Toys n Playthings by Lema Publishing

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14 ber 20 m e c e D 3 4 No. Vol. 3

Independently audited ABC circulation of 5,130 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014

Helping everyone sell more

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CONTENTS Regular 14 ber 20 Decem No.3 3 Vol. 3

Leader – with Mirella Anstey

News – what’s the latest?

Quick Coffee Break with Thames & Kosmos

People & Movie News – the movers and shakers

Exhibition News – the latest from the show scene

Media News – all that is happening in media

Media Charts – the latest from Global Media on TV viewing ﬁgures

Trade Talk – we give suppliers a chance to talk business

What’s New – new products you need to get your hands on

Toy Talk – the retailers have their say

Licensing News – the hottest news from the toy licensing industry

Don’t Miss… – unmissable products for all buyers and retailers

Step Back in Time – a slice of toy history from the industry’s longest running magazine

TEAM TnP Group Editor Mirella Anstey mirella@lemapublishing.co.uk

Editor Mairead Wilmot mairead@lemapublishing.co.uk

Writer Rhys Thomas rhys@lemapublishing.co.uk

Group Advertisement Manager Ryan Horwood ryan@lemapublishing.co.uk

Sales Manager Abi Gardner abi@lemapublishing.co.uk

Publisher Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

Features 32

Children’s Books - Helping imaginations grow

Room Decoration – Décor delights for children

Safety Head-to-head– The latest views on toy safety from the experts

Managing Director Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

Circulation Manager Robert Thomas robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

Lema Publishing Ltd

PUBLISHING

1 Churchgates, The Wilderness, Berkhamsted, Herts, HP4 2UB Telephone: 01442 289930

At the heart of retail A member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation

Independently audited

PG 22 PG 32

Special Report 17

Cover Story – Flair get Turtle-tastic

Toy Fair time! – Retailers give us their take on London Toy Fair

Retail Interview – Toymaster’s Ian Edmunds talks to TnP about how the buying group is performing

Interview: Clementoni – Michele Marziliano, Clementoni’s UK Country Manager, speaks to TnP about the company’s plans for the future

The Big Apple Bites – We hear about the North American Toy Fair from TIA President Carter Keithley

Hong Kong Calling – We take a look at the far eastern fair

Production Director Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

PG 17

Columnists 12

The Media Whisperer – Columnist Clive Crouch talks Christmas advertising

The Independent and Secret Supplier – A must read

Shop Talk –John Ryan wants us to look closely at how toys are retailed

TnP Ambassadors – Our ambassadors test the toys you stock on your shelves!

Business Driver – Former European head of Hasbro, John Harper on our younger selves

Licensing Opinion – LIMA MD, Kelvyn Gardner on superheros!

PG 46

ABC circulation of 5,130 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014

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LEADER

M A member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation

Independently audited ABC circulation of 5,195 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013

PUBLISHING

At the heart of retail Also published by Lema Publishing

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Featuring FRAMING BUSINESS

the shop is from a frantic y email inbox is brimming with friendly parent looking to source emails from various retailers asking me Jakk’s Snow Glow Elsa! In to spend more money with them in the Mirella fact, run up to Anstey Sharon told us Christmas, or to order that she would be now for free delivery, rich if she had a pound for every get 10% off before ‘x’ request! NPD also released date, or whatever. The some Frozen-friendly stats, customer engagement which you can read about on is really focused and page 6. driven, and coupled Our cover story this month with the recent is dedicated to GP Flair, who news from Argos reveal all about their new TMNT that they are now line. Flair’s Marketing Director moving to e-receipts Nic Aldridge gives us an insight in order to keep the into the Turtle takeover. Turn to consumer relationship page 17 to find out more. tight, as well as We also get an insight into cut down on waste Clementoni this month from UK Country Manager (paper and money presumably), is a sign of how Michele Marziliano. Clementoni have been doing hard companies are trying to appear friendly, great things and it was a pleasure conversational, in-touch and to find out more from Michele. shopkeeper-like with the public. Looking at new You’ll find our interview on page Looking at new ways to be top 26. of mind with the consumer and ways to be top of Feature categories this month differentiate oneself is the key to mind with the focus on Children’s Books (page customer loyalty and retention and consumer and 32) and Room Decoration (page many toy retailers are reaching out to their customers and potentials. differentiate oneself 40) – two very interesting topics which really can add to your retail But can we do more to keep our is the key to offering. It is all about giving the shops and aisles more compelling customer loyalty and customer the most that you can, and fun? retention so we think many of you will be Well, our retail expert, John interested to see what is on offer. Ryan fully believes we can and The North American Toy Fair should, no, must! In his article takes place in February and we know it is growing on page 21, he looks at the new pressures and in popularity with both retailers and suppliers who players on our trade, but he encourages retailers are looking to explore the US market. TIA President to not shrink and feel defeated. On the contrary, Carter Keithley tells us why the fair should be think of new ways to ‘fun up’ your offering or bring on the European toy industry’s ‘must-attend’ hit something new to the high street. list. You can read what Carter has to say in our I would love to hear from you, and in fact interview with him on page 46. see photos too, about the ways that you have Naturally, Hong Kong is Mecca to the toy brightened up your shop, visually, musically or industry so we get an insight into the Toy Fair and indeed anyway you have brought some fun to some of the showrooms on retail. Send your stories page 50. and pictures to me Like most of you, we (mirella@lemapublishing. here in Lema Towers co.uk) and we look forward are busily preparing to sharing one or two in for London Toy Fair, for the next issue. We love to which we are the proud learn from you all and hear publishers of the Toy Fair how things have changed Daily Paper. Our bumper in your business and it will January issue features not no doubt inspire others only our Toy Fair coverage to get excited and switch but also our Nuremberg things around too. coverage. Make sure to Speaking of getting contact our advertisement excited, there is one manager, Ryan Horwood (ryan@lemapublishing. property out there consumers just can’t get co.uk) for all of your media solutions. enough of and you know its name. Disney’s Frozen And finally, tis now the season to be jolly so just keeps dominating headlines, to the point where Team TnP would like to wish you all a very happy one of the retailers we spoke to this month for Toy Christmas and we shall see you in the New Year! Talk (page 24), Sharon Eveson of Country Toys in Newry, told TnP that every third phone call into

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NEWS Frozen is set to beat the all-time record of Toy Story 3 The NPD Group has revealed that the movie Frozen reached the most coveted spot yearto-date, (week 45 ending 8 November) for the first time. It is the number one licence in Great Britain’s toy market. According to NPD’s weekly sales data, Frozen has been holding the top spot since kids went back to school in early September. “New items have been launched, production has been increased to meet demand, and sales are getting stronger. We counted three Frozen dolls in the five bestselling toys last week alone,” said Frederique Tutt, Toys Global Industry Analyst for The NPD Group. “When looking at weekly sales and given the most important weeks of the year are still to come (a third of sales happened in the last seven weeks of the year), if Frozen continues at this level until Christmas, not only will the licence keep top spot and get the licence of the year accolade but it will also beat the all-time record of Toy Story 3 (2010) in terms of toy sales.” In 2010, Great Britain embraced the third installment of the iconic Toy Story film;

A happy high street? boys mostly bought into the franchise (70%) followed by girls (30%). While the ﬁlm Frozen also appeals to both genders, the merchandise sales are predominantly concentrated among girls making its performance at retail even more outstanding.

The five best selling toys from November 2-8 in £ sales were: Frozen Snow Glow Elsa – Jakks Pacific Kidizoom Smart Watch – VTech LeapPad Explorer Tablet – LeapFrog Frozen Ice Skating Doll – Mattel Frozen Toddler Doll – Jakks Pacific

New Chairman for Fence Club There is a new face leading the charge at the Fence Club. At the recent AGM, Great Gizmos’ Ian Dayus took the chain from outgoing Chairman, Phil Green. We’re sure Ian will do a fantastic job and here is to another good year for the Fence Club.

Consumer spend is set to increase by 4% this Christmas, according to research and advisory ﬁrm Deloitte. Retailers can expect an extra £1.5 billion in the till, with overall spend forecasted at £42.4bn. Deloitte say click-and-collect services will play an integral role in this growth, with orders expected to double to £2.5bn. This trend will see click-and-collect services account for 45% of all online transactions, with bricks and mortar retailers beneﬁtting from consumers retrieving online orders in-store. Deloitte’s Head of Retail, Ian Geddes, said that click-and-collect will play a vital role in driving footfall this Christmas, but cautions retailers to up their game to compensate. “It will be up to retailers to get their strategy and execution right to capitalise on the opportunity,” he explained. “Increases in sales won’t happen by default; they may require some adjustment of the in-store experience targeting customers that are clicking and collecting.”

TREND SPOTTING The US Toy Industry Association’s (TIA) trend expert Adrienne Appell delves into what is hot in licensing

game. The following are some of the US Toy Industry Association’s (TIA) recent trend observations – as well as a few licensing tips to consider…

Aspirational and Unique

It’s no secret that the global attraction to licensed playthings has been inching upwards for years. In the US, licensed toys and games now account for about 30% of total toy sales, and the UK is not far behind, with licensed playthings representing roughly a quarter of toy sales. Being able to differentiate passing fads from properties that have true staying power is not always easy. Staying informed about what’s trending (in addition to instinct and timing, of course!) is a great ﬁrst step when looking to develop a licensed toy or 6

Disney’s Frozen has become the highest grossing animated film of all time. Though the movie was released last year, the toy industry continues to produce an endless array of all things Frozen – from dolls and games to outdoor toys and lifestyle products. With Frozen 2 now in development, this licensing trend will surely hold strong for another couple of years (at least). It’s important to understand how crucial it is to have a relatable and interesting story to support products based on a movie (or other entertainment property). Frozen has been successful for two key reasons: the film has a terrific aspirational storyline and the movie’s heroine, Elsa, is a strong and unique character

that girls can easily identify with.

Ragin’ Retro There has been a surge in recent years of retro properties, with many companies discovering that hit characters from 10, 15, or even 20 years ago are popular among today’s children and nostalgic collectors. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT), ﬁrst released in the mid-1980s, is still going strong today, thanks to a popular Nickelodeon TV show, a blockbuster movie released this past summer, and a huge variety of TMNTrelated toys and games. Not only does TMNT capture the attention of new fans (through the release of updated content), the brand also keeps older fans engaged by not straying too far from the original look and feel.

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And the winners were… Phone a friend Lexibook have launched a unique new product aimed at tweens and teens, a tablet phone. Describing the Tablet Phone as “fun, secure and intelligent”, Lexibook say parents will also love its exclusive educational content and the iParent system which enabes them to geolocate their children and ensures complete security. Speaking about the new launch, Aymeric Le Cottier, Lexibook’s CEO said: “After having experienced tremendous success with its affordably-priced tablets for children, Lexibook now proposes an offer that truly distinguishes it from other players on the smartphone market for adolescents, thanks to its widely recognized expertise among young people. We aim to become the leader in this market segment.” The Tablet Phone combines the best in Lexibook technology and expertise, including: • A 4-inch screen, a double camera (0.3MP+8MP), a Bluetooth system and 3G access as well as 4 Go of internal memory that can be expanded up to 104 Go via the Lexibook Cloud by Hubic • A high-performance geolocation and parental controls service: iParent by Lexibook (free for 1 year) – Parents can follow their children and deﬁne a security perimeter. They receive an alert message whenever the deﬁned limits have been crossed. They also have remote access to the history of calls, websites, exchanges on social networks and e-mails, as well to text messages. • A secure web browser, Lexibook Protect, enables the blocking of ill-intentioned or unsuitable websites, with constant updates. This model is unlocked and compatible with all operators, and will be sold in specialized stores, in supermarkets, on the main online sales sites and via www.lexibook.com.

Character-Driven Character-driven properties are very popular among preschool-aged boys and girls, who love characters that they can look up to and emulate through role-play. The hit animated TV series Doc McStuffins captured the hearts of preschoolers when the show first aired in 2012. Since that time, toys based on lead character Dottie “Doc” McStuffins have been engaging kids in educational role-play, thanks to a range of activity toys that allow kids to mimic their favorite aspiring doctor.

Digital Delivers Angry Birds has become a mainstay in the toy aisle, joined by several others from the digital space, including Minecraft, which was named 2014 Property of the Year at TIA’s Toy of the Year Awards in New York City. Both Angry Birds and Minecraft have had a signiﬁcant impact on the toy industry for a few reasons: they were

DECEMBER 2014

wildly popular and well-established before being introduced in the toy space; they each translate well into three-dimensional toys and physical play patterns; their corresponding toy lines are not overly complicated or divergent from the brands’ original concepts.

Catch the licensing wave at New York Toy Fair Next year’s hottest trends in toys, games, entertainment properties, digital brands, and all things related to play will be unveiled at the 112th North American International Toy Fair, taking place Saturday, 14 February to Tuesday, 17 February, 2015 in New York City. In addition to business and networking, Toy Fair will feature educational sessions geared speciﬁcally toward licensors and licensees, toymakers, retailers, inventors, and more. Visit www. ToyFairNY.com to learn more.

November equals DreamToys! The 2014 DreamToys winners were unveiled on Wednesday 5 November to excited consumers and press in the gorgeous surrounds of St Mary’s, Marylebone. Selected by a panel of leading UK toy retailers, the DreamToys list is considered the most accurate predictive list available, and provides consumers with expert insight into what will be the most popular toys this Christmas. From the 72 toys in the list the panel selected 12 Top Toys that they believe will be dominating the wish lists this Christmas. And just in case you missed them, here they are again in alphabetical order: Bop It! Beats - Hasbro Disney Frozen Snow Glow Elsa - Jakks Paciﬁc Disney Frozen Sparkle Doll (assorted) - Mattel Kidizoom Smart Watch - VTech Little Live Pets Bird Cage - Character Options Minecraft action ﬁgures - manufactured by Jazwares, distributed by Character Options My Friend Cayla - Vivid Nerf Demolisher 2-in-1 - Hasbro The Lego Movie - Benny’s Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP! - LEGO Toot-Toot Animals Safari Park - VTech Transformers Stomp & Chomp Grimlock - Hasbro Zoomer Dino- Boomer - Spin Master

The next cra-z hit? Is Character Options’ Shimmer and Sparkle Cra-Z-Knitz Ultimate Designer Knitting Station about to be the next big craze? It certainly is if you believe the national press! The Sunday Express highlighted the Cra-Z Knitz kit as another option for loom loving children. The kit allows children to hark back to the days of yore when knitting was a national pastime. Cra-Z-Knitz takes the same principles of loom bands using a larger scale loom that can make beanies, scarfs, mittens and more. Kathryn Ludlam, Brand Manager at Character Options said: “We are experiencing high demand for the Cra-Z-Knitz Knitting Station which we believe to be the result of the looming craze moving to an alternative activity. Our marketing strategy will also harness the interest in the looming craze and ensure that kids know all about this great new option available to them.”

