Toys n Playthings by Lema Publishing

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5 st 201 1 u g u A 1 4 No. Vol. 3

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

Helping everyone sell more

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CONTENTS Regular 5 Leader - with Mirella Anstey 6 News - hot off the press

5 st 201 Augu No.11 4 Vol. 3

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

Editor Mairead Wilmot mairead@lemapublishing.co.uk

9 Quick Coffee Break - with The Puppet Company’s Director, Peter Lockey

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12 People News - checking in on the movers and shakers 13 Exhibition News - the latest on global fairs and shows 14 Media News – the multimedia rundown 15 Media Charts - the latest kids’ TV viewing ﬁgures and toy TV advertising spend 16 Movie News - the latest from the box ofﬁce 22 What’s New - new products that you need to get your hands on 24 Toy Talk – the retailers have their say 42 Trade Talk - we give suppliers a chance to talk business 75 Don’t Miss – unmissable products for all buyers and retailers

Writer Rhys Thomas rhys@lemapublishing.co.uk

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

Media Solutions Manager Bradley Mason bradley@lemapublishing.co.uk

Publisher Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

Production Director Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

76 Licensing News – the hottest news from the toy licensing industry 79 Step Back In Time – a slice of toy history from the industry’s longest running magazine

Features 36 Fashion dolls – all the glitz and glamour from this well-loved sector 46 Autumn Fair – who’s exhibiting and what they’re showing - your annual show preview

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66 Youth electronics – the toy sector goes to the bleeding edge of tech

Special Report 17 TnP TV is here! – the latest from TnP’s boundary pushing new weekly TV show 18 Cover story - Damian Hall, LeapFrog’s new Sales Director UK & Ireland, talks about his ﬁrst six months in the industry and the LeapPad Platinum 21 Generation game - John Crane’s beautiful Our Generation dolls launches a boutique in Hamleys 26 Retail Interview - Argos’ Linzi Walker talks Christmas, multi-channel and own brand toy range Chad Valley 30 Toy Trust summer update - a quick check in with the industry’s incredible charity efforts so far this year

Design and Production Marian McNamara marian@lemapublishing.co.uk

34 Who’s Got Ron? - a brand new football-themed board game heads into the market as this year’s season kicks off 44 The Big 3-0 - Bigjigs Toys celebrates its 30th anniversary with a trip down memory lane and the launch of over 100 products

Managing Director Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

Circulation Manager Robert Thomas robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

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

Independently audited ABC circulation of 5,130

64 TnP’s golﬁng greats - TnP MD Malcolm Naish reports back from the seventh annual Goring and Streatley Golf Day

Columnists 20 Media Whisperer – are changes afoot within the TV sector? Clive Crouch thinks so

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28 High Street Highs – the Entertainer’s MD Gary Grant reveals how and why in-store theatre works 31 Shop Talk – indies that work together, earn together says John Ryan 32 The Independent and Secret Supplier – when it comes to traditional play, our dynamic duo can’t help but agree 33 Business Driver – relationships are key, particularly for small businesses, says former European head of Hasbro John Harper 72 Safety Column - Bureau Veritas’ Malcolm Horner tackles toy disguise ﬂammability 74 TnP Ambassadors – our ambassadors test the toys you stock on your shelves 82 Licensing Opinion – the licensing industry has earned its link in the creative chain says LIMA UK MD, Kelvyn Gardner

1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014

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LEADER Mirella Anstey founder, Fence Club member, and here is not, and never has been, in my spectacular party-thrower Derek humble opinion, a quiet moment in the toy industry. If July is anything to go by, Morris passed away. He will be remembered very fondly by the toy industry. the coming months are ramping up to Another toy stalwart, Michael Seary of W.J. be showstopping affairs. Brown Toys later known as Peterkin also passed Good news came out of the Disney Pixar camp away and is remembered by Malcolm on our just as we went to press. Its latest animated news pages. Our sympathies to both families. offering Inside Out, which as we all know has Malcolm also made the trip to Oldham recently been heavily invested in by some notable toy to mark the retirement of Mike Rowe from companies, opened at number one in the UK Character Options and his account of the event box office with Disney expecting total opening is in our news pages too. weekend figures to tip But back to what we do towards the £7million mark. best, help everyone sell more. Interestingly, the animated We’ve also got a This month’s magazine is flick is playing in more cinemas fantastic new launch for you jam-packed with plenty to across the UK than films such as Jurassic World, Minions, this month in the shape of a keep you entertained. Bigjigs Toys celebrates a momentous The Dark Knight Rises and new football-themed board birthday this year – the big Skyfall. On top of this, Disney 30 and we take a look at the says the film has already taken game called Who’s Got $550m at the global box office Ron? One of the men behind company’s humble beginnings right up to today where following its record breaking the game, Paul Green, they are one of the most opening in the US. introduces this unique game recognisable British toy brands And with another Walt to retailers. And yes! It is as out there. A big happy birthday Disney offering, Ant-Man, to Bigjigs from everyone at holding steady in second place, fun as the name suggests TnP! Turn to page 44 to see the the results mean that Disney – we’ve had a go! full report. has over a 53% hold on the Our editor Mairead Wilmot entire UK box office heading also had a sit down with Argos’ into the start of August. AntLinzi Walker and you can read our interview on Man also held onto its US number one spot page 26. and has taken $226.5m globally to date. Once We’ve also got a fantastic new launch for again, this prowess at the box office continues you this month in the shape of a new footballto demonstrate Disney’s complete and utter themed board game called Who’s Got Ron? dominance in all entertainment genres. We wait One of the men behind the game, Paul Green, with bated breath for Star Wars, of course. introduces this unique game to retailers. And July in the toy industry means a few things – yes! It is as fun as the name suggests – we’ve updates from NPD, Christmas lists from Argos had a go! Check it out on page 34. and even an alternative one from Midco Toys Our features this month are fashion dolls and notably, visits to the showrooms begin. (page 36), youth electronics (page 66) and Here at TnP, we’ve started journeying around the Autumn Fair (page 46). Team TnP will be out in country to catch up with noted suppliers and we force at Autumn Fair in September and we very have to say, we’ve seen a few things which have really caught our eye. Of course, they will remain much look forward to meeting you there. In the meantime, do drop us a line to nameless for the time-being, but we’re excited discuss your news and views and about the potential out there and there seems of course, contact Ryan (ryan@ to be a relatively upbeat attitude at lemapublishing.co.uk) for all of the moment. your advertising needs. At this mid-point of the year, NPD says toy sales have been strong and our columnist Mike Penfold from Global Media Who’s Got Ron? has highlighted a dramatic overall increase in TV spend – something which can only be seen as positive. It is with great sadness that TnP’s MD and founder Malcolm Naish remembers the passing of two great toy men this month. MV Sports

T A member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation

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NEWS

Play

Beautiful Bratz

Thunderbirds ad hits TV screens Vivid’s advert for its Thunderbirds Are Go product range has hit TV screens. The campaign launched mid-July and runs across CiTV, Disney, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. The commercials were a collaboration between London creative agency Superhero, ITV and Vivid Imaginations who commissioned the work. “We knew we had to do something special to support one of the most exciting product releases of the year,” said Tom Williams, Superhero’s Creative Director. “The creative seamlessly weaves between narrative clips from the ITV show and a bespoke Tracy Island set, immersing viewers and showcasing an array of cutting edge product features.”

Not only have MGA Entertainment’s new-look Bratz made a very welcome comeback to the toy industry, they come complete with bespoke emojis, webisodes and a brand new single. Recorded by US teen star Skylar Stecker, the original song, Bratz What’s Up, is available on iTunes now. The new Bratz Emojis are also available now in the app store and are free to download. Featuring fun illustrations of the Bratz girls as well as popular social media icons and buzz words, such as LOL, OMG! and #Selﬁe. The core Bratz dolls, Cloe, Yasmin, Jade and Sasha were ofﬁcially relaunched last week along with the newest member to their group of besties, Raya. The relaunch features an exciting new line of products, revolutionary entertainment content and an immersive app that inspires girls of all ages to creatively express themselves in both the physical and virtual world.

TREND SPOTTING: SMART TOYS Kristin Morency Goldman from the US Toy Industry Association tells us how smart toys bridge the gap between learning and play Research collected through the U.S. Toy Industry Association’s (TIA) industry-wide “Genius of Play” campaign tells us that play is one of the best ways to stimulate a child’s brain development. Through play, kids become more creative, perform better at school, and develop a problemsolving approach to both life and learning. And toys – the tools of play – are an important part of a child’s educational journey. It’s no wonder, then, that “Smart Play” has been identiﬁed by TIA as one of the top toy trends for 2015. From arts & crafts to youth electronics, we are seeing a tidal wave of both traditional and innovative STEMbased playthings that offer incredible educational play value by helping

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Through play, kids become more creative, perform better at school, and develop a problemsolving approach to life

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kids build essential cognitive skills that can be applied in the classroom – and beyond. Thousands of brand-new educational toys and games made their debut in February at TIA’s 112th North American International Toy Fair, the largest toy marketplace in the Western Hemisphere. The following are just a few of the many “smart” toys that are expected to be hot through holiday 2015: Dig! & Discover – Native American Bowl (Kristal Canada) Little archeologists use an excavation brush to carefully excavate pieces of pottery which are embedded in a soft clay-like sediment. The archeological ﬁnds can then be cleaned, assembled, painted, preserved and displayed for years to come! LightUp Edison Kit (LightUp) LightUp teaches kids STEM concepts

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HTI gives thumbs up to safety

On the shelves

HTI has officially entered into a Primary Authority Agreement with Lancashire Trading Standards. The agreement for product safety of toys, wheeled and personal protection equipment under European Safety Standards is HTI’s David Johnson (far left) enforced by the and Paul Bennett (seated) UK Trading with reps from the Lancashire Standards Office. Trading Standards Authority The Fleetwoodbased toy firm is the first company in Lancashire and only the second toy company in the UK to have achieved this Primary Authority status. This Primary Authority partnership will provide legally binding, consistent and assured advice that must be adhered to by other local regulatory authorities across the UK when carrying out inspections or addressing non-compliance. Once HTI’s products have been approved under the Primary Authority Partnership with Lancashire Trading Standards, they will have assured compliance throughout the UK. HTI’s Regional Quality Assurance Manager for the EU, David Johnson, says: “The achievement of this agreement with Lancashire Trading Standards follows an 18-month process during which HTI has undergone a number of thorough audits by the Lancashire Trading Standards Authority, entailing a comprehensive assessment of the company’s technical files and competences.”

The 3D Magic 3D Maker from Mookie Toys has hit retail. Named in Hamleys Top 10 toys for Christmas, Mookie says it is keen to establish the 3D Magic 3D Maker as the number one 3D producing arts and crafts toy. The product will be supported with a heavyweight TV campaign targeting key school holidays throughout autumn/winter 2015, in-store merchandising, a full PR campaign and online social support. The 3D Maker allows children to create 3D masterpieces through the UV technology incorporated in the Creation Station setting 3D patterns and shapes created using the colourful gel pens. In addition to the 3D Magic 3D Maker starter set, boys and girls targeted expansion packs will also be available making the possibilities for 3D creations endless.

through electronics and code. Kids can build exciting projects by snapping together magnetic blocks to build circuits in seconds. The inapp augmented reality feature helps kids troubleshoot when things don’t work, and offers an X-ray look at how electricity flows. Super Genius Addition (Blue Orange Games) Developed hand-in-hand with learning professionals, this addition matching game focuses on teaching beginners the fundamentals of math and enhancing math skills for more advanced students. There is always a match between any two cards; find the pair between an equation and its sum, two equations, or two sums. Tiggly Math (Tiggly) Tiggly Math includes a set of five colorful counting toys that interact with three parent- and educator-approved

AUGUST 2015

Greg is a real little triker Olympian Greg Rutherford has joined Little Tikes for a summer campaign designed to get families out and about. The Little Trikers campaign sees the gold medal Olympian encourage families to get outdoors while also being in with a chance to win one of 50 x 4-in-1 Sports Edition Trikes. The Little Trikers campaign launches after Little Tikes commissioned a survey of 2,000 UK families, which reveals that parents feel up to seven pangs of guilt a week at their lack of quality time together. Greg is pictured with his son Milo who is seen on his 4-in-1 Trike Sports Edition.

Tiggly iPad learning apps. The combination of physical and digital play helps children develop their number sense, counting skills, and understanding of math operations like addition and subtraction. All Queens Chess (ThinkFun) In this two-player game of All Queens, players have to plan their moves carefully as they outwit their opponent to get four Queens in a row. Just like in a game of chess, the all-powerful Queen can move any number of squares vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. The only difference is that pieces can’t be captured. Kids will exercise their logic as they navigate the board to get their Queens in a row. Compose Yourself (ThinkFun) Compose Yourself lets kids create, play and share a musical composition in

minutes. Arrange, rotate and reorder 60 Music Cards to create a composition, then enter the card codes on a special website and instantly hear it played. Comes with an mp3 audio file and sheet music to share with friends and family. Sing & Learn ABCs 123 (The Goldberger Company) This soft and cuddly doll teaches infants and toddlers how to sing their ABCs and count to three with a press of the doll’s tummy. Dressed in adorable animal outfits, Sing & Learn dolls teach the alphabet, numbers, cause and effect, and help baby to develop fine motor skills. For more information about TIA visit www. ToyAssociation.org or www.ToyInfo.org. To learn more about the amazing benefits of play, visit www.TheGeniusOfPlay.org.

NEWS The amazing art of play

Kiddimoto meets the Queen Kiddimoto’s Simon Booth made a trip to Buckingham Palace in July to meet the Queen. Simon was ofﬁcially awarded the coveted Queen’s Award for International Trade by Her Majesty and she even took some time out of her busy schedule to chat in more detail to Simon and Export Manager, Will Masters about their thriving business. Simon says: “It was such an honour to meet Her Royal Highness and Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace. Having spent the last 11 years putting my heart and soul into Kiddimoto, it is great to see our efforts recognised in such a prominent way.” The Queen’s Awards are well known as the UK’s most reputable business awards, recognising the success of UK businesses in the ﬁelds of Innovation, International Trade and Sustainable Development.

DAD’S CHOICE AWARDS OPEN FOR ENTRIES NOW The 2015 Dad’s Choice Awards are now open for entries – and toy companies are being encouraged to get involved. Now in their third year, the awards celebrate and recognise that dads like to play with different toys and games with their children. Some of last year’s winners achieved TV, National Press and Online coverage after the awards and closing date for entries is 8 September 2015. A super team of dad testers are ready and waiting to put your toys through their paces with the help of their children. Toys will be evaluated on their creativity, fun factor, value for money and whether they live up to the hype on the box! Each manufacturer will receive an evaluation report at the end with comments from the testers. David Ross, founder of Dad’s Choice Awards said: “Last year we had some cracking entries and have recruited more dad testers than ever before for 2015. We cannot wait to see what this years entries have to offer!” There’s a range of categories to choose from and manufacturers can enter as many products as they like, providing they meet the criteria. To ﬁnd out more, log onto www.dadschoiceawards.co.uk

Well-known toy and child behavioral expert Dr Amanda Gummer’s new book, Play - fun ways to help your child develop in the ﬁrst 5 years, will be published internationally and translated for a number of different markets. A regular on TnP TV, Amanda says she is thrilled that the book is so relevant for other cultures, especially as it wasn’t something she anticipated. “Many of the games, toys and play ideas in the book are quite British but it’s great that other countries see the value of a playful childhood. Play really is cross-cultural and can be a great uniﬁer,” explains Gummer. Retailers interested in stocking the book can contact HSymonds@ penguinrandomhouse.co.uk

Remembering Derek Morris TnP’s MD Malcolm Naish pays tribute to Derek Morris “I am sad to report the passing of Derek Morris. I had only a few weeks earlier enjoyed his 85th birthday lunch where Derek was in good form, but obviously very poorly. I first began doing business with his company Morris Vulcan, who were manufacturers of roller skates in the early ‘70s. He was one of the first in Britain to appreciate the potential of skateboards. In the early 80s Derek created M.V. Sports & Leisure – a company most successful today. Derek joined the Fence Club in 1973, becoming chairman in 1998/9 and to his credit was a most generous supporter, always rounding up a figure by the odd few hundred pounds to make the final total an even figure. His generosity was such that the Fence Club honoured Derek in 2005 with a Certificate of Appreciation and he supported the club to the very end of his life. He also threw a spectacular party – something very few people do today! Derek had a passion for boats; in his 30s Derek raced power boats and in 1969 competed in the Round Britain Power Boat race finishing a creditable third. A single handicapper golfer for many years, he organised regular charity events at his club – Copt Heath – winning many tournaments during his lifetime. In his 60s Derek underwent a triple heart bypass that gave him another 25 years that he certainly made the most of. Many of the stories are not for publication, suffice to say they broke the mould when Derek was born! He will be greatly missed and the world is a much poorer place without Derek.”

Michael Seary RIP We are sad to record the passing of Michael Seary who joined the family toy wholesale business of W.J. Brown Toys in 1950 where he stayed until his retirement in 1995. They were a major wholesaler for many years in the East Midlands. They became one of the largest wholesalers in the U.K. and with the growth of toy distribution by Browns they changed their name to Peterkin in the early nineties and with ofﬁces in Leicester and Hong Kong are one of today’s most successful toy companies.

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COFFEE BREAK

Smiffys scoop top award

Farewell to Mike TnP’s MD Malcolm Naish made a trip to Oldham to celebrate the retirement of Character Options’ Mike Rowe recently “There are very few retirement parties that would see me driving 200 miles, and spend over six hours ﬁnding the venue, but for Mike Rowe – one of the nicest gentlemen in the industry, it was a very small price to pay to see Mike off in great style at the Milan Bar, Oldham. The venue also happened to be the choice for Character Group’s annual summer party that saw all of the staff at HQ having a great time in biding Mike a fond farewell. It was also a nice surprise to see Toys Am We owner Alan Caswell and past employees Tony and Graham. It was obvious for all to see the high regard with which Mike is held at Character. He joined the company in 1992 when Joe Kissane was looking for a sales manager, and remained until his retirement. As Mike told me, he has had some great products pass through his hands over the years and his stories of the company growing with much hard work not only in the UK but Hong Kong and of course the New York Toy Fair would make a great novel.

Shielding toys Green Owl Toys is extending their range, offering bespoke colourful wooden shields to their customers. The company even has the facilities to offer a bespoke service allowing them to create shields with a design or picture of their customer’s choice. Green Owl Toys say this is a ﬁrst for the wooden shield offering in the UK. Along with their own line, the UK-based company also distribute a range of Gruffalo wooden toys and are the agent for the Bajo range. Their size and location means they are always quick to respond to their customers. Call 020 8851 9904 or log onto www.greenowltoys4trade.com

The Puppet Company’s Peter Lockey speaks to TnP about sales in 2015, the company’s top-selling products and more

How are sales looking for you at this point of the year compared to 2014? I am pleased to report our sales are 8% up on last year. Margins have fallen again due to currency ﬂuctuations and cost increases from China but it has still been a great start to 2015. Reef

Have you any new product launches to tell retailers about? (Recent or upcoming) We are launching lots of new puppets at Autumn Fair 2015. These include four new additions to our Hideaways collection, four new Long Sleeves and six large puppet Dinosaurs. What are your top three selling products? Our Funky Monkeys are selling strongly in the main UK cities and amazingly well in the USA. The new Large Birds are literally ﬂying out and our ﬁnger puppets continue to sell well across the board. What sort of consumer buys a Puppet Company product? We have an older customer base judging by the emails we receive telling us their Rabbit Hill grandson or granddaughter loved their puppet. But we also sell to teachers, parents and collectors. We received an email recently from a customer who has over 200 Puppet Company puppets in their collection! Describe The Puppet Company in three words? Service, quality, and fun.

Macaw

Hideaway Volcano

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MIGHTY BATTLES IN AN AGE OF UNENDING WAR

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PEOPLE

NEWS Mark Whittle joins The Entertainer The Entertainer has appointed well-known toy buyer Mark Whittle as its Head of Buying and Merchandising. Mark will work closely with the senior management team, reporting directly to Buying Director, Stuart Grant, and will have responsibility for all aspects of the buying and merchandising of current and new stores opening in 2015. The Entertainer says this key role further demonstrates its continued commitment to maintaining an enjoyable and friendly shopping experience for children and families. Mark will bring his considerable expertise from his role as Senior Toy Buyer at Argos and previously at Tesco, where he created and launched the toy brand Carousel, which is now a global brand for the retailer. His earlier position includes a 15-year tenure at Woolworths, where he was a Toy Buyer. Prior to that he worked for the group as a store manager and then moved to head ofﬁce to join the buying and visual display team. “We are delighted Mark has joined The Entertainer,” said Stuart Grant. “With his extensive knowledge of purchasing within the toy industry we are conﬁdent he will ensure we continue to offer our customers the right products at the right price and support our ambitious programme of store expansion.” Mark will purchase across all categories and will help Stuart expand the buying team and build structures and processes as The Entertainer continues its rapid growth.

Terry Padgett honoured at Equitoy AGM At the recent AGM of Equitoy, the UK’s association for toy importers, Terry Padgett was honoured with a life membership of the association. Having recently celebrated a ‘signiﬁcant’ birthday, Terry had offered to stand aside from the Equitoy council. The meeting unanimously rejected the offer and instead made Terry a life member allowing him to attend as many or few council meetings as he wishes. He was presented with a crystal glass bowl to celebrate the honour. Clive Shelton, Chairman of Equitoy, thanked Terry for his many years of service to the council, rarely missing a single meeting and often travelling great distances to attend. It is thought that Terry has served for up to 50 years in one capacity or another. Terry thanked everyone present and reminded the meeting that anyone involved in the toy business should consider themselves lucky. Pictured: Terry is presented his life membership and commemorative bowl by Equitoy Chair, Clive Shelton

SEGA promotes Stacey BatesMcCue SEGA Europe has promoted Stacey BatesMcCue to Head of Creative Licensing for EMEA and the Americas. In this new role, Stacey will head up the licensing creative development and management of style guide delivery and creative direction for SEGA’s growing portfolio of brands across EMEA and the Americas. Stacey joined SEGA over two years ago as licensing product development manager. During her time she has developed new processes to streamline the product development process for licensees while pushing the licensing creative boundaries of brands such as Sonic The Hedgehog, Football Manager and the SEGA Retro Collection, by creating multiple style guides and fast fashion guides to meet market demands.

Intelex appoints former TY President Intelex Group, the company behind the Warmies range of heatable soft toys, has appointed Scott Wehrs as President of its North American division, Intelex USA LLC. Scott is the former President and Chief Operating Ofﬁcer of TY Inc., where he directed and managed throughout the Beanie Babies’ period of explosive popularity. “This new appointment is a real game changer for Intelex Group’s North American operations and signals the start of a very exciting new chapter for the business as a whole,” said Group Founder, Philip Gannon. “Scott has a very unique set of skills, detailed industry knowledge and a real passion for consumer products and plush. His deep relationships with retailers across the giftware industry will undoubtedly help us to widen our distribution footprint.”

