toysnplaythings.media
2021 April 5 0 No. Vol. 4
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CONTENTS 021 April 2 5 0 No. Vol. 4
Regulars 5 Leader – with Clare Turner 6 News – the latest toy industry headlines
P24
9 Retail News – the latest from the retail landscape 10 People News – all the movers and shakers
Chairman Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk
Managing Director Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk
Editor Clare Turner clare@lemapublishing.co.uk
Assistant Editor Naomi MacKay naomi@lemapublishing.co.uk
Advertisement Manager Athee Waran athee@lemapublishing.co.uk
Sales Simon Davis simon@lemapublishing.co.uk
Production Director Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk
Circulation Manager Robert Thomas robert@lemapublishing.co.uk
11 Licensing News – what’s hot in licensed products 12 M edia News – what’s happening on TV and online 18 What’s New – new products that you need to get your hands on 26 Toy Talk – retailers reflect on the government’s decision to reopen non-essential shops 28 TnP Ambassadors – our tiny testers try out arts & crafts products 30 Trade Talk – suppliers give their reactions to the Chancellor’s spring Budget 51 Step Back In Time – a slice of toy history from the industry’s longest-running magazine
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Features 32 Arts & Crafts – a round-up of toys that have helped the lockdown generation play, make and create 41 Dolls – TnP looks at how this core product category is thriving through the pandemic 44 Pocket Money Toys – check out some of the latest impulse buys
Special Reports 17 Retail Interview – TNP chats to Martin Blyth, director of Heart of England Wildlife Park 20 Cover Story - Kathryn Ludlam discusses Character Options’ Dream Seekers fashion dolls 22 The MD Interview – TnP talks to Orchard Toys MD Simon Newbery
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24 Retail Interview – TnP catches up with Bargain Max head of digital Daniel McKay 31 Coffee Break – TnP chats to University Games sales director Mark Jones
Columnists 6 Trends Column – the US Toy Association explores one of the hottest toy trends of 2021 13 Media Analysis – Generation Media shares advice on how to strategise your media investments
Lema Publishing Ltd 1 Churchgates, The Wilderness, Berkhamsted, Herts, HP4 2UB Telephone: 01442 289930
At the heart of retail
14 Gaining Insight – Kids Insights explains why British tweens are becoming digital natives 15 R etail Opinion – John Ryan ponders the prospect of extending checkout-free stores to the toy trade 16 The Independent – Our secret indie deliberates the business of clicks-and-bricks
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LEADER Clare Turner
A At the heart of retail Also by Lema Publishing
TableWare INTERNATIONAL
t the time of going to first national lockdown, Barclaycard Payments press, England’s route out (which processes nearly £1 in every £3 of lockdown remains on spent in the UK) released new research schedule, with Prime Minister Boris identifying the biggest shifts in consumer Johnson declaring we’re “continuing behaviour which have emerged as a result of along our roadmap to freedom”. the pandemic. Speaking to the virtual Conservative One finding reveals that almost two-thirds Party spring conference, Boris said of shoppers have been choosing to shop he was looking forward to “unlocking closer to home to support their communities. our economy and getting back to Shopping locally is set to be a lockdown the life we love”. But he legacy, the report concludes, warned that while we are with 91% of Brits who have been High in a different world from shopping locally throughout the streets are last spring, there was a pandemic saying they will keep need to be “honest about doing this to support smaller and hoping the difficulties ahead”. The consumers independent businesses, even after watchword in government all restrictions end. swap their remains ‘cautious’. Another major positive for Toy shop owners are toy traders is the news that two slippers for no doubt breathing a exhibitions of interest are set trainers as big sigh of relief and to return in a live show format they start to counting down the days later this year. Home and Gift in until they can finally Harrogate will be held from 18 hit the shops reopen their doors on the July to 21 July and while not a KPMG UK Head of scheduled date of 12 April major show for toys, it does have Retail Paul Martin (at the earliest). some toy element. More relevant is This mood is reflected Autumn Fair, which has a toy hall among retailers we’ve and will return to NEC Birmingham spoken to in this issue. Many are from 5 September to 8 September. It will be concerned about the months ahead interesting to see how willing retailers are to and the post-lockdown timeframe visit an exhibition - fingers crossed! changing again, while others are Of course of great interest to TnP readers is worried about consumer confidence the Toymaster Show, which was due to take and the possibility that customers place next month but has been postponed. may be reluctant to go out. But all The next event is planned for 17-19 May 2022 are wholeheartedly looking forward at the usual venue of The Majestic Hotel to shoppers returning to their stores in Harrogate. Explaining the decision, the - and have invested heavily to make Toymaster Board said: “The Toymaster May their premises Covid-secure. Show is renowned within the industry, and we As KPMG UK Head of Retail feel the Show will be a much better success Paul Martin comments: “With the when we know our members and suppliers are Government’s roadmap out of able to attend safely once again.” lockdown in place and the vaccine Although we’re all missing the opportunity rollout moving at pace, there is finally to see and feel new toy products and make light at the end of the tunnel for nonthose personal connections that are so unique essential retailers. High streets are to a trade show setting, I’m sure you will agree hoping consumers swap their slippers that this cautious approach by Toymaster is for trainers as they start to hit the the right one for our industry. shops. All hopes will be pinned on For me, it’s been a disappointment that I consumers wanting to break free from can’t meet you personally yet. With that in home to browse the stores that have mind, I’d love for you to get in touch. You been out of bounds for months.” can link up with me via LinkedIn or email me And there’s more good news for at clare@lemapublishing.co.uk. I look forward independents. Exactly a year after the to hearing from you!
