More Articles By Melissa Kvidahl

• Manhattan Toy exec joins TIA board
  August 31, 2007—Arete Passas, president and CEO of Manhattan Toy, Minneapolis, has joined the Toy Industry Association’s board of directors. More
  
• Spin Master works with 'Inventor' finalist
  August 3, 2007—Spin Master is partnering with Ricky DeRennaux, runner up in ABC’s American Inventor design contest, to develop and mass produce his HT Racers customizable radio-controlled vehicles concept. More
  
• Disney buys Club Penguin
  August 2, 2007—The Walt Disney Company expands its hold on children’s internet properties by acquiring Club Penguin, an online destination for children ages 6–14. More
  
• Munchkin names prez
  August 1, 2007—Infant products manufacturer Munchkin Inc. announced that Margaret Hardin, formerly Munchkin’s chief financial officer and chief operating officer, has been promoted to the position of president. More
  
• VTech promo helps kids 'whiz' school
  July 31, 2007—VTech Electronics North America has begun accepting applicants for its “Whiz Kid Class of 2020” contest, which will benefit three deserving kindergarten classrooms. More
  
• Fox ups Peikoff
  July 30, 2007—20th Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising promoted Michael Peikoff to senior vice president of licensing and merchandising. More
  
• Bandai marks 15 years of Power Rangers
  July 30, 2007—Bandai America has launched a series of festivities to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers in the U.S., including a limited edition Power Rangers toy line. More
  
• Mattel taps Allegro for guitar game
  July 30, 2007—Mattel partnered with music education company Allegro Multimedia for the toymaker’s new I Can Play Guitar system, a video game with guitar-shaped controller designed to teaches students of all ages how to play guitar using Allegro’s Guitar Wizard method. More
  
• Nick expands online efforts by $100M
  July 19, 2007—Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group will invest $100 million over the next two years in development, distribution and creation of online games, sites and platforms. More
  
• Easy-Bake Oven recalled, again
  July 19, 2007—Hasbro, in conjunction with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, is recalling approximately 1 million Easy-Bake Ovens after a report of a serious burn that required a partial finger amputation to a 5-year-old girl. It's the toy's second recall this year. More
  
• New voice for 'Thomas'
  July 19, 2007—HIT Entertainment has signed Pierce Brosnan as the narrator for the Thomas & Friends DVD and television series. More
  
• Online game firms merge
  July 19, 2007—Casual games developer and publisher PopCap Games has acquired SpinTop Games, a consumer online destination and competing developer of online video games, and will publish future SpinTop titles. More
  
• FAO plans 'eebee' line
  July 18, 2007—Every Baby Co., creator of  eebee’s adventures , has partnered with specialty toy retailer FAO Schwarz to introduce a line of educational toys, due out this holiday season. The line will be based on the eebee doll and the eebee’s adventures DVD series. More
  
• GameStop sponsors events
  July 18, 2007—GameStop Corp. has renewed its partnership with Major League Gaming for 2008, and will again host Pokemon Battle Evolution video game tournaments at over 1,000 of its locations on July 21, 2007. More
  
• EA Sports gains prez
  July 18, 2007—Peter Moore, formerly of Microsoft Corp., has been appointed president of video game maker Electronic Arts’ EA Sports unit. More
  
• Back to school sales expected to grow
  July 17, 2007—Total back-to-school spending is expected to increase 6.9 percent to $18.4 billion this year, according to The National Retail Federation’s 2007 Consumer Intentions and Actions Back-to-School survey. And specialty retailers may just play a bigger role in the category's sales. More
  
• Toys R Us spotlights Sony
  July 17, 2007—Toys R Us’ flagship store in Times Square now offers an expanded selection of Sony products in a 550-square-foot section dedicated to the consumer products brand. More
  
• Mattel games go online
  July 17, 2007—Mattel has signed RealNetworks, a digital entertainment services company, to develop, publish and distribute Scrabble, UNO and several other of its game titles for downloadable PC and online play worldwide. More
  
• Hasbro supports Smiles
  July 17, 2007—Operation Smile, a charity benefiting children with facial deformities, is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a new campaign helped by funding from Hasbro and several other large corporate donors More
  
• MTV vet joins Fremantle
  July 17, 2007—FremantleMedia Enterprises has announced the appointment of Jeff Siegel to vice president of home entertainment for the Americas. More