ToyNews Issue 110 October 2010

Issue 110

A DECADE OF DORA Dora the Explorer licensees mark her 10th anniversary

GOING HEAD TO HEAD BBCW’s Neil Ross Russell and Turner’s Alan Fenwick quizzed

IS YOUR SHOP THE BEST? Enter the Retail Awards to see how your toy shop compares

Warner Bros.

Property Showcase with this issue The toy industry’s highest circulation trade title Exclusive media partner

October 2010

Contents REGULARS 4

News

6

Exclusive NPD analysis

8

Media Tracker

10

TV ratings

12

Appointments

14

Campaign of the Month

LICENSING 22

News

26

Licensing Awards: Full pics

28

Head to Head: Turner v BBCW

30

Turner’s European drive

32

Paladone’s Record attempt

35

Dora the Explorer Special

Ronnie Dungan Managing Editor Ronnie.Dungan@intentmedia.co.uk

Samantha Loveday Associate Editor Samantha.loveday@intentmedia.co.uk

Katie Roberts Deputy Editor Katie.Roberts@intentmedia.co.uk

GET APPY

Emily Briggs Sales Manager Emily.Briggs@intentmedia.co.uk

Dan Bennett Design Dan.Bennett@intentmedia.co.uk

Jon Salisbury Contributor jon@wotkidzwant.com

FEATURES 43

Magnetic attraction

48

Monopoly is 75

51

Autumn Fair reaction

54

Electronic Toys

64

Moshi Monsters roar ahead

67

Gibsons Games

69

Wooden Toys

RETAIL

COMMENT

Stuart Dinsey Publisher Stuart.Dinsey@intentmedia.co.uk

Editorial: 01992 535646 Advertising: 01992 535647

Intent Media is a member of the Periodical Publishers Associations

AUDITED CIRCULATION: Average Net Circulation: 6,043 July 1st 2009 to June 30th 2010. www.toynews-online.biz

77

News

78

Counter Insurgent

78

Price Check

■ ToyNews circulation is 15.9% higher than its closest competitor.

79

Retail Charts

80

New Products

■ ToyNews requested or paid for circulation is 23.4% higher than its closest competitor.

81

Hero Product

■ ToyNews has 100% named circulation and 0% duplication.

I’VE JOINED THE ranks of smug bastards who own an iPhone.

You know the ones. You’ve seen ‘em. If you want to know the price of carrots in Belgium or the exact birth date of Prince Sigismund of Prussia, or even that there was a Prince Sigismund of Prussia, I can now tell you, wherever I am. There’s an app for it. And there’s usually a smug know-all using that app.

There’s an app for everything pretty much.

The iPhone gold rush started a while back and it’s now as vital as the online space. You simply have to be in it to be taken seriously.

There are more than 50,000 iPhone apps available now and another 5,000 of rival system Android’s apps.

The iPhone gold rush started a while back and it’s now as vital as the online space.

This issue has features on Monopoly celebrating its 75th anniversary and Gibsons Games, which has been trading for the best part of 100 years. I think the toy market needs to take pride in such longevity, but it also needs to bring itself kicking and screaming into the space where kids now are. It’s not quite iPhone and iPad yet, it’s still too expensive for children to own outright, but it will be. Right now, it is definitely online, it’s definitely social media.

Firebox veteran and Moshi Monsters creator Michael Acton-Smith knows this and is reaping the rewards of his vision with 26m users signed up worldwide. Read about it on page 64.

Wanna know how to get on the online gravy train? Hang on, there’s probably an app for it.

Ronnie Dungan ronnie.dungan@intentmedia.co.uk

4

NEWS

HTI sales soar to £66.2m Resilience of UK retail, as well as new overseas markets drive company’s sales up 17.5 per cent in 2009…

by Katie Roberts HTI GREW sales to £66.2m in the year ended March 31st, compared to sales of £58.9m in 2009.

In the UK market, strong sales from grocery multiples and value retailers fuelled its growth, showing the effect of the recession on buying habits. The firm also noted an increase in sales from the independent sector.

Following the firm’s expansion into several overseas regions, it said that over 20 per cent of revenues were now being generated from customers in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australasia and the Americas.

As well as developing licensed toys for a range of key brands, around 15 per cent of its sales are private label products for major multiple retailers.

The firm also operates a portfolio of in-house brands, including the Teamsterz range.

ToyNews Fives 2011 date set THE DATE for next year’s ToyNews Fives football tournament has been set.

Friday July 8th is the date for the diary.

The event will once again be held at the Powerleague in Barnet, with the aim to raise money for the Toy Trust, with £100 from each team entry going to the industry charity.

This year’s Cup event was won by Hasbro who beat Turner 4-2 in the final, with Winning Moves taking the Plate competition by beating Amethyst in the final.

To register early interest in next year’s competition, email Ronnie.dungan@intentmedia.co.uk

John Hutt, managing director of HTI, said: “Our commitment to providing a wide range of footfalldriving products at the right price has made HTI a key partner for most leading UK retailers, and we’re successfully introducing that same approach to other overseas regions.

I believe that we are in a real position of strength for the future.

John Hutt, MD, HTI “This is a fast-moving and competitive market, but significant investment in research and development, global manufacturing, international sales infrastructure and some of the industry’s leading licences

– plus our own brands – means we can bring innovative product to the market quickly and at highly competitive prices.

“This, combined with our skills as a category expert in several of the toy sector’s fast-growing areas, put us in a position of real strength for the future,” Hutt added.

HTI: 01253 778888

HUTT: “This is a fast -moving and competitive market”

Spearmark shines light on toy sector

by Ronnie Dungan HAVING BEEN awarded sole UK distribution of Tech 4 Kids SpotLite and LiteForce ranges, lighting specialist Spearmark is eyeing increased toy market distribution.

The SpotLite and LiteForce lines include the Project A Sketch – a four in one image enlarger, image projector, sketching toy and flashlight all in one; Grab ‘n’ Glow – a two in one colour changing 3D character night light and flashlight combo; LanternLite – a battery powered lantern style night light which illuminates with a multi-coloured twinkling glow; and its best seller, MorphLite – a transforming flashlight that comes with a carabineer clip for hooking on school bags or belts.

Available in either Ben 10 or Bakugan designs, each licence has three MorphLites to collect.

Spearmark and Tech 4 Kids will also be working together to develop a number of the SpotLite and LiteForce products in existing Spearmark licenses. This will initially include the Grab ‘n’ Glow in Ben 10, Toy Story, Minnie Mouse and Disney Cars and the Lantern Lite in Toy Story and Disney Princess.

“We have spotted a gap in the market for low price point, innovative toyetic products with great retailer margins,” said commercial director, Martin Withers. “Light is key to our traditional lighting background. This range of products uses light in a fun and exciting way. The synergy was an obvious one.

“The Tech 4 Kids range gives retailers a real point of difference. It is a great incremental opportunity.”

Spearmark: 01480 213633

NEWS

www.toynews-online.biz

5

Flair targets magnetic leadership Pioneering Geomag range eyes another comeback as Flair promises to add significant marketing muscle…

by Ronnie Dungan FLAIR HAS taken over UK distribution of the Geomag magnetic construction range from Treasure Trove.

The deal takes effect immediately and will see Flair undergoing a full relaunch of the brand next year, with a TV campaign scheduled for Easter.

“We’ve been interested in Geomag for some time but we felt that 2011 was the right time to launch it,” commented Flair boss Peter Brown.

“We will be able to invest in marketing it more heavily.

“Because they have increased the safety standards on magnetic toys and these standards have now been exceeded, we feel it’s the right time to relaunch it. Significant improvements have been made and it looks very attractive to us.

Toy Fair 2011 is filling up

The 12-strong Geomag line will be added to in 2011

“We feel it will be market leader.

The sector has been through a dormant phase but the play value has always been visible and has been improved now.”

The range is currently 12 SKUs, but will be added to later in the year.

“The packaging is different, the type of models are different and it has a much fresher, more innovative appeal. We wanted to get more movement in the products, and we have,” Brown continued.

Flair: 0208 643 0320

Treasure Trove backs Brio New loyalty scheme and video point of sale to boost Rail and Road collections…

by Ronnie Dungan TREASURE TROVE is backing its Brio brand with a new retail loyalty scheme and electronic POS initiative.

To coincide with the launch of the new Brio Rail and Road sets, from October 1st the Brio Loyalty Scheme will be available at retail.

The scheme rewards consumers who collect Brio accessories. It is driven within each store, so that retailers selling the sets benefit from the extra accessory sales which are generated.

Meanwhile, in conjunction with isiteTV, Treasure Trove has produced a demonstration video of the new Rail and Road concept specifically to support sales online.

The aim of the scheme is to drive accessory sales for sets

The short ‘demvid’ features the first piece of Brio animation.

Business development director, Kim Carter, commented: “Brio is a brand which has enormous respect in the trade and with an older generation. However, we recognise

the need to reconnect the brand to today’s parents. Treasure Trove’s marketing activity is very focused behind customers supporting the brand and will strengthen sell through significantly.”

Treasure Trove: 01285 762039

SOME 40 new exhibitors have already signed up next year’s Toy Fair at Olympia.

The show’s resurgence, following last year’s return to Olympia, continues with Jakks Pacific, MV Sports, Carrera, East Coast Nursery, Marbel, Brookite and others added to the exhibitor list.

It means that the show is now up to 170 mark in terms of exhibitor numbers, with still half the space on the Gallery level available.

The show takes place at Olympia from January 25th-27th at Grand Hall, Olympia, London.

“The support the industry is showing Toy Fair 2011 is fantastic,” said Simon Pilling, BTHA fairs and events manager. “Not only is the ground floor of Olympia’s Grand Hall totally sold out, half of the Gallery space has now been booked, too. Of the 170 companies on the floor plan so far, 40 are brand new exhibitors and we’re delighted to welcome back returners such as Amerang, Hornby Hobbies, Marbel and MV Sports & Leisure. Toy Fair 2011 is going to be a vibrant, dynamic event and one that’s truly representative of such an innovative and colourful industry.”

Meanwhile, the BTHA’s Retailer of the Year Awards are now open for entries. The awards evening will again be held at the Banqueting Hall in Whitehall on January 25th 2011, the first night of Toy Fair.

Tickets for the event are priced at £125+VAT and are on sale now. For all ticket and table enquiries contact Matt Jones on 020 7701 7271 or email matt@btha.co.uk.

To enter the retail awards email Liz@btha.co.uk for an application form and the associated entry information or alternatively go to page 17 of this month’s issue where you find the initial entry form.

BTHA: 0207 701 7271

06

NPD RESEARCH

Retail Sales Trends Sales UK Toy Sales (value, year to date)

2009

Toy Story items help boost the market during July

2010

Source: NPD

+8% Average Price July 2009

£5.41

July 2010

£4.91

GROWTH ACCELERATED in July for the traditional toy market, with value sales up eight per cent and volume up 18 per cent. The big news was the theatrical release of Toy Story 3, which along with positive reviews and high ticket sales, has also been a big driver of toys in all supercategories.

As a result, Toy Story has rocketed to the top of the best selling properties lists both for year-to-date and the month of July, with over £5.5m sales in July alone.

Unsurprisingly the top category for Buzz

year. Also adding to Youth Electronics growth for July is the ever popular Kidi range and new Doctor Who items.

The Infant and Pre-school category remains the second biggest supercategory across toys this year with growth coming from Pre-school toys – particularly the Fireman Sam and Peppa Pig licences. Within All Other Pre-school Toys, Hasbro’s Mr Potato Head and Flair’s Slinky Dog are the top sellers and continue the Toy Story theme for the month.

“Toy Story has been a much anticipated licence for the toy sector and with over 40 licensees in the market it is definitely the key property for 2010,” said Jez Fraser-Hook, director of NPD Group’s Toy Business in the UK. “What will be key for the licence for the rest of the year is seeing which items prove most popular with children and reach the top sellers list.”

Toy Story has been a much anticipated licence for the toy sector and with over 40 licensees in the market, it is definitely the key property for 2010.

and

OCTOBER 2010

and Woody is Action Figures which represents 38 per cent of Toy Story sales in July, with Building Sets the second biggest. There has also been strong sales of the licence in Youth

Electronics, which has experienced growth for the first time this

NPD RESEARCH

www.toynews-online.biz

Retail Sales Trends UK JULY 2010 (£ SALES – VALUE) 1

TOY STORY 3 DELUXE TALKING FIGURES

2

LEGO MINI FIGURES

3 4 5 6 7

FIRST STEPS BABYWALKER

8

CARS CHARACTER ASSORTMENT

9

WOODY AND BUZZ RESCUE

10

TOY STORY SHERIFF WOODY

UK JULY 2010 (UNIT SALES – VOLUME) MATTEL

1

LEGO MINI FIGURES

LEGO

2

HOT WHEELS BASIC CAR ASSORTMENT

LEGO

TOY STORY 3 BASIC FIGURES

MATTEL

3

MATCH ATTAX EXTRA 20

DELUXE BUZZ LIGHTYEAR

MATTEL

4

CARS CHARACTER ASSORTMENT

KIDZOOM DIGITAL CAMERA

VTECH

5

PLAY-DOH SINGLE TUB

HASBRO

ZHU ZHU HAMSTER PACKS

CHARACTER OPTIONS

6

SUPER TIPS BRIGHT 12

VIVID

MATTEL TOPPS MATTEL

VTECH

7

TOY STORY 3 HOT WHEELS CAR

MATTEL

MATTEL

8

TOY STORY 3 BASIC FIGURES

MATTEL

LEGO

9

TOY STORY 3 STICKERS

10

TOY STORY 3 DELUXE TALKING FIGURES

VIVID IMAGINATIONS

UK YEAR TO DATE (£ SALES – VALUE)

PANINI MATTEL

UK YEAR TO DATE (UNIT SALES – VOLUME)

1

ZHU ZHU HAMSTER PACKS

CHARACTER OPTIONS

1

OFFICIAL FIFA STICKER COLLECTION

2

KIDZOOM DIGITAL CAMERA

VTECH

2

HOT WHEELS BASIC CAR ASSORTMENT

3

STAR WARS 2010 LPP

4

OFFICIAL FIFA

5

BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE TEN CM FIGURES

6

FIRST STEPS BABYWALKER

7

CARS CHARACTER ASSORTMENT

8

SMART TRIKE PLUS GIRLS

9

BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE 15CM DNA FIGURES

10

LEGO MINI FIGURES

PANINI MATTEL

LEGO

3

MATCH ATTAX CARDS

TOPPS

PANINI

4

LEGO MINI FIGURES

LEGO

BANDAI

5

MATCH ATTAX ENGLAND CARDS

TOPPS

VTECH

6

MATCH ATTAX EXTRA 20

TOPPS

MATTEL

7

CARS CHARACTER ASSORTMENT

MOOKIE TOYS

8

GOGOS III EXPLORER PACK

9

BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE TEN CM FIGURES

10

PLAY-DOH SINGLE TUB

BANDAI LEGO

MATTEL MAGIC BOX BANDAI HASBRO

NOTES: All participating NPD retail data suppliers provide weekly data via EPOS systems. NPD figures are not projected to represent non-participating retailers but provide 100 per cent of the sales from participating stores. EPoS sample includes the following retailers: Amazon, Argos, Asda, Boots, ELC, Firebox, Freemans, Grattan, Hamleys, HMV, Halfords Littlewoods, Mailorderexpress, Modelzone, Mothercare, M&S, Sainsbury’s, Shop Direct, Tesco, Toymaster, The Entertainer and WHSmith. The approximate coverage is of 60%

NPD Eurotoys is the Number 1 information provider for Market Research to the Toy Industry in Europe Contact: NPD Eurotoys UK, Rosemount House, Rosemount Avenue West Byfleet, Surrey, KT14 6LB. _ 01 932 355 580

07

8

STATS

Media tracker SUPERCATEGORY TRENDS

Behind THE SCREEN

By Clive Crouch WITH 26 children's channels available in the UK, a blunderbuss approach is more likely to capture those young viewers at any time on any channel across a 12to 14 hour day. Previously the art of "scheduling" would have researched the time when children were most available to view. In turn the best shows were placed there to capture the eyes, mind and imagination of children. Television is no longer like that.

Allow me to remind you some of the key programme placements from the days when scheduling childrens shows was an art:

BBC 1 17:50 Mon –Fri: The Magic Roundabout/Hector's House Southern TV (ITV) Sunday circa 17:00: Catweazle TV am Mon-Fri 07:20: Popeye/Super Mario Brothers BBC 1 Sundays circa 17:00: The Railway Children.

Strategically the shorts were placed to bridge between kid/adult viewing, in addition the BBC would often pepper their schedule with Tom and Jerry shorts in prime time.

Nowadays children are assumed to be available to view at any time from 6am, hence the plethora of channels and platforms that set out to reach them. However, even scheduling in the current multi-channel environment will become increasingly difficult. A new assault on the TV market from Google and Microsoft will trigger the next big move towards convergence

OCTOBER 2010

Consider that 76.5 per cent of UK homes own at least one PC. Meanwhile over in the US, more than 900,000 US homes rely solely on the internet for their TV; some 15m internet TVs were shipped in 2009, while 100m Internet TVs are forecast to be shipped by 2013.

Earlier attempts to marry the Web and TV have failed, however, Microsoft's launch of Kinect for Xbox 360 this November is aimed as much at TV viewers as it is gamers.

Google has also declared its intention to create a service for viewers to search the internet as well as TV channels, giving access to libraries of online content on TV. If UK consumers adopt these services, television as we know it will become so advanced that a new name for it may well emerge. So how will this impact on the scheduling of children's TV shows and measurement of viewers?

In search of the answer I thought I would return to The Magic Roundabout. Back in the late sixties the show and its French creator Serge Danot allegedly had its own magic moments of inspiration.

In a former leather mill tanning factory in Clisson, just south of Nantes, lives everything Magic Roundabout from the last 40 years.

The set is still lit, all of the characters are as new and every one of the 500 episodes from 1964 to 1971 stored in an aluminium can.

By pure coincidence I had rented a Villa from the fourth wife of the late Serge Danot who now owns all rights. The pictures serve as a fond memory of an iconic kids show that the BBC favoured with a peak time prime slot across the five weekdays.

That's kids’ scheduling at its best. www.clivecrouch.com insight@clivecrouch.com 07831 670453

CATEGORY

YTD JULY 10 Vs 09

JULY 10 Vs 09

-20%

-18%

ARTS & CRAFTS

+5%

+23%

BUILDING SETS

+56%

+67%

DOLLS

+6%

+16%

GAMES/PUZZLES

-3%

-6%

INFANT/PRESCHOOL

+5%

+6%

YOUTH ELECTRONICS

-19%

32%

OUTDOOR & SPORTS TOYS

+13%

-12%

PLUSH

+53%

+64%

-13%

-8%

+27%

+38%

ACTION FIGURES & ACCESSORIES

VEHICLES ALL OTHER TOYS

SOURCE: NPD

MARKET VALUE YEAR TO DATE (JULY)

2009 2010

£1,07BN £981.5M SOURCE: NPD/TOYNEWS

STATS

www.toynews-online.biz

9

TV insight from former GMTV veteran, Clive Crouch; toy market value; top-performing toy sectors and comparative market data on all manner of entertainment products….

VALUE GROWTH/DECLINE (%) BY SUPERCATEGORY

SOURCE: NPD

TOP VIDEO GAMES (ALL FORMATS) W/E 04/09/2010

TOP 20 CHILDREN'S BOOKS W/E 11/09/2010

POSITION/GAME

POSITION/TITLE

LABEL

1 MAFIA II 2 KANE & LYNCH 2: DOG DAYS

2K GAMES/TAKE 2 EIDOS/SQUARE ENIX EUROPE

3 WII SPORTS RESORT 4 TOY STORY 3

NINTENDO DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS

5 RED DEAD REDEMPTION 6 JUST DANCE 7 SUPER MARIO GALAXY 2 8 SNIPER: GHOST WARRIOR

ROCKSTAR/TAKE 2 UBISOFT NINTENDO CITY INTERACTIVE

1 I SHALL WEAR MIDNIGHT

TERRY PRATCHETT

2 BREAKING DAWN

STEPHENIE MEYER

3 SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT: MORTAL COIL 4 SHADOW WAVE: CHERUB

DEREK LANDY ROBERT MUCHAMORE

5 ZOG

JULIA DONALDSON

6 THE SHORT SECOND LIFE OF BREE TANNER

STEPHENIE MEYER

7 DIARY OF A WIMPY KID

JEFF KINNEY

8 TWILIGHT

STEPHENIE MEYER STEPHENIE MEYER

9 PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE FORGOTTEN SANDS

UBISOFT

9 ECLIPSE

10 TOM CLANCY'S H.A.W.X. 2

UBISOFT

10 DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES

SOURCE:UKIE COMPILED BY CHART TRACK

AUTHOR

JEFF KINNEY

SOURCE: THE BOOKSELLER

OCTOBER 2010

10

AIRTIME STATISTICS

Top programmes The top-performing children’s TV shows on terrestrial and multi-channel....

