Inside Out

Introduced in 2000, the Madra Lord femme fatale doll unveiled her new look at FAO Schwarz in New York last month. The limited edition collectible is dressed in a 1940s-cut sparkling gold mesh bathing suit with matching gold accessories, and sports a dark red pageboy haircut with curled bangs... Vespa USA has partnered with DreamWorks and Paramount in support of its Vespa brand in the U.S. at participating dealerships throughout the country around the launch of the new Transformers film. The promotion will include free movie tickets, an advertising campaign and a sweepstakes awarding one lucky rider a brand new Vespa scooter. There are currently 300 Vespa dealers in the U.S… Redmond, Wash.-based game publishers Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie Studios, developers of the classic Halo video game, have some extras to add to the long-awaited Halo 3 this fall. The upcoming Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 3 wireless controllers will be designed with original artwork by Spawn creator Todd McFarlane, and will be available in either the Covenant Brute or Master Chief themes. Each controller will also be packaged with a limited edition Halo 3 collectible figurine created by McFarlane Toys. Bungie has also teamed up with Marvel Comics, New York, to release a four-issue miniseries Halo: Uprising... Spider-Man creator Stan Lee, who recently partnered with Disney to create upcoming projects developed by him and Pow! Entertainment, is working on an MTV animated series featuring Paris Hilton. Lee previously created an animated series around Pamela Anderson entitled Striperella... Funko, Bothell, Wash., has partnered with Lucasfilm to produce Star Wars Bobblehead products. The PVC vinyls will include Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Yoda, Greedo, Jawa, Gamorrean Guard, Tusken Raider and other characters from the Star Wars universe.

In Memoriam: Wayne Boger, sales representative, passed away on April 10, 2007. He was 64. Boger, a Chicago native, held positions at several toymakers, including Lego, Fisher-Price, Selchow & Righter and Matchbox. He spent the last 16 years as a sales rep for his own firm, Vision Sales, a partnership with Terry Sheehan. Born on February 3, 1943, Boger graduated from the University of Colorado. He started his toy career with Lego in Denver and then spent 16 years at Fisher-Price. He is survived by his wife Sue, five sons and six grandchildren…Kii Arens is launching his first toy. This summer., the Hollywood, Calif.-based rock 'n' roll and pop art designer/photographer, who has designed album covers for bands like Cheap Trick, Soundgarden, Marilyn Manson and Local H, is entering the toy and collectibles biz with LA-LA. The figure (pictured) is based on an original “Highway None” design by Arens. Standing 7 inches tall, the vinyl collectible is also a working light that glows while its magnetic feet keep the “LA-LA” firmly planted on all metal objects. The LA-LA is produced by Los Angels-based Munky King and packaged in an illustrated plastic tube... Go to space; collect prestigious title. Two sets of game tokens, featured in Hasbro's new Monopoly: Here & Now Edition, flew into orbit aboard NASA's Space Shuttle Atlantis last month. The tokens chosen for the flight are miniature versions of items relevant to today's Monopoly player: a Toyota Prius, New Balance shoe, Labradoodle, Motorola Razr cell phone, laptop computer, McDonald's french fries and an airplane. The tokens, after their space mission, were to be acknowledged as “officially flown tokens” when the shuttle returned to Earth. Here & Now is the first edition of Monopoly to feature a NASA property, Houston's Johnson Space Center, on its board… Ryan Patricio, 18, of Temecula, Calif., was named the national champion at the Rubik's Cube U.S. Open last month, defeating 80 other players from the U.S. and abroad with an average cube solving time of 14.92 seconds.