More Articles By Karyn M. Peterson

• Product Showcase: Toddler Toys
  This week's Product Showcase features toddler toys from Boikido, Crayola, Haba USA, Imagiplay, Maxim Enterprise and Playskool. (March 16, 2009) More
  
• Product Showcase: Soft Baby Toys
  This week’s Product Showcase features soft baby toys from All New Materials, Dandelion, International Playthings, Kids Preferred, Learning Curve and Mary Meyer. (March 9, 2009) More
  
• Pop Culture Panoply
  This year's New York Comic Con was another huge success, according to Lance Fensterman, show manager and vice president of NYCC organizer Reed Exhibitions. More than 60,000 fans of comics, anime, science fiction, video games, toys, movies and television crammed the Javits Center on Feb. 6 to 8, seeking the latest and greatest in edgy entertainment. More
  
• Product Showcase: Outdoor Toys
  This week's Product Showcase spotlights outdoor toys from Cadaco, Diggin, Funrise, International Playthings, Jakks Pacific and Wild Planet. More
  
• Up Close: Manufacturers' Forecast 2009
  Just ahead of the New Year, Playthings spoke with dozens of toy manufacturers about their plans for 2009. Here's what they told us was highest on their agendas. [Editor's note: An abbreviated version of this story appeared in the January 2009 issue of Playthings magazine.] More
  
• Entertaining The Future
  As 2008 came to a close, Playthings spoke with licensing executives active in the children’s entertainment industry about their plans for 2009. Most agreed that the impact of new toy safety regulations—which will likely require many toy manufacturers to cut internal costs, find efficiencies and reapportion their budgets—could mean big changes for the licensing arena. More
  
• Haba may halt kids’ jewelry sales in U.S.
  Jan. 6, 2009—Haba USA is contemplating a complete halt to its distribution of children’s jewelry in the U.S. in response to new toy safety standards that begin going into effect next month. More
  
• This Year's Model
  Just ahead of the new year, Playthings spoke with dozens of toy manufacturers about their plans for 2009. What did they say is on the horizon for the industry? Most executives agreed that the slate of new safety regulations—which some called confusing and many redundant—will have a big impact, requiring companies to cut internal costs, find efficiencies and reapportion their budgets... More
  
• First Quarter, First Look
  Right about now, you're likely taking stock of the holiday season, clearing out old merchandise and making room for the new toys that will captivate your customers in 2009. For manufacturers, however, the new year began ages ago, with the development of thousands of kids' products that will soon debut. More
  
• Product Showcase: Holiday-themed toys
  This week’s Product Showcase features holiday-themed toys from Alexander Doll Co., KidKraft, Lego, Play Along and USAopoly. More
  
• Product Showcase: Robots
  This week’s Product Showcase features robot toys from Fisher-Price, Hog Wild, Innovation First, Thinkway Toys and Tomy. More
  
• Hobbies Hold Fast
  More than 300 exhibitors were on hand this month at the 24th annual iHobby Expo, the combined trade and consumer show that offers an inside look at the very latest releases in die-cast collectibles, model railroads and aircraft, slot cars, remote control vehicles, rocketry, robotics, military toys, wood/plastic model kits, games and more to many thousands of consumers, retailers and distributor... More
  
• Product Showcase: Dragon Toys
  This week’s Product Showcase features dragon-themed toys from Manhattan Toy, Playmobil, Safari, Sigikid and WowWee. More
  
• Up Close: Scholastic's The 39 Clues
  Move over, Nancy Drew! Today’s young super sleuths are about to be drawn into an even more intriguing mystery series, one that combines chapter books, online gaming and card collecting into an expansive two-year treasure hunt with real-life rewards. More
  
• The Gift Of Story
  Though it's only been weeks since kids have gone back to school, no doubt your holiday preparations are already in full swing. Children's book publishers are also mindful of the season, and are introducing a number of attractive box sets in the coming weeks to fill this need. Toy retailers, take note of these perfectly packaged gifts starring kids' favorite characters. More
  
• Kids Get 'Clued' In
  MOVE OVER NANCY DREW! Today's young super sleuths are about to be drawn into an even more intriguing mystery series, one that combines chapter books, online gaming and card collecting into an expansive, two-year treasure hunt with real-life rewards. Scholastic's trailblazing new multi-platform venture, The 39 Clues—which kicked off last month with the publication of its first book and th... More
  
• 'Go' West, Mindtwister
  For thousands of years, casual gamers and intellectuals alike have been fascinated with Go, the complex strategy board game invented in ancient China, popularized in Korea as well as Japan (from where it gets its modern name), and now a staple here in the West. In this classic cerebral dominance challenge, two players alternate placing black and white stones down on a grid; the object is to con... More
  
• Paper Caché
  What really goes on below deck on a pirate ship? What does the inside of a fairy's house look like? Kids can explore the answers to these questions and more with the latest releases in the paper play category, which offer somewhat more sophisticated selections for kids that like to learn, imagine, build or design. More
  
• The ABCs Of A Good Show
  For toy manufacturers, this year's ABC Kids Expo (Sept. 7 to 11) was a mixed bag. Though largely a positive experience, foot traffic at the Las Vegas Convention Center's expansive halls again seemed a bit quiet, companies in attendance told Playthings. However, this was the largest show ever in ABC Kids' five-year history, marking a strong debut as the only industry event of its kind showcasing... More
  
• Monstrously Fun
  After the back-to-school rush, the familiar sights and sounds of Halloween are quick to follow, with little ghosts, goblins and other things that go bump in the night soon lurking around every corner. This year, add literary flair to your fall displays with quirky new picture books, most of which offer more than fleeting treats for life beyond the season. More