SHOWS ACROSS ALL TIMES AUGUST 10

SHOWS ACROSS ALL TIMES YTD AUGUST 10

TIME

TITLE/DESCRIPTION

CHANNEL

OOOs

%

1

9:02

TRACY BEAKER RETURNS

CBBC

218

18.1

26

2

9:33

HORRIBLE HISTORIES

CBBC

178

14.6

3

15:38

PHINEAS AND FERB

CITV/ITV1

174

16.4

4

8:30

BEAR BEHAVING BADLY

CBBC

144

5

17:16

DANI'S HOUSE

CBBC

6

8:54

DEADLY 60 BITE SIZE

7

10:02

8

18:00

9

17:16

10 16:01

AIRINGS

TIME

TITLE/DESCRIPTION

CHANNEL

OOOs

% AIRINGS

1

16:34

THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES

BBC1

215

9.8

2

31

2

14:47

BERNARD

CBBC

206

14.6

2

17

3

16:32

SPORT RELIEF DOES WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS CBBC

205

13.5

5

14.7

32

4

9:00

PHINEAS AND FERB

CITV/ITV1

192

16.3

47

139

11.6

22

5

9:02

TRACY BEAKER RETURNS

CBBC

188

13.8

150

CBBC

135

13.2

15

6

8:30

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS

CITV/ITV1

176

16.1

52

HOUNDED

CBBC

134

9.7

8

7

8:32

BEN 10: ALIEN FORCE

CITV/ITV1

164

15.1

6

JONAS LA (YEAR 2)

DISNEY CH. 131

9.1

5

8

9:00

POWER RANGERS RPM

CITV/ITV1

161

11.6

27

RICHARD HAMMOND'S BLAST LAB

CBBC

130

8.6

4

9

8:29

BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD

CITV/ITV1

160

14.4

16

WHAT'S NEW SCOOBY-DOO?

CBBC

128

12.2

39

10 8:29

BAMZOOKI

CBBC

158

9.4

10

COMMERCIAL MULTICHANNEL SHOWS (ALL TIMES) AUG 10

COMMERCIAL MULTICHANNEL SHOWS (ALL TIMES) YTD AUG 10

TIME

TITLE/DESCRIPTION

CHANNEL

OOOs

% AIRINGS

1

15:38

PHINEAS AND FERB

CITV/ITV1

174

16.4

17

2

18:00

JONAS LA (YEAR 2)

DISNEY CH. 131

9.1

3

13:38

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS

CITV/ITV1

124

14.0

4

14:38

SHAGGY & SCOOBY DOO GET A CLUE CITV/ITV1

102

5

12:38

HORRID HENRY

CITV/ITV1

6

8:50

MR MEN

7

11:38

8

10:45

9

9:25

10 9:00

TIME

TITLE/DESCRIPTION

CHANNEL

OOOs

%

1

9:00

PHINEAS AND FERB

CITV/ITV1

192

16.3

5

2

8:30

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS

CITV/ITV1

176

16.1

52

11

3

8:32

BEN 10: ALIEN FORCE

CITV/ITV1

164

15.1

6

11.4

5

4

9:00

POWER RANGERS RPM

CITV/ITV1

161

11.6

27

85

11.3

9

5

8:29

BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD

CITV/ITV1

160

14.4

16

FIVE

79

7.8

31

6

9:01

AARON STONE

CITV/ITV1

157

12.1

13

BEN 10

CITV/ITV1

79

13.5

9

7

10:31

FILM: THE BFG (1989)

CITV

156

10.3

2

FILM: TINKER BELL

DISNEY CH. 76

6.4

1

8

18:10

MACKENZIE FALLS: SEASON FINALE

DISNEY CH. 146

7.5

2

TEENAGE MUTANT HERO TURTLES

CITV

69

6.1

13

9

18:49

PLUTO - FOOD FOR FEUDIN'

FIVE

143

5.0

1

OLIVIA

FIVE

65

6.9

31

10 15:24

HULK

ITV1

137

11.8

1

SOURCE: INFOSYS/BARB.

OCTOBER 2010

NOTE: THESE CHARTS ARE BASED ON AVERAGE PERFORMANCE

AIRINGS

47

12

APPOINTMENTS

INDUSTRY MOVES Corinthian’s Elmer joins Bandai, new sales and marketing executive for Gibsons, Halilit names new agent, Firebox hires fresh head of marketing, LIMA introduces new member services manager…

FROM LEFT: Halilit’s new agent, Mike Wares; Bandai product manager, Vicki Elmer and Firebox.com’s head of marketing, Pete Danks…

Former Corinthian marketing manager, Vicki Elmer, has joined Bandai as product manager. She will be responsible for brands including Harumika, Tamagotchi and new lines, PopPixie and Chloe’s Closet.

Elmer spent four years at Corinthian as marketing manager for In My Pocket. She previously held marketing positions at Maverick Entertainment and Hit. Elmer commented: “This is a fantastic opportunity for me to progress my career in the trade I love and I am really looking forward to playing an important part in building on the success of Bandai’s strong girls’ portfolio.”

Gibsons Games has recruited a new sales and marketing executive, Amanda Murphy, who will be responsible for handling house accounts, as well as providing marketing support to the team.

She joins from Müller Dairy, where she was sales development representative and had previously completed the graduate training scheme at Toys R Us, on completion of which, she took up the role of

assistant store manager for the Cardiff branch.

Nick Wright, MD, said: “We are delighted to welcome Amanda, she will fit in very well to the Gibsons team and we very much look forward to working with her.”

Mike Wares has joined Halilit as its agent for Scotland.

Richard Greaves, business development manager for Halilit, said: “Mike is well established and respected by his customers and we are confident that he is the right person to drive forward sales of our award-winning ranges of children’s musical instruments, nursery and pre-school toys, including the Halilit, TAF Toys and Edushape brands to the Toy and Nursery Trade.”

Firebox.com has hired Pete Danks, formerly of Moo.com, as its new head of marketing.

The new recruit has taken over from Christian Robinson, who recently stepped down from his role as MD and head of marketing at the online retailer.

Danks has previously worked for Yahoo where he led partner

marketing at online shopping comparison site Kelkoo. He was involved in launching Yahoo Answers into Europe and went on to set up multi-international channels at Moo.com in his role as head of acquisition marketing.

The new recruit will oversee and grow the marketing team at Firebox which manages SEM, SEO, multichannel advertising, affiliate relations, social media, media planning, sponsorship, partnerships and experiential events.

Danks commented: “I am looking forward to starting just as the Christmas rush begins and can’t wait to begin working with the various inhouse teams to help drive the business forward.”

Licensing industry trade body LIMA is stepping up its membership support in the UK, hiring a dedicated member services manager.

Saphia Maxamed joins the organisation from Topps Europe, where she was entertainment brand manager, handling properties including Disney's Club Penguin, Doctor Who and WWE.

In her new role, Maxamed will be the first point of call for LIMA's UK members, offering support with industry specific needs such as business networking, industry news and information, while also planning and developing licensing education programmes for the UK. Priorities will be to build relationships with existing and prospective members.

Former Coolabi exec, Janet Woodward is to bring her 20 years of industry experience to Jane Evans Licensing Consultancy, coming on board as director.

In her new role, Woodward will work with JELC MD, Jane Evans, on a range of expansion plans. These will include moves across a number of brands and categories, developing the portfolio, further increasing revenue and bringing in new deals.

JELC's property list includes Plain Lazy, Bad Cat, Sony ATV, NICI and Ruby Gloom, while it has recently taken on the likes of Ultimate Fighting Championship, Grumpy Old Gits, The Bamforth Collection, Smiling Bear and Vincent.

14

CAMPAIGN OF THE MONTH

Scrabble Trickster Mattel The latest rule-bending incarnation of family favourite Scrabble is backed by a comprehensive marketing campaign including TV, online, press, celebs and sampling programmes…

MATTEL’S SCRABBLE TRICKSTER, the newest version of the word game, made the front pages of national newspapers and the headlines of the national and global TV news, generating over £2 million in coverage across TV, radio, online and print press in the UK alone.

Now the company is set to roll out an extensive marketing and PR campaign that will promote the game across multiple platforms including online, TV, social media and direct marketing, to maintain the brand’s profile in the run up towards the festive season.

The Game Scrabble Original saw ten per cent growth in 2010, according to NPD. Trickster is a completely new incarnation designed for multigenerational play with a new aspect that allows players to boost their scores by playing ‘Trick’ cards enabling them to spell words backwards, steal points, use proper nouns and break many of the usual Scrabble rules.

Marketing Support A major 360° marketing programme to support the launch will invite consumers to interact with the brand and to personalise their play by creating their own rules. A national competition will run throughout the final quarter with the winners receiving cash prizes. The umbrella campaign will be communicated via multiple platforms including TV, online, celebrity endorsement, sampling and PR. A dedicated website, www.tricksterscrabble.co.uk, will provide consumers with a portal to find out about the game and to enter the competition, as well as enabling them to download and print their own rule cards to personalise their play at home. The website will also feature rule submissions from high profile celebrities including TV’s Gok Wan, Dizzee Rascal and pop starlet Ellie Goulding as Scrabble continues its successful celebrity endorsement and sampling programme.

OCTOBER 2010

An extensive social media campaign incorporating Twitter and Facebook will drive consumers to the website, complemented by an online PR programme.

Following a high impact TV sponsorship drive with breakfast TV show GMTV (now Daybreak), Scrabble Trickster will receive heavyweight TV advertising with a dedicated ad campaign running throughout the final quarter.

Scrabble Trickster is a new incarnation designed for multigenerational play that allows players to boost their scores by playing ‘Trick’ cards.

A large-scale student sampling programme will also run throughout the final quarter. Influential student ambassadors from universities across the country will promote Scrabble Trickster via sample drops, leaflet distribution and events.

The campaign will also drive students to a bespoke competition on www.tricksterscrabble.co.uk The game will also be promoted by an extensive PR campaign in the run-up to Christmas with gift guide targeting and high impact stunts.

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16

RETAIL AWARDS

BTHA TOY RETAILER AWARDS 2010 Is your toy shop the best? Would being able to say you are not only the best in your area, but the best in the UK, help sales? Then enter the BTHA Retailer Awards...

HOW GOOD is your toy shop? Is your store a wonderland for children, pure retail theatre, a world of escapism or just somewhere you would want to escape from as quick as you can?

One way to judge your store against your peers is to enter the BTHA’s Toy Retailer of the Year awards, where indies compete against indies and multiples take on other multiples. Moreover, winning, or even being shortlisted, can be extremely useful for local promotion of your store with the nominees and winners all receiving promotional material that can be used in-store and on local advertising. It’s even a great excuse to get some local press coverage for nothing.

SHORTLISTED AND WINNING RETAILERS WILL BE ENTITLED TO THE FOLLOWING:

The application process has been specifically designed to capture retailers’ key details while creating a more simple ‘user friendly’ application form.

THE CATEGORIES WILL BE AS FOLLOWS: Best independent toy retailer (no more than two stores) Best multiple toy retailer (three or more stores, on High Street, or as part of larger department store) Best toy department (grocer) Best toy catalogue (catalogue sales either as a main business or as a department of the store offering)

Official certificate for shortlisted and/or winner in appropriate category to display in store

Best online toy retailer (either as a main business or as a department of the store offering)

Official winners trophy awarded to the winner in appropriate category

Best overall toy retailer for UK and Ireland – the overall winner will be picked from the winners of the other categories and announced at the Industry Awards Evening.

All shortlisted retailers will be included in awards publicity before the event, including official press releases via industry related and retail titles and the BTHA’s website Permission to use Toy Industry Awards official logo on retailers’ own publicity post event for press releases, on websites, emails and other publications or literature (logo is specific to the category winner) The added kudos of winning a category that has been judged on a like-for-like basis Quotes from the BTHA on the reasons for selection for use in publicity following the awards ceremony After the event, press releases will be sent detailing the winning retailers to interested media, retail trade titles and via the BTHA’s PR agency to the wider general press.

This year’s application process is now open. Retailers can again compete nationally in like-for-like categories and can enter more than one category, if applicable.

The BTHA is looking to open entries to the retailer awards further and has created an application process which will again allow self nominations, with nominations also coming from a panel of nationwide industry experts.

OCTOBER 2010

The finalists will be announced in December, with the winners being unveiled alongside the Toy of the Year Award winners at the industry’s annual gala evening in January 2011.

If you would like to enter the competition please email Liz@btha.co.uk for an application form and the associated entry information or use the one opposite.

The awards night will take place again at the Banqueting House, Whitehall on January 25th 2011, the first night of Toy Fair. The evening itself will comprise a drinks reception with canapés in the Undercroft, followed by a two-course meal and the awards ceremony in the Great Hall.

Tickets for the event are priced at £125+VAT and are on sale now. For all ticket and table enquiries contact Matt Jones on 020 7701 7127 or email matt@btha.co.uk.

www.toynews-online.biz

TOY AWARDS

17

OCTOBER 2010

18

SPOTLIGHT FIREBOX

Friendly Fire Firebox.com has been introducing quirky toys, gifts and gadgets to its online fan base for over ten years now.

Katie Roberts spoke to Head of Buying and Merchandising, Ben Fowler, to find out the formula for online success…

WHEN UNIVERSITY friends Michael Smith and Tom Boardman launched hotbox.co.uk in 1998 (which became Firebox.com a year later), the site was solely aimed at an adult audience.

It often offered children’s toys, but marketed them as items for adults. For example, Silverlit’s Party Bot was sold as the ideal companion for sweeping up fag butts and carrying cans of beer around a typical bachelor pad.

However, the target audience has broadened over the years, as Fowler explains: “As the business has grown and the appeal [of Firebox.com] has broadened, we are conscious about selling toys as toys and making sure the copy is age/gender neutral, as far as possible, so that no-one is excluded.”

So with a definite toy space on the site, there is an opportunity for suppliers to open up a new retail channel with Firebox. Interested parties will be pleased to know, that unlike many toy buyers, Fowler and his team are easy to approach and their formula is simple.

“Send us great products,” says Fowler. “Simple as that. I don’t care how big or small a company is, it’s all about the opportunity to sell a terrific toy. We’re very easy to deal with, an introductory email with some details and an image will do just fine.”

The question is though, what constitutes a great one in the eyes of the retailer’s top buyer? Fowler is not looking for the next licensed action figure, but something head-turning.

“I’m looking for something that’s cool and a bit different, maybe something retro. A lot of great toys from my childhood pre-dated the TV and movie licences that modern toy companies just milk.

“We’ve seen a slew of re-issues in recent years; Big Trak, Evel Knievel and so on. These were totally original with a great play factor meaning that a new generation of kids can enjoy them, while the older generation enjoys a wave of nostalgia.”

OCTOBER 2010

While the product itself is the main concern, Ts and Cs, exclusivity and service can also help clinch a deal.

“I prefer emerging companies. There are far greater opportunities with smaller enterprises,” Fowler tells ToyNews. “They tend to be more

some marketing. This isn’t foolproof however, because products seem to have a life of their own sometimes – you can never fully control what consumers are going to love.”

Fowler continues: “The industry spends millions of pounds trying to

Send us great products. Simple as that.

I don’t care how big or small a company is, it’s all about the opportunity to sell a terrific toy. We’re very easy to deal with, an email with details and an image will do just fine. enthusiastic, will be prepared to offer exclusives, offer greater margins and prioritise our needs when stock becomes scarce. A lot of the bigger firms are tied into deals with bricks and mortar enterprises and to be frank, don’t need our support as much.”

Despite years of practice though, Fowler admits there isn’t an exact science to forecasting crazes. “It’s a bit hit and miss,” he says. “We try to stay on top of global trends and with the internet it’s fairly easy to see if something is taking off elsewhere.

“The trick is to get in early, pick up stock for the UK and get behind it with

make something a hit, which is why I’m always thrilled when something like Silly Bandz comes along to show that you can’t always manufacture a successful craze.”

Winner of the retailer’s inventor competition, Putty Monsters, is Fowler’s hot tip for the new craze in the run-up to Christmas. He explains: “It’s a very simple concept – just a tin of putty with eyes – but it encourages children to get creative and engage with other Putty Monster creators via its online social media platform.”

Initiatives such as this competition and marketing campaign help to give

the retailer an edge in a packed marketplace. Many companies are vying for the same space, including iwantoneofthose.com, prezzybox.com and gadgetshop.com, which has recently been bought by WH Smith.

Fowler explains how Firebox remains edgy, interesting and lucrative: “We focus on giving the customer what they want or haven’t ever thought they need. This philosophy extends to the product we offer, the customer service levels, the delivery promised, the site copy and design.

“We’ve always marketed ourselves as the place to come to for the latest and greatest gifts and that remains our priority.”

While the website has a strong footing in the online market at the moment, the team is always discussing further possibilities and has often toyed with the idea of opening a bricks and mortar version of Firebox.

“We are keen on the idea of seasonal pop-up shops. Boutique stores would perhaps be a good way to go, at least initially,” concludes Fowler. “But really, why have the ultimate headache of all those binding leases and high overheads?”

Š 2010 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

The UK’s only dedicated monthly licensing coverage

News • Media • Opinion

Head 2 Head

News

Winners’ row

Dora hits ten

Pages 28-29

Pages 22-24

Pages 26-27

Pages 35-38

BBC Worldwide’s Neil Ross Russell and Turner CN Enterprises’ Alan Fenwick quiz each other on the key issues…

Lego Group talks up its licensing plans, Universal Music reveals Uki, Hallmark to extend Country Companions, X Factor magazine arrives, Bush Tales to debut...

ToyNews runs through the winners from The Licensing Awards, including Wow Stuff, Inspiration Works, Mothercare, Peppa Pig, JCB, Tesco and Marks & Spencer...

We celebrate a decade of Nickelodeon’s Dora the Explorer, highlighting some of the key products currently available - or coming up - from a number of its licensing partners...

22

LICENSINGNEWS

COMMENT

Nick ramps up Dora birthday activity Global deals mark ten years in the business for hit character...

EXECUTIVE RELIEF AS A working journalist, going over to the US to cover Licensing International (or, in my previous life, video games show E3) is always fraught with tension when it comes to passing through immigration. Even a press visa isn’t enough to guarantee smooth admission.

So, I felt the pain of Turner CN Enterprises and BBC Worldwide bosses, Alan Fenwick and Neil Ross Russell as they related their experiences with Homeland Security during our special feature (‘Ask me another...’ on pages 28-29). Although, thankfully, I’ve never had to endure the prospect of interrogation...

Listening in to two high level execs interview each other is an interesting experience. Yes, you get the usual amount of corporate responses on both sides, but, as they each write their own questions for the other, you also get an insight into the issues that really matter to them – the kind of things they’re having to deal with on a day to day basis. The pressure to make sure their respective businesses keep growing, getting the right mix of brands, expanding into new territories and keeping on

Asking two execs to quiz each other means you get an insight into the issues that really matter to them. top of the fast changing digital space are just some of the topics they covered during the session.

And you should have seen some of the stuff I had to leave out.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– THIS YEAR’S Licensing Awards were once again a must-attend event, with 1,000 guests packing into the Lancaster London to see a wide array of companies pick up accolades (see pages 26-27 for the full list of winners).

Some of the choices may have raised eyebrows among certain parts of the audience, but there were many deserving winners. It’s always a pleasure to see the sheer enthusiasm that Richard North from Wow Stuff has for his firm’s products and, almost five years since its debut and having experienced incredible success, Astley Baker Davies and the eOne team still seem genuinely surprised when Peppa Pig adds to its considerable awards haul. It was fantastic to see JCB pick up Best Brands Licensed Property, too.

