The big toy chains were avoided and Beanies were sold to smaller, independent stores in bundles of three dozen or less.
Hasbro has a huge share in most big toy retailers, and whenever aged baby boomers go into a store they go nuts coveting all the cool stuff that never existed in the 1950s.
One goal of these big box toy retailers is to attract toy consumers regardless of the recipient.
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Regardless of their favorite big box toy store, the average age is relatively similar (41.8 Target, 43.1 Toys R Us, and 43.6 Wal-Mart).
FORBES: Battle Grounds Among Toy Retailers: Breaking Down The Consumer Demographics
Big Box toy discounters trampled mom-and-pops and lowered prices dramatically.
All dressed up in Playskool aero pieces and available in Life Savers colors, the 500e feels like the big-kid toy the Fiat 500 always wanted to be, with an otherworldly electric hum to go with its whimsical aesthetics.
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Then came an 10-year hiatus during which he had high-profile successes (buying Pixar Animation Studios from George Lucas before they made it big with "Toy Story") and failures (founding NeXT Computer, whose pricey, cube-shaped computer workstations never caught on).
That may seem counter-intuitive: with their big engines and Tonka-toy looks, trucks suggest a refusal to compromise with fuel prices or fears of global warming.
One thing is certain: The big chains are gunning for the toy business this season by unabashedly playing the price card.
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Last year it was not other animals but a stuffed toy that was behind a big cat sighting.
If politicians and accountants are wise--a big assumption--they would not toy with the idea of arbitrarily expensing options.
Any European bans would have their greatest impact on the toy industry, which includes big American firms such as Mattel and Hasbro.
They were bombarded with orders from small toy and gift shops and landed their first big account with Tower Records, the now defunct music chain.
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But perhaps Lego should not strive unduly to keep up with electronic fashion: the big hit this Christmas at Hamleys, London's toy mecca, was a come-back story dating back to ancient Greece: the humble yo-yo.
For tech toy lovers: Michael Wolf rounds up the tech toys that will win big this holiday season.
It got a big jump in sales after Etch A Sketch was featured in the first two "Toy Story" movies, and Ohio Art capitalized on a much-publicized gaffe by a Mitt Romney aide during last year's presidential election, who was asked about his candidate's views during the primary season versus the general election.
Their first big break came in late 2003, when the couple set up a booth at a toy industry show in New York.
WSJ: How Did Those 'Ugly Dolls' Come to Be? Their Creators Explain
When I was a little kid, I loved visiting my aunt, cousin and favorite uncle hey, he owned a toy store in their beautiful Brooklyn home, especially for Thanksgiving or some other big family gathering.
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While the last crop of robot dogs looked like squared-off, stylized versions of toy terriers, this new bunch resembles such Sanrio characters as Hello Kitty and Chococat, with big, circular heads reminiscent of cartoon characters.
VTech's advertising and marketing is modest by toy-industry standards just 10% of sales, about half that of the big American brands and it eschews daytime television, preferring to advertise in Good Housekeeping magazine and other publications aimed at parents.
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