October 2000
PlayStation2 starts early holiday craze (San Jose Mercury News)
Posted Sunday, October 29, 2000
Around this time in 1983, parents around the country were beating each other up to get their hands on a Cabbage Patch Kid.
A perplexing shortage in 1994 of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers spurred many Toys R Us stores to ration them one to a
family. And two years ago, savvy collectors pocketed $150 or more in markups by stockpiling the Furby.
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Disney secures HK$3.3 bln loan for HK theme park (Reuters Securities)
Posted Sunday, October 29, 2000
General syndication of a HK$3.3 billion senior secured credit facility for the construction of Hong Kong's planned Walt Disney Co. theme park has closed with a total of 32 banks participating, mandated arranger Chase Manhattan Bank said on Friday.
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Fleet Capital Provides $45 Million in Financing to Train-Maker, Lionel LLC (Business Wire)
Posted Sunday, October 29, 2000
Fleet Capital Corporation, one of the country's leading commercial finance companies, announced today that it has agented a $45 million credit facility for Lionel LLC, the nation's leading model train manufacturer.
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Small Toy Co. Rises As Superstar (AP Financial)
Posted Sunday, October 29, 2000
Jack Friedman has a knack for spotting a good deal.
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Hasbro's Galoob to pay over Sky Dancers toy (Reuters Securities)
Posted Wednesday, October 25, 2000
Galoob Toys had agreed to pay $400,000 to settle charges the company was slow to report defects in its Sky Dancers toy, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Monday.
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Toys 'R' Us Alerts Customers to Limited Supply of Sony Playstation 2 Video Game Systems (PR Newswire)
Posted Wednesday, October 25, 2000
Toys "R" Us, the world's largest retailer of toys and children's products, and the world's largest seller of Sony Playstation, is taking steps to let customers know in advance of the October 26 launch that the Sony Playstation 2 units will be in extremely short supply on the launch date.
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Russ Berrie and Company, Inc. Reports Third Quarter Results (PR Newswire)
Posted Wednesday, October 25, 2000
Russ Berrie and Company, Inc. today reported results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2000.
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JAKKS Pacific Inc. Reports Record Third-Quarter Results (Business Wire)
Posted Wednesday, October 25, 2000
JAKKS Pacific Inc. today reported its 17th consecutive quarter of record year-over-year revenues and earnings. The Company also reported that between August 18, 2000 and October 23, 2000 it repurchased in the open market 1,193,600 shares of common stock.
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Hasbro profits drop 84 percent (Reuters Securities)
Posted Sunday, October 22, 2000
Hasbro Inc., the No. 2 U.S. toy maker, reported on Thursday that its profits fell 84 percent due to sluggish sales and mounting losses in its interactive operations.
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Equity Marketing earnings top estimates by 6 cents/shr (Reuters Securities)
Posted Sunday, October 22, 2000
Equity Marketing Inc., a marketing company for corporate tie-ins such as the Pokemon promotion at Burger King, said on Thursday
third-quarter earnings beat expectations by 6 cents per share.
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Toy Makers Report Earnings (Associated Press)
Posted Sunday, October 22, 2000
Mattel Inc., the nation's largest toy maker, reported a net loss for the third quarter on Thursday, largely because of problems in The Learning Co. interactive toy division, which it sold earlier this week. Hasbro Inc., the No. 2 toy company, saw profits fall in the third quarter because of slower sales of Pokemon, "Star Wars" and Furby products.
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Nation's Retailers Predict Scooters and Skateboarders Will Top Kids' ''Gotta Have'' Lists This Holiday
Posted Wednesday, October 18, 2000
It's official: Scooters are back! So predict the nation's retailers in the results of this year's annual PlayDate survey of the top
brick-and-mortar and online retailers of toys and video games.
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Little Tikes Debuts Weather Resistant Electronics (PR Newswire)
Posted Wednesday, October 18, 2000
Responding to consumer demand for toys that will withstand the elements if they are caught outside in the rain, The Little Tikes Company has developed a line of outdoor toys for 2001 with all new Weather Resistant Electronics.
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Action Products to Acquire Earth Lore Ltd (PR Newswire)
Posted Wednesday, October 18, 2000
Action Products International, a leading educational toy and publishing company, announced today that it has signed an agreement to acquire assets of Earth Lore Ltd, an award-winning private Canada-based maker of highly popular educational excavation kits for children.
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Retailers Predict Hot Toys (Associated Press)
Posted Wednesday, October 18, 2000
If there is going to be one really hot toy this holiday shopping season, U.S. retailers have not found it yet.
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Mattel, Hasbro deal with separate demons in Q3 (Reuters Securities)
Posted Wednesday, October 18, 2000
After issuing a series of sales and profit warnings, the nation's top two toymakers, Mattel Inc. and Hasbro Inc., are expected to report quarterly earnings that basically meet revised forecasts, financial analysts said on Tuesday.