Highlight of the evening though? Gotta be Graham Saltmarsh’s kilt...

Samantha Loveday Samantha.Loveday@intentmedia.co.uk OCTOBER 2010

by Samantha Loveday NICKELODEON CONSUMER Products is marking Dora the Explorer’s tenth year of international broadcast by securing a swathe of key deals across the globe.

The firm’s plans for Dora include four TV specials, a documentary on the pre-school character and new online content.

Focusing on the UK activity, and special TV ad supported summer promotions took place with toy retailer Smyths, which is also signed up for a Big Birthday Tentpole campaign together with a competition and further advertising in September.

In addition, Smith & Brooks has renewed its outerwear deal.

Dora activity in the UK is also focused on the Explorers Wanted style guide.

It includes a deal for wall murals with Walltastic, which has the biggest UK market share in the category, as well as with Paper Projects for stickers.

Nickelodeon Consumer Products has also secured two separate health and beauty deals – the first for the property in this category –

with Oscar & Dehn and with Off Beat Co (for sun cream).

In the traditional toy sector, meanwhile, master licensee Fisher-Price is launching the We Did It Dora doll, which moves its arms, swings its hair and swivels its body as it teaches children the steps to the character’s signature dance.

Turn to pages 35-38 for our tenth anniversary sector special on Dora the Explorer.

NCP: 020 7462 1000

Hallmark seeks new licensing Companions HALLMARK IS looking to move its popular greeting card property Country Companions into a number of new licensed areas.

The firm has been working with the new licensing arm of BGI – Bright and Beyond Licensing – and design company Watermelon Europe on a new style guide for the property.

Initial artwork will be launched at BLE, with the full guide following in Q4.

Bright and Beyond has already extended the 23 year-old brand into publishing, with Egmont due to create ten books a year (in adult gifting, children’s picture books and a baby range). The focus is now on expanding Country Companions into categories like outdoor, gardening, food, gifting and apparel.

“From a licensing point of view, Country Companions has absolutely massive potential across an exciting range of consumer products,” said BGI managing director, Vicki Willden-Lebrecht.

Hallmark: 01274 252000

LICENSINGNEWS

www.licensing.biz

23

Lego clicks with licensing business IN BRIEF Firm planning to showcase latest activity at Olympia show...

by Samantha Loveday LEGO GROUP has more than doubled its number of licensing partners during the last five years, now boasting 50 active licensees in its portfolio.

Core areas for the firm include video games, apparel, publishing and storage. Games such as Lego Star Wars, Lego Batman and Lego Indiana Jones have all performed well and make up the biggest chunk of the firm’s licensing business, although apparel and publishing are also strong.

“Storage is a big consumer request and we now have four partners,” Melissa Wallace (above), UK licensing manager for Outbound Licensing at Lego, told ToyNews. “Consumer electronics is still quite a new area for us and we are strengthening our offering in stationery, party wear, play furniture and home décor.”

A big presence at BLE will see Lego showcase new and upcoming

products from Plast Team (storage) and Re:creation (home décor).

The development of retail partnerships is also a key area of growth for the firm. “Specifically taking the UK as an example, Lego licensed products will again be part of the Lego feature wall in all Toys R Us stores this main season,” Wallace continued. “We have also got some interesting initiatives in the pipeline with a couple of major UK retailers.

“Given the fact that the Lego Group is currently experiencing phenomenal success, with major sales growth across

all English speaking toy markets in 2009, this has made the brand a very hot property. It’s a great problem to have, but it’s about managing the licensed business cautiously and carefully, not jumping at every opportunity, with a solid licensing strategy underpinning everything we do. We have to ensure that every licensed partner is fully committed to the Lego values of quality, fun and creativity, which doesn’t always come cheap as we will often demand a lot from our licensed partners.”

Lego: 01753 495000

X Factor magazine hits retail FREMANTLEMEDIA Enterprises has teamed up with Syco Entertainment to launch a new magazine focused on The X Factor.

X Magazine – published by Haymarket Network – launched exclusively in Tesco earlier this month, and will roll out nationwide shortly. Highlights of the launch issue include an interview with Simon Cowell about Cheryl Cole’s illness and how it affected the show and an interview with Kylie on her sister, Dannii Minogue.

The title is edited by Peter Robinson, a contributor to publications including NME and The Guardian. He will be backed by more than 25 staff.

“X is a music magazine that’s totally different to anything we’ve seen before,” said Robinson. “It looks brilliant, feels fresh and is both smart and funny. Our remit is pretty broad, so while we may cover The X Factor finalists, we are also the place to come for A-listers, top 40 and a variety of our other favourites. X will speak to an entire generation of music fans who

have grown up without a mainstream music magazine written in a language they understand.”

The magazine joins a wide range of official licensed product for The X Factor, which is currently airing on ITV every Saturday night.

FremantleMedia Enterprises: 020 7691 6000

DRAGONS’ DEN MAKES LICENSING DEBUT The brand licensing division of 2waytraffic is looking to step up its programmes across its portfolio, including boosting evergreen gameshow Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and launching Dragons’ Den as a licensed property. The firm is aiming to discuss a number of opportunities with potential partners for Dragons’ Den at BLE, while it is also eyeing up cobranding and promotional ideas with other IP licensors for WWTBAM, now in its 12th year.

2waytraffic: 020 7908 5076

BULLDOG SWINGS IN FOR AD STAR MONKEY Bulldog Licensing has added ITV Digital and PG Tips ad star Monkey to its portfolio. Initially targeting the fashion community, Bulldog will be rolling out merchandise across apparel, accessories, plush and gifts, and is confident there will be a positive reaction from the industry.

Bulldog: 020 8325 5455

REDAN ON BOARD FOR 4KIDS’ PENELOPE The licensing programme for new pre-school character Penelope is continuing to build, with 4Kids Entertainment signing up Redan in the publishing category. Penelope will now appear in the firm’s two biweekly magazines, Fun to Learn Friends and Fun to Learn Favourites.

The pages are due to launch at the end of September.

4Kids: 020 7297 5995

SPONGEBOB IS TOP THREE TOY IN SPAIN Latest figures from NPD show that Spongebob Squarepants is the number three toy property in Spain, up to the end of July. NCP works with local agent Biplano and licensees including Simba, IMC and Ravensburger in the territory.

Summer and outdoor toys have led the way, but sales in all categories have been strong, said the firm.

NCP: 020 7462 1000

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OCTOBER 2010

24

LICENSING NEWS

IN BRIEF

Bush Tales set to make BLE debut

JANET WOODWARD TEAMS WITH JANE EVANS

Start-up firm plans to unveil publishing hit…

Former Coolabi exec Janet Woodward has become a director of Jane Evans Licensing Consultancy.

Woodward, who has some 20 years of industry experience, will work with Evans on a range of expansion plans for the business. These will include moves across a number of brands and categories. www.jevanslicensing.com

BBC MAGAZINES GROWS TCG PORTFOLIO...

BBC Magazines has launched a trading card game based on CBBC wildlife programme, Deadly 60. The game includes 165 cards featuring pictures and facts on the creatures from the first two series of the show. The cards are sold in packs of eight for 99 pence.

BBC Magazines: 020 8433 3256

... AS ESDEVIUM BECOMES EXCLUSIVE SUPPLIER Esdevium Games has become the sole distributor of BBC Worldwide’s collectible card products to the toy trade. The company takes over from Hobbygames as the exclusive supplier of the items.

Esdevium Games: 01420 593500

TY UK TAPS INTO BAND CRAZE...

Ty UK is planning to launch Beanie Bandz for a number of Sanrio characters, beginning with Hello Kitty. The elasticised, silicone wristbands are worn like a regular bracelet and can be stretched to go onto the wrist. Ty’s Sanrio Beanie Bandz will be the first licensed ones to be launched in the UK. Ty UK: 01329 829828

... WHILE FACTORY SIGNS COLLECT-A-BANDS Collectibles firm Factory Entertainment has teamed up with Bulls-i-toy for a range of licensed wrist bands. Already a hit in the US, Collect-a-Bands will feature licences such as Star Wars, Scooby-Doo, Looney Tunes, Skelanimals, Tweety and Bella Sara. Further licences are due to be announced shortly.

Factory: 020 8236 9060

V&S' ROSIE OFF TO STRONG INTERNATIONAL START New pre-school property, Everything’s Rosie, has secured international sales of the first series to 146 territories. On top of this, Julie Quirke has been appointed as director of licensing, with the merchandise programme due to launch globally shortly.

V&S: 01494 837881

OCTOBER 2010

by Samantha Loveday ALREADY MAKING waves in book retailers such as Waterstones, ambitious start-up Zorilla Entertainment is confident that its Bush Tales property can make the leap into licensed product.

Described as a ‘musical production’, Bush Tales is a series of stories inspired by creator Matthew Jameson’s visits to Zimbabwe.

The characters – which include Hustler the Meerkat, Masavi the Lion and Bont the Baboon – all have their own musical style ranging from classical to big band, jazz to country.

Jameson spent some five years working on the original scores and accompanying stories for Bush Tales, and is now looking for licensees and distribution partners at Brand Licensing Europe. Categories earmarked include soft toys, accessories, a children’s clothing range and original music sets.

A move into other territories – New Zealand, the US, Hong Kong and Africa – is also on the cards.

“I always remembered the cherished books of my childhood, from Beatrix Potter to AA Milne, and the wonder of first hearing Fantasia,” explained Jameson. “I have set out to capture the charm that this age represented and bring it firmly into the 21st century, adding to the music and stories with animation and games.

“We are very excited to be attending our first Brand Licensing show and look forward to meeting potential licensees and distributors who would like to join with us in building the Bush Tales franchise.”

The Bush Tales collection is available as a box set or individually in hardback, on CD, DVD, as an iPad app or through mini iPhone games.

Zorilla Entertainment: 01749 678007

Universal Music UK makes animation move UNIVERSAL MUSIC is turning its hand to pre-school animation, having created a new series called Uki – and it already believes licensed product will be a key driver at retail in 2011.

The show began airing on Cbeebies earlier this month as a key part of the ‘Show Me Show Me’ programme. Each of the 52 fiveminute episodes describes a day in Uki’s life, with the character taking pre-schoolers along for the ride using sounds, laughter and smiles to encourage them to interact.

Licensing is being handled by Neil Jennings, director of business development at UMUK. The show is already being aired in Belgium on children’s channels Ketnet and Club RTL. Books, DVDs, greetings cards and plush are due to launch in the territory in October.

In addition, Uki has been sold to a variety of international territories, including Australia, Portugal, Finland, Norway, Poland, Israel, South Africa and the Middle East.

“From a UK licensing perspective, we think Uki is a key prospect for retail in 2011,” commented Universal’s Jennings.

“The show is a breath of fresh air in the often noisy and chaotic world of children’s television,

and we have a great broadcast partner in Cbeebies.

“We are putting together a tight, well-managed licensing programme to reflect the demand for product that we anticipate.”

Universal Music: 020 7471 5368

Š 2010 World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

0D[LPXP LPSDFW

26

LICENSING 2010 AWARD WINNERS

Licensing Awards: The Winners If you work within the licensed consumer products industry, chances are you would have had something of a sore head on Friday September 10th. The night before, over 1,000 guests had packed into the Lancaster London for Max Publishing’s annual awards ceremony. ToyNews was among them...

NOW IN its fifth year, The Licensing Awards continues to go from strength to strength – and this year’s event, hosted by Chris Addison (pictured right with Wow Stuff’s Richard North and BBC Worldwide’s Richard Hollis), certainly lived up to its billing as the industry’s ultimate get together.

Over 1,000 guests saw a range of companies and industry personalities recognised for their innovation in product development, the retail treatment of licensed product and licensed property programmes spanning the entertainment, brands and sport sectors.

Headline sponsor of the awards was Emap Connect, the organiser of Spring Fair and Autumn Fair, while each accolade was also sponsored by individual brand owners.

“Standing testament to the vibrancy of the licensing sector, the awards really bought every strand of the industry together,” says Ian Hyder, director of The Licensing Source Book, creator of the awards.

“Awards entries have grown year-onyear. Thanks to the inventiveness and generosity of those involved our ‘special touches’ such as bespoke videos and the giant goodie bag, just get better.”

Best Licensed Toys or Games Range (sponsored by BBC Worldwide)

Wallace & Gromit Cracking Contraptions, Wow Stuff

Licensing Awards 2010: Full list of winners The Retail Award Winners Best Pre-school Retailer of Licensed Product (sponsored by Hit Entertainment)

Mothercare

Adult Apparel Range (sponsored by Sony PlayStation/Target Entertainment)

Innovation Award (sponsored by Turner CN Enterprises)

The Gruffalo Trunki, Magmatic

Wizard of Oz Ruby Slippers, Newmans at Harrods The Property Award Winners

Best Kids Retailer (sponsored by 4Kids)

Tesco Best Brands Licensed Retailer (sponsored by The Beanstalk Group)

Marks & Spencer Best Direct Selling Retailer (sponsored by RDF Rights)

Written, Listening or Learning Range (sponsored by DCD Publishing)

Peppa Pig Electronic Learning Range, Inspiration Works UK Paper Products or Stationery Range (sponsored by HarperCollins)

Pre-school (sponsored by Character World)

Peppa Pig Schoolers, Tween or Teen (sponsored by Blueprint Collections)

Hello Kitty

Argos

The Gruffalo stationery range, Blueprint Collections

Best Overall Retailer (sponsored by Mattel)

Giftware Range (sponsored by ITV Studios Global Entertainment)

Chelsea FC

Marks & Spencer

Where’s Wally? Gift Range, Half Moon Bay

Celebrity (sponsored by Danilo)

Home Décor Range (sponsored by Spring Fair)

Brands (sponsored by Redd Solicitors)

The Product Awards Winners Best Licensed Toys or Games Range (sponsored by BBC Worldwide)

Wallace & Gromit Cracking Contraptions, Wow Stuff Dress-up or Partywear Range (sponsored by Warner Bros Consumer Products)

Wallace & Gromit Housewares, Peter Black for M&S Food or Drink Range (sponsored by Kidz Entertainment)

Toy Story 3 dress-up, The Christy Group

Hello Kitty Seasonal Gift Collection, Kinnerton Confectionery

Children's Apparel Range (sponsored by Nickelodeon Consumer Products)

Licensed Brand Range (sponsored by Watermelon)

Hungry Caterpillar Baby Range, Brecrest for TU Clothing at Sainsbury’s

The Haynes Guide to Grooming, Grace Cole

OCTOBER 2010

Sports (sponsored by Zap)

The Beatles

JCB Best Licensed Marketing Communications Award (sponsored by Brand Licensing Europe)

Wallace & Gromit Turbo-charged Kingsmill campaign, Aardman Rights The Honorary Achievement Award Andrew Lane

LICENSING 2010 AWARD WINNERS

Dress-up or Partywear Range (sponsored by Warner Bros Consumer Products)

Innovation Award (sponsored by Turner CN Enterprises)

Best Direct Selling Retailer (sponsored by RDF Rights)

Toy Story 3 dress-up, The Christy Group

The Gruffalo Trunki, Magmatic

Argos

Pre-school (sponsored by Character World)

Schoolers, Tween or Teen (sponsored by Blueprint Collections)

Best Pre-school Retailer of Licensed Product (sponsored by Hit Entertainment)

Peppa Pig

Hello Kitty

Mothercare

Best Kids Retailer (sponsored by 4Kids Entertainment)

Written, Listening or Learning Range (sponsored by DCD Publishing)

Best Overall Retailer (sponsored by Mattel)

Tesco

Peppa Pig Electronic Learning Range, Inspiration Works UK

Marks & Spencer

The Honorary Achievement Award

Brands (sponsored by Redd Solicitors)

Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Apparel Range (sponsored by Nickelodeon Consumer Products)

Andrew Lane

JCB

Hungry Caterpillar, Brecrest for TU Clothing at Sainsburyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

27

OCTOBER 2010

28

LICENSINGEXECUTIVE FACE OFF

Ask me Want to know what happens when you ask two high profile licensing industry bosses to interview each other? Turns out they swap US immigration stories.

Samantha Loveday listens in on Neil Ross Russell, MD of Children’s Global Brands and Licensed Consumer Products at BBC Worldwide, and Turner CN Enterprise’s VP EMEA, Alan Fenwick...

ROSS RUSSELL: “BLE should be about making new contacts and developing new business”

OCTOBER 2010

Neil Ross Russell: You’ve experienced phenomenal growth over the past couple of years. What are you going to do to ensure this continues?

Alan Fenwick: Wow, the multi million dollar question right from the start... trying to boil down our 360 approach to growth is not easy, but, simply, it would be distribution, portfolio and commercial models.

Distribution is ensuring we have the right exposure across pay and free-toair channels that complement our core pay channels; portfolio is expanding into new areas such as nursery, as well as adding complementary brands to the Turner library; and finally it’s developing new commercial models to reward product innovation and success. Can I ask if you feel your business is being forced to change due to the political climate and new government coalition?

NRR: Our focus is always to drive the maximum value to the BBC and, ultimately, the licence fee payer. So, while the political climate provides a colourful and ever changing backdrop to what we do, our focus remains the same.

AF: And how about internationally?

Do you see the pace accelerating there for the BBC? NRR: The plans are going very nicely. Brands like Lonely Planet, In the Night Garden, Top Gear, Charlie & Lola and Teletubbies are providing us with opportunities everywhere from Shenzhen to San Francisco. We’re putting the building blocks in place at present to have the right infrastructure to be able to develop the opportunities. I know that you guys are very strong in digital, what’s the biggest challenge of engaging with children in that space?

AF: The biggest challenge is keeping our digital proposition fresh while trying to keep ahead of the curve.

Thankfully we have a fantastic team in both digital and research which ensures we understand the changing

LICENSINGEXECUTIVE FACE OFF

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29

another... needs of our fans, as well as developers who produce great digital solutions from games to content to new experiences. Speaking of new experiences, are you looking into third party representation?

NRR: Definitely. Our strength is derived from the fact that retailers in the UK know that their customers know and love our brands. The ultimate goal is a portfolio with no gaps or overlaps, with brands that appeal to each customer of each major retailer in every major market.

I mean, you’re best known for boys brands, like Ben 10. Would you say that expanding into the girls sector is a priority?

The new stand has been developed to showcase the key brands and the new initiatives around them to inspire and encourage new partners into the family. Alan, if you could change one decision that you have ever made, what would it be?

AF: Well, speaking of family, from a personal aspect it would be all those times I stayed late at work and didn’t get home to spend time with them.

Professionally, it would be properties I passed on that have gone on to be successful for obvious reasons.

NRR: And have any?

AF: Thankfully none, as yet, have become huge hits!

I’d like a passport that doesn’t get me stopped by US Homeland Security each time, but then you’d know about that Neil...

“Yes, my advice to anyone listening is never get your passport stolen...”

Alan Fenwick, VP EMEA, TCNE; Neil Ross Russell, MD, Children’s Global Brands/Licensed Product, BBC AF: I wouldn’t say it’s our highest priority given our strength in boys, but I agree that it’s important that our portfolio has the right balance.

Girls are circa 50 per cent of the licensing business, so it strikes me that we couldn’t deliver the growth we have planned if we didn’t have a girls proposition in there. You seem pretty confident in your portfolio, how are you planning to show it at BLE? I heard about your new stand and screening room, does this change the way you want to use the show to communicate to the trade?

NRR: Yes, I think BLE should be about making new contacts and developing new business opportunities. We are in constant dialogue with our existing partners – as you obviously are too – and don’t need to discuss ongoing business with them on a bustling exhibition floor.

NRR: Can we be less serious now? In a supermarket sweep, what would be the top three products you would want to grab?

AF: In the best fantasy supermarket in the world, my first grab would be an iPad, the second an Aston Martin DB9 and third would be a passport that never got me stopped and interviewed by Homeland Security every time I travel to the US. Unlike my current – and new – passport which seems to enjoy hitting alarms whenever I travel Stateside. But then, you know all about US immigration, don’t you Neil...?

NRR: I’ve learned the hard way; an hour in the holding bay at McCarran International airport in Las Vegas with the prospect of interrogation is not my idea of fun. My advice to anyone listening is, do not get your passport stolen.

