• Walmart reducing toy space by more than half? (Toy Directory)
• Disney hopes to take off with Up on opening weekend (Wall Street Journal)
• Are the Jonas Brothers more than just pop stars? (New York Times)
• Why one author wants to bring violent images to children’s books (BBC)
• Movie-based vidgames look to up the ante on gameplay and game quality (Hartford Courant/AP)
• The recession turns US shopping malls into ghost towns (Wall Street Journal)
• On the hunt for the next book-cum-blockbuster film in the post-Potter era (L.A. Times)
• A successor to Woolworths on the way? (Scotsman.com)
• Is the princess fantasy conveying the wrong message to young girls? (MSNBC/AP)
• Why the vidgame industry is releasing more titles this summer (USA Today)
• What to do when a company’s ad-based model for making money isn’t enough (TechCrunch)
• How Waybuloo teaches emotional intelligence to toddlers (BBC)
• iPhones also attracting toddlers (The News & Observer)
• ESA head says E3 2009 isn’t the return of the big E3s of the past (GameDaily)
• Barnes & Noble sees Q1 sales drop (Wall Street Journal)
• How do you market a toy that does almost nothing? Build an awesome web ad for it (BoingBoing)
• A fond farewell to Wayne Allwine, the voice behind Mickey Mouse (Wired/GeekDad)
• Bye bye, Cranium office (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
• After 60 years, Archie’s ready to pop the question: will it be Betty or Veronica? (CBS News)
• THQ ships a gold-plated Nintendo Wii to the Queen (Kotaku)
• Big-box stores pack it into smaller concept shops (New York Times)
• GameStop sees Q1earnings rise, but investors worry it won’t last (Wall Street Journal)
• A breakdown of how kids are spending time inhabiting virtual worlds (eMarketer)
• Hot Topic hopes sales will pick up after second Twilight movie hits theaters (Reuters)
• Disney launches website to sell theme park merch (Reuters)
• ‘You sank my battleship!’ a rallying cry for epic navy film? (The Hollywood Reporter)
• Spielberg talks of a virtual reality gaming future (Kotaku)
• Is Twitter more hype than reality when it comes to marketing? (MediaPost)
• Take a bite out of these Domo cupcakes…(A Baked Creation)
• …and wash it down with Storm Trooper cereal (Unique Daily)
• Fourth installment in the Twilight film franchise gets the greenlight (UPI)
• Twilight merch continues defying recession trend (Wall Street Journal)
• Disney’s film strategy needs a creative boost (Bloomberg)
• Zazzle expands into Canada and Australia (TechCrunch)
• Fox is on the hunt for the next Simpsons and Family Guy through Aniboom (TechCrunch)
• Are online video ads actually driving offline purchases? (Mashable)
• Walmart gets in on the used game business with kiosks (1UP.com)
• Are The Simpsons at their licensing prime? (USA Today)
• Now could be the right time for brand-building (AdAge)
• Why retailing will never be the same again (Forbes)
• April sales declines aren’t so bad, but the hard times aren’t over yet (L.A. Times)
• What draws people to SpongeBob SquarePants? (The Atlantic)
• Upscale shoppers flocking to dollar stores (BrandWeek)
• Disney/Pixar’s Up reviewed at Cannes (Variety)
• E3 is just what the vidgame industry needs, says analyst (GameSpot)
• Sony posts US$1 billion annual loss (CNet News)
• How online gamecos are making money from kids (Washington Post/paidContent.org)
• Stephenie Meyer nabs Children’s Choice Book Award’s Author of the Year (The Examiner)
• ABC Australia gets biggest funding boost since 1983 to help launch new kids net (ABC News)
• Pixar’s response to Up opening the Cannes Film Festival (Associated Press)
• US retail sales take a hit in April (MarketWatch)
• Streamback to sell KB Toys’ assets (Boston Globe)
• DVDs top home entertainment choice, says NPD (Video Business)
• Majesco’s Cooking Mama franchise serves up four million in domestic game sales (Gamasutra)
• Nickelodeon picks up The Troop (Hollywood Reporter)
• Big retailers expanding in spite of economic downturn (Post and Courier)
• The effect of releasing free e-books on sales numbers (BoingBoing)
• Check out the trailer for Disney’s The Princess and the Frog (Entertainment Weekly)
• GameStop promo includes movie ticket giveaways with purchase of movie-based game title (Kotaku)
• Turning Postman Pat’s delivery van into the world’s smallest car (BBC)
• How scientifically accurate is the new Star Trek movie? (Gizmodo)
Newsletter
