Mass Market Highlights

Breyer (Reeves Intl.), Pequannock, N.J., will launch two new toys for young equestrians. The Stablemates Grooming Center and Café play set is a full grooming center where horse figures can be bathed, have their hooves trimmed, be re-shod and stop by the café for carrot juice and an apple bran muffin. A Stablemates Tack Shop play set is also available. Both are for ages 4 and up. Breyer is also partnering with Scholastic to release a series of early readers based on horses Starlight, Penny and Patch, for children 8 and older. New, 12-piece activity sets will based on the three horses.

Play the role of Agent Jack Bauer and crack the case in 24 hours—or however long it takes to finish Briarpatch’s game versions of the Fox television series 24, to be released by the Milburn, N.J.-based game maker in 2007. Two games are on the way: 24 Countdown and 24 Exploited. In 24 Countdown, players have 24 moves to uncover which player is the terrorist. The travel-sized card game is recommended for two to four players, ages 12 and up. In 24 Exploited, players have to identify other players’ plans before it’s too late. The game features a cell phone game piece for tracking secret details of dangerous plans. Also from Briarpatch next year are two Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games, the TMNT Movie Game, which takes players through the sewers and manholes of Manhattan to uncover and capture the alien mob; and the TMNT Card Game, with a 52-card pack featuring some see-through cards with activities on each—the object, as always, is to defeat Max Winter and his alien army.

Disney Consumer Products, Burbank, Calif., will expand the Pirates of the Caribbean toy lines next year to complement the third installment of the film series, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. Action figure offerings in multiple scales will include sets with in-package items added in, such as a Disney Adventures Pirates of the Caribbean comic, as well as new deluxe figures with sea creature accessories, more land and sea play sets and a larger selection of role play toys, from Zizzle. Disney will also sanction food kits and cookware role play sets around the upcoming animated release of Ratatouille, about a Parisian rat named Remy who aspires to be a great chef for a five-star Paris restaurant. Dolls and role play items from Playmates will support the Disney Princesses line based on the latest DVD release, Season of Enchantment.

Endless Games, Jersey City, N.J., will release the Match Game DVD Edition for ages 12 and up, based on the 1970s game show. The game features vintage clips of celebrities like Dick Martin, Nipsey Russell, Jimmie Walker and Betty White. Players are challenged to match the stars on their own television screens. Also in the Endless Games line for 2007 is the Category 5 family card game, a hurricane trivia game.

Gazillion Bubbles maker Funrise, Van Nuys, Calif., has developed Sesame Street Gazillion Bubbles, scheduled for release next spring. The line features Cookie Monster, Elmo and Ernie bubble blowers. The Fetch-A-Bubble version of Gazillion Bubbles lets pets play along with non-toxic bubbles that smell of pet-yummy scents like chicken, beef and bacon. Also from Funrise next fall will be the All-Star Pitcher’s Challenge, an electronic baseball game, which includes a soft ball for solo or two-player game play.

Jada Toys, City of Industry, Calif., will grow its new line of 9-inch R/C models with designs like the 1959 VW Beetle, 1962 VW Bus, 2006 Chevy Camaro Concept and Hummer H2. Also available in 2007 will be an entire line of toys, including action figures, play sets, vehicles and more, based on Jada characters Chop Socky Chooks, a team of kung fu chickens. Jada’s Chub City I-Playaz, also based on the character vehicle line, each connect to a CD or MP3 player and features flashing lights, scratch buttons for mixing new sounds and built-in speakers, all while the I-Playaz character dances to the music. Jada also has the exclusive rights for the Chevy Camaro in the Dub City Kustoms line.

Oak Brook, Ill.-based Learning Curve, a division of RC2 Corp., will expand its Lamaze line with a Spin and Explore Garden Gym that helps encourage physical development and floor play, a Link N’ Snack Turtle and the Lamaze Balancing Bug Stackers. Learning Curve will also launch a new line of Go Tools play tools for fixing vehicles, including the Go Go Garage play set, which features a service lift, car elevator and other features of a real mechanics shop. All are recommended for children ages 3 and up.

Junk Ball Ghost Runner, an electronic home plate for baseball, and Junk Ball Strike Zone, a backstop for practicing pitching, join Providence, R.I.-based Little Kids’ lineup. Little Kids will also release a 3-D Bug Eye Viewer, a Giant Bug Projector for outdoor bug play and Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! Bubble Machines.

Quebec-based McWiz Kids will launch the I Got It! game for ages 12 and up. The game’s host reads a riddle that players must try to solve by combining different picture cards. The company will also release three new games, the McWiz Junior Deluxe, a trivia game for ages 6 to 12 that tests kids’ knowledge of language, grammar, math, science, geography, history and the arts; Memo-Lingo Activity Kits, to help with early vocabulary and cognizance skills; and Silly Sentence, a game that lets players put together wacky sentences using letters from one word.

Rush Hour Deluxe Edition for ages 8 and up will be available from ThinkFun, Alexandria, Va., next year. This latest version features 60 challenges and a new level of play. The game, which features metallic car pawns, is packaged in a collector’s gift box that can also be taken on the road. ThinkFun also launches Sudoku Jr. 4X4, which includes 48 kid-friendly challenges with solutions. The magnetic game board and token are also easy for travel. The game is recommended for children ages 5 to 7.

Cabbage Patch Kids (CPK) are all grown up— big kid clothes included—in a new line from Jakks Pacific’s Play Along division, Malibu, Calif. Also coming to the CPK family is the Messy Face Baby, which comes with a washcloth and popsicle. The Glitter and Glow Care Bears can glow up to 20 minutes when held up to light—no batteries necessary—and they’re still soft enough to cuddle. The Doodle Bears line has a few new additions, including the Decorate Doodle Bear, the Doodle Bear Baby and Slumber Party Doodle Girl. The Hopscotch Club is a new line of poseable dolls for ages 4 and up due out next fall. Play Along will also release Charm Trolls and Lifestyle sets of three classic Trolls.

Radica Games, Dallas, will introduce several games next spring, including Brain Games, a hand-held game that features “brain aerobics” of sequence, flash card, thinkfast, word hunt and recall exercises. Kids can think of an object and then answer a series of 20 questions with 20Q Junior for ages 5 and up. The Password Journal lets girls keep their secrets a secret; it comes with a magic pen for invisible writing that can be revealed with a UV glow light. A calendar and alarm are also included. Mood Beams are dolls that reflect a girl’s mood, while the 10th anniversary edition of Bass Fishin’ will add three lakes and various water and weather conditions.

Marvel’s toy division, Toy Biz, New York, will launch new waves of action figures and play sets around the animated series Code Lyoko in 2007, including Series 3 action figures in January, Series 4 figures by summer and collectible battle scene play sets throughout the year. Tumbling George, a 14-inch Curious George doll with acrobatic talent will be available in January for ages 3 and up. Once he’s sat upright, he tumbles over by himself—no batteries required. Also in the Curious George line are a 16-inch Hug N’ Glow Curious George, Bean Bag Pals bean-stuffed dolls and a Rumble ’N Go Friends Curious George, Bump ’N Go vehicles (train, fire truck and airplane), Sort ’N Stack Donuts, Matchin’ Hats, and bath toys like the Curious George Tub Time Wind Ups and Tub Time Curious George, which blows bubbles. Marvel is also releasing TNA wrestling 6-inch action figures with 28 points of articulation, including grapplers Sonjay Dutt, Alex Shelley, Jay Lethal—variants are planned for these three—and Christian Cage. Also in the TNA line are Bashin’ Brawlers, 17-inch electronic plush wrestlers.

