Sky Dancers Family Fun's "Toy of the Year"
Providing one of the season's major animation/licensing success stories is Abrams/Gentile Entertainment. The creators of Sky Dancers and Dragon Flyz were on hand at Toyfair to offer me the inside scoop about these successful properties. According to Jenny Gentile, Sky Dancers was actually a toy for one full year before it became an animated series. "We always look to develop a property as a complete package. An animated series was taken into account at the development stage with the backstory for the characters being developed at this time." The animated series (which debuted in the US this fall) is co-produced by Gaumont Multimedia, who has just completed production on 15 new episodes. New this season from master toy licensee Galoob are Pretty Scent Sky Dancers (bubble gum, strawberry and watermelon), Rainbow Ribbon Sky Dancers that have iridescent ribbons that shimmer as the doll takes "flight," Sparkle Dome Sky Dancers (personal fave) that has a little globe filled with glitter that swirls around when you launch the doll, and Sky Dancers that are characters from the show.

I would really like to see how kids play with these toys; like dolls, or like the semi-sporting goods that they are? Gentile feels the success of the show and its related toys is based on children's fantasies about flying. "When I was a little girl I always wanted to know what it was like to fly. I think these toys allow children to pretend that they too can fly."

Also in the works at AGE is a new part live-action, part computer animation series, Vanpires, about derelict cars that come to life after a giant meteor crashes into earth and tries to drain the planet of all the gasoline. Toyfair provided an initial forum for licensers to become familiar with this new property . The licensing show in June is where most of the licensing deals will be made for Vanpires. Already in the works is a Vanpire car from Galoob that drives and flys. Now this I gotta see!

Chuckie doll from Nickelodeon's Rugrats.

Get Ready for the Next Baby Boom
So say the signs on New York buses and subway platforms, and they're not referring to a new movie starring Diane Keaton. Nickelodeon unveiled it's new Rugrats merchandising program at Toyfair, kicking it all off with a sort of inaugural ball. The party was a festive celebration (and ironically the only event all week where I saw any kids!) complete with larger-than-life Angelica and Tommy walkarounds, Rugrats-shaped Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and Klasky-Csupo animators on hand to draw guests their favorite Rugrat.

Nick's comprehensive new Rugrats merchandising program, with Mattel as master licensee, is the cable network's largest line of consumer products behind a single property to date. Although the show has been airing in 1991 and is Nick's # 1 rated show, they have proceeded with caution in developing licensing connected to the show. Says Maureen Taxter, Vice President and General Manager of Licensing for Nickelodeon Consumer Products, "We have carefully managed to build this merchandising program with a long-term view--not a flash-in-the-pan effort often associated with licensing. It is our intent to see Rugrats grow into a classic licensed property." And it is a great looking line that really retains the style of the animation featuring: Rugrats animation cels, bubblebath, backpacks, pencil toppers, talking Tommy, Angelica and Chuckie dolls (a must have item), and fruit snacks.