Feature

Plush

The soft sell

Wilberry Toys

Demand for plush toys is growing among greeting card shops, according to suppliers. We find out more about the category...

With high street retailers having to work harder to attract customers, it’s probably no surprise that plush toys are in demand, as many retailers seek to diversify and create add-on sales from their customers.

In fact, The Puppet Company has taken on more accounts than ever before, says sales director Sam Lockey: “We have opened more new accounts this year than in any other year. Our Wilberry Toys range has been part of that growth but our core puppets capture the imagination of consumers.‘’ Rainbow Designs’ sales and marketing director Zara Grindrod agrees: “The greeting card industry is tightly coupled with gifting; we buy cards to mark occasions and are often looking for a suitable present to enhance and celebrate with. With greeting cards now also readily available online, in gift stores and supermarkets, dedicated card shops need to offer more than

just greeting cards. We have seen a general increase in demand for plush gifts in this category; they offer great added value and make both a visual, tactile and sentimental gift.” So what can this category offer to the greetings retailer? Sam at The Puppet Company says: “Our plush and puppet ranges offer the opportunity to upsell with visually creative displays in certain parts of the store. For example, our knitted dinosaur range looks amazing as a feature with a few plants in the window. That will attract kids, parents and grandparents!’’ Rainbow Designs’ Zara agrees that plush toys add more visual appeal: “Products that complement and enhance the purchase of a greeting card will always prove popular. For the consumer, they offer added sentimental value, and being available in the same location as the greeting cards, makes this an easy purchase. For retailers, eye-catching, cute plush toys help create visual in-store theatre or great online content, providing a smart opportunity to increase sales.” If you are sold on adding plush to your in-store offering, what can you expect to see from this category in the near future? Zara says: “Rainbow Designs is constantly Rainbow Designs developing new products, and has plenty of

Keeping it in the family

Sales Director Sam Lockey introduces readers to The Puppet Company and sister company Wilberry Toys

“A family business started in 2001, we are now the world’s leading supplier of beautifully made and well-functioning puppets. Our puppets capture the essence of what makes a really fine toy - allowing the user to be creative, to entertain and have fun!

We have a sister company - Wilberry Toys - that specialises in gorgeous soft toys. From our ever-popular Minis, to our stunning knitted and petite Collectables, there really is something for everyone. We have a new Eco range made from recycled plastic bottles. The Eco Cuddlies will feature 16 designs including animals, pets, and even a dragon!

Our Wilberry plush range is spectacular and very different, from plush dolls, dressed animals, feathery owls, mini plush, large bears, Highland cows and a very traditional knitted plush range, which includes dinosaurs - something retail will be getting behind this summer!

Stand-out ranges for card shop retailers would be impulse buys that include our finger puppets and Wilberry Minis; great gifts would be Baby Monsters and Wilberry Favourites and definitely Sockettes, which are very popular with adults! I could easily carry on as our dressed animals are great wedding gifts, with Feathery Birds Owls being completely gorgeous… I’ll stop now!

This year’s new releases include Knitted Dinosaurs, Puppet Monsters, New Baby Monsters, our new Eco ranges and new Wilberry Minis to complement the range, which now has more than 40 designs. We will also have a new additional mini Eco plush range launching around Q3 or Q4.

With more than 70 ranges across The Puppet Company and Wilberry Toys, and more than 600 product lines, there truly is something for everyone. Our customer service team is happy to talk ranges with retailers, what works, what is currently hot, and display options.

We pride ourselves on quality, innovation and consumer friendly price points. We do not have quantity minimums and offer carriage paid orders for over £250 with regular promotions especially at trade shows.

The Puppet Company has Blue Angel accreditation and is the only soft toy and plush manufacturer to receive this high standard of environmentally friendly excellence.

Exhibitions and trade shows are really important to us. We have a very tactile range of products so the website or catalogue do not do justice to the toys. Spring Fair 2022 was our busiest year to date; all of our staff were busy during the first few days, which demonstrates that retail want to talk to us and place orders for great products. We are at eight to 10 trade shows every year; that is a significant investment to support our retailers across the UK. ‘‘ 01462 446040 info@thepuppetcompany.com www.thepuppetcompany.com info@wilberrytoys.com www.wilberrytoys.com

launches to celebrate this year including additions to our Peter Rabbit Signature collection; the super-soft Mr Toad and Jeremy Fisher will be joining Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunny this summer. New for 2022 is the exquisite Classic Pooh Always and Forever collection, a range of heirloom toys that has been designed to last a lifetime, with a focus on sustainability. The reusable packaging for both the Comfort Blanket and adorable Large Soft Toy make beautiful memory boxes, making them a unique and extra special gift for a special occasion.”

