Licensing news took center stage this week as all the big brands flew to Vegas for Licensing Expo, and it was impossible to ignore trading cards. Four of last year’s top 10 licensed toys were trading card packs, according to Circana. And Hasbro’s delayed Q1 report revealed that Magic: The Gathering maker Wizards of the Coast once again hoisted the entire toy giant’s quarterly revenue, with CEO Chris Cocks calling trading cards “probably the hottest category in all of toy and games.” The biggest winner, though? Kids—who are finally starting to wrestle back control of the category from adult resellers. 

In the meantime, here are some more big industry winners this week:

Claire’s: When one door closes… another 7,000 touchpoints open? The reeling kids and tween retailer (and onetime licensing mecca) has secured a major partnership to get in stores, develop products and expand into new categories. Its deal with Centric Brands is a big win for Claire’s, which filed for Chapter 11 just last year. But it’s also just one piece of a hopeful recovery effort playing out at the company’s US operations. The retailer has been steadily trying to win back Gen Alpha shoppers (with everything from viral sensory toys to ASMR campaigns) under the sharp eye of recently installed brand chief Michelle Goad. With the broader Y2K revival in pop culture right now, there’s truly no better time for a Claire’s comeback.

Moose Toys: In a week dominated by consumer products news, the Aussie toyco managed to stand out big-time with buzzy back-to-back deals. It indulged its sweet tooth as the master toy partner for Netflix’s upcoming pic Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory and took home the bacon with a similar deal for the streamer’s Young MacDonald preschool toon. BBC Studios also decided to keep its Blue Heeler fam close to home down under, renewing the toyco’s multi-year licensing agreement for Bluey. Guess the show’s bringing the dollarbucks back to Australia, after all.

Tubi: Like, did Tubi just nab exclusive rights in North America for the first-ever Scooby Doo anime? The AVOD’s decision to make Yokoso Scooby-Doo! a Tubi Original smartly combines two sides of audience appeal: the IP’s proven co-viewing power (the streamer just told Kidscreen last month that parents already sit down with their kids to watch the franchise’s older entries in its library) and the reliable draw of anime to pull in younger new viewers (especially with Pokémon studio OLM involved). It’s another groovy investment as the platform leans into children and family content to spur growth—and they might get away with it, too, with the help of some meddling kids.  

So who had the best week in the bunch? Vote before 8 a.m. ET on Monday to let us know what you think:

Want to pitch us a Gold Star nomination? Send an email to submissions@kidscreen.com by noon on Thursdays. And check back every Friday for our next batch of nominees. Hope to see you on the list!