New hire for Rocket Rocket Licensing has appointed Tessa Bailey as its new Licensing Coordinator. In her new post Tessa will provide marketing support and coordination across Rocket’s growing portfolio of brands in order to ensure the efﬁcient running of the team and effective working with partners and clients. Joint MD, Charlie Donaldson said: “Even before she joined Rocket, Tessa quickly proved herself as a talented self-starter with an appetite for hard work.”

Moving on Bradley Dobbs has made a very difﬁcult decision to leave the toy industry after 30 years to pursue a new career venture. He would like to say a big thank you to everyone for their support over the years.

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EXHIBITION

BLE has even more categories for 2015 BLE will introduce a number of new categories to the show this year as more than 40 brand new exhibitors head to London’s Olympia between 13-15 October. Food and beverage, publishing, beauty, music, sports and heritage are just some of the categories represented. Among the new names joining the 300-strong exhibitor line-up this year are Pepsi, Stanfords, NOW That’s What I Call Music, Lee Stafford, PGA TOUR, Vimto International and The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. “We are thrilled at how this year’s event is shaping up,” said BLE Event Director, Darren Brechin. “The diversity of categories represented on the show ﬂoor is a clear reﬂection of a burgeoning industry with more and more brands realising the potential licensing can bring.”

Fresh faces for Autumn Fair Retailers hoping to seek out something fresh and exciting at Autumn Fair next month will be pleased to hear that alongside the 100 returning exhibitors there are dozens of new companies taking to the show’s Children’s Gifts, Toys and Gadgets sector in Hall 5 for the ﬁrst time. Organisers, i2i Events Group say that space in this sector is in high demand, and more space has

been allocated compared with the 2014 event. New to the show this year are Asobi, Bizzy Bitz, Alex Bands, Indigo Jamm, Little Bird Told Me, Tractor Ted and Cicada Education to name just a few. Bhavika Pattni, Account Manager for Children’s Gifts, Toys & Gadgets, said that the show has “attracted a lot of growth this year”.

NEWS

Parents’ top products to be unveiled at Kind + Jugend What were the most popular baby and toddler products according to parents last year? That’s the question renowned consumer magazines in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Russia and Turkey asked their readers in the run-up to this year’s Kind + Jugend. The results will be presented at the Cologne baby and children’s trade fair, which runs 10-13 September, and will offer an international comparison of already established top products at a glance. Depending on the country, the readers of the consumer magazines are called upon to give their opinions on up to 10 different product categories, from prams and furniture, to games, and fun and stimulating products. Taking the perspectives and opinions of parents across Europe into account, the awards are the perfect barometer for manufacturers, buyers and specialised dealers. More information about Kind + Jugend can be found at www.kindundjugend.com.

10. – 13.9.2015 Experience diversity, discover new ideas! A guarantee of diversity for over 50 years: The leading international trade fair for the baby and toddler outÒtting sector. In addition to plenty of new ideas, you can also look forward to the Kids Design Award 2015. Aspiring young designers present trendsetting design concepts. Let yourself be inspired – we are looking forward to seeing you! www.kindundjugend.com International Business Media Services 42 Christchurch Road | Ringwood | BH24 3JU | United Kingdom | Tel.: +44 1425 486830 | info@koelnmesse.co.uk

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MEDIA

NEWS

The next chapter

Angry Birds lifts off Rovio’s Angry Birds Space has rocketed even higher with a new update in collaboration with NASA called Solar System. Angry Birds Space is now present in many classrooms around the world, and in the latest update, players can explore the planets of the Solar System and get to know fun facts just by playing the game. The update adds educational content about space across 15 new levels, with exciting videos viewable in-game and direct links to NASA’s website, allowing teachers and pupils to increase their knowledge. “We have spent time defining our approach to learning and strongly believe that learning is fun when you love what you do, when it’s fun to fail, when you feel intrinsically motivated and when you experience flow,” said Sanna Lukander, VP Learning, Rovio Entertainment. “Well-designed games are strong in all of those four fields by default, thus offering a next generation platform for outstanding learning experiences.” David S. Weaver, associate administrator for communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington, added: “Everyone who plays will find surprises that take you to more information about our missions of discovery and exploration in our solar system and beyond.”

Mumfie is back Who could forget Mumfie, the 90s cartoon elephant created by Britt Allcroft, the mind behind the Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends TV series? Debuting as a string puppet in the 1970s, he is best known as the star of The Magic Adventures of Mumfie, a kid’s TV animation comprised of 79 episodes and a movie first shown in the UK in the 90s on CiTV. Under a new deal with Britt’s company, Britt Allcroft Productions LLC, Zodiak Kids Studios will develop a new animated TV series for a modern pre-school audience based on the characters created for the Magic Adventures of Mumfie. Mumfie was joined on his adventures by a variety of animals and birds including a whale, a flying pig, some pirates and his trusty sidekick Scarecrow.

HORRID HENRY BRINGS MISCHIEF TO MOBILE Fans of the hugely popular Horrid Henry books and BAFTAnominated TV series will be thrilled about the release of new iOS and Android app, Horrid Henry’s Big Box of Pranks. The app is a collection of fast and funny, actionpacked mini-games based on Henry’s love for all things mischievous. In addition to the brand new app, a new line of Henry clothing is hit the shelves in July.

DC Thomson is celebrating a sales milestone for its The Diaries of Dennis The Menace titles with partner Penguin Random House. Written by nominated Roald Dahl Funny Prize author Steven Butler, the series of books based on the Beano character have now sold more than 250,000 units. Tying into the consumer trend for ‘scribble journals’, Penguin Random House recently added The Diary of Dennis the Menace: Menace it Yourself! to the line, giving fans the opportunity complete their own menacing diary. The firms recently launched the fifth book in The Diaries of Dennis the Menace kids fiction series, Canine Carnage, and additional non-fiction titles coming this A/W15 include the Dennis the Menace and Gnasher: The Golden Catapult activity book.

Keeping the kids coming back for more Time Warner companies Turner Broadcasting and Warner Bros. are deepening their ongoing partnership with a global agreement to develop and bring original content to the recently rebranded Boomerang channel. The beloved Boomerang network is known for its funny and timeless contemporary animation. The agreement, which represents the ﬁrst-ever original content being developed exclusively for Boomerang, includes nearly 450 half-hours of programming from Warner Bros. Animation. The content will premiere on all Boomerang channels worldwide and on some Cartoon Network channels internationally, along with potential crossover with Turner Broadcasting’s Pogo, Boing, Toonami and Cartoon Network (US). The partnership also extends Boomerang’s access to the classic animation portfolio from the HannaBarbera, MGM and Warner Bros. Animation collection, a total of 3,500 titles. Drawing upon the vast resources of the world’s largest animation library which includes contemporary classics from Cartoon Network Studios, Boomerang’s on-air schedule will continue to feature such timeless favourites such as Tom and Jerry, Looney Tunes and Scooby-Doo! - programming that has multigenerational appeal and great co-viewership.

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elcome to the June media report. As mentioned in our last report we will be reporting on Boys and Girls 4–9 years and Housewives with Children. As the chart for Boys 4-9 years shows, there has been movement in viewing from one station to another, however the total viewing market is up by 9.8% which is extremely encouraging when we consider where we were several months ago. This increase has been helped by Pop and Tiny Pop moving onto the Freeview platform which, as the chart shows, gives these stations a boost in their total viewing figures. The good news continues with Girls 4-9 years, their total viewing is up by 11.2%, and again we see movement in viewing from one station to another. The most impressive increase we see is with the TinyPop figures which have gone through the roof, again this is helped by moving onto the Freeview platform. The biggest drop in viewing is with Nickelodeon, however this station has an older profile and does well with girls aged 10 years and older. Looking at Housewives with Children, the total viewing market is up by a massive 22.1% and it is good to see that Good Morning Britain is up, the new format they have is now starting to work. We also see that both Nickelodeon Junior and Tiny Pop are showing big increases for this target market. The top ten companies are showing an increase in reported expenditure of 16.2% when compared to June 2014, however the total toy market spend is up by a massive 32.5%. As mentioned in previous reports, some of the companies outside the top ten have increased their expenditure dramatically. The product count is 106 in June 2014 and 99 in June 2015, so very much the same, this level of growth is being maintained within the companies product range, be it new or existing products. When we look at the TV revenue this shows an increase of 3.4% which represents £8.9m. In the next report we will look at the older end of the Kids market along with Housewives with Children.

Housewives & Kids TVR’s June 14 vs June 15

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June 2014 Toy Company June 2015 Toy Company TV Expenditure TV Expenditure Company Name

TV Expenditure

Company Name

TV Expenditure

Hasbro (UK) Ltd LEGO UK Ltd Mattel UK Ltd Character Options Ltd Creative Toys IMC Toys UK Ltd Bandai Uk Ltd Insectlore Europe Flair Leisure Prod Ltd Vivid Imagination Ltd

£663,641 £565,704 £380,595 £184,565 £159,131 £127,468 £108,556 £101,357 £69,393 £69,080

LEGO UK Ltd Hasbro (UK) Ltd Character Options Ltd Thinkway Toys IMC Toys UK Ltd Flair Leisure Prod Ltd Golden Bear Prod Ltd Mattel Uk Ltd John Adams Leisure Ltd VTech Electronics Ltd

£689,417 £456,345 £350,158 £260,047 £236,742 £213,131 £204,285 £177,136 £161,214 £149,569

For more information on viewing levels please contact Mike Penfold. mike@globalmedia.me.uk Tel: 01494 763178. All graphs and information supplied by Global Media Services

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MOVIE

NEWS

LEGO Movie directors sign for Star Wars A newly announced Star Wars spin-off that will delve into the backstory of one of the franchise’s most popular characters has just been announced. The next adventure in the Anthology series of Star Wars films will tell the origin story of rakish smuggler-turned-rebel Han Solo, and will be directed by Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, the men behind The LEGO Movie. The duo said: “This is the first film we’ve worked on that seems like a good idea to begin with. We promise to take risks, to give the audience a fresh experience, and we pledge ourselves to be faithful stewards of these characters who mean so much to us.” The screenplay will be written by father-son team Lawrence and Jon Kasdan. Lawrence is notable for his work writing and directing Raiders of the Lost Ark, and co-writing The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. The untitled movie is currently slated for a 25 May 2018 theatrical release.

Three yellow fellows, Stuart, Kevin and Bob, have beaten the odds to score the UK’s biggest opening weekend for an animated feature film to date. The trio are the stars of Universal’s Minions movie, which debuted at the end of June to the tune of £11.59 million at the box office, toppling Toy Story 3’s previous record of £11.49m. The Minions’ performance also topped the £9.95m takings for Despicable Me 2’s first three days in 2013, as the franchise continues to gather momentum. Toy retailers that TnP spoke to over the past month have witnessed a big spike in sales of Minions licensed product, alongside Universal’s other summer blockbuster Jurassic World. As the dino-themed action-adventure continues to tear up the charts – it became the fifth highest grossing film of all time in its fourth week at the start of July – Minions’ triumphant launch continues an incredibly strong 2015 for Universal, with Fast & Furious 7 and Fifty Shades of Grey both winners for the studio earlier this year.

On Sunday 28 June, Centum Books hosted a VIP screening of Minions at Vue Cinema to coincide with its publishing launch. Retail partners attending included The Entertainer and Smyths Toys. During the event, it partnered with Rubie’s, which supplied costumes, to attempt to set a record for the most people dressed up as a Minion in one place. Pictured is everyone involved.

Maya set to make a buzz

New actor swings into Spidey role There’s a new face underneath the red and blue mask of Spider-Man. Marvel and Sony have cast 19-year-old Tom Holland as Peter Parker in the next Spider-Man franchise, a younger actor that will allow the movies to explore new stories and themes, according to Marvel boss Kevin Feige. “Some of my favourite Spider-Man arcs and Spider-Man stories, he’s in high school for a lot of it. We want to explore that,” he said, adding that a younger web slinger would also set him apart

Millions for the Minions

from the other core Marvel franchises. The new Spider-Man movies will likely bring more fresh faces in the form of its villains, with nemesis from the comic books not yet seen on the big screen going head-to-head with the web-slinging superhero. Speaking to SlashFilm, Feige said: “Right now we’re interested in seeing villains we haven’t seen before.”

There is lots of buzz surrounding a new deal inked by Studio 100 Film and Primal Screen for the Maya the Bee ﬁlm. The deal includes all rights for the UK, ROI, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland and will see Maya and her friends hitting the big screen in the UK in October 2015. Studio 100 Film has already sold the animated feature ﬁlm Maya the Bee in over 160 territories.

MONOPOLY MOVIE PASSES GO A movie adaptation of one of the world’s most popular board games has passed go and is headed into production. Simply titled Monopoly, Hasbro has firmed up some details about a long-rumoured film based on its property trading game, which it will co-produce with Lionsgate through its Allspark Pictures content studio. Stephen Davis, Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer of Hasbro said the toymaker’s brands already have a great track record of “creating engaging stories and appealing characters that speak to audiences of all ages,” when translating to movie and TV content.

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Episode 12

Episode 13

Episode 14

Episode 15

INVALUABLE INSIGHT TnP TV continues to bring the industry exclusive looks at the most exciting product coming to market - the perfect companion to kick off Christmas planning

e’ve been busy covering all corners of the toy market in the latest episodes of

TnP TV. From John Crane’s beautiful Our Generation dolls to the cutting edge of wearable tech with VTech’s Kidizoom Smart Watch Plus, TnP TV has been the only place to see the latest toys in action. The opportunity to ﬁnd out just why these toys are so popular with consumers from the passionate people behind them is invaluable. TnP TV offers retailers a unique Time to talk tech with opportunity to glean some extra Rebecca Lazarus, VTech details on how to maximise their presence in-store or expand their offering with a product that makes sense. TnP TV really is an invaluable source of information and insight for retailers, from the people and companies helping to shape the industry’s future. “TnP has always been at the heart Mirella with Rob Trup, Fiesta Crafts of retail, and we’re continuing that with TnP TV,” says TnP Editor-in-Chief and TnP TV presenter Mirella Anstey. “Talking to some of the leaders of the industry about why the toys they bring to market have such an impact at retail, and discover what kids love about them, is an absolute pleasure. I know we already have plenty of viewers from the independent retail Claire Olewnik from Mookie and Mirella talk bears sector, and I’m looking forward to welcoming even more in the future.” TnP TV airs every week and is delivered directly to your inbox as well as being available on www. toysnplaythings.co.uk. The only way to be a part of TnP TV is to get in touch with Ryan Horwood now on 01442 289930 or at ryan@ lemapublishing.co.uk. Mirella and Engino’s David Kelly get inventive

AUGUST 2015

John Crane’s Jonathan Thorpe with Our Generation

David Harms, Green Board Games with the new BrainBox game

TnP TV regular Dr Amanda Gummer with her new book

COVER FEATURE LEAPFROG

Selling the story Along with the launch of its new Platinum LeapPad, LeapFrog has a new Sales Director UK & Ireland in place. Damian Hall spoke to TnP about the company’s plans for the future, listening to retailers and more Damian, you joined LeapFrog as Sales Director UK & Ireland last year – how has your tenure been so far? I would describe it as a whirlwind. I joined LeapFrog in January of this year, straight into Toy Fair which was a great opportunity to meet key contacts and learn about the business. Since then, we have been working very hard to create the right commercial plans for 2015, building relationships and preparing Damian Hall for 2016. LeapFrog is a great company with a lot of great people who have made me feel very welcome. We are We have in a period of change at the moment, which is exciting to be a part of. I have been working enjoyed my ﬁrst six months and am very hard to really optimistic about our future.

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Tell us about LeapFrog’s longterm sales goals? Ultimately our goal is to be a preferred supplier that delivers sustainable growth in sales and proﬁt for retailers and shareholders. Commercially in the UK, that means investing smartly, executing brilliantly in-store and online, and having a balanced portfolio. This will be a journey for us but we have made signiﬁcant headway in a number of areas.

And how have sales been yearon-year? Which products are performing well? LeapFrog consumption trends YTD are challenging. We have aggressive clearance activity in our base for 2014 which we have not needed to anniversarise in 2015. We had predicted this and our YTD revenue is in line with our expectations. Within our product portfolio, we have a number of strong properties. The LeapPad line of learning

create the right commercial plans for 2015, building relationships and preparing for 2016

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Play

tablets continues to prove itself as a real year round business opportunity and maintains a top position in the industry all year – it was the market leader in 2014, outselling competitive brands, including other children’s learning tablets and Androidbased kid’s tablets. Our unique LeapFrog Learning library hosts some of the biggest and most popular licensed names, from Frozen to Paw Patrol, and continues to hold the number one spot for children’s tablet software. In addition, our toy portfolio continues to deliver our highest growth and outperform other brands with growth predominantly coming from our role-play toys.

How involved are LeapFrog with retailers? As a company, what do you do to support them? As a company that prides itself on offering children personalised learning experiences, we aim to give our partners and retailers a personalised service and level of support. LeapFrog is very involved with retailers and it’s an area I am particularly passionate about – we have to have strong relationships to be successful. My initial priority was to actively listen, take

feedback and guidance to understand how we can be successful together. At a company level, this has seen us be more agile, responsive and led to a number of signiﬁcant commercial interventions. We also really believe in our products and LeapFrog invests at the point of purchase via bespoke in-store and online presence whilst continuing to invest in fully integrated marketing campaigns across mass media and digital platforms to ensure there is maximum awareness, buzz and appetite for our products in market.

Looking at LeapFrog’s roster of products, you expertly combine education and technology – but how do you sell this idea to consumers? Or does it need selling at all? Any parent will testify that their children’s learning and development is one of their biggest priorities and so this doesn’t really require selling. Parents trust and connect with LeapFrog as a brand with a strong, rich heritage (20 years this year) and because they know all products are built from their very conception with kids in mind and overseen and directed by a dedicated team of qualiﬁed learning experts. We also really celebrate our educational credentials and work hard to make parents more and more aware of it – this includes working with UK primary school teachers to review our products and get their seal of approval on how our products can both educate and entertain simultaneously, while

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The platinum effect Damian reveals all about the new Platinum LeapPad LeapFrog is launching the LeapPad Platinum – tell us a little about this?

supporting familiar classroom techniques and curriculum area.

What do you say to your sales team to keep them inspired? Because as we all know, the toy industry is competitive. I am learning very fast that this industry is extremely competitive plus we are also going through a period of change within LeapFrog so we need a high performing team to get us through it. My message is simple, as a sales team, we can feel proud oud about what we have done so far, we e have already come a long way and have a clear vision for the future with values lues that cover what we want to be known own for. We need to keep this at the front nt of our minds. We also work for a great at company and there is a very genuine e purpose to what we do every day thatt most people can relate to which revolves ves around children’s learning and development. If that doesn’t work, I’ll ask them to the pub!

In terms of the next year – what can retailers rs and consumers expect from m LeapFrog? We don’t want nt to give away any details here, but I will say that there are some me high impact reveals planned for later ater this year which will really invigorate vigorate categories – offering excitement tement and innovation that’s only fitting tting for a brand celebrating its ts 20th milestone. Watch this space! pace!

And ﬁnally, what is your own personal al vision for the e company? That’s a greatt question to end nd on. My vision iss that Leapfrog is seen en as the indispensable partner for

AUGUST 2015

a child’s learning and development. The “indispensable partner” refers to the perception of parents and carers but extends much broader than that and includes being indispensable to our retail partners. LeapFrog is a trusted brand with a rich history, some fantastic credentials and in a period of exciting change. We are on a journey and have some way to go but we do have some new and very exciting plans across our business, some great people and lots of desire to get there!

LeapPad Platinum is our most advanced LeapPad tablet yet and is launching alongside our most innovative and exciting content launch – Imagicards. We are very excited about these launches and the feedback to date has been really positive about the potential they represent. The new LeapPad Platinum has a seven-inch, high-resolution, multi-touch capacitive screen, our fastest processor and is the most durable LeapPad tablet, offering kid-safe content to explore and grow. Imagicards is a ﬁrst of its kind digital and physical learning experience for kids that magically brings characters and learning to life on screen with the snap of a photo from one of 30+ interactive collectible cards that are included in the pack. The physical cards enhance interactivity to create an incredibly engaging experience for children that extends way beyond traditional tablet gaming. The Imagicard digital games feature educational content and LeapFrog’s proprietary Just For Me Learning Technology, which personalises the experience for each child by adapting automatically during play to challenge children at the right level. This powerful content is brought to life using children’s favourite licensed characters, including LeapFrog’s Letter Factory, PAW Patrol, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

What ma makes it different to other tablets there? out there LeapPad Platinum P and LeapPad3 tablets offer the perfect ﬁrs rst tablet experience for kids! The tablets are easy to use, feature fast processors and are designed with w shatter-safe screens and a highly durable co construction to ensure fun and safe play. Both LeapPad3 Leap and LeapPad Platinum also provide access to LeapFrog’s L world-class educational content library lib of top-quality apps, games and videos all designed or approved by LeapFrog’s team of o learning experts. We co continue to innovate year after year and our Leap LeapPad family of tablets, including the most recently unveiled u LeapPad Platinum, continues to offer parents p and children the best ﬁrst tablet experiences. experience

And how is it being received at market? Are and consumers excited? retailers a The children’s childre tablet category needs innovation and LeapFrog are best placed to deliver compelling new products, executed brilliantly and fully supported to guarantee interest from children, parents and gift givers. LeapFrog L and retailers recognise that this category can be challenging, however feedback categor been really positive. The product and launch has bee plans a are being prioritised by a number of valued retail partners and most recently our va Hamleys has announced Platinum as one of its Hamle top 10 products for Christmas, for which we are and grateful. very proud p Since the details of Platinum were announced in June, it has proven to be a big hit with mums dads and we look forward to launch day. and dad

MEDIA

OPINION

Ch, ch, ch, changes Are changes afoot within the TV sector? Clive Crouch thinks so

ast month I wrote about changes in BBC children’s output. In a relatively short period of time the content now delivered to children on day-time TV appears as though it has always been. Sadly that is not the case and with children’s BBC output no longer gracing the schedules and the screens of BBC1 and BBC2, more turbulence could be imposed. The Conservative election victory in May, clean of any Liberal coalition compromise, suddenly appeared to be potentially much more threatening to the BBC. The BBC’s charter review submission is due for publication in September. Westminster’s new tenants have, for some time, expressed very negative perceptions of the BBC. For the purpose of this article I will put political issues to one side but, the facts suggest a tough time going forward that will challenge BBC programme budgets and output. Children’s BBC is a jewel in the crown of this broadcast sector, represented in total by over 30 children’s channels, of which all of the others are commercially funded. While it may be inevitable that the BBC have to make savings, the interests of children’s programmes will be well represented and understood. I will explain why. Regular readers of this column will know that The Westminster Forum (WMF) is often brought to your attention for their good work on matters of broadcast, media and regulatory issues. John Wittingdale has been prominent within the WMF over many years. Fortunately as the newly appointed Secretary of State John Wittingdale has a wealth of knowledge on broadcast media and the critical issues that surround the BBC and its future. The importance of the BBC children’s output is well known to this industry due to the many licensed characters we have and the many product categories that originate from the o shows and have done so for many years. Post Jeremy Clarkson,, Call the Midwife is now reportedly the top-

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earning property in terms of international distribution. BBC children’s properties will also rank very highly on a worldwide basis and the toy industry will be counting on the government to protect and allow further development of this very special genre. Meanwhile, the media planning and buying market for children’s TV is poised for change. This autumn will see Sky Sales manage all airtime sales for Viacom-owned channels. Sky has always represented Viacom, but the change comes about following Viacom’s acquisition of Channel 5, adding Milkshake and all other Channel 5 children output. Viacom’s Kids credentials are without question and the Channel 5 children and Milkshake team had already moved into Viacom’s Camden Town offices ahead of closure. Finally, I mentioned the Westminster Media Forum (WMF). This most credible organisation recently hosted a conference entitled “The future of children’s content – latest trends, commercial opportunities and safeguards”. Anna Home of The Children’s Media Foundation chaired the conference and also spoke on “The future of original UK children’s content”, this followed on from a recent report published by Ofcom which found that the tablet is now the second most-used device among six to 11 year olds. Four speakers from sectors like production, commercial and public affairs at ISBA (Incorporated Society of British Advertisers) addressed the issue of engaging young audiences speaking about multi-screen content, commercial strategies and safeguards. The media industry works well within a self-regulatory structure. The WMF host an event with key decision makers to address the best interests of its practitioners, a very responsible position at a time when we have to be aware of changes.

