Merchandise Monday: A Nightmare on 34th Street

Colorful leaves are scattered all over the ground, the sky is gray and there’s a chill in the air. That can only mean one thing: it’s time for Hinda’s annual round-up of Halloween(ish) merchandise! The only nightmare here is the thought of having to pick which of these items is the best – they’re all so great! Treat yourself to a few of these and have a happy and spooky Halloween!

Acu-Rite® Digital Weather Station with Forecast/Temperature/Clock/Moon Phase

Plan your trick-or-treating with confidence using this handy tool! Keep track of moon phases, weather forecast, temperature and more with the wireless weather station. Using patented Self-Calibrating Technology, the weather station provides your personal forecast of 12- to 24-hour weather conditions generated from a wireless sensor in your backyard, giving you the most accurate weather forecast available for your exact location. 

Eureka® Lady Bug Girls 30-degree Sleeping Bag

No creepy-crawlies here! She’ll be snug as a bug in a rug this fall when she cozies up in the Lady Bug sleeping bag! It’s constructed of a durable polyester taffeta shell and liner with a Number 5 non-locking self-repairing zipper. It features a double layer off-set multi needle quilt construction and is rated for a temperature of 30-degrees F. Includes a stuff sack. 

LEGO® Duplo® Super Heroes Batcave Adventure

Everyone’s favorite superhero, Batman™, is always ready for Halloween! Enter the Batcave and get ready for some exciting adventures! Park the Batwing and get to work with all of the amazing Batman gadgets, but watch out – Catwoman is sneaking about! Kids will develop creativity and building skills with this iconic, easy-to-build set featuring lots of extra bricks for extended play.

Namco Bandai Games Pac-Man™ and The Ghostly Adventures for PS3® and Xbox® 360

Pac is back in an all-new experience for a whole new generation of fans. The story begins as the menacing ghosts escape from the creepy Netherworld to invade PacWorld. These frightening ghosts cause nothing but trouble wherever they go! Pac and his two best friends, Spiral and Cylindria, rise to the challenge of protecting their home in a big, bustling, bonkers world of action, adventure and just plain wackiness! 

Razor® Jr. Monster Kix™ Scooter

Turn your little tyke into a little monster with the spook-tacular new Razor® Jr. Monster Kix™. The extra wide deck and 3-wheel frame help young riders stay on their feet as they build coordination and balance, while the detailed hand grips kick start young imaginations for some monster role play! 

Razor® Jr. Zombie Kix™ Scooter

Get ready for an outbreak of infectious fun and laughter with the all-new Razor® Jr. Zombie Kix™. Designed for little monsters still building their coordination and balance, this awesomely spooky ride lets kids play the starring role in their very own park or playground zombie invasion. But beware – this scary scooter is tons of fun long after Halloween is over!

Merchandise Monday: Summer Break Fun!

The kids have been out of school for over a month and, unless they have an unlimited supply of toys and entertainment options, chances are they’re going to get bored. Stave off this dreaded day with fun new toys for kids from our assortment. Some of these items are great for rainy days while others are definitely enjoyed best outside. Everybody wins.

                                    LeapFrog® LeapPad2™ Custom Edition Green

Customize the best-selling, kid-tough learning tablet with sticker skins and digital wallpapers—100-plus ways to make it unique! Choose from 10 fun sticker skins, including ones your child can color. Mix and match them with 11 wallpapers. Removable sticker skins come off easily, so your child can swap styles without any mess.

LeapFrog® Scribble & Write

Light up early writing skills! The LeapFrog® Scribble & Write provides stroke-by-stroke guidance and features a new mode that provides instant accuracy feedback. Children trace the lights to get practice writing uppercase and lowercase letters and numbers.

LEGO® Friends Heartlake Pet Salon

Celebrate the grand opening of the Heartlake Pet Salon – everyone's excited to check it out! Help Emma to shampoo her friend Joanna's pretty white poodle in the bubble bath, then trim and clip her on the rotating grooming table. Use the blow dryer and brushes to make her perfect!

LEGO® The LEGO Movie Cloud Cuckoo Palace

Revel with Unikitty in Cloud Cuckoo Land, the happiest, most positive and creative place in the universe! Join Emmet, Wyldstyle and all the master builders in this multi-colored playful paradise where the sun is always shining and a cute snail glides between the bright flowers.

nabi® DreamTab™ 8-inch Kids Tablet

The DreamTab™ 8” Kids Tablet features nabi® OS 3.0 Blue Morpho™ which starts with Android™ Kit Kat and adds over 400 kid-focused, parent-approved features. Dream Pro Studio™ is a powerful suite of creative tools that teach your children how to draw, animate, author their own books and edit movies like a pro.

