More Articles By Dave Gerardi

• Back in action
  It is nothing short of superfluous to say, 'this is a big year for action figures.' Up 36 percent last year from 2000, the category welcomes back a lot of old faces to this year's assortments. G.I. Joe, He-Man and Micronauts are back (courtesy Hasbro, Mattel and Palisades, respectively) Toy Biz's Marvel Legends feature some of the best sculpts the company has yet produced. More
  
• Lego, NBA team for slam-dunk
  New York — Lego and the National Basketball Association have reached a multi-year global merchandising and marketing agreement in which the Danish brickmaker will utilize league and team logos and player attributes in products, packaging and promotions. More
  
• Playthings Q&A: Building Q's Woody Browne
  C. Woodrow Browne is principal at Building Q, a marketing and licensing consulting company. He's worked in some facet of the licensing biz for 23 years. Recently, he spoke with Playthings' senior editor Dave Gerardi. More
  
• MGA granted injunction against Fun-4-All
  U.S. District Court for the Central District of California issued a preliminary injunction against Fun-4-All pertaining to the manufacturing and distribution of any Bratz products. More
  
• Tabletop game makers promote tournaments
  Miniature games makers WizKids and Games Workshop are prepping major retail programs for this summer. More
  
• Playthings Q&A: Susan Oliver, Playing For Keeps
  While the toy industry grew at a blushingly modest 1.7 percent in 2001, the infant/preschool category saw a 14 percent jump. Susan Oliver, executive director of the non-profit organization Playing for Keeps, discusses the mini-boom with Playthings ' senior editor Dave Gerardi as well as what the toys ought to be doing for kids on a functional level. More
  
• Tried and true
  Still looking for those big home runs, the industry will be a little more patient at the plate this year.Both retailers and licensees are likely to be as cautious this year as last when sizing up new properties. Unlike Reggie Jackson, whose whirlwind whiffs far outnumbered his home run production, the industry will take a more conservative approach to this year's selection of properties. More
  
• Tried and true
  A classic property isn't everything. It's the only thing. More
  
• Playthings Q&A: Jerry Welch
  Taking The Right Start from catalog retailer to specialty toy store powerhouse More
  
• Wonder 'bots
  Perhaps it is because there's nothing equivalent in the real world. Robots can take any shape, don't get sick and typically possess superhuman strength. Why wouldn't kids marvel at them?These mechanical wonders are often the source of "unlimited creativity and imagination," says Colleen Nuskey. More
  
• New Kids in Town
  Reflections on Toys R Us Times Square and Pok mon Center More
  
• Building toward tomorrow
  If a child were in a room with only one toy, Brio President Peter Reynolds hopes it is a set of wooden building blocks. "They're so versatile," he explains. A key to growth in the category, he says, is "letting parents know this is an important part of development. Children are getting older younger, and we need to keep them playing. More
  
• Growing pains
  We grew up differently.We chased butterflies, stuck our arms elbow deep into sand and stacked alphabet blocks. "I was out playing hopscotch," says Leslye Schaefer, Scholastic's senior vice president of marketing.Today's preschoolers are bombarded with flashing lights, buzzing sounds and even CD-ROMs. More
  
• Playthings Q&A: Zany Brainy's Tom Vellios
  Playthings spoke to Tom Vellios, president and CEO of Zany Brainy, about the retailer's recent sale to California-based retail chain The Right Start and the upcoming holiday season. More
  
• Life signs
  Kay Emigh wonders how there are any bugs left in the world. What with all those kids out of school during the summer wielding all those butterfly nets and ventilated jars, insects sure picked a rotten time to poke their antennae out from the soil. (And they can only hope that the miscreants with the magnifying glasses are stuck in summer school. More
  
• Life signs
  Discovery and innovation key to the growth of science and nature toys More
  
• Rolling the dice
  Games industry betting sluggish economy won't hinder stalwart category More
  
• Rolling the dice
  Men-At-Arms Hobbies is an easily missed small store on Long Island, N.Y. Nestled in a small commercial complex almost exactly in the middle of Suffolk County, I've driven past it on more than one occasion. Years ago, I tracked down what is reputed to be Henry Kissenger's favorite game, Diplomacy (pre-Hasbro Avalon Hill), and some out of print material from the now-defunct games manufacturer ... More
  
• League lessons
  Why bother with a professional sports license? Despite the multiple royalties (to the league and players), the seemingly constant roster changes, and the limited, regional appeal of certain teams, some toymakers say the benefits outweigh the problems. More
  
• After E3
  One does not attend E3. One enters the maw of the beast and prays to the nearest god that he is not too roughly chewed upon. The video game industry is well aware of its status. It is not the basement community many once chided. It has mainstream tastes and a mainstream audience. It's an interactive Hollywood, and while the stars and starlets crowd Cannes, pixel people hit E3. More