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NEWS
Character Options launches campaign
Toymaster Show update The Toymaster buying group has postponed its May Show until 2022. In a statement, Toymaster said: “Following the government announcement setting out the roadmap out of lockdown, it was clear the Show would not be able to take place on the original dates in May. “A survey was sent to all members and suppliers regarding a potential alternative date at the end of August. The results showed many were reluctant to commit, for reasons related to safety, potential travel restrictions, plus the added complication of uncertainty regarding future Covid waves. “As a result, the Toymaster Board has decided the May Show will not take place in 2021, and the next
show will be at the Majestic Hotel in Harrogate from 17-19 May 2022. “Whilst it is a huge disappointment to have to cancel the show, we believe it is the right decision for all involved. The Toymaster May Show is renowned within the industry, and we feel the show will be a much better success when we know all our members and suppliers are able to attend safely once again. “We look forward to welcoming Toymaster members, independent retailers and suppliers back to a spectacular show in Harrogate in May 2022, and invitations for next year’s show will be sent out at the beginning of January as normal. Let’s look forward to making the 2022 show the best we possibly can!”
‘Great Active Fun… Indoors & Out’ is the message behind the latest marketing initiative from Character Options, which aims to raise awareness of its activity toys this spring. The drive has already begun with a mass social campaign that includes a host of influencer and TikTok activity. The TV schedule started last month and will run throughout Easter, delivering heavyweight TVRs across satellite and terrestrial TV. There will be dedicated TVC spots for Moon Shoes, Jump It and KickerBall. Character Options marketing manager Mark Hunt said: “We are extremely excited about the launch of our Great Active Fun campaign, which promotes a range of iconic and nostalgic toys that will enable kids and families to get active and have fun both indoors and outdoors. The activity is across the full marketing mix so awareness will be high during the Easter break and, with strong support from our retail partners, we expect sales to ramp up as a result.”
TRENDS: REDISCOVERING PLAY The U.S. Toy Association forecasts families will ‘rediscover play’ in 2021, says senior communications specialist Kristin Morency Goldman The U.S. Toy Association’s trends team predicts that ‘rediscovering play’ will be one of the hottest toy trends in 2021, as the ongoing pandemic continues to limit travel and entertainment options outside the home for families worldwide. Parents will be on the lookout for toys that promote family togetherness, reduce everyone’s stress levels, and make at-home
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Parents will be on the lookout for toys that promote family togetherness, reduce everyone’s stress levels
Founded in 1916, The U.S. Toy Association is a not-for-profit trade association representing businesses involved in creating and delivering toys and youth entertainment products for kids of all ages. The U.S. toy industry has an annual U.S. economic impact of $97.2 billion and its 1,000plus members drive the annual $27 billion U.S. domestic toy market. The Association serves as the industry’s voice on
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playtime both entertaining and enriching for children, including: OK Boomer (Goliath): As more families are coming together at home or via Zoom, this is a game that is perfect for multiple generations to play. The trivia game pits the old school against the new school and puts your age gap to the test. Calm Mindful Puzzles (Spin Master): The toymaker has developed a line of puzzles featuring Zen landscapes in
the developmental benefits of play and promotes play’s positive impact on childhood development to consumers and the media. It has a long history of leadership in toy safety, having helped develop the first comprehensive toy safety standard more than 40 years ago, and remains committed to working with medical experts, government, consumers, and industry on programmes to ensure safe and fun play.
