Like all the other major hits of the summer of 2001, Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes will be released on DVD in time for holiday sales this year.

Jakks Pacific, the Malibu-based toy company that is making toys for The Mummy Returns, has executed a letter of intent to acquire the business of 21st Century Toys Inc., an Alameda-based company which specializes in high end 12-inch military action figures and vehicles, including the Ultimate Soldier lines.

In its first quarter report issued late last month, Hasbro reported a quarterly loss of $25 million, far worse than Wall Street estimates, and attributed the shortfall to rapidly falling sales of the Pokemon CCG.

Todd McFarlane is taking on toy giant Hasbro/Kenner and their venerable Starting Lineup sports action figures with his own line which he has christened 'McFarlane's Sports Picks.'