The media industry works well within a selfregulatory structure

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

toysnplaythings.co.uk

NEWS

FOCUS

GENERATION GAME

What is Our Generation? Our Generation is a range of 46cm dolls with every imaginable accessory to go with them. It has been designed by the Battat team and distributed in the UK and Ireland by John Crane Ltd for less then 18 months. Our Generation has been designed as a lifestyle range to celebrate everything that is wonderful about being a girl and the dolls come in multiple styles. From deluxe dolls with an extra outﬁt to change into and matching accessories, to regular dolls and dolls with books. It doesn’t stop there, there are also Retro dolls and Hair Grow dolls, whose hair grows when you push a secret button to name but a few.

John Crane launches its Our Generation boutique in Hamleys this August. TnP ﬁnds out more about the doll range and gets a sneak peak at the boutique

his August, one of the most recognisable toy stores in the entire world will open a unique boutique. On Thursday 6 August, Hamleys on London’s Regent Street and John Crane will mark the opening of the Our Generation boutique – a one-stop shop dedicated entirely to the doll range. Battat’s Our Generation range is distributed in the UK and Ireland by John Crane, with MD Jonathan Thorpe explaining that launch has been a “long time in the planning so it’s fantastic to see this so positively received”. Both Jonathan and Danny Battat, owner of Battat, feel that Hamleys is “the perfect toy shop to launch the Our Generation boutique”.

John Crane’s Our Generation boutique in Hamleys is ready to rock!

So what can consumers expect to see at Hamleys? The Our Generation Hamleys boutique is a huge area styled in the shape of a house allowing consumers to step inside the Our Generation world. John explains more: “There will be a tree of hearts growing in the corner which represents the story of each

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Hamleys is the perfect toy shop to launch the Our Generation boutique

What else is in the range? The dolls can go camping with the Our Generation tent and can tow a caravan with a 4x4 vehicle. They can scoot about on a scooter or go for a drive in their retro cruiser which even has a real working radio. This fashion-forward range includes an array of accessories for every season and every occasion be it summer, winter, spring or autumn and don’t forget girls love their shoes so a fashionable footwear range has also been devised.

AUGUST 2015

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girl who loves Our Generation. Display cases show you what the dolls look like from a 360 degree angle and helpful Hamleys staff will be onsite to help with any questions that may be asked.” The ofﬁcial launch date will see the owners of Battat cutting the ribbon to open the store and prize winners will also be invited to the boutique opening. The range is supported by the Our Generation website (www. ogdolls.com) which allows girls to draw and publish a heart on the interactive Wall of Hearts, ﬁnd hairstyles for their dolls, view the range and lots more.

WHAT’S Brand spanking s new launches from to top toy companies to help yo you sell more!

Ready for launch Rea MECCANO MECCA 01628 535000 535 www.spinmastertoys.co.uk www.spinm

Aim high PETRON SPORTS (UK dist. TKC Distribution) 01380 872 950 www.tkcsales.com Petron Sports has rebranded its Sureshot range of premium-quality toy projectile products, with all new designs across the range. The company sells hundreds of thousands of toy projectile products each year with a proven product line delivering a fantastic play experience for kids. “The Sureshot Riﬂe and Pistol products have just come in stock and are already setting new levels of quality, enjoyment and wow factor in the projectile toys category. “We’re also in the process of developing a new TVC incorporating the new branding, which will be available to our distribution partners in Q4. And so with a stellar 2015 already assured, we anticipate further distribution deals and strong consumer sell through this year and beyond,” said Martin Saunders, Petron Sports’ CEO. The company also recently announced a raft of new export distribution deals covering North America, South America, India and Eastern Europe.

strikes, International Rescue answers the Whenever disaster di call! For the ﬁrst time ever, fans of the TV series Thunderbirds Are Go will be able to build a replica Thunderbird 2 from Meccano. For more than 100 years, Meccano has been the construction set of choice for young engineers, and builders. i iinventors t db i The new Thunderbird 2 model is built from over 650 coloured metal Meccano parts. Its realistic features include a cargo bay pod, thrust nozzles, and foldable landing legs. Builders can also construct The Mole which deploys into action from a replica Pod 5. All new Meccano sets come with real working tools and easy to follow instructions.

Little Miss Brainy GREEN BOARD GAMES 01494 538999 www.greenboardgames.com Green Board Games is further extending its awardwinning BrainBox range with the introduction of Mr Men Little Miss. It has already evoked signiﬁcant interest from independent and major retailers alike and looks to be a real winner. To support this exciting launch, GBG is executing a social media campaign to enthuse the consumer, counting down daily to its on-shelf availability in September, as well as providing a platform for Mr Men Little Miss BrainBox within its consumer focused newsletter, reaching consume subscribers fortnightly. 12,000 su Recent collaboration with Kennedy Publishing Recen (publishers of the Mr Men Little Miss magazine) provides GBG with a fantastic (publi opportunity to maximise on the beneﬁt of its 35,000 circulation. Further oppo marketing support is available for independent retailers, including posters, mar stickers, giant BrainBoxes and CDUs, all of which will be free for retailers sti ordering 12 or more Mr Men Little Miss BrainBoxes.

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NEW Snatch these pup! Sn FLAIR FLA 020 643 0320 0208 www.ﬂairplc.co.uk www

Epic battles GAMES WORKSHOP 01159 004801 trade.games-workshop.com Games Workshop is the multi-million pound company that is the global leader in tabletop miniatures games, with thousands of trading partners across Europe, including a huge fan base in the UK and Ireland. This summer the company launched the key line for its Warhammer brand, the new Age of Sigmar game box, which has brought the game up to date and has quickly become one of its best product launches of all time. Warhammer Age of Sigmar is a boxed game containing models and rules, allowing customers to play tabletop games using the miniatures, and begin their journey into the fantasy world of Warhammer. There are supporting products which allow enthusiasts to engage their imagination in creating their own collections, involving gaming, modelling, painting and building. The new game box is a complete relaunch of the rules and background for Warhammer, designed to excite current enthusiasts and also make the game more accessible for new entrants. The game box includes brand new miniatures designed using cutting edge technology. Games Workshop’s Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 products provide retailers with a reliable source of year-round sales from loyal customers, and the company’s dedicated rep team make stocking the product line simple. Among its brands, Warhammer already has a proven track record of sales in retailers across the country, particularly among local stores, which the company supports with a dedicated stockist programme. Designed speciﬁcally for local stores, the products and support offered provide a range of game, hobby and craft related products ideal for toy and craft stores.

AUGUST 2015

h added brand new pet collectables to its line-up with Pet Flair has Parade. Parade This adorable property holds realistic, cute puppy breeds plus a host of accessories and playsets for girls to discover. The 10cm puppy ﬁgures come fully articulated, allowing for realistic movements. Using a special joystick button in the puppy’s back, girls can make their new friend walk and move their eyes, head and tail - just like a real puppy! Watch the puppy pick up the bone and be taken for a walk using the special lead. The main range will include six dogs for launch, including a Labrador, Pug and Dalmatian, with an additional three exclusive puppies to collect. Among the playsets is the Pet Parade Train and Treat Kit with which girls can take their exclusive Bulldog Puppy for a walk, open the gate and teach him to collect the post. When he manages it, he will be rewarded with a treat.

Looking glam! CHARACTER OPTIONS 0161 633 9800 www.character-online.co.uk New this summer is Character Options’ Easy Nails Nail Spa, a unique and fun way for children to effortlessly paint their nails. This auto nail painter uses child-friendly polish to instantly add a perfect touch of glamour to ﬁngertips each and every time. The Easy Nails Nail Spa will launch with substantial TV advertising, while key girls press will feature ‘how to’ advertorials for tween girls to be inspired by.

RETAIL

OPINION

Toy talk Retailers are important to us here at TnP. We love chatting to them each month to get industry insights into what is selling well and we ask some key questions...

TnP loves to hear your views. This month we chat with retailers around the country to see what is selling well and how they are ﬁnding consumers on the ground

PHILLIPA GRANGE Adventure Toys, Northallerton, North Yorkshire

CAROLYN STRAND

Adventure Toys is a farm that sells toys. Specialising in outdoor toys, the products are displayed in a big open space

EarlyWhirly’s online home will soon be moving to The Useful Shop, merging the toys, homewares and gifts sites of the business

GfK says consumer conﬁdence is at its highest point since the 90s – would you agree with this from your own experience? Yes - we don’t get a lot of footfall but people are deﬁnitely happier to open up their wallets. Larger items, like full playsets have also become more What are your reactions to the initial Christmas top 10 lists from Argos and Hamleys? We do keep an eye on them. What change, big or small, have you made to your business this year that has had a positive impact? We have changed the shop around and that’s something we have tried to do more often this year. At the moment, that has really worked well for us. What currently is a hot seller – perhaps something that’s surprised you? Outdoor water tables from Little Tikes. They’re normally quite a big seller for us, but this hot weather has made them much more popular.

NAOMI SIMPSON

EarlyWhirlys, London

GfK says consumer conﬁdence is at its highest point since the 90s – would you agree with this from your own experience? People are more comfortable watching what they spend having got used to doing so over the past few years. When you consider economical uncertainty such as we are currently seeing in Greece coupled with government cuts being announced in the UK this week the future for the consumer is anything but clear and conﬁdent. What change, big or small, have you made to your business this year that has had a positive impact? We are making big changes, we are completely rebranding to a ‘family store’ bringing our homewares and toys businesses together. This has come from consumer demand and to streamline our business operations. We have not yet launched so we have yet to see what impact this will have but we believe we are moving in the right direction. A new website, new name and branding will bring a all new, updated and more technically advanced offering to our customers. What currently is a hot seller – perhaps something that’s surprised you? Our best-selling lines would be B Toys, Big Toys and Tidlo. Role play and musical toys are probably our best sellers all year round, musical instruments sets and the now discontinued Melissa and Doug Seaside Symphony have all done well.

Forget-Me-Not Toys and Books, Warrington, Cheshire Have you noticed an upsurge in outdoor/summer toy sales with summer coming? This time of year, it’s not necessarily the outdoor toys that sell the best for us. It’s more about the toys that people can take on the train or plane. The Scribble Down Activity Packs and Galt’s Water Magic range are good examples.

Will you be attending Autumn Fair this year? I usually go to Spring Fair and when I do go, I look for new products and suppliers.

Do you offer a Christmas savings club or wish list and how does it work? We do a Christmas savings and reserve club. People can either pay into it throughout the year and then spend it nearer Christmas, or reserve a bigger item and pay it off in instalments. What are your current top three selling products/lines/brands? Depesche’s Top Model is super popular as is LEGO. All of Orchard Toys’ games also sell really well.

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Tweet Talk Share your thoughts with us and keep up to date with all things TnP on Twitter @toysnplaythings BOB SMARTS Poppy and Zach, Beds Poppy and Zach opened this time last year and has already gained international customers from as far as Brazil and Australia GfK says consumer confidence is at its highest point since the 90s – would you agree with this from your own experience? Both in-store and online we’ve noticed that higher priced items are selling far more frequently. The average spend has also increased – I’d say it has almost doubled from this time last year. What change, big or small, have you made to your business this year that has had a positive impact? We pumped money and time into our online store and this has opened our customer base up to the entire globe. We have international customers from as far as Australi and Brazil. It’s daunting at first, but definitely well worth the effort. What currently is a hot seller – perhaps something that’s surprised you? Le Toy Vans doll’s house is going great. We used it for our window display and it’s brought a lot of people in to see it. Mainly it’s grandparents and mums that get drawn in, but once the kids are in they love playing with it. Some have been asking if they can reserve for Christmas so we’re looking into doing a Christmas club for when the kids go back to school. Will you be attending Autumn Fair this year – if so what are you looking for? I will, and I’ll be looking for new products from some of the smaller companies I’ve yet to see.

JULIA DYER Ottie and Bea, West Brook, Leicester Ottie and Bea believes playing and having fun is serious business, and have a team of testers to ensure everything they stock meets that high standard GfK says consumer conﬁdence is at its highest point since the 90s – would you agree with this from your own experience? Absolutely, although I think there is still room for more sales closer to the end of the year. Christmas will be the real test, but it’s good to see that our customers are buying more. What change, big or small, have you made to your business this year that has had a positive impact? We’ve added a new star spot to our shop which highlights one product or brand each month. That has worked really well to get new product in front of customers and bring new brands into the store. Sylvanian was our most recent brand here and we worked sclosely with Epoch on that. What currently is a hot seller? Shopkins are selling really well, and although I know they’re selling well with a lot of retailers, they’re not something we’d normally stock.

AUGUST 2015

RETAIL INTERVIEW ARGOS

Selling happiness Argos’ Trading Manager for Toys & Nursery, Linzi Walker, sat down with TnP’s editor Mairead Wilmot recently to talk, well, to talk toys... Thanks for taking the time to speak with us Linzi, tell us about Argos’ approach to the toy industry. Toys is a hugely important category in our business. It is so important from a heritage point of view, you know we have 40 years’ experience in toys. As soon as you talk to people about Argos they start to tell you about their earliest memories of curling up with the Argos catalogue and picking

out their Christmas wishlist. It is really important to us to think about and understand the end customer - a child.

How many toy lines do you stock? We have well over 8,000 lines, but by Christmas that increases and we are nearing 10,000. Range depth is important to us but so is supporting key suppliers. We want to give people unrivalled convenience,

We asked… Have you ever been surprised by the success of a toy line over the course of your time with Argos? I’ve been with Argos for ten years but I’ve only been looking after toys for a year and a half. But my biggest shock and surprise was with Loom Bands, what an amazing learning curve for me, the speed and the sales and then the crash and burn! Frozen was great too, those are the two that stand out.

so we have 780 stores and it is about allowing the customer to get what they want, when they want it.

“

A lot of research goes into selecting our toys lines but sometimes you just see a toy that you love and it wows you. You just know that customers are going to love it!

”

Are more toys bought online or in-store? Which do you place more emphasis on? We really don’t emphasise one over the other. Online is where we show our full range but we also know customers still love the Argos catalogue, so it is vitally important that the top toys are within that. Nearly 50% of business is conducted online but 90% of customers are touching a store within that transaction so expanding our stores is critical. We are really clear internally about how our online and store operations mix. We try to make buying easy for customers.

What is your criteria for stocking a toy line – what must it have? I have five buying teams working under me and each represents a different segment of the

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Argos’ top toys!

Hasbro’s Pie Face is a hit at Argos’ recent event industry. We have a rigorous selection process: they travel the world, look at trends, TV, meet with suppliers. A lot of research goes into selecting our toys lines but sometimes you just see a toy that you love and it wows you. You just know that customers are going to love it! Real FX is a great example of that for me.

What is inﬂuencing popular toy lines at the moment? This year we are seeing some of the most popular toys being stimulated by the biggest films, so Avengers, Minions, Star Wars, and then Frozen is still really popular and continuing to grow. We’re also seeing traditional toys selling such as doll’s houses and board games. Our Chad Valley range is very important to us for that reason, it has a big breadth of range.

In terms of categories, is there a constant performer for Argos? There is a seasonal aspect to things; apart from outdoor, which is a very good performer for us, categories ebb and flow. It really depends on what films are doing well but I would say traditional toys are consistent.

How do you react if a product is not selling well? The first thing we try to do is understand why a product is not selling. So we ask ourselves, are we being competitive? Are the photos on the website doing the product justice? Do customers really understand the product? We really try to dig into why before we react.

Argos released their Christmas top 13 recently, do you notice an instant pick-up in

AUGUST 2015

sales once that list is released? We’ve found that it builds rather than having an immediate effect. Customers really like to plan, and conversations about Christmas start to ramp up around June, but it is our job to help customers plan their spend. Everyone is interested in the top toy and by mid-October sales tend to pick up.

We know that independent retailers are very important to the UK toy industry, do Argos see them as competition? It is all healthy competition and it keeps the market on its toes. Independent toy retailers are as important within the industry as we are and there is a place for both.

Tell us about Chad Valley. How is the brand performing? Sales for Chad Valley are solid, we have more than 400 products available with 180 brand new products for customers which offer unrivalled value. Over 100 toys are within the two for £15 range.

How do you grow and promote an own-brand line when you also sell other competing toy lines?

My Friend Freddy - Vivid Real FX - Vivid Thunderbirds Interactive Tracy Island - Vivid LEGO City Deep Sea Exploration Vessel - LEGO Pie Face - Hasbro Chad Valley Three Story Summer Winter Dolls House - Argos Barbie Style Your Way Dolls House - Mattel Minions Tumbling Stuart Thinkway Toys Frozen Sing-A-Long Elsa - Jakks Little Live Pets Clever Keet Character Options Shopkins Scoops Ice Cream Truck Flair Nerf Modulus - Hasbro VTech Toot Toot Drivers Super RC Raceway - VTech

“

Online is where we show our full range but we also know customers still love the Argos catalogue, so it is vitally important that the top toys are within that

We don’t prioritise. It is all about what is relevant at that time. So for example if a ﬁlm is out, we make sure customers are aware that we have all of the toys they need relating to the ﬁlm. Or with the launch of Bratz, we will highlight that but then there are other times where we will The best advice I can give is to a buyer is to understand your customers and look at the ranging and executions talk about through the eyes of a child. Chad Valley.

”

LINZI SAYS…

HIGH STREET

HIGHS

That’s retailtainment! Gary Grant has been using in-store theatre to lure customers since the 1980s. Today, The Entertainer are renowned for using entertainment tactics to bring people through their doors. We ﬁnd out more about how, and why, it works for them

“

We set the teams targets for their demo days and have live KPI reporting on how each store is performing throughout the day. The area managers have instant access to this on their iPad and can encourage and motivate with conﬁdence conﬁdence

”

he year is 1981. Star Wars is at the height of its popularity and Gary Grant wants people in his shop. You can guess what happens next. Yes, Darth Vader came to The Entertainer in Amersham and so did customers. “He was a big hit,” says Gary. “The force is strong with him!” Today’s customer is savvy, clued in and they don’t just want to go into a shop to buy a product – they want an experience. Now, ‘retailtainment’ and in-store theatre are ingrained into the toy industry. “Retail marketing is more than just point of sale,” Gary says. “We are constantly looking to ﬁnd new ways to get our customers interested in our merchandise through engaging activity, sound and multichannel-targeted campaigns.” Gary explains that this is something The Entertainer has always done. “It started with product demos and character visits, and now more recently, there are interactive activities, competitions and even opportunities to take selﬁes with your favourite Avenger. Social media has really helped our customers and that’s free!” share their in-store experiences an

that would make great demo lines. Hasbro’s Nerf is a favourite, as are our RC cars and our recent ‘Hero Up’ demo campaign with Disney and Hasbro.”

Customer reaction Naturally, customers love the excitement of a product demo or character visit, with Gary explaining The Entertainer pre-publicise the event via their website and emails to customers. Gary says that normally, The Entertainer will see a “100% to 150% uplift” after a character visit. “We brief the in-store teams through our product informers and ensure we have sent plenty of extra stock in to support the character franchise,” adds Gary. Interestingly, and testament to the power of a character appearance, Gary tells us: “When we set our teams a focus on one of our standard product ranges on one day we usually see a ten-fold increase compared to a week when we have not demoed that item and that ﬁgure is based on unit sales of Snap It 50 pcs Monday to Friday, and it is 1,000 plus on the Saturday.”

How do you do it? With the team at The Entertainer feeling passionately about in-store demos and theatre, they ttend to invest a lot of time and consideration into getting it right. Explaining the company’s approach, appro Gary says: “We approach demos in various ways but the en end result comes from the enthusiasm of our teams in-store. Whether we are demoing items we have selected or those tthat our suppliers have suggested, we follow the same b basic principles in preparation. We produce ‘product informers’ informe with key selling points, useful information and instru instructions on how to demo the product along with some ssimple POS. This is briefed to usin our intranet along with any every sales colleague using product videos we can find and we occasionally film them ourselves!. This mea means all our teams have the information to complete the demo on the day. We then set the teams targets for their demo days and have live KPI reporting on ho how each store is performing throughout the day. Th The area managers have instant access to this on their iPad i and can encourage and motivate with confiden dence.” When selecting prod product to demo, Gary explains that first, the team mak makes sure it can actually be adva shown to its best advantage. “We work closely with wit suppliers on items they have

We asked… Would your retail landscape be different/less proﬁtable without this experiential way of selling? Yes, of course. Anyone can sell toys, creating the magical toy shop experience has always set us apart and I hope it will continue to create those memories with children for years to come.

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TOY TRUST

UPDATE And the winners are... A fantastic 15 teams took part in the Hasbro organised ﬁve-a-side charity football and netball event. Along with the football, ﬁve netball teams entered the competition, which took place on 4 July. Here are the winners:

Keep it up

Football

The Toy Trust is loved by everyone in the industry and recognised for the sterling work they do. We bring you up-to-date with their good work

• • • •

Hasbro UK – Cup Winner Forbidden Planet – Cup Runner Up Generation Media – Plate Winner Hasbro AllStars – Plate Runner Up

Netball • Winners - The Marketing Store • Runners up - Hasbro Hotshots

Helping play

Thank you from the Big Thames Challenge charities

East Africa Playgrounds sets out to create play areas for children who would not otherwise beneﬁt from the type of play so often experienced by western children. Here’s pictorial reference to some of their work and where some of your donations are going..

After months of training, organising, and fundraising, here’s a few words from the three charities about how much it has all meant to them... “Everyone at Action For Kids had a great time at the Thames Challenge and enjoyed meeting the runners, cyclists and walkers from the industry who really made such huge efforts with their challenges and fundraising. What a great group of people all making such a big difference. We can’t thank everyone enough for raising such a fantastic sum of money. This will have a life-changing impact on the health, wellbeing and independence of lots of disabled children around the country.”