NEWS HTI are a hit HTI has been awarded approved supplier status with John Lewis. The distinction follows a thorough audit by the retailer’s Product Technology and Innovation department of HTI’s due diligence procedures and systems. HTI’s Regional Quality Assurance Manager for the EU, David Johnson, said: “The achievement of this status with such an esteemed retailer is testament to the exacting standards and hard work of the entire HTI QA team. We are very pleased and proud that our QA systems and processes have been recognized by John Lewis in the granting of this status.”

P-p-p-pick up a penguin The John Lewis effect is in full swing and the team at Intelex certainly aren’t complaining! Following the hugely successful launch of John Lewis’ Christmas advert featuring a young boy and his pet plush penguin called Monty, sales of penguins have shot up. Intelex are basking in the after-glow of the John Lewis advert with Founder and CEO Philip Gannon revealing: “Our range of microwavable Cozy Plush toys have been very popular since we launched in 2002. The penguin character is one of our best-sellers within the Cozy range and has really increased in popularity over the years with the launch of various penguin characters on TV and the big screen. Our customers have already commented that John Lewis’s penguin who is a key focus of their advertising is of a similar design to our own Cozy Plush Penguin, with the added advantage of course that ours is fully heatable!”

EASTERN DELIGHTS TnP’s Founder and MD Malcolm Naish reports back from the 31st Annual Hong Kong Dinner which was held recently The great and the good of the Minister of State for Trade & Investment – Lord Livingstone of Hong Kong and Parkhead, Financial Secretary John Tsang and HKTDC Chairman British business Jack So pictured at the event community were gathered at the Dorchester, Park Lane for 31st Annual Hong Kong Dinner. Hosted by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, this dinner continues to prove what a fantastic bringing together of like-minded business people has bound the UK and Hong Kong for so many years. Over 400 guests enjoyed not only the generous hospitality of the HKTDC but also three keynote speeches. The ﬁrst speech came from HKTDC Chairman Jack So, who always speaks, not just authoritively, but with a great sense of humour. Jack told us that they had been in Paris the day before and Milan during the afternoon, obviously saving the best till last. We’re sorry to see Jack leaving shortly to take up his post with the Hong Kong Airport Authority and we bet that Jack will sort out a third runway at Hong Kong’s airport, far more quickly than his counterpart at Heathrow! Equally impressive was the Hong Kong guest of honour, Financial Secretary John Tsang. His keynote speech outlined Hong Kong’s current economic outlook and prospects. It was evident from the applause these two speeches received that those present greatly enjoy doing business in Hong Kong. What impresses the most is the way they are able to get major building projects seamlessly underway and delivered on time. Not to be outdone, it was the turn of our own Minister of State for Trade & Investment – Lord Livingstone of Parkhead to respond and he didn’t let us down. Urging the guests present to continue to build the partnership between the two countries, he said: “Hong Kong is a great place to do business, you have shown that, make sure that others follow in your footsteps. The UK tries to learn a lot from Hong Kong - from its openness, its attractiveness for business, trying to reduce rules wherever possible, its sheer energy, verve and enterprise. I think the UK is learning and has shown that by being the fastest growing country in G7.” All in all a most pleasant evening, most professionally organised by Martin Evans, David Marsden and their London staff.

Imagine a new political reality Jumbo Games have got political. As we enter an election year, the puzzle company are preparing to launch three puzzles under the Wasgij Imagine umbrella – all based around potential outcomes of the 2015 General Election. Launching on 1 January, each puzzle will contain 1000 pieces and the boxes will be colour coded to reﬂect the political party. Red will be visible on Wasgij Imagine…If Labor Win The General Election!, yellow will feature on Wasgij Imagine…If the Liberal Democrats Win The General Election! and blue can be found on Wasgij Imagine…If The Conservatives Win The General Election!. Katherine Pierce, Marketing Manager at Jumbo Games, said: “It will be interesting to see which is the most popular puzzle out of the three! The Wasgij artists are on standby to create a limited edition puzzle should a shock election result be announced in May!”

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LeapFrog launches web safety guide

COFFEE BREAK

LeapFrog has released the results of fresh research into the web browsing habits of kids, revealing that 56% of them may be putting themselves at risk. The survey questioned 1,000 parents and 500 children. As more children use the internet than ever before and one third have their own tablet (OfCom, Oct 14), LeapFrog’s survey reveals that children as young as ﬁve are sharing personal information online with strangers. The top personal information shared by children online are: full name (41%), photos of themselves (38%), exact location including school name(20%), address (4%) and phone number (3%). The vast majority of parents see the internet as a great place for kids to learn (97%) but 87% believe inappropriate content is too easy to access. In response to parents’ need for support on how to keep kids safe online, LeapFrog has created an online safety guide. The guide includes expert comment, tips and advice from Stuart Miles, editor of Pocket-Lint, and Dr. Jody Sherman LeVos, head of the LeapFrog Learning Team. Sally Plumridge, International Marketing Director at LeapFrog said: “We recognise technology can bring positive beneﬁts to children’s educational journeys, however, we understand parents often have concerns about online safety. This is why we’ve designed our LeapPad tablets from top to bottom, inside and out, exclusively for kids. Our tablets provide fun and personalised learning solutions for children, whilst giving parents peace of mind that their children are safe online right out of the box.”

Following a great 2014, Thames & Kosmos’ Joanna Drage talks us through the company’s best-sellers and plans for the future

Toy sales up for 2014 Figures released by The NPD Group to coincide with the DreamToys event in early November shone a light on the state of the UK retail market. In what was considered by the industry to be a positive report, the group revealed that year to date (January 1, 2014 - October 11, 2014) sales of toys in Britain increased by 6% compared to the same time period last year. This is the best sales result for the British toy industry since 2010. Unit sales also experienced robust increases, climbing 17% from the start of the year. The NPD Group also predicted an increase in toy spend this Christmas that will help the industry realise year end growth of up to 4%, bringing annual sales to over £3 billion, an increase of £166m in one year.

Retail rules in Oz The latest Australian retail trade figures for September ‘14 released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has shown a rise in turnover of 1.2% over August. The seasonally adjusted figures follow a 0.1% rise in August 2014, and an increase of 5.7% during the same period last year. Online retail recorded an increase in turnover of 1.1% in September when compared to August, and a 12.8% rise over the same period last year, the highest rate since March (13.7% yearon-year). Online sales growth expanded year-on-year in almost all categories in September, with Electronic Games and Toys one of biggest beneficiaries, up 35.1%. All states and territories recorded a seasonally adjusted rise, with the Northern Territory the only state to record a fall in retail turnover, seasonally adjusted to -0.6 per cent.

DECEMBER 2014

Plasma Reactor

What are your top three selling products to date in 2014? We have had a great 2014, and our Crystal Growing kit has been the best-selling kit for the second year running. The second and third best-sellers are our Slime Time and Plasma Reactor kits from our new Geek range, which has proved very popular, despite only being available since the beginning of September!

What new products do you have high hopes for in the new year? The whole Geek range has proved to be well placed, commercially, and we will certainly be developing this range further in the New Year. I was interested to see how our new developments into the crafts line would evolve, and I’m very pleased that the Geek Craft line Flip-flop Bead Party ideas are fresh and new, and the packaging is fantastic, so after reserving judgement, I’m now a great fan. I believe that this range, along with the SPARK line, which consists of smaller kits, that would suit the grocers and larger retailers, will do very well in 2015. How would you describe Thames and Kosmos in three words? Creative, quality and fun. What’s your favourite product from your current line-up? Oh, goodness, that’s tough, as we have such an extensive range, but I’d say it’s probably Glowing Chemistry, a forensic science kit which explores the science of luminescence. I am a Mum to three boys, and they really love this kit, so it’s fun for me to see them really enjoying themselves. I guess if it wasn’t for my boys, I would love the Flip-Flop Bead Party from the Geek Craft range, where you design your own one-off pair of Flip-Flops, as it’s such a great idea. What should retailers be getting excited about from Thames and Kosmos in the near future? We have recently joined forces with KOSMOS International GmbH, which will boost our purchasing power, technical and marketing expertise and input into product development, which is very exciting for us. Kosmos Glowing Chemistry International GmbH is a whollyowned subsidiary of Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. KG and now holds 80% of the shares of Thames & Kosmos UK. We are really flattered that Kosmos, a German media house since 1822, have demonstrated their belief in us as distributors in this way. Kosmos is committed to traditional and modern trends, and has been consistently extending its portfolio, to become one of the leading publishers, including children’s and non-fiction books, games and science kits in Europe. I think that 2015 will be a very interesting year for us, and that there will be plenty for retailers to get excited about. We have a lot of very exciting new kits in testing phase now, and hope to have them ready for the 2015 catalogue and Toy Fairs. 9

MOVIE

PEOPLE

NEWS

NEWS VTech appoints new Senior Brand Manager

Guess who’s making a comeback? There was whoops of joy from Toy Story fans last month with news that Buzz, Woody and pals are returning for the fourth installment of Disney’s Toy Story. The news was announced by Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger but details of the plot line are being kept under wraps. The film will be directed by John Lasseter who helmed the first and second Toy Story movies. It is understood that Toy Story 4 will hit cinema screens in June 2017 as the franchise celebrates its twentieth anniversary next year. The original film was the world’s first computer animated feature and has been beloved by millions since, while 2010s Toy Story 3 became the highest grossing animated-film of all time, before Frozen knocked it off top spot earlier this year.

Marvel details nine new movies Marvel has announced nine new movies in its “Phase Three” slate, with firm release dates between 6 May, 2016 and 5 May, 2019. The comic giant’s president, Kevin Feige, announced the names and dates during an event attended by stars from its most popular movies, including Robert Downey Jr., at the El Capitan theatre in Hollywood. The release calendar includes a mixture of expected sequels, which Feige officially named for the first time, and some brand new movies featuring heroes yet to grace the silver screen. The lineup marks some key cultural milestones for the company, with Black Panther and Captain Marvel becoming the first Marvel films to feature a black and female lead respectively.

Rebecca Lazarus has been appointed as VTech’s new Senior Brand Manager following four years at 505 Games. She has been brought in to inject creativity within VTech’s brand and product strategies as well as champion VTech products across a mix of marketing activities. Rebecca joins VTech from 505 Games where she held the role of Marketing Manager. During her time there, Rebecca was responsible for creating and delivering integrated marketing plans across products as well as managing numerous product launches. In her new role at VTech, Rebecca will report to Marketing Director, Clive Richardson. “We are thrilled to welcome Rebecca to the team here at VTech,” said Clive. “Rebecca joins us at a great time when we are about to preview some exciting new brands in new categories.”

Two new hires for Learning Resources The Learning Resources team has been boosted to the power of two. Claire Johnston has joined the team as Senior Marketing Manager and joins the company following several years with global FMCG business, Procter & Gamble at their marketing headquarters in Geneva and most recently the Foreign Commonwealth Ofﬁce/UK Trade & Investment in Sydney. Meanwhile, Claire Caldairou has joined as International Sales Customer Relations Coordinator. She will take over responsibility for Learning Resources’ smaller international customers.

Here’s the full line-up, along with release dates: Captain America: Civil War - 6 May, 2016 Doctor Strange - 4 Nov, 2016 Guardians of the Galaxy 2 - 5 May, 2017 Thor: Ragnarok - 28 July, 2017

Black Panther - 3 Nov, 2017 Avengers: Inﬁnity War Part I - 4 May, 2018 Captain Marvel - 6 July, 2018 Inhumans - 2 Nov, 2018 Avengers: Inﬁnity War Part II - 3 May, 2019

Disney signs on dotted line with Google You can now watch your favourite Walt Disney Studios ﬂick anytime, anywhere. The company has signed a deal with Google Play to provide access to all its movies, including those from Disney, Pixar and Marvel, from any device at any time.

Sales Agent Required Clementoni is a leading European manufacturer of games and puzzles. Clementoni UK requires experienced sales agents to represent their games and puzzle portfolio in different areas of the UK, to develop their business with the independent market. Send CV to: Michele.Marziliano@clementoni.it

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MEDIA

OPINION

Who are you selling to? As consumers embrace the full force of the festive season, Clive Crouch takes a look at advertising during this crucial buying period

he runners and riders for the top selling Christmas toys will by now jostling for position as they chase to the finishing post. Last year, I wrote about “The Wonder of Woolies” and at its creative peak, that one retailer would have been the barometer for forecasting the likely product winners. Woolworth’s management and their toy buyers had their business done some 12 months earlier; they then handed over to the creative talents of Alan, Brady and Marsh (ABM) to capture the shoppers. Peter Marsh the charismatic, monocled, creative showman of the ABM agency knew a good jingle when he wrote one. In fact, he put jingles on most of his clients advertising with great success. In the wake of Woolworths, the toy market - just like the media and advertising market -became fragmented. But the toy market has evolved in the space left behind by Woolies and become far more innovative with more attractive brands doing a better job for customers. Pre-Christmas 2013, a research report showed that 78% of children aged five to 11 asked for a “hi-tech” present for last Christmas. This year, demand for hi-tech presents is expected to reach new heights. Ahead of the digital Christmas that forecasters are suggesting, let us pause to consider the role and the effectiveness of the advertising process. Advertising is designed to create demand by telling a great story about a product, selling emotional benefits over technical features, communicating clearly and consistently to share the brand vision with customers. Hi-tech products in this sector often have a discreet uniqueness about their product which impacts on demand. Given the desire for a hi-tech present coupled with parents not wanting to disappoint children on the big day, the advertising messages for conventional non-tech toys have to work harder and more effectively than ever before, and be clear about the benefit they are selling. Perhaps none more so than the classic “cuddly toy” which will have pride of place under the Christmas tree, after evoking nostalgia with adults. Andy Street, Managing Director of John Lewis said that the retailer “would be taking a much more modest approach to its festive advertising this year”. In 2013 their high-profile campaign called

“

The Bear and The Hare, drew complaints that the company was getting a bit too big for its boots; an unlikely line of complaint for a retailer with the reputation of John Lewis. However the store actually sold out of the cuddly toys modelled on the animated characters that appeared in their commercial. This year, sales of plush cuddly toys are up 53% at John Lewis, and this has in turn prompted the retailer to increase its range of plush to include 62 animals from around the world, making 2014 their largest collection in the stores 150 year history. Moving on from a very successful plush business to hi-tech toys is not an easy path to follow. Parents are concerned about children’s usage of screens and the time spent on them, but it does not necessarily mean that the digital toys are the baddies. Screens sit at one end of the category and hi-tech at the other end; whatever we may think about it, digital play is here to stay. But back to the world of jingles and Christmas toy advertising. I have deliberately mentioned John Lewis and now, Debenhams because both businesses are not solely associated with toys and games. However, they strategically chose to include them in their store advertising messages for Christmas. Debenhams have crafted a commercial that shows children running around a store, after hours, searching for the dream present. Whatever the creative treatment of the toy proposition, from plush to tablet to hi-tech, this is a seriously big market sector, worth £3 billion with over 370 million toys sold in Great Britain. The shop window for the advertisers to drive sales will be worth circa £1 billion this season, with an estimated 35% being purchased online. The consumer, it seems, is increasingly making the choice on how they chose to shop. Innovation has occupied that space left by Woolies, not with a jingle by Peter Marsh but by being faster, more adaptable, improving customer satisfaction, and strong business partnerships. Even though the majority of this readership will still be able to sing, whistle or hum ‘The wonder of Woolies’ jingle and that is effective, memorable advertising!