Over at The Puppet Company, Sam’s answer is intriguing: “Plush is an exciting category. We will have more exciting news over the year and at the moment all we can say is watch this space!’’ The Puppet Company

Ask the retailer

Sarah Laker, owner of two Stationery Supplies shops in Cheshire, has just started stocking Jellycat toys. We asked her about her plush offering.

“Our new shop in Wilmslow has a primary school right behind it, so we have families walking past on the school run. They were calling in looking for birthday and party presents, so we introduced some toy ranges, which are going well. Adding plush toys seemed a natural progression to this and all my research into it (being a stationer this is out of my area of expertise) led to Jellycats - it has always been my go-to brand for presents. I was delighted when they accepted me as a stockist and am loving having them in the shop. It’s giving me endless opportunities for cute social media photos too. Sales so far have been good.’’

Basic Fun!

Care Bears celebrate their 40th birthday this year, and master toy partner Basic Fun! is to launch a host of new characters and adorable lines. Fans can get their arms around some new very special Care Bears. Dream Bright Bear is the most optimistic Care Bear of all! Made from recycled materials, I Care Bear is designed to resemble the earth - green for the land, blue for the water. The sparkly Care-a-Lot is a special commemorative bear who comes with an authenticity certificate, and complements the new 35cm Care Bears that are also launching this A/W: Superstar Bear, True Heart Bear and Daydream Bear. 0118 925 3270 Tim.Ives@basicfun.com www.BasicFun.com

Flair GP

The Magic Dreamlight is a beautiful plush unicorn toy, which babies can snuggle up to. This super-soft sleeping companion is ideal for bedtime and playtime. Children can cuddle this adorable unicorn toy ahead of bedtime to help them relax, preparing them for a sound night’s sleep! Simply turn on the Dreamlight and a piece of soothing music will be played. There are also soft colour-changing lights that will illuminate the unicorn’s chest. 0208 643 0320 ǀ sales@flairplc.co.uk

Posh Paws

Golden Bear

The newest dinosaur that makes his debut in the Jurassic World: Dominion movie is the giant Giganotosaurus, and Posh Paws has brought this new dinosaur to life in a super-soft and chunky 10in soft toy. He joins the existing T-Rex, Blue the Velociraptor, Indominous Rex and a growing favourite, Bumpy Ankylosaurus (from Camp Cretaceous). Posh Paws will also be releasing new Dino Eggs, so that kids can collect their favourite dinosaurs in small, super-cute and detailed 7in sizes. 01268 567317 sales@poshpawsinternational.co.uk www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk

Golden Bear’s interactive plush Curlimals are cute woodland creatures that respond to touch with more than 50 sounds and reactions.The range launches with three colourful characters, each with its unique sounds and phrases reflecting their individual personalities. Higgle the hedgehog, Bibi the bunny, and badger, Blue, all awaken from slumber once they receive a gentle stroke on their head. Each of the characters giggles, sneezes and talks, and some even sing or burp, until they tire and curl up into a sleepy ball and softly snore. 01952 608 308 ǀ customerservices@goldenbeartoys.co.uk

Keel Toys

Keel Toys is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2022 and its ongoing commitment to creating a sustainable future has never been more important. Keeleco is a 100% recycled range of soft toys. Keeleco Adoptable World is the newest part of the range and the first fashion eco soft toy. The collection now features 14 adorable animals that are waiting to be adopted by a loving new owner. New characters for the later part of 2022 are a Dinosaur and the cutest Red Panda! 01233 506363 sales@keeltoys.com www.keeltoys.com

Rainbow Designs

Even big kids enjoy soft toys, and June will see the celebration of Father’s Day, the perfect time to spoil Dad or any father figure. Charles Schultz’s iconic pup Snoopy brings back fond childhood memories and Rainbow’s Everyone Loves Snoopy collection, including The Snoopy and Woodstock soft toy, is the perfect way to show you care.

The Guess How Much I Love You collection offers a range of gifts for newborns and young children including comforters, rattles and baby gift sets.There are also soft toys and gifts available in Paddington Bear, Peter Rabbit, Disney’s Winnie the Pooh bear, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Elmer, Spot the Dog, Miffy, That’s Not My..., We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, and The Snowman and The Snowdog ranges. 01329 227300 www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk