Spin Master Finalist at Living in Digital Times' Last Gadget Standing Showdown

TORONTO, Jan. 18, 2016 /CNW/ - Spin Master Corp. (TSX:TOY), a leading global children's entertainment company, has taken CES 2016 by storm with its revolutionary Air Hogs Connect.

Air Hogs Connect: Rescue Force placed second, out of a hundred submissions, in the audience voted award at the CES 2016 Living in Digital Times' Last Gadget Standing Showdown held at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Spin Master is one of only two companies to have had such a strong standing for two consecutive years; at CES 2015, the innovative toy company's Meccano Meccanoid G15 KS personal robot received the prestigious, crowd-sourced award.

Air Hogs Connect: Rescue Force is the future of quad-copters and video gaming, combining the physical and digital elements into one immersive experience for the first time. Users fly and control the Air Hogs quad copter using a smart device, into which the game's universe is brought to life. The quad copter is projected in augmented reality into the game, where players undertake missions and challenges to save the world from invading alien forces. The game is played using an Air Hogs quad copter, a portable Air Hogs mat and a compatible smart device, making it easy to experience the AR world anywhere, any time. 

"It was an honour to finish in second place at this year's CES Last Gadget Standing competition with Air Hogs Connect: Rescue Force," said Ben Gadbois, President and COO, Spin Master Ltd. "Innovation is the driver behind all that we do and we look to our fans for feedback on how to continuously improve. Seeing this great response, and in a competitive venue like CES, is exciting for the entire Spin Master organization."

Spin Master is known for its award-winning, innovative products and for over 15 years, Air Hogs has lead that charge in the RC category. Through Air Hogs Connect: Rescue Force, kids can transform their rooms into a deep science fiction universe. 

"Air Hogs Connect: Rescue Force is more than a cool quad, more than a state of the art app or Augmented Reality experience, it's the perfect confluence of these three technologies," said Nick Beliaeff, Vice President Production and Head of Spin Master Studios. "When we set out to develop this technology, our aim was to bridge the gap between physical and digital play in a way that was fun and accessible. It truly provides our pilots with a much deeper level of play than they would otherwise experience."

Air Hogs Connect: Rescue Force is expected to launch in September 2016.

About Spin Master Corp.
Spin Master (TSX:TOY) is a leading global children's entertainment company that creates, designs, manufactures and markets a diversified portfolio of innovative toys, games, products and entertainment properties. Spin Master is best known for award-winning brands including Bakugan, Air Hogs^®, Spin Master Games™ and the 2015 Toy of the Year, Zoomer™ Dino. Since 2005, Spin Master has received 63 TIA Toy of The Year (TOTY) nominations with 14 wins across a variety of product categories. Spin Master has been recognized with 12 TOTY nominations for Innovative Toy of the Year, more than any of its competitors. Spin Master is among a limited number of companies that not only develop and produce global entertainment properties, characters and content, but also monetize that content through the creation, sale and licensing of products. To date, Spin Master has produced five television series, including 2007 hit series Bakugan Battle Brawlers™ and its current hit PAW Patrol, which is broadcast in over 160 countries and territories globally. Spin Master employs over 850 people globally with offices in Canada, United States, France, Italy, United Kingdom, Slovakia, Germany, Holland, Mexico, China, Hong Kong and Japan.

SOURCE Spin Master