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The return of Toys “R” Us has been heralded by many. However, the praise falls short when it comes to the former toy giant’s new video surveillance, which some say, targets children. In its new incarnation, Toys “R” has partnered with tech startup bt8a and analytics expert Retail Next to obtain information about its customers. The system’s ability to track the movement of shoppers to better understand their interests and cater to them is considered problematic, as many Toys “R” Us customers are minors, and there are laws in place to protect their privacy. As noted in a recent WIRED article, “ Collecting information on kids is a highly sensitive issue, and US law carves out various additional protections or restrictions when it comes to minors .” In addition, informed parental consent is generally required. A spokesperson for RetailNext has indicated that personal data of children is not obtained intentionally or retained, and that height parameters help ensure that children are not...
The world said goodbye to Toys “R” Us earlier this year as the company closed its remaining stores in the U.S. The closures resulted in more than 33,000 layoffs and numerous building vacancies. Toys “R” Us owners Bain Capital and KKR are planning to create a $20 million severance fund to assist the toy company’s former employees. Toys “R” Us employees are owed a total of $75 million in combined severance payments. Toys “R” Us fell victim to the rise of e-commerce and increased popularity in online shopping. The company was not able to keep up with Amazon and Walmart, which began dominating the online retail space. Toys “R” Us filed for bankruptcy in 2015. In July, 19 members of Congress sent a letter to KKR inquiring about the role it played in Toy “R” Us’ bankruptcy. In a response letter KKR said it wanted to help laid-off workers. The store’s former employees in New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Arizona and Minnesota have started lobbying for partners of Toys...
Many who grew up in the 80s and 90s are quick to associate the nostalgia of heading back to school with the bright and cheery supplies designed by Lisa Frank. The notoriously private artist is best known for crafting lunchboxes, stickers, toys and trapper keepers covered in dolphins, unicorns, pandas and other adorable critters that decorated classrooms for decades. Before she rose to fame, Frank grew up in Michigan’s Bloomfield Hills (one of America’s wealthiest cities ), the daughter of a higher-up in the automotive industry who supported her creative pursuits. “ My dad was an art collector, my mom had a little kiln in our basement and we would make pottery. I think from about age five on, they sent me to art classes, and I was a huge colorer. HUGE. I think to keep me quiet, they would bring the coloring books and crayons, and I would fill up the books,” Frank told Urban Outfitters in a rare interview. She went on to attend Cranbrook Kingswood School with Mitt Romney, then headed...
Udonis Haslem understood the power of collaboration as an NBA player, and he is carrying those learning lessons to improve underserved communities. The Miami, FL, native entered the league as a free agent in 2003 and remained with the Miami Heat throughout his 20-year career. He won three national championship rings and would be seen as a well-respected veteran on the team, even leading former players LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh — known as the Big 3— to take pay cuts to keep him on the Miami Heat roster in 2010, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. “When I talk about LeBron James and Dwayne Wade and being a part of that process, that’s one thing that I was able to understand, it’s that even though we were friends, we respect people for who they are and what they are. You know what I mean?” Haslem said on the “Black Tech Green Money” podcast. “ And LeBron, Dwyane, they already respect me for who I was and what I was. They were Southeast guys. I was a Miami guy. They were...
Today’s young adults had no shortage of dolls to play with in childhood, from Barbie and her fabulous friends to the always stylish Bratz crew. There was Polly Pocket and MyScene too, but it wasn’t until late 2016 that the girls of L.O.L. (Lil Outrageous Littles) Surprise! entered the chat. The miniature dolls come from MGA Entertainment Inc., which founder Isaac Larian has an 82% stake in. Interestingly, the remaining 18% belongs to his family. While they quickly became a hit among young fashionistas , the L.O.L. Surprise! dolls have faced some controversies over the past decade, which have caused a noticeable cut in quality and quantity. Now that rapper T.I. and his vocalist wife, Tiny, have successfully won a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against MGA, it’s unclear what the future holds for L.O.L. What Exactly Are L.O.L. Surprise! Dolls? Photo Credit: Dan Kitwood Not long after the L.O.L. Surprise! line debuted, it became America’s No. 1 toy for most of 2017. The next year, MGA...
Ice Cube’s BIG3 is rapidly expanding! As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the 3-on-3 basketball league recently sold teams in Los Angeles, CA; Houston, TX; and Miami, FL, in deals reportedly worth $10 million each as they seek to venture away from a touring league to a city-based model, which will go into effect for the 2025 season. “We need to plant our roots in cities so we can be more than a rolling all-star game coming through,” BIG3 CEO and Co-Founder Ice Cube told Bloomberg at the time. “It’s really about growing the sport and the league.” In recent news, Detroit, MI, has been announced as the next city to house a BIG3 franchise thanks to the interest of ownership group GameAbove Sports, which includes Founder and Chairman Keith J. Stone and Detroit pro sports figures George Gervin and T.J. Lang, MLive reports. Former NBA point guard Earl Boykins is working closely with GameAbove Sports as well. “The entire team at GameAbove and I are thrilled to bring a BIG3 franchise to the...
