"Stop pushing the thing around the Ouiji board!"

A Branded Entertainment deal that seems like a bit of a force fit:
Hasbro is embarking on a six-year, four-picture deal with Universal Pictures based on top-selling board game "Monopoly," as well as "Candy Land," "Clue," "Ouija," "Battleship" and "Stretch Armstrong." Universal will release one of these themed-films a year beginning in 2010.

After the success of toy-based Transformers, not to mention theme-park-ride based Pirates of the Carribean, I guess it's not too surprising that "Pass Go, Collect $200" might be a line uttered by a Hollywood starlet...However it's a little hard for me to imagine Stretch starring in a full-length feature.

Soon we'll be seeing the Next Gen:

Breaking-up is hard to do, especially if you're 29+

According to TrendCentral...
Japanese marketing company Hime & Company recently announced that staff members are allowed to take "heartache leave" when faced with a break-up. Employees ages 24 and under are given one such day off per year, 25- to 29-year-olds can take two, and those older can take three days recovery time.

Costco-Crafted Beer

There's something sacriledge about Costco releasing so-called "handcrafted beer" in their warehouse stores under the auspices of premium, selected brews...

Oddities

Our favorite "odd" gifts store Spencer's (perfect for when you need a Playboy bunny belly button ring or a talking Homer Simpson beer stein) is reinventing itself...Spencer's new look aims to attract Generation Y-ers with lifestyle accessories and an urban-looking (read: graffiti covered) facade. All 600 stores are scheduled to be remodeled by 2012. But (thank God!)they will still sell lava lamps. Just in case you were wondering where to get one of those...

This seems like kind of an odd fit to me, but kudos to Coke for trying to make good on health/wellness claims...According to Promo Magazine,
Coca-Cola is pushing a fitness agenda in a two-year deal with ExerciseTV. Coke and ExerciseTV are co-creating original programming with integrated beverage brand information. Just make sure you have your 150-calorie can of soda handy should you get dehydrated during your workout.

Another rather odd combination: Kool-Aid scented Reeboks. Thanks to scent-infused sock liners, the shoes will emit grape, cherry and strawberry scents. Both the Reebok and Kool-Aid logos will be featured on the kicks. Now (maybe) your gym bag will smell slightly more delicious.