Top Halloween Costumes 2016

It's October and by now should be planning your Halloween costume, especially if you want to impress your friends or if you will have matching get-up with a friend or partner.

National Retail Federation released their annual 2016 Halloween Consumer Top Costumes Survey. The study was done by Prosper Insights & Analytics. They found out that people will be spending about $3.1 billion on costumes by the 67% who will celebrate Halloween who are planning to purchase costumes this year.

More than 171 million people are expected to celebrate Halloween parties that will be spending an average of $82.93 which is up by $8.59 last year was $74.34.

The survey was conducted on September 6 to 13, 2016 and 6,791 participated with a margin of error of plus or minus 1.2% points.

Here's the Top Halloween Costumes for 2016 (by age group)

Children

1.     Action/Superhero
2.     Princess
3.     Animal (cat, dog, lion, monkey, etc.)
4.     Batman Character
5.     Star Wars Character
6.     Tie: Witch & DC Superhero (excluding Batman)
7.     Frozen Character (Anna, Elsa, Olaf)
8.     Marvel Superhero (excluding Spiderman)
9.     Zombie
10.     Spiderman

 Pokemon Child's Deluxe Pikachu Costume  $44.95


Adults 18-34

1.     Batman Character (Batman, Harley Quinn, The Joker, etc.)
2.     Witch
3.     Animal (cat, dog, bunny, etc.)
4.     Tie: Marvel Superhero (Deadpool, Spiderman, etc.) & DC Superhero (Wonder Woman, Superman, excluding Batman)
5.     Vampire
6.     Video Game Character
7.     Slasher Movie Villain (Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers, etc.)
8.     Pirate
9.     Star Wars Character
10.     Zombie

Election Paper Mask Female Candidate Hillary Clinton  $6.67

Donald Trump Celebrity Latex Mask Ideal for Parties Halloween $32.99


Adults 35 & Up

1.     Witch
2.     Pirate
3.     Political (Trump, Clinton, etc.)
4.     Vampire
5.     Batman Character (Batman, Catwoman, etc.)
6.     Animal (cat, dog, bunny, etc.)
7.     Tie: DC Superhero (Superman, Wonder Woman, excluding Batman) & Star Wars Character
8.     Tie: Ghost & Zombie
9.     Scary Costume/Mask
10.     Marvel Superhero (Iron Man, Hulk, Spiderman, etc.)

Pets

1.     Pumpkin
2.     Hot Dog
3.     Bumble Bee
4.     Tie: Lion & Star Wars Character
5.     Devil
6.     Batman Character
7.     Witch
8.     Superman
9.     Action/Superhero
10.     Cat

Hot Toys Revealed Star Wars Rogue One Darth Vader Figure

Hot Toys revealed the first batch of figures for the movie "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," which includes a Jedha patrol Stormtrooper, a Shoretrooper, and Darth Vader! So Star Wars fans can buy this sweet toys while waiting for the movie. Other toy companies like Hasbro, Funko, and LEGO have a set of movie themed that will be hitting store shelves, and Rogue Friday is set to be a profitable day for all involved just like last year’s Force Friday event.

"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" revolves around a group of resistance fighters who have united to steal plans to the dreaded Death Star. The film takes place before the events of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

Jyn Erso will be played by Felicity Jones while Mads Mikklesen will be playing her father, Galen Erso. Diego Luna stars as Captain Cassian Andor with Donnie Yen as the blind spiritual warrior Chirrut Imwe, Jiang Wen will be his heavily armored best friend Baze Malbus,, Alan Tudyk as the droid K-2SO, Riz Ahmed as the Rebel pilot Bodhi Rook, plus Forest Whitaker as Saw Gerrera, a character first introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Ben Mendelsohn as the film’s main antagonist, Director Orson Krennic.

The movie was directed by Gareth Edwards, and is set for release on December 16, 2016.

   
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story by Del Rey $21.83
   
Star Wars: Rogue One Rebel U-Wing Fighter by Hasbro $44.88


   
Star Wars Rogue One Auction Figures Wave 1 Set of 7 $107.90

Carrera Remote Control Nintendo Mario Copter MarioKart 8 Quadcopter

The world’s most famous Italian plumber has a new ride and it can fly! It's the new
Carrera RC Nintendo MarioKart 8 Quadcopter and with Mario in the driver's seat he'll surely control the sky with your kids maneuvering him.

The Nintendo Mario Copter is equipped with a 6-axle gyro system for flight stability. It also has a protective cage for the rotors, they are like thick Styrofoam that makes it safe to bounce off the wall and hit anything with it.

It is a 2.4 Gigahertz 4-channel vehicle with a 30 x 27 centimeter dimension. It has beginner and advanced modes. The battery is a replaceable 3.7 Volt-1000 milliamp Hour LiPo battery that can be completely recharged using a USB port in only Plus/-60 minutes using the included USB recharging cable.

Once you placed the batteries, you can immediately turn it on and takeoff. The controller is just like any other remote control with 2 toggles and some buttons. There's also a switch that lets you choose between 30%, 60%, and 100% power so that you can slowly learn with practice. It was responsive to each of the toggle commands.

This Toy is designed for kids ages 8 and up.

Specs:
Quadrocopter - high quality 6 axis gyro-system for stable and easy flying.
Rotor diameter: 10,5cm/4,13"; size: 30x27cm/11,81"x10,63";
2,4 GHz technique, without interference, Frequency independent.
4-Channel controller. Beginner-/ advanced- Mode; rotor-protection-cage.
Batteries  3,7V - 6 AA batteries 650mAh rechargeable lipo battery.
Product Weight - 3 pounds

Carrera RC Nintendo Mario-Copter 2.4 GHz 4-Channel Vehicle 

PlayStation 4 Pro Unveiled

Sony has unveiled their two newest consoles, one is high end and the other one is for budget conscious gamers. The high-end PlayStation 4 Pro is better equipped to handle 4K graphics and virtual-reality content.

The new high-end model known as “Neo” and now called “PlayStation 4 Pro,” cost about $399 and it will be released on November 10, 2016. It will have a faster processor, more storage (1TB hard drive), and enhanced graphics for 4K resolution games and video, according to Sony during the presentation held at the PlayStation Theater in New York’s Times Square.

The PlayStation 4 Pro once it is released will undoubtedly be the most powerful game console. Its GPU (powered by AMD's new Polaris technology) is more than twice as fast as the original PS4, and it sports a faster clock speed as well.

"PS4 Pro is not intended to blur the line between console generations," Mark Cerny, the chief architect for the PS4, said on stage. "Instead, the vision is to take the PS4 experience to extraordinary new levels."


Sony also introduced the smaller, more energy-efficient PlayStation 4 which will estimated to go on sale on September 15, 2016 and it will cost about $299. This slimmer and more smaller console will be replacing the original 4th generation PlayStation unit that was released last November 2013 at $399. Both versions of the PlayStation 4 will have the capability to handle high dynamic range imaging (HDR) according to Sony. 


Amazon is accepting preorders for the new PSP 4 Pro
Pre-order now: Sony PlayStation 4 Pro - 1TB by Sony $399.99

Top Disney's Frozen Toys

Disney Frozen Ultimate Olaf - it is an interactive toy that comes to life once you press Olaf’s magic snowflake, his eyes will open, his head moves, and he locates his snowflake controller so kids can lead him. Olaf will Walk forward, backwards and spin left and right. He also dances and sings “In Summer.” Olaf can talk 50 phrases from the movie.

The toy is also equipped with sensors, you can just push the magic snowflake and Ultimate Olaf will locate the magic snowflake controller wherever it is.
Disney Frozen Ultimate Walking Olaf Plush $31.98


Disney Frozen “DO YOU WANT TO BUILD A SNOWMAN?” Jewelry Box - Young Anna and Elsa come to life and build the loveable snowman Olaf with the Frozen Jewelry Box. Press the button on top of the jewelry box and watch Anna and Elsa move to “build” Olaf, while the song "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" from Disney Frozen plays in the background. It also includes a pink heart ring and a pull-out drawer.

Disney Frozen Do You Want to Build a Snowman Jewelry Box Toy $14.99

Disney Frozen Elsa's Magical Ice Palace - it's the majestic Elsa's ice castle from the Disney movie Frozen. It can grow up to 3 feet tall using its unique telescoping feature just like in the movie.

The Elsa princess is sold separately, it can be placed in the bottom platform where she lights up and spins while the castle grows and sings “Let It Go.” It create a magical light show, turn snow to stairs, send an icicle chandelier spiraling downward, and make the castle "grow"!

Disney Frozen Elsa's Ice Palace Playset $125.00


Frozen Disney's Sing Along Elsa with Light Up Necklace Doll - kids can use the included real working microphone to sing the full-length movie version of "let it go" together with Elsa. Elsa’s necklace and dress magically light up, and she says more than 15 phrases in both English and Spanish.

Place the microphone in front of Elsa and she'll pick up where you left off! pass the mic back and forth to create the perfect duet!

Frozen Disney's Sing Along Elsa with Light Up Necklace Doll $31.99

McDonald's Happy Meal toy "Step-It" Tracks Kids Activity PULLED OUT

McDonald's newest Happy Meal toy "Step-It" is a colorful bracelet that tracks activity of kids. It measure steps and blink lights indicating the child's activity level. The McDonald's Happy Meal toy will be available for about a month. McDonald's is one of the main 2016 Olympic sponsors and they want the "Step-It" tracker to encourage kids who are rooting for their favorite athletes to be active.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of complains about the tracker heating up and leaving burn marks. A mom in Fort Smith, Arizon complained that the toy burned the arm of her 4-year old son. Casey Collyar said that she let her son wear the Happy Meal toy for just 8 minutes last Saturday. 

“I have received approximately eight to nine messages from other parents...all of their children have been burned by the watch, and I received one message from an adult. At this time what angers me is that McDonald's has not pulled the Happy Meal toy," Collyar told FOX news.

UPDATE: According to McDonald's they are now pulling out the toy.


In a statement, McDonald’s said:

“We are voluntarily removing the Step It! Activity Band Happy Meal toys in our restaurants in our United States and Canadian markets. It will no longer be offered as part of our Happy Meals. We have taken this swift and voluntary step after receiving limited reports of potential skin irritations that may be associated from wearing the band. Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our customers and we are fully investigating this issue. Our restaurants are now offering our youngest guests an alternative Happy Meal toy.”

Toy Sales grew at 7.5% In the 1st 6 months of 2016

According to the NPD Group, a market research company specializing in consumer behavior, the toy industry grew 7.5% in the first half of this year and they estimated that the industry will grow about 7%, or $1.4 billion, for the entire year of 2016.

The movie tie-in Star Wars was the biggest contributor to the industry’s mid-year growth, with dollar sales for Star Wars toys increasing nearly 200% through June.

In term of category the "Outdoor & Sports Toys" was not only the largest category with $1.7 billion in sales, but also the most popular. It impacted the overall industry growth. Last year, at this time, Outdoor & Sports grew the most of any supercategory and nearly doubled to represent 32% of total toy industry growth so far for this year.

The top 10 selling toy brands for the first half of 2016 are: 

1) Star Wars; 



2) NERF; 


3) Shopkins; 


4) Pokémon; 


5) Barbie; 


6) LEGO Star Wars; 


7) Little Tikes; 


8) Disney Frozen; 


9) Hot Wheels;


10) Minecraft.