FENWICK: “It strikes me that we couldn’t deliver our planned growth without a girls proposition in our portfolio”

OCTOBER 2010

30

SPOTLIGHT TURNER MEDIA INNOVATIONS

Euro vision Turner’s new move to offer pan-European advertising campaigns to its clients is part of its continued effort to help develop more effective solutions. Ronnie Dungan spoke to VP of Turner Media Innovations, Simon Cox, who explained more about the venture...

TURNER’S CONTINUED development of its airtime sales team has now reached a new level, as it looks to offer clients a panEuropean solution.

The new initiative is headed up by former vice president of TMi Simon Cox, who helped build its current concept of integrated campaigning incorporating TV, online, red button and mobile media.

His new European role will see him responsible for driving panregional deals and working with Turner Broadcasting’s European ad sales teams to generate new revenue streams.

It means it will now offer crossterritory advertising, enabling clients to leverage campaigns in established and emerging markets across the EMEA region. Deals will again include a mix of traditional ad sales, digital, programming, licensing, retail and creative.

The team has been reshuffled with Adam Eagle becoming head of sponsorship and promotions across EMEA, while Andrew Mallandaine becomes UK sales director.

Cox will, however, continue to remain closely involved in Turner Broadcasting’s UK ad sales market as part of his new role.

“What we’re doing is to continue to shape the business in a way which we feel will best benefit our customers,” he explains. “The major thing driving Turner and TMi is exactly what it is that we can do which is the most effective way to help our clients boost sales.

“It has been over four years since we launched TMi in the UK and we’ve been successful from a revenue position and deepened our relationship with our clients.

“The next stage is to say we’ve got a very successful local businesses in markets but we’re not doing ad sales across all regions. We’re talking to clients who have a European profile OCTOBER 2010

Total TV was very tough so there’s an element of a bounceback from a low base but everyone got through it by being better at what they do. As a result, we’re even better set for 2011 and beyond, because people were forced to look at how they do things. and investigating ways of working across Europe.”

Cox believes a lot of firms aren’t set up to work on such a basis yet, but his experience with TMi and encouraging clients to work in a different way, leads him to believe the project can overcome any such problem.

“We’re all about trying to break the mould and work in different ways. It’s not simple but our vision is that this is the way certain clients can become more effective.

“What can we offer? What can we do? What problems can we solve together? And, how can we move together towards a position of success? The next stage is development of the business. We’ve got to keep moving forward.”

Cox believes progress internationally is crucial to growth of the UK operation.

“It’s only because we have a solid base of support in the UK that we can move forward in Europe.

“If we forge closer links with Europe it will help the UK. But if we hadn’t brought the toy market along with us we wouldn’t have got enough traction in Europe.”

Last year was tough for the TV airtime market, but this year has been much more positive. The kids sector is up ten per cent and Turner says it is ahead of that.

“Total TV was very tough so there’s an element of a bounceback from a low base but everyone got through it by being better at what they do. As a result, we’re even better set for 2011 and beyond, because people were forced to look at themselves and how they do things.

“The toy industry is probably one of the smartest industries. It is really sharp end and retail focused, and I think the business is really smart and full of clever people.”

32

LICENSING GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS

Hit Records The book has notched up sales in excess of 115 million copies and is published in more than 100 countries, and now Guinness World Records is moving into the licensing arena with a high profile gifting line from Paladone.

Samantha Loveday finds out more…

“I RECENTLY had the bizarre experience of counting the largest collection of trolls, you know, the gonk-like, northern European dolls with the big shock of colourful hair,” says Craig Glenday, editor in chief at Guinness World Records. “A girl from Cholsey in the UK has been collecting since 2003, mostly from car boot sales, and now has a roomful of these things – 633 unique trolls in total.”

The Guinness Book of World Records has been published in 30 languages in more than 100 countries and has sold in excess of 115 million copies, becoming the biggest selling copyright book of all time. Now, the company is looking to the licensing arena in a bid to further build the brand.

“Guinness World Records is an incredible brand,” Glenday continues.

“No other brand has the ability to ‘heritage’ or authority to recognise the world’s fastest, longest or biggest.

We are unique in what we do and our worldwide appeal transcends age, gender and cultures. The licensing programme was just one aspect of the extension of the brand. There were two key aims for us: firstly, to extend our reach and contact with our fans beyond the key selling period (September to December) and, secondly, to make GWR more interactive and accessible.”

There are 19 licensees across toys and games, stationery, home video and mobile content, although the main driver will, of course, always be publishing. A key focus at the moment is Paladone’s 16-strong line of challenge sets each relating to a specific record-breaking activity.

“Each one contains everything needed to break or replicate a particular record and is accompanied by a mini Guinness World Records book providing tips and inspiration,” explains Fiona Parkinson, marketing manager at Paladone. “The sets aim to challenge and encourage people to learn a new skill but, most importantly, have fun along the way.

OCTOBER 2010

Top Toy Records MOST SUCCESSFUL MOVIE BASED ON A TOY: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) grossed $835m at the international box office. The first movie (2007) earned $700m.

MOST EXPENSIVE BARBIE AT AUCTION: The highest price paid for a Barbie doll in an auction is £18,258 ($27,450), purchased by Sandi Holder’s Doll Attic (USA) in May 2006.

TALLEST LEGO STRUCTURE: The tallest structure built with interlocking plastic bricks was 30.22m high and was constructed at an event organised

by Lego Norway in Oslo on April 24th 2010.

The key feature for the whole Paladone range is the interactivity. The aim is to bring the Guinness World Records brand to people in a more accessible and tangible way.

Craig Glenday, Editor in Chief Glenday continues: “Paladone was the right partner for us as they shared the view of how serious attempts at record breaking can provide a lot of fun along the way. We love the height chart; the entire office has discovered how they measure up against the world’s largest toilet roll.

“Beyond this, the key products are definitely the yo-yo and juggling sets.

Both tap into current consumer trends for mastering tricks and skills, and the record breaking brings a new aspect. The key feature for the whole

range is the interactivity. The aim is to bring the brand to people in a more accessible, tangible way.”

Reaction from retail has been positive and hopes are high for strong Christmas sales. Glenday points out, no other brand in the world offers you the chance to become a record breaker. He also believes the potential to develop even further is huge.

“There are so many new platforms for people to consume our content on and increasing opportunities actively participate in record breaking.”

MOST EXPENSIVE BOARD GAME: An exclusive $2m (£1.4m) Monopoly set was created by jeweller Sidney Mobell in San Francisco in 1988. The board is made from 23 carat gold, rubies and sapphires top the chimneys of the solid gold houses and hotels, while the dice have 42 full cut diamonds for spots.

MOST EXPENSIVE TOY CAR: A red and green delivery van emblazoned with the name WE Boyce fetched £19,975 in an online auction. It was originally produced in the mid 1930s.

LONGEST SLOT CAR TRACK: James May and 300 volunteers built a Scalextric track measuring 2.953 miles at Brooklands, UK on August 16th 2009 as part of the BBC series, James May’s Toy Stories.

FASTEST TIME TO SOLVE A RUBIK’S CUBE… USING FEET: The fastest average time to solve a Rubik’s cube using the feet is 42.08 seconds and was set by Anssi Vanhala from Finland at the Estonian Open on November 7th 2009.

ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL DORA THE EXPLORER

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A decade of Dora One of the most successful girls’ pre-school properties of the last ten years, Dora the Explorer has been a hit across a wide range of product categories. To celebrate the Nickelodeon property becoming an evergreen, Samantha Loveday takes a look at what just some of the licensees have to offer...

COPYWRITE DESIGNS 01908 618811

Quick Dora Facts: ● Dora the Explorer has notched up over $11 billion in global retail sales since 2001 (correct as of March 2010), with more than 950 licensees worldwide, of which approximately 80 are based out of the UK. ● The series is broadcast in 140 markets, has been translated into 33 languages. ● Dora has sold over 20 million DVDs and 50 million books. ● In 2009, in the UK, 7.9 million viewers tuned in to the show

MATTEL Master toy licensee Mattel is celebrating a decade of Dora with the Fisher-Price TV driver, We Really Did it Dora doll.

Dora moves, sings and invites kids to dance along with her and features four modes of play – pre-schoolers can activate her signature tune and Dora will teach them to dance and play bilingual games with Spanish and English phrases.

Also in the spotlight for autumn, Dora’s Dollhouse comes with three storeys, four rooms and two sides of play.

Accessories including play figures, fridge and dining table are also included.

2010 hit Suds n Surprise Dora continues to be a focus into the new year with a refreshed look.

The styling head can be used both in and out of the water: out of the bath, Dora’s hair can be styled in a number of ways, just add cold water to uncover pink streaks in her hair and make up on her cheeks, while in the bath, warm water transforms Dora’s tshirt into a costume and aqua

01628 500000 streaks appear in her hair. Spring will also see Day Adventure Backpack join the collection. The role play item comes with a number of accessories.

Dora will be supported with a heavyweight marketing campaign in the run up to Christmas including TV and PR.

Copywrite has a full range of Dora the Explorer arts and crafts and creative play items.

The collection consists of a number of popular lines including art sets, triple and double filled pencil cases and poster art sets.

WESCO During the last seven years, Dora the Explorer has regularly been Wesco’s number one girls’ pre-school brand and it continues to perform strongly at retail for the firm.

Over 40 different Dora lines have been created since Wesco first came on board. The product line-up for 2011 includes watches, a time teacher alarm clock, a wall clock, a gift set, 3D moulded money bank, 3D moulded book light and a lantern. The lantern incorporates Wesco’s ‘blow motion’ technology, where a child can turn on and off the lantern by blowing into a small hole in the casing.

“The preschoolers who

LEAPFROG 01895 202840

The Leapster Explorer Learning Game allows children to learn about the cultures, animals and landscapes of four different countries (Egypt, China, Australia and Peru), as well as expand their Spanish vocabulary.

Aimed at four to seven year olds, features of the game include a number of mini games and challenges featuring Dora and Boots. As they play, children can earn badges for their achievements which can then be converted into LeapWorld tokens where they can customise their game.

The game also adjusts the curriculum to the player’s skill level, while parents can connect to the Leapfrog Learning Path to check on what their child is playing and learning.

02476 619703 bought our first Dora products in 2005 have now grown into tweens, but a new wave of fans comes along every year,” says Wesco MD Robert Hughes.

“Nickelodeon has done a fine job in keeping Dora consistently at the forefront of pre-school properties and we congratulate them on ten great years,” he adds.

OCTOBER 2010

36

ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL DORA THE EXPLORER

H&A 01904 529400

The toiletry specialist has an exclusive range of Dora the Explorer children’s bath products.

Available in Boots until 2011, the line includes the likes of shower gel pouches, frilled wash mitts, magic facecloths and toothbrushes.

Selected products have also been launched in Tesco, Morrisons and Dunnes branches.

MEGA BRANDS

Mega has been working closely with Nickelodeon on the tenth anniversary theme of Explore with Dora. The firm’s buildable line of Dora products includes Dora’s Park Adventure and Dora’s Pirate Adventure.

Multiple playground themed pieces including sandboxes, slides and swings make up the Park Adventure play-set, while the Pirate Adventure sees Dora searching for buried treasure. Both can be combined with the whole play-set range.

OCTOBER 2010

RAVENSBURGER

Ravensburger has recently launched a refreshed range of Dora the Explorer puzzles and games.

All items feature new images and fresh new-look packaging.

Key products include a Giant Floor Puzzle, which is cut into 24 large pieces and measures 70 x 50cm when complete. Also new are three different

01844 350033

Supporting the line, Mega Bloks’ marketing campaign has seen large instore presence, retail promotions, catalogues and e-newsletters, as well as trade and consumer PR. The company’s products have also featured on a direct mail shot in conjunction with Sky, which included a competition to win selected Dora the Explorer products.

This was sent to 150,000 households as part of Nick Jr’s summer campaign.

01869 363800

multi-format puzzle packs – a two in a box with 12 and 24-piece puzzle; a three in a box with 25, 36 and 49-piece puzzles; and a four in a box with 12, 16, 20 and 24-piece puzzles. All the new designs feature a slightly more grown up Dora, alongside Boots and Backpack.

Also in the pipeline is a new giant picture card game and a memory game.

GB EYE

GB Eye’s collection of Dora the Explorer posters have proved very successful for the firm over the years. The range includes maxi and mini posters featuring single character images, collages and educational designs.

VTECH 01235 555545

Dora the Explorer is a key property for VTech, with a number of products performing well for the firm.

Dora Learning Drums feature two infrared sensor technology air drums, allowing children to drum along with Dora and watch her dance to the music. Meanwhile, the Dora Learning Phone features a 3D animated dancing Dora character and includes four modes of play.

Finally, the Dora Laptop has ten activities and aims to teach letter names, the alphabet, spelling and simple maths, while also helping to develop early computer skills.

0114 292 0086

To celebrate the character’s tenth birthday, a new maxi poster has been launched in GB Eye’s 2011 product catalogue, while a number of other initiatives are also in the pipeline going forward.

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ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL DORA THE EXPLORER

AYKROYD & SONS 0161 929 1122

Dora has been one of the stalwart properties for the apparel licensee over the past six years.

Autumn/winter 2010 sees product heading into seven key retailers – BHS, Dunnes, Heatons, Mothercare, Primark, Tesco and TK Maxx.

On top of this, Mothercare and Primark have also committed for spring/summer 2011.

Product from Aykroyd & Sons includes long pyjamas, shorties, fleece dressing gowns, walking sleepers and nighties.

EGMONT Egmont has been publishing the Dora annual for four years and the magazine for over three years.

A new annual (£7.99) will be released to celebrate the tenth anniversary including stories, puzzles and simple Spanish phrases to learn.

In addition, the magazine is published every three weeks and aims to engage the reader in playalong adventures, while also teaching children how to observe situations along with acquiring problem solving skills. A free gift is included with every issue.

ALLIGATOR BOOKS

Children’s books and creative play specialist, Alligator’s portfolio currently includes 22 Dora products.

These range from colouring books, activity packs and wipe clean books, through to magnetic activity and sticker books and magnets. “We’ve enjoyed an extremely successful relationship with

020 8371 6622

Nickelodeon on the Dora licence,” comments Neil Rodol, Alligator’s managing director.

“The recently refreshed artwork has generated a tremendous uplift in sales this year compared to the previous year and it remains one of our best selling pre-school licences.”

020 7761 5500

WINNING MOVES 020 7298 9500

The Top Trumps Activity Pack includes five different games and activities featuring Dora and her friends.

Priced at £3.99, the pack includes a mini version of Top Trumps; the Pairs memory game; matching and collecting game, Take 5; Spot the Difference; and an Observation Quiz.

A bonus activity card and pencil are also included.

H GROSSMAN 0141 613 2525 The firm’s new Dora Camping Set includes a playtent and a fold up seat to be used inside or outside.

Meanwhile, Grossman is also introducing a skipping rope and pogo stick. On top of this, the company has recently announced the extension of its licence agreement to include scooters, trikes and bikes, which will be introduced at Toy Fair 2011.

The new items complement Grossman’s existing range such as a Shaped Flying Disc, Return Top, Water Wrigglers in two sizes, Fizz Pod, Kaleidoscope and Bubble Sword among others.

A range of Dora wristbands are also on the way, to tap into the current playground craze.

CHRISTY’S +852 2994 7506 The dress-up specialist has been working with Nickelodeon on its Dora the Explorer line for a number of years, enjoying considerable success.

Christy’s is currently developing a new range for Dora Ballet Adventures, which will launch in 2011.

Also being planned for next year are spring, summer and autumn collections based on hula, mermaid and Christmas themes. The company also re-creates Dora’s favourite costume, as seen in the TV show.

OCTOBER 2010

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NEWS ANALYSIS MAGNETIC CONSTRUCTION

43

Attractive proposition King of the comebacks, Geomag is about to move to Flair in the UK, which confidently predicts it can create a market leader with the range. Could magnetic construction finally have recovered from its recall nightmare? Ronnie Dungan ruminates…

OF ALL THE categories in the toy market, the magnetic construction sector has been by far the most troubled. It has been touched by disasters which are bigger than any mere discussion about sales dips or market projections.

To date, it has literally been a tale of life and death, with the 2005 US tragedy in which one year-old Kenny Sweet died, after ingesting eight Magnetix magnets.

Products were recalled, litigation followed, rivals turned on each other and pretty soon, the whole sector was in disarray. The public had lost

confidence in the products and it was difficult to see how it would find a way past it. Magnetic construction, it seemed, was dead.

But Mega Brands, although it took a battering financially, came back with a safer, improved product in Magnext; Plastwood went to Character Options and there was a come-back of sorts, but it failed to fully recover the ground that had been lost.

Geomag, which had enjoyed great success in the UK and elsewhere in Europe, fell victim to the backlash.

Having been distributed with great success by Treasure Trove in the UK,

OCTOBER 2010

44

NEWS ANALYSIS MAGNETIC CONSTRUCTION

Swiss owner, Geomag, decided to take over distribution itself. That’s often the problem with being a distributor – you do too good a job and you lose your products.

But, moving away from Treasure Trove in 2006, in the middle of the sector’s crisis, proved to be a bad decision for Geomag and just two years later, the firm went under.

Geomag was no more.

In February of 2008, it was talking about its new UK distribution plans, but by August it had gone under, making 82 staff redundant and was gone for good. Or so it appeared.

OCTOBER 2010

Geomag is the perfect addition to our growing list of quality brands and we are delighted to be involved in the next stages of its development. Our first move will be to produce a focused line-up of products that will build on the success of previous years.

Fast forward to 2010 and Treasure Trove brought the range back to the UK for a short period, before Flair took it over (see story on page five).

Simon Hedge, Flair’s commercial

director says: “Geomag is the perfect addition to our growing list of quality brands and we are delighted to be involved in the next stages of its development. Our first move will be

to produce a focused line-up of products that will build on the success of previous years.”

Much time has passed, many lessons have been learned and in many ways products have been improved with greater variance and increased playability.

The construction sector is going great guns, up 24 per cent on 2009 according to NPD, so maybe magnetic construction is finally about to make that long awaited comeback and with Flair’s marketing muscle behind it, the one that seemed least likely could be leading the way.

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48

BRAND FOCUS MONOPOLY

Location, location, location Hasbro has spent 2010 celebrating the 75th anniversary of Monopoly, with a new version of the property buying game, a worldwide competition and PR events throughout London and the world. Katie Roberts passed Go… ASIDE FROM having been present on the shelves for 75 years, Monopoly is now available in 43 languages and on sale in 111 countries, and Hasbro’s anniversary celebrations throughout this year have reflected the strength of the games brand.

The campaign began in February when a new edition of the game – Monopoly: Revolution – was revealed to the press. The new circular board, which was launched in August, achieved widespread national coverage. The Revolution game includes electronic banking and electronic chance and community chest cards, which also play songs.

In July, Hasbro unveiled a worldwide competition, Monopoly Money Makes It Real. The online competition invited entrants to submit 75-word essays about how they would spend the prize, the sum of the Monopoly bank – £20,580.

Next, the celebrations visited Hamleys, London to mark the retail launch of the new game in August.

Hasbro filled the store with balloons and visitors had to grab them in order to be in with a chance of winning the game or other gifts.

The same day saw the press attending Hasbro’s Christmas in August, where they were able to see and play Monopoly: Revolution and Monopoly U-Build.

Later in August, World Wide Wednesday took place and Hasbro

OCTOBER 2010

A Monopoly-branded double decker bus toured London, offering rides to the Go location from all the famous spots on the Monopoly board. Branded road signs were also posted at each of the iconic locations. celebrated the 75th anniversary across the world. The UK event was centred around the unveiling of the location of the Go square, with the help of Ordnance Survey.

Queen’s Walk, which runs alongside the London Eye, was revealed as the exact spot and became the stage for the celebrations.

The firm teamed up with London radio station, Capital FM, to get Londoners to the location in the hope to be one of the first 20 to pass go and collect £200.

Queen’s Walk was also home to a variety of activities and attractions, including giant Monopoly movers; an EA games hub demonstrating the

electronic versions of the game; trips on the London Eye and a Monopoly Cash Grabber.

A Monopoly-branded double decker bus also toured London, offering rides to the Go location from all the famous spots on the Monopoly board. Branded road signs were also posted at each location.

