Toy Fair 2025: Exclusive First Look at LBO's YO MONSTA Brand!

One thing about the Toy Industry...it pulls hyper-creative minds together to form some legendary mash-ups and collaborations! LBO can be counted as one such meeting of minds, comprised of Kwame' (famous rapper/producer), Steve Forde (GoHero founder and a classic monster kid with award-winning projects with original and world-class licensed brands), Mike Polis (who among other things produced the show Yo Gabba Gabba makes amazing products for Killer Tomatoes, Mars Attacks, and Garbage Pail Kids.), Acori Honzo and LaWanda Shepherd (Artist and figural documentarians steeped in culture - See the D.O.P.E. projects), and Scott Kuenzli (Runs Disburst and offers decades of leading behind the scenes with visionary artists and indie toy companies). Yo Monsta represents all those flavors in one brand and has all the earmarks of a transmedia hit.

Werebears Return!

Leading US plush supplier The Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Company (BHTB) has confirmed Character Options as the distributor of the nostalgic and gritty WereBears brand, which is due to relaunch this autumn in the UK and Eire.

The WereBears series of teddy bears was originally released in the United Kingdom in 1983. Philanthropist, author and cartoonist George Nicholas created them so that boys could embrace the teddy bears culture without the worry of teasing. 42 years on, the original characters that have both soft and sinister sides will appeal to both boys and girls with their wacky personalities.

Championing WereBears’ resurgence and with demand for 80s toy brands never being higher, Midco Toys’ David Middleton decided it was time to bring WereBears back to life and, together with Intertoy, encouraged the partnership between BHTB and Character Options.

Hasbro Re-Introduces Ghostbusters Fright Features! Image Gallery Inside

BEHOLD!! NEW GHOSTS!! As Ghostbusters fans waited for Hasbro to pump out the core characters we've come to expect from any toy line, we dreamed of what a FULLY MOTIVATED and highly imaginative company might do with the license that previous companies had not attempted yet. Would we finally get those insane supernatural baddies featured in the Real Ghostbusters cartoon series? More unexpected; might we get a series of GB troops and ghosts based on concept designs unused in past films? While anything is still within the realm of possibility if the new Ghostbusters movie rakes in that cash, one trip to the toy aisles will assure you Hasbro isn't letting this license go stale!

Larry the Pumpkin Monster by Last Resort Toys

Anyone who has ever spent more than 5 minutes on Idle Hands knows I don't need Halloween to talk about spooky, creepy, toothy, bitey things! Never the less, we are closing in on the high holy holiday for my fellow horror nerds and monster groupees, and so we are bound to cover a nice pile of toys that could torment grandma...unless she's a cool grandma...and then they would be friends. MONSTER FRIENDS!! Today, we check out Larry the Pumpkin Monster by our new friends at Last Resort Toys. I met this crew online and we quickly bonded over our love for retro looking monsters and scifi creatures like Diener space creature erasers and Trash Bag Bunch figures, both of which have been biggie sized by Last Resort! We'll show that awesome stuff later, for today...is for LARRY!! 

Toy Fair Everywhere July 2020: Virus Smasher

Quarantine got your down? Social distancing has you yearning for an accidental bump into another living, breathing human being? Do folks wearing face masks on their chin fill you with the rage of 1,000 Rocky Balboas?? Wild Hair Creations has the product for you! Leave it to a toy company to put a face on a global pandemic so you may pummel it to your heart's content. Madball and monster toy fans, take notice!

DC Collectibles Artists Alley: James Groman's BAT MONSTERS!!

Tis the season for all that is spooky and creepy, heinous and horrific, and all your favorite companies are getting in on the fun where ever you look. Just yesterday alone, while watching regular TV with commercials, I saw zombies attack a woman who refused to join their ranks as she got a good night's sleep, cannibal MandM's and an ongoing series of Geico commercials involving two roomates who choose an awesome looking witch as a third flatmate. So far, she's turned one of the roomates into a half cat. IT'S THE BEST TIME OF THE YEAR!!! Not to be left out, DC Collectibles unleashes their most monstrous form yet, teaming up with Madballs creator James Groman to turn Batman and his most fearsome foes into monstrosities you'll not soon forget. Prepare yourselves for the horror of DC Artists Alley James Groman Vinyl Figures. LET'S TAKE A LOOK!!

McFarlane Offers a Stranger Things Dart Creature for Every Home

Stranger Things season 2 provided us with many memorable moments, but one section in particular played on our love of monsters and fondness for a certain film about creatures that don't like bright light and multiply when they get wet. Who doesn't love a story about a boy and his (potentially) man eating monster? When McFarlane looked for opportunities to create collectibles from this extremely nostalgic universe, they didn't have to look much further than DART!

Monster Toy Kids Alert: Check Out Mundo Monstruo!

Take a heaping helping of Mighty Max, cross that with the insane collectibility of Moose Toys' Grossery Gang and paint it over in a sort of Stretch Screamers art aesthetic and you get MUNDO MONSTRUO!! From here on in, you're going to have to accept I'm working from translations and assumptions to a degree, as we found this toy line across the ocean, unbeknownst to even my creepy friends who live there. Was it a listing mistake? Are these in stores already? I HAVE NOOOO IDEA. Here's what we do know...

MGA Releases Crate Creatures Surprise Toys

If you are a part of any groups on Facebook with parents scrambling around toy stores looking to grab the hottest holiday gifts for their kids, you'll notice one refrain. WHAT DO I GET MY LITTLE BOY??!! Now, while you might think this is the ideal time for a lesson in gender equality in the toy aisles...it is not, as the mini human (boy OR girl) who isn't fond of sparkles and pastel colors is woefully under-served this season. Yes, there are plenty of Marvel Comics goodies, Transformers, Justice League and Star Wars characters to be consumed, but where is the original idea that leaves play largely to the imagination of your little kid? MGA steps up to solve the problem.