NEWS
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DAILY
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The Toy Fair’s ONLY official daily paper
Razzle dazzle!
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Tuesday, January 22, 2019
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Star turn at Toy Fair London Toy Fair is set for a sprinkle of Hollywood stardust, with Harry Potter and Star Wars film star, Warwick Davis, prepped to make an appearance on Asmodee UK’s stand E109, today in the early afternoon. Warwick will be promoting new board game, Tenable, which is based on the hit quiz show he hosts on ITV. “We are very excited to have Warwick Davis join us on the stand at Toy Fair,” said Asmodee’s Marketing Manager, Ben Hogg. “We couldn’t have a better advocate for Tenable, and we expect that the buzz around his presence will reflect fans’ excitement to try their hand at Tenable at home.”
Team Bandai are all smiles, Gallery 600
It’s shimm-azing on the Vivid stand, B70, with new Shimmeez, a range of cuddly pets with reversible sequins. Cathy Prowde, Brand Manager, sh-nuggles up.
Ready & raring to go!
Peppa puckers up
Toy industry full of optimism following a strong year of trading A survey conducted by The Daily News has shown that the toy industry is feeling positive about the year ahead, with over 90% of the toy trade reporting that they are hopeful for a strong year of trading in 2019. This optimism comes after three quarters of the toy industry reported a stronger business year in 2018 compared with the previous year.
Although business for most was better, some did say that the fluctuating exchange rate had added additional challenges. Nonetheless, most of the toy trade said that last year’s Toy Fair positively affected their business and 96% have long been looking forward to Toy Fair 2019!
Character Options’ Marketing Manager, Mark Hunt, shows off the company’s biggest Peppa collection to date on stand E119. “Look out for our Peppa Surprise, our new unboxing range,” he says.
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e “What littl t girl wouldn’ a t wan unicorn of her own?” ’s says K’Nex en st ri K Krikorian? Gallery 510
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Who’s the boss? Alex Green takes the reins as new Managing Director at Asmodee UK A new era is set to begin at Asmodee UK, stand E109, as Alex Green becomes the games specialist’s new Managing Director. His promotion is the well-earned result of over 20 years at the company in a variety of high-level roles, including over 10 years served on the board of directors. The change at the top comes as previous MD Steve Buckmaster embarks on a new challenge within the wider Asmodee Group as the new Head of Distribution in Europe. “I am very proud and honoured to become the new Managing Director of Asmodee UK,” said Alex. “It is a great privilege to be taking over from Steve, who is handing over a fantastic team and a great portfolio of products at a very exciting time.” There is also a change of role for another senior Asmodee UK figure, with Anil Boodhoo taking on the new title of Sales & Marketing Director. Anil, a company veteran of 14 years, steps up to the role with the clear goal of closely aligning marketing activities to support sales goals.
The annual Toy Trust Media Auction is now open and advance bids are welcome ahead of the auction that will take place during the Toy Industry Awards night on Tuesday 22 January 2019 – the auction will close at 3pm on Thursday 24 January, the last day of Toy Fair. As the second largest fundraising activity for the Toy Trust each year, the annual Media Auction is a classic win-win scenario for all. Not only can members bag themselves a media bargain, but all funds raised go to help the chosen Toy Trust charities during the year. Last year, more than £72000 was raised and with some highly sought-after lots once more up for grabs, it’s hoped that this year will be just as successful. If you’d like to make an advance bid for one or more of the Media Auction Lots, please email Matt Jones at the BTHA matt@btha.co.uk or visit the live auction page: www.toytrust.co.uk/media-auction For tickets to the Toy Industry Awards, please email matt@btha.co.uk and to find out more about the work of the Toy Trust, visit the Toy Trust website. Network
Item
Detail
Value
ITV Breakfast
ITVB package 1
£7500 of airtime across ITV Breakfast & Citv Breakfast to be taken January-August 2019
£7500
ITV Breakfast
ITVB package 2
£7500 of airtime across ITV Breakfast & Citv Breakfast to be taken January-August 2019
£7500
ITV Breakfast
ITVB package 3
£7500 of airtime across ITV Breakfast & Citv Breakfast to be taken January-August 2019
£7500
Five
Milkshake package 1
£5000 of airtime on Milkshake to be taken January-August 2019
£5000
Five
Milkshake package 2
£5000 of airtime on Milkshake to be taken January-August 2019
£5000
Sky/Nickelodeon & Pop channels
Sky Kids package 1
£10000 of airtime to be taken January-August 2019 (excluding school holidays)
£10000
Sky/Nickelodeon & Pop channels
Sky Kids package 2
£10000 of airtime to be taken January-August 2019 (excluding school holidays)
£10000
Turner Media
Turner package 1
£5000 of airtime to be taken January-August 2019 on Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Cartoonito. Should a bid over £5000 be received, Turner match it in airtime value up to £10000
£10000
Turner Media
Turner package 2
£5000 of airtime to be taken January-August 2019 on Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Cartoonito. Should a bid over £5000 be received, Turner match it in airtime value up to £10000
£10000
Disney
Disney package 1
£7500 of airtime to be taken January-June 2019 (excluding school holidays) on Disney XD, Disney Junior or Disney Channel
£7500
Disney
Disney package 2
£7500 of airtime to be taken January-June 2019 (excluding school holidays) on Disney XD, Disney Junior or Disney Channel
£7500
SuperAwesome
SuperAwesome package 1
£5000 worth of pre roll impressions across Superawesome platform to be taken January-June 2019
£5000
SuperAwesome
SuperAwesome package 2
£5,000 worth of pre roll impressions across Superawesome platform to be taken January-June 2019
£5000
Venatus Media
Venatus package 1
500,000 pre roll impressions across Venatus platform to be taken January-June 2019
£6000
Venatus Media
Venatus package 2
500,000 pre roll impressions across Venatus platform to be taken January-June 2019
£6000
Red Media Sales
Ketchup TV
£5,000 of pre roll impressions to be taken February-August 2019
£5000
Magazines / Online Publication
Detail
Value
Toys ‘n’ Playthings
One full page ad in Toys ‘n’ Playthings magazine
£1000
TNP.MEDIA (Toys ‘n’ Playthings Digital)
Six-week leader board banner on TNP.MEDIA website to run between February and April 2019
£1250
Toy News
Two-month home page leader board on ToyNews Online + one Native content article
£1000
Toy World
Footer banner ad to appear on Toy World website and daily email newsflash bulletin for one month
£1000
The Entertainer
1 x Front page Christmas 2018 catalogue product or logo slot – open to existing suppliers only
£5000
Sainsbury’s Argos
1/3 banner on the Toys landing page on Argos.co.uk for a two week period during excluding Black Friday period. The winner must provide their own creative, no external links permitted. Four week lead time required for the banner to be made live.
£5000
Redan Publishing Ltd
1 x full page ad in Fun To Learn Friends, Fun To Learn Favourites or Sparkle World
£2000
NEWS
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Welcome to Toy Fair A special welcome from BTHA Toy Fair Chairman, Jon Diver
EGGcellent collectables! Spin Master, stand E131, is cooking up more EGGcitement from collectable phenomenon Hatchimals, with the hatching of Hatchimals CollEGGtibles Season 5 – Mermal Magic in February! The enchanted line includes new sea shell eggs, more character detailing and a variety of water transformations. Children will experience the underwater world with the new one pack, two pack and four pack, as well as the six pack Seashell carton. Not to mention unique playsets including Flower Shower and Water Slide with real water features, and the Coral Castle Playset. HatchiFans will be wowed by the magical creatures in this new range and want to collect them all!
Re:creation lights up with LEGO It’s back and bigger than ever! Following the huge success of The LEGO Movie, February sees the return of Emmet and friends for The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part. There’s a new The LEGO Movie 2 key light collection too, with each character featuring light-up elements. The perfect addition to school bags and key chains everywhere. Re:creation Ltd, Stand E125
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Welcome, everyone, to Toy Fair 2019! This year marks our 66th annual event, and I’m delighted to see so many new and familiar faces here at Olympia. Whether you’re a trade visitor, exhibitor, or media, Toy Fair 2019 is packed full of exciting people to meet, and toys to play with. Toy Fair is a crucial event in the toy industry calendar, setting the tone and trends for the year ahead. With Brexit around the corner, it’s never been more important for the UK toy industry to come together and showcase the very best that we can offer. Toy Fair is the perfect shop-window to what our industry can achieve both at home and abroad. As always, the beating heart of Toy Fair is our exhibitors. We have more than 250 exhibiting companies at the show this year, showcasing thousands of new games, toys, and gift products. From cuddly toys to slime, board games to high tech robots, the toys you see today could be the talk of the playground for months to come. Toy Fair is a fantastic place to do business, strengthen relationships, and meet new partners. Nowhere else can you meet the biggest names from our industry, alongside the UK’s home-grown stars and start-up businesses, all under one roof. All this is supported by the UK’s innovative approach to toy design, which drives our industry forward. There’s no better place to see this than in our Greenhouse Area, bursting with the UK’s toy entrepreneurs and their ingenious inventions. Make sure you take a look – the Greenhouse is located on the ground floor of the show, behind the central staircase. With so much on offer at Toy Fair, it can be difficult to know where to
start. To kick off your visit, I recommend you stop by Toy Fair’s Hero Toys, displayed outside the Press Office on the Upper Gallery. Selected by the BTHA and independent retailers, these special awards showcase the most innovative, exciting, and ingenious toys at the show this year, and are a taste of what you will find around the halls. It’s a great place to get your bearings before heading out onto the show floor. As you well know, influencers are an increasingly vital part of the UK toy industry. Like our traditional press, they speak directly to our customers – to children and to parents. To better help influencers make the most of their time at Toy Fair, we’ve launched our very own Content Creation Zone. This dedicated space allows bloggers, YouTubers and video teams to try out the latest toys, record their own reviews, and interview our exhibitors on camera. If you’re interested in booking a slot, just drop in to stand 198 on the Upper Gallery. Toy Fair TV will be broadcast live on screens around Olympia throughout the show, so you won’t miss a thing when you stop for that much-needed coffee. Our hosts Gavin Inskip and Anna Williamson are a familiar sight for Toy Fair veterans, as they rush about the show floor visiting exhibitors stands and covering the biggest announcements. Don’t miss their fantastic Demo Zone segments, where exhibitors’ toys are put through their paces by the toughest audience of all – children! It’s well worth taking a break for. Of course, there is no substitute to getting out on the show floor and seeing all this for yourself. With just three short days to explore the show, there’s no time to lose. Have a fantastic Toy Fair!
“Toy Fair is the perfect shop-window to what our industry can achieve both at home and abroad.”
Pawesome Facts Posh Paws Stand D90 • Posh Paws is 13 years old this year, they’re officially a teenager! • They are a small team but they have over 100 years of toy industry experience between them! • They are based in the heart of TOWIE land – The Only Way is Essex with Posh Paws! • They have manufactured over 25 million cuddly toys! That’s 25 million smiles created
SHOW OFFERS There are some fantastic offers available to buyers, so don’t miss out! 3 STYLE SCOOTERS – Stand GH6
GIBSONS - Stand E40
MY LITTLE WORLD LIMITED – Stand GH69
Free Zoomi Funky Monkey Scooter buddy bag accessory with any unit purchased on the day. (Max 100 per order).
Lucky Dip! Place an order over £450 to be in with a chance of winning one of our fabulous prizes! Prizes include: £20 £50 £100 Free Stock! 5% discount 10% discount
15% off All orders under £200 excl VAT placed at the show. 25% off All orders over £200 excl VAT placed at the show.
ALPHA ANIMATION AND TOYS – Stand B90 5% OFF orders placed at the show with delivery in Q1. Branded FSDU offers for orders over £500. Special offers on selected products.
ASMODEE UK – Stand E109 - 15% off a selection of games. - Purchase any Pokémon TCG & get a free Trading Day Kit. - Dungeon Mayhem Card Game: D&D - Buy 8 get 1 free. FUN FAST GAMES - BUY 10 GET 2 FREE (BUY 10 OF EACH AND GET AN ADDITIONAL 10% OFF!): - Dobble - Bananagrams - Rory’s Story Cubes® - Cobra Paw - Who Did It? - Dice Academy DOBBLE - BUY 10 GET 2 FREE (BUY 10 OF EACH - GET A FREE FSDU AND 10% OFF!): - Dobble - Dobble Kids - Dobble Animals - Dobble 123 PARTY GAMES - BUY 10 GET 2 FREE (BUY 10 OF EACH AND GET AN ADDITIONAL 10% OFF!): - Codenames - Telestrations - Crazy Eggs - Maki Stack - Times UP MODERN CLASSICS: - Pandemic - Buy 5 get 1 free - Catan - Buy 7 get 1 free - Carcassonne - Buy 5 get 1 free - Ticket to Ride Europe - Buy 5 get 1 free - Dixit - Buy 5 get 1 free - Splendor - Buy 5 get 1 free ** All offers are subject to change **
BATTLEFRONT MINIATURES – Stand D98 Everyone who visits the stand gets a Gale Force Nine/Battlefront. Miniatures Show Exclusive Swag Bag. 5% off new account orders at the show. 10% off opening orders over £2000.
BRAINSTORM – Stand E79 Free stock deals and reduced carriage paid order values plus special discounts on a range of items.
CARTAMUNDI UK – Stand H1 5% off all orders placed at the show.
CLEMENTONI – Stand Upper Level 140 Extra 10% discount off price list for orders placed at the Fair and delivered by end of March 2019.
