Raving Toy Maniac

U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for August 1

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2012 -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1: SPIDER-MAN AT 50

Profile America - Wednesday, August 1st. Spider-Man continues to stay near the top of the heap in the superhero game, as his latest movie opened last month, this time in 3-D. And his Broadway musical, after a costly and controversial development phase, continues its run on the Great White Way. Actually, Spidey gets around pretty well for his age. It was 50 years ago today that "Amazing Fantasy Comics" appeared with the first story about Spider-Man. Bitten by a radioactive spider, teenager Peter Parker finds he has super powers and has to deal with the responsibilities that come with them. About 40 new shows open on Broadway each year, drawing audiences of more than 12 million. You can find more facts about America's people, places and economy from the American Community Survey at http://www.census.gov.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2012, p. 385

August 1, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

Hi - Here is a quick update from http://www.bigbadtoystore.com about some great new listings just added this morning!

Star Wars Vintage - Wave 05 - Limited Distribution. This wave won't be widely distributed, but BBTS was able to secure stock with Hasbro and is offering sealed cases of 12 at $119.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HAS22114&mode=re...

New Bowen Marvel Statues:

Warpath, Cable Exclusive, X-Force Warpath Exclusive, Dr Strange Faux Bronze, Hercules Variant - all listed here:
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=bowen

Takara Micron Arms Capsules - Volume 3 - $17.99 gets you a bag of 6 figures, which including a full set of 4
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=TAK11527&mode=re...

Halo Minimates Series 5 Is Amassing an Army at Your Local Toy Store

July 2012 - What is it about Halo Minimates that make them so addictive? Is it their collectability? Poseability? Interchangability? They certainly have a lot going on for a 2-inch mini-figure, and the new assortment from Diamond Select Toys has even more going on than ever before, with with enough extra parts to make army-building a snap! Read on to see all of the Spartans, Marines, Prophets and Elites in Halo Minimates Series 5!

- The UNSC Marine and UNSC Sergeant come with two assault rifles, plus an extra helmet to turn your Sergeant into another Marine! DOUBLE MARINES!
- The Red Spartan vs. Blue Spartan two-pack comes with two assault rifles and four extra helmets -- two Rogue and two ODST -- so you can add some diversity to your squad!

ADAM WEST AND BURT WARD TO BE SPOTLIGHT GUESTS AT NEW YORK COMIC CON

Dynamic Duo will Autograph and Appear on Panel Together!

Norwalk, CT, July 30, 2012: Noted actors Adam West and Burt Ward will be Spotlight Guests at New York Comic Con (NYCC). The acting team best known for their roles as Batman and Robin in the 1960s Batman TV series and the 1966 Batman feature film, will be appearing together on a panel as well as signing in the Autographing Area. Show officials note that the addition of West and Ward to the roster of guests appearing at NYCC once again underscores the range of talent which is embraced by the pop culture community. NYCC not only attracts talent from many artistic endeavors including artists, creators, writers, actors and musicians, but it also provides a home for timeless products and creations which are enjoyed as much today as when they were first created. The original Batman is an iconic program which helped define popular culture for a generation of TV viewers in the 1960s.

July 30, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

The first 2 figures of the 5 figure combiner set Uranus from TFC Toys have just been listed at $99.99 each:
F15 Eagle and F4 Phantom are available here:
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=uranus

TFC toys Photron camera that transforms to 3 figures is available here at $124.99
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=TFC10027&mode=re...

Hot Toys Avengers - Iron Man Mark VII has been listed $20 under MSRP at $229.99
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HOT10397&mode=re...

Toynami brings us a variety of Bleach releases including Encore wave 02 and 03, and Deluxe Ichigo 7"
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=toynami+bleach

Star Wars Celebration VI: These Are the Exclusives You're Looking For!

July 2012 - If you're a Star Wars fan, there's probably only one place you want to be come August 23rd -- Star Wars Celebration VI in Orlando, Florida! The four-day convention celebrating all things Star Wars will be a veritable Mecca for Jedi and Sith making the long pilgrimage, and will play host to a large number of Star Wars actors, actresses and behind-the-scenes creators. It will also play host to two exclusive Star Wars banks by Diamond Select Toys!

July 27, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

Hi - We wanted to update you about a lot of cool new stuff just listed today:

Enterbay 1/4 Scale HD Masterpiece - Dark Knight Batman & Joker
Batman = http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=ENB10057&mode=re...

Joker = http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=ENB10058&mode=re...

'Ted' Movie Plush - Various Sizes with phrases from the movie
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=3056

Lord of the Rings - Fellowship Statue part 1
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=WTA10114&mode=re...

July 26, 2012 - Listed below are the toy (and child-related) recalls from this week; these links go to the official announcements on the Consumer Product Safety Commission web site.

- CPSC Sues Maxfield & Oberton Over Hazardous Buckyballs and Buckycube Desk Toys - Action prompted by ongoing harm to children from ingested magnets

- Burlington Coat Factory Agrees to $1.5 Million Civil Penalty for Failure to Report Drawstrings in Children's Outerwear and for Selling Recalled Outerwear

- Port Surveillance News: CPSC Takes Safety to the Front Lines, Prevents More Than 360,000 Violative Units from Reaching Consumers in 2nd Quarter of Fiscal Year 2012

HeroClix Online Announces DC Comics' The Dark Knight Rises Figure of the Week

Showcases All-New Figures For a Limited Time

July 26, 2012 - HeroClix Online developers today announced the latest set to join the "Figure of the Week" program, showcasing over a half dozen all-new figures from DC Comics' The Dark Knight Rises collection. The Dark Knight Rises Figure of the Week will run today through early September.

Please find the full Figure of the Week schedule below, detailing which figures will be available each week:

July 26-Aug. 1: Batman
Aug. 2-8: Bruce Wayne
Aug. 9-15: Catwoman
Aug. 16-22: Bane
Aug. 23-29: Rachel Dawes (from Batman Begins and The Dark Knight)
Aug. 30-Sept. 5: John Blake

During the Figure of the Week program, two individual figures from an upcoming set are made available weekly for a limited time. More information on the Figure of the Week program can be found here.

For more information on HeroClix Online, visit http://www.hco.heroclix.com.

July 26, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

Hasbro has given us the go-ahead to list the G2 Bruticus shared exclusive! It is now available at $59.99 here:

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HAS22068&mode=re...

Please Note that quantities are limited, and we are limiting this item to a maximum of 6 per person.

New Play Arts

Hitman Absolution - Agent 47 - $64.99
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=SEP10363&mode=re...

Resident Evil - Lupo - $64.99
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=SEP10362&mode=re...