Raving Toy Maniac

Cedar Point, K'NEX announce winners of the Great Thrill Ride Build-Off
Winning entries of the Great Thrill Ride Build-Off, sponsored by Cedar Point and K'NEX announced

Hatfield, PA - April 23, 2012 - Students from across the country created working models of the most hair-raising, spine-tingling rides they could imagine, and, while all were impressive, five projects stood out among the rest. The winning entries of the Great Thrill Ride Build-Off, sponsored by Cedar Point and K'NEX, are from Fairbanks High School in (bleep)ord Center, Ohio; a Homeschooled student group from Eden Prairie, Minnesota; Mason High School in Erie, Michigan; Glenfield Middle School in Montclair, New Jersey; and Marshall Middle School in Wexford, Pennsylvania.

April 20, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer Urban-Collector has several new items of interest to collectors:

This week we are featuring new pre-orders including Cover Girls Wonder Woman statue, Before Watchmen Rorschach statue and Batman Black and White statue by Jock!

Featured Pre-Orders

• Batman Black And White Statue Dick Grayson By Jock
• Cover Girls Of The DCU Wonder Woman New 52 Statue

DARK HORSE ANNOUNCES WILLOW SERIES!

JOSS WHEDON'S FAN FAVORITE RETURNS!

APRIL 18, 2012, MILWAUKIE, OR - Dark Horse Comics announces another exciting addition to the Buffyverse:

Willow gets her own miniseries!

Written by Jeff Parker (Thunderbolts, Agents of Atlas) and drawn by Brian Ching (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Witchblade), Willow tells the story of the witch's obsessive journey to recover her magic.

Willow is on a quest to bring magic back to the world, and she'll do anything to make it happen, including forming some unhealthy alliances after cracking the code to travel to other dimensions - something thought impossible since the destruction of the Seed.

Willow #1 is on sale November 21, 2012.

About Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products

DARK HORSE ANNOUNCES SPIKE SERIES!

JOSS WHEDON'S ANTIHERO VAMPIRE RETURNS!

APRIL 18, 2012, MILWAUKIE, OR – Dark Horse Comics announces a brand-new Spike miniseries slated for release this summer!

Written by Victor Gischler (X-Men, Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth) and drawn by Paul Lee (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Devil's Footprints), Spike promises to be the series all Joss Whedon fans will be talking about.

Spike ventures off world in his bug ship in order to get away from some personal frustration on terra firma, and winds up sucked into a demonic plot to take advantage of the absence of magic on earth.

"What I love about working with Dark Horse on Buffy-related material is that they take great care to capture the feel of the characters and stories from the television show, of which I was a huge fan. Getting my hands on the characters I've loved so much over the years is a dream come true," said Gischler.

Spike #1 will be on sale August 22, 2012!

Dark Horse Comics Unveils Exclusive Comic Book Experience™ Application for ePlate™ Mobile Payment Devices
Dark Horse Gives Dynamics' ePlate Users Exclusive Comic Book Content with Each Purchase

APRIL 19, 2012, SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Dark Horse Comics makes history again today with the announcement of a revolutionary new partnership with Dynamics Inc. Dynamics is an innovator in next-generation payment devices, and will now launch a new comic book experience application for ePlate™ mobile payment devices. The innovative offering brings a new kind of experience to comic book fans by enabling them to earn access to exclusive Dark Horse digital comics with every purchase made with the ePlate™ device. This groundbreaking technology will link payment devices with exclusive Dark Horse comic content, and empower consumers to engage with Dark Horse and other brands that excite them with every swipe or online purchase.

April 20, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

Beast Saga (Battle Beast) - Japanese imports
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=2955

Maketoys Green Giant
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=MKT10005&mode=re...

Mezco LDD Blind Box series 02
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=MEZ10788&mode=re...

various other Mezco, Bandai and other preorders here:
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/list.aspx?list=1000

April 2012 - Hasbro has sent along four new pictures of upcoming Marvel action figures:

(RTM note: we've really been enjoying seeing the variety of licensed Angry Birds items. Every now and then, there is a license that is just plain fun to watch and see how far it can go.)

Red Hot Angry Birds® Brand Lands In The Oral Care Aisle Thanks To New Licensing Agreement With Dr. Fresh®, Inc.

BUENA PARK, Calif., April 19, 2012 -- Dr. Fresh®, Inc., maker of the best-selling FireFly® toothbrush, announced that it has entered a new licensing agreement as the exclusive U.S. manufacturer and marketer of Angry Birds® branded oral care products. Angry Birds fever has captivated a broad swath of consumers across all generations, and Dr. Fresh is the first to leverage the brand's appeal in an innovative oral care line.

HEROCLIX ONLINE REVEALS UPCOMING MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS MOVIE COLLECTION

Hillside, N.J. & Cary, N.C. - April 16, 2012 - Wizkids/N.E.C.A., the makers of HeroClix Online, a digital transliteration of the table-top game, today revealed the latest Marvel collection, Marvel's The Avengers, to be incorporated into the online game. The collection, available as a Starter Pack and as Single-Figure Boosters on Thursday, April 26, will add over one dozen new figures for players to collect and will also be available via codes in physical sets starting this Wednesday, April 18.

Marvel's The Avengers Starter Pack includes six figures: Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Hulk. The pack joins Marvel's Fantastic Four set as a starter option for new players.

Marvel's The Avengers Single-Figure Boosters add another 10 figures, including Thor, Hulk, Nick Fury, Captain America, Iron Man, Agent Coulson, Skrull Infiltrator, Hawkeye, Tony Stark and Heimdall.

Additionally, beginning April 18, players and collectors can find codes for virtual Marvel's the Avengers figures - both the Starter Pack and Single-Figure Boosters - in physical sets.

Mattel Reports First Quarter 2012 Financial Results and Declares Quarterly Dividend

First Quarter Highlights

• Worldwide net sales down 2%;
• North American1 gross sales down 9% and International gross sales up 7%;
• Worldwide gross sales by core brands: Barbie® down 6%; Hot Wheels® down 5%; Fisher-Price® flat and American Girl® up 4%;
• Gross margin increased 130 basis points of net sales; SG&A increased 230 basis points of net sales (includes 170 basis points or approximately $16 million of HIT Entertainment acquisition and integration costs);
• Operating income of $28.7 million compared to operating income of $36.8 million in the first quarter of 2011; and
• Earnings per share of $0.02 (includes the negative impact of $0.04 of HIT Entertainment acquisition and integration costs) vs. prior year earnings per share of $0.05.

Capital Deployment

• Board declared 2012 second quarter cash dividend of $0.31 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend of $1.24 per share;
• Acquired HIT Entertainment for $680 million; and