Advertising is designed to create demand by telling a great story about a product, selling emotional beneﬁts over technical features…

”

Clive Crouch www.clivecrouch.com info@clivecrouch.com mobile: 07831 670 453 12

toysnplaythings.co.uk1

EXHIBITION

NEWS

It’s a sell out Toy Fair 2015 is now sold out. Taking place on 20-22 January 2015 at West London’s Olympia, Toy Fair is the UK’s only dedicated toy, games and hobby trade exhibition. More than 260 exhibiting companies will ﬁll the venue in January, encompassing the entire upper and lower sections of the Grand and West halls at Olympia. Companies exhibiting include Hasbro, LEGO, Character Options, Vivid, VTech, LeapFrog and many more big industry names as well as hundreds of smaller and start up companies. The last company to secure a stand at Toy Fair 2015 was Bonnie & Pearl. The event will play host to two different sets of awards. The ﬁrst, Toy Fair’s Best New Toys, will be unveiled on the gallery level at Olympia on the opening morning of the show. The second set of awards are the 2014 Toy Industry Awards. Taking place on the evening of 20 January at the London Science Museum, the Toy Industry Awards take a retrospective look back over the past year and celebrate the best toy products and toy retailers of 2014.

LOOK FORWARD TO NUREMBERG Have you bought your tickets for Spielwarenmesse yet? The biggest toy show in the world runs from 28 January to 2 February 2015 with this being the 66th year the toy industry makes their way to Nuremburg. Over 2,700 exhibitors from 60 countries will pack the halls, including 860 exhibitors who only exhibit at Spielwarenmesse! As with last year, the TrendGallery in Hall 3A is a must-visit destination with the industry’s global trends laid out for all to see. Another must-attend event is the Toy Business Forum, the talks are held daily from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in Hall 3A. Each exhibitor can also enter the Toy Fair 2015 ToyAward competition. A panel of eleven jurors selects products for the coveted new award in four age-group-speciﬁc categories, based on children’s development stages, Baby & Infant (0-2 years), Pre School (3-5 years), School Kids (6-10 years) and Teenager & Family (from 11 years). Winners of all four categories at the opening ceremony and all the details are available at www.toyaward.com.

Ramping up for Hong Kong The largest toy event in Asia is just a few weeks away. The Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair runs from Monday 12 to Thursday 15 January 2015. But it is not just one event, the HKTDC International Licensing Show, Hong Kong Baby Products Fair and Hong Kong International Stationery Fair also run concurrent to the event. But back to the toys, last year there were 1,975 exhibitors and over 1,000 of those were from outside Hong Kong, while visitors to the show totaled 41,340. Those interested in exhibiting or visiting should log onto www.hktdc.com for more information.

DECEMBER 2014

MEDIA

NEWS

World of Warriors has launched

Lucky Tiny Testers announced by Little Tikes Six lucky children have been chosen by Little Tikes to be the brand’s official toy testers following a popular nationwide search. The lucky six, named Tiny Testers, were chosen out of over 6,000 entrants and will now road test new and existing products from the company. The Tiny Testers parents will film footage of them testing the toys and Little Tikes will then add the reviews to their website and social media pages to form special ‘kids reviews’ for other parents and gift buyers to see. They are Milley from Surrey, Riley from Devon, Malykai from London, Francesca from Cheshire, Finlay from Kent and Nilah from Essex. Michelle Lilley, Marketing Manager at Little Tikes commented: “The number of entries to the Tiny Testers competition was astounding and selecting the final six toy testers was incredibly hard. The final six all stood out to us because of their natural passion for play – whether that be through role play or their desire to interact with toys. We look forward to seeing how our official Tiny Testers interact with our toys and sharing them with existing Little Tikes customers and of course new customers.” Visit www.littletikes.co.uk/tinytester for more.

Mindy Candy’s hotly anticipated World of Warriors launched globally on the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch in November. An all-new IP for Mind Candy, World of Warriors features an ever-expanding array of warriors from throughout history. Mind Candy has signed global deals with Penguin, Topps, Moose, Giochi Preziosi and Flair for products inspired by the rich World of Warriors universe. With trading cards kicking off the consumer products program from April 2015, publishing, toys, apparel and accessories will follow throughout next year with a strong road map of digital and entertainment content locked in. Darran Garnham, Chief Commercial Ofﬁcer at Mind Candy, said: “Warriors is the start of a new universe, and the game is only the beginning. Mind Candy excels at creating engaging storylines and rich characters. With historically accurate warriors from countless cultures across the world, there is something for every market and an incredible opportunity to create an innovative brand franchise.”

HOW TO MAKE NIGHT TIME EASY In the Night Garden now has a brand new website and app, all based around children’s bedtime routines. In what is sure to be a help to parents, DHX Brands has teamed up with sleep expert Mandy Gurney from Millpond Children’s Sleep Clinic, to provide top tips on how to stick to a bedtime routine while Immediate Media also created a special bedtime activity booklet that is available as a downloadable PDF and as a special pull out in the In the Night Garden magazine. The new website, which you can ﬁnd at www.inthenightgarden. co.uk has a dedicated ‘Little Ones’ section speciﬁcally designed for preschoolers and is available both on desktops and as a downloadable app for mobile devices. Victoria Bushell, VP Global Brand Management, DHX Brands said: “Through the new website and the web app we aim to engage parents and preschoolers beyond the TV screen through an immersive, safe and age-appropriate digital experience.”

Say hello to my little friends The Tamagotchi brand beneﬁtted from its own microsite recently after Bandai joined forces with SuperAwesome. The idea behind the union was to introduce the PopGirl.tv audience to the exciting world of Tamagotchi and Dream Town. The microsite went live in October and the supporting pre-roll campaign ran until 1 December. Visitors to the microsite enjoyed a host of activities and learned about some of the key Tamagotchi characters and how the Digital Friend device works. There was also weekly Dream Town webisodes, downloaable posters and instructions, games and three fantastic competitions to win lots of Tamagotchi prizes.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Up, up and away

MEDIA

CHARTS

4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500

elcome to the media report covering the TV market for October. This report will cover the TV viewing levels for Boys 4-9 years, Girls 4-9 years and Housewives with all Children. Now for the good news, the boys are back! We can report there is very little difference between viewing levels for October 2013 versus October 2014. The only difference is where these viewing levels are coming from. We see that Nickelodeon shows an increase of 26%, the Cartoon Network by 17%, Pop by a massive 242%, Channel 5 by 33% and Kix’s by 33%, this is all very good news for a change. Over the past several months it been doom and gloom for this target market and at last, there is something positive to report. The good news continues with the girls market showing an increase of just over 8% when compared with October 2013. Again we see viewers moving from one station to another. For example, Nickelodeon is up by 10%, Nick Junior by 22%, Disney Junior by 9%, Pop by 406% and Channel 5 by 155%, this is all good news. Looking at the Housewives with Children market, Good Morning Britain continues to be market leader, with Pop in second place and Nick Junior in third place. As the chart shows, there has been plenty of movement between the stations. Nick Junior up by 33%, the Cartoon Network by 25%, Pop by 411% and Channel 5 by 81%. The reported TV revenue is up by 7%, the toy market reported TV expenditure is up by 23.7% for October, September was up by 25%. These are massive increases. It’s also worth mentioning that the brand count is up by 14.1%, this means there are 56 more products on television in October compared to last October, it’s likely that November will show a similar picture. The top ten companies for October 2014 are very much the same as in 2013, their positions within the top ten have changed but they are all still there, with Hasbro and Mattel in ﬁrst and second place. The next issue will continue to look at Girls and Boys 4-9 years and Housewives with Children.

1000 500 0

Housewives & Kids TVR’s October 2013 vs September 2014

Oct-13 Oct-14 Oct 14

12000 10000 0 8000 0 6000 0 4000 0 2000 0 0

Boys 4-9 TVR’s October 2013 vs September 2014

Oct 13 Oct-13 Oct-14

8000 7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0

Girls 4-9 TVR’s October 2013 vs September 2014

Oct-13 Oct-14

Sept 2013 Toy Company Sept 2014 Toy Company TV Expenditure TV Expenditure Company Name

TV Expenditure

Company Name

TV Expenditure

Hasbro (UK) Ltd Mattel UK Ltd Fisher Price Toys Ltd John Adams Leisure Ltd VTech Electronics Ltd Character Options Ltd LEGO UK Ltd Flair Leisure Prod Ltd MGA Ent Playmobil UK Ltd

£2,469,931 £1,331,640 £1,208,312 £1,132,147 £883,189 £821,579 £731,007 £539,639 £448,092 £421,296

Hasbro (UK) Ltd Mattel UK Ltd John Adams Leisure Ltd Fisher Price Toys Ltd Character Options Ltd Flair Leisure Prod Ltd Spin Master Toys Ltd VTech Electronics Ltd LEGO UK Ltd Playmobil UK Ltd

£3,530,646 £1,532,056 £1,475,451 £1,235,632 £1,144,260 £1,036,550 £995,359 £761,078 £696,744 £524,759

For more information on viewing levels please contact Mike Penfold. mike@globalmedia.me.uk Tel: 01753 889630. All graphs and information supplied by Global Media Services

THE INDEPENDENT

OPINION

The lure of the big-hitter If we could predict the future, we’d all be rich, muses The Independent this month

s the weather deteriorates further this year there is one word that is on my mind regularly... FROZEN! And this offers no change to where my mind has been focusing for the last 12 months. I can still remember seeing the email come through from our Mattel agent describing the ﬁlm. “Here is an FSDU from the new Disney theatrical release. There are two sisters that fall out and end up making up at the last possible instance...”. I quickly made a decision on Frozen and at this point, I am quite happy that I actually used the very scientiﬁc thought process of “well if it

The Independent’s top-selling toys for November 2014 VOLUME: 1) LEGO Miniﬁgures - LEGO 2) Minecraft Singles - Mattel 3) Avengers Hero Mashers - Hasbro VALUE: 1) Little Live Pets Bird In Cage Character Options 2) Frozen Toddler Dolls - Jakks Paciﬁc 3) Minecraft The Farm - LEGO

is Disney, it has more of a chance of working than falling flat on its face”, so I did order a number of the FSDUs for delivery in early December last year. But who could have known just how big this would become? Frozen has been off the scale all year. And now we yet again find ourselves with lots of great product but two lines that, in my opinion, everyone is looking for are Mattel’s Frozen Sparkle Dolls and Jakks Pacific’s Snow Glow Elsa. These are the highest in-demand products in the toy trade and I’d love to get my hands on more of them. It’s a bit frustrating as I had my orders placed a long time before they were due to be flooding the marketplace. If I was selecting a top sellers list for my stores it would be inundated with Frozen products, and this is not having anywhere near the amount of stock that I would have liked or have been able to sell. It truly is a beautiful thing when a movie, TV show or computer game just goes bonkers and triples the footfall into your store. I am (reluctantly) happy to admit that I have seen the movie more than twice and have enjoyed it every time I’ve watched it. Olaf is my favourite character by a long way and I love how the toy trade is able to respond to market demands because we now have a multitude of singing, stretching,

talking and poseable Olaf’s to fulfil every little girl’s dream. My personal favourite is the Summer Singing Olaf from Trends UK, and knowing that my wife doesn’t read my articles (much the same as most other people!), I have actually bought her one of these for Christmas, as she constantly appraises the products out there for her “most favourite” character from the biggest movie of this year. I sometimes sit down and think that the toy trade would be so much more simple if it was a little bit more predictable. Especially when I look at the amount of stock I have of a once very popular product, and I think about its severe drop in sales in the last couple of months. It would be brilliant to buy products knowing that they will sell until you decide not to stock them! But then again, that is the main benefit to the toy trade - we get to take a punt on some things, and hopefully get a few more correct than incorrect at the end of the year! I can only imagine how difficult it must be for a supplier pitching for a new property and they have absolutely no idea if it will be the next big thing or if it will have zero appeal at all. It is, however, easy to see when suppliers feel the wrong way about a product range.

THE SECRET SUPPLIER The Frozen glow Despite sometimes being at loggerheads, our two columnists are in agreement this month - for a change! Well there is no arguing with The Independent this month! Frozen really is hot like no other licence. And, how clever of The Independent to recognise the potential a year ago of this wonderful Disney property. How did he do it? Well, quite rightly, he put his trust in the IP owners, Disney, who have an unmatched record of delivering hugely successful consumer properties. Of course that is why we suppliers are all too frequently beating on Disney’s door and shouting “me, me!” As a US company, every new Disney property is considered by the two big US hitters - Hasbro and Mattel. Quite how Disney manage the relationship between these two giant competitors is another hugely interesting story. But even they can get it wrong, as we saw when a relatively small US company picked up the very successful Doc McStuffins property. How did that happen? But the success of Frozen is truly remarkable and largely unpredictable. The film was in the UK Box Office Top 10 for three months and it now ranks as the 10th highest grossing film ever.