COILEDSPRING GAMES – Stand E35 Forbidden Series Buy the 3 series bundle and receive 10% off trade price. Kingdomino Series 10% off trade price on all orders, plus receive a free Kingdomino CDU. Wrebbit 3D Buy any two cases of Wrebbit 3D puzzles and get a free display. Schmidt Jigsaw Puzzles 10% off trade price all Schmidt jigsaw puzzles, including the Thomas Kinkade Disney Range.
The Mind Promo offer on The Mind game. T&Cs apply. Please ask the team for further details.
DKL MARKETING LIMITED – Stand E66 DKL Marketing offers its customers exclusive Toy Fair Discount Deals across all our ranges - not to be missed!! Ask the team for details.
EDUK8 WORLDWIDE LTD – Stand F1 5% discount on order value below £500. 10% discount on order value above £500 plus carriage paid. Based on our trade price list and for all orders placed at London Toy Fair.
FIESTA CRAFTS LTD – Stand D2
GINGER FOX – Stand B115 SPIN TO WIN! Take a spin on our giant spinner for your chance to win discounts off your order, free cartons of our best sellers or a sweet treat! What will you land on? *Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer. Discounts must be used by May 2019.
GREAT GIZMOS – Stand G20 Orders placed at Toy Fair 22nd -24th January 2019 qualify for: 2.5% off orders over £250. 5% off orders over £500. 10% off orders over £1,000. Offer applies to full priced stock only, not to be used in conjunction with any other offer.
GREEN BEAN COLLECTION – Stand GH18 20% off all orders placed at the Toy Fair London 2019 + FREE SHIPPING to UK Retailers.
HALILIT – Stand E90 10% off all show orders for independent retailers. Reduced carriage paid minimums. Bespoke discounts on specific lines.
HIPPYCHICK – Stand Upper Level 305 Offer 1 - Save 10% when you spend £500. Offer 2 - Free Wooden Display Stands for Bricks and Mortar Shops with qualifying order – terms apply – see team for details. Offer 3 - Buy 10 Trybike 2 in 1 Steel and get a display bike absolutely free. Offer 4 - Buy 10 Trybike 4 in 1 Wood and get a display bike absolutely free.
We are offering an additional 5% discount for all orders placed at the show.
ORCHARD TOYS - Stand B12 Offer to independent retailers: All orders over £400 Net, placed at the show and delivered by the 29th February 2019 will receive a free stock pack, including 2 of each of the new lines, worth over £100 (at G.R.P.s).
RED KNIGHT TOY GROUP LTD – Stand Upper Level 148 10% off on all orders placed at Toy Fair.
ROMA – Stand Upper Level 144 We have no minimum order, delivery is free over £50 plus we are offering 10% off all our Roma Dolls Prams when ordered at the Toy Fair! Pop upstairs & turn right - you’ll find us at the end. We have a new & exciting dolls pram range to show you.
SKIP HOP UK – Stand F66 Up to 15% off orders placed at the show!
SMART TOYS & GAMES - Stand F25 £250.00 minimum order value (normally £350.00) + 5% discount on all orders received no later than Friday 1st February 2019 (excluding pre-orders).
STC TESTING, INSPECTION & CERTIFICATION – Stand Upper Level 165 Get USD 350 off any testing spend over USD 1000. Get USD 150 off any testing spend over USD 500. Get USD 70 off any testing spend over USD 250. Please come to our booth to discuss further!
THAMES AND KOSMOS – Stand F15 5% off orders over £500 and 10% off orders over £1000. New customers will receive a free carton of our new multilingual kits.
IIMO – Stand Upper Level 315
WILD CARD GAMES – Stand H20
Extra 10% off for orders over £1000. Please ask the team for further details.
JWS Europe Ltd will be offering a 15% discount on its complete catalogue for all orders placed at Toy Fair 2019.
10% discount off standard prices for order placed at Toy Fair for our 2 new family party games: - 1ST TO WORST! – The party game of preference. - A great party game for families and friends where you guess a player’s order of preference from 3 choices on an inclusive range of popular topics. - GUESSED LIST – If your names not down you’re not gonna win! - A fun fast family quiz game where you choose from 4 popular List Titles and then get 30 seconds to guess a specific name on your chosen Guessed List. 5% discount off standard prices for orders of all other games placed at Toy Fair.
KAPLA – Stand Upper Level 143
WINNING MOVES UK – Stand E115
Save a minimum of 10% with our special show offers!
Visit us at London Toy Fair show stand E115 and take advantage of our show offers; 5% off £500 orders & 10% off £1000 order deals at show, one-drop delivery; Terms & Conditions apply.
JURATOYS UK LTD – Stand B121 Juratoys UK are pleased to offer all customers a 5% discount on all orders placed at Toy Fair 2019. We have over 200 brand new products to showcase for 2019.... visit us at the show to discover our new collection across Janod and Kaloo.
JWS EUROPE LTD – Stand F101
KIDICRAFT – Stand H30 Super 3D Posters and Placemats are on buy two get one free, so a pack of 12 you only pay for 8. This brings the cost down to approx. £1.37 with RRP at £4.99. A 15% discount on ALL Super 3D 500pc Puzzles making them £4.68 instead of £5.50. All orders over £500 receive a 5% discount (this is on top of the discounts above).
Legler OHG small foot company – Stand B125 No minimum order value is required for all orders placed at the show. For an order placed at the show (value lower than £450), receive a £20 coupon, that can be redeemed with your next order. For an order placed at the show (value over £450), receive a £45 coupon, that can be redeemed with your next order.
MAGFORMERS UK LTD – Stand Upper Level 540 Order over £500 at the fair and receive extra 5% discount Order over £750 at the fair and receive extra 10% discount Deals are only open to Independent retailers, members of AIS & Toymaster Onlyz
MANOBESAZ – Stand Upper Level 316 20% introductory discount for first 10 companies on their personalized orders.
MARVIN’S MAGIC – Stand H65
At least 10% off show orders £300 or more. Also play to win a brand-new Discover the World Board Game. Terms apply.
Marvin’s Magic are offering 5% off orders placed at the show over £500. 10% off orders placed at the show over £1.5K. Spot deals also available by request.
GAMES WORKSHOP LTD – Stand D109
MISS NELLA – Stand GH72
New Customers - Join our Stockist Programme & Receive: FREE Start Here Counter Display Unit containing 3 x Getting Started Magazines, 2 x Paint Sets, 2 x Storm Strikes plus 1 x 7ft Standee. Existing Customers Promotions available – come and speak to a representative at the stand!
NATMARK DISTRIBUTION – Stand Upper Level 150
Any order of full nail polish range will receive FREE large Display + FREE mix packs. All items will be 10% discounted for orders over the 3 days show. For any complete order Free display + FREE packaging and art pack.
ZIMPLI KIDS – Stand B35 Offer 1 - Are you ready for this Gelli? Fully Stocked FSDU Bundle Cost: £264.06 RRP: £664.97 giving you a 55% Margin! Offer 2 - Let’s get messy ... PLAY! Play Tray Bundle Cost: £98.02 RRP: £336.94 - 65% margin! Offer 3 - Zimpli the best bundle – filled with our best-selling lines Cost: £183.76 RRP: £552.94 giving you a 60% margin! Offer 4 – No store? No Problem! 20% off all orders placed at the show (cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers at the show!)
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Toy Fair reveals their Hero Toys for 2019! With a great mix of established brands and newcomers to the toy industry, this year’s Toy Fair’s Hero Toys are an exciting mix!
Character Options
LEGO, Spin Master and Hasbro were among the winners of Toy Fair’s Hero Toys announced this morning by the British Toy & Hobby Association (BTHA). Toy Fair’s Hero Toys represent some of the most innovative products launching at this year’s annual toy, games and hobbies show, which opened today at Olympia London. The 25 toys that make up the Toy Fair’s Hero Toy finalists are potential bestsellers that will be officially released throughout 2019. Decided by an independent panel of industry judges and the BTHA, the exciting list of toys features something for everyone - from action toys, board games, and tech toys, to the latest collectables, plush and STEM toys perfect for pre-school development. Rebecca Deeming, Public Relations & Events Manager
for the BTHA, says, “Toy Fair’s Hero Toys celebrates the most exciting and innovative products launched at Toy Fair”. “We’re delighted to bring the showcase back again, as one of the first opportunities to see what could be the year’s most sought-after toys.” “All entries are judged equally for their innovative qualities and are fantastic examples of the benefits children get from play. Any Toy Fair exhibiting company, big or small, can be in the running to be awarded a Hero Toy. To place as a finalist in the top 25 is a fantastic achievement and highlights the wealth of talent we have within the industry. Congratulations to all our winners!” The winning 25 Hero Toys can be found outside the Press Office, on the Upper Level.
The full Toy Fair’s Hero Toys list is:
Bandai
Lego
Casdon Re:creation
Vivid
COMPANY
PRODUCT
RRP
STAND NUMBER
Alpha Group
Massive Monster Mayhem Inflatable Bash Armour
£17.99
B90
Bandai UK Ltd
Bananas Bunches 3 Pack Series 3
£9.99
Upper Level 600
Casdon
Tetley Tea Set
£12.99
E30
Character Options
Peppa Pig Stage Playset
£39.99
E119
Clementoni
PET_BITS Interactive Collectable Robot
£19.99
Upper Level 140
Flair Leisure Products PLC
The Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Deluxe Ninja Attack Action Figures
£14.99
E39
Golden Bear
Everybody’s Best Friend Waffle the Wonder Dog!
£29.99
E69
H Grossman Ltd
My First Light Up Trike
£49.99
E49
Hasbro UK Ltd
NERF Rukkus ICS-8 Nerf N-Strike Elite
£19.99
Gallery Suites
Interplay UK
Face Paintoos Wild Pack
£9.99
G10
K’NEX
K’NEX Dragon Revenge Coaster
£49.99
Upper Level 510
Kids@Play
Join the Force: Police Bike
£99.99
Upper Level 180
LeapFrog Toys
Butterfly Counting Friend
£19.99
Upper Level 500
Learning Resources
Artie 3000™
£69.00
D36
LEGO
THE LEGO® MOVIE 2™ 70820 LEGO Movie Maker
£44.99
Olympia Room
Mookie Toys
Chimpy
£20.00
E149
Orchard Toys
Magic Spelling
£12.75
B12
Paul Lamond Games
The World of David Walliams’ Gangsta Granny Board Game
£19.95
E50
Playmobil UK (Ltd)
Tiny Paws Pet Hotel
£59.99
Upper Level 210
Re:creation Ltd
ENGINO STEM Heroes Greenhouse
£79.99
E125
Schleich
The Schleich Horse Club Rider Café
£39.99
Upper Level 100
Spin Master
PAW Patrol Ultimate Rescue Construction Truck
£39.99
E131
Tactic Games
Don’t Upset the Llama
£14.99
F90
TOMY
Ritzy Rollerz Dance & Dazzle Spa
£34.99
Upper Level 520
Vivid Toy Group
Ryan’s World Mystery Egg
£14.99
B70
Spin Master Flair
Schleich
Mookie
Learning Resources
Alpha Group Hasbro Orchard Toys
Golden Bear Playmobil
Tomy
SPONSORED FEATURE
Posh Paws
Stand D90
Posh Paws brings Moshi Twilight to life The Moshi Twilight Sleep Stories audio app is revolutionising bedtime for families around the world by helping kids drift off when the lights go out. Posh Paws MD Alan Smith and Mind Candy CEO Ian Chambers give their insights into how the new Moshi Twilight plush range, The Sleepies, is set to make bedtime a dream for millions of families. Alan, you have been at Posh Paws for more than nine months, what direction are you taking the business in and where do you see the biggest opportunities? It’s the dawn of a new era for Posh Paws. We are now into our 13th year having manufactured more than 50 million high-quality licensed plush toys. We now have a renewed focus on broadening our horizons through continually seeking new global licence opportunities, demonstrated by the signing of some fantastic new licences this year such as Moshi Twilight.
Ian, please explain more about Moshi Twilight, the latest evolution of the Moshi franchise We created Moshi Twilight to make a billion families around the world happier and healthier by helping their kids get to sleep using the power of storytelling. Working in partnership with Calm, the world’s leading meditation and wellbeing app, we have brought the enchanting world of Moshi to bedtime by creating completely original audio content featuring both new and much loved Moshi characters and locations. The app has more than 25 hours of audio Sleep Stories, Sleep Relaxations, Sleep Sounds, and Sleep Music to help children relax, settle and fall asleep.
Alan, what attracted you to this property? As soon as the team at Mind Candy presented Moshi Twilight to us we knew we had to be involved! The app is beautifully and lovingly created, with stories featuring adorable characters that are so well suited to plush toys. We felt we were perfectly positioned to produce a beautiful range of plush to help them to achieve their vision.
Ian, how do licensed products fit into your growth strategy for Moshi Twilight? Our licensing ambition for Moshi Twilight is to create a range of products that, when used alongside the app, help kids drift off to sleep easily at bedtime when the lights go out. Our first step on this journey has been to sign the global deal with Posh Paws. We will be launching more products in the future, all of which will bundle a subscription to the app giving families instant access to all of our content.
Alan, when are you planning to reveal your range? We are showing our range of Moshi Twilight Sleepies for the first time here at Toy Fair! Our range includes four Sleepies: SleepyPaws the Snoozy Koala, Nodkins the Bedtime
Bunny, Yawnsy the Sleepwalking Otter and Professor Feathersnooze the Owl of Nod. All four are available in two size variations. More than three million children across the globe have fallen to sleep listening to Moshi Twilight in the past year, we want to make their bedtime experience even more special with one of these beautiful, high-quality plush toys.
Ian, what kind of reaction has Moshi Twilight been getting from retailers and licensees? With Moshi Twilight we are incredibly excited about the potential to create a non-seasonal range of products that will perfectly enhance the digital audio experience of listening to Sleep Stories. The Moshi IP is unique and magical and there is a common belief that our world and its characters, which has inspired 100 million kids, has an opportunity to inspire a whole new generation of kids and parents.
To find out more, visit the exclusive Moshi Twilight sleep zone on Posh Paws’ stand D90 for your chance to snuggle down and relax with the dream partnership that is Mind Candy and Posh Paws.
COME VISIT US! STAND E130
THE LARGEST LICENSE PORTFOLIO IN THE INDUSTRY! For any queries please contact us via email at inquiriesuk@funko.com Follow us for more exciting product updates!
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NEWS Worried you might not get the most out of your time at Toy Fair 2019? Don’t panic – Majen Immink, Director of Fairs and Special Events, is here to give you some top tips on how to make the most out of the show! Each day of Toy Fair, Majen will be giving you her words of wisdom on what you mustn’t miss, what you should expect and what there is to do… a few stands down from the Press Office. This dedicated space, fitted with seating area and shelves for products, provides our influencers and traditional media a special area to host fantastic video interviews and reviews. The Content Creation Zone will overlook the entire show from the balcony, to capture those allimportant camera angles. Once you’ve finished checking out the Content Creation Zone, you’ll be in the right place to witness one of Toy Fair’s prestigious highlights! In front of our press office, on the Gallery Level, we will have the Toy Fair’s Hero Toys — which are chosen by the BTHA and a panel of toy experts. So make sure you swing by to check out the display. You’ll be glad to know that Toy Fair TV is back for its seventh year! For any newcomers, Toy Fair TV is our in-house TV channel, which is broadcast on screens all over Olympia. Here you’ll find coverage of the latest product launches, demonstrations over in the Demo Zone, and interviews with exhibitors on stands across Toy Fair. As always, Anna Williamson and Gavin Inskip will be your dedicated hosts, and will spend the next three days making their way across the show — keep a lookout for them and the Toy Fair TV team. Day One won’t be ending at 6pm, though! We’ll be carrying the Toy Fair magic with us through the night to the Toy Industry Awards, which is where the industry’s toy suppliers and retailers will be recognised for all their hard work. The Awards will be hosted by the BTHA and the TRA, and we look forward to seeing you there. But before you start thinking about those drinks, get out there! Make your first loop around Toy Fair, forge new connections, witness some amazing product launches and see for yourself how the toy industry is going to thrive in 2019.
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ies 2 rables Ser and 1. Hairdo g Free Doll in id R it ir p 2. S cessories feeding ac i 3. Gormit Lab s Romeo’s utant 4. PJ Mask Teenage M e h t f o e k 5. The Ris Turtle Tan s le t r u T Ninja
“I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you, to all of you in the toy industry, for your upmost support of Toy Fair”
Hello, and welcome to the very first day of London Toy Fair 2019. For the next three days, you’ll be diving into the Toy Fair experience, discovering great products and meeting some amazing people! But, before we get stuck in, I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you, to all of you in the toy industry, for your upmost support of Toy Fair. It’s very important to acknowledge that without the hundreds of dedicated visitors and exhibitors we welcome to the show, we wouldn’t be entering a fantastic 66th year — so thank you. As expected, Toy Fair 2019 is completely sold out yet again, with more than 250 exhibiting companies ready to make your show one to remember. As you may know, Day One is our official media day. The Toy Fair story makes headlines in outlets all over the country, thanks to the hard work of over 300 journalists that attend the show each year from TV, radio, newspapers, websites, blogs and YouTube channels. Many members of the press will be making their journey through the show today, so exhibitors — make sure your stand is all set to impress! To cater for all our attending media, we have launched a brand-new space at this year’s Toy Fair – and it’s expecting a big crowd! The Content Creation Zone is located on the Upper Level, just
New for Toy Fair 2019 is the BTHA’s Content Creation Zone. To accommodate the increasing popularity of influencers, YouTubers and bloggers in the industry, they have created this zone to act as a space set back from the hustle and bustle of the show floor, to film videos, interviews and toy demonstrations. With a sofa and logo display wall, the zone is a bright and vibrant area for users to create exciting videos and other content. Members of the media and exhibitors are also encouraged to use the zone for any social media coverage they may be creating at the show. If you wish to use the Content Creation Zone, then you will need to book a slot in the timetable by visiting the zone on stand 198 on the Upper Level.
Creative coding Artie™ is the new coding and drawing robot from Learning Resources, stand D36, that puts children in control! Artie has a built-in Wifi server so can be used anywhere without requiring an internet connection. The easyto-use drag and drop programming can be used on a Mac, PC or tablet and offers four modes of play; pre-programmed shapes, games, art for colouring and freeform coding. With 360-degree movement, tell Artie to turn right or left, forward or backward or spin in any direction! Four swappable, washable coloured pens are included, and the innovative drawing simulator software allows coders to test their ideas before setting Artie down on paper.
2019 Toy Fair Daily News - Pokémon SM9 - Tuesday.indd 1
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HeadSplat
TREND FOCUS
Caring Cats Eduk8 Worldwide Ltd Stand F1
Flair, Stand E39 HeadSplat is the water challenge game where you must use your head to flip a water balloon into the splash out cup. Hit the rim or miss, the balloon will burst you’ll get head-splatted!
Looking Games & for… Puzzles
A game that makes caring fun and encourages children to be kind, thoughtful and considerate. Move around the town leaving a trail of smiles as you go and collect charms by making something kind, being thoughtful or cheering up someone with words.
A hotbed of inventive ideas, family fun and – more recently – a whole load of mess, this games category continues to capture the attention and spend of consumers of all ages. Doubtless a toy shop staple, here’s just a snapshot of the hottest games here at Toy Fair…
BrainBox - World Traveller Green Board Games, Stand E15 Their world renowned BrainBox range covers topics from English, Maths and Science to Art to name but a few of over 60 BrainBox titles. Having initially launched in 2007 with The World, GBG’s 2019 launch of World Traveller is apt given the total sales of BrainBox worldwide is now reaching eight million.
Wooden Puzzle Sticks Fiesta Crafts, Stand D2 Reimagine the traditional puzzle with these exciting wild animal wooden Puzzle Sticks! There are 18 double-sided wooden sticks which make up eight different puzzles.
Toilet Trouble Flushdown Hasbro Stand Gallery Suites The hilarious Toilet Trouble game is back, but this time, two players will take the plunge! In the Toilet Trouble Flushdown game, players go head-to-head in a fast-paced race to avoid the spray.
Eureka Kids Marbel Stand B50 This brightly coloured Evolutionary Vet Puzzle doesn’t just come with one puzzle, but four. Each varying in difficulty depending on the number of pieces they have: six, nine, 12 and 16. So as your child grows so does the puzzle.
Pass Gass Tobar Stand F50 The smelliest game around, spin the dial, roll a die and hope you don’t lose and have to press the dog’s tail!
Avocado Park 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle Gibsons, Stand E40 Holy guacamole! This pear-fect 1000 piece puzzle is filled to the brim with everyone’s favourite little fruit. This great puzzle has avo-people doing avo-cardio, chilling with their avo-dogs…some even drive an avo-car! Avocado Park is part of Gibsons’ new range of design-led jigsaw puzzles especially for adults.
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NEWS We caught up with Epoch’s Marketing Manager, Yuki Otsuka, to learn about the company’s must-see launches on stand B130
Meet the BTHA Toy Fair wouldn’t happen without all the hard work of the amazing people that make up the British Toy and Hobby Association. The Daily News hears how they support the industry, not just every January, but all year round!
What are you most looking forward to at London Toy Fair 2019? Meeting both new and existing customers and showing them around our stand.
How would you sum up the last trading year?
Director General
Natasha Crookes
Director of Public Affairs and Communications
Christine Baxter Fairs & Special Events Manager This year is my 21st Toy Fair! I’ve loved working on Toy Fair ever since I joined the BTHA in 1998. After working towards the show all-year-round it’s great to see the exhibition come to life with all the bright colours and vast range of exhibitors. If anyone has any queries during the show or regarding next year’s Toy Fair, they can find me in the Organiser’s Office on the Upper Level.
This year we have been very conscious of the ‘customer journey’ on our stand. We’ve created a story throughout each area, showcasing the different categories within Sylvanian Families, and we have ramped up the Aquabeads area to introduce our great new products.
How many retailers and buyers do you estimate you meet at Toy Fair 2019? We estimate to meet around 3-400 customers on our stand.
Why should buyers come to see you this year?
We are introducing new products from both Sylvanian Families and Aquabeads. For Sylvanians, we are going back to our roots and re-introducing the ever-popular doll houses and also offering new pocket money products/themed playsets. Aquabeads’ 2019 new range is truly exciting, with our introduction of a 3D range that offers children an even more exciting arts and crafts experience.
And finally – we must ask – what’s your brew of choice? Starbucks…. a soy latte!
CENSI I L Licensing
is coming!
Coiledspring Games, stand E35, has two fantastic licences for their Wrebbit3D puzzles in 2019 — Harry Potter and Game of Thrones. Wrebbit3D puzzles have snug and tight-fitting pieces that are easy to handle, as well as high definition graphics, featuring striking realism. They are the sturdiest 3D puzzles on the market! The iconic Harry Potter range from Wrebbit3D is a bestseller for Coiledspring Games, with its cross-generational appeal. The puzzles apply to both the toy and gift market, as well as being highly collectable. The range expanded in 2018 with the Diagon Alley collection — add Ollivander’s Wand Shop & Scribbulus, Quality Quidditch Supplies & Slug & Jiggers and Madam Malkin’s & Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream to your collection. And, be the envy of your rivals, with the Wrebbit3D Game of Thrones licence, and own a piece of the most coveted real estate in the seven kingdoms! The Red Keep, home to the Iron Throne and scene of treachery, madness, murder and twisted plot lines. With Wrebbit 3D’s 845-piece puzzle, fans of the show can build their own replica which stands at an impressive
SU
I’ve been working for the BTHA for 16 years. I started working on Toy Fair and became the organiser of the show for four years, before I switched to the Public Affairs and Communications side. Now I help members on issues impacting their business. I represent their interests at policy level in the UK and Europe, and enjoy having influence on consultation papers and in discussions with policy makers, to help make positive changes for the UK toy industry and our young customers.
Tell us a little about your stand this year, anything new and exciting?
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I first started at the BTHA in 2001 in a new Marketing and Commercial management role and then as Deputy to the then Director General, David Hawtin. It has been my privilege to serve as the BTHA’s Director General since 2008 with a succession of great colleagues, BTHA Council and Committee members from the industry. Toys are ever more relevant as a source of so much fun and enjoyment, learning and development for people of all ages and across societies. The BTHA team aims to support and promote our members collectively with a myriad of appropriate services and activities, primarily to protect and champion responsible toy makers. The team look forward to continuing to represent and support our members in the coming years.
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Epoch Making Toys had a good year; we adjusted to the forever-evolving market and have proven that both brands are evergreen and remain relatively stable in the marketplace.
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42cm L x 33cm W x 40cm H. And, as if that wasn’t enough, Game of Thrones fans can now experience Winterfell for themselves and see why the solid and foreboding ancestral House of Stark dominates the North, by building the new 910-piece puzzle.
Laser Beam Eyes Toyfair Daily News page aw.pdf 1 09/01/2019 14:33:23
THE GOOD TOY super creative | super eco-friendly The world’s first junk modelling constuction toy is here. Now it’s easy to make household junk into awesome working toys... ( Responsibly made in England from recycled plastic )
sayhello@laserbeameyes.com
planetjunko.com
Come visit Laser Beam Eythees at Toy Fair on 126 gallery - stand JUNKO is a Laser Beam Eyes Ltd crea
tion
TnP - Show Magazine 2019 DAY1.pdf 1 08/01/2019 15:49:06
CAN YOU BEAT OUR CUBE?
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Rubik’s Cube® used by permission of Rubik’s Brand Ltd www.rubiks.com
VISIT US AT STAND GH36
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OVER 70 YEARS TOY TESTING EXPERIENCE With over 70 years combined experience, we are one, if not the, most experienced Toy testing team in the UK. Not only are we experienced in testing, we offer a vast range of services, including Research and Development, advice on bringing new products to market and training seminars on Toy Safety in Europe. Our TOY TEAM is based in our UK laboratory in Warrington, Cheshire which is a UKAS accredited lab. Our UK lab is part of a global network of laboratories specialising in Consumer Product testing, so if you have products which are manufactured anywhere around the globe, we have a solution which can help you bring your products to market.
FREE TOY SAFETY IN EUROPE SEMINAR FOR ALL TOY FAIR VISITORS Run by our very own Malcolm Horner, Malcolm has over 40 years’ experience in Toy testing and sits on the BSI Toy Safety Committee, aswell as other European CEN Working Groups for toys.
To Register your place visit stand GH36 and leave your details www.bureauveritas.co.uk/cps
Product Spotlight
Spotlight on Smart Toys & Games Taking the spotlight at Toy Fair is the brand-new for 2019 SmartMax My First Totem from award-winning magnetic construction brand SmartMax, who ensure there’s always great attraction
s Excite n and atio ttle n i g a im es li g a r u enco s to play hand reate! and c
es 24 d u l c n I nges e l l a h c
Suitable for children 1 - 5 years
See this at stand F25!
Great fun for young creative min ds, with the ma gnetic fun factor guaranteed !
