Inside Out

Melissa & Doug announced during Toy Fair that it was not only launching a new corporate website, but that it was adding e-commerce capabilities to it courtesy of Shopatron. The move will allow visitors to the specialty toy maker's site to purchase products on the spot and have them shipped from or picked-up in store at their nearest participating independent toy store. “We strongly value our relationships with our retailers and we are eager to take advantage of the opportunity to funnel business to them through our own website,” said M&D's Rob Iatesta ... Tonner recently previewed an assortment of Tonner Character Figures (pictured) based on Walt Disney Pictures' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. “I was intrigued when I heard about the movie,” said Robert Tonner, CEO. “When I saw it, I was convinced that I had to do it.” ... Action Products has an unusual collaboration with another toymaker in the works. Last month, it showed off two new I Dig kits that feature Papo figurines and accessories buried within them. “This is an exciting venture for Papo, creating a new play pattern for Papo figures as part of Action Products' I Dig series,” said Larry Hotaling, principal of Papo's U.S. distributor, Hotaling Imports. In other Action Products news, the specialty toy maker on Valentine's Day donated “hundreds” of educational toys to kids in Lehore and Karachi, Pakistan, as “a gesture of love from America to Pakistan,” the company said.