Swimline CoolJam™ Floating Basketball

This great pool game puts all the rules of basketball into the water for extra fun! The frame and rim are constructed from PVC that will insure longevity. Featuring a full-color, blow molded, hard body backboard for extra support, every cannonball will turn into a slam dunk.  

Swimline Remote Control Submarine

Fun for the pool, lake or bathtub, the Remote Control Submarine climbs and dives below water surface, turns left and right and comes complete with a search light and long range transmitters – 27 MHz frequency.

Merchandise Monday: Holiday Season is Just around the Corner!

Part I: Toys

It might still be early in the season, but now that Halloween is over and Thanksgiving in on the horizon, there’s no denying that the holidays are upon us! Whether or not you’ve finalized your shopping lists, we’re here to tell you all about the trends we’re seeing for this year’s gift-giving season. Get ready to make that special someone’s holiday extra merry!

Let’s start by keeping the kids happy and talk about toys. LEGO®, Barbie®, nabi® - a new brand at Hinda – and Power Wheels are all forecasted to be big hits this shopping season. Our wide selection of LEGO building sets includes Legends of Chima™, Star Wars™, Marvel Super Heroes and LEGO City. We’ve also got an assortment of LEGO Friends, geared toward girls and LEGO Duplo® - larger blocks for smaller hands!

Your favorite girl will love the new Barbie Color Chalk Hair doll. Barbie’s never looked better than when the young stylist in your life uses the included chalk pods to dream up the trendiest, most cutting-edge ideas in hair color. The blue, pink and purple pods contain enough chalk for 100 applications and the chalk washes out easily with soap and water. Let your kids’ imaginations run wild with this fun new Barbie toy.

Hinda is proud to introduce its new partnership with nabi®. The 16 GB Nick Jr.® Edition features the Wings™ Education System, which tailors courseware to the strengths and weaknesses of the child's skill set level in math, reading and writing. Your kids will have fun with the apps, games, books and videos featuring favorite Nick Jr. characters like Dora the Explorer™, Ni Hao Kai-lan™ and Go Diego Go™.

Staying within the more educational vein, Hinda’s got a Vivitar® 30mm refractor telescope and 3-objective compound microscope set that will keep your favorite budding scientist busy for hours! This kit's telescope includes a tripod as well as 20x, 30x and 40x eyepieces. The microscope is capable of 300x, 600x and 1200x magnification. The set includes specimen slide, blank slides, slide covers, specimen collection vials and tweezers.

When it’s time to get outside and burn off some of that seemingly endless energy, the Ford F-150 from Power Wheels® is just what your little one needs. With realistic side-view mirrors, built-in windshield and roomy truck bed, kids will feel like they’re driving a real truck! They can even lift up the hood to find a realistic-looking truck engine. With big, rugged tires, kids can take their adventures off-road, too!

This is just a small sampling of the wide range of toys and children’s merchandise we have here at Hinda, but these are some of the items we predict will be popular this coming holiday season. Stay tuned for the next installments of our 2013 holiday trends preview, where we’ll cover entertainment/technology, outdoor recreation, home and housewares and more!

Merchandise Tuesday: Creatures of the Haunted Warehouse!

The spookiest day of the year is coming up and we thought we’d treat you with some new merchandise to celebrate! While these items aren’t too scary, their names certainly make you think of things that go bump in the night! From monsters and skeletons to spiders and ghosts, we’ve got creepiness covered – but these are creatures you’ll want to keep around!

Disney Pixar’s “Monsters, Inc.” DVD or BD/DVD Combo

Experience the film that captured the hearts of critics and fans around the world in a breathtaking new way. Lovable Sulley (John Goodman) and his wisecracking sidekick Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) are the top scare team at Monster, Inc., the scream-processing factory in Monstropolis. When a little girl named Boo wanders into their world, it's the monsters who are scared silly, and it's up to Sulley and Mike to keep her out of sight and get her back home.

Disney Pixar’s “Monsters University” DVD

Ever since college-bound Mike Wazowski was a little monster, he's dreamed of becoming a Scarer – and the best Scarers come from Monsters University. But during his first semester, Mike's plans are derailed when he crosses paths with hotshot James P. Sullivan – "Sulley" – a natural-born Scarer. The pair's out-of-control competitive spirit gets them kicked out of the elite Scare Program. With their dreams temporarily dashed, they realize they will have to work together if they ever hope to make things right.