I bet even Disney were surprised at the outstanding success of this relatively low budget ﬁlm. No wonder there is a shortage of product, but thankfully the licence was cut thinly and as a result there is a lot of second-tier product so that even UK retailers have been able to get Frozen product from other European markets to ﬁll their empty shelves. The excitement and drama that goes with Frozen is what makes this industry an amazing and unpredictable one to work within and thank goodness for that! Who wants to work in an industry where we could forecast what is actually going to happen? Just look at the Loom Band craze where retailers and suppliers were unable to predict the end of a hugely successful concept. My favourite character is also Olaf but unlike The Independent I know what my wife would say if I gave her a Summer Singing Olaf for Christmas! I am sure all suppliers wish all independents an exciting and successful Christmas and a Peaceful and Relaxing New Year!

toysnplaythings.co.uk

COVER FEATURE FLAIR

A Turtle-tastic takeover Hot on the heels of the hugely successful Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles ﬁlm and a fantastic year for Turtle toys, GP Flair are unleashing their latest range to the public

P Flair is about to enter its third year of distribution of the awesome Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 2015 is set to be one of its biggest, with the launch of the most successful segment in Turtles history, Mutations. This comes with a whole new sub-category, HalfShell Heroes, which will create a new entry level range for preschool fans to enjoy. On the back of a hugely successful 2014, we explore what’s in the shell for 2015 and ask Nic Aldridge, Marketing Director, about his hopes for continuing the Turtles takeover and opening up the property to more fans than ever before during the year ahead.

The Turtles take on the preschool category with Half-Shell Heroes Spring sees the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toys enter the pre-school scene with the launch of the Half-Shell Heroes collection, which incorporates a cuter pre-school styling and softened weapons. The launch will include ﬁgures, vehicles and playsets, plus an awesome Electronic Shellraiser. The heroes of the range are the Super Sewer HQ, which comes with two additional ﬁgures and over 50 phrases and sound effects, and the Mega Mutant Leo, packed with fun features and multiple sounds and phrases. With this new range comes a subtle change in Flair’s marketing strategy, as parents and grandparents will play a much bigger role in the decision making for initial purchase and will be responsible for introducing the kids to the new range. With this in mind, in addition to the traditional TV, parental ambassadors will be essential and this outreach

will commence in December with preChristmas Half-Shell greetings sent to inﬂuential blogging mums with sons in the age range.

Spring mutations and a new TV series Away from the Half Shell Heroes, important news for Flair’s existing Turtles collection is that the all new Season 3 TV series debuts in early 2015, kick starting the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles year. In addition the Mutations Series, the most successful segment in Turtles history, has been revamped for a new generation! Fans will now be able to mix and match their Turtle heroes and villains with interchangeable arms, legs and heads. With nine characters to collect initially they can create their turtelly awesome mutated character. The Turtle Brothers are also represented in the Mutations Deluxe Figures that change from Pet Turtle to Ninja Turtle in seconds.

Nic, how do you think this new entry point for little Turtles fans will be received? The feedback we have received from retailers has been very positive. This range has a cuter styling that makes it extremely mummy friendly for younger children. It’s also clear from some Nic Aldridge, of the comments online, after the Marketing Director launch in the US, that this is what some of the parents of younger children have been waiting for enabling their children to get on board with the Ninja fun.

What makes this new action ﬁgure series special? As you know Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are already based on the Mutations process and this category was the strongest when this category originally launched back in the 90s so we have high hopes to replicate its success. In support of the launch, Flair’s marketing campaign will enhance the collectability of this new range together with the gameplay linked to each ﬁgure.

And what would your ultimate mutation be? Now that would be telling, but a combination of all four brothers would certainly create a mighty Ninja warrior. The beauty of this range is everyone’s ultimate will be their own creation.

And finally, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie figures have created a stir… Yes and still are! The movie series brought with it a whole new figure style and opened out a whole new demographic of purchases as fans added to their classic collections with the film-inspired action figures. They have proven highly successful and are the third ‘age’ of Turtles for fans to collect this Christmas.

DECEMBER 2014

TOY FAIR 2015

All the fun of the fair As the ﬁnal preparations are put on a sold-out London Toy Fair, TnP speaks to some key retailers to ﬁnd out how they view the exhibition

ondon Toy Fair 2015 is taking place next month and the industry is ramping up its preparations. As part of Toys n Playthings indepth coverage of the fair, for which we are proud publishers of the Toy Fair Daily Newspaper, this month we speak to key retailers and organisations about how they view London Toy Fair, what they most look forward to and they also divulge their key tips for novice toy buyers.

Andrea Gornall, Senior Buyer Toys & Nursery, Shop Direct Group Why is London Toy Fair a must-attend show for you? London Toy Fair is the biggest event in the UK toy industry so it is massively important to us at Shop Direct. It’s focused and enables my whole team and the teams we work closely with, including quality assurance, marketing and merchandising, to see a large number of suppliers under one roof in a short amount of time. We’re all so busy that it’s impossible for every member of the team to attend all previews so a toy fair like this is critical. What are your top three tips for novice buyers at the show? • Organise your diary so you don’t waste time. Plan to see suppliers in sections or by zone. • Plan the right amount of time in with each supplier, so you don’t rush around the stands and potentially miss something key. • Always leave time free in the diary so you can walk the ﬂoor and see companies that you aren’t currently trading with. It’s so important to meet new suppliers. What makes the show so special for you? London Toy Fair is busy, full on and you never stop, but it’s fun and exciting at the same time. Suppliers make a real effort to present their products in an amazing way so it’s important that we all show our full support and really take advantage of what the event offers the industry.

DECEMBER 2014

Brian Simpson, General Manager, SMF Toy Town Why is London Toy Fair a must-attend show for you? London Toy Fair is the most important three days of the year for me. It is a one stop shop for seeing new products, reviews with suppliers and catching up with friendly faces that I only see a couple of times a year. It forces me to carry out a detailed study of how we have done with each supplier as part of my preparation for the fair, otherwise this may never get done! I love the buzz during Toy Fair, and its secondary benefit is that it sets me up for another year of toy retailing after a small break during Christmas. What are your top three tips for novice buyers at the show? My top three tips are probably what everyone’s would be, go in to the Fair with a plan and stick to it! • Planning before the Fair is everything. Organise your appointments way in advance of walking into the show and don’t budge on them. Agents and reps will always try to keep you for longer than you have time for. • Don’t let the amount of product plague what you came to the show to do. Book in with your current and most important suppliers first, and then if you are on the hunt for a few extra bits fit them in around this. If a supplier wants to deal with you they will always be able to get together some samples, and this can be done after the fair. Spend your time wisely at the fair and have those all important reviews with your suppliers so that you can start the year off on the best footing possible. • Bring a bit of food to eat during the day. The only way for me to fit everyone in is to not have a lunch, and as the day goes on I listen less and less, so keep yourself nourished to help you get through it. What makes the show so special for you? London Toy Fair is special for me because I can use the three days to get out of my office, soak up the excitement for what is going on in the toy industry, eat at my favourite Italian restaurant and just gee myself up for the year ahead. Toys have clear and distinct seasons, but every day follows the previous one, and it never stops. After the madness that is Christmas, Toy Fair really gives me that much needed ‘shake’ to get myself back on top of things before more stock starts to come in.

Ian Edmunds, Marketing and Operations Director, Toymaster Ltd Why is London Toy Fair a must-attend show for you? It starts the year off. After Christmas it is the ﬁrst chance you get to see what’s new and it gives you a chance to catch up with your fellow retailers and everyone in the industry. What are your top three tips for novice buyers at the show? • Don’t wear new shoes! •Enjoy it but don’t buy everything. • Give yourself some time to take it all in and don’t think you can do it all in one day. What makes the show so special for you? Really, it is all about seeing the new toys and catching up with so many people.

RETAIL

OPINION

SPONSORED FEATURE

TNP INSIGHT - INSIDE WITH CLEMENTONI

WE ASKED… Are you optimistic about 2015? “Absolutely. Our R&D team has proposed many new products for the following year, designed speciﬁcally for the English market.”

And now to the customer, how do you engage with them? Our objective is to open up an increasingly wider direct channel of communication with our customers. The ﬁrst steps put into place involved the activation of a direct number that customers can call to learn more about our products, and a facebook page that acts as a genuine virtual meeting place. This page has been designed to present our values and new products, but also to receive feedback and suggestions from our fans. At the same time, we plan to further enrich our website, improving its usability, making it a genuine and efﬁcient window through which to obtain information about our entire range, rich in demos and contents that make the playing experience even more satisfying and complete. How are you improving traction and brand recognition with customers? At the moment we’re focusing on the website, but we are also planning a cross media publicity campaign, starting next year, which will involve television, print and digital media.

What sets Clementoni apart from the numerous other successful toy companies? All our toys are designed in Italy from our facilities in Recanati, and are the fruit of the speciﬁc expertise owing to many Our decades of experience in relationship with the educational toy retailers is market. Furthermore, the company boasts an extremely internal R&D department important. They with more than 60 people, offer us valuable constituted by experts suggestions, with broad-ranging specialisations: proposing educationalists, scientists, products in line engineers, teachers and with market child psychologists. Ours expectations is a unique concept in the Italian market, testifying to the tireless commitment towards our main objective: the wellbeing of children.

“

Which key Clementoni products are you conﬁdent will keep retailers and customers coming back to you for more? It’s tough to choose just one product or category. At the moment, the two categories that are offering us and our clients, the greatest satisfaction are the infant and scientiﬁc ranges. Both are perfect examples of the company’s incredible capacity to create games that represent the successful synthesis of education and fun. However, we cannot forget our puzzle range that is our DNA! In fact, we produce puzzles from 15 to 13200 pieces, for all tastes and ages.

”

What do your customers expect? No doubt a highquality, innovative, safe and fun product.

MICHELE ON… The main success stories of Clementoni UK in 2014: “For us it was obtaining new clients and above all seeing sales grow amongst our existing clients. This means they are continuing to believe in us.”

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Leader in Europe in the scientiĂ&#x20AC;c games** *

My Ă&#x20AC;rst Microscope received the silver medal at the recent Independent Toy Awards in the educational category

** NPD source

uk@clementoni.com - T. 0203 206 1398

www.clementoni.com -

Clementoni UK

BUSINESS

DRIVER

Back to the future Mentoring business start-ups are a passion for our columnist. But what advice would he give his younger self?

ne of my favourite movies is “Back to person, who has already demonstrated her ability at the Future” with Michael J Fox. I have Fluid World. Along with the Fluid World team, Libby often wondered what would happen built the Hello Kitty brand to be the number one girl’s if I could travel back in my career so that my license in the UK in only three years. older self could give my younger self some Libby now sees an opportunity to build a licensing advice and mentoring. What phase of my business based on specialist brands and has already career would I travel back too and what advice secured the rights for several brands including would I give myself? Designers Guild and The first part of this Tokidoki. question is easy to answer. I The second I have often wondered would definitely go back to entrepreneur is Miguel what would happen if I the 1998-2000 period when Pina Martins, who runs a could travel back in my I was setting-up and running toy company in Portugal Hedstrom UK. This was my career so that my older self called Science4You. He one experience of a start-up could give my younger self set this up straight from operation and it was very graduating at Lisbon some advice and mentoring University and the different from being part of a large corporation such as company is still based Hasbro. at the University. The Having left my European business has financial role with Hasbro at the end of 2012, I needed backing from Portugal Ventures and it is expanding fast. His vision is to enhance the education of children to decide what business activity to get Mentoring around the world by developing educational toys involved with in my semi-retirement. Me my that are also fun. They are already a leading company and coaching people has always been m a passion, so going down this route wa was an in Portugal and have sales of ¤5 million. They have pas “back expanded into Spain and will be launching into the UK easy decision. Given that going “b ea option, I market for 2015. to o the t future” was not an option decided coaching While I can’t mentor my younger self in the “dos and dec ecided that mentoring and c young were don’ts” of a start-up business, I can coach and assist youn ung entrepreneurs who we starting Libby and Miguel. startting their own businesses was what I wanted to do. It was too late So what advice have I been giving them on how to t to help run a successful start-up? Over the next few articles p my younger self, but I could help others I will be writing about my experience of a start-up otthers who were treading treadin a with Hedstrom UK and the areas of the business to similar path and in so doing, iincrease chances successful. most focus on. In the next article I will be covering the their ch hances of being succes entrepreneurs importance of exploiting the right niche opportunity. I now w mentor two entrepren have This will be followed by the need to focus on cash flow who hav ave started up their own businesses. Grant and the critical importance of making the right people busines sses. The first is Libby Gr has business hires. Finally I will talk about the need to have a strong who ha as started a licensing busi support network and quality management information called d We are Bloom. She is an to help you make the right decisions as the business incredibly talented and driven in expands.

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From h his beginnings at Palitoy where he launched their Video Games software business, to MD at Fisher Price in the 90s, starting up Hedstrom in 1998, to more recently, European President of Hasbro and now, as a mentor and coach to young entrepreneurs in the industry – there are few highs or lows that John hasn’t seen and been part of!

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PREVIEW

CHILDRENS BOOKS

Page earner World Book Day takes place on Thursday 5 March 2015, but it’s not just book shops that can beneﬁt! Another company seeing an upwards sloping performance in children’s books is House of Marbles, with Sales Director Sarah Campbell saying: “Sales have been growing substantially over the last few years and this year we are currently 17% up on last year with more growth expected in 2015.”

The power of books House of Marbles

ith World Book Day taking place on Thursday 5 March, 2015 and increasing in popularity every year – children’s books have been given a fantastic platform. A whole industry has grown and evolved around it, from dress-up to licensed offerings. “The children’s market is up +10% year on year,” conﬁrmed Paul Litherland from Hachette Children’s Books, adding: “as an industry we continue to see growth of our most popular brands and authors.” Paul points out that Hachette’s MY LITTLE PONY and How to Train Your Dragon licences have stood out. “They have increased year on year by over 100% which is more than we could forecast to achieve.”

One of the most obvious questions out there is, how can something like children’s books add to a toy retailer’s offering? Why should you, as a retailer, invest in stock? “Books offer fantastic add-on sales in many ways,” points out Sarah. “The big multiples often corner the market with the big licences but we focus on high-quality and wide variety which gives the independent a chance to offer something a little bit special and different.” Hachette’s Paul Litherland adds that books can “awaken children’s imagination” and as such, act as a catalyst to a toy purchase. They also sit next to a toy offering extremely well, he says.

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Children’s costumes are popular all year round, but retailers often experience a peak in sales around World Book Day Dominique Peckett, Smiffys

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WE ASKED… What is the impact of World Book Day? “Thursday 5 March 2015 is the next World Book Day and we see tremendous increases in footfall. With over 887,000 copies of World Book Day books sold this year we saw incremental sale increase massively. The bestselling was ‘Hello Hugless Douglas’ published by us.” Paul Litherland, Hachette Children’s Books

House of Marbles’ Sarah Campbell points out: “The diversity of books is a huge strength, with the demise of many traditional book shops on the high street many of our customers have been able to ﬁll this gap in the market with a range of quality children’s books that adds a whole new market and lovely extra sales. Children’s books are a very strong sector and ‘books plus’ (books with a toy, activity or kit) are particularly strong for the independent retailer as they are very much an impulse buy with a high perceived value – a gift with an extra educational aspect.”

Delicious dress-up! Whether you are a parent or not, you have to be aware of the trend towards school children dressing-up as their favourite book character for World Book Day. One company taking advantage of this is Smiffys who have acquired the dress-up licence for Roald Dahl. “Children’s costumes are popular all year round, but retailers often experience a peak in sales around World Book Day,” agrees Smiffys Director Dominique Peckett. “The Where’s Wally range of costumes is popular year round, and particularly appropriate for Book Day. Horrible Histories is another licensed range which has been extremely popular since Smiffys acquired it. The varied range of historical dress up encourages children to explore the exciting world of history! World Book Day had enjoyed phenomenal growth in recent years, becoming a calendar event in its own right.” And naturally, there are beneﬁts to retailers stocking dress-up too, as Dominique points out. So remember, World Book Day takes place on Thursday 5 March – do you want to be part of it?

Smiffys

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5 MARCH 2015

Bringing Characters to Life!

Free Phone: 0800 590 599 | Free Fax: 0800 783 3882 | Email: sales@smiffys.com

PREVIEW

CHILDRENS BOOKS

Page turning learning LEAPFROG APFROG

The next chapter! USBORNE PUBLISHING 020 7430 2800 www.usborne.com

Write and Draw Your Own Comics is an awesome activity book for budding comic artists to draw their own comic strips, with simple step-by-step instructions, lots of handy tips and hints and all the devices employed in ‘real’ comics. Includes ideas for characters and storylines, sample comic strips and drawing tips. Peep inside Night Time is a charming, simple and beautifully illustrated lift-the-flap book for little children. Little fingers can lift the flaps in scenes of dark, quiet, sleepy night-time... and reveal the busy activity beneath such as owls looking for food, bakers making bread for the morning and a sleeper train travelling through the night. This is a lovely introduction to the nocturnal world, perfect for sharing with little ones at bed time. My First Keyboard Book is a sturdy keyboard attached to a book of well-known tunes, with colour-coded notes so that even very young children can pick out the tunes. With delightful illustrations, this is a lovely gift that can be taken anywhere.

01895 202840 www.leapfrog.co.uk LeapReader, the number one learn-to-read-and-write solution (NPD Aug 14) brings books to life for children, offering three unique literacy experiences in one: Learning to Read, Learning to Write and Learning through Listening. Suitable for children aged four to eight years, the device provides interactive guidance by reading aloud words and sentences from compatible books, with the added excitement and function of ‘mess-free’ writing via interactive paper. Disney’s ‘Planes 2: Fire and Rescue’, aimed at ﬁve to eight year olds, is part of LeapFrog’s ‘Read on Your Own’ series for LeapReader. While ‘Leap and the Lost Dinosaur’ is part of LeapReader’s ‘Learn through Reading’ series and is designed to support reading development. Also look out for Nickelodeon’s ‘Dora the Explorer: Tale of the Unicorn King’ which invites little readers to join Dora in a bilingual adventure.

Crafty read TOBAR 0844 573 4299 www.tobar.co.uk

Tobar’s Crafty Books is an exciting new range of 11 books to get children learning new skills or creating models. Perfect for rainy afternoons when children need something to keep them busy for a couple of hours, each book comes with detailed instructions and themes including dinosaurs, balloon modelling, juggling, fashion designer and magic tricks.

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PREVIEW

CHILDRENS BOOKS

Make My Little Pony your own HACHETTE CHILDREN’S BOOKS 020 7053 6670 www.hachettechildrens.co.uk

MY LITTLE PONY fits in perfectly with Hachette Children’s Group’s great range of licensed properties that also include How to Train your Dragon sticker books and novels, Monster High’ and ‘Ever After High’, Steve Backshall’s ‘Deadly 60’, and ‘Horrid Henry’ and last but not least Enid Blyton. Hachette are thrilled to be publishing a spectacular range of fiction, activity books and annuals for MY LITTLE PONY fans of all ages. Since launching in 2013, the activity books have been a huge success, especially perennial favourite MY LITTLE PONY Super Sticker Fun. Hachette are the market leader for series fiction and their pony-tastic fiction range (starting with Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart spell) has taken off at a gallop, with each book featuring a brand new story based on everyone’s favourite ponies. In August they launched their first MY LITTLE PONY Annual and this along with the rest of the range has been widely supported by UK retailers. Sampler copies of fiction

titles featuring money off voucher have been cover mounted onto the MY LITTLE PONY Magazine and this has successfully helped drive trafﬁc into stores. Eye-catching FSDU’s and posters are also available for in-store display, as well as an exciting program coming next year. Don’t miss this opportunity!

Well-rounded reading! HOUSE OF MARBLES 01626 835358 www.houseofmarbles.com/trade House of Marbles has been selling children’s toys, games and gifts since 1973, and has a wealth of experience and knowledge to draw on when it comes to sourcing and creating the ﬁnest range of children’s books for toy and gift retailers. The company specialises in ‘Books Plus’ – amazing and absorbing books with many extra dimensions such as Pop-ups, Puppets, Colouring Sets, Model Making Kits and much, much more. All titles are hand picked to ensure the ultimate in gorgeous and kid-friendly style, packed with the most entertaining stories and illuminating information. From educational titles to activity books, from bedtime stories to early learning and from arts and crafts to squirty bath books, House of Marbles’ extensive selection has something for absolutely every young reader. Discovering the magic of books couldn’t be easier than with House of Marbles. Retailers can give its range a try, with very small minimum orders, speedy delivery and lots of display and point-ofsale options available for many titles. They can also buy in conjunction with House of Marbles’ popular range of traditional toys and game, which makes the company a perfect one-stop shop for a whole range of gorgeous children’s gifts.

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PREVIEW

CHILDRENS B BOOKS OOK KS

Have yourself a Maisy Christmas

Softly does it TOMY 0208 7227300 www.tomy.co.uk There are four new additions for 2014 in the Lamaze soft books range. The ever-popular Bella the Bunny keeps baby entertained with tethered plush and peek-a-boo holes for mother and baby, various touchy feely textures and fabrics, and a fun squeaker in plush. Another Lamaze favourite, Torin the T-Rex, also stars in his own soft character book with the same play features. Both books allow parents to create their own personal stories. Lovely new characters Yo Ho Horace and Tilly Tinklewings also feature in their own books. Baby can explore the bright, multi-textured pages while listening as the characters take exciting adventures and parents create their own tales.

WALKERS BOOKS 020 7396 2440 www.walker.co.uk

Raise the portcullis to discover Maisy’s Castle by Lucy Cousins, the next new title in Maisy’s Pop-up-and-Play Book series! Go medieval with Maisy and her friends and join them for jousting and archery. The 3D castle inspires hours of creative play, with press-out characters and a pocket to keep them in. It’s also time to celebrate Christmas with Maisy in the brand new sticker book, Maisy’s Christmas Sticker Book by Lucy Cousins. Kids can join Maisy and friends in the countdown to the big day, using stickers to ﬁll in the fun on every page. They can help decorate the Christmas tree, add skaters to the ice rink, hang the stockings, and leave a tasty treat for Father Christmas. The book comes packed with over 120 stickers to inspire creative play and encourage a shared reading experience between parents and children.

Marbelous read! MARBEL 0845 6000 286 www.marbel.co.uk

Hape wooden picture books for 10 months+ come in four different designs and are sensibly priced. Each design comes in a six-piece POS display box, meaning retailers can easily add these to their other Hape products or to an existing book section. Pink Poppy have some brilliant princess activity books for young girls aged 3-6. There are two books: The Dolly Activity Polka Dot book and the I Believe In Fairy Tales activity book, both of which are ideal additions to a girls range. Activities, stickers and bookmarks make the two books great value for consumers, offering a good price with plenty of educational play value.

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Just the (golden) ticket SMIFFYS www.smiffys.com 0800 590 599 Dressing up is the perfect way to encourage children to explore the exciting world of reading, and Smiffys’ latest range of licensed dress-up is sure to spark their imagination! Roald Dahl is one of the most loved and celebrated children’s authors in history, and his work still delights both children and adults alike some 24 years after his death. Children will love dressing up as their favourite characters and re-enacting scenes from some of Dahl’s most famous books, including Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Matilda and The BFG, in the brand new licensed collection of Smiffys Roald Dahl costumes. With six iconic characters to choose from, spanning four of his most popular tales, kids will be spoilt for choice when it comes to picking a favourite. What’s more, Smiffys costumes undergo strict health and safety checks, complying with EN71 European standards, giving parents complete peace of mind that the costumes are safe for their child to wear. Contact your Customer Service Advisor today to place your order.

DECEMBER 2014 14

FEATURE

ROOM DECOR

A room with a view Children’s rooms are their ‘safe-space’ so making sure they are a fun, engaging, calming environment is vital. TnP talks to industry experts and ﬁnds out how this is achieved

e all know children need to be stimulated during school and play, but what about when they are at home? Their personal space and home environment must also reﬂect their needs and equally, the functional needs of their parents. Retailers and manufacturers are fast catching on to how easy it is to complement their range by providing furniture and room decoration at retail – along with their toy offering. “Stocking kids’ bedroom furniture offers complimentary product extension,” agrees Andy Cooper, Marketing Director and Partner at Worlds Apart. “This increases market appeal by meeting new demands not catered for by toys alone.” Andy points out that Worlds Apart’s furniture brand HelloHome has that dual appeal because it gives parents storage solutions but allows children to “stamp their own personality on their bedroom

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or connect with their favourite character friends.” This is echoed by mum of two, Aoife Guiney from Co. Limerick, Ireland who has discovered that her sons love being surrounded by their favourite characters. “We’re big fans of superheroes and LEGO in our house so even having something as simple as a licensed duvet really encourages the boys to go to bed happy.”

What’s the market like? For retailers not currently stocking children’s furniture it certainly is one to consider. Joel Cope, MD of JNH belives retailer support is essential in creating success: ” We have a dedicated customer helpline for consumers having difﬁculty assembling out products or for spare parts, sparing the retailers the time and aggravation”? Interestingly, peak sales times differ to toy sales and are more in line with the home market.

Whilst there is a consistent buying pattern throughout the year, we do notice a peak in quieter toy sales periods, such as January and February Andy Cooper, Worlds Apart

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Ansy says: “We have noticed that kids’ bedroom furniture see sales peaks at different times of the year to the toy industry, which helps weather out seasonality fluctuations. Whilst there is a consistent buying pattern throughout the year, we do notice a peak in quieter toy sales periods, such as January and February. This is in line with the home market, highlighting spring as a peak time of year for home redecoration and home decor purchases.”

Licence me lovely As mum Aoife points out, licensing is hugely appealing to her little boys and this is something Andy says Worlds Apart take into account which offers a brand extension to retailers. So if you are looking to increase your retail offering to consumers, or support your toy ranges in a different, inventive type of way – room furniture and decoration is something retailers could examine.

A MOMENT WITH MUM… Aoife is mum to two super-hero loving sons, Tadhg and Cian, she tells us why dressing their bedrooms in kidfriendly furniture is so important. Worlds Apart

“The boys are 4 and 2-years-old so life can get a bit hectic at times. I needed a space where they could spend some “calm time” before getting ready for bed. I discovered the best way to do this was by decking their room out in their favourite characters. It’s worked well for us as a family because the boys don’t feel like bedtime is a chore anymore.”

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FEATURE

ROOM DECOR

Chill out! JNH

0161 737 1881 www.chelfordltd.com

Ready for home WORLDS APART 0845 6022119 www.worldsapart.com Worlds Apart houses a number of different brands, HelloHome sits within the kids’ bedroom furniture arena, and ReadyRoom sits within instant bedroom accessories. HelloHome has dual appeal - it appeals to busy parents who are looking for functional solutions and children who are looking to create their very own living space. HelloHome offers an affordable bedroom design solution that organises kids’ bedrooms in a friendly, age appropriate and practical way. This range comprises of toddler beds, toy boxes, sling and store bookcases, desks and dressing tables, to name a few. For 2015, a new line of own brand HelloHome products will be introduced, which will broaden its appeal and further strengthen its position as the go-to brand for kids’ bedrooms. The ReadyRoom brand offers a fantastic range of products that complement the HelloHome range but also works independently to deliver an affordable way to decorate a child’s rooms in an instant. This range comprises of a number of different product ranging, and price points from cosy chairs, ﬂip out sofas and the new chill chairs and wall stickers.

JNH has made a name for itself in the children’s furniture sector with its Disney licensed lines. The company’s quality products, with eye-catching designs in vibrant colours, have taken the market by storm. JNH’s best selling products are the Flip Out Foam Sofa, available in a range of licences. The most popular is Frozen, followed closely by Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Disney Princess and Doc McStufﬁns. The company is looking forward to Nuremberg and will be launching a wide range of new indoor and outdoor products. The products, which are suitable for bedrooms, playrooms and the outdoors are easy to clean, made with lasting and good quality materials, and are all designed with children’s safety and enjoyment in mind. JNH has added a number of hot new licences to its portfolio, which will be available to see at Nuremberg Toy Fair, Hall 5 stand D16.

Fabulous furniture CHICCO 01623750870 www.chicco.co.uk Chicco’s Twist chair combines distinctive design with a super relaxing function to give little ones a soft corner to play and relax in. The chair can be transformed into three different modes: a seat for colouring or playing, then it can transform into a chaise longue, and ﬁnally it can be converted into an armchair for maximum relaxation. With its padded build and bright and colourful design, Twist is the perfect addition to any nursery. It is suitable from ages 1-5 and will be available in a brand new colour, Wimbledon, for 2015.

