Toy Maker

After a bad holiday season, shares of Jakks Pacific Inc. rose on rumors that the toy maker will receive another takeover bid from Oaktree Capital Management after rejecting an earlier offer from the Los Angeles investment company. Oaktree had previously offered to take the Malibu toy company private last October in a $670-million hostile bid that offered shareholders $20 a share in cash. At the time, analysts speculated that the offer was too low. But after a poor fourth quarter, Jakks recently slashed its full-year outlook to earnings of 37 to 40 cents a share on annual sales of about $660 million.

NEW YORK - A digital Barbie vanity mirror that allows makeup experimentation without the mess. Customizable figurines mounted on spinning tops that battle in a portable arena. New Play Doh Plus that's fluffier and more malleable. The hippest new toys showcased at the American International Toy Fair this week are interactive, adaptable and, often, more than a bit familiar. "We're reinventing older brands so that kids can rediscover them as if they were new," said John Frascotti, chief marketing officer for Hasbro Inc., at the show in New York City.

Toy maker Jakks Pacific Inc. reported 14% higher third-quarter profit on gains from a tax benefit and higher sales as it had solid results in its dolls, action figures and electronic toy lines. Jakks' profit rose to $54.1 million, or $1.70 a share, from $47.3 million, or $1.45, a year earlier. Sales rose 12% to $357.8 million. Shares fell 27 cents, or 1.3%, to $20.25.

Unable to resist the "Try me!" sign, 8-year-old Julian Rivas held up a box containing the Star Wars Death Star Lego set in front of a yellow kiosk and was blown away. On the kiosk's TV screen, Rivas could see not only himself holding the box but also a 3-D image of the Death Star as it would look had he built it himself. Better yet, when Rivas rotated the box, the Death Star moved with it, revealing miniature guards sparring with light sabers and laser guns firing into space. "It was amazing," Rivas said as he put the box back down at the Glendale Lego store.

Half a century ago, G.I. Teddy Bears were made from U.S. Army blankets by a Bavarian toy maker as a thank-you to the troops who helped save his company at the end of World War II. Now, the company hopes to sell a few to the American public. Hugo Koch Toys operated in the former Czechoslovakia from 1902 until 1945, when German nationals, including Koch, were ordered home. An American Army major transported Koch and his tools to safety. He then made G.I.

Toy maker Jakks Pacific Inc. said its fourth-quarter profit climbed 48% because of strong sales of Disney toys, action figures and electronic and video games. Net income increased to $34.4 million, or $1.06 a share, from $23.2 million, or 73 cents, a year earlier, the Malibu-based company said. Revenue grew 20% to $285.1 million. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial expected a profit of 74 cents a share on revenue of $246.8 million. Shares closed up $1.15, or 4.3%, at $28.

Malibu-based toy maker Jakks Pacific Inc. was accused of copyright infringement in a lawsuit over electric guitars it makes for Walt Disney Co.'s TV character Hannah Montana. KidDesigns Inc., the maker of Barbie guitars for El Segundo-based Mattel Inc., filed suit last week in Newark, N.J., claiming that the Hannah Montana songs and other features of the Jakks product are confusingly similar to those KidDesigns created for the Barbie guitar. KidDesigns, based in Rahway, N.J.

A popular toy maker is refusing to pull a lead-tainted doll from store shelves across Illinois, challenging a state law governing lead content in toys, the state says. Ty Inc., best known for its Beanie Babies, says federal law takes precedence over the Illinois statute. The state is considering suing Ty, based in suburban Chicago, to force it to comply.

Jakks Pacific Inc. said Monday that fourth-quarter net income more than doubled as sales at the children's toy maker, which sells Dora the Explorer products, rose 43%. Its stock gained 17%. The Malibu-based company's net income rose to $23.2 million, or 73 cents a share, compared with $9 million, or 30 cents, a year earlier, the company said. Sales increased to $238.3 million from $166.3 million a year earlier. The growth stems from increased sales of the company's XPV radio-controlled vehicle, Disney princess-related products and role-play toys, Chief Executive Stephen Berman said.

Ty Inc., the maker of Beanie Babies stuffed animals, has agreed to modify its Web site to comply with industry advertising practices, the children's television review unit of the Better Business Bureau said. Ty agreed to state its privacy policies and obtain parental permission before taking the names and e-mail addresses of children who register at the site. Ty has also agreed to state on its site that its "product information" is really advertising.

What to get a little boy for Christmas that isn't the usual toy car set, video game or sports item? One fresh-faced activist suggests an Easy Bake Oven. McKenna Pope, 13, is petitioning toy maker Hasbro Inc. to stop marketing the kitchen set to only young girls. She's asking for images of boys to also be placed on Easy Bake boxes. On Hasbro's website, the Easy Bake brand is included under Cooking & Baking Games for Girls. The Garfield, N.J., eighth-grader, moved to action by her 4-year-old brother's attempts to cook on top of a lamp's light bulb, has already scored nearly 18,000 signatures on her petition on Change.org.

Toy maker Mattel Inc. reported a strong third quarter Tuesday, lifted by healthy sales of American Girl dolls and Fisher-Price toys just head of the crucial holiday season. For the quarter ended Sept. 30, the El Segundo retailer posted a profit of $365.9 million, or $1.04 a share, up nearly 22% from $300.8 million, or 86 cents a share, in the same period a year ago. Sales also rose 4% to $2.08 billion. The results beat analyst expectations and positions the toy maker nicely for the holiday months ahead when retailers can rake in up to 40% of their annual sales.

Even though it's not even fall, Toys R Us Inc. is getting ready for the holidays with an array of options for cash-strapped shoppers. The toy giant announced Wednesday a soon-to-be launched "hot toy" reservation program that will enable parents to put popular play things for their kids on hold and avoid "frantic searching in the days leading up to Christmas. " The complimentary service will be an option for 50 selected toys at the retailer and requires a 20% down payment. Customers get an email when their orders are ready to be picked up. Toys R Us also touted its free layaway program, available through Halloween, along with improvements to its option enabling shoppers to purchase items online and pick them up at a Toys R Us or Babies R Us store.  The toy chain will also offer an expanding lineup of exclusive toys that include the recently unveiled $150 Tabeo tablet for children.

At Mattel Inc.'s headquarters in El Segundo, Bryan Stockton, the new chief executive of the toy giant, presided over the redesignation of its design center to honor company founders Ruth and Elliot Handler. The Friday fete's guest of honor was Barbie -- not the 11.5-inch plastic woman, but rather Barbara Handler Segal, who is the Handlers' daughter and the flesh-and-blood namesake and inspiration of the iconic doll. "They would be so proud. My mother would be loving this," Segal said as waiters walked through the crowd toting sliders and other hors d'oeuvres.

A long-running takeover bid for Malibu toy maker Jakks Pacific Inc. took a turn toward conciliation with the Los Angeles investment management firm that wants to buy it. After fending off an unsolicited takeover bid from Oaktree Capital Management, Jakks agreed to give the management firm detailed financial information about the company, setting the stage for another bid. But a sale of Jakks, one of the nation's largest makers of action figures,...

Toy maker Mattel Inc. reported positive fourth-quarter and full-year results Tuesday after healthy holiday sales of core brands and doll lines, including Hot Wheels, American Girl and Barbie. For the three months that ended Dec. 31, the El Segundo company reported a profit of $370.6 million, or $1.07 a share, a 14% jump from $325.2 million, or 89 cents a share, in the same quarter of 2010. Fourth-quarter sales totaled $2.15 billion, a 1% increase from the year-earlier period.

Mattel Inc. and Jakks Pacific Inc. on Wednesday announced new deals to make wrestling action figures, the latest chapter in a story that has all the acrimony and shifting alliances of professional wrestling. Mattel has teamed with World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. to make toys based on its popular wrestlers, and Jakks is matching up with WWE rival TNA Entertainment. Both deals -- which take effect in 2010 -- are for five years.

Ailing toy maker Worlds of Wonder Inc., struggling to meet creditor demands three weeks before Christmas, said Friday that it has laid off nearly half the company work force. Officials of the once prosperous maker of Lazer Tag toy guns and Teddy Ruxpin talking bears also confirmed that the company has not paid $3.4 million in interest due last Tuesday on its convertible subordinated debentures, a type of debt security that can be converted into common stock.

After a weak holiday season, shares of Malibu toy maker Jakks Pacific Inc. rose on rumors that it may once again get a takeover bid from Oaktree Capital Management — after rejecting an earlier offer from the Los Angeles investment company. An industry analyst suggested that, because of the poor holiday results, the new bid may be lower than the last one. Last October, Oaktree offered to take the toy company private in a $670-million hostile bid that offered shareholders $20 a share in cash.

After a bad holiday season, shares of Jakks Pacific Inc. rose on rumors that the toy maker will receive another takeover bid from Oaktree Capital Management after rejecting an earlier offer from the Los Angeles investment company. Oaktree had previously offered to take the Malibu toy company private last October in a $670-million hostile bid that offered shareholders $20 a share in cash. At the time, analysts speculated that the offer was too low. But after a poor fourth quarter, Jakks recently slashed its full-year outlook to earnings of 37 to 40 cents a share on annual sales of about $660 million.