I’m bummed that I’m not going to Toy Fair. Eventually I’ll figure out a good way to cover out-of-town events, but for now I’m pretty busy here at Rock Father HQ with The Rock Daughters. In the meantime, folks like the crew over at Disney Consumer Products are still kind enough to share some news with me, and tonight I’ve got a sneak-preview of Disney’s Hot Toys of 2013… complete with pre-Toy Fair pictures. I already see a few items that are destined to arrive here later this year…
The Rock Father’s Toy Fair Preview: Disney Consumer Products
DISNEY·PIXAR ANIMATION
Monsters University
Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan are an inseparable pair, but this was not always the case. Monsters University tells the story of how these two mismatched monsters overcame their differences and became the best of friends.
Disney Consumer Products worked closely with licensees to develop a broad Monsters University toy collection that includes action figures, vehicles, playsets, plush figures, preschool and remote control items to help kids recreate key moments from the film through innovative and fun features.
Children will be able to recreate the fun, action and adventure of the film during playtime with products such as Scare Off Sulley from Spin Master, a feature plush that utilizes life-like animatronics and sound and light detection technology to change play modes and sense the environment. Combining traditional roleplay with inventive characteristics, the Sulley Monster Mask from Spin Master is powered by children during play, reflecting their movements with its movable mouth and eyebrows.
Disney Toon Studio’s Planes
Planes takes off with an international cast of the fastest air racers around, in a comedy packed with action and adventure starring Dusty, a small town dreamer who longs to enter the most epic around-the-world air race despite his fear of heights. With the help and support of a fleet of new and hilarious characters, Dusty wings his way into the biggest challenge of his life.
Disney Consumer Products’ merchandise program will be incremental to the Cars franchise with a robust lineup featuring of toys with broad retail support. The diverse product assortment draws inspiration from key, iconic film moments and features Dusty and his international racer friends with elements of global aviation.
Fans will not be disappointed with the all-new collection of die cast vehicles, play sets and the Planes Tilt and Fly and Planes Air Race Trackset from Mattel anchoring the Planes toy line. Planes fans can also recreate their favorite moments from the film with the deluxe remote control Dusty Plane from Thinkway, complete with an infrared remote control feature allowing kids to program this Dusty with action combo sequences.
With an innovative line of exciting toys bringing new characters and adventures to life, thePlanes merchandise line will provide new play options for Cars fans.
PRINCESS AND FAIRIES
Disney Princess
The Disney Princess brand will continue to inspire the imaginations of young girls through the characters and stories featured in Disney’s timeless and cherished fairy tale films.
In June Mattel will unveil the Disney Princess Ultimate Dream Castle with a bedroom for Rapunzel and a spiraling hair “elevator.” It also features fairy tale-themed rooms for Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Cinderella, and Snow White that come to life with the Disney Magic Mirror App (Available on the App StoreSM). When girls scan the castle’s defined labels with an iOS device they unlock and trigger activities in each princess’ room and around the outside of the castle.
Timed with the release of The Little Mermaid Diamond Edition on Blu-ray™ this fall fans can celebrate Disney’s animated classic with a new toy collection that utilizes music to bring the products to life. Some of the most unique products in the toy line include role play dresses and accessories from CDI. The all-new Ariel Musical Light Up dress with motion activated technology plays “Under the Sea” and the transforming Mermaid to Princess Ariel doll from Mattel sings two different songs from the movie as it transforms.
Disney Fairies
Showcasing Tinker Bell and her friends, the Disney Fairies toy line provides girls with endless ways to recreate their own stories of friendship with small dolls, play sets and fashion dolls with accessories.
In spring 2013 girls can join Tinker Bell and friends on a tropical vacation in Palm Tree Cove, with an all-new 4.5″ doll line and play sets from JAKKS Pacific. Featuring pool and beach inspired fashions and accessories, Disney Fairies fans can dress and re-dress Tinker Bell and Silver Mist with the Tropical Vacation Fashion dolls. Additionally, girls can explore the sand dunes of Palm Tree Cove with Rosetta’s Beach Buggy, serve delectable treats at Tink’s Tikki Treats Stand and twirl down the water slide into Tink’s Pixie Paradise Pool. Each vehicle and play set comes with a 4.5″ doll. In fall 2013 young girls can play with Tink and her friends as deluxe 9″ fashion dolls featuring additional points of movement, an all-new doll design and fashion forward outfits.
