Powered by Toys: The Story Continues
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A company that snagged a lucrative toy-licensing agreement early on in its history has now established itself as a significant force.
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Gabe: ***STAR WARS NERD CRAP!***I've been meaning to mention Karen's new book in the Republic Commando series for a while but I wanted to wait until I finished it. I'm a ridiculously slow reader so I didn't actually wrap it up until a few weeks ago. If you're reading the series "True Colors" is out in stores and it's great. If you're not reading the series you should start at the beginning. Karen is essentially covering the Clone Wars like a real war correspondent would. Seeing as that was her previous job it makes sense. She's looking at the war and asking the questions a real journalist would ask. "Why do we all of a sudden have a clone army? Don't they take ten years to grow?" "How are we paying for this?" "Why doesn't anyone ever see veterans or wounded clone troopers returning home?" She is cutting through the Galactic/imperial propaganda and showing the war from the point of view of the soldiers. Star Wars fiction tends to be about Jedi. All the movies are about Jedi and almost all of the books tend to revolve around Jedi and their lives. Republic Commando is refreshing because it's not about Jedi. It's about soldiers fighting a war that the government will never let them win. The newest book also happens to introduce my new favorite Star Wars characters. Gaib and the Tk-0 droid are data bounty hunters. Essentially hackers for hire. So fucking awesome.  *** END OF STAR WARS NERD CRAP***  I also have some Child's Play updates for you. If you couldn't make it to the dinner last week or you just want to remember how rad it was, you can hit Kiko's Flickr for his pictures. As of last Friday we're up to $850,000 for the year. It looks like we'll have no problem breaking a million before we wrap things up in January.This is the last day for a very cool Heroes auction over on eBay. The auction was assembled by our friend Ollie who works on the show. He managed to get a pilot scrip signed by a bunch of the cast members as well as a bunch of other great Heroes collectibles.-Gabe out
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Entertainment-themed toys  once again generated most of the buzz at the annual Toy Fair  gathering amid expectations that "Spider-Man 3," "Pirates of  the Caribbean: At World's End" and "Shrek the Third" will yield  blockbuster toy sales this year.
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Walt Disney Studios is actively proceeding with a second sequel to Pixar Animation's "Toy Story" franchise, a move that could make it more difficult for the two companies to extend their rocky relationship.
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An upstart adult industry venture pioneers a revolution in technology and entertainment. Again. Commentary by Regina Lynn.
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Tycho:  I was in a guild with the guy who started FigurePrints, and when he extended coupons to the old crew I snapped them up and gave them as Christmas presents.  None of my characters ever reached the highest echelons of Azerothian Fashion, so it seemed like they were better invested in Gabriel and Keek, who poured night after night into Battlegrounds and Active Volcanoes fighting dragons and whatnot. The coupons I have described are difficult to secure, only available in random drawings at random intervals, or if by some twist of fate you happen to have been guildmates with a cunning entrepreneur.  It's really a way to ennoble the lost years you plowed into that game.  It's the sort of thing you'd think a person would appreciate.
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There's still some smoke, but the clash between the country's two largest makers of toy trains is nearly over.
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By Anne D'Innocenzio  As kids keep getting plugged into the Internet, toy makers are following them online.
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Humanoid devices will be used to encourage interest in science and technology.
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Blog: Newsweek has the story, and there are two games in the works.
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The real-world toy maker joins Mattel and Hasbro in catering to children online.
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The new 'tween toy from Hasbro looks and works like a cell phone. Also: Rumors fly of a Verizon bid for MCI&hellip;.  Google sits down to chat with Wall Street&hellip;. and more.
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The toy maker avoids the earnings troubles of its rivals because it didn't have as many recalls.
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Tycho:  Kotaku carried a story yesterday that is (basically) the Nintendo DS version of that Playstation Pornable scare from six months ago.  You can see it here, and you should, because it's awesome.  It depicts a scenario so imaginative that it juts into the realm of speculative fiction:
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Gabe: I had planned on making a couple posts last week but I ended up getting some kind of devil virus. It was the sort of sick where you don't really sleep. You just curl up in the bathroom and hallucinate that wolves are encircling you. I'm feeling better now though.I had wanted to talk about some stuff but I forgot almost all of it during my spirit quest. Let me see if I can remember anything. Sorry if this is sort of scattershot.I did go to the Pokemon Tournament and I ended up taking fourth. It was my first tourney and I was using a pretty crazy deck I'd built just a few days prior. Kiko also went and he took fifth even though we had the same win loss record during the day. They used some special Pokemon math to push me in to the final four and give him fifth. I pretty proud of both of us. It was a new level of competition that we'd never seen before and I think we played really well.If you're a fan of Transformers I highly recommend the new animated series on Cartoon Network. Some people might be turned off by the look but I think it's incredible. It's got a very Teen Titans look which makes sense seeing as it's by the same people. Even in vehicle mode these transformers are expressive and full of character. I read Amulet over the weekend (don't believe the date on his site, it is already in stores) and if you are a fan of comics I suggest you do the same. I don't want to say too much about it. I think that Kazu is one of the most talented individuals working in comics today. With Amulet he has created something timeless. I've collected all your Dickerdoodle pictures and there's some pretty great stuff in there. Give me some time to sort through them and I'll start posting my favorites soon. I'll get Tycho to help me pick a winner and we'll find something cool here in the office as a prize.-Gabe out
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Tycho: Our third book is now available on the store, if you haven't purchased it elsewhere. Entitled The Warsun Prophecies, it incorporates all the strips from 2002. I'm usually scared to read something I've written once I've written it, which may help you to understand the state these posts sometimes arrive in - but I think this one turned out really well.I've just now finished the final edits on the fourth book, which will be released... in the future. Also, on the very same store, our Fire Sale continues to rage - with the heat of a thousand bargains! Huge savings in every department, etc.(CW)TB
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Toy maker reports higher revenues and earnings even though domestic sales fall.