Kent Bikes Razor® Skeleton Eyes Board & Helmet Combo

The Skeleton Eyes skateboard combo is a fantastic package for the beginning skater. It features a real skateboard – not a toy – and a Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC)-approved safety helmet. The board features real maple construction with double kicktails and full coverage grip tape. Steering is handled by easily adjustable vinyl clad steel trucks, and the branded wheels roll on sealed steel precision bearings. The included helmet has adjustable straps.

LEGO® Marvel Super Heroes Spider-Man™: Spider-Cycle Chase

Venom™ has taken control of Nick Fury™'s S.H.I.E.L.D. flying car and is making a super-fast getaway. Send Spider-Man to the rescue in his cool Spider-Cycle! Help Spider-Man catch this venomous villain and return the car to the good guys! Watch out for Venom's vicious symbiont web attack! Use the folding wheels on both vehicles for the perfect high-speed pursuit in the air or on land. Includes Spider-Man, Venom and Nick Fury with weapons.

TaylorMade® Ghost Tour Daytona 12 and Fontana 72 Putters

Great putting requires complete confidence in your instrument. You have to love how it looks, feels and sounds. That was the goal with TaylorMade’s Ghost Tour Series. Each model is crafted with a level of refinement that’s readily apparent from every angle and engineered to deliver smooth, accurate roll and acute distance control. Gain confidence with a putter that’s at the apex of art and science and elevate your ability to get the ball in the hole. Are you brave enough to try the Ghost?

TaylorMade® Spider Mallet Putter

The Spider Mallet Putter features tremendously high motion of inertia (MOI) in a mallet-style head for outstanding twist resistance and distance control on off-center hits. The 130g grip counter-balances head weight to help you swing the head smoothly and on path. The counter-balanced Spider Mallet is 50 percent more stable based on overall club MOI values than a traditional putter. Plus, the PureRoll Surlyn insert promotes a soft-yet-solid feel and smooth roll straight off the face. Nothing creepy about that!

Merchandise Monday: Keeping the Kids Entertained

Summer is in full swing, school has been out for a few weeks now and sooner or later it’s going to happen – the kids are going to get bored. Those of us in the working world have no idea how or why this happens, but the best defense is a good offense, right?

Lucky for you, we’ve just added lots of great new toys and activities for kids for those rainy days or when sunburn strikes and they need a break from the pool. As an added bonus, none of these toys require your children to stare at a screen or even stay indoors!

Alex® Let’s Pretend School

School is in session! This pretend school set is a great way to get little ones excited for school and a fun way for older children to pretend they're the teacher. It includes lots of school activities like wipe-away boards with letters, numbers, colors, shapes, world map and food pyramid, pointer, nine pencils, dry erase marker and eraser. Easy to bring along for school on the go, too!

Alex® Silly Me Photo Booth

Why take just a plain old picture when you can have photo booth fun? The Silly Me Photo Booth lets you make all kinds of silly props, like a pirate face, funky glasses, scuba dive gear and more! Before you say “Cheese,” get creative with stickers and paper shapes you can use to ham it up in front of the camera! Fun to make at a party and then give the keepsake pictures for party favors!

 Fashion Angels® Tapeffiti™ Bracelet Kit

Choose your favorite patterns of Tapeffiti and cut the length you need for your bracelet design. Then place it on the cuff bracelet and smooth it out. If it doesn’t go on right the first time, don’t worry! Tapeffiti is easy to lift and reposition for perfect results. Stack your arms with your creations or share them with your friends. 

LEGO® Friends Stephanie’s Outdoor Bakery

The LEGO Friends are on their way for a girly day in the sunshine! Stephanie is putting the finishing touches on her garden party. Take the fresh-baked cakes out of the oven. Help Stephanie wash dishes in the sink and set the umbrella garden table. Accessories include cakes, plate, glass and milk carton – everything you need for the perfect garden party!  

LEGO® Marvel Super Heroes Spider-Man™: Spider-Cycle Chase

Venom™ has taken control of Nick Fury's S.H.I.E.L.D. flying car and is making a super-fast getaway. Send Spider-Man™ to the rescue in his cool Spider-Cycle! Help him catch this venomous villain and return the car to the good guys! Use the folding wheels on both vehicles for the perfect high-speed pursuit in the air or on land, but watch out for Venom's vicious symbiont web attack!  

