Toys “R” Us is looking for a child 9-13 years of age to be its President of Play. The role will involve testing toys, including some not yet available to the public, talking about toy trends to the media, and representing Toys “R” Us at public events.

Toys “R” Us estimates eight appearances for 80 hours and a contract value for the position of $5,000.

To apply, kids are asked to submit a 1-2 minute video “that lets their playful personality shine, as they tell us all about their favorite toy, doll, gadget or game.” The deadline for that is tomorrow. By the end of the month, the company will choose a group of semifinalists to interview, and from them three finalists to participate in a public debate. The winner of the debate, and President of Play, will be chosen by public vote.

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Mattel’s fourth quarter gross sales were 3 percent higher in 2015, absent the impact of currency exchange rates, compared to the same period in the previous year. Full-year gross sales were up 1 percent in constant-currency terms, buoyed by 7 percent growth in Fisher-Price and a 22 percent rise from Hot Wheels. Mattel’s entertainment business, which includes both the digital and tabletop games categories, grew 16 percent.

A recently announced “strategic partnership” will see Stronghold Games handling all English-language games of eggerspiele in North America.

The two Toys “R” Us stores in Ireland are shutting down just 6 months after opening.

Queen Games has begun providing its games direct to distributors in North America, ending its distribution arrangement with Asmodee NA. Queen Games will use Ship Naked for fulfillment, with Hit Point Sales also providing an alternate sales vehicle.

For its part, Asmodee has acquired Nordic and Dutch distributor Bersgala Enigma and is renaming the company to just “Enigma”.

Patch Products of Beloit, Wisconsin has acquired STEM and construction toy company, Roominate. Patch also changed its name to Playmonster.

Spin Master has acquired the Etch A Sketch and Doodle Sketch brands, including all related patents, trademarks, tooling, and inventory, from The Ohio Art Company.

Bay Tek Games has purchased Skee Ball.

Playmore Games of Finland announced the closing of an Angel round of funding with €250,000 from Nolwenture Ltd. and Davigia Ltd. The investment will be used to expand the company’s distribution network for tabletop games, as well as to develop its Dized application for enhancing tabletop games with digital content.

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Apparently working toward an IPO, CMON Limited (also known as CoolMiniOrNot) has secured $5.3 million in a series A financing round through Quantum Asset Management of Singapore.

Toobeez, maker of eponymous construction toys, has signed a deal with the MRF Group of India, making the former exclusive distributor of Funskool brand products in the United States—puzzles, games, infant and preschool toys, and arts & crafts.

After a short 4 month effort with two stores, Toys “R” Us is calling it quits on Ireland.

Kalmbach Publishing of Wisconsin, which puts out the magazines Discover and Model Railroader, among others, is entering the game business with the purchase of Rather Dashing Games, publisher of Dwarven Miner and more. Rather Dashing’s Mike Richie and Grant Wilson will remain on to run the operation.

Burning Wheel Headquarters has taken over publishing duties for the Dungeon World roleplaying game. Designers Sage La Torra and Adam Koebel will continue to direct development of the game.

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As they did last year, every Toys “R” Us store in the U.K. will be holding an autism-friendly shopping event, this year on Sunday, November 15th. Stores will open at 10:00 AM with subdued lighting, no music playing, and specially trained staff on-hand to assist shoppers.

Due to local law, purchases can’t be made until 11:00 AM.

[via Toy World]

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Toys “R” Us has released the 2015 edition of its Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids. Providing help in identifying the best toys for each child’s individual needs, the Guide, rather than categorizing by diagnosis, tags toys with icons for fine motor, social, language, auditory, and other skills. The Toy Guide also provides recommendations for mobile apps suitable for children with physical, cognitive, or developmental disabilities.

Toys “R” Us has made its special needs Toy Guide available both in print and online, in English and in Spanish.

Supporting Toy “R” Us this year is singer-songwriter and television personality, Nick Lachey, who has a brother with Asperger syndrome and has been an advocate for children through his personal charitable foundation. Josephine Gonzalez of New Jersey shares the cover of the Toy Guide this year with Nick.

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Toys “R” Us stores in the U.K. will be holding an autism-friendly shopping event on Sunday, November 30th. Every store will open early at 9:00 AM, and until 11:00 AM will operate with reduced lighting and no music or announcements. Staff are also being given special parent-led training for the event.

[via Daily Echo]

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Toys “R” Us has released its 20th annual Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids. The Guide provides 63 pages of toy recommendations for children with special needs. Each of the products in the guide is labeled with icons for the skills which it supports, such as auditory, fine motor, gross motor, language, social skills, and others.

On the cover this year is Albert Pujols, world champion baseball player, father of a daughter with Down syndrome, and advocate of children with special needs through the Pujols Family Foundation. With him is 5-year-old Cameron Withers.

Along with the toy guide, Toys “R” Us provides an App Guide covering both the App Store for iOS and the Google Play Store for Android.

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Toys “R” Us has released the 2013 edition of its Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids. The company began publishing the special-needs toy-selection guide 20 years ago and this year did so with the support of Olympic gold-medal gymnast Gabby Douglas and the National Lekotek Center.

Included in the Guide are general tips for choosing toys, explanations of how individual toys support specific developmental and physical needs, safety tips, and a skill-building index. It’s available online, as well as in Toys “R” Us stores.

This year also sees the first Toys “R” Us App Guide for Differently-Abled Kids, a tool for selecting mobile apps that help develop specific skills in children with special needs.

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