For Cabbage Patch Kids, licensing and marketing agent 4Kids Entertainment Inc., along with property owner Original Appalachian Artworks Inc., and master toy licensee, Play Along, a division of Jakks Pacific Inc., are kicking off a yearlong celebration, which will include re-releasing the original dolls and lining up several corporate partnerships.

To kick off the birthday festivities, Celebration Foods and Carvel have teamed up with the Cabbage Patch Kids and Play Along for a special 25th anniversary celebration launching this spring and continuing through fall 2008. The yearlong cross promotions between Cabbage Patch Kids and Carvel will include TV and print ads, franchise and supermarket programs, online promos, in-pack sweepstakes, and an exclusive Carvel ice cream-eating, celebration-themed Cabbage Patch Kid created by Play Along.

The second item to commemorate the anniversary is the Anniversary Cabbage Patch Kids, which ship this fall and replicate the vintage fashions, hairstyles, and facial expressions of the classic Kid. Each will be accompanied by commemorative silver-stamped 25th Anniversary Birth Certificates and Adoption Papers.

Additionally, Burger King is currently offering 16 different Collectible Cabbage Patch Kids Minis with the purchase of any BK Kids Meal, through March 9.

For My Little Pony, Hasbro kicked off a yearlong global celebration on Feb. 18 at the Hasbro Toy Fair showroom in New York City. Titled “The My Little Pony Project: 25 Ponies for 25 Years,” the program will invite international pop culture influentials such as celebrities, fashion designers, brands, artists, collectors, and kids to design a collection of 25 one-of-a-kind My Little Pony 18-inch figures. Hasbro will also be re-releasing the seven original Ponies this year.

Hasbro officially launched the program with the unveiling of the first two custom ponies: a “Silver” pony from Hasbro and Twinkle Hope, a pony designed for Give Kids The World Village. Give Kids The World Village is a nonprofit organization that works to fulfill the wishes of all children with life-threatening illnesses and the charitable partner for the My Little Pony 25th birthday celebration. Hasbro hopes to introduce 23 additional one-of-a-kind project ponies throughout the year. A miniature version of the Twinkle Hope pony will be available for purchase as part of the My Little Pony toy line.

In September, the project will culminate in a gallery exhibition in New York City where “The My Little Pony Project: 25 Ponies for 25 Years” collection will be on display in its entirety for the very first time. The entire “The My Little Pony Project: 25 Ponies for 25 Years” collection will be available for auction, with proceeds going to Give Kids The World Village.

Other brands celebrating anniversaries this year with new products include:

• Jim Henson’s ”Fraggle Rock,” which turns 25 with a new line of collectibles from MINDstyle, distributed by Dark Horse.
• The 15th anniversary of the film version of Jurassic Park, launching a new line of high-end collectibles from Sideshow Collectibles. Sideshow is licensed to create a line of collectible dinosaur statues and dioramas commemorating the anniversary.
• Scholastic Media’s Clifford, the Big Red Dog, which is turning 45, highlighted by new product introductions from Fisher-Price, Mattel, and Jakks Pacific. Fisher-Price will offer a Clifford software title for the new “Cool School” Learning System this fall. Other key launches for Clifford in 2008 include three new products from Mattel, including My First UNO, featuring popular characters from Clifford’s world, and two new puzzles. Master toy licensee JAKKS Pacific will expand upon its Clifford The Big Red Dog line with two new huggable plush toys from its Play Along division, each featuring a customized storybook or special interactive DVD.
• Playskool, Hasbro’s preschool brand, which celebrates turning 80 by releasing a giant Mr. Potato Head with 80 interchangeable pieces.
• Toy Company Wham-O, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary, along with some of its iconic products, which are also celebrating anniversaries this year—Wham-O’s hula hoop turns 50, and its Super Ball turns 40.