These flying dolls from Lewis Galoob Toys pirouette into the air from atop their own launchers. The prima ballerinas were so popular in market tests that F.A.0. Schwarz in San Francisco had to reorder four times in five weeks. Galoob hopes to sell more than 1 million of the $10 dolls.
Disney’s next animated film premieres in June. On sale this May: Pocahontas and John Smith dolls, basketweaving and face-painting kits. Mattel is hoping to duplicate the success of “The Lion King,” which raked in $120 million in toy sales alone, figures analyst Sean McGowan.
Steven Spielberg brings the friendly ghost to the big screen this Memorial Day, and if the animation is as good as the buzz, Tyco Toys should make at least $20 million off everything from a Casper board game ($17) to a talking apparition (about $20).
Call them Sons of Power Rangers. (Parents may call them sons of something else.) This new generation of TV commandos from Saban, the folks who brought you the Mighty Morphins, are proving every bit as popular as their predecessors. Eighty percent of F.A.0. Schwarz’s stock of 1,500 VR Troopers sold out in three weeks last Christmas. (Around $9).
Some are billing this public-broadcasting series, which debuts this week, as the next “Sesame Street.” A puppet show with ethnic characters (e.g., Julie Woo, Kiki Flores and Skye Nakaiye), “Puzzle Place” is designed to teach cooperation and respect.
Based on Nickelodeon’s new “Nicktoon,” the three creatures-Ickis, Krumm and Oblinaare novice monsters struggling to learn the ropes. The series is attracting as big a children’s audience as the popular “Ren & Stimpy” show. Look for a Monster “academy,” Monster Oozers (action figures) and other ghoulish products.
if you thought the French novelist was a bit over the edge, look out for toys by the same name. Catco, the offbeat specialty toymaker, is now introducing Balzac Ear Busters, the “noisiest ball on earth.” And if that’s not enough to strike fear in the hearts of parents, it has perfected an edible slime, called Glop.
