Toy industry
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We include updates on Hello Kitty, Walmart, Kmart, Barbie, Strawberry Shortcake, Hasbro, Target Corporation, Care Bears, Ryan's World, Golliwog, Tamagotchi, Mattel, The Lego Group, Todd McFarlane, Bratz, Al Snow ... and more.
| June 2025 | Walmart renewed its partnership with Synchrony Financial to issue their credit card, reviving a collaboration that ended in 2018. |
| 2025 | The LEGO Group launched the 'She Built That' campaign, which included a song featuring RUN DMC. |
| 2025 |
Bratz
Upcoming release of 'Bratz: Rhythm & Style' video game, showcasing the continued evolution of the Bratz digital entertainment franchise.
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| June 5 2025 | Australian arm of Toys 'R' Us goes into voluntary administration after years of losses, exactly 6 years from the partnership date. |
| June 5 2025 |
Care Bears
Warner Bros. Pictures announced the development of a live-action/animated Care Bears film, with Josh Greenbaum set to direct.
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| 2025 | Hess released a Farm Tractor as the sixth plush toy in their collection, which was also the first tractor in the Hess Toy Truck fleet. |
| 2025 | Target donated as a 'silent partner' to New York City's Heritage of Pride annual Pride Week, avoiding public publicity. |
| May 21 2025 |
Bratz
Bratz released an anniversary 'Bratzaversary' collector's edition doll featuring Jade to celebrate its 24th anniversary, available on the Bratz website, Amazon, and Target.
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| 2025 |
Hello Kitty
A new Sanrio social simulation game is planned for release on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.
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| May 2025 |
Hello Kitty
Hello Kitty collaborated with Italian fashion brand GCDS to host a two-day bakery pop-up at Piccolo Pan in Milan, featuring themed treats and launching their Spring/Summer 2025 capsule collection.
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| May 2025 | Kmart Philippines opened its second Anko store at Alabang Town Center, simultaneously launching its mobile app and Anko Club loyalty program. The opening event was attended by brand ambassador Anne Curtis, signaling the start of the brand's expansion strategy in Southeast Asia. |
| 2025 | Tamagotchi was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame by The Strong National Museum of Play, recognizing its significant impact on digital pet simulation games. |
| May 9 2025 | Announcement of the closure of the Kmart store in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, set to close in August 2025 due to lease non-renewal. |
| 2025 | Twin Cities Pride announced Target would no longer participate in the 2025 Pride Festival due to rolling back equitable hiring practices. |
| 2025 | Target announced halting diversity and inclusion programs following an executive order, and would no longer participate in external diversity surveys. |
| 2025 | Walmart closed several U.S. offices and consolidated corporate associates into its Bentonville headquarters and West Coast offices in Sunnyvale, California. |
| April 2025 | The Tesco concession partnership was announced to expand to over 2,000 Tesco Express stores. |
| April 22 2025 | Toys 'R' Us begins production of a feature film in collaboration with Story Kitchen and Toys 'R' Us Studios, marking the company's entry into film production. |
| April 12 2025 | Announcement that the flagship Disney Store at Disney Village in Disneyland Paris would permanently close in fall 2025, to be replaced by a new store called Disney Wonders. |
| April 10 2025 | Variety Wholesalers begins soft re-openings of the 222 Big Lots locations it purchased, with re-openings continuing into early June. |
| April 10 2025 | LeapFrog founder Michael Wood died from complications caused by Alzheimer's disease. |
| 2025 | Sixth Crayola Experience location planned to open in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. |
| 2025 | Tamagotchi Plaza released for Nintendo Switch internationally. |
| 2025 | Mattel plans to sell Minecraft movie-related toys. |
| 2025 | Set to make directorial debut with King Spawn film starring Jamie Foxx. |
| March 17 2025 | Diamond Select Toys filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, marking a significant turning point for the collectibles company. |
| March 10 2025 |
Lego Friends
A Warner Animation studio representative confirmed that if no other Lego movies are made, they retain the rights to start the Lego Friends movie project.
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| March 2025 | Purchased 63 store leases from Big Lots with intent to convert locations to Ollie's stores by end of 2025. |
| February 28 2025 | Target experienced a significant financial impact, losing $12.4 billion in market value with the stock value dropping $27.27 per share by the end of February, following criticism of their DEI policy changes. |
| February 2025 |
MrBeast Lab
Following Beast Games TV series, a new 'Micro Beast' toys line in the 'swarms' series topped Amazon's toy charts, selling over one thousand sets in a week. An animated shorts series featuring the toys was also announced, to be produced with Stoopid Buddy Stoodios.
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| February 2025 |
MrBeast Lab
MrBeast Lab briefly tops Amazon's toy sales and wins two awards at the Circana Global Toy Industry Performance Awards.
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| February 2025 | Ollie's Bargain Outlet purchases 63 former Big Lots stores. |
| February 2025 |
Toy Center
The American International Toy Fair is traditionally held annually at the Toy Center and Javits Center, continuing its long-standing trade show tradition in February.
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| February 7 2025 |
Bratz
Premiere of the second season of 'Alwayz Bratz' web series
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| February 2025 | A forty-day consumer boycott was announced against Target in response to the company's backtracking on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies during the second presidency of Donald Trump. |
| February 2025 | A class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of the City of Rivera Beach Police Pension Fund, alleging Target defrauded investors through false and misleading statements about DEI and environmental, social, and governance policies. |
| January 30 2025 |
Bratz
Bratz announced the second season of the 'Alwayz Bratz' miniseries on Instagram
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| January 2025 | The Premier Investments' Apparel Brands deal was completed, with Solomon Lew joining the Myer board as a non-executive director. |
| 2024 | Five Below expanded to Vermont and Wyoming, with plans to open stores in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. |
| 2024 | The company expanded to nearly 130 employees and owned 44 laser cutters, each capable of producing one 500-piece puzzle per hour. |
| 2024 | Hess introduced their first bus-themed plush toy, marking the fifth plush toy in the Hess Toy Truck fleet. |
| 2024 | Celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Hess Toy Truck with a Fire Truck with Car and Motorcycle model. |
| 2024 | Scheduled opening of the Mattel Adventure Park at the VAI Resort complex, which will include a dedicated Barbie-themed area. |
| 2024 | Target began stocking Anko products, expanding the brand's retail presence. |
| 2024 | Target joined the Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal, expanding the charitable initiative's reach and potential impact. |
| 2024 | Walmart reaches a record revenue of $648 billion and reports a net income of $15.5 billion, demonstrating continued financial strength |
| 2024 |
Filly
Continued expansion of Filly Butterfly toy line to additional countries.
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| 2024 | Danish news broadcaster DR revealed that the Kirk Kristiansen family operates three private jets that have flown over 1,000 times between 2020 and 2023, raising concerns about sustainability commitments. |
| 2024 | Mattel expanded Barbie line to include dolls representing individuals with Down syndrome and vision impairments. |
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Big Lots, Five Below, Bratz, Barbie, Care Bears, Lego Friends, Mattel, Target Corporation, MrBeast Lab, Tamagotchi, Myer, The Entertainer (retailer), Liberty Puzzles, LeapFrog Enterprises, Kmart Australia, Hess toys, Walmart, Kmart, The Lego Group, Filly (toy), Hello Kitty, Diamond Select Toys, Ollie's Bargain Outlet, Toys "R" Us, Disney Store, Todd McFarlane, Crayola & Toy Center, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.