Shelcore, New York, has some new additions to its NASCAR line of preschool toy vehicles for spring 2007, including rights to top drivers like Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson; all will be featured in three new preschool vehicles: Shakin’ Race Car, Remote Control Racer and Wacky Action Driver. The Shakin’ Race Car moves more than 5 feet when the driver’s head is pressed. The car produces sound effects like “Gentlemen, start your engines!” The Remote Control Racer car also has sound effects (“Let’s race!”) and chunky buttons for little hands. The Wacky Action Driver replicates the command center of a race car, including a driving figure with rolling scenery, turn signals, horn, gauge, odometer and engine sounds when the key is turned. Also in Shelcore’s line for ages 9 months to 1 year and older are the Pop Up Sun, a jack-in-the-box toy; 5-in-1 Sunshine play set, character-themed puzzles and cups for stacking and other play; Press ’N Spin Playland, a spin toy with moving characters; and the Put ’N Giggle Octopus and Touch ’N Dance Penguin toys.

Next March, Summit Products, Trussville, Ala., adds more bug toys to the Backyard Safari line, including the Turbo Bug Vacuum for catching bigger critters, the Super Bug Vacuum, which has an extended nose cone so kids can scoop up bugs while standing, and the Digital Bug ID, a talking magnifying glass that talks kids through the process of looking at the bugs and identifying what they are. The unit is programmed with information on more than 70 bugs. The Creature Catcher is a spring-loaded net for catching butterflies and bugs. The net closes around bugs and lets kids easily release them. The Nighttime Bug Finder is a headband flashlight for kids with bright white and red LED lights that lets kids search for nocturnal bugs after dark. And a Spider-Man 3 bug vacuum, along with a Spider-Man versus Venom-themed habitat will also be available around the film’s release next May.

Los Ageles’ ToyQuest will expand its current lines in 2007, including Banzai Falls water play environments, Tekno robotic pets, Stretch Screamers, iQue and Blue Man Group instruments. The Banzai Sidewinder Falls is a 10-foot-tall curving waterslide with large splash pool and huge tunnel slide; the Double Drop Raceway is a dual lane, blower-powered waterslide featuring a “speed bump” in the center of the slide; and the Twin Blast Rapids has two separate, blower-powered slides that lead into an oversized pool. Additional outdoor- and water-themed products will be tied to Spiderman 3, including water slides, sprinklers, ball pits, inflatable beds, swim gear, motorized pool cruisers, backyard water activities, bubbles and tattoos. The Tekno Kitty, Birds (Toucan, Cockatoo and Macaw) and Tekno Hamster join the robotic puppy, first launched last summer. Two new play instruments will be added to the Blue Man Group line, both are iPod and MP3 compatible. ToyQuest brings back the stretchable, battery-operated Stretch Screamers action figures with new designs. The iQue robot is programmed with the Merriam-Webster’s Intermediate Student Edition Dictionary with facts excerpted from Encyclopedia Britannica. Kids can type in words for meanings and iQue will pronounce, define and spell each word.

The Mighty Pens from San Francisco-based Wild Planet are working pens that transform into toys. There are six pens in the line: Pullback Racer (transforms into a car), Jet Flyer (plane), Mini Hoops (mini basketball court), Dart Launcher, Rip Choppers and Rocket Blast. The Pirate’s Life line will have some new additions, including a Pirate Bomb Blast, a bomb-shaped version of the classic hot potato game that ends when the bomb makes an explosion sound. The Pirate Pocket Watch includes a clock, compass and a pop-out red lens for reading secret messages, while the Waterball Pirate Cannon can fire up to 100 water balls, up to 40 per minute, at nearby scallywags. Also new in the Spy Gear line are Mission Gloves, which feature a digital recorder to record observations and signal lights to alert fellow “spies.” The Spy Gear Message Launcher includes six color-coded darts (two glow, two are red and two are black) that can hide messages inside. The launcher can shoot darts up to 30 feet.