Tom Gill, Cofounder and Director of East African Playgrounds said:

“

Thank you, thank you, thank you and thank you a little bit more. We are so happy that the Toy Trust not only like our work, what we are trying to do but that they also have backed us to build another amazing playground

Fancy being a fundraiser?

”

You don’t have to wait for big events such as the Bake Off and sporting challenges – download the Toy Trust Fundraising Manual for everything needed to start your own Toy Trust events. www.btha.co.uk/toy-trust/fundraising/

“We are so pleased to have been chosen a beneﬁciary charity by the Toy Trust this year. We have already begun allocating the funds to children and young people living with cancer across the UK who are in need of specially adapted trikes to enhance their rehabilitation. We were lucky enough to witness the efforts of Toy Trust members at the Big Thames Challenge in June, we are so grateful to each and every one who took part and for Matt and the team for organising the whole thing.” “The funding provided by The Toy Trust will be a terriﬁc boost for us. As with any charity, it is always a struggle to raise all funding needed to do all we would wish to do. We have to refuse many deserving cases simply because we do not have the funds available to us. This generous donation will allow us to move more swiftly through our waiting list which in turn allows us to take more applications from families we may well have had to refuse. We are so very grateful to all the wonderful people who continually givetheir time and effort to raise these much needed funds. Thank you so much.”

For more information email Matt@btha.co.uk or visit www.btha.co.uk/toy-trust plus follow us on twitter @thetoytrust 30

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RETAIL

OPINION

Why not make high street friends? N

ow here’s a thing. How friendly are you with your normally manage to have a few, but when it comes to neighbours? If you live in the South, conventional retailers, ahem, not so much. The perceived problem is prejudice has it that you keep them at least simple – the great majority of high street operators are of at arm’s length, while if you live north of Watford (or the opinion that their neighbour is out to get them. This somewhere like that), you’ll be inviting them in for cups of may be the case in a few instances, but for the most part, tea, brown ale or to stroke the whippet. all that is wanted is to get on, to trade in peace and to turn All rubbish, of course, but if the same question is a penny. applied to retail, do a similar set of supposed rules apply? And it is the latter phrase that is the important bit. On the evidence of what happened at Wimbledon last Everybody is reasonably familiar with the idea that teams month, not entirely. The very upscale home of tennis in the tend to perform better than individuals when going up leafy suburbs of South-West London has an area called against the world – there really is strength in numbers. It Wimbledon Village. It is full of shops matters little whether you are for the well-heeled and all of them selling toys or pet food, you do are in competition. Yet they have all For retailers of any kind, have shared interests as far as worked together in a manner that face that is presented to the working with your neighbours the would make the whippet fondlers world is concerned, or to dealing is about lobbying, cajoling and with major back-of-shop issues well up. There was a hook of course. such as business rates. generally encouraging and Cast your mind back a month and For retailers of any kind, pooling resources – if you can you may recall a tennis tournament working with your neighbours bring yourself to imagine which some think is relatively is about lobbying, cajoling and important. So much so that retailers doing such a thing generally encouraging and in ‘the Village’ decided to create pooling resources – if you can tennis-themed windows. Almost all of them took part, bring yourself to imagine doing such a thing. with everything from racquet toting, human-sized, papier It might also be worth noting that the term ‘neighbour’ mâché dogs to virtual games of Wii tennis where the can mean nothing more than the three or four shops racquets were on the outside of the window and the to either side of you and across the street, or perhaps monitor on which the match was played inside the shop. a broader view might be taken that includes the whole The point was that no retailer was the exception and they thoroughfare. Whichever is the case, being active is the were behaving as good neighbours should, tolerant of starting point. those around them and working together for a perceived Getting to know the neighbours usually means inviting common good. them over for a drink, or some such. This will usually They were helped in their endeavours by the promise be difﬁcult in a commercial context, but the least that of publicity via social media and the whole thing was can be done is to venture over the threshold of your sponsored by Stella Artois and Slazenger. Yet in spite of neighbours’ premises to introduce yourself. the obvious commercial break angle that this entailed, it It may also be that you are a little worried was hard not to be impressed by what had been done. about the reaction you are likely to get when Now back to your own personal circumstances. doing something of this kind. But in truth most Some of you may belong to some kind of local trader’s toy shops tend to be lone outposts on high association and the best may actually be active in this streets, there really aren’t that many of them. community, organising ‘family days’ and suchlike. As such, you are no kind of real threat and But for the most part, town centre gatherings are will generally be welcome. usually met with a somewhat long face by the participants After this, it’s up to you – but rates and and the modus operandi tends to involve dealing with signiﬁcant local annual events should be a ‘any other business’ and then sorting out the trading hours good starter as far as discussions that may over Christmas or Easter. At which point things are close actually lead to some kind of payback are to being dull and likely to engender a similar reaction from concerned. Think Northern therefore and love shoppers. they neighbour. There is little to be gained from So what follows is a modest proposal. Why not make clamming up in your shell and you may some friends? Children do it with great ease. Adults actually suffer mildly in consequence.

“

Working with others on the high street is key to getting on, says John Ryan

John Ryan is Stores Editor at Retail Week. He has worked for the magazine for more than a decade covering store design, visual merchandising and what makes things sell in-store. In a previous life he was a buyer.

AUGUST 2015

THE INDEPENDENT

OPINION

Just let toys be toys Good, old-fashioned toys are a passion of The Independent. He tells us why there should be more of them in shops

ow that a fair chunk of my orders are placed for the upcoming main season, it is a massive relief to see that real toys seem, in my opinion, to be making their way back to the way they always should have been. And that is promoting imaginative play and helping kids to actually be kids, instead of trying to bombard them with technology. I mean come on, can I really look back at some of the items I’ve sold and feel like I have helped to have a positive impact on a child?

Best sellers VOLUME:

1: LEGO Miniﬁgures - LEGO 2: Frozen Fash’ems - Character Options 3: Shopkins 5 Pack - Flair VALUE: 1: Shopkins 12 Pack – Flair 2: Shopkins 5 Pack – Flair 3: Shopkins Supermarket Playset - Flair

Having seen most of what is going to be available out there, I am beaming from ear-to-ear to see products like Tracy Island, PAW Patrol Headquarters and Flying Baymax. They are a testament to solid toy design and my opinion has always been, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it’. My aim as a father was always to excite my kids with anything that I (or Santa) brought home for them and I feel that I was able to achieve this far more easily than most parents of today. At Christmas time we had family games, puzzles, crafts and big box play sets with figures or vehicles to match that kept my kids entertained for hours, and helped us to bond over that special time of year. I recall many years of having to act as if I let my kids win at Hungry Hungry Hippos or Connect 4, when really it was their minds that were wiping the floor with mine. Looking back it makes me proud to have had that time and been able to see them grow and gain knowledge and experience at problem solving. It wasn’t too long ago that I had a Nerf war with one of my friend’s kids while we

were over for dinner one evening, and before anyone starts laughing, I beat him 5-3 and rubbed it in his face for the entire evening. These seem to be the kind of things that owning toy stores bring to my daily routine, as many of my friends’ kids ask me about what is coming out and when, it keeps me on my toes! As I was having this war I found myself laughing a lot, and 45 minutes passed in no time, and ended with me getting told off for hitting this young man right in the middle of his forehead (oops). Looking back at that it makes me feel like there is an unending need for kids to play the way they have always done, so is it too much to ask for suppliers to throw away all of these apprelated products and focus on core play values? Or am I a dinosaur? In 10 years will kids be playing board games on a tablet rather than the kitchen table, with it being sold to us as “a unique innovation which has been created to save on any mess, and will free up that valuable dining room table” by some kid while I walk around at Toy Fair? I do wonder.

THE SECRET SUPPLIER Lest we forget why toys are toys... We love it when our two columnists are in agreement, and this month is one of those times

lthough I ﬁnd myself often disagreeing with my monthly sparring partner, this month I fully support him. As he vividly recalls, he loved playing with all the exciting toys and games that he gave to his own children. Indeed it is a fact that for most of us we can all recall a favourite toy that our parents gave us a child and the joy and happiness that it brought us. I can well remember being seriously ill in hospital when my parents gave me a particular toy that completely absorbed and entertained me and thereby provided a helpful distraction from my illness. Likewise, years later my parents would also recall the pleasure they got from seeing me appreciate the gift that they had bought me. The Independent is worried that modern technology will undermine true play value. While it is right to have these concerns, the fact is that almost all the best-sellers are basically traditional toys, even if they have some techy assistance or a captivating licence. At the recent BTHA Industry Day, Bruce Lund, the American toy inventor graphically highlighted the importance of play delivered by toys. Indeed in Bruce’s case he has even written a book which sums it all up called “Everything I know about Business and Life I learnt from Playing with Toys”. The point that Bruce was making was that as an industry our products deliver absolute magic, by way of healthy play, in a way few other industries can hope to match. Toys help children escape into their own creative and imaginative

play worlds, as any parent will confirm when they watch their child play with a really great toy. Children develop their first social skills when they play with their toys and other children. And as Bruce pointed out, Frank Lloyd Wright the great American architect, was apparently inspired to become an architect as a result of playing with toy building blocks. And the Wright Brothers were inspired to develop the first airplane after being given a flying toy by their father. What is clear is that toys have a huge and beneficial impact on young children’s lives in a positive and healthy manner. What is not clear is why all of us in this great industry of ours singularly fail to deliver the impactful message of the importance and value of play through toys. Generally it is something we don’t talk about! The one exception to this is the British Toy and Hobby Association which has an award-winning consumer programme called “Make Time 2 Play” which highlights to parents the importance and value of play to children. But as an industry we never price in the play value that our toys have the potential to deliver. Nor do we emphasis on our pack copy the special play value that each individual toy delivers. As an industry we are indeed forgetting the very values and experiences which The Independent highlights this month. Surely all of us need to take positive steps to highlight the importance of toys in the lives of young children?

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BUSINESS

DRIVER

The business of support I

t was year two at Hedstrom and we had just Based on my past experience in the industry I also raised several million pounds of funding from the knew what management information was needed. bank. This had been a stressful period and I was The data I created was somewhat unsophisticated relieved it was over. Then I got a phone call from using Excel spreadsheets, but it enabled me to make one of our biggest customers telling me that they decisions based on facts. As soon as the raw data weren’t going to pay for the stock we had shipped became available I created product and customer to them because they thought we were going to run profitability information, as well as sales and out of cash. inventory data. I pointed out that if they didn’t pay us we As a result I was able to build the business in a would indeed run out of cash. It would be a controlled and profitable way. self-fulfilling prophesy. Fortunately, I had a As mentioned in previous articles, I mentor startgood supportive relationship up business We are Bloom and with its with this customer and the crisis founder Libby Grant I have seen the I got a was averted. power of a strong support network all Large companies tend to have over again. Similar to my situation in phone call from strong external networks and, in the toy industry, Libby has been in the one of our most cases, good management licensing industry for many years and biggest information. This can give them has great contacts and relationships customers a real competitive advantage throughout the industry. Her ability to telling me that over start-up companies. be able to pick up the phone or send an they weren’t When I started Hedstrom UK, I email and get a meeting set up has been had neither of these advantages. going to pay for critical to the early growth that We are What I did have, however, was Bloom has been able to achieve. the stock … I strong personal contacts with So, while I can’t go back to the future pointed out that customers as highlighted in and mentor my younger self, I can use if they didn’t pay my experience to advise Libby and the story above. I also had the us we would run another mentoring candidate Miguel experience of working in large out of cash toy companies, so I knew what from Science4You as they build their management information was start-up businesses. needed to manage the business I have previously highlighted effectively. Both of these factors the importance of finding p g a niche proved to be vital in establishing opportunity, focusing on cash flow the Hedstrom business. maximisation tion and the critical importance of At retail the two largest customers for hiring the right people. outdoor play equipment were Argos and With thiss article I’ve discussed the Toys R Us. We had strong relationships with importance ce of a strong support these customers and this helped us to secure network and nd quality management listings in year one which, in turn, enabled information. on. While these are not us to get the business up and running. These the only factors actors that start-up customer relationships were a key part of businessess need to consider my support network within the industry and they are, in n my experience, the without these supporters I would never have most important ortant areas behind succeeded in getting the business going. delivering success.

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Having contact and a strong support network can make a huge difference to your business, says John Harper

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

AUGUST 2015

SPONSORED

FOCUS

So, who’s got Ron? There is a new game on the retail scene and this is different to anything you’ve played before. Who’s Got Ron? combines two of the nation’s favourite things – football and board games. TnP spoke to Paul Green, one of the men behind Who’s Got Ron?, to ﬁnd out how retailers can get their hands on this hugely exciting game Paul, tell us about Who’s Got Ron? This is an entirely new game but what is it all about? The game is played around a live football match on TV, bringing football lovers and non-believers together to enjoy the experience. Essentially it’s a fun gambling game. We have paper money, much like other games, or players can use their own money, as much or little as the group decides.

You must explain the name to us! We had a few ideas, but we wanted a character. Ron came to us as we were thinking of old players and managers and we were probably inﬂuenced a bit by The Fast Show’s jumpers and goalposts sketch.

How did the concept for the game come to life? Originally two exprofessional footballers, Guy Butters and Mark Thompson played the game on a scrap of paper when the family were around. This then gained momentum and excitement and the game was tweaked and adjusted each time it was played until some basic rules were outlined.

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We had advice from John Lewis on how the box should look and other retail experts added in their view

Tell us about how you brought the product from just an idea to an actual game that is now going to appear in shops. Guy and Mark were talking about the game, and being interested in football they told me and Bob Knight about it. We played one game in a bar when England were playing. I got a graphics guy who worked with me to draw up a rough set of rules and make the board in colour and we played; England won and everyone in the bar got involved. I knew then we had to perfect and produce the game for the market and after lots of meetings and focus groups we ended up with the ﬁnished item.

You’ve done something very clever with Who’s Got Ron? – you’ve combined two things which are beloved by most people, football and board games. When we ﬁrst saw the game it didn’t take long to see the potential, when we saw the buzz it created the obvious thing was to make a high quality version combining game players and football fans.

The beauty of this game is that it is not just aimed at football fans though, is that correct? Exactly, the whole family can get involved, even if they are not fans. My mother is 80 and we had around 10 people playing of all ages and both sexes on Boxing Day and she loved it! It brought everyone together and she won! We, of course, then had to watch the next live game later that day.

Who is involved behind the scenes? Mark Thompson has overseen the rules with Guy Butters, it was their concept. Bob Knight and I knew how people like to gamble on the results, so we slimmed it down to make it fast flowing. Bob has sorted the financial and legal side, my job was to get it produced and delivered. My background has been in procuring and producing new ideas from scratch, and my contacts helped the end result. It’s not as easy as it sounds, there were lots of changes before the final product arrived.

We know you held a launch for the game recently along with some big soccer names. Yes, we had a great night! Initially

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NEW PRODUCT

LAUNCH

How to play the game! Who’s Got Ron? starts when the football game starts. One player is nominated to hold the marker, when a decision is made by the referee of the live game, the marker holder pays into the cash pot and then must pass the marker onto the next game player. The group can decide the decisions which affect the board game, so a free kick, penalty, corner, booking, sending off and so on. The marker passes on with each decision and the cash pot increases.

How do you win the pot?

You’ve got some really interesting plans for online too, what can people expect there? This is being developed now, it will work exactly as the board game but will be global. Players will be able to play on their devices and join any game that suits the stakes they want to play with, rather like the online poker games you see. Prizes and games can either be for cash or tokens. Rather like the board game it has taken some effort to produce but will be available for the start of the 2015/16 Premier League.

How much time did you spend getting the packaging exactly right?

suit themselves, so the idea was to make the actual board easy to follow. We also had advice from John Lewis on how the box should look and other retail experts added in their view, all liking the end product, which eventually took about eight months to give the go ahead.

How will you help independent retailers to merchandise the game? Of course advertising, we hope to get some Sky coverage and we have a good team on the social media side. By growing this part, product recognition will give retailers a new game which will be recognisable and requested.

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Product recognition will give retailers a new game which will be recognisable and requested

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The game is simple, the rules are there, but each group can play by their own versions to

OFFSIDE Everyone pays to the Cash Pot

Physiotherapist comes onto field of play to treat injury, everyone pays to the Cash pot

SUBSTITUTION Everyone pays to the Cash Pot If the ball hits the woodwork, everyone pays to the Cash Pot

When is it launching at retail? The games are now all in stock, the website is online and all retailers have to do is contact us.

HANDBALL Everyone pays to the Cash Pot

Either via the website, www. whosgotron.com or emailing paul@whosgotron.com. My phone number is on the site and I will be looking after sales and dispatch.

If the referee books or sends a player off, marker holder pays to the Cash Pot

If the Camera shows any of these celebrities Marker holder pays to the cash pot.

AUGUST 2015

PENALTY AWARDED Everyone pays to the Cash Pot

We asked…

How can retailers get in touch with you?

PLAYER ENTRY AMOUNT

INCORRECT APPEAL Anyone who makes an incorrect appeal with regards to anything, pays to the Cash Pot. Referee’s decision is final!

PLAYER STRETCHERED OFF Marker holder pays to the Cash Pot

If the ball goes out for a corner kick, everyone pays to the Cash Pot

it was for the press and players, but it then got bigger and we had friends and work colleagues along. I think the best sight was exWest Ham captain Alvin Martin jumping up and down like a little kid when he won the last pot of the night.

Simple! The person holding the marker when a goal is scored collects the cash pot and the game restarts. So if a family are playing they may make the prize a small gift or sweets. If it’s a group who are playing for cash then of course the winner takes the money. The game actually becomes just as exciting and tense when it’s a 0-0 because the cash pot has built up and in those ﬁnal minutes, the marker holder is either hoping for a late goal or to be holding the marker when the ﬁnal whistle blows The highly detailed board shows all the relevant decisions available, these can be added to or changed by the players using a dry wipe marker pen. It really is simple and adds a huge buzz to watching a game.

FEATURE

FASHION DOLLS

Passion for The fashion doll category has never been so exciting. Today’s generation of girls are dynamic and aspirational – and the dolls they play with must reﬂect that Mattel

ashion dolls are a hot topic at the moment. It’s a pretty exciting time to be involved in the sector with Bratz making a spectacular comeback and another MGA offering Project Mc2 following hot on its heels. We then have Barbie’s Style Your Way Dolls House featuring on Argos’ top toys for Christmas along with Jakks’ Frozen Sing-A-Long Elsa. On top of that, John Crane’s gorgeous Our Generation range has a boutique opening in Hamleys this month, and that is just the tip of the iceberg.

What’s trending Traditionally, fashion dolls were about – well, fashion. But things are a little different now. These dolls have a backstory, they have to offer the consumer a bit more than just being a doll. “We know that girls are responding to strong character brands and we have a great portfolio of brands that reflect this,” says Mattel’s Brand Activation Director Wendy Hill. “Barbie continues to engage and inspire girls of all ages, by reflecting the new reality of girls and their world as it changes. “Our brand campaign this year has been encouraging girls to find their own superpowers within, from superheroes with Barbie in Princess Power, to Superstar with Rock ‘n’ Royals all celebrating girl empowerment in ways that only Barbie can, because with Barbie, ‘Anything is Possible’.” Let’s look at MGA Entertainment. It has just relaunched Bratz and is also launching Project Mc2 this August. All this is giving the fashion dolls sector a bit of a welcome shake! “MGA has two very exciting launches for A/W 15,” says Nicola Mellor, Bratz Marketing Manager. “Retailer feedback has been exceptionally strong for the new

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range so we have very high expectations.” Looking at the Bratz range, Nicola tells us: “The fashion doll space is a particularly fast moving area within the toy market. When Bratz first launched in 2001, MGA created an entirely fresh, modern brand that had enormous success. We wanted the 2015 brand to take this even further and be relevant to the tween audience of today.” In a trend-driven category like fashion dolls, connecting with the end customer is vitally important. That means a Mattel doll can’t just be a doll, it has to be a digital being too. Nicola picks up on this as it is something the Bratz team worked on. “The look, feel and functionality of the Bratz product range is like nothing else on the market. We’ve tapped into current trends such as the use of technology (the Selfie Snaps Photobooth incorporates the use of a smart phone and the range includes a branded Selfie Stick) and digital (emojis feature on the girls’ outfits). New themes such as Study Abroad have been introduced and the consumer brand experience also includes in-store and online activity.” This is something Mattel feel strongly about too, with Wendy explaining: “When creating exciting new dolls and accessories it’s important to strike a balance between accessibility and attainability ensuring fashion dolls remain relevant. Consumers look for dolls they find relatable, which is particularly reflected in our portfolio. Barbie is a brand that represents the world that girls see around them and the new

When creating exciting new dolls and accessories it’s important to strike a balance between accessibility and attainability ensuring fashion dolls remain relevant Wendy Hill,

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fashionistas collection really demonstrates that featuring 23 doll with different facial sculpts, skin tones, eye colours hair styles and hair colour and fashions inspired by global fashion and beauty tends and authentic style. “

Aspirational toys There is more emphasis than ever before on creating meaningful toys, ones that tap into a children’s aspirational selves. Take Simba’s Steffi Love line, they introduced singer Pixie Lott as the face of the brand at this year’s Toy Fair. She is someone who is seen by young girls as very accessible and aspirational but her clean-cut lifestyle appeals to parents. Associating the brand with someone like Pixie has made it relevant to the end consumer. We are now also seeing the introduction of Steffi’s younger sister Evi – cleverly tapping into a younger market. MGA Entertainment has also come up trumps again with the August launch of Project Mc2. But what is it? Marian Davis, Marketing Manager with MGA and Zapf Creation explains. “Project Mc2 launched this month (August) with a new line of fashion dolls and accessories, backed by a major entertainment deal with Netflix. “Given the extremely positive feedback from the trade at preview stage and a great response from consumers during testing, expectations are high for the brand.”

Mattel 36

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fashion “

early August and a comprehensive PR campaign will launch on 8 August with a VIP screening at London’s Science Museum. A social media and digital campaign is also in progress. “Content will be seeded across YouTube and to social influencers through a partnership with Awesomeness TV.” In terms of being at the retail coal-face, Marian says: ”Retailer support includes in-store POS, online landing pages and consumer-facing activities during October half term. Audio and visual content, including product demonstrations, will also be distributed for online use.” Likewise, the relaunch of Bratz is supported by a full Nicola Mellor, media, PR, digital and social MGA Entertainment media campaign, says Nicola. “In addition, we work very closely with our Supporting the retailer retailers to ensure strong brand Supporting the retailer is vital, execution – both in-store and particularly when it comes to a new online. From branded in-aisle space launch and suppliers get this. to homepage takeovers, we are “We work very closely with our focused on ensuring our brands retail partners to develop have a strong share of voice across programmes that work for their all channels within the toy space.” shoppers,” says Wendy. “Our channel strategy allows us to target MGA consumers with the right product for the right shopping occasion. This is complemented with our 360° degree marketing campaigns that includes TV, digital and PR making sure we connect with our consumers at the most appropriate touch points.” In terms of Project Mc2, Marian explains this is front of mind at MGA. “A full marketing plan with significant investment is currently underway to support the Project Mc2 launch. Screening on Netflix from 7 August, TV and digital advertising will be commencing in

Project Mc2 is inspired by the very current STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths) movement, something parents will appreciate. “The characters featured in the brand offer a geek-chic lifestyle for a tween audience – in a way that is entirely fresh, modern and effortlessly cool - and in a way that hasn’t been done before in this market,” explains Marian. “Linking to entertainment is also key to consumer interest at the moment and the Project Mc2 product line launches on the back of a Netﬂix series. The marketing campaign is outreaching to the tween audience on the platforms they are already using, through digital and social. A partnership with Awesomeness TV means content is seeded across YouTube and with key inﬂuencers.”

