After acquiring MEGA BLOKS last year following a previous partnership that found iconic Mattel properties such as Barbie and Hot Wheels making their way into block form, Mattel has announced some major moves to expand their construction sets by bringing some major licenses into the world of MEGA BLOKS. From Mattel's own portfolio comes the long-rumored new collection of MONSTER HIGH Building Sets that find the ghoulish guys and gals taking play into a whole different realm. MEGA BLOKS will also issue new sets under their Power Rangers line, with collections based on Saban's POWER RANGERS DINO CHARGE, which just debuted on Nickelodeon this month. While those are cool, the biggest news may be a pair of licenses that they've snagged from others in the growing brick segment...

It could be said that the TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES have never been more popular. While they were huge the first time around (I practically wore out a TMNT movie t-shirt I had back in '90) the TMNT crew is attacking all fronts these days, with a hit movie in theaters, a fantastic line of figures from Playmates Toys, and the hit animated series on Nickelodeon. Now comes something a bit different - Blueprints Paper Craft TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES sets from the folks at Jazwares. Based on the animated TMNT adventures, these craft sets present kids and grownups alike with the opportunity to build detailed figures, vehicles and environments from pre-scored, high-quality paper. While these are just getting out there to retail right now, I'm including them in my 2014 Holiday Wish Guide as a great gift idea that blends much-needed screen-free craft project time with action play.

Each year, the National Toy Hall of Fame opens up for public nominations for which toys should be considered as finalists for induction into the Hall of Fame. From those dozen finalists, just two will become official inductees, and for 2014 the field has been announced - and it's tough. In reality, all twelve of the finalists should be in the Hall of Fame, but since just two will make the cut, I'm curious which ones all of YOU think should be crowned...

Thursday night, as I entered a sorta-sketchy Cleveland movie theatre about 500 miles from my Illinois home, I wondered what exactly I was getting myself into. Ten minutes before showtime, and with no pre-flight entertainment showing on the screen, there was just one other person in the place as the latest iteration of TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES was about to light up the room. Much to my own delight, an audience of about 30 strong piled in just as the first of only a few trailers began playing, and we'd soon be experiencing the live-action opus that Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon had prepared for us... one that inspired my own #TMNTweek right here on THE ROCK FATHER. Much like this summer's TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION (which could take place in the same world), TMNT is a fun, yet flawed entry into a summer filled with big screen heroes...

When it comes to action figures, I've always been a big fan of the 3 3/4 inch varieties (which STAR WARS started) and the 5 or 6-inch figures like MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE or TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES. I might be wrong, but I don't recall bigger options being available when I was little, but large scale figures seem to be more commonplace these days, and I'm really surprised to see just how well they go over with my girls and the Neighborhood Testing Panel. For the release of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon's new TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES film, Playmates Toys has released all four TMNT characters as 11-inch figures - two of which we have here (Leonardo and Raphael). While I'm about to show you some hands-on action captured here at Rock Father HQ, the fact that the neighbor kids had a set of their own just a couple of days after trying ours should vouch for how much they loved them.