Autumn will see the firm wrap up the online competition, with the announcement of the winner from 75 finalists. More details can be found at http://hasbromonopoly.promotions. com/monopolymoney.

Finally, Monopoly will feature in a 600 TVR advertising campaign this autumn, with PR and events continuing until the end of the year.

EVENT REVIEW AUTUMN FAIR

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51

Forever Autumn With a rise in the number of toy suppliers exhibiting at Autumn Fair this year, Katie Roberts went along to see whether the show is making a mark on our industry’s calendar…

TRADITIONALLY AUTUMN Fair has been home to gift, stationery, art and design, fashion and homeware firms, with a few smaller toy companies scattered through the halls.

More recently, however, an increasing number of toy companies are signing up to the show, with numbers up to 115 this year, around a 20 per cent rise on 2009’s 96 toy exhibitors.

This year’s show also saw a spotlight area in the toys and gadgets hall, which aimed to highlight ‘new, innovative and must-have’ products in the sector.

Wandering through hall five, however, the toy presence wasn’t immediately obvious. Racks upon racks of umbrellas, slippers, wooden sculptures, crockery, mobiles and more, was likely to leave many visitors wondering if they had been on something of a wild goose chase.

After an hour or so of playing ‘spot the toy’, we stumbled upon the spotlight, tucked away at the back of the hall, with little signage to advertise its presence.

The reaction among spotlight exhibitors was mixed.

Each of the larger companies we spoke to were happy with the show. One firm even said it takes orders from certain customers at Autumn Fair that it never speaks to for the rest of the year, making it an invaluable experience.

One had already complained to the organisers that the stand was virtually hidden, while others seemed to be enjoying good numbers of visitors and were happily writing orders each day.

It would seem, as is always the case, the larger and more established toy exhibitors had pushed the location of the smaller, spotlight stands to the back of the hall.

Suppliers such as Aurora, Paul Lamond Games, Esdevium Games,

Grossman and Dowman Soft Touch had large, prominent stands, and as such were seeing a high volume of buyers stepping onto their stands.

Each of the larger companies we spoke to were happy with the show, would consider visiting again and looked at it as a worthwhile exercise.

One firm even said that it takes orders from certain customers at Autumn Fair, which it never speaks to for the rest of the year, making it

an invaluable experience. So was it worth the trek to Birmingham for our industry? Suppliers of plush, games and puzzles or playground crazes, which would fit comfortably into gift shops as well as toy retailers, would seem to stand more of a chance of recouping costs.

Having said that, there were a higher number of multiples and majors in attendance at Autumn Fair this year, with names such as Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Hamleys, Debenhams, John Lewis and many more on the list.

For buyers, there was a wide range of companies, varying from start-up operations to established companies, exhibiting a product from a number of sectors.

Overall footfall figures rose by nine per cent year-on-year to 31,340 and exhibitors numbers were also increased. So it would seem Autumn Fair is on a steady upward swing, but with such a vast variety of product on offer, toys do feel a little lost in the halls and need to grow the presence a little more before the show becomes a major player for the toy industry.

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SECTOR GUIDE ELECTRONIC TOYS & TV GAMES

In the driving seat The electronic toys and TV games sector continues to deliver inspirational, innovative and high selling toys for both the boys and girls categories, pulling in sales of £92 million in the last 12 months up to March 2010. NPD delivers more stats on one of the smaller categories within the toy market...

ELECTRONIC TOYS or Youth Electronics is one of the smaller toy categories with sales of £92m for the 12 months to March 2010 (Source: NPD Consumer Panel). However, the category has a number of items that regularly make the top sellers for the total toy market, so this is a sector where inspiration and innovation can drive high sales. Electronic Toys has the highest average selling price of all the toy categories, averaging £15.54 year-to-date, up from £12.30 in the same period last year (Source: NPD EPoS Retail Tracking Service).

Electronic Toys has a wider age appeal than other categories with 13 per cent of sales to recipients aged 18-plus. However, the largest age group remains six to seven year-olds who account for 31 per cent. There is a fairly even split by gender with girls accounting for 52 per cent of all sales.

OCTOBER 2010

Licences are strong within Electronic Toys with over 34 per cent of sales licensed – compared to 24 per cent for total toys. The top licence is Toy Story with Vivid’s

Electronic Toys has the highest average selling price of all the toy categories, averaging £15.54 yearto-date, up from £12.30 in the same period last year.

Interactive Woody and Buzz Lightyear driving sales, and Doctor Who at number two with Character Option’s 11th Doctor Sonic Screwdriver. Other growing licences

include Ben 10, The X Factor, iCarly and, since July, Vivid’s ZingZillas Singalong Microphone.

The majority of sales in Electronic Toys comes through electronic entertainment, where the Kidizoom Camera continues to be a favourite – and was the top seller across total toys for 2009 and has remained in the top sellers each month year-to-

date 2010. Other top sellers in Electronic Entertainment include Mattel’s Password Journal and IMC Walkie Talkies. In Robotic/Interactive Playmates, Tomy’s Micropets top the chart for year-to-date, with Mattel’s Screature and Hasbro’s Littlest Pet Shop Electronic pet assortment also in the top sellers.

Licence Share of...

Youth Electronics vs. Total Toys – YTD 2010

(source: NPD)

42.5

34.0%

34

25.5

24.4%

17

YOUTH ELECTRONICS 8.5

0

TOTAL MARKET

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VTECH VTech has several new additions to its range for this year. Buzz Lightyear Learn & Go is a handheld toy that enables children aged four to seven to interact with Buzz while learning key educational elements such as letters, words, spelling and early computing skills.

The toy features an animated LCD screen to watch Buzz’s adventures and has an easy-to-use QWERTY keypad and a four-directional cursor. There is also a built-in Buzz button that activates character phrases.

The Buzz Lightyear Digital Camera is suitable for children aged three and over. The new camera allows kids to take photos and videos with Buzz, Woody and friends.

SECTOR GUIDE ELECTRONIC TOYS & TV GAMES

01235 555545 Complete with 2x digital zoom, 2.0 mega pixel resolution, plus 256 MB of storage, the camera stores up to 500 pictures. It also features a built-in photo editor plus photo editing CD software.

Children can press Buzz’s helmet on the Buzz Lightyear Star Command Laptop and watch the spaceship transform into a learning laptop. Join Buzz and friends as they learn letters, maths, basic Spanish and logic via the QWERTY keyboard and four-directional cursor mouse. It also features the voice of Buzz Lightyear.

Finally, the new Buzz Lighyear Talk & Teach Phone for ages three to six, allows kids to play and learn.

Featuring zero to nine number buttons and three voice changing effects, children can now learn numbers and logic with all the Toy Story characters.

HASBRO

Boggle Flash uses five electronic freestanding tiles featuring cutting-edge ‘SmartLink’ technology to recognise tile placement and each unique word spelled during the game. Players aged eight and over have 60 seconds to make as many words as possible.

New Bop It has mixed it up with a Shout It command. Now you can Bop It, Twist It, Pull It and Shout It to get a new high score. Play alone and go for a personal best or play in a group, using the new body popping party mode

LEAPFROG

LeapFrog has created a new experience in mobile learning with the launch of the Leapster Explorer. The Explorer delivers the most powerful gameplay that the firm has ever offered — including Flash and 3D graphics — on LeapFrog’s biggest, brightest touchscreen yet.

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featuring Bop It on your body commands. Plus with a new high score, there’s even more at stake. Suitable for age eight and over.

With Bop-It Bounce is an impact sensitive trampoline unit, which calls the shots and knows your bounces.

Players must bounce the foam ball as fast and high as the game instructs, keeping up with the commands to unlock levels to earn the highest score.

With five games in one, Bop-It Bounce is suitable for age eight and over.

01895 202840 Available for four to nine year-olds the device brings mobile learning and educational gaming to the next generation. Explorer offers auto-level gameplay to allow for a personalised learning and play experience, tailored to a child’s unique needs and skill with games that auto-adjust so a child can learn at the right pace. By remembering progress from game to game, Explorer keeps the content challenging and engaging. Players can also personalise play, using earned points to change games’ backgrounds, music and more.

Plus the onboard Pet Pad app lets kids choose and customise a pet.

Explorer incorporates key features to include e-books, games and videos – all provided in one console with kid friendly hardware. From this month, kids will be also be able to add a click-in camera accessory with video function.

Delivering over 35 different learning and play experiences from launch, Explorer strengthens skills in mathematics, reading and science, social studies, culture and creativity.

Explorer also offers a combination of handheld and online play with LeapWorld for kids and the Learning Path for parents.

LeapWorld is a safe, online learning space where kids can discover and play, through a variety of games and activities that add a new dimension to the Leapster Explorer experience.

Following the success of the Leapster2, LeapFrog has released a

limited edition Toy Story 3 Leapster2 to celebrate the release of the film.

Children can use their word building and mathematical skills to help Woody, Buzz and their toy box pals.

Along with a new design, the console comes with a Toy Story 3 game download which is exclusive to those who buy the console. Additionally, users will have access to an increased catalogue of over 18 gaming software titles including Penguins of Madagascar, Scooby-Doo, Wolverine and Disney Fairies.

My Own Leaptop is a new laptop which allows a child to have their own laptop with customised music playlists and personalised emails. Suitable for children aged two and over, parents can upload personal messages to their child

from family and friends. By connecting the Leaptop to your own laptop with the USB provided, you can allow your child to have their own customised emails in a safe way.

The device can be further personalised by choosing music tracks to download from www.leapfrog.co.uk.

Once a preferred playlist has been composed on the site it can be saved and downloaded onto the Leaptop by connecting it to your computer.

Children can then access their own playlists and play educational games.

Leaptop is available in violet and green.

Leaptop is the latest edition to LeapFrog’s Scout range. Children can now visit Scout’s blog with ease on the Leaptop’s high quality LCD screen for a more realistic laptop experience.

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SECTOR GUIDE ELECTRONIC TOYS & TV GAMES

VIVID IMAGINATIONS

BBC Worldwide signed Vivid to create a Strictly Come Dancing DVD role play toy this year. Dress Up and Dance encapsulates the glitz and glamour of the hit programme. The set includes an instructional DVD, dress-up elements and scoring boards for judges.

New to the AniMagic collection this autumn/winter is the Tender Care Twins, Max and Mitzi. Mitzi whimpers when they are apart and barks when they are reunited. Check they are healthy by listening to their heartbeat with the stethoscope and feed them a bottle to hear them slurp.

Also new to the range this season are the latest additions to the

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Newborns assortment, Lucky the puppy and Saffron the kitten. The characters bark and meow happily when they are fed their bottles before falling asleep.

Vivid is supporting the AniMagic range with a 650 TVR campaign, PR and a website, which can be found at www.animagictoys.com.

Crayola Doodle Penguin is an electronic penguin that can draw at a touch of button. Kids can choose from 100 pre-programmed pictures and activities. Watch as he draws and creates pictures to colour, puzzles and learning fun. Doodle Penguin will be supported with a TV campaign.

BANDAI

Tamagotchi has been sold in 52 countries worldwide, going multiplatform with 70 million sold since launching in 1996.

The range is still a strong seller for Bandai and continues to perform well in the electronic toys sector.

The most recent launch of Tamagotchi Music Star enables children to raise their own Tamagotchi music sensation, performing in front of judges and playing in live concerts.

MATTEL The Mindflex game puts the power of movement in players’ minds to use.

Using a technology that works like an EEG monitor, the game utilises the power of thought to create an interactive experience. To operate Mindflex, players wear a lightweight headset, containing sensors for the forehead and earlobes, which measure brainwave activity. As players focus concentration, they are able to cause a foam ball to levitate on the obstacle course in front of them. By relaxing and then focusing their thoughts alternately, they are able to make the ball rise and fall at will. By doing this, the ball can be manoeuvred around the course.

Mindflex comes with a number of obstacle challenges to enable players to configure the course any way they choose as they hone their mental skills.

It also features a number of gameplay modes to allow multi-player and timed challenges.

Loopz is a test of musical memory and features motion sensor technology to challenge players’ powers of musical recall. The interactive device features four semi-circular rings or loops, which flash with ever quickening patterns of light and music. Players mimic the game’s direction by waving their hands

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Users can compete to become the ultimate music star, taking part in the Tamagotchi Music Awards; each star comes with a bonus collectable guitar pick charm. Music Star consists of over 40 characters, 20 musical instruments, eight mini games and six music genres with six colour designs available.

The marketing campaign includes TV advertising, consumer print advertising in girls’ magazines, as well as PR and online activity.

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through the loops in the correct order.

Motion sensors within each loop read the action to ensure the sequence was repeated correctly. The longer it is played with, the faster the action gets.

Loopz features an internal counter to measure each player’s speed and level and rate their overall performance. It includes seven different games that can be played solo, head to head or with up to four players.

Mindflex and Loopz will both receive marketing support in the run up to Christmas, including TV, online, PR and sampling.

Password Journal from Girl Tech now has a sleek translucent design and includes a dual-tip pen for both UV and normal writing, an iPod connection and audio out socket to play music, with memory store songs. Also for journal writers, the Barbie Glam Diary features a magical bracelet to unlock the diary.

Welcome messages can be recorded and replayed through the integral speaker.

Girl Tech is supported with a yearlong partnership with a girls’ magazine, TV advertising and PR. The Barbie Video Girl is a real working video camera within a Barbie

doll. With a high specification lens hidden in its necklace and a superior resolution viewing screen on its back, Barbie Video Girl enables girls to record and view movies instantly. Featuring video edit software, the doll is Windows/MAC compatible.

The product will receive marketing support from launch to the run up to Christmas with online activity, a girls press campaign, sampling to key opinion formers and tactical TV placement and PR. Meanwhile, from Fisher-Price, the Cool School brings electronic play to pre-schoolers. The product plugs directly into the PC via the USB port.

The pen-shaped mouse, kid-friendly keyboard and digital drawing surface enable children to work their way through activities in five subjects including maths, reading and writing, science, art and music. Children and parents can print out reward certificates and additional worksheets from each subject. Cool School can be secured with a password to ensure children can’t access other areas of the PC or the internet and limit the number of printouts. Cool School will receive marketing and PR support in the run up to Christmas.

www.toynews-

JUMBO

Jumbo has launched the innovative Jojo infant electronic range for autumn/winter. Jojo is the company’s first electronic toy range and combines traditional play with new technology to create toys with interactive qualities. Aimed at children aged over 18 months, the range includes hero product Jojo Hide and Seek which plays with children through interactive sound effects.

Other new products in the line include the JoJo Car complete with music, flashing headlights and

SECTOR GUIDE ELECTRONIC TOYS & TV GAMES 01707 289289

wobbly wheels, as well as JoJo Submarine, a motorised bath toy which starts moving as soon as it hits water.

The Jojo launch period will be accompanied by a TV advertising, marketing and PR campaign. Jumbo has developed a dedicated Jojo microsite (www.helloJojo.com) featuring information, images and news about the range. To keep children involved in the site there will also be a game page where children can enjoy a game of hide and seek.

MECCANO

Meccano’s Spykee range is adding a splash of colour to its offering with a line of additional Spykee Micro robots in two new shades.

Spykee Micro, the younger brother of the gadget Spykee the Spy Robot, is now available in purple and black; royal blue and black with metallic silver pieces, as well as its signature colour of white and green.

The robot is easy to build and has an in-built sound and light system, which activate as it whizzes about when controlled via the infra red remote. It is suitable for ages seven years plus.

RE:CREATION Battle Machines offer a fresh approach to the traditional remote control market and will be supported by one of the biggest TV campaigns Re:creation has ever initiated in the run-up to Christmas.

All vehicles include infrared lasers and sound effects that mimic computer gaming. Each pack contains a set of two American muscle cars; both equipped with bonnet mounted laser cannons and rear sensors. The goal is to shoot the opponent until their vehicle is disabled.

The radio controller manoeuvres the vehicle into a position where you can tag your enemy by pressing the fire button. The built-in Shield level indicators show when a car has been hit. If a car is hit three times, it is out.

The first and second hits will stop the car and trigger damage sound effects.

The final hit will activate out of control driving and explosive sound effects.

Choose one player mode or battle up to six vehicles at once.

Chatman is an artificially intelligent PC friend designed to make online chat sessions, web surfing or gaming more creative. The toy is a real moving, talking friend with unique animated LED mouth. The accessory has an

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Sue Barratt, country manager, Meccano Toys UK, comments: “Meccano has made major advancements in the world of robotics with the Spykee range.

“The collection of highly technological robots includes staggered price points and unique features that marry perfectly the build element, core to Meccano, with new technology. The Spykee Micros are still hugely popular so it was a natural progression for us to develop these robots by introducing additional colour collaborations.”

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intuitive understanding of language, context and mood.

Load the feature packed software, connect Chatman to a USB port and Chatman will tell you all about what he can do as a toy, online at www.mychatman.com In chat mode, Chatman can chat one to one; join as a buddy in online chats –

it will read what others write and give his own point of view. Chatman is compatible with the likes of Facebook, MSN, Yahoo and AOL. The toy has three personality options with over 500 actions and over 25 customisable moods and kids can create new custom personalities by recording their own messages, sounds or chit-chats.

On top of this, the toy can also be used to surf the internet. Using the ‘I want to’ function, Chatman will help kids find and do the things they want to online, including games, research finding images and people. In addition, Chatman will also remind users of important dates with an inbuilt programmable calendar.

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SECTOR GUIDE ELECTRONIC TOYS & TV GAMES

FLAIR

0208 643 0320

JOHN ADAMS & TOYBROKERS

01480 414361

Zibits is a new range of collectable electronic toys from Flair. Each mini remote-controlled Zibit robot comes with light and sound effects, is manoeuvrable, can spin 360 degrees, race around cones, over ramps or play mini football.

There are 12 Zibits robots to choose from – four colour schemes in three different styles; Tech Bots, Junk Bots and Urban Bots – so kids can either collect a style or collect them all. Each character comes with three accessories – two cones and a ball.

Adding collectability to the range, there are also a number of accessory sets. The Zorr Mine Shaft, where your Zibit must move crystals from lift, to chute, to mine cart, or the Z Crane, which will see your Zibit lifting heavy objects from one place to the other.

The Zibit Lightning Ball Battle Arena, and Power Lab Play-sets will create more challenges for the bots to master.

Finally, the Z-Rail Track Set allows kids to attach one set to another to build the ultimate Zibit world.

John Adams and Toy Brokers has launched an electronic addition to its range with Dream Phone, a new interactive board game for up to four players, aged eight to 12.

The action centres on a mobile phone and players receive texts and calls that provide clues to the identity of a secret admirer. The new phone comes in pink and remains key as the game heats-up, with players encountering various scenarios and edging ever-closer to discovering the identity of their mystery suitor.

SCALEXTRIC Scalextric offers a wide range of racing sets that appeal to both children and collectors.

Exclusive to the firm, the new GP Legends features the new Mercedes GP Petronas of seven-time World Champion, Michael Schumacher against the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes of the 2009 Champion, Jenson Button. Based on real-life circuits from around the world, two champions go head to head.

The new Toy Story Micro set is a 1:64 scale Micro Scalextric, based on the Disney/Pixar film. Fans are able to race as the movie’s main stars, Buzz Lightyear and Woody as they compete around a specially designed track.

The Pro GT Scalextric Digital set offers advanced racers the chance to race all four cars at the same time, performing overtaking and braking manoeuvres. Racers can switch lanes at the touch of a button to overtake or block an opponent around the extended figure-of-eight circuit; complete with raised bridge section and two lane-change track sections. The Digital Lap Counter will count down the laps and show the final race finishing position of each car. Racers can choose from an Aston Martin DBR9, Porsche 911 GT3R, Maserati MC12 or Ford GT-R.

OCTOBER 2010

Dream Phone has been re-branded and repackaged for a new generation and is ideal for role play.

The launch is supported by a marketing campaign, with TV promotion, running alongside targeted magazine advertorials and PR. The campaign is also complemented by online and social media activity.

This includes consumer and press engagement through social networking, blogger relations, Twitter presence and an interactive Facebook application.

01843 233500 Introducing rookie racers into the high-octane world of 1:32 scale slot racing, the new Scalextric Start range comes equipped with an easy-toconnect and disconnect track and robust cars.