The organisation produces the world-renowned Toy Fair New York and Toy Fair Dallas; advocates on behalf of members around the world; sustains the Canadian Toy Association; acts as secretariat for the International Council of Toy Industries and International Toy Industry CEO Roundtable; and chairs the committee that reviews and revises America’s widely emulated ASTM F963 toy safety standard.
toysnplaythings.media
Asmodee acquires Plan B Games group
Obituary: Gerry Crown It is with great sadness that TnP reports the death of Gerry Crown. Malcom Naish, chairman of Lema Publishing, which produces TnP, says: “We are sad to report the passing of Aussie toy legend Gerry Crown. His company Crown & Andrews supplied many great toys to the UK. He was a regular visitor to all the global toy fairs and exhibited at the London Toy Fair for many years. “Gerry, who was in his late eighties, was a renowned round-the-world rally driver, competing and winning on three occasions the Peking to Paris rally. This gruelling event is competed over 8,500 miles of tough territory - evidently a walk in the park for Gerry. They don’t make them as tough as Gerry Crown anymore!’’
The Asmodee Group has announced the acquisition of publishing group Plan B Games. Founded in 2016 by Sophie Gravel, with 18 employees in Canada and Germany, the group operates four games publishers: Next Move, Plan B Games, Pretzel Games and Eggertspiele. The group’s output includes titles that have been nominated for industry awards including the Spiel des Jahres and Kennerspiel des Jahres. One such title is Azul, which has sold over two million copies worldwide and is available in 35 languages. Other award-winning games are Camel Up, Century: Spice Road and Great Western Trail. Sophie said: “I’m delighted to see the Plan B Games family become part of the Asmodee team. Their
tremendous network will offer our collections a broader distribution base as well as a bigger community of players worldwide.” Asmodee Group CEO Stéphane Carville added: “The Plan B group has demonstrated, year after year, its creativity and sense of aesthetics in creating highly successful games such as Azul, which will naturally find its place among our pillar brands alongside the likes of Catan and Ticket to Ride. “We are very pleased that Sophie and her teams, with whom we have developed a close partnership through the years, will be joining our group and participating in the development of our games catalogue.” Plan B games will be available to the UK trade exclusively through Asmodee UK.
Edx Education teams up partnership with the sleep and meditation app Calm. Each puzzle comes with a 30-day subscription to the Calm app, which pairs the puzzle scene with related meditation audio. Retro Remix Fashion Plates (PlayMonster): This classic mix-andmatch drawing set is back with a retro feel that parents will remember, while inspiring a new wave of young fashionistas to dream and design their own fashion portfolio. Pokémon Trading Card Game: V Battle Decks (Pokémon): Available in Venusaur V and Blastoise V versions as well as a Venusaur vs. Blastoise bundle version, these sets celebrate the brand’s 25th anniversary. They will appeal to today’s parents who first grew up with the original trading card game as well as today’s kids who learned the game via the 2021 Game of the Year Award-winning
APRIL 2021
with Annabel Karmel
Pokémon Battle Academy board game. Check out The Toy Association’s 2021 Toy Trends Briefing at www.ToyAssociation.org/trends to get the lowdown on the top trends that will be driving global toy sales through the holiday season. The Toy Association will also provide a mid-year trend update this summer.
Watch the 2021 Toy Trends Briefing at
Educational toy brand Edx Education has launched a campaign partnership with children’s cookery author Annabel Karmel. The campaign focuses on family bonding activities, with a series of fun play and cooking activities, advice and competitions on Annabel’s website. Heather Welch, international brand manager of Edx Education, said: “It’s been a tough year for kids, with missed schooling and lack of contact with friends, so it’s important for us to support families for the mental health and wellbeing of children. Encouraging family bonding through play activities and helping children learn different skills not necessarily taught in the classroom are just a few ways we can help children bounce back.” Annabel added: “Parents are always looking for new and fun ways to keep children engaged and interested, which is why I’m thrilled to partner with Edx Education to champion learning through play.”