Your children’s hands and imaginations will certainly be busy with these fun toys, and they’re great for fostering interaction with friends, siblings and parents, too. What do you do when summer vacation boredom strikes? How do you pass rainy days cooped up in the house with your kids? Let us know your tips in the “Comments” section below!

Merchandise Monday: Trends from Toy Fair 2013

      

The 110th American International Toy Fair drew nearly 20,000 retailers, wholesalers, importers, buying groups and trade guests to scope out 150,000 innovative toys, games and youth entertainment products across a record-breaking 375,000 net square feet of exhibit space.

Toy Fair 2013 took place February 10-13 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, and Hinda merchandising director LeeAnn Schumacher hit the show floor to report back on the trends she sees taking place this year and as we move into the future.

To begin, we can expect to see games and gadgets that evoke a memory. Classic toys, nostalgic products and vintage items will be popping up on the toy shelves this year. For example, Power Rangers is celebrating its 20^th anniversary, while the Cabbage Patch Kid® doll turns 30. Also, remember the Fisher-Price® record player? It’s back!

Reality TV seems to be influencing toys kids want to play with. Available at Toy Fair this year were “Project Runway” and “American Idol”-inspired items such as the Project Runway® Fashion Design Light-Box Set and the Kidz Bop Glammerati™ Mini Melody Microphone. These toys let kids tap into their creativity and individuality and keep them entertained when their favorite shows aren’t airing.

Toymakers are finding ways to leverage technology, as many physical toys now share an online component. For example, Skylanders™ is the combination of video games and figurines and lets players explore two worlds at the same time.

This will make parents happy:  teens and ‘tweens still want outdoor activities and board games - it’s not all about electronics and smartphones! Board games are now based on apps – such as “Words with Friends” and “Farmville,” – and branded with pop culture figures. It’s all about capturing young adult eyes and holding their attention long enough to keep them coming back.

Following this “offline fun” trend, 2012 saw a 20 percent uptick in the building set category. From classic building blocks to other types of building sets, expect new innovations and an increasing number of new licenses. Lego® has introduced several new lines, including Friends, Legends of Chima and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles®, while Mega Bloks® is also is the forefront, launching Barbie™ Pool Party.

This is just a sampling of the trends and products emerging this year. Check back frequently for updates via our weekly “Merchandise Monday” column right here on Hinda Blog!

Merchandise Monday: Happy LEGO-ween!

Halloween is fun for all ages, but these spooky new LEGO® sets make great treats for the kids in your life. Just in time for the scariest day of the year, Hinda has added a variety of delightful characters the kids in your life are sure to enjoy – from ghosts to pirates to vampires and more!

Epic Dragon Battle

The epic battle of good versus evil has begun! The Great Devourer has been awakened and threatens to devour the world of Ninjago. Can the legendary green ninja, riding the awesome four-headed Ultra Dragon, overpower this evil adversary? Can Lord Garmadon harness the power of the four golden weapons of Spinjitzu to destroy the mighty snake? Can Jay defeat the evil Snake Generals release his master from the impenetrable snake prison? Only you can decide the outcome of the final battle between good and evil!

The Ghost Train

The Ghost Train is getting away with the moonstone. Help Frank Rock and Ann Lee catch it in their acrobatic airplane, suck up the ghosts with the vacuum weapon and grab the moonstone. Don't let them trap the heroes in the Ghost Train's prison!

Jabba's Palace™

Rescue Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt’s desert palace! Avoid the trap door and roof-mounted missiles to free Han Solo from Jabba’s Palace, with poseable Jabba and all-new Salacious Crumb. Jabba and friends represent the ultimate in epic alien adventure!

Pirates of the Caribbean Black Pearl

After 13 years, Davy Jones has come to take Jack Sparrow back to the Flying Dutchman. As his tentacled adversary boards the Black Pearl with his brackish crew, Maccus and Bootstrap Bill, Jack and his friends Will and Joshamee are in no mood to surrender just yet!

The Vampyre Hearse

The Vampyre and his faithful servant, the zombie driver, have the moonstone and are making a getaway in the black hearse. Can Dr. Rodney Rathbone catch them on his motorcycle and steal the moonstone? Or will Vampyre launch a surprise coffin attack and send the doctor spinning out of control? You decide!

Are you excited about these new LEGO products, or did we scare you away? Put some extra fright in your kid’s trick-or-treat bag this year! They’ll really enjoy these lovably scary creatures, and you’ll love that you won’t be contributing to their sugar intake!