Creative approach to the basics of magnetism
Bursting with colours, textures a nd sounds
Retail Interview
Four decades on the high street With two nominations in the BTHA awards, it’s been the culmination of a great year for The Entertainer. Company founder Gary Grant talks about expanding into Kosovo and Kazakhstan – and why 2019 will be the year of the yo-yo! When you opened that first shop in Amersham, Bucks, did you ever imagine that your company would be the biggest toy retailer in the UK? Our original shop opened in May 1981 – so we’re nearing 38 years of the toy industry. At the time, it was just a job, I took over a toyshop and then four years later we opened the second shop in Beaconsfield. Then in 1991 probably the largest toy chain in the UK – Zodiac – went bust and they had 89-odd shops. We took over one of their shops and that was the turning point. It was in a big town – Slough - in a shopping centre and that opened the door for lots of other opportunities. Did you have previous experience when you bought the shop? I was only 22 when we bought the toyshop – I’d been out of school for five years but most of my
‘‘I couldn’t understand and wasn’t prepared to accept that toys should be the poor relation to books, clothing or shoes’’
experience had been in retailing. And there’s now an Entertainer store in places as diverse as Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Egypt! How did that come about? When the business started it Gary Grant, Company Founder was just my wife and I, but The En And then last year te in the past 15 years my two ‘Autism rtainer store s we bought a half sons have been involved. mornin Hour ’ each S host an aturda g, and share in a business Stuart heads up the buying y holiday during s s in Malta so we own and is strategic in the switche , where the m chool usic is d off a five stores and a partnerships that we develop nd the has a c s a t o lm atm distribution business with suppliers, manufacturers, ospher re e. there, and at the end inventors and licensors. Duncan of 2018 we bought a toy is on the business planning and retailer called Poly, in Spain, development front. He helps us with from administration. So we now expansion plans and our processes and have 57 toyshops there. We’re wanting to take procedures and structures, which have been what makes the Entertainer work — competitive critical to create a business with a base strong pricing, great retail environment, great range of enough to springboard into other markets. products, high level of customer service — and We’ve been developing a strategy on how we apply that to other areas. take the best of the Entertainer – predominantly through franchising – to other markets around And what about the partnership with Matalan? the world. Most of the markets we’re in are in We’re looking at other ways of reaching the undeveloped or developing markets, so we’re introducing a new way of selling toys where that consumer in the UK. There’s the impulse side of buying toys as opposed to the experiential doesn’t exist.
Did you know?
© 2019 Alpha All rights reserved.
Retail Interview “In a funny sort of way we still think of it as a small family business — you think on one hand as an independent and on the other as major retailers” high street. What I noticed in the 80s and 90s was that toys were being pushed out of key shopping centres. They were being squeezed out of the high streets in the UK. I couldn’t understand and wasn’t prepared to accept that toys should be the poor relation to books clothing or shoes. We spend a lot of time working on our shop fit – making our ambience feel inviting and How has 2018 been for the business? comfortable, making our stores looks as good 2018 was the most successful year in both as any national retailer because I guess in a turnover and profit. The staff have worked so funny sort of way we still think of it as a small hard in all sorts of ways — managing shops, family business - you think on one hand as an opening shops — everybody has really gone the independent and on the other as major retailers. extra mile. The demise of Toys R Us has helped! We’ve invested heavily in our internet, in click We’ve got a lot of new customers. and collect, and in our shop fits because we are not an internet retailer with a couple of shops. So what makes the Entertainer special? We are a retailer with an internet presence. My desire all along was to take toys back to the I still believe there is an experience to be had when children come and spend their pocket money on toys; we need to be more than a transaction of a box on a shelf for money. You want an atmospheric magical Aladdin’s cave, overwhelming, bright fun, magical – all those side. We formed a partnership with Matalan where we trialled nine shops in 2017 and that expanded to 60 shops in 2018. It’s Matalan’s shops and staff - we just provide access to stock and industry knowledge and pricing to enable Matalan to run really good departments. That’s done well – they’re a family business like us so we see eye-to-eye in many ways.
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Gary Grant’s age when he bought his first toy shop
Fingers crossed! The Entertainer is a finalist in the Specialist Multiple Toy Retailer of the Year (30 stores or more) and the Online Toy Retailer of the Year categories of the Toy Industry Awards
words you would use about a toyshop but never about something like a clothes shop. And with the nomination for the online business, what is it about your online offering that makes it stand out? The guys behind the website have been pioneering in so many ways – the Father Christmas chatbot introduced just before Christmas last year for instance. It’s about making it more than
“My desire all along was to take toys back to the High Street”
function, making it fun, improving the customer experience, improving the customer journey, making things faster, and improving the search, which is significantly better. My son described it to me like this: if you have a shop and over time you let it get tired and don’t replace lightbullbs and so on, bit by bit it would become old, and the same thing happens with the website. We probably change it every five years but technology is changing so fast and consumers’ expectations are changing fast too. You can’t afford for your website to become like a shop with the lights out. How have the autism hours gone down with the public? I think when we started we just did it as a oneoff thing but the response was overwhelming. Then we introduced it every Saturday morning. And then a landlord in Bristol joined in and they turned the music off in the shopping mall. And bit by bit more people have joined in. Then we introduced the autism hour every children’s school holiday for the first hour. We’ve had some wonderful letters from parents where for the first time they’ve been able to bring their children out. We’ve had the Autism Society speak at our national managers conference, and are trying to give some staff extra training.
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What has sold particularly well for you over the past few months? The outright winner was L.O.L., the volume was lower priced at £15 or below but that’s meant a lot of regular repeat visits. It’s not a one-man show, but L.O.L. has certainly played its part. We introduced the Funko Pop range and that’s been phenomenal. The collectors that come in chasing particular designs or unique ones have created a real buzz in store. And what do you think will be the next big thing? I think L.O.L. still has a lot of opportunity. And I’ve been telling the company for the past five years that this is the year of the yo-yo. I’ve lived through five yo-yo crazes, it normally comes round every 8-10 years, so it’s time for another yo-yo craze. We’re buying yo-yos and I hope that they will do well. And finally, what are you most looking forward to at Toy Fair? I’m not at Toy Fair this year as I’m going on holiday. It’ll be the first toy fair I’ve missed in 37 years. I’m not allowed to buy anymore - we have an army of people who go. I just go to have coffee with people and say hello!
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The BIG Interview
Animal magnetism
Stan d Galle ry 100
Thomas Randrup, UK Country Manager at Schleich, talks to the Daily News about the company’s latest developments, how they choose new product – and why the Okapi made it into the 2019 lineup!
Toy Fair is a great start to the year, what is it about the fair you look forward to and why? It’s the standout show of the year for us, as not only do we show the new collections for the first time, but it’s the place to meet faceto-face with both our existing customers and new ones. It’s also the perfect place for us to have conversations about how we partner together to make Schleich a cornerstone brand for them in store, whether it’s through display or promotional activity. 2018 was a great year for Schleich, with continued growth and changes to the team – tell us more! It’s fair to say it’s been a terrific year for Schleich in what has overall been a difficult year for the market. We have grown by 20% to significantly record our best-ever year. Our core collections have been very well received and the new playsets in each range performed exceptionally well. Added to this was the new team, with lots of changes in the sales area including the appointment of Kate Watson and Jen Hodges as Key Account Managers. This has brought a new depth to the experience and a vitality that will echo
Did you know? Schleich fans voted for the Okapi to be a new animal in the 2019 collection.
the confidence we have in the brands. We know that with them, the potential to grow further is definitely there, and we have plans to expand our team further still. And what about products, what have been your runaway successes this past year? Horse Club, Farm World and Wild Life are our top-performing areas, which can be attributed to the depth of the collections and the fact that this is what we are renowned for. The playsets for 2018, such as the Horse Club Caravan and Large Stable, have performed exceptionally well, as has the new Farm House. Another key area is the Dinosaurs collection, which is always in demand. Of course the year of the unicorn has also had its upside for bayala! Why have they worked, in your opinion? The quality and detail of the major playsets has to be the number one reason, but added to this is the fact that they are perfect to either start or add to an already-growing collection. Horse Club in particular now has a full backdrop of characters behind it and a whole world of equine accessories to collect. If you love horses this is perfect for you! And are they continuing in to the 2019 ranges? Yes, all the top-selling items will continue and will be added to with even more play and accessory sets. Schleich is not a seasonal product; it’s a true evergreen for
“The new Hamleys display is the first thing you see as you enter the space, and with a working waterfall it’s a feast for all the senses” kids and has been trusted by parents and gift-givers for generations. Schleich’s offering continues to grow year-on-year. With six different themed worlds and more than 500 individual figures, how does Schleich decide on new additions for the year? There’s a variety of ways. Some items are more than a year in development, and we know a long time in advance what’s coming. The team in Germany researches trends and sales patterns closely and moves with the times, building each brand so that it is all-encompassing for the play pattern. But on occasion, it’s not product development that makes the choice. Take our new Okapi;
The BIG Interview this was chosen by the consumer fan base to be a new animal in the 2019 collection! Schleich has made it their ambition to help children learn about animals and their natural habitats through play. Schleich has formed partnerships to support this goal and bring the figures to life - tell us more! Our partnerships with zoos and attractions are a great way for us to bring the magic of discovering animals home. That is why zoo and farm shops are an important part of our market. What better souvenir than the most realistic of animal figures that mirror what you’ve just seen on a great day out? Often, in addition to the shopping experience, we add extra value by creating activities for the venue to offer too, bringing the whole experience to life even more. And we’ve got to ask – can you tell us about the White Tiger fixture in Hamleys? Did it help to drive sales in the festive season? The new Hamleys display has been months in the making, but now it’s in place I can truly say the efforts have been fully worthwhile. It’s the first thing you see as you enter the space, and with a working waterfall it’s a feast for all the senses. Most importantly, it
shows the beauty of the Schleich figurines and has had a positive impact on sales – not just seasonally as Schleich is a yearround product. It is perfect for brand awareness, and just an example of what we are trying to achieve across the retail space in the year to come.
so plenty to get stuck into. It will be our immediate task to build on all the meetings we have at Toy Fair. We are confident that we can make 2019 a big year for us as we have the new collections to match ambitions and will be supporting our retailers with even
What are Schleich’s goals this year at London Toy Fair and how do you hope to achieve them? We have some dynamic growth targets over the coming years,
Guess what… Everything you see on Schleich’s Toy Fair stand is part of its various POS options, which come in many sizes to fit every type of store.
TO TOBAR is excited to announce a range ran of Angry Birds lines that th are coming soon. Due to launch ahead of the movie later this year, ye we’ll have a fantastic selection of top trending products including putty, squishy toys and more.
Place your pre-order today tel: 01603 397 105 email: sales@tobar.co.uk www.tobar.co.ukk
or come and find us on Stand F50
“It’s fair to say it’s been a terrific year for Schleich in what has overall been a difficult year for the market. We have grown by 20% to significantly record our best-ever year” more marketing, adding TV advertising for the core ranges into the year-round activity that we already have in place. Can you tell us more about the support you may be able to offer retailers who stop by your stand at Toy Fair? Attractive displays and a variety of products that suit their particular setting is essential! The bespoke way in which we deal with our customers means that we can create something that is perfect for the location, whether it’s a large model theatre such as the Lions, Tigers and even Dinosaurs that can be placed in store, right down to a smaller offering for reduced footprints. We want to recreate the magic of visiting a toy store that can often be missing in today’s retail space; a wow moment that keeps them coming back and picking up a new piece every Day1_TFDaily_HalfPage_Thinkfun_FINAL.pdf
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time. Added to this is the buzz created by events such as instore Dino hunts and this year’s Red Rabbit campaign. Above the line, as mentioned, TV advertising is a big part of our 2019 strategy. How important is it to keep the stand itself looking fresh, exciting and inviting? The Schleich display at every show is, we believe, a great snapshot and an example of how impactful the brand can look in store. Everything you see is part of our various POS options, which come in many sizes to fit every type of store. For this reason, it is incredibly important that we show all the new lines and also the feature display models.
How do you feel trading will be in 2019, in comparison to last year? It is without doubt a challenging market out there. Which is why we have ramped up our marketing activity to ensure we stand above the crowd. And lastly, what’s your favourite product from a fellow exhibitor? The Original Rubik’s Cube.
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EXHIBITOR SHOWCASE
Bundle of fun
Stan d Upp er Leve l 510
It’s been a big year for Basic Fun! with the acquisition of K’NEX among others. Tim Ives, Head of Sales, fills us in on what else we can expect from them at Toy Fair
When we spoke to you last, you were excited about the evolution of K’NEX, following its acquisition by Basic Fun. What differences will visitors see at this year’s ‘‘Toy Toy Fair? A lot more! It is not just construction any more – as a multi-channel toy company, Basic Fun! offers a broad portfolio including the Fisher Price Classic line, My Little Pony Retro, Cutetitos, Little Lucky Lunchbox, the newly acquired Playhut and a lot more surprises!
You also launched some new collectables – Cutetitos and Lucky Lunchboxes. Will you be introducing any more collectables this year?
Fair is always an exciting opportunity to communicate and build relationships with customers, listen to their views on products, collate feedback and plan/secure ranges’’
Bendy and the Ink Machine was a sell-out success, and there are new characters and building sets. Later in the year we will also be launching a product that leverages the hot trend in the collectables space with an innovative experiential reveal.
Cutetitos and Lucky Lunchboxes are your own proprietary brands. Are you building on those this year?
Are there any more acquisitions on the horizon? I sure hope so! With two acquisitions since K’NEX was acquired this time last year, I am looking forward to hearing what else we can add to our growing portfolio.
‘‘It is not just construction any more – as a multi-channel toy company Basic Fun! offers a broad portfolio’’
With collectables, it is vital to offer more choice, variety and innovation – with both brands we have new waves and brand extensions, which hit different price points.
What do you hope to achieve at the 2019 London Toy Fair? Toy Fair is always an exciting opportunity to communicate and build relationships with customers, listen to their views on products, collate feedback and plan/secure ranges.
Finally, it’s obviously been an exciting 2018. What else is in the pipeline for 2019? Watch this space!
What else is new at this year’s Toy Fair? So much is new, but I have picked out two — the Dr Steve Hunters line of museum-quality excavation kits has had a complete makeover and we are launching a Tar Pits Explorer set – a completely new way to excavate by removing the bones of a Sabretooth Tiger and Mammoth from the sticky, slimy tar pits! And Animasks – there is a growing trend of adults and kids wanting to dress-up and roleplay as their favourite animal — year round! Animasks are wearable plush animal heads.
Did you know?
There is a growing tr for adults and kids end wanting to dress-up roleplay as their favoand animal – year round. urite Basic Fun! offers Animasks – wearable plush animal heads.
A whole new world of audio adventures and e m o C on s u e e s B85 d n a St
dy t a e r Al g ou ! e lin s e l E u ro p in
WE ARE TONIES
We are audio characters but everyone calls us Tonies. Together with the Toniebox, we are a great new way to listen to your favourite audio, like The Gruffalo audiobook, wherever and whenever you like! Simply pop us on the Toniebox and let the audio adventure begin! Be one of the first retailers to launch our playful audio system in the 8. DQG ,UHODQG LQ . Visit www.tonies.com to find out more or contact us directly at sales@tonies.com. Tel: 0203 6083056
Exhibitor showcase
Watch for flying slime! With a raft of new brands joining evergreen favourites on Re:creation’s portfolio, the company’s new General Manager, Adrian Mayes, tells us about plans for 2019 and beyond You’ve recently become General Manager at Re:creation. What is your vision for the company going forward? I was previously Sales Director at the company and am now General Manager overseeing both sales and marketing functions. It’s a really exciting time to be taking the helm – there is so much change in the industry and it’s happening at pace. We’re addressing this by growing our portfolio across a broad range of categories, as well as nurturing and invigorating marketing for our evergreen brands such as Razor. You mentioned new brands for your portfolio. Can you tell us about some of those? As it becomes ever-more important to encourage a new generation to become engaged in STEAM subjects, we are so pleased to welcome on board the inspiring ENGINO construction brand. The quality and care involved in creating these products simply shines through. Within the range there is a theme to tempt any young engineer or architect, and we will be launching an exclusive licensed JCB collection in 2019 too. It’s so fantastic to have this iconic British name as part of our offering. We recently announced the addition of Drone Slayer to our line-up – this collection adds another level of excitement to blaster play as children battle against drones. The team behind this property have
Stand E125
developed some outstanding content supporting the launch so it’s definitely one to watch – quite literally! Show visitors should also watch out for flying slime, as we’ll be launching the Slime Control blaster brand. Arts and crafts is a really strong area; we’ll be launching Aqua Gelz at Toy Fair. The first time we saw this new concept we loved it and the reactions we’ve had so far have supported our feelings. Children can design characters using coloured gels, then as they submerge them in a special solution they magically transform into squishy friends. They’re unique and I would urge visitors to come and give them a try.
“We are so pleased to welcome on board the inspiring Engino construction brand. The quality and care involved in creating these products simply shines through” Floofies. They’re mini collectable plush characters, with blind packaging. Each has a pom-pom, powder puff tail, which is visible outside the packaging for added aah factor. You can also watch for geek unicorns and punk rock dogs in our plush line-up.
What about your evergreen brands, anything new to look forward to on these? Of course. LEGO Lights are always a popular choice and with the LEGO Movie 2 on its way, we have high hopes for the supporting key light and torch range – particularly based on results from the first movie. And it wouldn’t be Toy Fair Re:creation has seen some without Razor. Lots of journalists great success with the likes Engino make a bee-line for our stand to of Stretchkins and Bright Drone Slayer try out the hottest new rides. They Light Pillows. Are you going Aqua Gelz won’t be disappointed this year. ‘soft’ on plush or Floofies Razor’s development team have is there anything new on the 4-Eyed Friendzies been hard at work creating new horizon? Slime Control blasters additions for the ever-popular Crazy We’re anything but soft on Larva plush Cart and Hovertrax lines. With so plush! One of the biggest Razor’s Drift Rider many adults taking to two wheels, YouTube animation hits, Larva, Razor’s E Punk it’s no surprise that Razor is at the is coming to the plush aisle. forefront with a collection of stylish We’re launching a collection scooters addressing this. I would of feature plush based on also suggest visitors come and check out Drift the worm characters from this highly popular Rider and E Punk – two brilliant launches from property. It’s already got more than four million this unstoppable brand. YouTube followers and four series currently
New products at Toy Fair
streaming on Netflix. The show has broad appeal thanks to edgy comic content - we’re anticipating great things for Larva. Electronic friends continue to dominate the toy charts and we’re introducing 4-Eyed Friendzies in 2019. They’re palm-sized alien-meets-insect creatures, with four eyes. They react to touch and even the packaging is full of personality. We’re also looking forward to launching
Did you know? Children can design characters using Aqua Gelz, and then submerge them in a special solution to see them magically transform into squishy friends.
Finally, tell us about your successes from 2018! Magic Tracks continues to drive really strong results and we’re introducing RC this year, which has already delivered powerfully in the US toy aisles. Dream Tents and KickerBall have also been phenomenal. I have to give a mention to our Floof compound, which performed well, and we’ll be showcasing new products in that line at Toy Fair.
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TREND FOCUS
Lollipets Spin Master Toys Stand E131
StikBot Monsters Brainstorm Ltd Stand E79 This brand new addition to the ever-popular StikBot range will let children create their own spooky movies to share with friends.
Hatch and Race Surprise Tobar Stand F50 Collectable Angry Birds egg-shaped racers that are blind packed and buildable. Each pack contains six pieces; mix and match the parts and store the bits inside each character. Blind packs add to the fun.
Lollipets are fun new interactive collectable pets with a big personality and a sweet tooth! Make these little cuties move by showing them their favourite treat! Speed them up, slow them down or guide them with the bright colour candy as they hug, chase, skip, scamper, and explore!
Looking for … Collectables Kids are going crazy for collectables – it’s a category that just keeps on going and growing. Here’s a handful of some of the hottest at Toy Fair!
Breyer Mystery Horse Surprise Series 2 DKL Marketing Ltd Stand E66 With eight different miniature figures to collect and a special chase piece, the Stablemates Mystery Horse Surprise range comes in a sealed ‘mystery’ bag.
Dragonball Z Pop! Vinyl
Nanoblock Labrador Retriever
Funko Stand E130 To celebrate the highly popular Japanese anime television show Dragon Ball Z, Funko is releasing a new series of vinyl Pop! Animation figures honouring Goku and his companions’ epic battle in defence of Earth.
Teenie Tiny Toes Dolls Flair Stand E39 Flair is celebrating the launch of a new girls’ brand with the introduction of a small but perfectly formed doll collection, Teenie Tiny Toes. These new interactive dolls are tiny enough to fit into the palm of your hand. Each doll has seven sensors that react to touch, motion or light. Tickle their tiny toes to bring them to life and discover how they sing, giggle, play games and more.
Marbel Stand B50
Fart Ninjas Funrise Stand G90 Introducing Funrise’s latest development of interactive farting Ninjas. Cheeky kids can create a symphony of fart noises perfect for pranking friends and family! Beware not to activate the Fart Ninja’s motion sensor or you’ll find out the hard way that they are never silent but always deadly!
Create your very own 3D Labrador Retriever with this micro block building set from Nanoblock’s Mini Collection series. There are 140 pieces to ensure you capture the finest details from this popular dog breed. Check out Nanoblock’s expansive series for even more models.
PLAY DIFFERENT….. With Janod 0 Over 20 s new line for 2019
Stand B121
32 High Park Road, Kew Gardens, Richmond TW9 4BH • United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)20 8878 2133
Welcome to Toy Fair
STAN D GH5 4
Magic Box
Firing the imagination Magic Box Toys has been a category leader in collectables since the early nineties. The company’s UK and Ireland Commercial Director, Julia Cake, tells the Daily News about the excitement around their upcoming 2019 product launches… This is your first time exhibiting at Toy Fair, for those who are unfamiliar with Magic Box, what’s your story? Magic Box International Toys is a pioneer in the creation of collectable toys. Our products are filled with imagination and surprise. Essentially we are creators – we build our own brands and have developed new trends in the collectables market since 1994. The sales figures speak for themselves. From 1994 to 1998 we created collectable football trading cards that sold more than 50 million units. In 1997 we created the concept of the first photo album with the Spice Girls and shifted more than 80 million units, and from 2003 to 2008 we created the Premier League SHOOT OUT trading card game and sold more than 90 million packs.
How did Magic Box Toys come about? We are a family-owned business set up by David Bella in Barcelona in 1994.
What made 2019 the perfect time for you to take your first stand here at Toy Fair? We have an increased playset offering for the Toy Channel, we have signed up agents to cover the country and have our new property MojiPops launching in March, so the timing couldn’t be better! In January 2018 we successfully launched SuperZings in the UK and Spain, with Series 2 launched in August. Series 3 is being launched in February, with Series 4 to follow in August 2019. Since last September countries that have joined in the success of SuperZings include Italy, Poland, Argentina and Ecuador, and this year we will be launching in Germany, Portugal, Croatia and Mexico, to name just a few destinations.
What have you heard about the show that drew you to Toy Fair and what are you hoping to get out of it? We hope to successfully launch SZ3 and Mojipops into the Toy Channel with the associated playsets at Toy Fair this year.
Tell us a little more about Magic Box Toys, the products and what makes you unique to retailers… Our product range includes pocket money toys with prices starting at less than a pound, as well as larger items, like our playsets, which means that children and parents buy into the whole collection. Magic Box Toys is the collectable toy Magic Box specialist behind Star Toys is excited Monsters, Zomlings and SuperZings and to announce is excited to announce plans for a plans for a third series third series of of SuperZings, plus the SuperZings, launch of a brand new emotions-based collectable plus the launch IP in 2019 — MojiPops! The of a brand new accompanying accessories and emotions-based toy range will offer hours of role-playing potential for young collectable IP in MojiPops collectors. 2019: MojiPops! The SuperZings brand is also continuing to evolve, with Series 3 hitting shelves on 8 February this year with innovative new additions to the line-up. It maintains the popular hero vs villain format of the previous two series, using everyday objects and food as collectable characters.
Your Mojipops have quite a serious message about recognising emotions and mindfulness. Tell us more about them. We are incredibly excited about MojiPops, a wonderfully-colourful collectable which aims to bring emotions into play in more ways than one. The flippable, swappable faces ensure this range stands out as something genuinely innovative in the collectable space. MojiPops Series 1 is made up of everyday objects brought to life as unique, fun-loving characters with an array of colourful emotions based on popular emoticons. Children can switch their character’s mood from sleepy to happy, sad to cool, devilish to
angelic – there are six different-coloured face pieces, each with two distinct emotions to alternate between and 90 different characters to collect. Maintaining a genuine pocketmoney price point, we’re confident the brand will prove popular with children.
You launched the SuperZings classroom initiative in the autumn. How has that been received? The initiative was very well received as part of a full 360-degree campaign. It went on to win two PR awards too!
What else will you be showcasing for visitors? In the Demo Zone will be the Superzings Pizza Riders Playset and Superzings Total Demolition Playset. We will also be showcasing our new SZ4 playsets and MojiPops Series 2 Playsets.
Who should be sure to stop by the stand and see you – and what types of retailers are you hoping to see? Everyone is welcome!
And finally, what would make your first Toy Fair? To successfully launch MojiPops into the Toy Channel.
PUZZLES & GAMES FOR ALL THE FAMILY
VISIT US AT STAND E46! -80%2 7R\ )DLU 'DLO\ 1HZVSDSHU 'D\ LQGG
PROPERTY SPOTLIGHT
Board the Battle Bus Fortnite is the hottest property in the boys’ market, and Funko was the first to bring licensed product to the market. Senior Licensing Manager Lucy Salisbury talks us through what’s on offer
Wave 1
Stand E130
In 2018 the first wave of Fortnite product was released, offering a multitude of popular skins including Brite Bomber, Cuddle Team Leader, Omega and Skull Trooper. The reception from fans has exceeded expectations and, since then, products having been flying off the shelves and gaining a mass interest across both retail and digital channels, and in many key EMEA markets, matching Fortnite’s international player profile.
Fortnite is at the forefront of everyone’s minds right now The hit online multi-player game has taken the younger generation by storm with huge numbers of players globally, and Funko has been able to tap into one of the biggest and most popular gaming licences to date. Our Pop! Vinyl line was the first licensed Fortnite product to hit the market in EMEA creating a huge buzz among Fortnite fans. With this range, Funko has been able to reach out to a mass community of followers and create a product that appeals to Fortnite’s diverse fandom. This makes it the perfect fit for the Funko brand, which prides itself in catering to all pop culture fans.
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p first po uddle Funko’s mber, C d o B e it r an dB include eader, Omega L m a r. e e T oop Skull Tr
Wave 2
Due to the su ccess of Wa ve 1, we’ve since launched a second wave of Pop ! Vinyl inclu ding Tricera Ops, Ragnarok, D rift and Zoey, as we ll as further figural products in cluding Poc ket Pop! Keycha ins, Pint Siz e Hero 2-packs, Vy nl and 5 Sta r – the newest colle ctable form at to join the Funko o ffering.
Wave 3 and more! Working closely with Epic games and agents IMG, there’s a lot of opportunities in the pipeline, such as Wave 3 of Fortnite Pop! and softline items such as t-shirts with a Pocket Pop! Funko is looking forward to expanding the collection and combining its leading product capabilities with its strong retail platforms to bring these amazing collectables to all Fortnite fans.
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“Our Pop! Vinyl line was the first licensed Fortnite product to hit the market in EMEA creating a huge buzz among Fortnite fans”
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Stand E119 mi Café 1. Orb Sli yset Theatre Pla ’s a p p e P . te 2 umbo Cra J ls ir G y x 3. Bo res WWE figu 4. Stretch Squad 5. Swarm
Meet the Bloopies Mermaids, your new bath-time friends from IMC Toys! Following the launch of Bloopies with phenomenal sales in 2017, these beautiful new mermaids just love playing in the bath and you can collect all six. They squirt water out of their mouth when you press their belly and can even blow bubbles when you play with them in your bubble bath. Submerge them in the warm bath to see the pattern on their tails change colour – it’s magic! Bloopies Divers are also available. See IMC Toys on stand E129.
Toy Fair tales Cracking rate leaves hotel manager irate!
Get Eduk8-ed!
• All of Eduk8’s, stand F1, produc ts are unique an exclusive to Eduk d 8 Worldwide. • Eduk8 Worldw ide has employ ees that have a combined expe rience of the ed ucation and reta sectors of over ils 100 years! • None of thei r products requ ire batteries!
MARY’S A RETIRING TYPE Popular Export Manager of Orchard Toys Mary Watson has decided to retire. Mary joined Orchard Toys 19 years ago to take up the role of sales manager, having come from Nottingham-based NES Arnold. During her 19 years at the company, Mary undertook several roles, the last of which was as their Export Manager. This is what Simon Prest – sales director of Orchard Toys had to say about Mary’s time with the company: “Her effervescent and warm personality has been key to building long-standing relationships with her colleagues and customers. She’s been the driver of huge growth abroad and as a result we now supply more than 40 countries. As we look to expand our business further, she’s most recently been laying strong foundations for us to develop the American market. “However, it isn’t all about serious work stuff and Mary will be fondly remembered for her willingness to join in everything socially (her
winning Carmen Miranda outfit at the Toymaster show was epic) and her prowess on the golf course, picking up some silverware or wine at nearly every event she played in. Her future plans are to travel, ski and golf more with her husband John. “Mary will be sorely missed by everyone here at Orchard Toys and all of her customers around the world. She leaves at the end of March with massive thanks and fondest best wishes from us all.” Orchard Toys are now actively seeking a replacement for Mary and as Simon says “These are big boots to fill.”
“When Toy Fair first moved to ExCel I decided to visit the area to find a hotel for us to stay (as there was so little there at the time). I engaged with one of the leading hotels, and requested a rate for a dozen rooms the following January. The hotel was delighted with this forward booking and offered me a cracking rate – they had no idea the toy trade were coming to town! Around June that year, I received a phone call from an irate hotel manager requesting I stop sharing my good news with other toy trade colleagues as everyone was booking at my special rate and they simply couldn’t sustain that rate or they’d lose money! In the end there were some quite hilarious hotel shenanigans going on during that Toy Fair and it was, without doubt, my most memorable Toy Fair hotel stay – just ask Steve Alexander!” Mark Slater-Hyndman Country General Manager, UK & Ireland, Alpha Animation & Toys, stand B90
Julie Taylor Taylor, Sales Director, Golden Bear took time out to tell the Daily News her plans to surprise visitors with the company’s new ranges. To see them, head to stand E69. What are you most looking forward to at London Toy Fair 2019? Showcasing our fantastic new products, of course!
How would you sum up the last trading year?
Tumultuous and challenging! But despite this we saw great growth on our top 5 pre-school licence In The Night Garden.
Tell us a little about your stand this year, anything new and exciting? We are incredibly excited to be launching Bing into the Golden Bear portfolio for AW19. This will be unveiled, alongside our new IP ranges and new development on key brands, so lots to shout about.
How many retailers and buyers do you estimate you meet at Toy Fair this year?
I would say more than 100 across the various teams
Why should buyers come to see you this year?
This is the icing on the cake in terms of seeing everything we have to offer all under one roof, and also we have an awesome pic ’n’ mix!
Name one hero product that you and your team are very excited about showing at the Fair?
Well it’s guaranteed to put a smile on everyone’s face and he is most preschoolers’ and parents’ hero – Musical Duggee!!
And finally – we must ask – what’s your brew of choice?
Ooh! Coffee in the morning, then tea in the afternoon.
MEDIA SPOTLIGHT
Let’s get digital Finding the right content for digital channels is going to be the challenge for advertisers, says Tristan Brooks, Client Services Director at toy specialist media planning and buying agency Azure Media What were the key themes in advertising in 2018? If I were to sum up last year in one word it would be ‘‘challenging’’. Trading TV airtime was particularly tough, especially as demand for toy TV advertising remained strong set against children’s TV viewing declining. A few broadcasters over-forecast their viewing figures, which didn’t help, compounded by clients requiring greater trading flexibility due to a slow start for some in retail. We invested more advertising budget in digital media than in any previous year — in part to address the declining reach of TV but also to capitalise on the opportunities that digital media offers. The challenge for advertisers is investing in the right content tailored to these platforms. It was not a strong year for cinema advertising, with few family box office draws. We expect 2019 to fare much better for audiences and advertisers with films such as Toy Story 4, Playmobil: The Movie, and Frozen 2. Let’s hope advertisers invest in creative to make the most of the big screen event! Some of the big toy companies pulled significant
“We invested more advertising budget in digital media than in any previous year - in part to address the declining reach of TV but also to capitalise on the opportunities that digital media offers”
spend from the ad market last year, with Hasbro and Mattel showing the largest declines. This enabled other companies to increase their advertising share.
What do you see being the key trends and opportunities for 2019? Children’s TV will continue to take the greatest share of advertising investment, however viewing may well decline as new technology enters the home over the Christmas period. Multichannel campaigns will be the norm as advertisers look to address the declining reach of TV by spreading investment across other media. We expect digital media to be the winner here and it should be an integral part of most marketing plans in 2019. Making the most of your YouTube strategy should be a priority for advertisers as children are increasingly spending their time here. YouTube offers a breadth of opportunities for advertisers to reach, engage and involve their audiences
If you would like to find out more about Azure, or meet up with Tristan for a chat at Toy Fair, drop him a line at tristan.brooks@ arena-azure.co.uk.
beyond their TV advertising. We expect influencer marketing investment to plateau. I’m glad to see there seems to be a more measured approach taken by advertisers as most have now tested and evolved their thinking. Control, quantifiable reach, accountability and return on investment seem to be ongoing challenges, and coupled with anticipated pressure on marketing budgets this year means that other channels may be prioritised. We believe that targeting parents will become more important for advertisers as the ability to reach children declines on TV. This should see greater investment move into social media platforms and parent-targeted TV. What would be your advice to advertisers? Give yourself the time to plan effective campaigns, as everything takes longer now that media’s getting more fragmented, and get the right people from the right disciplines together right at the start of the process. Collaboration is key. There are more opportunities to reach and engage your audience now than ever before, so make sure you’re making the most of your campaigns. Test new approaches to learn and evolve your thinking but be measured and set out how you’re going to benchmark success. Data should underpin your approach and thinking, so gather and interrogate as much as possible to provide robust marketing plans.
Green Bean’s UK Stores Manager, Georgia Barrett talks herbal tea, hot chocolate and educational entertainment! Stand: GH18
Greenhouse News
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We look forward to growing further partnerships!
How was your last trading year?
This last year has been a fantastic period of growth and we are grateful to our clients and customers who trusted in us and our products.
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What are you most looking forward to at Toy Fair 2019?
E R S TA
Tell us a little about your stand this year, anything new and exciting? As we enter into a new year of business, we’re excited to continue with our successful storytime session around the UK and invite you to come with your children to enjoy adventures with Green Bean and friends. We are on the cusp of releasing new toy characters, designed specifically to build confidence while encouraging children to have fun, explore and investigate.
Captain SWAG
How many retailers and buyers do you think you’ll meet at Toy Fair?
We have some great meetings lined up in the diary and look forward to seeing what happens over the course of the week.
What is the hero product?
SWAG Distribution, stand GH01 Captain Marvel and Aquaman PopSockets, from SWAG Distribution, are the latest additions available to purchase alongside the Star Wars, Harry Potter and Marvel ranges, PopSockets are the must have accessory that simply attaches to the back of your phone to make using your phone easier and more secure. Snap better photos, text one with one hand and watch videos on the fly with a PopSocket.
It has to be Green Bean, who’s now a household favourite. With our fictional character, we take children on a learning adventure, highlighting key vocabulary and identifying areas of interest. Through enhancing their imaginations, we help children think creatively and grow in confidence. By emphasising the importance of friendship, belonging to a community and helping others, as well as teaching them about shapes, numbers and colours, we offer a holistic approach to teaching.
And finally – what’s your brew of choice?
Well, I am a herbal tea/hot chocolate kind of chick so let’s go for a peppermint and liquorice tea, for this next round.
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has 16 different Cloudberries, a UK-based company, now e are devilishly 1000-piece jigsaws to choose from! Ther colour changes, difficult puzzles with nothing but subtle d’s best vibrant, arty designs by some of the worl independent artists.
e time “Millennials are increasingly looking for som ide that prov zles puz away from their phones, and our n whe “But ers. space,” says co-founder Steve Vick r thei of ures pict they’re done, they still want to post the are gns desi ant puzzles to Instagram, and our vibr perfect match.”
Mojo’s top 100 Mojo Nation, on stand GH48 in the Greenhouse, will be unveiling their Mojo Nation 100 book – a listing of 100 toy and game designers that have had a brilliant last 12 months.
Don’t Miss Laurel & Hardy Puzzles Rachel Lowe Stand: GH16 Rachel Lowe will be launching two Laurel & Hardy puzzles at London Toy Fair of Laurel & Hardy doing a puzzle! Hot on the heels of the newly released and highly entertaining Laurel & Hardy movie — it really is perfect timing. Laurel & Hardy are among the most famous, iconic and beloved comedy duos of all time. Having made more than 100 films together, they are universally loved and recognised all over the world.
Did you know… There are 90 Mojipops characters to collect, and each has a doublesided face showing different emotions.
Magic Box Stand GH54
NEW for 2019
Playfoam® THE EVERLASTING SQUISH™ Squish! Squash! Repeat! Playfoam® is the sensory sensation that never ever dries out, so the fun never ends. Create your next masterpiece or just get squishy with it and experience the feeling of hands-on fun.
NEW
Playfoam® Jumbo Pods
NEW
NEW NEW
Playfoam® Pals™ Snowy Friends SERIES 3
Playfoam® Pals™ Pet Party SERIES 2
Playfoam® Pals™ Fantasy Friends SERIES 4
NEW Come and meet us on Stand D36, London Toy Fair
Glow in the dark
Playfoam® Pals™ Monster Party SERIES 5
Greenhouse Interview
d n a St 16 GH
The Lowe-Down It’s Rachel Lowe’s first Toy Fair with her new licensing company and one thing’s for sure — 2019 is set to be a big year for this notorious creator of games and puzzles. With an extensive portfolio of new product, including games and puzzles based on hit TV drama, Call the Midwife, Rachel Lowe is prepped to deliver includes a beautiful board game, a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle and a set of playing cards. We have also created other Call the Midwife puzzles that we are launching at London Toy Fair. The Christmas Special and the TV series consistently achieves around 10 million viewers and is one of the most successful current TV dramas. It is perfect timing with Series 8 screening in January!
It looks like the Call the Midwife board game is already making waves around the world. Tell us more about it.
I am so excited to have the licence for Call the Midwife. I myself am a huge fan, so it was an absolute joy to work on this project. I really enjoyed the product development, which included a set visit. It was very interesting to see what goes on behind the scenes! We had a phenomenal response to the initial announcement on the official Call the Midwife Facebook page when we launched in December, with fans across the world wanting to know how they can order, as we originally only had UK rights. The lovely people at Neal Street Productions extended us worldwide rights to ship from my site so that we could meet customer demand. The product range
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DKL Marketing Ltd, 11 Deer Park Road, Northampton, NN3 6QD, UK
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twitter.com/DKLtoys
www.eduk8worldwide.com + 44 (0) 1661 831 080 sales@eduk8worldwide.co.uk
for this licence?
The Vice President of Larry Harmon Pictures Corporation (California) contacted me after one of her colleagues had bought my Call the Midwife products, which had been shipped out to America. They were so impressed that they offered me worldwide rights to the Laurel & Hardy brand, so we have made two Laurel & Hardy puzzles… of Laurel & Hardy doing a puzzle! The new movie has been so popular it really is perfect timing. Our new Laurel & Hardy range is launching at the London Toy Fair.
What are you hoping to achieve at Toy Fair 2019?
This year I hope to achieve listings for my new products with the big high street retailers and secure overseas distribution for Call the Midwife.
Do you have any special show offers? You’re well-known for creating the Destination board games – are you still creating new licensed versions of this?
I worked on Destination for around 14 years and through this journey I discovered licensing, which is where my passion is. I love being able to create something from scratch without being restricted to a specific game-play. I now also create puzzles and card games, which I have found to be very popular! I love the research with licensing and working with the licensors right through to the finished product. I always get a buzz when I receive my final factory samples.