www.ToyAssociation.org/trends 7
NEWS
Smoby delivers big sales uplift Following a huge investment into the Smoby brand in 2020, Simba Smoby Toys UK has reported significant impact at retail. Across the Smoby portfolio, sales in 2020 were up 24% year-on-year (according to NPD figures), and momentum is increasing this year, with Smoby sales up 74% for the year-to-date (NPD, February 2021) with big uplifts in sales of kitchens, playhouses, slides and roleplay. This is expected to build with the S/S21 launch of the Smoby Garden Playhouse and Teepee. Having launched dedicated Instagram and Facebook channels last summer, Smoby UK now has a five-figure social following. It has also established partnerships with high-profile parents and celebrities, who have also been telling their fans and followers about Smoby with posts about key lines. Managing director Martin Whitaker said: “In 2021, Smoby will benefit from pre-roll support and retailers can also expect more celebrity endorsement, social media and mums’ activity.”
Kids Industries joins forces with agencies to create The League Kids Industries (KI), the UK marketing agency that specialises in the family market, has joined forces with like-minded agencies in France, Germany and Spain to create The League: a European network whose goal is to offer international solutions in research and surveys, social media, brand strategy and design, and innovation to companies all over the world. The League comprises KI, Com des Enfants (France), KB&B (Germany) and The Modern Kids & Family (Spain). KI CEO and co-founder Gary Pope said: “The League means we can exchange insights and opinions across borders to the
Entries open for Outdoor Awards The Outdoor Toy Awards is back, offering toy suppliers the chance for their products to be crowned as ‘the absolute must-haves for getout-and-play-time’ and secure media coverage. Founded by Toyology CEO Peter Jenkinson, the 2021 Awards will “do things a bit differently this year”. There are 10 categories, each ‘owned’ by a different media outlet. Toys will be tested by readers, listeners and presenters. Testing takes place by the end of this month with the winners notified in May. Grab an entry form by contacting peter@toyology.co.uk.
University Games goes greener University Games is taking strides to improve its environmental impact in 2021, in its quest to be the most environmentally-friendly games and puzzles company in the UK. The company has also created a ‘Taking Steps to Protect Our Planet’ logo to help enforce its message. Managing director Richard Wells said: “Environmental concerns have always been high on our agenda but now, as individuals and as a business, we all have to do more every day to help protect our planet. Our commitment is to actively move to significantly reduce single-use plastic throughout the product and packaging process, removing shrink wrap and all other single-use plastic from all our games and puzzles wherever possible. We will also ensure that our outer packaging and product packaging are fully recycled and fully recyclable wherever possible, so keep a look out for our new logo.”
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benefit of all agencies, and share them with clients in FMCG, gaming, entertainment, not-forprofit and travel. It also means we can harness our collective agency power to activate Eurowide brand campaigns for clients and call on trusted local partners with whom we share a core vision and values when our clients want to expand into new markets.”
Playmobil 1.2.3 turns 30 This year Playmobil 1.2.3 celebrates its 30th birthday in the UK. To mark the occasion, new play ideas have been added to the range of products for children aged from 18 months to four-years-old. With new packaging, the sets highlight three learning stages, with each building on the previous one to promote development in a targeted and fun way through the first years of life. The range will be backed by a strong marketing campaign using TV, digital and social channels across the year. Tie-ups with family and lifestyle bloggers are also planned to emphasis the new messaging and packaging. POS and digital assets are available to support the theme.
toysnplaythings.media
RETAIL
NEWS
Smyths hosts Barbie online experience Smyths Toys Superstores partnered with Mattel last month to exclusively host the ‘Barbie You Can Be Anything Experience’ on its YouTube channel, which has more than one million subscribers. The ‘Barbie Experience’ was a digital campaign designed to inspire creative play, showcasing the inclusive and diverse range available from Barbie. The three-day event held from 26-28 March explored three themes: Expressive, Adventurous and Imaginative. Smyths Toys joint head of marketing Sinead Byrne said: “We hope to reach and engage both new and existing audiences with this fun experience from Barbie and Smyths Toys, where you can shop the latest range of Barbie products.” Mattel head of customer marketing Eirian Jones added: “Over the past year we’ve had to diversify our approach to retail eventing, and we are excited that Barbie has gone virtual with our ‘You Can Be Anything Experience’, hosted exclusively on Smyth’s Toys’ YouTube channel.” The launch was supported with an integrated 360 marketing campaign including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and influencer campaigns.