DISNEY JUNIOR
The Disney Junior programming block on Disney Channel reflects the emotional connection generations of consumers have to Disney storytelling and Disney characters, both classic and contemporary. Continuing off the success of Disney Junior’s newest program, Sofia the First, DCP will demonstrate the strength of its new preschool toy line by introducing a robust new collection of products inspired by three popular Disney Junior shows, including:
Minnie Mouse Bow-toons
Based on a popular episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, this series of shorts finds Minnie and her good friend Daisy Duck running Minnie’s Bow-Tique, a specialty shop which stocks only bows and bowties. Highlighting the themes of friendship, fashion and travel, DCP will introduce a robust Minnie Mouse toy line including Cheerin’ Minnie, which sings and dances to the hit song “Hey Mickey,” and Minnie’s Pet Salon from Fisher-Price.
Jake and the Never Land Pirates
In 2013 DCP will introduce a fresh line of toys inspired by the hit series, Jake and the Never Land Pirates, which follows a crew of kid pirates – led by Jake and his pals Izzy and Cubby – and follows their Never Land adventures as they work to outwit two infamous characters, the one and only Captain Hook and Mr. Smee, from Disney’s classic Peter Pan. Anchoring the line is an assortment of play sets from LEGO.
Disney’s Sofia the First
In spring 2013 DCP will launch an extensive merchandise program for Sofia the First, the brand new show from Disney Junior featuring the young “princess in training,” Sofia. With each show Sofia teaches girls empowering lessons about kindness, forgiveness, generosity and self respect on her journey to learning how to be a princess.
CDI will unveil an assortment of role play, dress up and plush toys. Girls can wear their own magical amulet, just like Sofia’s in the show, with an interactive feature that teaches special lessons to princesses-in-training with fun, interactive cards. Each amulet teaches 25 different lessons. Little girls will also love dressing up in Sofia’s dazzling tiara and beautiful gown that transforms into a tutu. Additional role play items will be included in the line as well as plush products of Sofia’s furry friends like Clover the Rabbit and a Sofia doll. The merchandise program will also include Sofia the First’s Magical Talking Castle and Sofia and her animal friends as talking feature dolls from Mattel.
DISNEY FILM
The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger, from producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski, the filmmaking team behind the blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, is a thrilling adventure infused with action and humor, in which the famed masked hero is brought to life through new eyes in a tale of epic surprises and humorous friction with Native American Tonto.
Disney Consumer Products has worked with LEGO to release a collection of LEGO® construction toys inspired by The Lone Ranger. Scheduled to launch this April, six new building sets will bring the action and stories of the film to life in LEGO form, and will include iconic characters such as John Reid (aka The Lone Ranger), Tonto and the horse, Silver.
Oz The Great and Powerful
Disney’s fantastical adventure Oz The Great and Powerful, directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved wizard character in an exciting new adventure that combines classic characters and new personalities in a unique film experience.
Disney Consumer Products will introduce its newest film-inspired product collection based on the highly anticipated feature. Designed with the fantasy of Disney’s film and its colorful characters in mind, the new product line features quality role play items and toys that embody the new personalities and beloved characteristics of Oz The Great and Powerful.
This month CDI will release an assortment of role play items and dolls. The magic and whimsy of the powerful witches of the film will be brought to playtime with the Spellbinding Necklace and Glinda’s Signature Tiara and Light Up Wand that look just like the items from the film. The bejeweled necklace and ring set includes Evanora’s necklace with flip feature and Theodora’s ring with spinning jewel. The replica tiara features a handing jewel, while the wand lights up with a touch of a button. From Tollytots come the Oz Fashion Dolls, beautifully crafted dolls featuring Oz, Evanora, Theordora, Glinda and China Girl that bring the wonder and fantasy of the magical Land of Oz to Disney fans..
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