Box it up

Room for design

JOHN CRANE

BIGJIGS

01604 774 949 www.john-crane.co.uk

John Crane Ltd understand that storage is always an issue in children’s bedrooms so in 2014 their children’s furniture range saw the addition of two new toy chests with the Tidlo jungle animal print and one plain white chest to ﬁt it into any room in the house or do your own thing. Also, the PIN furniture range includes charming wooden children’s chairs and table with a variety of seat heights.

01303 250400 www.bigjigstoys.com Bigjigs’ room accessories allow parents to create unique and personalised bedrooms, nurseries and playrooms based on popular themes. In addition to their vast portfolio of wooden toys, Bigjigs offer a range of attractive room accessories, including height charts, bookends, coat hooks, mobiles and name plaques, all designed on popular themes of pirates, fairies, farm and Noah’s Ark.

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FEATURE TIA

Fair-ytale of The North American International toy Fair takes place from 14 to 17 February 2015. TnP ﬁnds out more the TIA President and CEO Carter Keithley

What: North American International Toy Fair When: Saturday 14 - Tuesday 17 February Where: Jacob K. Javits Convention Centre, New York City Website: www.toyfairny.com

Tell us a little about the TIA and your career with them? The US Toy Industry Association (TIA) will soon be celebrating its 100th anniversary, having been formed in 1916 in New York City. I entered my position at TIA in 2006, and it seems like yesterday. This has been the most rewarding chapter in my 45-year career as an association executive. I believe we have gathered a tremendously capable team of senior executives on staff during that time, and I think we have accomplished some worthwhile things.

Carter Keithley TIA President and CEO

How have you seen the toy industry change during your tenure? I think the effect of technology on the toy industry has been dramatic in the past 10 years. And I’m not just speaking about the employment of technology to enhance the play value of traditional toys, although that has been important. From my viewpoint, the industry’s biggest changes relate to online advancements and tools that have revolutionised the way businesses are run and consumers are reached. For example, we have seen the advent of crowd-funding tools like Kickstarter, which help toy

company start-ups raise capital. TIA also has many members who now say that Amazon is their biggest customer, so limited shelf space at the mass discount retailers is no longer an obstacle for bringing new products to market. Social media has opened up a whole new avenue for promoting toy products, allowing new companies to reach consumers without having to pay huge sums for traditional advertising methods. New technologies have really helped democratise the toy industry, and this is profoundly different from the way things were more than a decade ago. Of course, the globalisation of the

CARTER SAYS… Registration for Toy Fair 2015 is open and the numbers are already quite strong, with big-name, global retailers signing up on a daily basis. The Toy Fair experience will of course center ﬁrst and foremost on business-building and networking, but we are pleased to conﬁrm that we will again be offering world-class educational seminars for every attendee type, including sessions focusing on toy safety regulations and standards, global market research, licensing, marketing, digital media, and much more. I encourage everyone to consult www.ToyFairNY.com for up-to-date information about the show.

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New York business and the growth of emerging toy markets have also refocused everyone’s attention. Markets like Indonesia, the Philippines and the Gulf States have joined China, India and Brazil on the priority list for growth opportunities. There were some changes announced to your Toy Fair earlier this year, what can you tell us about those? One of the latest things we have introduced for the North American International Toy Fair is ShopToyFair365.com, a B2B e-commerce site that is free for all registered buyers and exhibitors. It’s an online shopping tool for buyers to browse exhibitors’ latest products and place purchase orders – even before Toy Fair opens its doors (and long after the show has closed). The marketplace was also recently re-named the North American International Toy Fair (formerly the American International Toy Fair) as part of a new affiliation agreement between TIA and the Canadian Toy Association (CTA). Under the agreement, CTA and TIA now host a single Toy Fair, rather than hosting separate marketplace events in the United States and in Canada. We are providing Toy Fair attendees with more targeted business development opportunities, greater efficiency and added cost-savings. We are thrilled to say that buyers can now visit a single marketplace to see the most innovative and creative playthings that American and Canadian toy companies have to offer. And you have some big news too! I will be retiring from work on April 30, 2015. It is bittersweet for me to be leaving TIA with all the exciting initiatives and opportunities we have ahead of us.. This position deserves an executive with the energy and ambition necessary to fulfill the organisation’s potential. My only regret is that I am not 58 instead of 68, and that I did not come to this wonderful industry ten years sooner.

DECEMBER 2014

How is the toy industry looking in the U.S today? We are very optimistic about prospects for sales this year. So far the year has been relatively ﬂat, but the word we are getting from retailers, analysts and others indicates that sales are picking up. Creativity in the pipeline for next year is even more amazing, so I am hopeful that this is a trend that will continue. Are there any real differences between the American and European toy industries, in your view? As with many other product categories, I think that European consumers are willing to purchase higher priced toys, and so European toy companies have been able to bring higher value products to the market in some respects. By comparison, the US toy market is very competitive, and American families have come to expect toys with a “wow factor” at very low prices. Fortunately, there is an endless churn of imaginative and innovative toys that hit US shelves throughout the course of a single year. Will buyers see anything different in New York, given that they will be fresh from Hong Kong, London and Nuremburg? If toy retailers do not come to the New York Toy Fair, they will miss 80% of the creativity, innovation and imagination originating in the US toy industry. More than 80% of our member companies do under $10 million in sales annually, and so they cannot afford to undertake a major export effort. We have a list of over 500 companies that are “export ready” and can deliver toys for sale in the EU. These companies may need some help navigating the different EU toy safety standards, but there are many toy testing labs that are more than capable of helping them. And there needs to be sufﬁcient purchase volume to justify the effort and expense for small toymakers, so buying co-ops among the more fragmented EU toy retail community may be necessary to bring in the most creative new products.

What three things would you say to UK visitors who haven’t made their mind up just yet about whether or not they should visit New York? 1) Every year we see a vast array of creative new products at New York Toy Fair – I believe more than at any other toy event. I cannot imagine being in the toy business without seeing what is emerging in New York. 2) US companies used to be satisﬁed with the size of the toy market in North America, and less interested in exporting to overseas markets, but that has changed. Now they all want to ﬁnd new markets. 3) Finally, Toy Fair takes place in one of the world’s greatest cities – New York – where the options for dining, shopping, theatre and cultural activities are nearly endless.

What product really got you excited at last year’s fair? It’s impossible to pick just one! I saw a great array of toys that inspire creative play for kids all ages – from traditional I think that of arts and crafts to European educational toys that blend engineering, robotics, consumers are building and customisation. willing to The RC category has really purchase higher expanded and we are now priced toys, and seeing an inﬂux of vehicles so European toy that ﬂy, perform tricks, are or can be companies have programmable, driven using a smartphone.

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been able to bring higher value products to the market in some respects

And do you have any hot tips to look out for at this year’s fair? I encourage buyers and other trade guests to leave plenty of time for exploration. There is so much to see, and by taking the time to walk the floor, they might just happen upon the next big thing. For those who are overwhelmed by the sheer size of the show or have limited time, I recommend attending TIA’s toy trends briefing.It’s a great way to get an overview of the hottest trends of the year, and speak to TIA trend experts about where to find relevant product on the floor. As I previously mentioned, we also offer educational and networking opportunities that enrich the whole experience.

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FEATURE SAFETY

Safety Head-to-Head As the year comes to a close, safety specialists Keith Richards, UL Consumer Products UK, and Malcolm Horner, Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services, come together to discuss the burning issues in current toy safety legislation and how to get a head start on the “wave of changes” coming in 2015 Malcolm Horner, Toy Technical Consultant at Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services What are the prime safety regulations all manufacturers and retailers need to consider and to what do they relate? In the EU, all toys on the market must comply with the requirements of the Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC. The Directive defines a toy as a “product designed or intended, whether or not exclusively, for use in play by children under 14 years of age”, including products with secondary play value, such as a plush key ring. The Toy Safety Directive involves all the actors of the Supply Chain, directly or indirectly, and everyone is in someway responsible, from manufacturer to retailer. Are there any legislations that toy companies need to consider which are not specifically ‘toy’ regulations but come up from time to time? What are these and why should they be taken into account? Depending on the nature of the toy, manufacturers, importers and retailers may need to take into consideration other legislations such as: REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) concerned with the effects of hazardous chemicals, The EU Directive R&TTE, 1999/5/CE which defines essential requirements for RC and connected toys, and RoHS (The Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances) in Electrical and Electronic Equipment. Can toy manufacturers and retailers do more to be ahead of the safety regulations? The Toy Safety Directive is always evolving and it’s important for the entire supply chain to stay up-to-date with changes. I would advise companies to check with their testing partner about any forthcoming regulatory changes. Because testing laboratories like BV have representatives sitting on UK and European toy safety technical committees, they are the best placed to inform their clients. What’s new in 2015 for Toy safety? There is a wave of changes coming our way. At the end of September, the amendments A1, A2 and A3 to EN 71-1 became effective. The changes include guidance on visibility of warnings, and affect the requirements for acoustics, paperboard toys, plastic bags, and elastic fabric. There are other proposed changes to EN 71-1 in the pipeline. They include retractable cords, projectile toys, aquatic toys and more. We are also not far from the publication of the toy trampoline standard (EN 71-14) and amendements the standard for electric toys (EN 62115) regarding Electro Magnetic Fields and LED’s. On the chemical front, it is important to know that the EU Commission has introduced limits for three flame-retardant plasticisers: TCEP, TCPP and TDCP, and for Bisphenol A. In EN 71-3, the test method with respect to the control of pH is changing in order to try to achieve better reproducibility. Chemical limits will continue to change.

Keith Richards, Technical Director – European Toys and Children’s Products, UL Consumer Products UK What are the prime safety regulations all manufacturers and retailers need to consider and to what do they relate? The primary piece of legislation covering toys in Europe is the Toys Safety Directive 2009/48/EC. In the UK, the relevant regulation is The Toy Safety Regulations 2011. The regulations set out the “essential requirements”. Other key pieces of European law affecting most toys are REACH, legislation on EMC (electromagnetic compatibility), and the ROHS. Finally, although not applicable to the toy itself, there are requirements for packaging which include a restriction on toxic metals. It is the responsibility of all in the supply chain to ensure that toys are safe for children and meet the legal requirements. Are there any legislations that toy companies need to consider which are not specifically ‘toy’ regulations but come up from time to time? What are these and why should they be taken into account? Because of the wide variety of toys available they sometimes cross boundaries into being covered by regulations for other product types. These include: Cosmetics (face paints), Personal Protective Equipment (protective kit supplied with bikes), Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 (Realistic Imitation Firearms), Materials in contact with food (toy tea sets or food making kits). Can toy manufacturers and retailers do more to be ahead of the safety regulations? Legislation and Standards continue to be introduced, amended and expanded at an ever increasing rate. Although difficult it is important that manufacturers and retailers try to keep themselves aware of these. Information that certain chemicals are of concern often exists long before restrictions are in place, so manufacturers can phase these out in a controlled manner ahead of deadline. What’s new in 2015 for Toy safety? There are several modifications either newly introduced or in progress to the EN 71 Standards that support the toy safety legislation including cords, projectiles, nitrosamines, trampolines etc. More chemicals are being added to the substances of very high concern APEO, PAH etc. and the limits are being reduced on others.

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FEATURE HONG KONG

Hong Kong calling… As the European toy industry heads east for the Hong Kong Toy and Games Fair, TnP ﬁnds out more

ith the last remnants of Auld Lang Syne ringing in their ears, the toy industry will head en masse to Hong Kong. 2015 will mark the 41st edition of the Hong Kong Toy and Games Fair and it takes place from Monday 12 to Thursday 15 January. The largest event of its kind in Asia, the show will feature nearly 2,000 global exhibitors with a whopping 40,000 buyers. “The fair is a convenient and cost-effective way for international buyers and sellers to meet under one roof, to keep abreast of industry trends and to network with industry peers,” advised David Marsden, HKTDC Director, UK, Benelux & Ireland. The four day event is held downtown at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wanchai with David pointing out: “The fair is a convenient and costeffective way for international buyers and sellers to meet under one roof, to

keep abreast of industry trends and to network with industry peers.”

What’s in it for UK retailers and buyers? You don’t undertake a trip to Hong Kong lightly with 12 hours of ﬂying making it one of the more challenging fairs to attend, but if you are one of independent retailers who has made the decision to attend – you are going to the hub of the toy industry. “One of the main attractions is the proximity to the toy manufacturers,” explains David. “Buyers can meet suppliers at the fair, make follow-up visits to their showrooms in Hong Kong and to production facilities in southern China.” And for the suppliers, attending Hong Kong is simply a must. The appeal, says David, is simple. “It’s the ease of doing business Hong Kong offers a familiar business

Show stats • The 2014 HKTDC Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair featured 1,975 exhibitors, with more than half (1,089) coming from outside Hong Kong. • The fair attracted 41,340 buyers during its four-day duration, with 20,446 buyers coming from overseas.

David Marsden

So much to see! HAUCK TOYS 07770 608858 www.hauck-toys.com Launching in Hong Kong in January, and featured here is Hauck’s new i’coo Pacific Duo Pram & Stroller Combo. The i’coo Pacific Duo builds on the huge success of the i’coo 6 in 1 Grow With Me Dolls Play Set. By simply undoing two press studs the i’coo Pacific Duo easily converts from a twin dolls pram into a twin stroller - both with a reversible body. With its adjustable handle height it is ideal for a wide age range and it folds flat for easy storage and transportation. Even the wheels can be easily removed and refitted without tools. The i’coo Pacific Duo comes in a range of colourful trendy fabrics and is sure to be a hit. There are so many more great new products being launched by Hauck this coming January in Hong Kong, with exciting new introductions to their very successful ranges of girls and ride-on toys. Hot new character licenses are featured too. To view Hauck’s 2015 line in Hong Kong an appointment is necessary. To arrange a meeting please call Malcolm Cook on 07770 608858.

environment based on common law principles, with transparency and a level playing ﬁeld for all companies. It enjoys the free movement of goods, money and people, and it has a freely convertible currency and has a low taxes because Hong Kong is a duty free port, and there is no sales tax.” And in addition to this, David adds: “Hong Kong has a strong intellectual property protection laws. Local companies have unrivalled experience of doing business in the Chinese mainland, elsewhere in Asia, and around the world.”