Wicked Uncle commissions toy survey on STEM LEGO lands at Moonpig.com Moonpig introduced LEGO gifts on its website last month, in the biggest brand launch ever for the internet retailer. The ecommerce business, which specialises in personalised greetings cards, said it “has never launched so many new gifts from a brand before, but is marking the occasion as the first of more to come’’. The LEGO range features 50-plus products from 13 ranges: Duplo, City, Fire, Police, Friends, Ninjago, Technic, Architecture, Minecraft, Harry Potter, Star Wars, SuperHeroes, and Super Mario. Moonpig unveiled the brand on a dedicated landing page, with content all around the site to showcase the extensive range, and has ambitions to grow the offer further throughout the year.
APRIL 2021
To mark International Women’s Day in March, online toy retailer Wicked Uncle commissioned a YouGov survey to find out which toys inspired women to pursue a career in STEM. Of 4,016 UK adults questioned between 19 and 23 November, 2,162 were women, of which 992 worked in STEM or were educated in a STEM field. A total of 80% of all women said they enjoyed playing board games as a child. The second most popular toys were wooden toys and jigsaw puzzles, which 65% of women cited. Surprisingly, science sets were at the bottom of the list. Just 23% of women said they played with and enjoyed STEM-related sets such as chemistry labs, science kits, and solar system sets. Wicked Uncle MD Mike O’Shea commented: “The women that broke into the maledominated industry of STEM are an inspiration to young girls everywhere. It’s great to see the toys had such an impact on these women when they were younger.”
The Entertainer launches Play is Never Cancelled campaign To celebrate the importance of play and provide support for families over the months ahead, toy chain The Entertainer has unveiled Play is Never Cancelled - a programme of home-friendly social activities to spark excitement and keep children busy while all is not normal. Citing research by kids’ charity Action for Children, which shows that one in three parents have felt out of their depth over the past year, the retailer hopes to provide some much-needed relief. The programme on The Entertainer’s dedicated Play is Never Cancelled blog includes an array of virtual play dates including talent shows, puppet shows, karaoke, Zoom art classes, quizzes, and socially-distanced scavenger hunts to encourage interaction with friends and family. Gary Grant, founder and executive chairman of The Entertainer, said: “Play has always been a crucial part of children’s development; it’s how they learn. However, this past year has seen children miss out on a huge number of fundamental moments that aid their social learning and mental health. For that reason, it’s more important than ever to celebrate play and encourage it wherever possible. We hope families will find something for every child to enjoy playing with at The Entertainer, because play is never cancelled!”
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PEOPLE
NEWS Vivid appoints Ben Hogg as UK marketing manager Ben Hogg has joined Vivid Goliath Group’s UK team as marketing manager across its toys and games portfolio. He brings a wealth of marketing experience from his previous role at Asmodee UK, where he worked for more than 10 years. He will be responsible for brand and marketing activations across Vivid Goliath’s portfolio including ranges such as Ryan’s World, Love Diana, Reaxion, SuperSand, and its portfolio of kids, family and adult games. He will also manage a team of brand managers and work closely to steer Vivid’s TV, PR and digital marketing output. Vivid marketing & licensing director Emma Weber said: “We are delighted to welcome Ben to the Vivid Goliath family. He is an experienced marketer and brings a fresh perspective and new ideas to our marketing campaigns as we take our business to the next level. Ben joins at an exciting time as we grow the business across our toys and games portfolio.”
BBC Studios promotes Andrew Carley BBC Studios has promoted Andrew Carley to the newly created role of director of global licensing, which will see Andrew help drive the long-term strategy to capitalise on the explosive expansion of children’s preschool brand Bluey. Andrew will be responsible for leading a five-year strategic growth plan for BBC Studios’ global licensing business, in partnership with the regional licensing teams. Andrew joined BBC Studios as senior vice president, sales, last year and has more than 25 years of experience in licensing and consumer products. Prior to joining the company, he was executive vice president, global licensing at eOne where he and his team built a global licensing programme around shows including Peppa Pig and PJ Masks. His career in licensing and consumer products began at Marks and Spencer where he worked in the buying team on children’s clothing. He later set up the brand and licensing consultancy TILT Licensing with clients including Penguin Random House, Roald Dahl and the BBC.
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Alison Whitfield
Kate Mulliner
Toynamics UK & