Seasonal

BURBANK, Calif. — Warner Bros. Consumer Products announced that Jazwares, USAopoly and Mattel are among the toy companies it has partnered with to create new products in honor of the 75th Anniversary of "The Wizard of Oz" in 2014.

Chicago -- Extended store hours Thanksgiving weekend promotions were the least successful holiday marketing tactics, according to a survey of retail CFOs by BDO USA. The also report found that, following uneven sales results in December and January, the executives are moderating their expectations for 2013, projecting a 3.2% increase in total store sales, down from last year’s expected 4.5% increase.

The year started on a positive note with increases in both number of flyers and pages released to market. More than half of the retailers (56%) maintained previous levels or showed an increase in size of their circulars in January 2013. In addition, the number of inserts per market also showed an increase with almost half (44%) of the advertisers showing a rise in flyer drops for this month. Overall, the number of pages increased slightly (+3.1%), and the number of flyers rose (+8.4%) compared to last year.

In celebration of Random Acts of Kindness Day on Sunday, Feb. 17, Michaels hopes to inspire customers to participate by giving away more than $100,000 in gift cards at its nearly 1,100 U.S. and Canada stores.  

NEW YORK — With Toy Fair happening now in New York City, the Toy Industry Association has revealed what it believes are the top toy trends for 2013. 

WAYNE, N.J. -- Toys"R"Us announced that it will be the first retailer in the United States to offer Fisher-Price's Octonauts toys.

EMERYVILLE, Calif. -- LeapFrog Enterprises was honored at 13th annual Toy Industry Association's Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards ceremony held in New York on Feb. 9, receiving recognition in two categories. The learning tablet, LeapPad2, received the inaugural "People's Choice Toy of the Year" and "Educational Toy of the Year" awards. 

NEW YORK — Saban Brands that Fisher-Price Inc., a subsidiary of Mattel, will be the global master toy licensee for the company's newly announced Julius Jr. property. Julius Jr. is an animated preschool series slated to launch on Nick Jr. in 2013, and is inspired by the Paul Frank family of characters and its iconic monkey, Julius. Fisher-Price plans to produce a full range of products including playsets, plush, role play toys and more for the global marketplace.