More than meets the eye It is also important to note that the show is run concurrently with the HKTDC Hong Kong International Licensing Show, the HKTDC Hong Kong Baby Products Fair and the Hong Kong International Stationery Fair – so you get four shows for the price of one. David explains why this is such an added bonus: “Hong Kong offers clear advantages as an ideal platform for licensors, licensees, agents and manufacturers to get together, which include intellectual property rights protection, respect for business agreements, distribution networks, access to quality licensees, availability of industry talent, market sensitivity and close business connections with the mainland.”

Who do I contact? If you are a retailer interested in attending Hong Kong, contact HKTDC’s London ofﬁce by emailing Louisa Cheung, Louisa.hy. cheung@hktdc.org or Karen Johnson, Karen.johnson@hktdc.org.

FEATURE HONG KONG

New lines ZURU www.zuru.com ZURU is excited to be showing a number of new brands and extensions in January. The company will be showing some amazing new additions to its ROBO line and will also have a large number of new SKU’s in the XSHOT brand. On top of this the company will be showing key new licensed products in both Marvel and Frozen as well as some new licenses. Lastly the company will be focused on some of its own new IP line launches including Gyroz. To book an appointment, contact Lolita Yeung at Lolita@zuru-inc.com

Something special cial KD UK 01727 827194 www.kdplanet.com/uk www.kurioworld.com/uk Hong Kong Toy Fair preview gives KD UK the opportunity to showcase its new ew own brand ranges, as well as licensed ranges anges including Peppa Pig, Thomas & Friends, Disney Frozen and much more. Visit them at their showroom in the Houston Centre, Lower Ground Floor, Mody Road, Kowloon.

Vivid are go! VIVID 01483449944 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk ndgames.co.uk Vivid will showcase over 20 brands for 2015 in Hong Kong! Thunderbirds is sure to be a highlight and Vivid are producing a fantastic new product range including the return of iconic characters, vehicles and playsets! The new Real ch FX Racing line will also attract some serious F attention. There are four other introductions on at show, all available for 2015! Vivid will also be sh supporting their existing properties with a host su of line extensions. Animagic is boosted by a o revamped offering for 2015, including an re updated style guide and an array of new u products. Licensed properties Peter Rabbit and p Moshi Monsters are also bolstered with new M SKUs and arts & crafts enthusiasts will be keen S tto see the display of Crayola items for 2015. To book an appointment, contact Tom.Bennie@ vividimag.co.uk or Jonathan.Busher@ vividimag.co.uk.

Preview Show in Hong Kong by appointment only 5 Jan. 05 – 11, 2015 Nuremberg Toy Fair 02 Hall 2 / B-03, C-02 Jan. 28 – Feb. 2, 2015 Contact Malcolm Cook malcolm@mc-international.co.ukk 8 Mobile: +44 (0)7770 60 88 58

www.hauck-toys.com m

toysnplaythings.co.uk

LICENSING OPINION KELVYN GARDNER

Who ya gonna call? Superheroes are having a moment, having taken the reigns from movie heroes – all the better for the toy industry, says Kelvyn Gardner

ylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Charles Bronson, Bruce Lee - quite a list, eh? Hollywood tough guys who range from the huge and imposing like Arnie and Sly, through to the martial artists like Norris and the legend that is Lee, to the stubborn-as-a-mule vigilante-type, Bronson. Through the 1970s, 80s and even early 90s, these guys played a succession of hard-man heroes, superhumanly capable of taking out truckloads of opposition, faster on the draw, quicker to the punch, more hench than the grimmest of henchmen. Their films took major money at the boxoffice, and rocketed them all to stardom. They don’t make films like that anymore, do they? On the whole, no, they don’t. As unlikely as it seems, that’s good news for the toy business, and the licensing business as a whole. Back in the day, there were a few toys based around some of these characters. John Rambo had a range of action figures, and replica weapons as I recall. Interesting for an 18-rated film character. Terminator had some highlights, too. Generally speaking though, tough-guy films were not a goldmine for our business. These characters were perhaps super-human, but they weren’t really ‘super’. They had no special powers, and they certainly did not have colourful costumes. What has replaced these characters, these actors, these films, is largely down to comic books created from the 1960s onwards by the dynamic duo of the field, DC Comics and Marvel. The twenty-first century has seen the blossoming of a whole new movie genre: superhero movies. OK, we had a few before then, and I guess, in their time, the Superman films of the late 1970s, and those featuring Batman in the 1990s had their moments. However, undoubtedly, the ready-availability of the kind of special effects that only digital computer animation can provide has seen superheroes come of age on the big screen only in the new millennium. In fact, it’s worth checking out some of the older movie takes on the likes of Spider Man. Search YouTube and you’ll find sideways shots of Spidey climbing the side of a building for instance. Cheap effects,

Batman V Superman - the next superhero smash hit?

even cheaper dialogue. I don’t blame the filmmakers, it just wasn’t possible to do this stuff back then. Now, almost anything can be created digitally, and convincingly, allowing even the most outlandish of super-scenarios to be played out on the big screen. Part now, respectively, of Warner Bros and Disney, DC and Marvel each has a universe of heroes ready and waiting to find themselves the next Hollywood franchise. Marvel has had a head start, of course, with Thor, X-Men, Iron Man, The Avengers already in the big leagues for both cinemas and licensed merchandise. DC has just joined the fray in a big way, yet no sooner had they announced a tenfilm slate starting with Superman v Batman, The Flash and Justice League, when Marvel hit back with more Thor, an Avengers double-header, and proof that you can film just about anything from a comic book these days, even Doctor Strange, master of the mystic arts, and beloved of 1960s hippies everywhere. So many films, so many business opportunities in toys, role-play, video games, posters, trading cards and lots, lots more. I think it’s really true that superheroes now occupy the ground once trodden by Sly and Arnie. They won’t go quietly these guys, and you can enjoy a nostalgic ride with them in films like The Expendables (soon to include movie number four). Superhero films have now come of age though, with storylines, plots and scripts created to high standards. It’s a compliment to the genre that they put so much effort into basic storytelling, so that these films are not just instantly-forgettable eye-candy. We should all be pleased that the studios have done so. If our business ever needs rescuing, we know who to call.

LIMA the trade association for the licensing business www.licensing.org/uk email rbeaird@licensing.org

toysnplaythings.co.uk

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W O R L D W I D E

Walk to the wonderland

This is a gem

As Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is about to celebrate its 150th anniversary, Walker Books have something special linedup. Illustrator Helen Oxenbury’s award-winning edition of Lewis Carroll’s classic tale was ﬁrst published by Walker Books in 1999 and have now inspired a new product ranges that bring a contemporary touch to a classic tale. Renowned interior designer Mary Gannon has teamed up with Walker Books to produce an exquisite range of children’s furniture featuring Helen Oxenbury’s colourful cast of characters from the Mad Hatter to the Cheshire Cat to Alice herself. The range will be available from January 2015. Flame Tree Publishing is also on board and will produce an Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland calendar based on Helen’s artwork for 2016, which will be on sale from autumn next year.

Clementoni has added a new line to its Disney Frozen puzzle range. The product launched across various retailers in late November just in time for last minute Christmas purchases. The Frozen Gem Puzzle joins the existing range of Clementoni’s Disney Frozen puzzles which also features a 24 piece Maxi Puzzle, 60 piece Puzzle, 104 piece Maxi Puzzle, two different 104 piece puzzles, a 250 piece puzzle and a 104 piece glitter puzzle, all with different images inspired by the best-selling ﬁlm. Michele Marzillano, UK Country Manager, Clementoni, said: “The current Frozen puzzle range is achieving very strong sales across our key retail accounts and we are constantly looking for new ways to present the magic of Frozen within our puzzles. We believe the Frozen Gem puzzle will also sell through well and we have plans to further extend the Frozen range next year.”

Ben and Holly going great guns for Character Character Options’ Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom toy line is reportedly performing well after its launch during the summer. Featuring new packaging based on the cartoon’s refreshed branding, Ben and Holly’s Castle Playset is expected to be a Christmas best-seller. Licensor Entertainment One say sales of the toy line have exceeded expectations. A second wave toy launch including games, puzzles, electronic learning aids, role-play and apparel/accessories will roll out from autumn/winter 2015.

DECEMBER 2014

A mineﬁeld of building adventure LEGO have ﬁrmly established itself as one of the “go-to” Minecraft associates and in November they cemented their position with the launch of LEGO Minecraft sets. The six new sets allow building enthusiasts to expand and create intricate worlds within the Minecraft universe. The six sets which are sure to be winners around the festive buying season are The Cave, The Farm, The First Night, Crafting Box, The Ender Dragon and The Mine.

TOYS DIRECTORY A Girl For All Time www.agirlforalltime.co.uk 020 7060 6151 AB Gee www.abgee.co.uk 01773 570444 Accentuate www.accentuategames.com 0330 400 4162 Alpha www.alpha-toys.co.uk 00353 67 63800 Amerang www.amerang.co.uk 01903 765496 Amethyst www.amethystgroup.co.uk 01580 892888 Amscan International ` www.amscan.co.uk 01908 288 500 Anagranimals www.anagranimals.com 07736 299200 Animin 020 7735 5353 www.animin.me Artstraws www.artstraws.com 01792 796151 Asobi www.asobi.co.uk 01628 200077 Aurora World www.auroraworld.co.uk 01256 374260 Bananagrams www.bananagrams.com 01-781-9649 Bandai www.bandai.co.uk 01489 790944 Bee Smart www.bee-smart.net 0208 262 6979 Berg 0740 8845154 www.berglondon.com Bestline Imports www.toywholesalermanchester. co.uk 0161 835 4000

Bigjigs www.bigjigstoys.com 01303 250400 Bizzy Bitz www.bizzy-bitz.com 020 8806 8283 Bkids UK 0208 6574734 www.bkids.co.uk Bladez www.bladeztoyz.co.uk 02392 658255 Bloomeez www.bloomeez.com Bluesky blueskydesigns.co.uk 0113 387 96 70 Bluw www.bluw.com +44 20 76271268 Boxer www.boxergifts.com 44 (0) 1133 955 599 Brookite www.brookite.com 01837 53315 Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services www.bureauveritas.co.uk/cps 01925 854360 Cartamundi www.cartamundi.com 01268 511522 Casdon www.casdon.com 01253 766411 Century Logistics www.centurylogistics.co.uk 1284 413100 Character Options www.character-online.co.uk 0161 633 9800 Character World www.characterworld.com 44 (0) 845 004 9217 Cheatwell www.cheatwell.com 02392 524098 Chicco www.chicco.co.uk 020 89536627

Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services: the leading global provider of compliance and quality assurance services to the toy industry Product Testing Chemical Management Solutions Safety Assessments

Inspections & Audits Consultancy Seminars

Contact our UK testing laboratory: e: Bvsales@uk.bureauveritas.com t: +44 (0)1925 854 360 w: www.bureauveritas.co.uk/cps a: Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services UK, 31 Kingsland Grange, Woolston, Warrington, WA1 4RW, UK

Cicada Education www.cicada-education.co.uk 01708 733388 Clementoni Spa www.clementoni.com 0203 2061399 Click Distribution www.clickdistributionuk.com 01604 858480 Cloud B www.cloudb.com (310) 781-3833 X 203 Coiledspring Games www.coiledspring.co.uk 020 3301 1160 Creative Toys www.creativetoyscompany.com (0) 208 664 3483 D’Arpeje www.darpeje.com +33 (0)478 796 050 Destination Board Games www.destinationboardgames.co.uk 023 9270 4082 DKL Marketing www.dkl.co.uk 01604 678780 Dowman www.dowman.com 01487 840530. Dracco www.dracco.co.uk 0845 365 3030 Drumond Park www.drumondpark.com 0845 365 3030 Dulcop www.dulcop.com +39 051625 0711 DWSD www.tekrecon.com 0845 2573005 East Coast Nursery www.eastcoastnursery.co.uk 01692 408802 Eduk8 www.eduk8worldwide.com 01434 672 336 Enesco www.enesco.co.uk 01228 404022 Epoch-Making Toys www.sylvanianfamilies.net/uk 0843 557 4062 Ernest The Bear www.ernestthebeartoys.co.uk 08456 808075

Esdevium Games www.esdeviumgames.com 01420 593593 Eurofins www.eurofins.co.uk 0161 868 7600 Extreme Fliers www.extremefliers.co.uk 0161 868 7600 Famosa www.famosa.es 0161 868 7600 Fiesta Crafts www.fiestacrafts.co.uk 0208 804 0563 First Celtic www.firstcelticlearning.com 01978 280070 Flair Leisure Products www.flairplc.co.uk 020 8643 0320 Flying Gadgets www.flyinggadgets.com 0844 209 2626 Flying toys www.flyingtoys.com 01702 295110 Flype www.flype.com Folkmanis Puppets www.folkmanis.com +49 931 660 610 Funrise Toy Corporation www.funrise.com +46 371 589570 Funtime Gifts www.funtimegifts.co.uk 0208 856 4699 James Galt www.galttoys.com 0161 428 9111 Geemac 01604 401719 Gen Four Two www.gen42.com 01707 655 045 Gibsons www.gibsonsgames.co.uk 0208 661 8866 Gift Time www.gift-time-products.co.uk 0118 947 1405 Golden Bear www.goldenbeartoys.com 01952 608308 Goldfish & Bison www.goldfishandbison.com

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Come and see us at Toy Fair Stand El5 Spring Fair Hall 3 Stand N22

where toys live

For more details contact t sales: www.Famosa.es 01623 237237 ukorders@Famosa.es 0208 326 2626 Great Gizmos www.greatgizmos.co.uk 01293 543221 Green Board Games www.greenboardgames.com 01494 538999 H. Grossman www.ozbozz.co.uk 0141 613 2525

01425 600600 IMC Toys www.imctoys.com 01904 727 922. Import Services Logistics www.importservices.co.uk 01489 799500 Indigo Jamm www.indigojamm.com 01483 201075

Haba www.haba.co.uk 0161 304 9555 Halilit www.halilit.co.uk 01254 872454 Hasbro www.hasbro.co.uk 020 8569 1234 Hornby www.hornby.com 01843 233500 House of Marbles www.houseofmarbles.com/trade 01626 835358 HTI www.htigroup.co.uk 01253 778888 Hypro www.hy-pro.co.uk 01582 670100 Icon x www.iconlive.com 01444 238365 Imajo www.imajo.co.uk

Injusa +34 965 550 862 www.injusa.com Innovation ﬁrst www.innovationﬁrst.com 01925 453144

DECEMBER 2014

01494 538999

www.greenboardgames.com Interplay www.interplayuk.com 01628 488944 Intertek Testing www.intertek.com/consumer/ 0116 263 0330 i-read www.i-read.co.uk 0208 551 7711 iSpy Distribution www.i-spyuk.com 01254 460016 IVS www.ivsgroupltd.com 020 8560 0009 Jakks www,jakks.com 01344 638900 Jazwares www.jazwares.com JNH www.jnheurope.com 0161 737 1881 John Adams www.johnadams.co.uk 01480 414361 John Crane www.john-crane.co.uk 01604 77 49 49 Jomoval www.jomoval.com 01420 544055 Jumbo Games www.jumbo.eu +44 (0)1707 260436 JWP (0)1254 503780 KD UK www.kdplanet.com/uk

■ Interplay is the market leader in Science, Nature, Craft and Technology toys with a wealth of Award Winning products.