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Mattel, Inc. Invites You to Join Its Third Quarter Conference Call on the Web (PR Newswire)
Posted Tuesday, October 17, 2000
In conjunction with Mattel, Inc.'s Third Quarter earnings release, you are invited to listen to its conference call which will be broadcast live over the Internet on Thursday, October 19, 2000 at 11:30 a.m.
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Hasbro Offers Entertainment for All Ages This Holiday Season (Business Wire)
Posted Tuesday, October 17, 2000
From robotic pets and dolls to digital cameras and classic favorites with a technological twist, Hasbro, Inc. has something for all members of the family this holiday season. Hasbro will showcase key products, including a "super" new version of POO-CHI and BERTIE BOTT'S EVERY FLAVOR BEANS based on HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE, in its 2000 lineup at PlayDate, a one-day exhibition of the industry's hottest toys, games and entertainment products, at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City.
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Sony's New Aibo Robot Pet (Forbes)
Posted Sunday, October 15, 2000
Is it an electronic kitten or a cyberpuppy? It doesn't matter; Aibo, the newest version of Sony's robot pet, is as cute as any cartoon character and requires neither leash nor litter box.
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Toymakers Suffering From Technology (Associated Press)
Posted Sunday, October 15, 2000
Electronic chip shortages are forcing manufacturers to delay introduction of certain interactive toys until next year, meaning they will miss the crucial holiday season.
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Play Co. Toys & Entertainment Corp. Announces 26.7% Sales Increase In the September Quarter (PR Newswire)
Posted Sunday, October 15, 2000
Play Co. Toys & Entertainment Corp. announced today that its sales in the September quarter were approximately $8.9 million, a $2.0 million, or 26.7%, increase over its sales of $6.9 million in the September 1999 quarter.
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Zany Brainy Closes On $115 Million Secured Credit Facility (Business Wire)
Posted Sunday, October 15, 2000
Zany Brainy, Inc., a leading specialty retailer of high quality toys, games, books and multimedia products, today announced that it has closed the final $50 million portion of its $115 million secured revolving credit facility with First Union National Bank.
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Play-By-Play Toys & Novelties, Inc. Appoints New Senior Vice President (PR Newswire)
Posted Friday, October 13, 2000
Play-By-Play Toys & Novelties, Inc. today announced that James L. Dow joined the Company as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary, and that Howard G. Peretz, a toy industry veteran, was appointed to the Company's Board of Directors.
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Fisher Price to dress babies, tots (Reuters Securities)
Posted Friday, October 13, 2000
Expanding on a strategy to leverage its toy brands into new product areas, Mattel Inc.'s Fisher Price unit said on Thursday it plans to sell a new line of children's apparel based on Fisher Price toys.
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Disney Store revamp hits with Wall Street (Reuters)
Posted Friday, October 13, 2000
Judging from reactions of investment analysts, a just-unveiled makeover for the Disney Store chain could prove key to revitalizing consumer-products operations at the Mouse House.
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Hasbro cuts profit forecast, slashes work force (Reuters Securities)
Posted Friday, October 13, 2000
Hasbro Inc., the No. 2 U.S. toy maker, on Thursday cut its third-quarter earnings forecast by a third and said it was slashing
its work force by about 5 percent in the face of softening demand for Pokemon and Star Wars toys.
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DSI Toys Celebrates Shipment of One Millionth SWEET FAITH Doll (Business Wire)
Posted Thursday, October 12, 2000
The folks at DSI Toys Inc. are "keeping the faith" - SWEET FAITH(R) that is - by celebrating shipment of their one millionth SWEET FAITH doll sold in the U.S.
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Hasbro to hold call Thursday on financial outlook (Reuters Securities)
Posted Thursday, October 12, 2000
The No. 2 U.S. toy and games maker Hasbro Inc., whose products include G.I. Joe and Monopoly, said on Wednesday it would host a Web cast conference call on Thursday to discuss the company's financial outlook.
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Marvel Pushes Out Date for Spider-Man Movie (IndividualInvestor.com)
Posted Thursday, October 12, 2000
Shares of Marvel (NYSE: MVL - news) have not fared too well since our last update, losing about 40% of their value in the last five weeks.
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Marvel says 2000 results could be below 1999 (Reuters Securities)
Posted Friday, October 6, 2000
Toy maker and comic book publisher Marvel Enterprises Inc. said on Thursday that its full-year 2000 results could fall below 1999 results.
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A Passion For The Game--And Its Numbers (Forbes.com)
Posted Thursday, October 5, 2000
Harold Richman, inventor of the Strat-o-matic board game, now competes with computer game giants. How does he do that? "Sheer realism," Richman says.
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Toys R Us to launch Internet store in Japan (Reuters Securities)
Posted Thursday, October 5, 2000
The online unit of number one U.S. toy retailer Toys R Us Inc, hoping to expand its Internet presence to larger markets abroad, announced that it would start an online service in Japan by the middle of December.
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