Available in three alternative readyto-race products, the 1:32 scale set propels racers into the full-throttle world of Scalextric slot-car racing.

Featuring several new cars from the

world of Rally, Endurance and Single Seater, racing customers are able to build four, six and eight alternative circuits.

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MOOKIE

Mookie has revealed the re-launch of Danbar Toys R/C brand, with a high scale launch due for 2011.

With new items, new faces to the team and using the Mookie expertise, the Danbar toys brand will be getting off to a flying start in 2011.

The range will be air, ground and specialty items.

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The launch of the Titan range provides indoor and outdoor R/C brand. Fully functional and easy to fly, all Titan helicopters will come with a gyroscope control. The helicopters are available in three different sizes: Titan Nano, Titan Mid and Titan Grand. The range will be available in stores across the UK from 2011.

REVELL

Revell already took to the skies earlier in 2010 with its remote control helicopters including the sleek L-Ray and Twister flying machines, which boast careful attention to detail for an ultimate piloting experience, whether you are indoors or outside.

Next to be introduced is the new Hornet helicopter, due for release in November. All of Revell’s helicopters

FLYING TOYS The Heli-Racer incorporates all the features of the Heli-Mission, now offered as a futuristic car and helicopter combo. Silverlit’s threechannel chopper will take off from the car upon command, accompanied by automatic sliding doors, LED lights and sound effects.

Smaller and faster than the HeliMission truck, the Heli-Racer car is virtually half the weight, and is much more manoeuvrable requiring less space for operation.

The car may be steered left and right, and driven forwards or backwards. Simply switch the same transmitter to operate either vehicle independently. The infra-red helicopter is also sold separately as the Silverlit Air Bullet, which features a body made of durable injection moulded plastic, a red flashing LED power indicator and bright blue searchlight.

The third channel provides three modes of forward movement, combined with proportional throttle for precise control. A lightweight lithium polymer flight battery built into the helicopter will provide flights of up to ten minutes long, and can be recharged direct from the transmitter in less than half an hour.

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feature Gyros for added stability and easy to operate controls.

The recently released R/C Buggys allow drivers to roam and explore the hard terrain with ease.

The range includes a four-wheel drive system, aluminium oil-filled shock absorbers and high grip foamfilled tyres allowing you to drive on and off-road with no restrictions.

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Officially licensed by the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Silverlit’s scale Black Hawk helicopter features a detailed injection moulded body and a complex counter balanced rotor assembly. The toy incorporates three-

channel radio control and a gyro system, for directional stability. Offered in both traditional Sikorsky black and a coastguard livery.

Suitable for operation outside in calm conditions or indoors, the Black

Hawk provides a step up to more expensive R/C helicopters. The lightweight lithium polymer battery will allow up to ten minutes operation and the helicopter can be ready again in less than half an hour, recharged direct from the transmitter, or any USB port.

Flying Toys new V-Jet has a unique swing wing facility that allows it to fully tilt in flight. Silverlit has designed the VJet to fly in a conventional manner in Plane Mode, then transform in the air when the right hand control stick is operated, to hover like a helicopter allowing vertical take offs and landings.

Swing the wing back from Helicopter Mode to its horizontal position whilst flying, using the three channel radio control, to accelerate rapidly and resume a normal flight pattern.

The V-Jet will taxi on a smooth surface on its tricycle undercarriage, and take off vertically or horizontally upon command. A pair of contra rotating rotors on the leading edge of each wing provide stability, with a useful transmitter trim incorporated for precise control. Supplied ready to fly, the lithium polymer battery will operate the model for around five minutes, and can be airborne again in half an hour using the portable charger.

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SECTOR GUIDE ELECTRONIC TOYS & TV GAMES

WORLDS APART

Marking the beginning of a new active range, the Waybuloo Nara Interactive Trail is a multi-talented, battery operated toy that improves children’s key developmental skills, including numbers and balance.

Detailing a journey between the Waybuloo Village and the Yogo machine, the Trail features four interactive audio activities.

Each game has its own button symbolised by one of the Pipling characters, with each Pipling introducing its own game mode. The games get progressively harder the further down the Trail children go and

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include Make Music with Yojojo, Play Peeka with De Li, Count from one to ten with Nok Tok and Journey through Nara with Lau Lau. The sounds featured in the Trail encourage children to engage in different activities, which in turn develop skills ranging from counting to co-ordination. The product grows with the child in terms of the gradual increased ability required and so offers lasting appeal. There is an auto shut off after two minutes on each game to preserve battery life, plus a physical on/off switch located on the underside of the mat.

CASDON TOYS

Casdon’s Sat Nav Steering Wheel is supplied with an imitation Sat Nav device, which interacts with the wheel. A selection of commands such as turn left and speed up will prompt the child into action. Depending on the child’s response, the Sat Nav will give a positive or negative response.

OCTOBER 2010

DRUMOND PARK

Virtually all the products in Drumond Park’s children’s games roster have an electronic element to them these days, and, indeed, the new Don’t Laugh electronic board game features the Magic Microphone which farts, belches and cackles like crazy and changes kids’ voices.

Packed with hundreds of jokes on orange and blue cards, the Microphone makes rude and funny noises and the point of this game is to make the other players laugh, so that you win points.

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The Sat Nav comes with sounds including horn, revving engine, gear change and braking, while it also includes flashing indicators.

All this will ensure hours of play whether it be at home or in the back of the car. The product equires 3 x AA batteries.

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Drumond Park is supporting Don’t Laugh with a full scale PR, promotions and sampling programme, which will take in primary schools, ski chalet operations with children’s facilities, and holiday cottages.

The TV schedule includes CITV, Nickelodeon, Nick Junior and Nick Toons, Boomerang, Cartoon Network, Disney XD, Pop and Kick.

The programme commenced during September and will run up to the key mid-December point.

LITTLE TIKES 01908 268480 The electronic Discover Sounds range from Little Tikes is a range of gadgets and tools. Two key toys included in the collection are the Discover Sounds Kitchen and the Discover Sounds Workshop.

The electronic activity Workshop offers children creative play. They can drop a ball through the drill press and watch it descend through the bench top into the side pockets, while listening to the accompanying songs and sounds.

Children are encouraged to crank the handle on the vice to see the tumbling balls and use the hammer to pound the nails and hear additional quirky noises.

Lights and sounds, shapes to sort and activities to explore are provided by the electronic Discover Sounds Kitchen. Children learn to spin the dial for sounds, lights and songs.

The refrigerator shape sorter includes three play foods to sort through the door and children can develop co-ordination skills with the play toast, musical oven door and light-up burner with sounds.

Inspired by gadgets from the adult world, the Discover Sounds range holds children’s attention with the electronic buttons, lights and sound.

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SUPPLIER PROFILE MOSHI MONSTERS

Monsters inc Mind Candy’s online property Moshi Monsters is going from strength to strength, with membership in the millions and toy and gift lines on the way. Ronnie Dungan spoke to MD Michael Acton-Smith about creating a monster…

Monster bites Two million new users are registering on the site every month There are five million unique visitors per month Traffic to the site has increased more than five-fold over the last 12 months Geographically, a third of users are from the UK, a third from the US and the final third from the rest of the world Moshi Monsters is the biggest education game in its space At peak, over 150,000 new players are signing up per day Over one million virtual items sold within the game each day There are players from over 150 countries worldwide There are 26 million players per month, growing at one per second

Mind Candy’s Michael Acton-Smith

YOU REMEMBER Perplexcity right?

Yeah, you do. It was a sort of alternate reality puzzle game involving cards, blogs and other online media. There was a £100,000 reward for solving it. No? Anyway, some bloke did solve it and... er... Well, that was pretty much the last anyone heard of it. It was, as creator Michael Acton-Smith put it, ‘not the break-out hit we had hoped for.’

Acton-Smith gave up his leading role at Firebox in 2004 to develop his new firm Mind Candy. But, while Perplexcity may not have made it, Mind Candy’s next project Moshi Monsters most definitely has. Set up with capital left over from the Perplexcity project, the multiplayer virtual pet world now boasts 26 million users worldwide.

“I was fascinated by the virtual pet space and I saw a new opportunity to build it online,” explains Acton-Smith.

The Moshi Monsters site went live in April 2008 and Acton-Smith admits he wasn’t sure what sort of reaction it would get.

“When we put it live we didn’t really know what to expect. It’s all word of mouth and viral. You don’t need expensive marketing campaigns to make an impact.”

That said, the firm has built on that word of mouth and last summer it did some marketing on TV in 15 OCTOBER 2010

I think a lot of toy companies underestimate how much kids love the web and how entwined in their lives it is. The most successful properties will have the web at their core. countries, it also used Google adWords and print, too.

“One of the great things about building a property online is that you do have a connection with the audience. We can tell them about new features because we have email addresses and they can communicate with each other too. So they can swap tips, chat and show off.

“We know kids are fickle and move on to something else quite quickly.

But because their friends are on there too, that’s quite compelling. We also didn’t want to build a world where they stay on for long periods of time.

So the average amount of time they spend on the site is about ten minutes. But they come back a few times a day,” he continues.

“The model is similar to Club Penguin in that it is subscriptionbased,” says Acton-Smith.

“Most play for free but if they get a Moshi Monsters Passport, which costs £5 a month or £30 a year they can unlock new parts of the Moshi world, new items and so on. It works incredibly well and the business has become profitable now.”

Acton-Smith will only reveal that a single digit percentage sign-up to the Passport. That puts revenue generated from the 26 million users anywhere between £7.8 million and £70 million, by our reckoning.

Additonal revenue streams are on the way through sales of licensed Moshi products with a Vivid Imaginations toy range, Penguin Books, calendars, Top Trumps and more about to be announced.

Moshi Bandz collectable wrist bands are launching in October, and for Christmas there will be a Moshi gift pack available. Retailing at

around £20, it will include a threemonth membership to the site.

“Once we got to 15 million users, we felt it was big enough to start licensing and most of the people we talked to were very excited about it.

“We’re trying to build a property that will run for many, many years.

Online is much more flexible and easier to update than, say, a TV show. So we’re constantly bringing new games to it and, whereas as a TV show appeals to a certain demographic, a website is broader.

“We’re only going with key licensees at this stage, we don’t want to just slap the brand on everything.

We want to make sure every product connects back to the site. So if we did a magazine it might have unique codes in it, for instance.”

The toy range is expected to roll out in spring including plush, collectable figures and play-sets.

Acton-Smith believes the online space is where the toy industry needs to go if it is to stay relevant.

“I think a lot of toy companies underestimate how much kids love the web and how entwined in their lives it is. The most successful properties will have the web at their core.”

Experience what others dream of!

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Be there when the toy trends for 2011 are presented for the first time: Spielwarenmesse International Toy Fair Nürnberg, February 4 – 9, 2011

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"I'm just a humble thespian with Kylie on his speed dial" A graduate of RADA, a television star, a cultural icon and one of the most saleable brands in Britain for the 16-34 year old consumer Voted 13th most inďŹ&#x201A;uential person in licensing by the Licensing Leaders panel in 2008 Formerly the face of ITV Digital, now owned by Comic Relief and used under licence in the iconic PG Tips TV ad campaign delivering a huge TV audience

www.bulldog-licensing.com Tel: +44 (0)20 8325 5455 | Email: info@bulldog-licensing.com Monkey Š & TM, Comic Relief Ltd.

SUPPLIER PROFILE GIBSONS GAMES

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Still game One of the UK toy market’s oldest companies, Gibsons is focused entirely on the future with a newlook management team and a reinforcement of its core speciality – games and puzzles. Ronnie Dungan spoke to chairman Michael Gibson about the firm’s future-facing plans…

WITH A HISTORY of over 90 years in the business, Gibsons has seen more than its fair share of economic fluctuations, some of which put the present age of austerity in a somewhat less dramatic perspective.

Yet, while it’s easy to keep harking back to its proud record of longevity in business, the firm has the future very much in mind.

There’s been a lot of desk moving lately and expansion of the business has resulted in the opening of an additional floor at its Sutton head office.

The firm is now run by new managing director, Nick Wright.

Michael Gibson has taken a step back as chairman but continues to help with product development.

“And making the tea,” he jokes.

“Kate Armitage has rejoined following her maternity leave and continues in her role as director of marketing, working with business development director, Geoff Lee and national sales manager, Nicki Heyworth. Our latest recruit, Amanda Murphy, joins in a dual role, providing a further resource within sales and marketing.”

Recessions, dips and even world wars have all been part of the Gibsons story, but the recent economic travails and games market downturn have been testing too.

“Our product mix has helped us greatly during the economic downturn. Puzzles in particular have

After more than 90 years in the business and handed down to its third generation, it’s difficult to argue against any of the Gibson family’s market knowledge. So what’s the secret?

“We all operate in an ever-changing environment, striving to develop products that’ll catch the eye of fickle consumers. If I were to use the M25 as an analogy; if we all sat in the inside lane, our businesses would suffer. But spending all your time in the fast lane is also not a good idea, yet pulling over to let others overtake can sometimes be the best policy,” says Gibson.

Our product mix has helped us greatly during the economic downturn. Puzzles in particular have proved to be popular among consumers looking for inexpensive ways to occupy their leisure time. proved to be a popular choice among consumers looking for inexpensive ways to occupy their leisure time.

“We are now seeing a change in the market and we expect to see a robust move back into games during the runup to Christmas. This is an area we will be concentrating on for development over the next 24 months.”

But what happened to the games market? Pressure from the video games business, stealing its one-time unique position as a glue for social

interaction? Or a public bored with constant rehashing of tired brands?

“What we need to do is to get the public back into the idea of playing proper games and by that I don’t mean lightweight versions of TV shows,” explains Gibson. “I mean games that amuse and stimulate the mind and maybe even educate at the same time. The rules of the game shouldn’t be long and tedious, but the gameplay needs to be challenging.”

But make no mistake, games and puzzles are what Gibsons does best and while it may be looking at other areas to supplement its core business, you’re unlikely to see it launching an action figure range anytime soon.

“We are constantly looking at ways to diversify. A complete change in direction is unlikely as we very much believe in sticking to what we know best.”

Game on Michael Gibson highlights the firm’s current and forthcoming games and puzzle hopes...

“Our recently launched party games have gone down extremely well at the summer fairs. The games themselves have been based on some old favourites, but packaged in sturdy tins with realistic pricing, making them an ideal gift. Our re-launched Hare and Tortoise game is going great guns and proves the point about a resurgence of interest in exercising a little bit of grey matter.

“The latest additions to the My World children’s puzzles have really set the world alight. This innovative range now includes My Body, Heads and Tails Jobs and My Town. There are now a total of 12 titles to choose from. Next year we will be launching a range of My World games, including some tried and tested favourites, but with a new twist.

“In adult puzzles, sales of the long awaited I Love Christmas jigsaw from Mike Jupp, are already way ahead of expectations. Other hot favourites are the Chelsea Flower Show and Robert Opie’s Memories of the Toybox series of four puzzles.”

OCTOBER 2010

SECTOR GUIDE WOODEN TOYS

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Branching out One of the more traditional sectors in the industry, wooden toys are still in abundance across retail and form an important part of any ‘parentally approved’ traditional toy portfolio. Katie Roberts takes a look at what’s new…

TREASURE TROVE Autumn 2010 sees product development within Brio Railway with the new road and rail sets available for the first time.

This extensive range is available at retail for the first time this month.

Brio’s designs show particular attention to detail. For example, road sections are designed with a central reservation, to separate the lanes so that vehicles can pass each other.

The road design is also raised on the outside so that the basic play pattern for young children works, as for railway, where the vehicles are guided along.

In addition there are spaces where vehicles can exit the road, opening up play to free running across the floor.

Six new sets in total offer new themes of freight, travel as well as two rail and road combos.

Brio figures are becoming ever more noticeable in sets and enhance the play value.

Brio continues to pay close attention to detail in its accessories and the new Central Station includes animated display screen, showing which track the

FIESTA CRAFTS 020 8804 0563

The Sort N Shake wooden block set from Fiesta Crafts includes ten blocks which all make an intriguing noise when shaken. Children can play to discover which block rattles, rustles, jingles or clatters.

Crafted in solid wood, each block is uniquely sized and features a different animal design. Each block also shows individual numbers and the corresponding amount of dots – perfect to help early learners count, stack and sort in size. As with all Fiesta Crafts pre-school toys, Sort N Shake has been designed to encourage learning through play.

Supplied in a colourful box, which can also be used for storage.

Sort N Shake has won a Silver at the Practical Pre-School Awards and a Highly Recommended by the Good Toy Guide.

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train has arrived on.

Children can also record their own announcements and play them back.

Treasure Trove’s marketing campaign for the Brio brand is multi-faceted.

The Brio loyalty scheme kicked off at retail last month. It is driven at retail level within store so that retailers selling sets benefit from the accessory sales it generates.

MARBEL Marbel continues to bring educational and developmental wooden toys to the UK market. The wooden ranges from Plan Toys, I’M Toy and George Luck continue to lead the way in design and functionality.

The Solid Drum by Plan Toys allows children to explore rhythm and create a unique sound, while the drum stick with a rubber head has been specifically designed to soften the sound the drum creates. The classic Plan Toys Victorian Doll house is also offered in the run-up to Christmas.

The new Cook, Shop and Play from I’M Toys is a wooden kitchen set which can be easily modified into a grocery store or a puppet theatre.

Plenty of accessories are available for the kitchen ranging from utensils to role-play food items. The I’M Toy Melody Mix features nine instruments to pick up and play. All Plan Toys and I’M Toys products are produced using

Treasure Trove, in conjunction with isiteTV, has produced a demonstration video of the new Rail and Road concept to support sales of the Rail & Road Travel Set online.

The short ‘demvid’ features the first piece of Brio animation which connects the heritage of the brand to a child’s modern world.

This month sees the opening of Brio’s

01208 873123 sustainable rubberwood and finished with non-toxic paint.

George Luck has been designing and making quality wooden puzzles for over 30 years. The Rainbow range retails at £4.99 and is ideal as an introductory puzzle, designed for children between the ages of two and four. The puzzle includes seven different shaped pieces and measures 15cm x 15cm. The colourful puzzles help to develop children’s hand eye co-ordination.

first UK flagship store in the toy department at Bentalls, in Kingston.

Treasure Trove plans to open 25 of the stores in the next few years, and they will offer the full Brio wooden railway range, as well as featuring the classic Brio toddler range, with special display, first shipments of new product, priority supply, video, loyalty program and special exclusive offers.

HALILIT 01254 872454

Halilit has introduced a Wooden Tone Drum as the latest addition to its range of children’s musical instruments. The instrument is made from replenishable rubber wood and has fabric-covered sides for an authentic look.

The three tongues produce warm and appealing sounds either by use of the safe rubber tipped mallet or a child’s fingers. The longest tongue produces the lowest tone and the shortest the highest. The tone drum is one of the world’s oldest instruments and it has been part of African, Asian and South American culture for hundreds of years.

In the beginning they were used for storytelling and communication. There are no wrong notes and a child can create different rhythms and tones by playing across the different tongues.

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LEARNING CURVE

Made from real wood, the Thomas Wooden Railway System from Learning Curve encourages traditional role play for toddlers to bring their very own Island of Sodor to life.

October 2010 sees the launch of four new collectable character engines from the DVD – Misty Island Adventures.

Ferdinand, Dash, Bash and Captain are now part of Learning Curve’s collectable engines portfolio and will cost around £10 - £15 at retail.

New collectable engine characters Hiro, Victor, Kevin, Stepney, Mavis and D99 the Devious Diesels and from series 1200, Charlie, little purple and gold engine number 14, have been introduced to this year’s collection.

Alongside the engines, new vehicles including Bulgy the busy bus, Terence the tractor complete with crawler tracks and grumbling George the steam roller have also been introduced.

There are additional Express Coaches and Toby’s carriage, Henrietta, to expand the Thomas Wooden play experience. For the first time, Thomas comes to life through the new Talking Thomas with a funnel that can be pushed down to hear him say three different phrases: ‘I'm the number one blue engine,’ ‘Hello, I'm Thomas,’ or

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‘Cinders and Ashes.’ Talking Thomas also includes a working headlamp and special whistle sound.

Recreate the story of Toby & the Windmill with the 11-piece Toby’s Windmill Story Pack. Complete with Toby engine, barrel car and flour, Knapford covered bridge and track pieces, there is also a spinning Windmill and built-in barrel loader.