■ Our brand values focus on delivering high quality kits with great play value whilst ensuring healthy margins.

■ To take a look at our 2015 range please visit our website www.interplayuk.com E: sales@interplayuk.com T: 01628 488 944

sales@greenboardgames.com

01727 827194 K’Nex www.knex.co.uk 0118 9497000 Keel www.keeltoys.com 01233 506363 Keycraft www.keycraftuk.com 01779 478 078 Kiddimoto www.kiddimoto.co.uk 01749 871175 Kidicraft www.kidicraft.com 01282 500899 Kidkraft www.kidkraft.com 0031 (0) 20305 8620 Kids@Play www.kids-at-play.com 01291 635551 K-Play www.k-play.uk 01652 237 810 Kriya www.kriyaltd.com 01702 294828 Lanka Kade www.lankakade.co.uk 01858 463850 Le Toy Van www.letoyvan.com 020 8979 2036 LeapFrog www.leapfrog.co.uk 01895 202840 Learning Resources www.learningresources.co.uk 01553 762276 LEGO www.lego.co.uk 01753 495000 Lexibook www.lexibook.com +33 1 73 23 23 23 Little Helper www.littlehelper.co.uk 01909 561155 Lustrumlight www.lustrumlight.co.uk 020 7998 7696 Manhattan Toy Europe www.manhattantoy.co.uk 0208 944 3160 MAPS www.mapstoys.com

TOYS DIRECTORY

The future of football www.mvsports.com 0121 748 8000

01483 776006 Marbel www.marbel.co.uk 0845 6000 286 Marvins Magic www.marvinsmagic.com 01582 849000 Mattel www.mattel.com 01628 500000. MGA Entertainment www.mgae.com 01908 268480 Microscooters www.micro-scooters.co.uk 01206 381334 Milly & Flynn 01242 241765 Minigols www.minigols.com 34 915 232414 Molto www.molto.es 07860 760050 Mookie Toys www.mookie.co.uk 01525 722722 Music For Kids www.music-for-kids.co.uk 01284 702600 MV Sports & Leisure www.mvsports.com 0121 748 8000 Orchard Toys www.orchardtoys.com 01953 423422

Padgett Bros www.padgettatoz.co.uk 01226 381188 Panini www.panini.co.uk Pants on Fire www.pantsonďŹ regames.co.uk 0033 6758 45310 Peers hardy www.peershardy.com 01494 486220 Peterkin UK www.peterkin.co.uk 0116 2543645 Pink Chillies www.pinkchillies.com 01273 454422 Playmobil www.playmobil.co.uk 01268 548111 Plum products www.plumproducts.com 0844 880 5301 PMS www.pmsinternational.com 01268 505050 Posh Paws International poshpawsinternational.co.uk 01268 567317 Prince Lionheart princelionheart.com Propel RC www.propelrc.co.uk 0330 1233457

Puppet Company www.thepuppetcompany.com 01462 446040 Rainbow Design www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk 01329 227300 Rainbow Production www.rainbowproductions.co.uk 020 8254 5300 Ravensburger www.ravensburger.com 01869 363800 Ravensden www.ravensden.co.uk 01933 356221 Re:Creation www.recreationltd.com 0118 973 6222 Red herring www.red-herring-games.co.uk 01472 348909 Redan www.redan.co.uk 01743 364433 Revell www.revell.com 0845 4590747 Sales Partnership 01491 412415 Sambro International www.sambro.co.uk 0845 873 9380 Schleich www.schleich-s.com 01279 870000 Scream Wholesale www.screamwholesale.com 0844 375 1545 Silverlit www.silverlit.com 0192 3835018 Simba Smoby www.simba-dickie.com 01274 765030 SJD Games www.jaskgames.com 01296 583315 Sluban www.playbrickshop.ie 00353(0)91793661 Smart UK 01903 885669 Sopio Cards www.sopiocards.com 07941 465307

www.spinmaster.co.uk 01628 535000 Star Cut Outs www.starcutouts.com 0161 344 5839 Star Images www.starimages.co.uk 020 7249 4662 Step 2 www.step2uk.com Stepping Stones Marketing www.steppingstonesmarketing. co.uk 029 2002 9724 Tabletop Workshop www.tabletopworkshop.co.uk T.A.R.E.M.A www.tarematyoys.co.uk 01733 371170 Tapball www.tapballuk.com 01772 863369 Tactic Games www.tactic.net 01483 751267 Taxi Board Game www.taxigame.london 07831 599660 TCE Design www.tcegiftdesign.com 01904 489057 Tegu Toys Works www.tegu.com 07894 661388 Tell Tails www.telltails.co.uk 07790 157900 Tereox Toys www.teroxtoys.co.uk 0161 431 0008 Thames & kosmos www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk 01580 21200 The In Thing/Dracco www.theinthing.co.uk 0845 365 3030 The Source Wholesale 01482 627221 Titan Merchandise www.titanmerchandise.com 020 7803 1895 TKC www.tkcsales.com 01380 872950 TOBAR Group Trading www.tobar.co.uk 0844 573 4299

Spin Master UK

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TTraditional Toys, Games and Novelties.. Also proud distributors of:

Vivid Group www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk 01483 449944 Vtech Electronics Europe www.vtech.co.uk 01235 555545

Wilton Bradley www.wiltonbradley.co.uk 01626 835400 Wind Design www.wind-designs.com 0844 257 1180

0844 573 4299 sales@tobar.co.uk www.tobar.co.uk Together Plus www.togetherplus.com 07869 321 365 TOMY www.tomy.co.uk 020 8722 7300 Toy Essentials www.toyessentials.com +44 (0) 1285 762038 Toymaster www.toymaster.co.uk 01604 674477 Toy State www.toystate.com 0208 440 5060 Traditional Garden Games www.traditionalgardengames.com 02877 768742 Travis www.travis.co.uk 01442 289898 Trends UK www.trendsuk.co.uk 01295 768 078 Trunki www.trunki.com 01179 542780 TTS www.tts-group.co.uk 01623 887068 Ty UK 01329 829828 UL VS www.ul.com 0118 927 3340 Uncle Milton www.unclemilton.com

Underground Toys www.underground-toys.com 0207 801 6325 University Games www.university-games.co.uk 03334 050120 Upcoming Minds www.upcomingmids.com 01702 329866 Ur-Tubes www.ur-tubes.co.uk

07922 581156 Usborne Publishing www.usborne.com 01865 883731 Vertex Resourcing www.vertexresourcing.com 020 8614 4180

e than r o m h Muc

All order enquiries: sales@winningmoves.co.uk + 44 (0) 207 298 9500 www.toptrumps.com

West Design www.westdesignproducts.co.uk 01303 297888

Whitbread Wilkinson www.designedincolour.com 020 7922 1444 Wicked Vision www.wickedvision.co.uk 0870 871 3999 Wild Card Games www.wildcardgames.com

Winning Moves www.winningmoves.co.uk 020 7298 9500 Wooky Entertainment www.wookyeurope.com 0151 4943821 Worlds Apart www.worldsapart.com 0800 389 8591 Wow Stuff www.wowstuff.co.uk 0870 054 6000 Wow Toys www.wowtoys.com 020 7471 0980 Yvolution www.yvolution.com 0203-4689373 Zappies www.zappies.com 01273 467624 Zeon www.zeonltd.co.uk 0208 208 1833 ZooBooKoo International www.zoobookoo.com 01473-735346 Zuru www.zuru.com 852 9439 6316

meets the eye!

For sales call: +44 (0) 1235 555545 DECEMBER 2014

DON’T MISS… In our new feature we bring to the fore a selection of the hottest and newest products that will help you sell more! Buyers and retailers, get in touch with your sales contacts!

Product: Frozen Jewel puzzle Company: Clementoni Tel: 0203 206 1398 Web: www.clementoni.com/en

Product: Think Words Company: John Adams Leisure Ltd Tel: 01480 414361 Web: www.johnadams.co.uk

Product: Nursery Trampoline Company: Galt Tel: 0161 428 9111 Web: www.galttoys.com

Product: The Mine, Minecraft Company: LEGO Tel: 01753 495 000 Web: www.lego.com

Product: Disney Villains, Style Me Up range Company: Wooky Europe Web: www.wookyentertainment.com Tel: 0151 494 3821

Product: Seaside Cruiser House Boat Company: EPOCH making toys Tel: 08435 574062 Email: sales@epochmakingtoys.com

Product: Our Generation Range Company: John Crane Tel: 01604 774949 Web: www.john-crane.co.uk

Product: Oops Mudstock Company: Gibsons Tel: 020 86618866 Web: www.gibsonsgames.co.uk

Product: Skinny Sketcher Company: Asobi Tel: 01628200077 Web: www.asobi.co.uk

toysnplaythings.co.uk

TNP T

LOOKS S BAC BACK

Step back in time TnP MD Malcolm Naish looks back at some of the events and news stories that made the pages back in December 1984, 1994, 2004 and 2009

DECEMBER 2009

DECEMBER 1994

• Early December starts with its traditional toy trade ‘scare’ story concerning one of the year’s hottest toy products, none other than Character Group’s ‘Gogo Pets’. Evidently, a newly formed American Consumer Group named ‘Good Guide’ had conducted some tests on leading toys – it later transpired using unapproved methods. • They claimed that ‘Gogo Pets’ had tested positive for illegal levels of antimony. The results had been picked up by numerous media outlets which included both The Sun and The Daily Star. • Of course, it was quickly proved that their claims were without foundation following good work by both Gary Grant on behalf of the TRA and Roland Earl for the BTHA plus sterling work by Clive Crouch at GMTV who immediately made sure the Great British public had nothing to worry about. • This clearly illustrates the value of strong trade associations and the work they do behind the scenes. • We announce that ITV have acquired GMTV. We’re all very sad at Toys ‘n’ Playthings, it is the end of an era, plus attending their fantastic party in New York and Hong Kong as well as their splendid golf day at Moor Park! • Speaking to toy retailers, the recent James May programmes on Airﬁx and Scalextric have done wonders for Christmas sales. A number of retailers tell us they have gone back to basics, only stocking traditional toys. In fact, one store told me that 30% of their total stock was with two suppliers – John Crane and PinToy. • Well known toy legend Tony Belford is chosen to bring Simba Smoby toys back to some prominence in the UK and still doing very well as we approach 2015. • Not slow to recognise a trend, our ‘Off the Record’ contributor acknowledges the growth in popularity of the ‘Meerkat’. • Les Vargeson having reached the ripe old age of 82, decides that after working for 69 years it’s time to call it a day. Good on you Les – the trade needs more characters like you.

• Paul Goodwill, a toy trade legend passes away. He was a oneoff and stories about Paul are legendary. Most of these would not appear in the magazine! We run a full page obituary, he was that highly thought of and several hundred people attended his funeral. • One supplier gave me an interesting scenario. At their preview in late 1993 a Major buyer doubted that the product that the supplier had high hopes for 1994 retailed at over £100 and expressed the view that it was far too expensive. Therefore, the supplier greatly reduced the numbers they ordered. Move forward a year and that product sold out almost immediately, leaving everyone short of stock. The moral of the story is don’t always trust a Major buyers view. • Hasbro ﬁnalise the deal to buy Waddingtons, so yet another British name all but disappears. We ask a dozen retailers what their thoughts are on Hasbro’s acquisition and to a man/ woman they are not happy Paul Goodwill bunnies over the purchase.

December 09 Volume 29 Number 3

DECEMBER 2004 • The Competition Appeal Tribunal upholds the Ofﬁce of Fair Trading when two years previously they accused both Littlewoods and Argos of price ﬁxing on certain Hasbro products. I write that this is somewhat ironic as both Littlewoods and Argos have been the scourge of the Independents when it comes to selling it cheap. • Rob Mann leaves RC2 to take up the role of MD at Tomy. • Thomas the Tank Engine celebrated his 60th year in 2005, almost 10 years on and he’s as strong as ever, all to the good of Mattel. • Richard Body hands over the reins at LeapFrog. They are in excellent shape and Mitch Levene (now running Chicco UK) is now VP of sales. • Hot Wheels rally success with Mike Barratt as lead driver. Hot toys this Christmas are Tamagotchi, Roposapiens, Baby Born, Sylvanian, Barbie and Bratz.

DECEMBER 2014

DECEMBER 1984 • Quite a number of retailers are complaining of overstocks on ‘Star Wars’ merchandise that ﬁrst hit the U.K. in 1983. The overstocks has certainly affected their buying power for Christmas ’84. Les Vargeson • The loony left in the form of 18 teachers from the Inner London Education Authority have spent the last two years seeking out sexist school text books and have come to the conclusion that Postman Pat is not socially acceptable. They believe that Letter Carrier Pat would more ﬁt the bill. • I write that perhaps they are all socially unacceptable and long live Postman Pat! • I am saddened to report that Colin Normanton who owns Crossgates Wonderland in Dominic Geddes the Arndale Centre, Leeds is killed in a tragic car crash. He was a lovely man and a past chairman of the White Rose buying group and also the N.A.T.R. plus a founder member of Unigroup/Toymaster. • Dominic Geddes joins Hasbro as national accounts executive after two years with Ideal Toys. • Over 60 of the toy companies who advertised with us in December 1984 are sadly no longer either in business or have been purchased by larger companies.