AUGUST 2015

When Bratz ﬁrst launched in 2001, MGA created an entirely fresh, modern brand that had enormous success. We wanted the 2015 brand to take this even further and be relevant to the tween audience of today

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WHAT THE KIDS SAY… Suzanne is mum to two young girls, Sadhbh (8) and Cliodhna (4). She tells us which brands her girls love “I don’t think you could find two girlier girls than my two. If you were to embrace gender stereotyping, I’m afraid my girls are very clearly defined! They just love all the things you would think girls love. Frozen was a really big hit in our house last year. We must have watched the film 100 times and sang all of the songs repeatedly for months on end. In terms of dolls and dress-up, we bought anything that had the word Frozen attached. While it is still a big deal, my older girl is moving away from it slightly. She’s recently discovered Barbie and I know Argos have a Barbie house on their top toys for Christmas list. She’s spotted this and has been making a few suggestions as to what Santa could get her for Christmas! She’s also started talking about Bratz recently. This was never really on her agenda before so I’ve had to look into it and I have to say I really like what MGA are trying to achieve with the Bratz concept. The dolls aren’t just dolls, they have a good backstory that is relevant to where my daughter is at. I like the “be confident, be yourself” message they send out. My younger daughter is still a big fan of Frozen but she likes Corolle too and I’ve spotted her playing with anything mermaid-shaped so I suspect I’ll be investing in some mermaid dolls soon too. The Disney Princess range is a big-deal for both of them too.”

FEATURE

FASHION DOLLS

Très chic DKL 01604 678780 www.dkl.co.uk DKL is proud to be the exclusive UK distributor of Corolle, a premium range. Each doll is dressed in sophisticated and trendy clothes and they all have a signature vanilla scent which little ones adore and cherish throughout childhood. Suitable from birth to four years onward, there is a different Corolle doll to be collected at every stage of infancy. New updates for 2015 include Camille Ballerina and Chloe Ballerina.

Making waves Flair

Dolls up front MGA Entertainment 0845 0533 333 www.mgae.com MGA Entertainment (MGAE) is planning to make a big impact on the toy industry for summer 2015 with the relaunch of it’s blockbuster Bratz brand. The refresh of Bratz sees the gamechanging fashion doll re-invented for today’s girl, with an innovative app, revolutionary entertainment content, top global agency partners and a new, relevant message platform. To complement the core Bratz doll line, which includes the beloved characters Cloe, Yasmin, Sasha and Jade, there will be exciting new additions to the collection throughout the A/W season with brand new themes, including Hello My Name Is, #SelfieSnaps, Study Abroad, and #Snowkissed. Fan favourite Raya is also being reintroduced, only this time she will feature as part of the core five friends. This season also sees the launch of Project Mc2, a brand new property from MGAE. Backed by a major entertainment partnership with Netflix – including the launch of a global Netflix Original mini-series on 7 August – Project Mc2 is an aspirational and ‘effortlessly cool’ collection of fashion dolls, taking inspiration from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects. Offering a ‘geek chic’ lifestyle approach, and positive, educational role models for the tween audience, the product range focuses on the four real life characters featured in the Netflix series. The Project MC2 girls are: McKeyla McAlister (MC2), Adrienne Attoms, Bryden Bandweth, Camryn Coyle. Each doll comes with an interactive science experiment to try at home and offers fresh, relevant themes that encourage experimentation and learning. The storyline – on the show and reflected in the product range - follows the four girls as they attend Maywood Glenn Academy, and are also part of a secret, seriously cool organisation, NOV8 (pronounced innovate). The launch will see extensive marketing support including PR, social media, TV advertising and media partnerships, including an important partnership with Awesomeness TV.

0208 643 0320 www.ﬂairplc.co.uk Summer 2015 sees a new fashion doll make a splash in the toy world as Nixies joins the Flair portfolio. Nixies are beautiful mermaid dolls that really swim in water. Each mermaid doll features a colourful tail, beautiful accessories, and gorgeous hair for undersea glam on the go!

Looking Gore-Geous Trends UK 01295 768078 www.trendsuk.co.uk

Horsing around Hasbro 020 8569 1234 www.hasbro.co.uk Each doll in the My Little Pony Equestria Girls Wondercolts Sporty Style Assortment comes with a stylish Wondercolts outﬁt, a fashionable pair of shoes, and sporty themed accessories. Imagine these dolls competing in the archery, motorcross, and roller skating events. Get the Wondercolts vs. Shadowbolts adventures started!

The Gore-Geous Ghoul AntiStyling Head invites girls to explore their dark side with a licensed Monster High styling head. Kids can experiment with 30 fang-tastic accessories and view their beautiful creations as they glow in the dark. Anna and Elsa fans will love the Disney Frozen Singing Plush. Elsa and Anna are recreated with vinyl heads and huggable soft bodies.

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FEATURE

FASHION DOL DOLLS LLS

Doll power Simba 01274 765 030 www.simbasmoby.com/en www.simbasmoby.com Singer, songwriter and actress, actres Pixie Lott, has made history for Simba Smoby this Sm year as the new creative inspiratio inspiration for the successful Steffi Love fashion doll brand. In a move by the company to extend and enhance enhan the Steffi Love brand in the UK, has worked closely with UK Simba Si pop po sensation, Pixie Lott, to create a new Steffi Love Magical Dreams range based around Pixie’s imagination and fantasy role play. Pixie, who has been the creative force behind the new Steffi Love assortment of dolls and accessories, has helped Simba create the Magical Dreams collection inspired by dreams that Pixie herself had as a child. “It was clear for us to have Pixie on board to help with the design and creation of the Steffi Love Magical Dreams range”, said Alex Kovacevic, Simba Marketing and Licensing Manager. “Renowned for her fashionable and creative flair, she’s an inspiration to many younger girls, and since her stint on Strictly Come Dancing, has even greater appeal amongst gift purchasers such as parents and grandparents.” Steffi Love Magical Dreams by Pixie Lott offers younger children a variety of enchanting play scenarios with four themed dolls. Suitable for children aged 3+, the Magical Dreams doll line comprises of the Fairytale Princess, Magical Mermaid, Enchanted Fairy and the Mystical Beauty Mirror Steffi Love doll, all of which are available at a range of collectable, pocket money price points. The competitively priced Mystical Beauty Mirror doll comes complete with a Vanity Unit consisting of beauty table, chair and mirror. The range’s hero item the Enchanted Fairy Steffi Love Doll has push-button activated wings which pop up, transforming Steffi into a magical fairy. Each Steffi Love doll set includes a selection of assorted beauty accessories for added play value. With a strategic PR and marketing campaign, major press event, refreshed packaging design for 2015 and an upcoming TV campaign starring Pixie Lott, the Steffi Love by Pixie Lott range teams fantasy themed play with celebrity endorsement to create an affordable collection of fashion dolls designed to inspire and delight Steffi fans.

Next generation dolls John Crane Ltd 01604 774949 www.john-crane.co.uk The Our Generation range of dolls includes hair play and retro dolls as well as 46cm, non-posable regular dolls with eyes that open and close. The range also includes a selection of deluxe dolls, like horse-loving Lily Anna, who’s stable-ready in a riding outﬁt. A 46 cm posable doll, Lily Anna comes complete with an additional party outﬁt with matching shoes and an assortment of accessories, as well as Adventures at Shelby Stables chapter book and bookmark.

The super girls! Mattel 0162 8500 000 www.mattel.com Mattel’s extensive girls’ portfolio is bringing innovation and excitement to the girls’ category. The iconic fashion doll Barbie continues to engage and inspire. The brand campaign for the year has been encouraging girls to ﬁnd their own inner strength, from superheroes with Barbie in Princess Power at the beginning of the year, to Superstar with Rock ‘n Royals in autumn/winter. As a proven force in entertainment, this autumn sees the release of two further DVD animated feature ﬁlms for Barbie, Rock ‘n Royals and The Great Puppy Adventure.

Style it out John Adams 01480 414361 www.johnadams.co.uk The Girls World Styling Head leads the John Adams fashion doll portfolio. Featuring growing hair tress, the classic and instantly recognisable Styling Head is the original Girls World product that enables girls to create their own individual hair styles using the many accessories included. The Girls World range also includes Gabriella, the Girls World Style and Fashion Doll.

Fashionable by design Great Gizmos 01293 543221 www.greatgizmos.co.uk With the Meadow Kids Fashion Designer kit, kids can design, decorate and piece together outﬁts and accessories for four different models. This set is packed with everything a fashion designer needs to create fabulous outﬁts.

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INDUSTRY

OPINION

Trade talk

TnP loves to hear your views. This month we speak to key wholesalers and suppliers to learn what’s on their minds. We explore this month’s hottest topics.

The toy industry always has something interesting to say! This month TnP catches up with Bandai’s Amy Allbon and John Crane MD Jonathan Thorpe to ﬁnd out their views on everything from John Lewis to Disney’s Playmation AMY ALLBON

JONATHAN THORPE

Sales Manager, Bandai UK

MD, John Crane Ltd

John Lewis are now charging customers for Click & Collect services under £30 – do you think this is a good move or will it scare people off using the service? I am surprised they have taken this approach but I cannot see it putting a John Lewis customer off from using this purchase guarantee service. I would however, be more concerned if other retailers were to implement a charge. I believe this could potentially turn consumers off, especially as so many offer free home/work delivery which is just as convenient at no cost.

John Lewis are now charging customers for Click & Collect services under £30 – do you this is a good move or will it scare people off using the service? John Lewis are great retailers and know what they are doing. They know their customer base and so, I assume they have evaluated this correctly and it’s a good move.

Shopkins seems to be one of the collectables of choice at the moment, why does it work so well, in your view? I love Shopkins, the way it’s taken an everyday lifestyle theme and turned it into a simple, affordable, bright and colourful toy range is brilliant. The fact the assortments are constantly refreshed, and there is a guide to rare and not-so-rare characters, it’s no surprise it’s turned into such a successful playground craze. What do you think of the concept behind Disney’s Playmation? It looks incredibly innovative, and geared to a slightly older child. Using technology while keeping the child active can only be a positive move. What, in your view, is the biggest story in the toy industry right now? As we are currently in preview season I have to say it appears to be all about Star Wars! It’s just going to be huge and will give our industry another great boost. What is your own hero product at the moment? We are just launching our 22nd series of our evergreen brand, POWER RANGERS DINO CHARGE. This is the year of the dinosaur!

Shopkins seems to be one of the collectables of choice at the moment, why does it work so well, in your view? It ticks a lot of boxes for kids with low price points and it is cute and collectable. Good luck to them, I say. What do you think of the concept behind Disney’s Playmation? I think its fantastic! It’s modern, on-trend and perfect for that age group. What, in your view, is the biggest story in the toy industry right now? The main topic of conversation I have heard is people asking whether or not sales and proﬁts are actually increasing as the press says, or could it all fall ﬂat again? My view is that great retailers, regardless of if they are independents or nationals, will get stronger and the not so good ones may no longer be around, but it’s always been the same. What is your own hero product at the moment? The OUR GENERATION range of dolls and accessories. Wow at last, a volume, collectable full range that consumers love!

Have you got the best partner? Amethyst is the brand leader in UK Toys and Games Logistics

Our flexible and proactive service optimises costs for our clients and we deliver a pain free peak year after year.

For a stress free, multichannel, logistics solution, please contact: info@amet info@amethystgroup.co.uk 01580 895600 www.amethystgroup.co.uk

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FOCUS

BIGJIGS TOYS

The BIG 30 Bigjigs Toys is celebrating a momentous birthday this August. Thirty years ago Liz and Peter Ireland ﬁrst began their business which has since grown with them and their family – TnP ﬁnds out more

he month was August, the year was 1985. Thirty years ago, heading towards the end of the summer, Liz and Peter Ireland began a small business selling ﬁrst hand cut puzzles and other simple wooden toys at local craft fairs and country shows. What they didn’t know then, they know now – that Bigjigs Toys had been born and it was to grow into a one of the most recognisable British toy brands. It is fair to say that Bigjigs Toys has come a long way – the company has grown with Liz, Peter and their family. They would probably admit themselves it has been a labour of love, in fact, back in the early days Bigjigs’ limited range of

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Back in 1985, it was Liz and Peter. Today, they employ 30 staff and operate – not out of a garden shed – but a 40,000 sq ft of warehouse in Kent

products were hand crafted in Liz and Peter’s garden shed, packed in the house porch and transported to craft fairs in the family car.

Then and now Back in 1985, it was Liz and Peter. Today, they employ 30 staff and operate – not out of a garden shed – but a 40,000 sq ft of warehouse in Kent which supplies a broad customer base worldwide. Their staff now manage the design, marketing, sale and delivery of more than 1,500 products, including own-brand wooden and plush toys, children’s room accessories and a number of products from distributor brands. A couple of the original, handmade

products still exist in the portfolio to this day, albeit having undergone a design makeover within the last three decades! The company ofﬁcially became a family business when their two sons joined the business during their early twenties, although they’d grown up helping at trade fairs and had been enlisted as toy testers from an early age. Today, a third generation of the Ireland clan has joined the ranks, and can regularly be seen appearing in product photo shoots for packaging and the annual catalogue.

The Bigjigs breakdown Summer 1982 Peter Ireland began selling handmade duck puzzles at the local market in Folkestone

Exhibition with an extended range of homemade products

1982-85 Together Liz and Peter travelled further aﬁeld to sell their wooden wares at local craft fairs and agricultural shows

1986 Son Sam Ireland was born and attended his ﬁrst show aged just 13 days

1986 Attended the Ideal Home

1987 Son Tom Ireland was born 1994 New staff recruited to meet demand for orders. Invoices were issued every Friday on a 286 in Quickbooks! 1997 Attended Nuremberg fair for the ﬁrst time. The company also received its ﬁrst container 1999 Bigjigs Rail is born! A wooden railway collection is

added to the range 2000 The company branched out into independent retailer and produced its ﬁrst trade catalogue 2004 Took out the ﬁrst substantial loan to purchase new premises in Kent. The team had grown to seven full-time employees 2004 Attended Hong Kong Toy

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Liz Ireland

Support of indies means the world Their success as a family business has been recognised during this special year, having been selected as a ﬁnalist in the Family Business of the Year category of the 2015 Red Ribbon Awards. A winner will be announced at a

Peter Ireland

Sam Ireland

prestigious ceremony held at the Globe Theatre in London later this month. Liz and Peter attribute their success over the years to the loyalty they have earned from the independent shops they strive to support. This dedication to independent retailers continues to shape the workings of the company and forms the back bone of their consumer ecommerce operation, wherever possible online orders are fulﬁlled by independent retailers who are allocated the order according to their stock levels and geographical location.

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Liz and

Peter attribute their success over the years to the loyalty they have earned from the independents they strive to support

Tom Ireland

Let’s celebrate with new product! In honour of their 30th trading year, the company has launched a bumper collection of more than 100 new products, including additions to the Bigjigs Rail and Bigjigs Baby sub brands. Staying true to their original mission, each toy is designed to complement childhood through fun, exploration and learning. During their anniversary month they will be organising a series of promotions and competitions for trade customers, details of which will be published on social media and via email in the coming weeks. Speaking about the company’s plans for the next 30 years, Liz says their goal is: “To continue doing a good job and support the independent retail sector – in products, price, quality and service.”

Fair and started to seek out FE manufacturers of good quality items that would ﬁt with the range 2005 Extended premises to accommodate the growth of the company. Sam Ireland joined the business and took over ordering stock and warehouse layout 2006 Launch of the ﬁrst trade

website. Premises in Kent extended once again 2007 Appointed the ﬁrst agent following the demise of Traditional Toys and also took on Heimess, My Doll, and Miranda 2008 Increased focus on wooden rail – now known as Bigjigs Rail 2009 Tom Ireland joined the business 2010 The company began to spread its wings and a European Sales Manager was recruited 2011 Decided to bolster the UK range with new distribution lines; Ambi, Gowi and Twigz could

AUGUST 2015

provide items that could not be manufactured from wood but were in demand 2013 Expanded into the gift market with the acquisition of Tatiri distribution rights 2014 Bigjigs is crowned Best Small Family Business in the Red Ribbon Awards. Bigjigs Rail gets a rebrand and goes into modular packaging 2015 Still a family-run business occupying a 40,000 sq ft premises with an in-house team of 30 employees and distribution in 35 countries worldwide

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AUTUMN FAIR

Autumn Glory In the run up to Christmas, retailers will be flocking to Autumn Fair to finalise their buying decisions. TnP spoke to a number of exhibitors to find out why the show’s timing is so crucial and what to expect at the NEC this year

utumn Fair will soon be upon us and for the majority of toy retailers it marks the final hurrah before the serious business of confirming orders for the vital Christmas period. The show, which will open at Birmingham’s NEC from 6-9 September - the volume hall opens a day earlier - is the last major stop on the annual trade show calendar, and it will be here that many visitors shore up their buying decisions for stock from now until December. We may have been cursing broken air conditioning units just weeks ago, but the festive season of cheer and open wallets will soon be upon us. And with around £1.2 billion spent as a direct result of last years’ Autumn Fair, according to organisers i2i, a good chunk of that last minute ordering will be done across the NEC’s sprawling halls. Hall 5 will be the main port of call for those on the hunt for toys and children’s gifts, however - as it has been for the past few years. On the show floor visitors will have the 46

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opportunity to discover some of the latest, greatest toys I have on the market, or revisit and always thought solidify decisions on products pencilled in for Christmas that the timing earlier in the year, before the is pretty much ink comes out. perfect Either way, between the Peter Lockey, Director, Autumn Fair regulars and The Puppet Company the 18 exhibitors that are making their show debut this year, there will be plenty of products to fulﬁl even the most demanding of buyer’s needs. Among the new exhibitors are Indigo Jamm, Alex Brands, Cicada Education Ltd and Bizzy Bitz, to name just a few, and their presence this year brings the total exhibitor count in Hall 5 to 112.

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Timing is everything The timing of Autumn Fair is a big draw for both exhibitors and visiting retailers and buyers. Both know that this is a fantastic chance to make new connections; where retailers can ﬁnd that magic product to step their Christmas offering up to the next level, and exhibitors can count The Puppet Company

Icon Live

on a thick and steady ﬂow of not just toy retailers, but those from the gift sector too. No stranger to Autumn Fair, Great Gizmos’ Brand and Marketing Manager, Sarah Dayus, says that the show gives them the perfect chance “for everyone to see the new additions to our ranges.” Although Sarah wouldn’t be drawn on exactly what visitors can expect in terms of fresh product, she did say there would be “plenty of things!” The reason for launching new product

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Travis so close to Christmas? “It is great to showcase our ranges and new products at this time of year with the run up to Christmas,” Sarah explains. “Buyers are there looking for new and exciting things for the festive period. It’s always been a busy show for us so we hope the same for this year too.” Another returning exhibitor - the company’s 11th year at Autumn Fair, in fact - is The Puppet Company. Director, Peter Lockey says that Autumn Fair is the team’s favourite show of the year. “It’s not as big as Spring Fair, and not as busy as London or New York Toy Fair, but the quality of buyer is excellent.” From a purely sales standpoint, Peter believes he sees more serious buyers in less time. This is something Autumn Fair is renowned for. Its no-nonsense visitors are there with buying as a focus, and i2i says that a whopping 86% of the 29,000 visitors to the show have direct purchasing responsibility. Timing is another key reason The Puppet It is great Company has been to showcase our returning to Autumn Fair ranges and new for more than a decade. “I have always thought that products at this the timing is pretty much time of year perfect,” Peter explains. with the run up “Autumn is just around the to Christmas corner and Christmas is getting closer. The show is Sarah Dayus, Brand and always positive and upbeat.” Marketing Manager, Great

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The place to be seen For Peter, Autumn Fair is the show that he can count on to meet up with The Puppet Company’s retail partners. “We see most of our key accounts here,” he continues. “They want to see what’s new for next year and top up their stocks

Gizmos

Puppet Co

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ready for autumn and Christmas sales. We want to meet our customers and get their feedback on current sales. “A big bonus is that the NEC is a great place to exhibit. This will be our 11th year and we have got it down to a fine art. Top tip, we always bring a large fridge with us so there are plenty of cold drinks on the stand throughout the day - exhibitions make you thirsty!” For retailers looking to find something cute and different that combines imaginative play with great gifting options, The Irish Fairy Door Company will also be in Hall 5. Relatively new to the UK, Director, Niamh Sherwin Barry says the show is “very important for picking up new accounts and for showcasing our product range.” But retailers that are familiar with, or even already working with, The Irish Fairy Door Company will find some exciting developments on the stand. “It will give buyers the opportunity to view the new retail packaging first-hand – we only introduced it fairly recently but we’re certain retailers will appreciate the premium look and feel,” says Niamh. “We hope to pick up a lot of new accounts and we would like to see existing customers expand the range of our products they currently stock – as well as the handmade wooden doors, we also have an extensive range of accessories including washing lines with fairy clothes, tooth fairy plates, colourful vinyl decals and story books.” So whether it’s a voyage of last minute inspiration, a hunt for that perfect stocking filler, or just a chance to catch up with existing suppliers and see their latest products, Autumn Fair is the place to be for retailers as we head into the vital Christmas sales period. With more than 100 exhibitors in Hall 5 alone, there is plenty to see.

Stretch your legs The multi-sector nature of Autumn Fair brings a variety of visitors from different retail environments into the toydominated Hall 5. But it also gives toy retailers a chance to stretch their legs and explore other halls as well. Pioneer Europe, the company behind the Qualatex balloons brand, has a huge stand in the Party Show at sister event Spring Fair, and it’s returning to the NEC for its second Autumn Fair this September as part of the Cardgains Village in neighbouring Hall 4. Although primarily a supplier of balloons and partyware to party retailers, this is one stand toy retailers should definitely consider. Pioneer’s latest licensed balloons could be the perfect way to pick up some extra sales come the final months of the year. “We will be launching our brand new Star Wars collection in time for the big movie release,” Michelle Comerford, Head of Sales and Marketing at Pioneer Europe says. “Also visitors to our stand will be able to see for the first time our Christmas 2015 collection in real life rather than in the catalogue and attend special balloon bouquets demonstrations by our expert Trainers. We would encourage visitors to allocate some time to see the demonstrations to learn a few tricks and new ideas on how to create attractive Festive Window and in-store displays to gain additional sales over Christmas and New Year Season.” Michele also reveals that Autumn Fair will be a good opportunity for retailers to get a head start on future lines coming in 2016, with a special early preview.