To celebrate a Thomas and Friends milestone, the 65th Anniversary Thomas & Bertie Story Pack re-tells the classic story of the race between the two. The set includes a story book from Egmont, Thomas and Bertie, Fat Controller Figure, Stone Bridge, Stacking Riser and Ascending Track.

The portable Thomas Carry Case Play Mat unfolds to make a map of the famous Sodor Destinations, designed to bring the adventures of Thomas and his friends to life for fun on the go.

The autumn launch of the Racing Down The Rails set features spiral play with elevated layouts, obstacles, and a new sinking track. Inspired by the DVD, Hero of the Rails, the 29-piece set allows kids to recreate the adventures. Measuring 1.2 metres when laid out, the set also includes a Thomas engine.

BIGJIGS

Designed for a range of ages, the fully tested Bigjigs Toys wooden collection includes old favourites and newcomers alike. From shape sorters and puzzles to play-sets and ride-on toys, all are made from sustainable wood sources, using non-toxic paints, stains and lacquers.

With simple designs and colours, the Baby Bigjigs range offers wooden toys specifically designed for children under three years-old. From shape sorters and baby gyms to activity walkers and ride-on toys, the Baby Bigjigs product will educate and entertain.

The Bigjigs Rail collection features a wide range of high quality, well

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designed pieces that work as well with other leading brands as they do with each other. From train set starter kits to engine repair sheds, stations, cranes and coal mines.

From country cottages to a North Pole glacier, the Bigjigs Heritage Playset range is also offered.

Rose Cottage or Princess Palace are designed for girls, while King Arthur’s Castle or Dino Island are being targeted at boys.

All of the Heritage Play-set collection comes with a range of figures – providing strong inventory for retailers, as everything a child needs is all in the one box.

SECTOR GUIDE WOODEN TOYS

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JOHN CRANE

High Tea Shape Matching is a new counting and sorting game featuring 15 mini-cakes on a two-tiered pink stand.

As the cakes are served and sorted, spatial awareness is encouraged as well as hand-eye coordination. Plus slotting each cake into the correctly numbered hole helps with matching and counting skills.

The Handy Vehicles from Pintoy feature four quirky vehicles in the range, with plans for more to join the set soon. The Handy Fire Engine has red and white detailing and is driven by a fire chief in a yellow helmet.

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The Handy Police Vehicle, Handy Road Roller in yellow and the green Recycle Dumper Truck make up the rest of the collection.

Each one of the Handy Vehicles is made from rubber wood. Highly stylised with a zany driver, the toys are just the right size for children to push around the room. They range is designed to encourage active play and new vocabulary.

John Crane also offers strong customer services in the run-up to Christmas, with orders fulfilled within a matter of days.

HIPPYCHICK Moover Toys are a Danish-designed collection of both ride-on and push along toys which are available in a choice of warm natural or a vibrant cherry red wood.

There are five designs to choose from â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Baby Walker, Baby Truck, Dump Truck, Dollâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pram and Rocking Horse.

Four of the styles are delivered in a self-assembly form, while all of the toys come in clean and stylish packaging.

01278 434440 Moover Toys are assembled easily and quickly with a click key system, removing the need for any tools.

Moover Toys are available in the UK exclusively from Hippychick and slot seamlessly alongside the multi-award winning Wheelybugs. The firm is offering a free sample to shops wanting to stock and display a carriage paid order of this range. Varnished wood POS display boards are also available.

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HTI 01253

HTI’s Wood Works range of traditionally crafted wooden toys includes many pre-school toys for boys and girls of 18 months upwards, from the Wood Works Vanity Table, Learning Blocks and 2 in 1 Art Centre to the Dolls House, Building Blocks, Kitchen and Tool Box. Combining classic play patterns with the traditional and durable nature of wood, HTI’s Wood Works toys are built to last and provide valuable developmental play. All Wood Works toys have been designed to help develop recognition of numbers, shapes and colours, as well as enhance

BRAINSTORM

Citiblocs are wooden construction blocks, precision cut from high-grade pine sourced from sustainably managed forests.

Every piece has been engineered to exactly the same shape and size and the specific proportions guarantee building success.

Building requires no glue, no mess, no connectors, no magnets: just gravity, balance and imagination.

With no complicated set up,

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hand-eye coordination, cognitive abilities and stimulate visual development.

The traditional wooden Tool Case with carry handle contains over 25 wooden play tools for construction role play, all of the tools pack away neatly for tidy away play. HTI’s 2 in 1 Art Centre has a wipe clean easel on one side and chalkboard on the other, includes tray for chalk pot and folds flat for storage. The Wood Works Kitchen features opening oven door, hob and sink section and lots of wooden accessories.

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everyone can build from the box and projects can be as complex or as simple as you want. Citiblocs promotes creativity and problem solving whilst helping children to develop motor skills. Building and learning are simultaneous.

Citiblocs are available in packs of 50, 100, 200 and 300 blocks. In the US the toy has won 14 industry awards including Dr Toy, Parenting Magazine and Best Green Product.

GIBSONS GAMES

Gibsons Games range includes a selection of traditional wooden games made from re-forested hardwoods.

Using high quality materials and traditional craftmanship, they are harvested without cost to the environment.

Each product goes through an exhaustive hand finishing process.

The wide collection includes classic games such as Shut the Box and

GREEN BOARD GAMES

Block Buddies comprises 21 colourful wooden blocks and 76 fully coloured, multi-level challenge cards depicting animals, vehicles and people. Children from three years-old are inspired to replicate 2D images with their tactile wooden blocks and get creative by generating their own additions.

Once you’ve awoken your inner

020 8661 8866

Chinese Chequers, as well as other family favourites like Mancala, Dominoes and Cribbage.

Also available are four mini games including Tiddly Winks and Solitaire.

Similarly, these products are created from re-forested hardwoods.

Each game is presented in classic, but contemporary packaging enhancing the green credentials and quality of the woods.

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architect, you may also like to try Blik Blok, suitable for ages eight and over.

Use spatial reasoning and visual thinking skills to manipulate the 29 wooden blocks, into the 100 unique 3D configurations illustrated on the design cards. Challenges come in four levels of difficulty allowing children to build upon their skills over time.

SECTOR GUIDE WOODEN TOYS

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INTERPLAY

Interplay’s Technokits are technology projects designed to promote knowledge of electric and scientific principles with three easy to assemble wooden toys.

Two vehicles in the range include an electric Stunt Buggy and, new for 2010, an electric Dragster. Featuring easy timber-slot assembly with pre-cut wood, the cars can be built without glue.

RAINBOW DESIGNS

Rainbow is celebrating 30 years since Eric Hill introduced Spot to the world, launching a new Wooden Peg Puzzle and Wooden Dominoes.

The colourful and creative collection of new wooden toys starring the pup is suitable for boys and girls alike.

The new Spot Wooden Peg Puzzle and Dominoes will take parents, gift buyers and retailers back to days

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Back by popular demand is the wooden Trebuchet – a scale model of the Warwolf – a siege machine from the 13th century that could batter down castle walls.

The Trebuchet has been repackaged and re-branded for this year.

As with the other two vehicles in the range, all the pieces are pre-cut ready for assembly.

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gone by and are manufactured from high quality materials.

Retailers can hopefully look forward to a surge in popularity of Spot thanks in part to a new animated series which began airing on CITV in the spring, featuring triple billed episodes.

Other new wooden toys from Rainbow include the Elmer wooden Peg Puzzle and Dominoes.

GREAT GIZMOS

The Traditional Wooden Toys range includes a sturdy natural wood doll house, which comes with a convenient carry handle, meaning it is compact enough to carry from room to room.

There are various accessory sets to make the home complete including a kitchen set with little wooden cupboards and a sink unit with opening doors, a cooker, plus a dining table and chairs. In the lounge, there is a three-piece suite with red cushions, a television and a wooden lamp.

Upstairs, the house has a modern bedroom furniture set with bed,

HABA

Haba’s range of wooden toys – each designed to grow with the child, challenging and stimulating development – is made from sustainable beech wood and coloured only using water-based and solvent-free lacquers.

The company offers products aimed at ages from birth up to pre-teens, and its building blocks and construction sets have won a number of awards, including those for the Coloured Building Blocks Maxi and Ball Track Construction Sets.

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wardrobes and more, plus, of course, the essential bathroom suite, featuring wooden furniture, a toilet with opening lid, bath with taps and a shower cubicle.

The doll family includes a wooden mummy and daddy and little brother and sister with cheery faces and movable limbs.

Great Gizmos Doll house and accessory sets can all be purchased as separate items, or for greater value there is a special Complete Doll House Set including the essentials and a ready made family.

0161 304 9555

New to its wooden toy range for the autumn is the Building Blocks Technics.

This features building blocks which can be stacked and, using wheel clamps, converted into vehicles.

Designed to foster spatial thinking, perseverance and motor skills, the educational blocks also introduce the principle of cause and effect, according to the firm, and allow children to discover and design abstract shapes on their own.

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LE TOY VAN

My First Garage is the latest addition to Le Toy Van’s garage and vehicle range.

Available in limited quantities as part of the firm’s end of year launch, it will be widely available from early 2011.

The garage features two floors, a car lift with a new spring-loaded mechanism, a revolving car wash, a petrol pump, a curved wooden car ramp and one car. Finished in bright blue and yellow with natural rubber wood grain, the set is ideal as an

DKL DKL is the exclusive distributor of Wonderworld toys – a wooden range with a variety of toys for children of all ages from birth to pre-school and beyond, specially designed to fulfil each stage in a child’s development.

Wonderworld offers a range of educational wooden toys, stimulating kids with rattles, shape sorters, stackers, walkers and sit and ride-ons.

Wonderworld uses only environmentally friendly materials such as Rubberwood, its packaging is made from 70 per cent recycled paper and the firm strictly uses non-toxic colour and laquer on all products. This environmental philosophy has led to the introduction of the Eco Series.

The new collection offers a variety of toys and games, all of which aim to educate children on environmental issues as well as how the next generation can learn about measures to minimize the effects of global warming on the planet.

OCTOBER 2010

020 8979 2036

accompaniment to existing Le Toy Van play-sets such as the London Car Set and the Car Playmat.

Play features include the working lift, removable signs and a rubber car wash mechanism.

Early 2011 will see the launch of more new products with price points to suit all pockets. The range will also benefit from the addition of various merchandising options, also expected to debut in early 2011.

01604 678780 The two-story Eco House is the leading product in the range. The house comes with accessories including furniture and family. It aims to teach children, through role play, how to help the environment.

The Mini Trucks are an ideal size for children to push around and are sturdy, vibrant and look realistic.

Suitable for children from 18 months.

Other products in the range include the kitchen range with a cooker, sink, fridge, washing machine, shop and accessories to go with them.

Elsewhere in the range, the Rainbow Sound Blocks feature a sturdy wooden box filled with wooden shapes. The shapes have perspex coloured windows with beads inside to make a shaking toy. Children can build, match up the colours and sizes of blocks.

Suitable for age two and over.

DKL is supporting Wonderworld with a marketing campaign and in-store presence.

REVELL

Leonardo Da Vinci was not just an artist, but a genius of engineering and inventions. He invented the submarine, irrigation systems and also developed the first prototype of what we now regard as the helicopter.

It is this air screw helicopter, among other famous designs, that Revell has developed for its unique new Da Vinci range, a series of wooden model kits recreating Da Vinci’s timeless inventions with exacting detail.

LITTLE TIKES The new Cooking Creations Premium Wood Kitchen is suitable for children aged two to six. The deluxe kitchen features a smart granite-look worktop, double sink, spacious shelves, a telephone. With plenty of moving parts, the kitchen encompasses a double-burner cooker, oven, dishwasher, a microwave, clock and a fridge with an ice dispenser. Plus, the oven has a window door so that children can view food inside. The kitchen also comes with pots and pans, accessories and spice jars.

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In addition to the helicopter, the range includes models of a crossbow, a winged flying machine, a hydraulic saw and a crane. All of the kits have a raw wooden look to reflect the historic nature of the inventions.

To recreate the Da Vinci inventions as models, Revell analysed each of the inventor’s drawings, while also collaborating closely with the National Museum in Milan to ensure they were as accurate as possible. The range will be available this autumn.

01908 268480 For added home role play activity, the kitchen’s laundry centre includes a washer/dryer and timer with a laundry basket.

Boasting the same design, the Deluxe Wooden Table and Chairs Set matches the Cooking Creations Kitchen. This high-quality, sturdy table and two chairs are ideal for playtime and study time too.

Suitable for children aged two to six, the surface is hardwood and easy to wipe clean, and the extra large table-top ensures plenty of room for play or eating.

Poetry in Motion Toys from

After bringing joy to children across Europe, the beautifully crafted range of Moover wooden toys is now available in the UK, exclusively from Hippychick.

These classical yet innovative toys are available in a natural or cherry wood ďŹ nish and sleek packaging completes the chic look - these toys are set to be heirlooms of the nursery.

For more information or to place an order visit www.hippychick.com or call 01278 434440

Dedicated monthly retail coverage

Retail Only News • Data • Opinion

Entertainer offloads Gadgetshop site

by Ronnie Dungan THE ENTERTAINER has sold off its Gadgetshop online retail business to WH Smith.

The deal takes place with immediate effect and suppliers have been informed. The Gadgetshop site is currently unavailable, while it relocates its warehousing.

In a statement to suppliers, the firm

Disney Store hits Oxford Street

by Katie Roberts DISNEY IS opening a new store on Oxford Street next year.

The new store will be located at 350 Oxford Street, London and will open in spring 2011.

New features within the store include the technology and interactive elements, which can be seen in the new concept store in Milton Keynes. Additionally, the Oxford Street store will have bespoke features to enhance the shopping experience.

Teresa Tideman, joint managing director, Disney Store Europe, said: “With the opening of a new Oxford Street location, Disney Store’s immersive, one-of-a-kind retail experience will become a top attraction for all visitors to London, offering an entertainment experience to one of the world’s premiere shopping destinations.

“With this new location and others around the UK and Europe, Disney Store will truly solidify its position as the leader in specialty retail for families."

Disney: 0208 222 1000

Comment Page 78 Counter Insurgent wants to know why toys can’t have street dates....

said the sale formed part of a strategy to focus on its core Entertainer toy business, with the proceeds from the sale being reinvested in a new store opening programme.

The Entertainer stepped in to buy the online business of the troubled high-tech toy chain and lifestyle product specialist out of administration in 2005.

WH Smith: 02794 616161

Charts

Argos warns of profit dip, Chaplin moves on

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by Ronnie Dungan ARGOS OWNER Home Retail has warned that first half profits will be down by 20-25 per cent.

Argos saw like-for-like sales fall five per cent for the half, with less demand for video games and furniture, while Homebase saw flat like-for-like sales.

Sales at both of the brands were very different – Argos had trouble moving bigger priced items, but Homebase had strong sales in bedrooms, kitchens and bathrooms.

Home Retail chief executive Terry Duddy said that the second quarter was better to start with at Argos, even though the market was more challenging.

Some commentators are already

Page 79 This month’s charts feature The Entertainer, WH Smith, Amazon, Mail Order Express, John Lewis and Play.com...

New products

saying the performance of Argos is an ominous barometer for the Christmas period.

The Group expects to report a fullyear pre-tax profit of £250-£275 million, which is at the lower end of expectations from industry experts.

Capital expenditure is projected to increase over 50 per cent to about £150 million, with much of it going toward store refurbishments.

Meanwhile, Ian Chaplin has left his role as trading manager for toys nursery and entertainment take up a position in Argos’ Consumer Electronics department.

Commenting on his move away from toys, Chaplin said: “I have really enjoyed the last three and a half years in the toys and nursery industry and I feel that my team has achieved a great deal that we can be proud of throughout that time.”

His replacement is Andrea Abbis, who has been with Argos for a number of years.

Argos: 0845 120 4365

On their way this month are new products from Hasbro, John Crane, Schleich and Learning Curve...

Hero Product Page 81 Hasbro’s new Boggle Flash...

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HIGHSTREET COUNTER INSURGENT Dispatches from the retail front line...

I knew what to expect. The launch of a new toy, on a specific date was never going to be in store on time was it? How is it that this industry can’t get a simple thing like a street date to work?

Street dates are a fantastic way of running a coordinated marketing campaign to launch the latest addition to a range.

You can build up for weeks, teasing the public with a glimpse of what is to come.

The video games industry has managed to get this working to their advantage for years.

The film Industry has benefited for years from a DVD launch on a set date. But us? Nope. It is hard enough to get a consumer across a door with the intention of spending money at the moment, but to not have stock in the

marketplace on the right day is just criminal.

Lego Minifigures Series Two coming in two days after the official release date; new Nerf guns – still no stock five days after the official launch, no Mattel Buzz Lightyears (unless you were a supermarket) for the film launch. All these thing frustrate the hell out of me, marketing people spend interminable hours thinking about creating impact for a launch and then don’t follow it up by ensuring that stock is delivered to customers on time.

So what’s the answer? Well, as I’ve said, street dates are a great marketing tool, so we don’t want to abandon the idea. Is it really as difficult as some manufactures try to make out? Surely it cant be difficult to label a box, get it near the dispatch door and on the back of the 24-hour carriers wagon two days before, to ensure stock on the

Street dates are a fantastic way of running a marketing campaign to launch the latest addition to a range. shop floor for 9am of the launch day.

I guess we know the answer already, don’t we? The majors moaning they cant get it through their delivery network in time for the stores to have stock on day one. They manage it on games and DVD’s

so I’m sure they can manage it on toys.

If the quantities are the problem on deliveries to the majors, do a small allocation for launch. That way, indies might get some too. But quite frankly, that isn’t the suppliers problem is it?

Suppilers already have a network of toy specialists – indies/Toymaster, Toys R Us, The Entertainer. All of these can do the job. All of these rely on toys as their lifeblood and have a passion for toys.

So, marketeers, if you want a co-ordinated launch across pukka toy stores, you can have it. Want somewhere a consumer can go and get an enthusiastic person selling your product? You can have it.

Want a street date roll-out?

You can have it. All you have to do is care about and look after your toy shop partners.

PRICE CHECK: OCTOBER 2010

OCTOBER 2010

Star Wars Battle of Endor Lego

Crayola Doodle Daisy Vivid

Halo Wars Aerial Ambush Mega Brands

Cook n Play Potsy Leapfrog

Rubik’s Cube Drumond Park

£84.99

£12.99

£34.99

£17.99

£9.99

£89.99

£15.00

£34.99

£20.00

£8.99

£149.95

£9.99

n/a

£17.99

£9.01

£74.98

£12.99

£29.99

£17.99

£9.99

£71.99

£14.99

n/a

n/a

£10.99

RETAIL ONLY

www.toynews-online.biz

79

RETAILCHARTS WHSmith.co.uk

CHART DATE 9/9/10

The Entertainer

1

Barbie Petites Club Pack of Three

2

Sylvanian Families Nursery School Bus

3

Thomas and Friends Wind-up Toy Pack of Six Assorted

4

CHART DATE 9/9/10

Mattel

1

Sylvanian Families Lakeside Lodge

Flair

Flair

2

Toy Story Woody’s Horse Bullseye

Vivid

Tomy

3

Air Hogs Vectron Wave – Yellow and Black

Sylvanian Families Rainbow Nursery Figure Set

Flair

4

Toy Story Woody the Sheriff

5

Lego Star Wars Pen

Lego

5

Hello Kitty Scooter

6

Peppa Pig Kaleidoscope

Character

6

Toy Story Buzz Lightyear

7

Frobro Zeebeez

Re:creation

7

Bakugan 7-in-1 Maxus Dragonoid

8

Sylvanian Families Nursery Playground Swing Set

Flair

8

In the Night Garden Talking Plush – Iggle Piggle

Hasbro

9

Horrible Science Bulging Brains Kit

Galt

9

City Industrial Train Set

Hornby

Lego

10 Transformers Leader Optimus Prime

10 Creator 3-in-1 Mini Models

Amazon

CHART DATE 9/9/10

1

Bananagrams

2

Toy Story Woody and Buzz to the Rescue

3

Peppa Pig Sit n Bounce

4

Kidizoom Digital Camera – Pink

5

Cover Film for Books

6

Kidizoom Digital Camera – Blue

7

Brainbox All Around the World Card Game

8

Medical Carrycase

9

Original Rubik’s Cube

Vivid HTI Vivid Spin Master

Mail Order Express

Hasbro

CHART DATE 9/9/10

Winning Moves

1

Born to Play In the Night Garden Slumber Glo Bed

Yaffe

Lego

2

Born to Play In the Night Garden Pink Slumber Glo Bed

Yaffe

Mookie

3

Farm Mega Set

Playmobil

VTech

4

Furnished School Building

Playmobil

Club

5

City Cargo Train

VTech

6

The Grande Mansion

Green Board Games

7

Sylvanian Families Regency Hotel

Peterkin

8

Scalextric Need for Speed Set

Drumond Park

9

Suburban House

Playmobil

10 Great Dragon Castle

Playmobil

10 Nerf N-Strike Clip System Dart Pack

JohnLewis.com

Spin Master

Hasbro

CHART DATE 9/9/10

Play.com

Lego Playmobil Flair Hornby

CHART DATE 9/9/10

1

Maxi Micro Scooter – Purple

Micro Scooters

1

Playskool Mr Potato Head

Hasbro

2

Maxi Micro Scooter – Black

Micro Scooters

2

Playskool Mrs Potato Head

Hasbro

3

Mini Micro T-bar Scooter – Blue

Micro Scooters

3

Peppa Pig Sit n Bounce

Mookie

4

Mini Micro T-Bar Scooter – Pink

Micro Scooters

4

Hide n Squeak Eggs

5

City Cargo Train

Lego

5

The Gruffalo Sitting 7-inch Plush

6

Deluxe Brick Box

Lego

6

Classic Rubik’s Cube

7

Star Wars Rebel Trooper Battle Pack

Lego

7

Toy Story 3 Space Single Rotary Duvet Set

8

Star Wars Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder

Lego

8

Nerf Dart Tag FuryFire Two Pack Set

Hasbro

9

Zhu Zhu Hamster

Character

9

Nerf Clip System Darts Pack of 36

Hasbro

10 Little Tikes 30th Anniversary Edition Cozy Coupe

MGA

10 Toy Story 4-in-1 Jigsaw Puzzle

Tomy Aurora Drumond Park Character World

Ravensburger

OCTOBER 2010

80

RETAIL ONLY

PRODUCTNEWS

Hasbro unveils the next generation of Nerf The new Nerf N-Strike Stampede ECS continues Hasbro’s evolutionary blaster technology...

FIRST HASBRO introduced the Nerf NStrike Havok Fire EBF-25 blaster, a 25-dart, belt-fed and fully automatic blaster.

Then the Nerf N-Strike Raider Rapid Fire CS-35 blaster arrived with an interchangeable drum magazine holding 35 darts.

Now, continuing the evolution in Nerf blaster technology, the Nerf NStrike Stampede ECS blaster has arrived. The first fully automatic Nerf Clip System blaster to

date, the new addition features a pop-out bipod, which doubles as a handle, and a removable shield allowing players to change to attack mode.

The blaster also comes with one six dart clip and three extended clips which hold 18 darts each, offering the highest clip capacity from Nerf yet.

The Nerf N-Strike Stampede ECS blaster is suitable for ages eight and over.

Hasbro: 020 8569 1234

Schleich boosts Bayala collection

John Crane adds Baby Clay to SES Creative line BABY CLAY is a softer alternative to standard modelling dough. It moulds easily into the desired shape, is soft to the touch, is kind to young skin and it never dries out.

Baby Clay is unperfumed and gluten free, making it safer if children put it in their mouths.

The range includes a Baby Soft Clay Starter Set and a Baby Soft Clay Deluxe Set. Both comprise three tubs of Baby Soft Clay in yellow, blue and red, while the deluxe set includes six templates of brightly coloured yet familiar animals for use with the Baby Soft Clay.

John Crane: 01604 774949

Dragon-I reveals talking hamster range

Britains announces its autumn portfolio

THE NEW Chatimals line includes three characters – Max, Oscar and Sophie – who all mimic what is said when their paw is pressed. Simply start talking and the hamsters will repeat every word you say.

The Chatimals will repeat whatever you say, for up to five seconds at a time, in either high pitched chipmunk tones or a deep Darth Vader-style voice.

Chatimals are on sale at Red5 gadget stores and online at www.red5.co.uk. The toys are suitable for ages four and over.

Dragon-I: 852 3571 9198

BRITAINS HAS uncovered the latest in 1:32 scale farm vehicles. The five new die-cast miniature models have been developed to encourage farm toy role-play. The new range is an ideal introduction into the Britains Farm world, while offering additional and refreshed models for collectors.

New for the range is a JCB 7230 Tractor, New Holland and Case Tractors, with front loader bucket and a Grain Chaser Cart. The New Holland CR Combine Harvester joins the new Britains Farm.

The regularly refreshed and updated collection offers products for enthusiasts, as well as for children from the age of three.

Learning Curve: 01392 281900

OCTOBER 2010

SCHLEICH’S LATEST product launches include new animals and wildlife play pieces, and a major extension to the fantasy collection, Bayala.

The range comes with elves, dragons and unicorns plus a new tribe called Arelan, which fits with the existing Bayala collection. Also new will be the Tinuveel Elf Riding Set, which includes an elf, saddle, horse-gear and reins for the unicorn, which will fit all of Schleich’s middlesized Farm Life horses.

There are also additions to other ranges, including figures and play-sets in the Wild Life range, including the new Schleich Plane, which portrays a traditional fixed wing prop plane commonly seen in the widest regions of Africa, the Australian Outback and the Plains of South America.

Schleich: 01279 870000

HERO PRODUCT

www.toynews-online.biz

81

Hasbro Boggle Flash The reinvention of Hasbro’s classic word game into an electronic version is backed by a 400 TVR campaign and a link-up with the National Literacy Trust…

THE GAME, a 21st century take on the traditional Boggle, sees it designed for more technologically-minded players and quick-thinkers. The object of the game is to create as many three, four or five letter words as possible from the five interactive tiles within the 60-second time limit. Each tile contains technology that allows the five electronic tiles to connect and light up and beep when three or more tiles line up to form a word. It will also keep time and score of the game.

It has three modes: Flash – the 60second game; Five Letter Flash, where words must use all five letters with no time limit, and Pass Flash where you play with a friend or a group of friends and if you can’t find a word you’re out.

Hasbro has linked with Reading for Life, a division of the National Literacy Trust, to encourage children to take a more active role in literacy and learning.

As part of the campaign, Reading for Life is asking primary school teachers to request a free Boggle Flash game and activity pack for use in classes to provide youngsters with a fun and interactive new way of learning. Activity packs will include lesson ideas, exciting games, plus group and one-on-one activities tailored for all levels of ability.

Teachers who receive a pack will be encouraged to enter a class competition by uploading creative lesson ideas, special events, photos and stories to a dedicated site hosted by Reading for Life.

The winning class will receive a trip to London to experience the special Boggle Fun Day at the Museum of Childhood, in November. The day will include a tour of the museum, games and readings from famous children’s authors.

Parents also looking to encourage learning at home and take part in the campaign, can get additional information and download a parent’s pack at www.readingforlife.org.uk.

MARKETING In addition to getting Boggle Flash into the hands of children up and down the country, the game will also feature in a TV advertising campaign with over 400 TVRs planned, plus a high profile PR campaign which will include giant Boggle Flash tiles being demonstrated in the media and on chat shows.

Boggle Flash is recommended for children aged eight-years and up and has a SRP of £24.99.

Release date: Out Now RRP: £24.99 CONTACT DETAILS: Phone: 020 8569 1234

OCTOBER 2010

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MAPS

■ Character Costumes & P.O.S.

01483 776006

Rainbow Productions

SUPPLIERS/MANUFACTURERS

0208 254 5300

■ Point of Purchase Manufacturers Daytona Visual Marketing

01827 54551

■ Suppliers/Manufacturers Brookite

01837 53315

Cambridge Brainbox

01279 821 333

Esdevium Games

01420 593 593

Flying Toys

01702 295 110

Games Workshop

08700 134 411

Ideal Software

01767 689 720

Jumbo Games

01707 289 289

Logiblocs

01727 763 700

Maps Toys

01483 776 006

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01728 745 300

Ravensburger

01869 363 800

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01442 250 130

Thumbs Up

0845 466 8880

Wind Designs

0844 257 1180

Wow Toys

020 7471 0980

■ Toy Suppliers Cartamundi

01268 511 522

Richard Edward

0208 311 8888

IT’S BEEN an interesting, full-on year for Maps Toys. As one of the fastest growing UK toy suppliers, the firm has come into its own to become one of the country’s top specialist toy companies in less than three years.

High points so far this year include the appointment of four new regional sales agents throughout the UK and new distribution partners in Portugal, Germany, Spain and Holland.

Maps also secured distribution rights for Benjamin Toys in the UK,

added two new construction ranges – Bloco Toys and Mic-o-Mic – and enjoyed continued success for its growing Squashblox and Toobeez brands.

Will Sharman, head of sales, Maps Toys, commented: “It really has been an action-packed few months – and if that’s not enough, we also look forward to the amicable resolution of the legal action by Hasbro concerning the use of the words ‘edible play dough’ to describe Maps Toys’ Yummy Dough product.”

Regarding the company’s plans for next year, Sharman added: “We are gearing up for several new product launches at the London Toy Fair, all part of our strategy for growth as we continue to offer the independent trade more products that stand out from the pack, drive sales and give margin.”

For more information: Tel: 01483 776006 Web: www.mapstoys.co.uk Email: toys@mapsww.com

RAVENSBURGER SUPPLIERS/MANUFACTURERS

01869 393800 RAVENSBURGER HAS plenty to be excited about with two new product launches this autumn.

The first key launch is Jolly Octopus, its new 3D action game developed especially for the British market. The product won the award for Best New Game at the 2010 London Toy Fair, and includes two levels of play to ensure plenty of entertainment for children aged four years upwards.

The company is backing the game with a TV campaign, as managing director Tim Hall explained: “We have invested in a

complement Ravensburger’s adult jigsaw range. Puzzle Store combines integral sorting trays for jigsaw pieces, a puzzle assembly board and storage system all in one unit. Manufactured from moulded plastic and covered with a wipe-clean linen finish, it is suitable for puzzles of up to 1,000-pieces.

very strong 640 TVR campaign to support the launch of Jolly Octopus, and are confident that the fun gameplay combined with this strong TV launch

will deliver some great results for our retailers.”

Another important launch is Puzzle Store, a puzzle workstation designed to

For further information contact: Sarah Stevens: 01869 363832 Sarah.stevens@ravensburger.com Cornee Marlow: 01869 363830 Cornee.marlow@ravensburger.com

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88

TOY TALK

TOY TALK

Clinically depressed turtles, more from our industry survivor, a new Agent Profile and more toy related tit-bits...

Jon SALISBURY Observations from a toy industry survivor....

RECENT HISTORY has been a roller coaster ride for Lego. In August 2003 it reported record losses of DK1.6bn (£144m), debts of over DK5bn and even breached key covenants with its bankers. Surely, the world’s largest privately owned toy company wasn’t staring into the abyss, was it?

Lego used to operate on a different plain to other toy companies. Such was the reputation that its basic product had in toy circles that it thought it was untouchable, inured to the vagaries of real life in the fast moving modern toy business. How wrong they were.

The breakout products were Star Wars and Harry Potter as Lego made its first full-front assault on the licensing market.

However, the company was distracted by the glamour of the entertainment business and, while these brands performed well, Lego took its eye off the ball and neglected its basic business. The best example of this was Galidor which was nothing more than an ill-conceived action figure line that aped ranges available elsewhere.

Lego also made the glaring error of creating a toy that was as far away from the brand’s construction ethos as was imaginable requiring no building skills or imagination. At the same time, in the core construction toy business the number of components climbed from 7,000 to 12,400 in just seven years and supply costs skyrocketed.

Further losses meant the inevitable takeover speculation and my sources on Wall Street confirmed that Mattel were seriously considering an approach after more than 50 years of splendid privately owned isolation in Denmark.

Thank goodness sanity eventually prevailed in Billund as the firm returned to its construction root.

Lego is derived from the term leg godt, meaning ‘play well.’ It also means ‘play better.’ Lesson learnt, eh?

CRAZY STUFF The word crazy is bandied around a lot when it comes to describing toys, but a German manufacturer may well come up with the genuine article, with a range of mentally ill plush.

It includes Dub, a turtle who suffers depression, to Kroko, a crocodile with an acute phobia of water, as well as an hallucinating snake called Sly and a sheep called Dolly who has a personality disorder.

The toys are made by 36-year-old Martin Kittsteiner who said: “It started as a bit of a joke with my girlfriend, who has lots of soft toys, and then we thought there could be something in the idea.”

The cuddly toys are sold from the parapluesch.de

AGENT PROFILE Richard Atkin What clients do you work for?

East Coast Group, Sassy Toys, Tiny Love Toys, Bebecar, Cambrass What ranges do you deal with?

Being originally from the nursery trade my toy ranges tend to reflect this and are baby and preschool toys.

What region do you cover?

South East England, South West England & South Wales How many retailers do you deal with?

About 100 What do you enjoy most about being an agent? he freedom. To be able to chose each day what to do and where to go without answering to anyone else. A few years ago I tried leaving the industry and became an estate agent for six months, right from day one being in an office and the office politics drove me mad – never again.

Being a sales agent is the life for me.

What car do you drive?

Peugeot 407SW

OCTOBER 2010

website - styling itself the Psychiatric Institute for Abused Cuddly Toys - where customers can also play an online game as a doctor trying to diagnose the toys' problems.

Who said the Germans had no sense of humour?

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

What’s your selling secret?

Saying ‘Thank You’. It might sound basic, but I’m amazed how many customers faces light up when I thank them for their business. Good manners cost nothing – as my mother used to say.

What’s your favourite service station?

I never use any service station for refueling, they’re daylight robbery! But for 10 minutes R&R, Fleet Services do a fantastic iced cinnamon bun and Mocha coffee, all served on a decked veranda in the sunshine (sometimes).

Very civilized.

Any good stories from being on the road?

A few years ago I went to visit a store (no longer trading) in Devon. It was one of the scruffiest shops I’d ever seen, which was predominately large brown boxes scattered around the floor and some very old looking faded Brio train sets on one shelf. I was met by a man who looked like an eye-patched version of the bearded hairy man from the 1970’s Joy Of Sex book.

This became all the more ironic when after confirming I’d come to show him a new toy range, he

took me upstairs to an equally untidy room decorated with some quite explicit pictures on the walls to meet his wife and show them both the toys. To cut a long story short, it turned out the whole façade of a toy shop was a front for an illegal unlicensed sex shop. He and his wife were organisers of the local swingers club, and they obviously thought I meant something else completely when I’d arranged an appointment to show them my range of Comfort Rings and a bath toy I sold called Watersports Sensation. I’m more careful making appointments now.

TOY TALK

89

DOMINOES BOOSTS CLUB Burgeoning retailer Dominoes has sponsored a local kids football team.

Ratby Village fUnder 12’s will kick off the new season in the 2nd Division and will be competing against other local clubs in the area.

The team will train and play at their new home ground on Ferndale Park in Ratby from the start of the season with brand new kits purchased by the new sponsor.

Steven Sansom, chairman of Dominoes comments: “We have enjoyed sponsoring Filbert Fox over the last few years, but have decided this year to work with some smaller groups and kit out these talented young footballers who will do a great job on the pitch”.

Dominoes have also pledged a sum of money to the development of a new Stand at the Ratby Village Ground, which has been dedicated to a former player of the Ratby Juniors Team, Chris Gray. Chris was a soldier, but sadly died in Afghanistan.

MANN ON A MISSION His training for next year’s London marathon is continuing well ahead of schedule and, as we went to press, erstwhile Toy Trust chairman, Robert Mann was about to compete in the Great North Run. This year he has already competed in the Brass Monkey run, 26km Kilomarathon, Toy Trust Triathlon and the London Triathlon, which saw him swimming in the Thames at ExCeL. There’s more to come and you can still sponsor him at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/robmanntriathlon2010.

NEW RAVENSBURGER SIGNING Benn Bramwell has joined Ravensburger as its new marketing manager from Character Options where he was working on brands such as Peppa Pig, Fireman Sam, Postman Pat and Zhu Zhu Pets.

“Benn joins at a time when the Ravensburger UK business is growing strongly and he will be responsible for increasing the marketing power for the business over the coming years, increasing awareness for the consumer and volume for our retail and licensing partners,” said MD Tim Hall.

OCTOBER 2010

My Favourite Things Pete Fuller, UK marketing manager, Mega Brands Favourite album: This is a tight call between Sam’s Town by the Killers or X&Y by Coldplay - I can’t choose between them.

------------------------------------------------------------Film: The Shawshank Redemption -----------------------------------------------------------------------------Book: The Da Vinci Code -----------------------------------------------------------------------------TV programme: The Inbetweeners or The Big Bang Theory -------------------------------------------------------Magazine: FHM --------------------------------------------------------Holiday destination: The Perhentian Islands off the coast of Malaysia. The most beautiful place I have ever been ---------------------------------------------------------Expression: “As I say....”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Gadget: A bottle opener that makes a cheer like thousands of football fans when you open the bottle -----------------------------------------------------------------------------Tipple: An ice cold beer with friends on a hot day ------------------------------------------------------------------------Food: Any Thai/Malay food and in particular Beef Rendang ---------------------------------------------------------Sports: I play squash every week and I am always trying to improve my golf handicap.

I also love playing and watching football - I support Tottenham Hotspur ------------------------------------------------------------Word: 'Halo' sang in the style of Lionel Richie singing his song Hello -------------------------------------------------------------Sweet/snack Crisps. I could eat them all day -----------------------------------------------------------------------------Guilty pleasure: An hour to myself as I have a beautiful three-month old daughter called Sophie.

90

FEATURE PLANNER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

Spring/summer previews Children’s TV

Pre-school

The November issue looks ahead at the products suppliers have planned for the first quarter of 2011.

The issue also carries a round-up of the latest launches in the lucrative pre-school sector.

Finally, ToyNews will offer an overview of the key children’s TV channels, so that toy firms can be sure their ads are in the right place, at the right time and seen by the right audience.

Editorial deadline: Call for details Advertising deadline: October 8th

Playground crazes and pocket money toys Hong Kong Toys & Games preview Industry Services In December, we will feature a run-down of the latest low-value, high-volume crazes to hit the playground.

The unsung heroes of the business – industry services companies – will also get a shout.

Finally, in the December issue, there will be a look ahead to the first of the major toy exhibitions of 2011, the Hong Kong Toys and Games Fair.

Editorial deadline: October 8th Advertising deadline: November 3rd

FORTHCOMING EVENTS CHINA TOY EXPO October 12th - 14th Shanghai New Intl Expo Centre www.china-toy-expo.com

TOYZERIA November 25th - 28th Istanbul World Trade Centre www.toyzeria.com

HONG KONG TOYS & GAMES FAIR January 10th - 13th 2011 Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre www.hktdc.com

TOY FAIR January 25th - 27th 2011 Grand Hall, Olympia, London www.toyfair.co.uk

SPIELWARENMESSE February 3rd - 8th 2011 Nuremberg www.toyfair.de

SPRING FAIR February 6th - 10th 2011 The NEC, Birmingham www.springfair.com

AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL TOY FAIR February 13th - 16th 2011 Javits Center, New York www.toyassociation.org

TOY NEWS FIVES July 8th 2011 Powerleague, Barnet www.topcorner.co.uk

Got any events you would like to see added to the calendar? Email ronnie.dungan@intentmedia.co.uk

www.toynews-online.biz Editorial: 01992 535646 Advertising: 01992 535647 Intent Media is a member of the Periodical Publishers Associations

OCTOBER 2010

ToyNews is published 12 times a year by Intent Media ~ Saxon House, 6a St. Andrew Street, Hertford, Hertfordshire SG14 1JA Fax: +44 (0)1992 535648 © Intent Media 2010 No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior permission of the copyright owners.

ISSN: 1740-3308

Circulation & Subscriptions AUDITED CIRCULATION Average Net Circulation: 6,043 July 1st 2009 to June 30th 2010.

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