Fisher-Price signs licensing deal for HIT's Thomas

Reuters, January 5, 2009 — Mattel Inc's (MAT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Fisher-Price brand signed a multi-year deal as the global toy licensee for HIT Entertainment's Thomas & Friends train product line, in a move to boost sales globally, the companies said on Monday.

Financial terms of the deal, which covers multiple territories around the world, were not disclosed. The first products will be available in 2010, when the Thomas line celebrates its 65th anniversary, and offerings will expand as existing licensees' rights expire, the companies said.

Frustration-Free Packaging

Springwise Newsletter, November 4, 2008 — Thanks to a new, multi-year global initiative announced yesterday, Amazon is working with manufacturers to eliminate the causes of "Wrap Rage" while also minimizing the impact of packaging on the environment. As a result, 19 best-selling products are now available through Amazon in the US packaged in smaller, easy-to-open and recyclable cardboard boxes that protect the products within just as well, the company says.

Fisher-Price Game Plan: Pursue Toy Sales in Developing Markets†

Wall Street Journal, May 29, 2008 — In developing a line of talking toys aimed at children in China, engineers at Fisher-Price had to struggle to perfect the Mandarin "Sh" sound, which involves a soft hiss that was difficult to encode on sound-data chips embedded in the toys.

Developers finally solved the problem of recording the phrase "It's learning time!" in Mandarin, but new challenges are ahead. (Listen to the phrase.) The company will soon be examining the LCD screens on learning toys to determine whether Chinese characters can be displayed clearly.

Getting such details right is increasingly important as Fisher-Price and its parent company, Mattel Inc., try to attract more customers overseas.