AUTUMN FAIR 2015 Where? Birmingham NEC When? 6-9 September (volume opens 5 September) Why? See more than 100 toy and children’s gifts suppliers Register for free: www.autumnfair.com

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AUTUMN FAIR

Touch wood! LE TOY VAN 020 8979 2036 www.letoyvan.com

Hall 5 Stand B12 Brand new from Le Toy Van is Petilou, a collection of seven wooden toys for little ones, and visitors to Autumn Fair will get their ﬁrst chance to see and feel it at the show. Tested for children 12 months plus, this fresh new toddler range has a woodland theme, with owl, hedgehog and fox motifs. Supplied in stylish retail packaging, and retailing at a very good price, it’s a great gift range. A favourite in the range is the Woodland Puzzle (pictured), a chunky, wooden, woodland-themed puzzle with 16 pieces illustrated with forest creatures. It comes complete with a wooden-based board tray to sort and store the pieces. And that’s not all; there are plenty of other new products for Autumn Fair visitors to see. Daisylane Doll’s house Collection is the biggest collection of painted wooden doll’s houses, furniture and accessories in the world. This year sees the launch of Evergreen House, which is fully painted, decorated and furnished. With more than a dozen doll’s houses, three collections of furniture and a plethora of accessories, it provides a collectable mini-world. Following on from the string of awards for the Café Drinks Machine, the Doctor’s Set and the Honeybubbles Washing Machine, there’s a new addition to the Honeybake Role Play Home Collection. Expanding the range is the arrival of a new gelato set and a ﬂoor-standing honey kitchen. New to the evergreen Motors, Planes and Garages range are two new garages with easy slide lifts. Plus there are plenty of new lines for the PeLMeL pocket money range, bringing the choice up to 18 different assortments in a stylish CDU. Budkins, the friendly, bendy, poseable characters from Le Toy Van, are ideal collectables that can be popped into a pocket for play anywhere. There are also 16 different playmats to choose from. These playmats are themed for the wooden play sets, and have a soft, smooth surface, complete with a non-slip backing.

Dress to impress TRAVIS DESIGNS 01442 289898 www.travis.co.uk

Hall 5 Stand A31 Travis Designs produce beautiful dress-up costumes and themed apparel covering generic and licensed ranges for babies and children, plus exclusive lines for volume orders, all distributed across the world. The award-winning Disney Baby range covers from birth to two years and includes many popular characters. There are over 30 dress-up apparel styles to choose from including the best selling Disney Princesses, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, Belle and Rapunzel. These gorgeous styles include a beautiful dress with layered skirts and embroidery, ribbon detailing, satin bloomers and a pretty headband to complete the set. With great retail prices, they are at the top of the buyers list this autumn. This is a stock range and available for delivery now. New styles include Daisy and Donald Tabards, both of which come with a cute hat and character booties. With Winnie the Pooh’s 90th birthday celebrations just around the corner, the new vintage style Pooh and Friend’s character rompers in soft textured plush, with knit detailing and vintage fabric highlights are not to be missed. Travis brands include the Dress up by Design generic costume range babies and children up to 12 years. From Princesses to Pirates, Animals to Accessories, there really is something for every child. The Sophie la Girafe baby and toddler dress up range is a beautiful capsule collection from birth to three years.

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See our website to view the full range of our traditional toys

www.asobi.co.uk

T: 01628 200077 â&#x20AC;˘ E: info@asobi.co.uk asobitoys

@asobi_toys

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AUTUMN FAIR

A ROARING SUCCESS SS H. Grossman Ltd 0141 613 2525 www.ozbozz.co.uk

Hall 5 Stand D20-E21 First up is the Speedy scooter from HGL HGL, a sturdy d steed dd designed i d for those who want to know how fast they can go. The aluminium deck provides great stability as does the steel t-bar steering bar. Coming in a variety of colour ways, the stand out feature is the easy to read speedometer, which logs speed in km or mph and saves the fastest speed to date. If bounce is preferred, the new pogo range, Blaze, Tornado, Twin Stick and Maverick, is designed for serious pogo enthusiasts. H. Grossman is showing a full, licensed Minions range including outdoor products, scooters, bikes, skateboards, trikes, inline skates, pogo sticks, and a balance bike. There are also helmets, pad sets, a dartboard, plus a whole host of pocket money items including yoyos, bubble wands, keyrings, balls, and ﬁngerboards. The award winning Megasaurs range is complemented this year by a range of lifelike dinosaurs in a variety of sizes, with new gift sets featuring open jawed dinosaurs. Car Trax/Roller Coasters has everything very young children want in a track set with cars and trains. This chunky, ﬂexible, brightly coloured track comes in sets from 23 pieces to 129 pieces.

Hot properties ICON LIVE 01444 240 000 www.iconlive.com

Soft touch

Hall 5 Stand D43

AURORA WORLD

Icon Live, a world-leading fashion and novelty accessories company, is exhibiting at this year’s Autumn Fair and will be focussing on its product lines for Christmas and S/S 2016. With Christmas around the corner, Icon Live will be promoting its ranges of this year’s must have kids and adult licences including Star Wars, Shopkins, Minions, Frozen, Marvel, Inside Out and more. As the perfect stocking filler for adults and children, Icon Live is anticipating a successful seasonal period. The Star Wars range, celebrating both the release of the much-anticipated extension of the franchise and classic movies, will include bandanas, reflective bag tags, key rings and novelty Yoda ears, all of which will be available for retailers from November. Autumn Fair will be an opportunity for Icon Live to add to its roster of retail partners. Another key brand will be Shopkins, the new girls’ collectable craze, with Icon Live launching a licensed range inspired by the toys which have sold over 70 million units to date. A fun and collectable range of jewellery, hair accessories and bag charms will be available in time for Christmas 2015 - a must have for all girls aged 6-10. With no sign that Frozen fans are letting go of their favourite film, Icon Live is releasing a beautiful new ice blue collection for the film’s fans this Christmas. Not forgetting the classic Disney brands, Icon Live will also be showcasing new products from its gifting accessories range, which has been developed for older fans. Brands on display will include Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Bambi, Aristocats and many more. Icon Live will also be showcasing some of its S/S 2016 collections including new Disney Tsum Tsum, Marvel’s Captain America Civil War and Model’s Own. Warren Traeger, Licensing Director, and the Icon Live sales team will be on-stand to discuss potential partnerships.

01256 374260 www.auroraworld.com

Hall 5 Stand B20-C21 Aurora World, one of the leading manufacturers of plush toys, will be making its presence known at the annual Autumn Fair this September as it celebrates a number of exciting developments. The team at Aurora is looking forward to showing off a number of hotly anticipated releases including the great value addition to the popular YooHoo and Friends range, the adorable three-inch Yoohoo Minis. Another release that promises unbelievable quality for fantastic value is Aurora’s new Luv to Cuddle range, an incredibly lifelike, luxurious soft pile plush collection that displays magniﬁcent airbrushed detailing. The initial launch range contains a selection of dogs, cats and farmyard animals. Aurora is also excited to show off its extended line of licensed Peanuts character plush, launching in the buildup to the hotly anticipated Peanuts movie coming in December from Fox Studios. With Snoopy and the gang’s popularity at an all time high, this collection is sure to be a hit with retailers and fans alike. With Christmas only month’s away, Aurora will also be displaying its winter collections including the launch of Pammee Boutique, the Icy Bear family, the Winter Harp Seal collection, and the super-soft and ﬂuffy new design of Aurora’s popular pet-in-a-bag range Fancy Pals. With all of these exciting new ranges to choose from Aurora will be offering special offers and special show discounts.

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Dolls House Collection â&#x20AC;&#x153;The children really engaged with this lovely dolls house.â&#x20AC;? Dr Amanda Gummer psychologist and founder at Fundamentally Children

th Anniversary

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AUTUMN FAIR

Get your hands on these greats! THE PUPPET COMPANY 01462 446040 www.thepuppetcompany.com

HALL 5 STAND C20-D21 Autumn Fair will see the launch of some exciting, brand new puppet collections plus new additions to existing ranges. There are some really fabulous Dinosaur Puppets with moving mouths and very realistic materials and shapes. Some are veggie eaters but others, like the giant T-Rex, will eat you all up! Every puppet has access under the chin so kids can get some wonderful open-mouth effects, particularly with the Diplodocus. Children love dinosaurs and those who remember The Puppet Company’s wonderful dino’s from a few years ago are going to be delighted with these new beasts. Puppets really like having somewhere to come out from and go into, and the Hideaway Collection gives them just that – a place to live. The fabulous Rabbit in a Lettuce is a good example of this as is the Woodland tree trunk. The company is now introducing Rabbit Hill, which is a green hill with three little rabbit burrows and three charming ﬁnger puppet rabbits to live in them. Then there is the Coral House, complete with a ﬁnger puppet clown

fish, starfish and a purple Octopus. Director Peter Lockey’s favourite is the Tree Trunk with Bird Nest and Pond. This spectacular piece includes the following finger puppets: Frog, Mallard, Robin, Kingfisher, Blackbird, Greater Spotted Woodpecker and a Barn Owl. The collection gives kids diurnal and nocturnal birds, birds that feed on fish, a reptile and a duck. What more could a young budding naturalist require? The Puppet Company is already working on new styles and packaging for 2016, plus a re-vamp of all existing ranges. To whet your appetite, it revealed that the team is developing huge flying birds, puppet sets in sacks, a new doorway theatre, large dressed glove puppets and a huge dragon who doesn’t breath fire – yet!

On track for Christmas

Getting bizzy with it

BIGJIGS TOYS

Bizzy Bitz

01303 250400 trade.bigjigstoys.co.uk

029 2036 3678 (Kayes of Cardiff) www.bizzy-bitz.com

Hall 5 Stand A39

Hall 5 Stand A69

At this year’s Autumn Fair, Bigjigs will be showcasing new festive additions to its range of wooden railway toys. The beautifully detailed Christmas Train and Santa Sleigh with Reindeer from the Bigjigs Rail range are two must-have Christmas gifts for train enthusiasts young and old. The magnetic points on the wagons of the Christmas Train can be lifted and lowered using a third new Christmas-themed rail accessory: the colourful new Candy Crane. The full trio are set to create a magical Christmas scene among any wooden railway set and inspire small world play with bundles of festive cheer. Bigjigs’ other new launches for 2015 will also be on show, including the colourful collection of wooden Click Blocks, boasting assorted colours and shapes. The 40-piece Intermediate Pack makes a fantastic starter set of building bricks - a comprehensive set that can be added to with the Zesty Basic Pack and Primary Basic Pack, each with a further 20 blocks. The miniature wooden blocks are perfectly sized for little hands to grasp and stack on top of each other.

Stuck for new ideas this Christmas? Want to offer your customer something new that keeps children entertained without relying on television, console games or tablets? Bizzy Bitz is extremely versatile and easy to use, with vibrant and varied shapes that lock together using a simple and patented universal ball-and-socket system. This enables the shapes to easily be joined together to make a multitude of 3D shapes and even moving models. Created by a family with decades of experience of working with children in the education sector, Bizzy Bitz delivers a complete set of important educational values.

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Autumn Fair 2015 Stand 5 D23

KIDKRAFT WELCOMES YOU TO OUR STAND!

KidKraft creates, manufactures and distributes childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s award winning wooden toys and furniture. We strive for quality lity and creatively designed product ts for im maginative children. products imaginative

New Floor Puzzles

Rocket Ship Play Set

Country Estate Dollhouse Contact Us! T: +31203058620 E: europesales@kidkraft.com W: www.kidkraft.com

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AUTUMN FAIR

Ballooning sales PIONEER EUROPE/QUALATEX BALLOONS 01279 501090 www.qualatexeurope.com

Play the Games of Thrones WINNING MOVES

Hall 4 Stand E20-F21

0207 298 9507 www.winningmoves.co.uk

As part of the Cardgains Village at the Autumn Fair 2015, Pioneer will be exhibiting its latest balloons and party ranges as well as Christmas 2015 collection. A dedicated team will be offering product demonstrations showcasing the best ways of selling balloons at retail. Qualatex Sales Consultants will be on hand to recommend the most suitable retail programmes and special show offers will be available to all visitors placing their orders at the show. Earlier this year, Pioneer launched a new collection of licensed latex balloons, including ever popular licenses such as Frozen, Star Wars, Avengers, Mickey and Minnie and many more. The new collection of licensed latex balloons complements an already popular collection of licensed Bubble balloons. This gives retailers an opportunity to offer their customers a choice of different price points and stunning balloon bouquets with high perceived value. For over 90 years Pioneer, a leading balloon manufacturer best known for the Qualatex brand of balloons, has provided quality products and services worldwide. The full Qualatex range includes an extensive selection of additional latex, foil and exclusive Bubble balloons, featuring the most popular licenses such as Disney, Marvel, Nickelodeon, Me to You, Hello Kitty and more. Recent additions to Pioneer’s portfolio are party products, including top of the range tableware, candles, badges, banners and confetti. “Balloons perform well within retail environments and have proven to increase sales by over 50% in some stores. We’ve had some great success stories with toy retailers over the years and see a real opportunity to develop this market sector further. We offer tailored retail programs and in-store training to ensure our customers are successful in selling our products,” said Michelle Comerford, Head of Sales and Marketing at Pioneer. To start exploring the exciting and proﬁtable world of balloons and party, contact Pioneer Europe team today!

Hall 5 Stand D51

Winning Moves has everything for the ultimate family battle who will take the Iron Throne? Battle against family and friends to discover who should claim the Iron Throne with the new Game of Thrones Monopoly. The multi award winning US fantasy drama series has been immortalised in this special licensed collector’s edition of the classic Monopoly board game. Use the Iron Throne as one of the six playing tokens with the others including a White Walker, Dragon Egg and the Three-Eyed Raven and venture around the infamous locations of King’s Landing, Winterfell and Castle Black. Help Earth’s mightiest heroes ﬁght the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plans, with the all new pack of Avengers Assemble Top Trumps, Based on the Marvel animated series, and launched to coincide with this summer’s blockbuster Age of Ultron, this Top Trumps pack features Earth’s mightiest heroes and their adversaries, together for the ﬁrst time! Join The Minions on their greatest adventure so far. The highly anticipated Minions Movie will have its own Top Trumps, with cards based around everyone’s favourite little yellow creatures. Star Wars fans will also be catered for with the Star Wars Top Trumps, which will include characters from the hugely anticipated Episode VII released later in the year. These new introductions will join the already strongperforming Top Trumps range, which includes Big Bang Theory, Shopkins and the number one selling Top Trumps pack, Disney’s Frozen. The Top Trumps collection will also boast a new Best of Bond pack for older Top Trumps fans. Best of Bond fans can also test their knowledge with the new James Bond Trivial Pursuit, which contains 600 questions based on everyone’s favourite 007 movies.

PICK UP A PIPPIN Keel Toys 01233 506363 www.keeltoys.com

Hall 5 Stand B10/C11 Launched in 2015, Pippins are a collection featuring 24 enchanting and lovable fun-size pet and wildlife soft toys, including Meerkat, Puppy, Crocodile, Sheep and Kangaroo to name a few. Each is unique in character, finished in super soft fabrics and feel special when picked up thanks to the 50 grams of beans in the bottom. The characters are identified with their signature labels with name, date of birth and favourite activity. Pippins are available individually or as a complete collection with floor stand.

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AUTUMN FAIR

Real star power STAR CUTOUTS 01613445839 www.starcutouts.com Visit the Star Cutouts stand at Autumn Fair to see its latest range of brilliant life-like cardboard cutouts and face masks featuring some of the world’s biggest and most exciting licenses. There’s a huge selection of licensed product plus an extensive catalogue of party cutouts. It’s a must-visit!

Block party RMS INTERNATIONAL 01617 278182 www.rmsint.com

Hall 1 Stand 1E24-D2 Toys, arts, crafts and stationery importer and distributor, RMS International, known for its award winning Grafix brand and innovative, value for money products will be showcasing new items from its latest range of construction and licensed toys at Autumn Fair. New for autumn is The First Bricks range. Perfect for children aged 18 months to five years with large colourful bricks to bring out their creative side. The range will consist of over 25 products at various price points, offering amazing value for money to the consumer. There are two new additions planned in the coming months for the hugely successful Block Tech range for children aged six and over with more detailed buildings and vehicles including the City Streets Police HQ set, complete with van, helicopter and car, and the Galactic Wars Galactic Defense set, which allows children to build two different space vehicles. All the sets come with a difficulty rating on the box. RMS will also showcase its new licensed range for A/W 2015, with new products that will inspire kids to get active and creative.

Traditional and trendy

Jurassic joys

KIDKRAFT

CHEATWELL GAMES

+31203058620 www.kidkraft.com

0845 22 66 516 www.cheatwell.com

Hall 5 Stand D23

Hall 5 Stand A05

KidKraft is a proven leader in the wooden toys and furniture industry, with over 40 years of experience. Play kitchens, doll houses, doll furniture and train sets are just some of the many items that KidKraft is known for throughout the world. KidKraft also makes children’s furniture items. KidKraft takes enormous pride in the durability of its wooden products. Among the items on display will be KidKraft’s new categories. The Travel Box Play Sets put on-the-go fun at a child’s fingertips. Each toy has a convenient handle and comes packed with detailed, colourful accessory pieces. There are five themes to choose from: Farm, Fairytale Princess, Emergency Rescue, Beauty Salon and Nativity Scene. KidKraft’s brand new Floor Puzzle range is a fun challenge for any young child. Each of the five new floor puzzles has bright, colourful artwork and thick pieces that firmly lock in place. As soon as children finish piecing one of these puzzles together, they’ll be ready to take it apart and start all over.

Cheatwell Games is noted for fun, innovative gifts and games, and this year the company will present an exciting and vibrant range at Autumn Fair ideally suited to the months ahead. Squeeze Poppers have gone from strength to strength, with over 80,000 sold in 2014. The latest additions to this funky set of foamﬁring friends are Zombie Boy, complete with exploding brain; Sock Monkey, a top-seller from the US; and a sweet, squeezy Squirrel, all with six soft foam balls and carry net. New additions to the amazing Build It range of 3D Puzzles include the awesome T-Rex, Triceratops and Stegosaurus Dinosaurs, which are simply brilliant 3D representations.

Kids can put on their very own fashion show with the Magnetic Dress Up Doll set. Choose from five different themes with many fun accessories. Young kids are sure to love the bright, colourful artwork and close attention to detail. Choose to dress up dolls for the runway or a storybook ball. From handing the fashion show winner her bouquet of flowers, to crowning the princess—the outfit options are almost limitless. The enchanting Dress Up Collection is fit for a princess. Choose from 10 beautifully designed and hand crafted costumes for all day dress up play and fun.

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TOYS GIFTS and great ideas!

VISIT US AT AUTUMN FAIR

6TH -9TH SEPTEMBER NEC BIRMINGHAM HALL 5: D60 - E61

PREVIEW

AUTUMN FAIR

Worry not! COILEDSPRING GAMES 020 3301 1160 www.coiledspring.co.uk

Cozy up

Hall 5 Stand B46

INTELEX GROUP Coiledspring has brought award winning games and puzzles to the market since 2004 and continues to do so this year for Autumn Fair. The Coiledspring stand will be well worth a visit, as the company will display the latest in jigsaw innovation from Schmidt, by walking around holding the new premium quality 1000 piece jigsaws vertically. Visit the stand and do the same for the chance to win a Worry Eater keyring! Continuing to encourage creativity and storytelling across generations, keep your eyes peeled for the latest in the Rory’s Story Cubes Mix sets: Animalia, Fright and Mythic – pocket money additions that add speciﬁc themes to the storytelling. All ﬁt in a striking new CDU. Following the September launch, the highly anticipated licensed Batman Cubes will also be available to order. With a dedicated consumer PR campaign surrounding the release, Rory’s Story Cubes Batman will inspire three generations of storytellers who recognise this iconic super hero.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES!

01933 679 777 www.intelex.co.uk

Hall 5 Stand J16–K17 Intelex Group has reported a very encouraging ﬁrst half trading, with much positive feedback from retailers for its innovative new Warmies, being rolled out for A/W 2015/16. The company has enjoyed year on year growth and 2015 looks set to be another strong year for the business. The company has put an enormous amount of effort into creating fresh new designs that are attractive, functional and represent very good value for money. It has launched 27 new Warmies this year which will be showcased at Autumn Fair. The new Warmies brand has been rolled out to coincide with the Intelex Group’s 20 year anniversary and Intelex is delighted with the new brand name that is a great representation of its entire range of heatable toys and gifts, both here in the UK and internationally. New Warmies highlights that have added considerably to the existing collection include new designs to the Warmies Cozy Plush, Socky Dolls and Dusty Pups range. The business has also launched four entire new categories which includes Warmies Cozy Craft, Craft Dolls Cozy Dogs and Cozy Pets, all which will be sold under the Warmies brand and supported by newly designed ﬂoor and counter display units.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2

FREE DELIVERY ON ORDERS ORDERS OVER OVER £250 £250 OVER 700 CUT-OUTS & MASKS TO ORDER ONLINE PACKAGING & DISPLAY SOLUTIONS AVAILABLE

EP R & KE COLOUASKS & M S T CUTOU

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Get crafty GREAT GIZMOS 01293 543221 www.greatgizmos.co.uk

Hall 5 Stand D60-E61 Great Gizmos has a whole collection of autumn treats including new craft items from 4M, more exciting products from KID O, additions to the Meadow Kids range, and a new range of pre-school books at Autumn Fair this year. Renowned for its highly successful arts and crafts kits, Great Gizmos continues to take creative play to another level with exciting new additions to its 4M range that will appeal to every creative mind. Have fun making and moulding stamps at home with the Dino Stamp Factory, allowing kids to add special touches to cards or notebooks with their unique stamp collection. Dinosaurs are so popular at the moment, this is sure to be a big hit. Shrinking Craft Circus allows kids to create, design and play with their very own Circus Troupe. Coming complete with a circus play scene, two shrink art sheets, four coloured pencils and reusable adhesive children can make the troupe perform over and over again! New from KID O is the stylish Pink Go Car that can be pushed and pulled across various textured surfaces with its smooth rubber wheels and easy to grip handle! Make funny animal combinations with the Mix and Match Animals set from KID O. The different animal parts all ďŹ t together to make weird and wonderful creations! Great for both family interaction and individual play, encouraging imagination and creativity. New from Meadow Kids are additions to the bath toys and bath stickers range, including Build a Castle that is made from chunky, fun and colourful foam material. A simple bath time construction set that is built on a ďŹ&#x201A;oating island for unlimited play time. Perfect for bath time fun and cognitive development! Combine creating and reading with the interactive Timid Dinosaur Jigsaw Book! Piece together the puzzle on each page to complete the Timid Dinosaur story. Luxury plush and accessories collection NICI, offers everything from plush toys for tots to stationery and bedroom accessories for preteens. Debuting at Autumn Fair are the new NICI ranges of Winter Rabbit and Penguin, new Classic Bear, Gold Meerkat and new additions to the popular Dragon collection that includes some ferocious looking creatures.

