Spotlight On TIA Members

May 23, 2016 | This month’s Toy Industry Association (TIA) “Member Spotlight” includes updates from Mattel, Play Works Studio, Skyrocket Toys, Hasbro, Toys“R”Us, and Wonder Workshop.

Hot Wheels’ Custom Indy 500 Trophy Races to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis
Mattel’s Hot Wheels brand unveiled its take on the Indy 500 Championship Trophy with a custom version that celebrates the past 99 epic Indy races with as many Hot Wheels cars. Each 1:64 car draws inspiration from the stories, colors and numbers of the winning Indianapolis 500 drivers and cars. The trophy will be on display May 31st at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis at a special exhibit running through August 13th. View the making of the trophy here. 

Donations Sought for STEAM Kits in Schools   
Play Works Studio’s Robiis brand is seeking donations in order to send their starter kits to schools across the U.S. The little STEAM creatures teach coding, collaboration and communication skills and Robiis has already sent 31 kits to select schools thanks to generous financial donations, which are generally tax deductible. The company’s goal is to send nearly 50 more kits to K-12 schools via any donation of $5 or more and 1- and 10-kit options.  Visit here for more information.

Skyrocket Toys Names a Leader for its New Media Division
Skyrocket Toys has named Jared Wolfson as senior vice president of its newly-created media division. He will be leading the development of Skyrocket’s original content for digital and broadcast platforms with a corresponding line of toys and ancillary products. Plans to launch the first property toy line are in 2018. Wolfson is formerly president of Franchise Integration at Zag Animation Studios and Zagtoon, and an executive producer of several children’s television shows, including “Popples.”

Twister Turns 50!
In celebration of Twister’s 50th anniversary, the game’s inventor, Reyn Guyer, published Right Brain Red, a book which details his creative career and tells the full story of the game’s exciting beginnings. Learn more about Twister’s milestone by visiting Hasbro Gaming.

Toys“R”Us Names First Global CTO and New President of Asia Pacific
Toys“R”Us, Inc. announced that Lance Wills, formerly of American Eagle Outfitters, will join the company June 13th as executive vice president, global chief technology officer, a newly created position. Wills will be responsible for the retailer’s global IT and digital strategy. Additionally, Andre Javes has been promoted to president, Toys“R”Us, Asia Pacific. Javes had been managing director of Southeast Asia and Greater China, and will assume the role May 27th overseeing expansion efforts in Japan, Southeast Asia, Greater China and Australia. Both positions will report directly to chairman and CEO Dave Brandon.

Wonder Workshop Accepting School Entries for Robotics Competition
Wonder Workshop, the makers of the Dash and Dot robots, announced that their second annual Wonder League robotics competition will start in October. The Wonder League calls for elementary school student teams from around the world to use Dash and Dot to face off while overcoming obstacles and solving coding challenges. The grand prize is an all expenses paid STEM Field Trip to California to meet top engineers, game designers and animators at Illumination Entertainment and NASA, among others.

Want to be included in next month’s Member Spotlight? Email jsmulison@toyassociation.org with company news and include “Member Spotlight” in the subject line.