Ice Cube’s Big3 league is heading to Houston, TX, and Miami, FL. With a unique feature that lets fans purchase stakes in the league, the 3-on-3 basketball league remained open to new investors and achieved a $10 million sale of its first team in May 2024, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. The team was sold to a group led by investment firm DCB Sports as part of the Big3’s plan to move from a touring league to a city-based model with the sold team based in Los Angeles, CA. “We need to plant our roots in cities so we can be more than a rolling all-star game coming through,” Ice Cube told Bloomberg at the time. “It’s really about growing the sport and the league.” The Big3 league aims to sell all 12 of its teams and is now one step closer to that goal as it expands to Houston, TX, according to new information released by Bloomberg. Eric Mullins, a former Goldman Sachs executive now leading equity firm Lime Rock Resources, and Milton Carroll, the minority owner of Major League...
Snoop Dogg will be auctioning some of his own memorabilia. Variety reports the rapper is partnering with sports-and-music auction house The Realest — created by producer and radio host Scott “DJ Skee” Keeney — to auction off items through a project titled “ The Shiznit.” Items will include photos, Playstations, production books, autographed TV scripts, platinum discs, autographed jackets and jerseys, master recording tapes (copyrights to the music will not be included), and an autographed Death Row Records chain. “The items he is putting up are iconic,” Keeney told Variety. “Everything from lyrics, awards — like ‘Pimp of the Year’! — unreleased tapes, outfits, sample toys, photos, scripts, concert riders, even a Snoop-authenticated smoked blunt in a crazy display case and ashtray.” Furthermore, Keeney, who launched The Realest in December 2023 and raised $4.6 million in seed funding in a round led by KB Partners, has a rigorous process to ensure the offerings being sold are...
With more than 100 patents under his belt, Lanny Smoot has never been afraid to take his imagination to the next level. As a Disney Research Fellow, Smoot is in a position where he has access to a different type of freedom — one that helps him explore different concepts and bring them to life. As previously reported by AFROTECH™, Smoot was inducted into the 2024 National Inventors Hall of Fame. He’s also the first Disney Imagineer to receive the honor and the second in the company, aside from Walt Disney himself. “To be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame means that you’ve made inventions that have changed the world in some sense, right? And it’s a great honor,” he told AFROTECH™ from his Walt Disney office in Los Angeles during an event to unveil the latest Disney Imagineer contributions, including the all-new Princess Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Animatronics. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Disney Parks (@disneyparks) “I didn’t know when the induction...
Blue Origin has birthed a full-circle moment for former Air Force Captain and Kansas City, KS, native Ed Dwight. Back in 1961, Dwight made history as he was selected by President John F. Kennedy as the first Black astronaut candidate in the U.S., according to a news release. However, after completing the Aerospace Research Pilot School (ARPS) and receiving a recommendation from the U.S. Air Force to move forward, he wasn’t selected for the NASA Astronaut Corps and missed out on the chance to fly to space. Now, six decades later, Dwight is set to be on board for Blue Origin’s latest New Shepard mission to space — marking its seventh human flight and 25th program to date — the news release details. What’s more, his seat is sponsored by the nonprofit Space for Humanity and the Jaison and Jamie Robinson Foundation. Before being selected for Blue Origin’s space mission, Dwight went from an early career as an entrepreneur to sculpting monuments that commemorate Black historical leaders...
When it comes to lifestyles of the rich and famous, it is not surprising for a celebrity to be on that list. And especially when that actor is in demand, it is assumed that they are living the high life. A great example of this is Michael B. Jordan. From playing the lead in “ Fruitvale Station” to embodying the role of Erik Killmonger in the Marvel smash hit, “ Black Panther ,” Jordan’s star has never been brighter. Meanwhile, even off the silver screen he has snagged several endorsements including teaming up with Tessa Thompson for high profile commercials that aired during the Super Bowl. But exactly how rich is he and how did his career reach its current height? Michael B. Jordan’s Early Life Michael Bakari Jordan is a California native who was born in 1987 in Santa Ana. He’s the middle child of three children. However, at the age of two his family relocated to Newark, NJ, which is the city Jordan considers his hometown. Being in front of the camera was in his blood from an early...