What else is new at Toy Fair this year?
It is my first Toy Fair with my new licensing company, so everything on my stand is new! We have the Hotel Transylvania 3 board game, 100 piece puzzle and a cute little snap card game. We also have the Jumanji board game, which did volume sales in 2018.
You’ve just signed rights for Laurel & Hardy – and of course the film comes out this year. What is in the pipeline
Yes! 10% off opening orders for new accounts.
What else must visitors not miss on your stand?
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TOY FAIR IS THE HIGHLIGHT FOR ME AS NOT ONLY IS IT THE PLACE TO DO BUSINESS, BUT IT IS A TIME FOR MEETING ALL THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THE TOY INDUSTRY WORLD GO ROUND
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Me! Come and say hello! I’m here for the duration of the show and I love meeting my customers and am thankful for the business that I get. Without my retailers I wouldn’t have a business so I am always keen to speak in person. I believe personal communication and commitment are really important.
Is Toy Fair an important event for you?
Yes, Toy Fair is the highlight for me as not only is it the place to do business, but it is a time for meeting all the people who make the Toy Industry world go round. All of us in our own way contribute to the UK economy and we are all part of this exciting sector. It is a wonderful event and never disappoints.
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Alphabet Pie Jack in the Box Stand GH59 The Jack in the Box range is a beautiful range of DIY themed kits, which includes ‘Around the World’, a 6-in-1 activity box for children aged 5 to 8.
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Massive Pack (available as either a cube or a board) MURO GH28 This new pack features all of the favourite toys from the previous range and a number of the latest ones, too.
The Greenhouse section of London Toy Fair is packed full of fabulous toys and games just waiting to be discovered. If you are looking for something fresh and different, make your way to this hothouse of innovation!
Black Sheep Freod Games Australia Stand GH39 Sheep farming has never been so much fun. It gets noisy putting the sheep into the paddock and gathering wool. But watch out for the Black Sheep! To win you must be the first to bring your family back home to the farm.
SmileyWorld Jumini Stand GH26 The SmileyWorld collection is designed to help little ones recognise key emotions through play. Jumini intends to introduce a comprehensive nursery range, and visitors to the stand will see their new babygym and bouncy chair alongside the wooden toys.
Pindaloo SWAG Distribution Stand GH01 Pindaloo combines basic components and simple action principles into a fun, challenging, skills-based toy. Begin by looping the ball around the Pindaloo, progress to harder tricks, and create your own. Enjoy hours of electronic-free fun with Pindaloo!
NEWS Branching out Le Toy Van has redesigned its stand for the 2019 show, with an LED tree as its centerpiece. The new-look stand also features the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest and most luxurious limited edition dolls house for children, as well as a classic rocking horse with a touch of gold and glitter. Stand E10 features more than 30 new unique toys including the Honeybake award-winning role-play collectionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s magical tea trolley.
Puzzle Perfect Jumbo Games, stand E46, has released 60 brand new puzzles for January. Hot on the heels of a successful 2018 performance across their Adult Puzzle portfolio, Jumbo Games is starting 2019 off with a host of new releases across their much-loved and top-selling puzzle brands â&#x20AC;&#x201C; all of which be showcased on their stand!
Did you know? Martyn George is the longest-standing sales agent for Gibsons, stand E40. As they celebrate their centenary anniversary he has worked for the company for 50 years!
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TOP Toy Fair debut! Canal Toys is showcasing its hero lines for 2019 on stand G125 for their very first Toy Fair. The leading creative play manufacturer is now in its second year and is looking forward to connecting with new and existing retail partners at Toy Fair this year. The Canal Toys team is especially excited about revealing innovative new brand extensions and two new brands that are taking the arts and craft category to another level! Throughout 2019, Canal Toys is investing in a series of integrated marketing campaigns, building on its phenomenal success with key lines and bringing innovation through new product categories. Synonymous with fun and innovation, while offering peace of mind that every product is fully certified, Canal Toys is a brand to watch in 2019. Be sure to pop by stand G125 and discover its exciting new lines!
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Retail Corner Matt and Sian Kirby, owners, Crocodile Stores
Cotgrave, Nottingham Which stand will you be heading for at Toy Fair? We have recently started working with Games Workshop since opening our shop so I am looking forward to discussing expanding the range we stock. Also, with evertightening margins on the ‘big we will be looking at the “We are being sellers’, Greenhouse Area to see what is new. asked about Is there something you are sensory toys looking for in particular? quite a lot so We would love to find suppliers that we can work with to will have our personalise our offering, be that with service, products or unique eyes out for bundles. We those” are also being asked about sensory toys quite a lot so will have our eyes out for those. What do you think will be this’ year’s big thing? My crystal ball is predicting another hot summer and I would love to see outdoor play make a bit of a comeback. However, my guess is that Fortnite licensed products will be very strong.
Stephen Barnes and Mark Buschhaus, Founders, Toy Barnhaus At Toy Fair, what are your go-to stands? For us, LEGO is always the one big one to go and see, with it being our biggest supplier. It is great to see what they have coming for Christmas 2019. Character Options is always an impressive stand, as they have such a wide portfolio of brands, and are a pleasure to deal with as a company. What are you most looking forward to at Toy Fair?
rts a t s The best thing about Toy Fair at ck i e k r is having all these great toy Fair ar in g s us y o “T ew Ye leave the companies all in one place, with all their ranges for the ll N d the on, an rd to a our rest of the year on display. i a n fash g forw iving i ar” It kickstarts the New Year in great fashion, and leaves ye arr kin loo toys r this us looking forward to all the new ps late new toys arriving in our shops sho later this year.
Jennie Hogg, owner, Cachao Toys
Primrose Hill and Muswell Hill, London What are your go-to stands at Toy Fair? I always try to find the little ones – people who have just developed a product. The fact that the brand isn’t known very well yet makes it difficult to sell sometimes, but I do like having products in the shop that no one has seen before. What do you think will be “Unicorns seem 2019’s next big thing? I have been thinking about to still be going this for days now, and the truth is, until I see it I couldn’t strong – even possibly say. Unicorns seem with the market to still be going strong – even trying to push with the market trying to push llamas and sloths llamas and sloths – unicorns still outsell any other creature – – unicorns still even mermaids, which outsell any other are my favourites. I like products that concentrate creature’’ on quality, ethics and good play value. What has done well for you in the past year? I ordered a lot of mood rings from House of Marbles this year – they have been popular. We also sold more doll houses this year, which I get from Le Toy Van and Djeco.
Mark Stewart, Director, Wise Owl Toys Worcester
What are your go-to stands? We’ll be going to our usual suppliers – Orchard Toys, Playmobil, Big Jigs, Schleich and Magformers. Do you visit the Greenhouse area? I only go to Toy Fair for one day, but my wife stays for longer and usually goes to the Greenhouse area. We’re always on the lookout for something different. What has sold well for you over the past year? We have been the biggest seller in the country of Dobble for the past three years! In one year we sold 1,100 copies of Dobble! Are you looking for anything in particular this year? We’re really interested in Stems – the new STEM construction toy from Learning Resources and we are also keen to see the new games on offer from Orchard Toys.
Licensee Spotlight
Ravensburger
Puzzle perfect Short lead times mean Ravensburger can react quickly to new trends, as Marketing Manager Benn Bramwell explains What makes Ravensburger such a great licensing partner? Being the market leaders (NPD 2018 data) in puzzles along with a strong games portfolio, for us licensing is as much about the personal relationships we build with our licensors as it is about the bespoke and high-quality products we develop. In working closely with our partners and the best designers in the industry, we create unique artwork to match every puzzle and game format we develop. With more than 80 per cent of the UK range developed and designed in our Oxfordshire offices, we ensure we create products that are specific and right for the UK market, covering all ages from pre-school to adult. As we produce the products in our own European factories, our lead times are short and we can react much quicker to fast-moving market trends and
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Hot licences for 2019 Enchantimals Fantastic Beasts How To Train Your Dragon 3 Dreamworks Spirit Disney Toy Story 4 Disney Frozen 2 Secret Life Of Pets 2 That’s Not My...
demands. Licensed products remain at the core of what Ravensburger do.
What do you look for when securing a new licence? We put great emphasis on matching the core brand values of any potential property we consider, with that of our own. We diligently study market trends and constantly adapt and adjust our ranges to fit with the fast-moving demands of the UK market. Every product in the range is developed specifically to match a need we’ve identified from our continuous research and trend analysis. Each licence we secure is planned carefully from a marketing, sales and development point of view.
What do the new lines add to the range? With nine new licensed properties joining our range this year, and new product additions to a further nine existing properties, our product development team have been working around the clock to present our retail partners with the most extensive and upto-date licensed product range. Our team spend weeks negotiating the right licences to add to our range, and months developing the right products for the UK customer.
‘‘We diligently study market trends and constantly adapt and adjust our ranges to fit with the fast-moving demands of the UK market’’
You have a wealth of new licensed products coming out over the next few months. Which lines are you especially excited about? This year we’re launching our most exciting range of licensed puzzles and games yet. Available now are Enchantimals, Fantastic Beasts, How To Train Your Dragon 3 and Dreamworks Spirit. Launching later this year with extensive product ranges including puzzles and games are Disney Toy Story 4, Disney Frozen 2, and Secret Life Of Pets 2 plus, for younger fans, a range of That’s Not My... puzzles.
What drew you to Toy Story 4? Aside from the obvious affinity we all have for Woody, Buzz and the rest of Andy’s toys, the bright colours and highly-detailed characters and backgrounds make for fantastic jigsaw puzzles. Previous Toy Story ranges have all done very well for us, and, knowing how much time and effort Disney put into creating extraordinary story lines, adding Toy Story 4 to our profile was an absolute no brainer.
And what’s coming up for you in terms of licensed ranges later this year? This promises to be an exciting and vibrant year for Ravensburger’s licensed puzzles and games. With highly-anticipated blockbuster film sequels to look forward to this year, TV character launches and literature properties joining our already extensive range, Ravensburger truly offer something for every taste and desire.
NEWS Jane Robinson, National Account Manager at Funko, tells us why she can’t wait to meet her customers at this year’s Toy Fair! See Flush Force at stand E130. What are you most looking forward to at London Toy Fair 2019? As a relative Funko newbie and after an extremely busy Q4, I’m looking forward to reconnecting face-to-face with all my key accounts and establishing a solid foundation for 2019.
How would you sum up the last trading year?
Funko’s stand will be even bigger and better, with a wide range of products and licences from the hottest properties. We’re not just Pop! Vinyl, we’re expanding with exciting collections such as the adorable keychains and other pocket money items like the Mystery Minis, homewares and the fashionable Loungefly accessories.
We have an extensive product range across the majority of key UK licences, and we have products that many retailers/buyers may not yet be aware of. I encourage all retailers who may be unfamiliar with the sales and margin potential of Funko products to make contact.
Name one hero product you and your team are very excited about showing at the fair? Valor from Fortnite because she looks fierce and her name pretty much says it all!
How many retailers and buyers do you estimate you meet at Toy Fair 2019?
And finally – we must ask – what’s your brew of choice?
With 15 scheduled meetings my diary is getting full as it is every year, fortunately I’ve
Being a proper Kiwi, I’d have to say a large flat white, which is really a latte.
TOP IN
The popularity of video gaming is everincreasing. The UK’s gaming industry alone is estimated to be worth £3.86 billion – more than video and music combined – and Kids Insights’ data shows it is the second most popular hobby of children aged four-12. Yet, while video game characters are appearing in more and more places, we believe they are yet to unlock their full potential. 2019 could be the year this begins to change. Only Pokémon’s Pikachu character currently ranks as a top 10 favourite in our latest data, taken from surveying 5,000 kids between October-December 2018. Over the last few months we have seen gaming brands such as Nintendo and SEGA increasingly utilise their valuable IP, with Super Mario and Sonic movies in the works. Netflix is also rumoured to be exploring game characters, by producing a Legend of Zelda TV series. The Pokémon franchise is expected to extend its popularity with live-action film Detective Pikachu voiced by Ryan Reynolds – which we predict to be one of the biggest 2019 releases. Looking beyond the blockbuster franchises, there is a wealth of video gaming characters, content and worlds to be expanded and explored.
Tell us a little about your stand this year, anything new and exciting?
Why should buyers come to see you?
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Having surveyed more than 20,000 children in the UK over the last 12 months, Nick Richardson, CEO of Kids Insights, reports on how more content looks set to originate from the gaming industry.
been able to secure meetings with all key retailers, and sales team colleagues will be on hand to meet with last-minute walk-ins.
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The toy category is competitive and innovative and, on a positive note, collectables is flourishing with choice. I’ve seen increasingly high demand across many licences, which has supported growth within all of my key accounts.
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The UK’s gaming industry is estimated to be worth £3.86 billion
DID YOU KNOW? Thames & Kosmos Stand F15
• Our new Board Game Account Manager called Eloise Congerton has a father who plays hockey for England (veterans now), and an uncle who played football for Wales and Chelsea. What a sporting family! • Our International Sales Manager Emma Hanlon has over 200 pairs of shoes. • More than half of our staff are qualified divers to at least Open Water level. • Every member of the team has at least one dog, and we have three office Labradors that come to work daily.