AUGUST 2015

PREVIEW

AUTUMN FAIR

What a picture! ESDEVIUM 01420 593593 www.esdeviumgames.com

Hall 5 Stand B30

Fairy tale fun THE IRISH FAIRY DOOR COMPANY 01279 408 208 (Ackerman Int.) www.theirishfairydoorcompany.com / enquiries@ackermanintl.co.uk

Hall 5 Stand A36-B31 The Irish Fairy Door Company will be showcasing its range of handmade wooden fairy doors and accessories at this year’s Autumn Fair. The eye-catching stand has been designed to bring the magic of the Irish fairy doors to life, and will give buyers the opportunity to view the new retail packaging which was introduced earlier this year. Red, blue, pink and purple arched doors, which are sold through distributor Ackerman International in the UK, will be available to view along with ofﬁcial accessories including colourful vinyl decals and fairy washing lines, as well as the brand new story book – The Fairy Force. New to the UK for 2015, The Irish Fairy Door Company lets people create memorable family moments by inviting a fairy into their home with a real wooden Irish fairy door. Created by life-long friends Niamh Sherwin Barry and Aoife Lawler, along with their husbands Oisin and Gavin, the range of beautiful Irish fairy doors can be installed just about anywhere, such as bedrooms, classrooms and gardens. Once in place, the creative team at Fairy HQ ensures direct access to Fairy Valley, so the magic continues long after the fairy has moved in – with ongoing magical messages, play ideas and stories delivered to children and parents who register their fairy’s name on the website, via email and an app. The Irish fairy doors open up a brand new world of imagination and creativity for parent and child alike, allowing them to explore the magic together, and provide a beautiful and unique way for adult and child to interact and play through the power of belief.

New for 2015 is a brand new range of Disney games, headed up by the ultimate family picture-trivia game, Disney Pictopia. In Pictopia, players test their knowledge of decades of Disney magic, from animated classics to blockbuster movies and dazzling theme park destinations. Along the way are guess-myanswer questions that reveal just how much players know about each other. Esdevium will provide a superb launch offer for Pictopia at Autumn Fair - more details on the stand. Also part of the Disney collection is the brand new Star Wars Timeline, giving a galactic twist to Esdevium’s original game. In Timeline, players test their knowledge of the original Star Wars trilogy, taking turns placing events from the films into the correct chronological order on the Timeline. If they are wrong, they remove the card and pick up another, with the winner being the first player to correctly place all their cards. Brand new for 2015 the Star Wars Timeline features original artwork from the first trilogy. Esdevium will also showcase a bigger-than-ever range of Fisher-Price Classics, headed up by the timeless Chatter Telephone and the magical Record Player.

The smart choice SMART TOYS AND GAMES 01903 885669 www.smartgames.eu / www.smartmax.eu

Hall 5 Stand C24 Three Little Piggies is a wonderful logic game with a familiar theme. The award-winning game will intrigue young children by the way the piggies ﬁt inside the houses, look through the windows, and then escape the wolf. The award winning SmartMax Lighthouse including light-up LED bars provides young children with an endless range of construction possibilities. At Autumn Fair this year, Smart will be showcasing these products alongside the new SmartMax Try Me range, and the exciting (and addictive) new range of SmartGames. Plus many more of the current favourites! SmartGames is a worldwide leader in multi-level logic games. The award winning games have multi-level challenges from the very easy to the very challenging - perfect for players of all ages. Each has a unique and innovative game mechanic with themes that appeal to both boys and girls. They come in travel, compact and table top editions in plastic or a premium wood range.

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Quick and Easy Decorations for Any Occasion!

Available in a variety of popular licenses!

New Party Banner Balloons:

• Innovative balloons that tie together end-to-end • Packaged with hang tabs, ideal for DIY party decor

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Quote “TNP0815” to receive GLVFRXQW Rʏ \RXU LQLWLDO RUGHU Visit our Demonstration Pod at the Autumn Fair in Hall 4, Stand 4E20-F21.

©Disney

Tractor Ted

Real Life Farm Fun

Toys • Gifts • DVDs • Books • Live Events • Attractions

www.tractorted.co.uk

@tractorted1

See us at Autumn Fair: Stand No: 5B75

In partnership with

PREVIEW

AUTUMN FAIR

Festive fun BOXER GIFTS

Play value

01133 955 595

ASOBI

Hall 5 Stand A10

www.boxergifts.com

01628 200077 www.asobi.co.uk

Hall 5 Stand B50 Asobi means play in Japanese, and providing a high-quality play experience for children is at the heart of the company’s philosophy. Founded in 2008, Asobi produces and distributes gifts for children, many of which are educational as well as entertaining. Asobi is a distributor of easy to use but exciting to play with craft, and fun learning on both indoor and outdoor ranges. All the products carried by Asobi are well crafted and produced to extremely high standards - in other words built to last. The brands Asobi distributes include Red Toolbox, Seedling, Skipper, Buttonbag, Radio Flyer and Orb Factory.

New festive launches from Boxer Gifts include a range of beautifully hand-finished, personalised, snowmen Christmas decorations, with a special little character for every single member of the family. The little ceramic snowmen carry either a child’s name, a generic design or a space to write a personal message. For stocking fillers that kids will love, Boxer has a whole range of farting goods. The ever-popular farting finger pen is still a big seller, so the spectacularly silly Fart Trumpet and super-cool Fart Alert Fan have been launched in time for Christmas. At Books by Boxer, the children’s book range has grown with some great new titles for Christmas. Another two titles from the popular 555 Sticker Book range, Pirate Ship and Dinosaurs, have been launched as well as a number of other sticker books. For crafty kids, Boxer has added the fantastic Origami for Children book, which comes complete with special origami paper to create 35 different projects.

Fun on the farm TRACTOR TED 01373 834500 www.tractorted.co.uk

Hall 5 Stand B75 Tractor Ted, the UK’s favourite little green tractor, is a loveable children’s character who captivates, entertains and educates young children with his exciting stories of real life farm adventures and discovery. Launched over 10 years ago, Tractor Ted is one of the foremost suppliers of children’s products in the UK based around real life farming fun and offers an entire world of Tractor Ted including gifts, toys, books, DVDs, homeware, live events and visitor attractions. The current Tractor Ted toy range includes the Tractor Ted Wooden Toy, Tractor Ted Wooden Trailer, Bath Squirters, Famr Animal Crayons, 3D Tractor Stickers and Farm Stickers. Launching for autumn 2016, the range will expand with a Tractor Ted Jigsaw Puzzle which will be perfect in time for Christmas. This year sees the conﬁrmation of a two-year commercial media deal with Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. UK, guaranteeing TV exposure and a digital presence from August 2015. The mini Tractor Ted 30-second and 60-second clips will tell mini Tractor Ted stories encapsulating some of the best known storylines from the Tractor Ted DVDs and will allow more and more youngsters to become friends with Tractor Ted. Combine this with the ﬁrst ever Tractor Ted Live UK Tour, a new partnership with Picturehouse Cinemas which has taken Tractor Ted to the screen in 20 cinemas across the UK, and the launch of the Tractor Ted brand into the Netherlands, and there are exciting times ahead for the little green tractor.

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Disney Baby character collection

For NEW and best selling Disney Baby character outfits, visit us at the Autumn shows

A range not to be missed for babies 0-24 months at: Autumn Fair, NEC, Birmingham 6â&#x20AC;&#x201C;9 September Hall 5, Stand A31 www.travis.co.uk

Kind und Jugend, Cologne 10-13 September 2-15, Hall 11.1, Stand G31

+44 (0) 1442 289898

costumes@travis.co.uk

Travis Designs

Golﬁng greats TnP’s seventh Goring & Streatley Golf Day took place in June. TnP’s MD and resident golﬁng genius Malcolm Naish gives us his report from the day

t is hard to believe that this is the seventh golf day Toys ‘n’ Playthings resident golf pro Bubba Naish has organised following the Youngsters buying group’s demise. When they closed down, sadly their golf day died with them, but help was at hand and I’m delighted that we were able to resurrect this brilliant day. The weather was once again fantastic and my thanks to Bandai’s Vikki Elmer for her professional running of the day that enabled us all to make the tee-off times at the correct time.

“

Sadly, on a personal note, I managed to blast my team’s yellow ball in the general direction of Oxford on the 17th… Telling me “it doesn’t matter”, only made it worse as we had all become very attached to it

Grafham (Green Board Games), Jacqueline TaylorFoo (Spinmaster) and Tony Mace (Rainbow Designs).

Champions!

Goring & Streatley are renowned for their hospitality and standard of their cuisine, so following a healthy lunch of ham, egg and chips, the afternoon individual Stableford, team four-ball and yellow ball competition got underway. With some very good golfers and a number of high handicappers who played well above their Fore! handicaps, the afternoon The morning nine hole Texas produced some great Scramble was, as usual, keenly scores. contested with those boys from Stu Nicholas playing off Rubie’s – Graham Gardiner, Harry two came in with 38 points to take Isitt and Mark Whittaker, plus Mike the Toys ‘n’ Playthings trophy, closely Barratt for good measure, the followed by Bandai’s Gavin Adams winners with 28.6. on count back off 11 with 37 points In second place was Keith and in third place, also on 37 points and playing off 19, was Graham Hurrell. Our trophy for the 21-28 handicap players was won by Generation Media’s Daniel Chrystie with an amazing 47 points playing off 28. Gary Wyatt of Green Board Games had told me that he only took up golf two years ago, so his score of 41 points off 27 was a great result. The handicap committee will be re-adjusting Texas Scramble winners – Mark Whittaker, Mike these two handicaps for 2016! Barratt, Harry Isitt and Graham Gardiner

”

Daniel Chrystie winner of the 21-28 handicap cup with Vikki Elmer

All about the team The team competition is always extremely competitive and this year was no exception. Winning with 126 points were John Nicholas, Stu Nicholas, Grant Timms and Dave Martin. Second on 121 points were the boys from Rubie’s with Mike Barratt, and third on 119 were the media team of Andrew Mallandaine, Kevin Bennett, Simon Cox and Tom Watts.

Yellow Ball winners – The Triptrees, James, Brian and Susan with Mark White

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Vikki poses with Harry Isitt – longest drive, James Triptree – nearest the pin in two and Gavin Adams – nearest the pin Team four-ball winners – Stu Nicholas, Dave Martin, Grant Timms and John Nicholas

Third on 117 points were Joan Naish, Barry Walker, Kelvyn Marketis and Adrian Whyles. It was great to have Barry back, even though they spent 10 minutes looking for his ball on the 17th! The fiendish yellow ball competition saw the bulk of the teams managing to keep the ball in play throughout the 18 holes. Sadly, on a personal note, I managed to blast my team’s yellow ball in the general direction of Oxford on the 17th. I hid my head in shame and couldn’t look my teammates in the eye! Telling me “it doesn’t matter”, only made it worse as we had all become very attached to it. The winners with 34 points were the Triptree family of Susan, Brian and James plus ‘Chalky’ White. Their score was hugely helped by James who, on the 18th not only won the ‘Nearest the Pin in Two’, but added five points to the team score by holing his second shot. James talked me through this shot. From 140 yards with the aid of his sand wedge, he sent it unerringly off the flagpole for an amazing two. Second on countback with 34 points also were Jan Marketis, Garry Wyatt, Trevor Simmons and Martin Stone.

James’s monster was the big difference!

Ladies day We always love to have the ladies gracing our day and this year competing for the Evolution P.R. trophy for the ﬁrst time was Brenda Walker and Jacqueline Taylor-Foo. In what was a very close group, Joan Naish emerged the winner with 33 points, closely followed by Jan Marketis and Susan Triptree on 32 points. With 38 points off one, there was only one possible winner for the best gross award for the Mike Arnold cup – Stu Nicholas with a best gross of 71.

“

We always love to have the ladies gracing our day and this year competing for the Evolution P.R. trophy for the ﬁrst time was Brenda Walker and Jacqueline Taylor-Foo

”

The longest drive was won by Harry Isitt, nearest the pin by Gavin Adams and we all know who won the nearest the pin in two! With a complimentary bar throughout the day, the evening went with a real swing and we all headed for home extremely happy bunnies. Thanks are also due to Keith Elmer for his meticulous scoring of all the cards. Each one is closely scrutinized before the winners are announced. One word from Keith for next year, please improve your marking of the golf cards. A bottle of wine will be awarded for the neatest card, judged by Keith!

A family affair – Joan Naish takes the Ladies trophy

A date for the diary The 2016 event will take place on Tuesday, 21 June at Goring & Streatley Golf Club

The Mike Arnold best gross cup won by Stu Nicholas Stu Nicholas accepts his individual Stableford trophy from Bubba

AUGUST 2015

FEATURE

YOUTH ELECTRONICS

Charged up! Youth electronics have grown up, offering kids the experiences they have been craving since the ﬁrst smart phones hit the market. With child-safe, easy to use versions of many gadgets now on the market, TnP takes a look at this booming sector

imicking, mocking, aping and copying parents is an important step in every child’s development. It’s how they discover the world, and how they explore and interact with the strange objects around them. Just 20 years ago, these ‘strange objects’ were limited to vacuum cleaners, pots and pans,

Vtech

plates, utensils, dust pans and brushes, television remotes and video cassettes. It wasn’t quite the dark ages, but this being 2015, a world of second-screen experiences on smart devices, the ubiquitous app, and more affordable, high-powered electronic gadgets and gizmos than ever before, the kids want in.

Closing the gap Youth electronics have always looked to the world of adult consumer electronics, following the trends and repurposing the features and improving them for a safe, robust, kid-friendly product. But with companies like VTech, LeapFrog, Mookie and more continuing to develop and innovate with children’s devices and electronic toys, the gap is beginning to narrow. “Adult trends in consumer electronics ﬁlter down to the children’s categories,” says, Rebecca Lazarus, Senior Brand Manager at VTech. “DigiGo, a handheld smart device for children, is a prime example of this. VTech identiﬁed that children want a smart phone just like their parents, so have transferred the technology into a children’s toy, ensuring it has the durability required for this sector, while maintaining the important features.” Investing in pioneering product development has proved incredibly successful for VTech, and Rebecca says that consumers highlighted their appetite for youth electronics when they

“

The trend now is toward blurring the lines between the physical and virtual worlds as toys interact between the two

Gemma Lexington, Mookie

”

continued to spend consistently on the category throughout the economic downturn. And it’s a category that is performing well across the board. “According to NPD, Youth Electronics was the top performing category in June due to a +41% increase in Electronic Entertainment, which is VTech’s largest category within Youth Electronics,” Rebecca adds. “VTech has seen a 49% growth this year from January to June versus the same period in 2014. The Kidizoom Smart Watch and Action Cam have driven this outstanding growth.”

New to tech Entering the youth electronics category in 2015 is Mookie, a company best known for its outdoor toys. But Gemma Lexington, Marketing Manager, says the company “understand that technology continues to become an essential part of our everyday life.” Gemma continues: “The majority of children now either have their own tablet or have access to a tablet and we are looking to develop toys to meet this trend,” “With the launch of Pebli this year and Story Stars in 2016 we are using this technology to bring traditional toys to life and offer more content than was previously possible.” Mookie’s expansion into youth

RETAIL COMMENT: We’re very focused on educational toys here at Hoiti-Toyti, so carry youth electronics that ﬁt in with that. We carry some of VTech’s products, and in fact they sell very well throughout the year for us. We usually bring in LeapFrog tablets closer to the end of the year as we ﬁnd they’re particularly popular as Christmas gifts. Jacqui Mapother, Manager, Hoiti-Toyti, Bromsgrove

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Leapfrog

electronics doesn’t eschew the traditional play patterns and importance of physical toys, however. Instead, Gemma says it will allow the company to bring even richer and more diverse play options to the market. “Interactive toys can allow children to explore and develop their creativity and imagination. The use of connected toys and augmented reality means real toys can truly come to life. We understand that traditional toys still play a vital part in a child’s development, which is why we ensure that our interactive toys still maintain that physical aspect,” she explains.

AUGUST 2015

Often on the higher end of the pricing spectrum, “obviously Christmas is signiﬁcant to this category,” says Rebecca when asked about peak sales periods. But this year, VTech has experienced strong sales month in advance of the festive season. Rebecca says that electronics “can perform all year.” Mookie’s Gemma Lewington agrees, and the company is anticipating stready sales throughout the year. “Mookie are new to the interactive toy category, but with our low priced point Pebli expansion packs and interactive Story Stars hitting the market in spring 2016, we see the category as a year longer seller.” With such variety in product and play patterns, youth electronics are sure to be hot this this Christmas and beyond. As more and more companies dig into the possibilities that electronics can bring to toys, now could be the perfect time to jump on board. Just don’t forget to charge the batteries!

Vivid

TECH’S TOP FOR CHRISTMAS Half of Hamley’s top 10 toys for Christmas are youth electronics:

Mookie

Vivid: I-Que Intelligent Robot and appenhanced My Friend Freddy Bear Character Options: Little Live Pets - Clever Keet Mookie: 3D Magic 3D Maker LeapFrog: Nextgeneration tablet LeapPad Platinum

FEATURE

YOUTH ELECTRONICS

High Teksta CHARACTER OPTIONS 0161 633 9800 www.character-online.com

Welcome to Pebli Town MOOKIE 01525 722722 www.mookie.co.uk Connected pre-school toy Pebli Town has hit shelves across the UK and is supported by Mookie’s biggest-ever marketing campaign. The launch will consist of a heavyweight TV campaign running through to Christmas, targeting school holidays and key dates, a full PR campaign including a Pebli launch event and celebrity endorsement, in-store support with FSDUs and demo areas, as well as extensive online and social support. Pebli brings physical characters to life in a virtual world using hot spot technology on the Pebli board which is connected via Bluetooth to a tablet app. Any action on the board is created on the screen allowing children to immerse themselves in stories, play games, create movies and watch videos. Pebli is Mookie’s ﬁrst product to launch in its Toys Alive range as it aims to ﬁll the gap within the ELA market. This launch is part of an understanding by Mookie that pre-school children are becoming far more tech savvy as tablets become more affordable and with the majority of children now having access to a tablet. However parents are still keen for children to get the same traditional play value from toys and this is Pebli’s greatest attribute. Although children are using a tablet, they are still interacting with a physical toy with 99% of all gameplay created using the play pieces.

Characterr Options continuess to drive the youth electronics cs sector as Teksta develops a sting in itss tail. The brand’s and’s latest addition iss the Scorpion, a mighty creature that’s ready for battle! The Teksta Scorpion’s awesome interactivity is controlled with an infrared remote that straps to the back of the child’s hand to allow full 360 degree control of its realistic movement. Once in place, be ready for battle to commence as this speedy arachnid also features giant articulated pincers, which can pick up objects or compete for supremacy with up to six of these impressive creatures. The Teksta Scorpion will add an altogether different choice for fans who this spring have also discovered the cute yet incredibly interactive Teksta Newborns. The Teksta Scorpion will launch with heavy TV advertising, plus an inventive digital and print Robot Wars-style campaign.

Electrifying! THAMES AND KOSMOS 01580 212000 www. thamesandkosmos. co.uk Thames and Kosmos’ latest addition to its electronics range comes in the form of Electricity Master Lab. Check it out!

Back of the net! CHICCO 01623 750870 www.chicco.co.uk The Goal League is an electronic net offering fun and challenging play for children from two years plus. Complete with flashing lights, 25 different melodies and interactive sounds and a soft play ball, Goal League is the perfect product for any future football stars. There are three different modes of play to keep kids entertained for hours. First is the Penalty Shots mode, where kids can challenge themselves to score as many goals as they can by shooting at the net. For every goal scored, they will be celebrated with cheering crowd noises. Next there is Golden Goal mode, a race against the clock to score that all-important killer goal. Challenge mode is the final mode, which allows kids to battle it out with a friend to see who can be the first to score five goals and take home the footballing crown. The net also comes complete with a handy slider at the top to keep track of the scores.

Tech time TOBAR 0844 573 4299 www.tobar.co.uk The fantastic 50 Fifty Blink Watch range is bright and colourful, ideal as gifts or for teenage ﬁtness fans. For those who want to transform their bedroom and make it more of a den the Plasma Ball remains a great seller. Fun novelty gifts for younger tech fans include the Laser Keyring and the Tetris Light.

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The Perfect First Educational Gaming System for Children Wireless controller, left & right handed use Bundled games including a multi player family game

Heavy weight Autumn/ Winter TV campaign

Pre Roll on ITV Player across key shows

PR and Social Media Support

Cartridges compatible with InnoTab Max and InnoTV

For more details please contact 01235 555545 trade_sales@vtech.com

FEATURE

YOUTH ELECTRONICS

The dictionary’s never been so cool! THAT COMPANY CALLED IF 01751 47 57 57 www.thatcompanycalledif.com Forget any preconceptions of how a dictionary should look and take a peek at this exciting new educational product from IF. IF’s Children’s Electronic Dictionary is lightweight, user-friendly and, dare we say it, rather cool! Challenging words will become fun with this novel reading gadget as children will actually enjoy looking up the words they don’t know or understand with this convenient and fun electronic dictionary. Despite the compact size of this super slim device, there is no compromise to the quality of the information it contains, as the data content is from the bestselling Oxford Primary Dictionary, published by Oxford University Press. IF is an established British designer of reading themed gifts and book accessories, and its UK English version of Electronic Dictionary Bookmark has been a consistent best seller since the product was awarded Gift of the Year by the Giftware Association in the 2011 stationery category. IF is confident that this new dictionary for children will prove to be a popular gift for young readers and hopes it will find its way into a lot of schoolbags and classrooms in the future. The Children’s Electronic Dictionary features 30,000 word definitions, helpful word isolation window, 25mm thin keypad, and a battery power save feature.

Connected kids VTECH 01235 546810 www.vtechuk.com

70 0

DigiGo, a handheld smart device for kids three to seven, connects children with their family. With a 4.3” screen and the built in VTech Kid Connect software it allows parents to communicate with their child via an approved smart phone, by sending and receiving texts, instant voice messages, photos and drawings. With DigiGo, children can play fun games on their own or with family. With a 180° rotating camera and over 60 fun photo effects it is great for taking photos and videos. Children can listen to their own MP3 songs or watch videos and with access to VTech’s Learning Lodge, they can download a number of different games, music tracks, e-books and age appropriate apps on to the device. DigiGo will be on TV from October and run throughout peak season, there will be full PR and social media support as well as a digital partnership with Netmums. VTech created the pre-school video game category in 2004 with V. Smile and V. Smile Motion and are back in 2015 with InnoTV. The new, high-deﬁnition, connected TV educational gaming console features a wireless controller that switches for left or right handed use. The joystick, motion control and smart wheel enables a unique gaming e experien experience. Cartridges featuring favourite characters from a Frozen and Paw Patrol among others will be available that w work across both the InnoTab Max and InnoTV. TV will start for InnoTV in October, targeting mums and ch children. This will be supported with digital pre roll ad adverts running across ITV Player. The ever-popular VTech Kidizoom Camera, which ﬁrst launched in 2007, has had a refresh for 2015 w with the Kidizoom Duo.

