More Articles By Tina Benitez

• Time To Shine!
  Action Products The selection of new educational toys from Orlando, Fla.-based Action Products includes new additions to the Play and Store brand. The 1-on-1 Sports Bitty Bucket line, debuting this summer, features portable versions of basketball, soccer, football and baseball, all packed into a convenient, portable bucket. More
  
• Up Close: 2008 Forecast
  In a year full of concerns over toy safety and consumer scorn when it wasn't met, most toy industry professionals were happy to see 2007 come to an end. This year, Playthings spoke with industry leaders in manufacturing, retail and licensing to get their reflections on last year and some predictions for the new one ahead. Most agree: it’s sayonara to ’07, and hello to a 2008 of promise and new beginnings for the toy business. More
  
• Looking Back to Get Ahead
  In a year chock full of concerns over toy safety and quality, most industry professionals were happy to see 2007 come to an end. This year, Playthings spoke with industry leaders in the manufacturing, retail and licensing fields to get their reflections on last year and some predictions for the new one ahead. More
  
• Robots On The Move!
  It was Robby's large metallic presence, gentlemanly demeanor and limitless power that lured Fred Barton into the world of robots. He first saw Robby the Robot in the 1956 MGM film Forbidden Planet, and “other robots in cinema, before or after, never really measured up. But it opened the door for me to appreciate all robots of all designs,” says the robot collector-turned-designer. More
  
• Passion Player
  People have been searching for treasures on eBay ever since founder Pierre Omidyar first opened its doors, so to speak, in September 1995. Today, the online retailer continues to stay true to its primary customers—fans of all things collectible. Jim “Griff” Griffith, dean of eBay education, recently shared with Playthings his insights into eBay's successful business model and ... More
  
• Staying Strong: Hard Hero
  The first project that Hard Hero ever landed was the development of a Conan the Barbarian collectible statue. That was 10 years ago. Since then, Rob Potts' Murfreesboro, Tenn.-based company has picked up some of the industry's most sought-after licenses for its incredibly detailed statues—everything from Transformers and Pokémon to his all-time favorites, the Marvel superheros. More
  
• Hard Work Ahead
  Toy testing has always been a vital step in Hasbro's production cycle. The company says it has had strict safety standards in place since high lead levels on toys first became banned in the 1970s; it checks paint before it is applied to any of its toys throughout every stage of production. Hasbro owns two factories, one in East Long Meadow, Mass. More
  
• Holiday Hot List
  2007's end-of-year video game offerings have something for everyone, from fantasy worlds and Star Wars battles to famous princesses to golf games starring some seriously unlikely characters. Here are some hot new titles that will play out most prominently this holiday season. Luck of the draw Need a submarine to get to the island or a sled to get down the snowy hill? Draw it! In Drawn to Life, ... More
  
• Like No Other
  Was it 140,000 or 200,000? Depends who you ask, but the swelling crowds were obvious as attendees ambushed the exhibit floor of the San Diego Comic-Con. By show's end on Sunday, July 29, the city had had its biggest Comic-Con ever. The show boasted the usual heavy hitters—DC Comics, Marvel, Lucasarts. More
  
• Imagination Nation
  Dr. Allison Mullady, a Ph.D. in early childhood education from Arizona State University and former preschool and elementary school teacher, immediately grasped the play value in pretend-play toys. Early in her career, she even began recommending them to community groups and schools for interactive play programs. More
  
• Inside Out
  One-of-kind continues to be key to FAO Schwarz's business. This holiday the retailer will have more than 30 percent exclusive product on its shelves, but the company is equally excited about new store-branded lines like Plush Animals in Plush Habitats, featuring designs like Frogs on a Lily Pad and Emperor Penguin Family in Igloos; a safari-themed infant plush collection that includes a bowling... More
  
• Licensors, retailers respond to recalls
  August 15, 2007—Licensors and retailers say they're sticking by Mattel as it copes with the aftermath of recalling an unprecedented number of toys worldwide—many bearing some of today's most popular licenses—because of concerns over lead paint or the potential hazards associated with magnets. More
  
• Hasbro gets digitized with EA deal
  August 10, 2007—Electronic Arts has partnered with Hasbro under a licensing agreement that gives EA exclusive worldwide rights to create digital games based on popular Hasbro properties while Hasbro also has rights to develop toys and traditional games based on EA franchises More
  
• Wham-O gets video gamed
  July 31, 2007 — Wham-O has signed FOG Studios  to exclusive worldwide licensing rights to develop video games based on popular Wham-O toys. More
  
• Green Toys pops up
  July 25, 2007—Recycled wood, bamboo, organic cotton, natural color dyes and other non-toxic materials are some of the more earth-friendly approaches to manufacturing toys these days. So, where does corn come into the picture? The answer is bioplastic, a material created from corn and other natural materials by new toy manufacturer Green Toys, San Francisco. More
  
• Show Report: Dubai
  When most people hear the word Dubai, several things usually come to mind: man-made islands, the tallest hotel in the world (Burj al Arab), residences in the shape of a gigantic palm tree that stretch along the Gulf, and the ongoing construction of the world's tallest skyscraper (the 134-floor Burj Dubai, to be completed in 2008). More
  
• All The Right Moves
  Whether it's Monopoly, Chutes & Ladders, chess or checkers, most of us have a connection to a game that gave us endless hours of fun when we were kids, and throughout the years. Many games have that lasting power, but, with an ever-growing selection of game categories on the market, it can be difficult for retailers to choose the right games from such an abundance and for manufacturers to g... More
  
• Bowen's Arrows
  “Have toys been around for that long?” asks a surprised Randy Bowen, upon learning that Playthings magazine turned 104 years old this year. Bowen's business, by comparison, began a mere decade ago when his partnership with Marvel really solidified, but it has coincided with a boom in his area of expertise—resin collectibles—that some would say he's in large part responsi... More
  
• Nancy Draws
  This summer's big-screen flick Nancy Drew, based on the classic female detective book series first introduced in 1930 by Edward Stratemeyer—whose Stratemeyer Syndicate published popular book series like The Hardy Boys, Tom Swift and The Bobbsey Twins—is just the tip of the icicle in the Nancy Drew library. More
  
• Buzz Report: Licensing Show 2007
  NEW YORK, June 19, 2007—Licensing show started with a loud vroom courtesy of Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Mattel. More