LICENSOR SPOTLIGHT
Awesome entertainment Nickelodeon has such a wide-ranging and rich portfolio of fabulous properties that the toy industry eagerly partners with them — many of which are huge global phenomena on the screen and at retail. Marianne James, VP Consumer Products and Commercial, gives The Daily News a quick run-down of some of the key properties that are sure to have a huge impact on the industry in 2019 and beyond What are the hottest preschool properties that you think will spark plenty of licensed toys and other products for 2019 and beyond? This year, our incredible Nick Jr. portfolio will include PAW Patrol, Top Wing, Shimmer and Shine, Dora the Explorer, Blaze and the Monster Machines, Rusty Rivets, Digby Dragon and Sunny Day. On air, we’re set to launch Butterbean’s Café in February and Blue’s Clues is returning to the screen. Meanwhile, we have a number of exciting consumer product launches in the pipeline including a Top Wing range with Hasbro in March, allowing little ones to re-enact missions and high-flying adventures from the show. A Sunny Day range with Mattel will follow on in July 2019.
Tell us more about the new pre-school show Butterbean’s Café? Butterbean’s Café follows a fairy named Butterbean who runs a small local café and magical bakery. She and her fairy friends serve up the healthiest snacks and sweetest treats in the small town of Puddlebrook. The café is the most incredible eatery in town, one that’s always much busier than the greedy and competitive Ms Marmalady’s! The series rolls out internationally on Nickelodeon in February and features storylines to help
pre-schoolers understand and cope with emotions in positive ways, as well as teaching them about gratitude, kindness, friendship and teamwork. Butterbean’s Café lends itself well to a fantastic consumer products range and we look forward to launching the programme in 2020.
What are the hottest school-age properties that you think will spark plenty of licensed toys and other products for 2019 and beyond?
Which companies are you collaborating with to make licensed toys for some of your top-selling shows?
We continue to work with our long-term partners to develop the best consumer programmes for each of our shows. These include Spin Master for PAW Patrol and Rusty Rivets, Mattel for Blaze and the Monster Machines, Shimmer and Shine and Sunny Day (launching July 2019), Flair for Rise Nickelodeon’s toy of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, partners include: Alpha for SpongeBob and Sambro for Slime. Spin Master for Beyond our established PAW Patrol and partnerships, we are always on the Rusty Rivets; Mattel hunt for new partners and exploring new categories in order to launch for Blaze and the new innovative products into the Monster Machines, market.
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Shimmer and Shine Ninja Turtles is a big one for us. and Sunny Day The Nickelodeon Big Base Rise is a complete re-imagining Camp is opening in London of the Turtles for a new (launching July 2019 – can you tell us more generation of kids. Audiences 2019); Flair for Rise about it? will notice the hand-drawn of the Teenage 2D animation, vibrant colours, The Nickelodeon Big Base Camp is brand-new stories, villains and a 10-day pop-up Nickelodeon event Mutant Ninja the worlds of Rise will feel very held in London. Young explorers will Turtles; Alpha for different from the 2012 series. discover life behind the scenes and The series has been rolling SpongeBob, and learn what it takes to become the out around the world since star of the show. Sambro for Slime. September 2018 and we Nickelodeon Big Base Camp is launched the first toys for the a place where kids rule and where new series in October 2018, their favourite shows come to life. with a number of successful retail activations, Whether it’s racing against the clock to solve the in-store activities and Hunter Street Escape Room mystery, becoming costume characters. We superheroes with The Thundermans, earning the will continue to roll out ultimate badge of honour — a sliming in the Slime new categories over the Time experience or even stepping behind the scenes course of the year. at the Nick Studio to film their very own superhero JoJo’s Sweet Sixteen stunt — there will be something to suit every and SpongeBob’s 20th Nickelodeon fan’s dream! Anniversary will also be big moments for us in 2019 and we’re set to launch an exciting and brand new range of SpongeBob toys with Alpha later this year. We’re also expanding our Nickelodeon-branded film content slate, bringing our biggest series to the big screen in 2019 and 2020, including Dora the Explorer, Are You Afraid of the Dark? and a new SpongeBob movie.
Need to take these boxes to another level? We offer shelf (SRP) and retail ready (RRP) solutions with more complex prints and styles to enable your customers to put packs directly on the shelf in store with minimum effort from the end user, a strong requirement for many of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s major stores. With expertise in manual packaging as well as machine erect systems, we are able to advise and assist with all your packaging needs. Visit us at Stand 124 to tell us about any requirements We also manufacture...
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Great hair day Hairdorables Pets, from Flair/Just Play on stand E39, are the latest to join Hairdorables #squad. With 24 in Series 1 to collect, each pet is linked to its own Hairdorables girl and comes with eight surprises inside, including a brush to style their hair.
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Collect and stretch! Character Options will be expanding their Stretch Toy collection in 2019 when the stars of WWE join the existing big name licences taking toys to their stretchy best! The ultimate superstar WWE fighters are sure to be a success in their giant stretch figure form! Kids can stretch them, pull them and tie them in knots just as we’re sure many of their opponents would like to in the ring! Once defeated, just release… and watch as they slowly return to their normal shape. Head over to view the collection on stand E119.
Juratoys’ new Janod ranges comprise colourful and original toys for children aged 12 months to nine years old. One favourite is ‘I am learning how to use a screw – Arctic’! Each of the three wooden characters help young children master the craft of using a screw! Each character is screwed in differently: the bear is screwed in horizontally, the Inuit is screwed in vertically (downward) and the fir tree is screwed in vertically (upward). Head to the Juratoys stand B121 to find out what else is new for 2019!
The Daily News caught up with Kerry Tarrant, Marketing Manager at Alpha Animation, over a quick cup of java to learn about the company’s new stand B90 and their raft of new products How would you sum up the last trading year? It’s been extremely tough, however despite the tricky trading conditions we’ve still managed to have a good year. Super Wings has gone from strength to strength for us and we saw sell-out success with our super-cool RC toy, Terra-sect.
Tell us a little about your stand this year, anything new and exciting? The whole stand is new and exciting! We want to ensure that it’s welcoming to all our visitors and showcases the great brands and products within our portfolio.
How many retailers and buyers do you estimate you’ll meet at Toy Fair 2019? A lot! Plus we’ll also meet with new and potential licensing partners and media and marketing partners. Our stand will certainly be busy.
Why should buyers come to see you this year? Because it is our debut year and we have something for everyone!
Name one hero product that you and your team are very excited about showing at the fair? We have some great new products across a range of different brands and licences, however my personal favourite is High Flying Jett. It’s so simple to use and pre-schoolers will love how far Jett can fly.
And finally, we must ask – what’s your brew of choice? A latte – caffeine is much needed during a busy Toy Fair show!
Day1_TFDaily_FullPage_Games_FINAL.pdf
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Monster Splat
Don’t miss at Toy Fair! 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: Silverlit Chimpy Company: Mookie Toys Web: www.mookie.co.uk Stand: E149
Product: Make a T-Rex Company: Fiesta Crafts Web: www.fiestacrafts.co.uk Stand: D2
Product: Peppa’s Secret Surprise Company: Character Options Web: www.character-online.com Stand: E119
Product: Monopoly: Fortnite Edition Company: Hasbro Web: www.hasbro.com Stand: Gallery Suites
Product: Shake Off Company: John Adams Web:: www.johnadams.co.uk Stand: G100
Product: Wild Life Flash Cards Company: Schleich Web: www.schleich-s.co.uk Stand: Gallery 100
Product: Off the Hook Company: Spin Master Web: www.spinmaster.com Stand: E131
Product: ArtieTM Company: Learning Resources Web: www.learningresources.co.uk Stand: D36
Product: Unicorn, Patch Works Collection Company: A.B.Gee of Ripley Web: www.abgee.co.uk Stand: B40
Product: Dinosaur Dig Kit Company: Bandai Web: www.bandai.co.uk Stand: Upper Level 600
Product: Boppi the twerking llama Company: Tobar Web: www.tobar.co.uk Stand: F50
Product: Slime Control Slime Shooter Company: Re:creation Ltd Web: www.recreationltd.co.uk Stand: E125
Golden Bear’s new toy range launches AW ‘19
Series 4 coming in 2019 26 x ‘7 episodes
Brand new Bing feature plush
Supported by TV and digital activity
© 2018 Acamar Films Ltd.
Come and see us at: LONDON TOY FAIR STAND E69
Also available: • Bing and Flop soft toys • Bing and Sula talking soft toys • Figurine gift pack • Wooden peg puzzle • Bing fun phone
All enquiries: Telephone: +44 (0)1952 608308 customerservices@goldenbeartoys.co.uk www.goldenbeartoys.com
EXPERT SPOTLIGHT
What SnapDragon does
Tip of the iceberg
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SnapDragon’s mission is to protect brands against fake or copycat goods being sold online. Using our proprietary software, we monitor the world’s busiest online platforms, such as Amazon, eBay, Alibaba or Taobao, identify counterfeit goods and then remove them using our clients’ IP. By removing the products from sale, online, we prevent their export, which in turn prevents their import — keeping brands, reputations, revenues and customers safe.
SnapDragon’s Head Dragon, Mary Kernohan, says the fake products we see are just the tip of the iceberg. Here, she talks about Snapdragon’s role in protecting intellectual property How would you describe the market in fake goods? We compare awareness of fakes to that of an iceberg. Sadly, what you see is usually just the very tip. A great many additional fakes are usually lurking under the surface – be they on other platforms, or advertised with different photos and descriptions. Finding these can be challenging — or even overwhelming — as well as personally distressing for brand owners, which is why we are here to help. What would you say to brand owners worried about fakes? First of all, we know how it feels. We do what we do because our founder Rachel Jones discovered fakes of her own product and had to take swift action. After years of helping other brands, she decided to found SnapDragon, supporting businesses to resolve infringement. We strongly recommend good intellectual property — starting with trademarks, which are relatively cheap and easy — and registering in any region where you are trading, intend to trade, or are manufacturing. Secondly, don’t take a passive stance — it is too easy to assume SMEs aren’t on a counterfeiter’s radar, when research has actually shown the reverse to be true. Finally, remember that by fighting fakes you are defending your business and, often, your customers’ safety.
Fact!
Over 12% of toys sold in Europe are fake.
What makes SnapDragon’s service particularly well-placed to assist toy companies? Built on our founder’s passion for infant safety, SnapDragon is deeply entrenched in the toy market and appreciates the pressures it faces. More than 12 per cent of toys sold in Europe are fake. That’s a huge cost to any businesses whether they are big or small, with lost proceeds funding irresponsible and immoral activity. Our service is flexible and affordable. We offer no legal services, keeping costs clear, competitive and ensuring that clients’ in-house counsel are able to do what they do best. What’s more, as an established business, working daily with the marketplaces, we are trusted and respected, enabling the process for takedowns to be quick and efficient. Finally, because we have years of personal experience in manufacturing, supplychains and distribution, we are happy to offer advice and knowledge, helping clients wherever we can along the way.
‘‘We do what we do because our founder Rachel Jones discovered fakes of her own product and had to take swift action. After years of helping other brands, she decided to found SnapDragon, supporting businesses to resolve infringement.’’
How do brands benefit from SnapDragon? By working with SnapDragon, companies gain a thorough understanding of IP-related issues and of the online marketplaces. Whether using our self-service or premium managed package, we are always on hand to support and empower our clients. With SnapDragon fighting fakes online, businesses can concentrate on what they do best – building relationships with their customers. We can be as involved, or not, in the monitoring and takedown of links – depending on resources. What matters is that fakes and copies are identified and removed, protecting the business and its customers. What are your aims for Toy Fair? We look forward to meeting old friends and new, hearing about the latest products and meeting anyone interested in a confidential chat about their business. Many brands don’t realise their IP is being infringed, or the full extent of the problem, while others may think ignorance is bliss and choose to ignore it: we believe knowledge is power. Chipping away at the iceberg makes it melt faster, so whatever the issue our visit our stand!
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Your team Editor
Additional Reporting
Georgie Dobie georgie@lemapublishing.co.uk
Tracey Bearton
Advertising Simon Davies simon@lemapublishing.co.uk
Chairman Malcolm Naish
Publishing Director Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk
Production Director Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk
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Additional Reporting Kate Birch
Additional Reporting Penny Franks
Additional Reporting Sally Norton
Additional Reporting Tierney Spence
Production Design Marian McNamara
Do you have some breaking news or hot stories? Then visit the Toys ‘n’ Playthings stand on E1
NEW
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A FIRST CODING KIT FOR YOUNG MINDS
Science Technology Engineering Art Maths
Find us at Toy Fair, stand G20
NEWS 50 and still Very Hungry! This year at Toy Fair, Rainbow Designs, stand E120, will be showcasing their very own contemporary collection of The Very Hungry Caterpillar plush developmental and wooden toys. Eric Carle’s hugely successful storybook The Very Hungry Caterpillar is the most read children’s storybook in the UK and celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2019! To recognise this landmark anniversary and the launch of their gorgeous collection, Rainbow Designs will be holding a press Tea Party at their stand E120. All press and media are invited to their stand today at 1pm – don’t miss the cake and Very Hungry Caterpillar party bags!
Pocket-sized pets The cute, pocket-sized PetSqueaks, from VTech VTech, are new for 2019 and can be seen now on the upper level 500. These adorable, cheeky creatures are the perfect robotic pets, with three sensors that interact when one of the sensors is triggered. Pet the head sensor or tickle the tummy sensor to make PetSqueaks giggle and respond with sounds, phrases and motion. Hold the PetSqueaks in the palm of your hand to trigger the Bottom Sensor and see it stand up. Watch the PetSqueaks move and scurry around on flat surfaces, just like a real pet or, see their cheeks light up in delight as they eat! They even make funny and embarrassing noises! The PetSqueaks will be advertised on TV from January.
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8/1/2019
11:00 PM