Kid-safe tech LEAPFROG 01895 202840 www.leapfrog.com Designed for children aged between three and nine, LeapPad3 offers the best first tablet experience for kids. The sleek five inch device features the most kid-appropriate web experience thanks to LeapSearch, allowing access only to pre-screened online content, curated and approved by LeapFrog’s unique team of inhouse learning experts. LeapTV is the first active and educational video gaming system designed just for kids, and puts learning in motion with three unique ways to play. Designed inside and out for children aged three to eight years old, LeapTV transforms the way children game by combining activity and movement with bestin-class educational curriculum.

The Xeno family grows FLAIR 0208 643 0320 www.ﬂairplc.co.uk GP Flair is bringing toys to life in more ways than one with some brand new additions to its tech division. Baby monster Xeno introduces a smaller friend to play with. The big news for 2015 is a new addition to the Xeno family – Xeno Koopies. These loveable e yet cheeky little monsters rs interact and play with th kids.

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Play TV campaign

TECHNICAL COLUMN BUREAU VERITAS

Don’t fan the ﬂames

“

This is a complex issue, but all interested parties within the toy and clothing industry are committed to investigating the situation and coming up with a workable solution

”

Malcolm Horner

Malcolm Horner, Toy Technical Consultant, Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services writes about the flammability of toy disguise costumes and its impact on the toy industry All readers will surely be aware of the highly publicised incident that occurred with a toy disguise costume during Halloween 2014, when the daughter of TV presenter Claudia Winkleman was badly burned when the costume she was wearing became ignited by a candle. It is alleged that the costume met the requirements of the current toy flammability standard EN 71-2. Due to the serious nature of the incident and the media coverage, the UK toy and clothing industries and BSI are reviewing the situation. The first edition of EN 71-2 was published in 1978. Several updates have been published since then and the latest version of this standard (2014) has been harmonised for the purposes of the Toy Safety Directive. Times past Back in 1978, toy disguise costumes consisted mainly of relatively simple flat materials, such as a nurse or cowboy outfit and were made up of maybe two or three simple fabrics. Modern costumes can consist of multi-layered fabrics or fabric assemblies with frills, net underskirts, trims and attachments. It is possible that some modern costumes do not fully lend themselves to the test method in EN 71-2 (where a strip of fabric of specified dimensions is cut from each separate material in the costume). In some instances, there is insufficient material present for the test to be carried out. It is possible, therefore, that the test method in EN 71-2 may need to evolve to reflect this. However,

since 1978, it has never really been suggested that the flammability requirements for toy disguise costumes are not sufficiently stringent or that children have been placed at serious risk. How are costumes classified? Certain media suggested that toy disguise costumes should be reclassified as clothing instead of toys. However, if this were to happen, it must be noted that, with the exception of certain specialised applications such as personal protective equipment, there are no flammability requirements whatsoever for daywear clothing. Indeed, it is worth noting that a child’s party dress, for example, is not subject to any flammability requirements at all. A cotton party dress, unless treated with flame retardant chemicals, is likely to burn with a high rate of spread of flame. Reclassification of toy disguise costumes as daywear apparel wouldn’t happen easily though. Toys are indeed regulated by means of the EU Toy Safety Directive and a reclassification would need an amendment to the directive and the agreement of every EU member state. Currently, other member states do not perceive the flammability of toy costumes to present a high risk (member state representatives were asked the question at a recent EU Commission meeting). It has also been suggested by the media that toy disguise costumes should meet the very onerous requirements of the UK Nightwear (Safety) Regulations, which is probably unrealistic. For this to happen, the UK Government would have to create new regulations for a product that is already regulated by the EU. While the UK does have some autonomous regulations

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How materials react... Different materials behave in different ways when subjected to an ignition source. For example, cotton burns quickly while synthetic materials tend to shrink away from a small flame and burn more slowly; but when they do burn they tend to melt, drip and adhere to the skin. Flame retardants can be added to natural materials such as cotton, but some traditional flame retardants have been banned and the addition of chemical flame retardants is increasingly being frowned upon as they may be toxic to human health and the environment. Also, some but not all flame retardants can wash off when the costume is cleaned.

for products that are subject to EU directives and regulations, this is usually because the UK already had regulations in force prior to the EU directive.

“

Safety first Reclassification of Based on the facts so far, the UK industry (toys and clothing), via toy disguise costumes as BSI, will be asking the EU CEN daywear apparel Toy Safety Committee (CEN/ wouldn’t happen easily TC 52) if they believe a review of EN 71-2 is necessary. However, previous experience has shown that CEN technical safety committees need to be provided with evidence and data to show that a current standard does not sufficiently meet its intended purpose before an amendment is carried out. There are still some unanswered questions regarding the Halloween incident last year and also with respect to the costumes that were subjected to indicative tests during a television programme. Once the questions have been fully answered and the facts investigated, BSI will, if deemed appropriate, put forward the review request to CEN. This will probably ask: Are the requirements for toy disguise costumes in EN 71-2 deemed to be sufficiently stringent? Do the EN 71-2 test methods for toy disguise costumes need amending, to take into account the more complex costumes now being marketed?

”

Get the facts ﬁrst It is of course absolutely essential that the toy industry investigates any incidents where children have been injured and reacts appropriately. However, it is always necessary to obtain the full facts surrounding the incident to make appropriate decisions. Flammability is not as simple as using an appropriate material. Multiple layers of fabric, with air channels between the fabrics, can also have a signiﬁcant effect on the burning behaviour. This is a complex issue, but all interested parties within the toy and clothing industry are committed to investigating the situation and coming up with a workable solution.

Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services UK is a Notiﬁed Body for the Toy Safety Directive. Bvsales@uk.bureauveritas.com 01925 854 360 www.bureauveritas.co.uk/cps

AUGUST 2015

TNP

AMBASSADORS

The toy zone This month our dedicated TnP Ambassadors got to grips with Mattel’s Hot Wheels, Crayola’s Colour Alive and VTech’s Little Love Baby Peek-A-Boo. Read on to see how they found these great toys Samuel (8) and Max (4) had a very busy time for TnP, trying out not one but two toys for us. First up was Mattel’s Hot Wheels, and they then turned their attentions towards Crayola’s Colour Alive - Mythical Creatures. Their mum Shu Ling tells us how they got on

Crayola Colour AliveMythical Creatures:

Hot Wheels:

Well, this colouring book certainly has the wow factor! I have to admit, my eight-yearold Samuel lost interest in colouring books some time ago. However, if anything was going to persuade him to start colouring again, this Mythical Creatures Colour Alive book from Crayola is it. The book comes with eight felt tips which are used to colour in the 16 mythical creatures. There is a free Colour Alive app which I downloaded on an iPad. All we then had

Anything related to cars and tracks is always popular with boys and this isn’t different with our two, Samuel and Max. They gasped when they ﬁrst saw the big, red Hot Wheels box and couldn’t wait for it to be set up. Samuel was able to help us make the track, Max meanwhile just got in the way - patience is never a strong point with a four year old. Setting up the track was relatively straightforward and we

Peak-a-boo to you! Sonia Dean’s own little love Ruby, aged two, tested out the squishability of VTech’s Little Love – Baby Peek-A-Boo, and she wasn’t disappointed Ruby loves pink, dolls and music, so the combination of all three in VTech’s Baby Peek-A-Boo made this a surefire winner from the start. Ruby’s eyes literally lit up when she saw

were ready to race in no time. “This is the biggest racing track we’ve ever had!” said Samuel. Only one car was included in the box but the boys didn’t ﬁnd this a problem, they raided their toy box for as many cars they could lay their hands on and spent the rest of the afternoon racing each other. This is a great toy for two car loving boys. It is easy to take apart, store and re-assemble for afternoon’s indoors. Thumbs up from Max and Samuel.

the doll as it does have a really lovely face and the soft body is a great mix of cuddly toy and playful doll. Arms were instantly outstretched and little Baby Peek-a-Boo was pulled into Ruby’s embrace to be put through her paces. She spent a very long time repeatedly touching the little doll’s tummy to play music, and hear her say “peek-a-boo” and lots of other little expressions. They were soon dancing together with Ruby swinging the little doll from side to side, and she very quickly took to using the baby’s hands to cover its eyes and also helped it to clap hands. We spent a long time with the tummy music before we even found the legs which play more

to do was hold the iPad over the coloured page and tap the “bring to life” feature to see the characters come alive! Max and Samuel almost squealed with excitement when they ﬁrst saw the creature start moving on the app. The boys were desperate to colour in all the characters to see how each one moved. Very entertaining indeed!

music when pressed. This is a lovely feature when it’s bed-time – now our routine is bath, milk, stories and then Ruby cuddles up to Peek-a-Boo with some music. This lovely toy is great for the morning too when Ruby first wakes up and wants something to play with in her cot before mummy and daddy manage to drag themselves out of bed. We love the educational side too with the numbers and counting which all helps in learning through play – top marks! Peek-a-Boo has been dressed up, dragged lovingly around by her foot, jammed into various push chairs and has seen all the corners of our house and most of our garden, so she’s a firm fixture here already.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

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

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Product: Zigamazoos Company: Recreation Tel: 01189736222 Web: www.recreationltd.co.uk

AUGUST 2015

Product: The Cinderella Dancing S Spinner from the new Chicco Disney Princess Collection Company: Chicco Tel: 02089536627 Web: www.chicco.co.uk

Product: Peppa Pig House Kitchen Company: HTI Tel: 01253 775544 Web: www.htigroup.co.uk

Product: Supermaxi Magnetic Construction System Company: Toy Essentials Tel: 01285 762039 Web: www.toyessentials.com

Product: Flying Gadgets X-Voice Company: Flying Gadgets Tel: 0844 209 2626 Web: www.ﬂyinggadgets.com

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Brought to you by

licensing T O D A Y

W O R L D W I D E

CLASSIC CHARACTERS GET THE GREEN BOARD TREATMENT

TOMY ARE INSIDE OUT Tomy has released its line of toys based on Disney Pixar’s hit movie Inside Out. Inside Out tells the story of 11 year-old Riley and the various emotions a house move unleashes in Riley’s mind. The five emotions, Riley’s friend Bing Bong, the Console and Headquarters are all available in a wide range of toys from Tomy. All of the emotions are also available as feature plush with sounds from the movie. The ‘I Cry Candy’ Bing Bong Feature Plush brings Riley’s special friend to life in the real world with key phrases and songs from the film. The Tomy Inside Out range also features all five emotions and Bing Bong in small and large figure formats and figure assortments. Tomy has further added to its portfolio with its impulse range of pocket money, collectable toys. The company will be launching an imaginative and highly collectable range for legendary brand licenses including Star Wars, Marvel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Disney, Hello Kitty, Sonic Boom and Nintendo. There will be exciting new additions to Tomy’s blind bag and other impulse range packaging formats, which will launch in late 2015, including iconic movieinspired collections. The hero line, which will be a popular collectable with children and parents alike, is the Star Wars Light-Up Light Sabers. There are six of these keyingattaching illuminating Light Sabers to collect. Other launches will include Disney Princess Cute Buildable Figures, Disney Cinderella Buildable Figures, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Collection Pack and more.

We have all loved the Mr Men and Little Miss range of characters and now, they have got the Green Board Games BrainBox treatment. The range is available to retailers from August. It is now time to get ready for Mr Men Little Miss BrainBox! This heritage family brand is a perfect ﬁt for the awardwinning BrainBox range. “With a clear focus on the pre-school arena this year and the introduction of the My First BrainBox range, we feel that Mr Men Little Miss positions itself wonderfully within this target market,” says CEO Keith Grafham.

Thomas takes to the skies

All aboard with Thomas HIT Entertainment has partnered with Virgin Atlantic enabling one of TV’s most popular children’s series, Thomas & Friends, to take to the skies. The new deal is set to see the pre-school franchise soar with stand-out visibility across all Virgin Atlantic international routes throughout the month of August. This summer, thousands of

families travelling with Virgin Atlantic will be offered branded Thomas & Friends in-ﬂight packs and Thomas mini-collectable engines to entertain children for the duration of the ﬂight. Once in the air, passengers will be invited to sit back, relax and enjoy Sodor’s Legend of the Lost Treasure. It’s a big year for content and also for the brand as in 2015; Thomas & Friends has been celebrating 70 years of friendship in a year-long programme of friendship-themed activity around the world. Thomas & Friends movie ‘Sodor’s Legend of the Lost Treasure’ is available on all Virgin Atlantic international routes that depart from London’s Gatwick & Heathrow airports throughout August.

Cartamundi introduces Star Wars rang range ge Cartamundi has introduced its new Star Wars range. The range includes des two specially designed card packs, the first illustrated with stills from episodes sodes I to III and the second with stills from episodes IV to VI. But that’s not all. For superfans there’s a gift box uniquely designed in the shape of a Darth h Vader mask housing a set of specially illustrated playing cards telling the story ory of the feared villain himself. The first output of the new range hit retail ail in July, with the entire range becoming available in December. Trudi Bishop, Head of Marketing and Licensing, Cartamundi Group, says: “Star Wars is a film series that has a powerful and enduring appeal. This range of card packs and gifts reflects that appeal and captures the excitement of the Star Wars name for a whole new generation.”

LICENSING

NEWS

Play

Meet the new face of Yummy Nummies Character Options have begun the full retail rollout of its Yummy Nummies range and they have also introduced the new face of the brand. TV personality Anna Williamson will be the host of a high impact online campaign. The Yummy Nummies craze originated in Japan where countless online reviewers proudly show off their creations on YouTube amassing millions of views. Now Yummy Nummies has launched in the UK having already achieved retail success in the US. At the heart of the campaign is the Mini Kitchen Magic that has been captured in a video hosted by Anna Williamson and two young helpers. The video will be the lead ﬁlm of the new Yummy Nummies TV YouTube channel which has been launched. Jerry Healy, Marketing Director, says: “We have thought outside of the box with the launch of Yummy Nummies. With the rising importance of children’s websites, YouTube and other kid’s media channels such as the captive audience of cinema, we have put in place a really exciting and unique product launch.”

MINIONS FEVER SWEEPS S THE UK The Minions has dethroned Frozen en to become the top-selling selling license for the British sh toy market, according g to global information provider, vider, The NPD Group. As much h as Minions was expected to be ea success, it took a lot to unseat at Disney’s phenomenon Frozen, which had been occupying the top position tion since July 2014. The Minions license e became the biggest seller in the week k prior to the release of the ﬁlm on 26 June. Minions is currently the third best-selling license in the French toy market and number six in the he United States. For the week commencing 14 June 2015, Minions topped NPD’s toy licenses charts, above Frozen, Star Wars, Peppa Pig and Marvel. The best-selling Minions toys in that week were Minions Surprise, Minions Buddies Plush Assortment, Spinning Minion Assortment, Minions Deluxe Action Figures Assortment, and the Minions Fart Blaster with 2 Minion Surprise.

Toy State has some really Super Friends Toy State recently signed on the dotted line with Warner Bros. Consumer Products on behalf of DC Entertainment to produce licensed products featuring the DC Super Friends brand. “It’s with great excitement that we announce our new global partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products,” said Andy Friess, Toy State president. “DC Comics is a legendary brand and has been redeﬁning the Super Hero genre for decades. We look forward to adding Toy State product design and innovation to DC Super Friends at retail.” Targeted at children ages three to seven, Toy State’s product line will consist of remote-controlled vehicles featuring popular DC Comics characters. Distributed under the Nikko brand, product is scheduled to hit retail shelves in mid-2016.

AUGUST 2015

A real bunch of Go Jetters BBC Worldwide has appointed Fisher-Price as the global Master Toy licensee for new animated preschool series Go Jetters, due to air on BBC’s preschool channel CBeebies in autumn 2015. Launched originally on the CBeebies website, this exciting new series for television follows four plucky heroes, Xuli, Kyan, Lars and Foz, as they travel the world unravelling the plans of their nemesis Grandmaster Glitch. The Fisher-Price product line will debut in A/W 2016 in the UK with the roll-out in other markets, including the US, expected to follow. Under the multi-year master toy license, FisherPrice has global rights to develop pre-school toys, including electronic and non-electronic plastic ﬁgurines and vehicles, toys, vehicles, playsets and feature and standard plush. 77

LICENSING OPINION KELVYN GARDNER

Part of the creative circle L Licensing deserves its place in the lifecycle of products that ultimately end up in consumers’ hands, says LIMA MD Kelvyn Gardner

ast month saw LIMA on the road again, carrying out our mission to take licensing out to the wider business community. We started with the first of what we hope to be a series of visits to retailer head offices, presenting an outline of how the licensing business works to buying department staff. This is building on the work we do with UBM Advanstar, organisers of Brand Licensing Europe, in what we jointly call the Retail Mentoring Programme. Junior buyers on the course benefit from a series of events and experiences designed to bolster their understanding of licensing, helping them to hone their purchasing skills. Our second outreach event was taking part in a discussion panel at Tech Tuesday, a regular Tuesday night business networking evening devised and hosted by London Book Fair. These Tuesdays are targeted at the media and technology sector within the wider marketing business community. The venue, the almost painfully trendy Hoxton Hotel in Shoreditch, could not be more ideal for this target audience. After a suitably 21st century briefing

appropriately with sparkling mineral water and organic guacamole with hand-made tortilla chips, we took up our positions for the grilling from our moderator. A slightly unusual set-up saw all three panellists perched on stools, a sort of cross between the Val Doonican and Dave Allen look. Sandwiched between a children’s publisher and an app developer, I was pleasantly surprised to hear the panel introduced as ‘three representatives of the creative industries’.

“

We may, I think, be reaching a point long desired by licensing where we are seen as natural part of the creative circle that starts with an IP like a TV show, app or ﬁlm, and ends with a product in a consumer’s hands

”

The surprise is that licensing was given this description. Those of us in the business would readily concur, and indeed, this was a theme that came up at the Children’s Media Conference later in the month. We may, I think, be reaching a point long desired by licensing where we are seen as natural part of the creative circle that starts with an IP like a TV show, app or ﬁlm, and ends with a product in a consumer’s hands. The licensing step is but one of many from an idea in a scriptwriter’s head through to ﬁnal execution at retail. This Tech

Tuesday panel also featured a lively Twitter wall, and my only regret was that the panellists were kept too busy to respond to the many constructive tweets from the audience during the discussion. Indeed, these tweets occupied a good slice of my time that night and the next morning catching up. Thanks to all who responded in this way. And so on to Sheffield for the Children’s Media Conference (CMC), now safely established as the premiere UK event for all media companies working on IP for children. LIMA sponsored our own panel, Licensed to Thrill, with the aim of enlightening the many producers of kids IP – TV, film, app, web, books, magazine and even radio – as to the benefits of licensing, and some of the pitfalls, too. I moderated a lively panel including senior representatives from Viacom, Penguin Books, Aardman Animation, Blonde Sheep Licensing and Tesco. This line-up enabled us to consider in more detail how licensing forms part of the creative/commercial circle. A full house of attendees saw the organisers needing to turn some people away from a packed screening room. The panel spoke about content, tradition media, frequency of broadcast, new media, how consumer goods (a good example being LEGO) evolve from products to digital IP and back again, the in-store retail experience and the ever changing platforms for the enjoyment of entertainment properties. An enthusiastic response from our audience bodes well for our mission: to get more and more quality IP available to all of you guys in the toy business as exciting new opportunities for your own businesses.

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

toysnplaythings.co.uk

TNP T

LOOKS S BAC BACK

Step back in time TnP MD Malcolm Naish looks back at some of the events and news stories that made the pages back in July 1985, 1995, 2005 and 2010

AUGUST 2010

August 2010 Volume 29 Number 11

Toys n Playthings FC.indd 1

12/07/2010 17:23:42

• Very little of note seems to have occurred ﬁve years ago in the toy trade, but Toy Barnhaus open their third toy store in Epsom. Both Stephen Barnes and Mark Buschhaus are ex-Woolworths store managers. Their 13 years experience each at Woolies has stood them in good stead as today they are still going very strong. • Ian Chaplin leaves the toy trade at Argos and moves to trading manager for consumer electronics. • It seems a quiet time for ‘craze’ items with consumers buying more traditional toys and games during this summer period, but Wilton Bradley get a mention for their beach toys. • Schleich are celebrating their 75th year and are now available in over 50 countries. We congratulate them. • Mark Dixon leaves TK Max to conquer new horizons and an interesting report shows that 40% of Woolies stores are still empty with the other 60% being primarily occupied by pound shops and other bargain-based retailers.

AUGUST 2005 • Springwell Mouldings decide to cease manufacturing their range of buckets and spades in the UK but as MD Paul Hupﬁeld tells me one of their oldest customers Palgrave will continue their manufacture in the UK where they are made to this day. • Tomy merge with Takara with Tomy remaining as the trading name. • I am sad to report the death of Lee Bowerbank. A larger than life six foot seven inch ace salesman with Matchbox and Mattel, among other toy manufacturers, plus being an extremely nice guy. • Quite a number of buyers with the ‘Majors’ are moving on. Wendy Munt leaves Argos to join Recreaton with Lynn Sherlock leaving Woolies to join Mothercare. • I’m delighted to note that Marcello Rossi and his family decide not to move to the States and he is now gainfully employed with Beales department stores. We all know of course that he now runs the ‘This is It’ variety store group.

AUGUST 1995 • The BTHA announce that in January they will run a dinner on the ﬁrst night of the show to mark a Lifetime Achievement award – already a regular occurrence in the States. I ask whether anyone cares tuppence for such awards and at £150 per head for tickets, only the wealthiest companies will support such an event. Twenty years later and I’m obviously proved wrong! • Mattel allow a management buyout for their Corgi Toys division. Chris Guest leads the buyout that heralds a most successful debut for Corgi as an independently run company. Frank Martin takes over as MD at Humbrol following Mike Ganley’s resignation. • Gordon and Brenda Dobson – owners of Toytown, Leamington Spa – decide to close after 35 years. As agent John Nicholas stated: “We have lost a wonderful toyshop. Gordon was always prepared to look at a new line or range and his phrase, “we could try a few”, was music to many an agent or reps ears. An unrealistic landlord plus low margins forced the closure.

AUGUST 1985 • Stan Lockley retires from Fine Fare. A buyer of the old school, Stan never messed around, using his knowledge of product, the supplier plus ‘gut feel’ to chose the products. He had a great rapport with his suppliers and will be sorely missed. • Hornby are going great guns with their ‘Flower Fairies’. Nostalgia really pays off as ‘Flower Fairies’ were ﬁrst introduced in the Twenties and had a great run in 1985 and beyond. • With Toys R Us about to open next month for the ﬁrst time in the UK they promise 18,000 product lines involving over 500,000 actual products stocked in each store, 12 months of the year. I wonder what the numbers are today? • Our 1985 ‘Board Games’ feature is very well supported. Games companies that have survived to this day under their 1985 company name are few, but include James Galt, H.P. Gibsons, Hasbro, Paul Lamond and Orchard Toys whom I describe in 1985 as a ‘newcomer’ – they’ve certainly stood the test of time!

AUGUST 2015

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