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Women In Toys and Playthings magazine announced the third annual Wonder Women of Toys Awards nominees. Participants in the nominee process recommended a record 43 female executives this year for the program’s five categories: Manufacturer, Retailer, Entrepreneur, Inventor/Designer and Women to Watch. The winners will be announced this month and fêted at the annual Women In Toys dinner during the 2007 American International Toy Fair next February.

It was new. It was different. It was the first American International Fall Toy Show to take place almost exclusively at Manhattan’s Javits Convention Center. Head to Playthings.com for a look ahead at what’s on manufacturers’ drawing boards for the spring and fall of 2007.

According to most exhibitors at this year’s Fall Toy Show, the future of the industry may rely on one simple thing: commitment to a common goal. Exhibitors, real-estate representatives, TIA officials and other interested parties discussed the future of the TIA shows and the industry’s still-going showroom building situation during an open-door exhibitor meeting at the event. Find out more online!

There’s never been more product on Playthings.com! In the last month alone, the site’s weekly Product Showcase pages have featured Halloween merchandise, collectible statues, bath toys and board games from the likes of: Attakus, Bowen Designs, Briarpatch, Bright Start, Dark Horse Comics, Edushape, Innovative Kids, International Playthings, Kotobuyika, Master Replicas, Munchkin, PrettyUgly, Rubie’s, Sababa Toys, Sideshow Collectibles, Starmoon and Wiggity Bang Games.

Grand Toys International Ltd., Hong Kong, is reorganizing its North American operations around its International Playthings Inc. subsidiary to better integrate recent acquisitions, such as Playwell International and Kord Holdings, and improve the company’s focus on the specialty toy market.

The holiday shopping season started early this year at Wal-Mart, where prices were lowered on more than 100 toys, including board games like Operation and Battleship, which are marked down to $8. In addition, Wal-Mart said it will continue its policy of matching the advertised toy prices of its retail competitors.

Playmates, Ubisoft, Uclick, Simon & Schuster and Giant, among others, have been chosen as licensing partners for 2007’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, scheduled for release March 23. The agreements include rights for interactive video games, mobile entertainment, publishing, toys, apparel and more.

Video game and entertainment software retailer GameStop, Grapevine, Texas, ended all pre-orders for the Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation 3 systems due to overwhelming consumer demand that it expects will outstrip the limited amount of systems allocated per store. The retailer predicts shipments of four to 16 consoles per store for the initial launch of each system this month—far less than what it would need to meet pre-orders taken at most shops.

The Irvine, Calif.-based Herrington Teddy Bear Company celebrated its 20th anniversary with an open house event to dedicate a new headquarters building.

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