration.

We recommend costume play anytime of the year, not just as Halloween approaches.  Having a wooden chest full of Schylling costumes or another quality costume set is a simple way to be ready to entertain the children without having to turn on the TV.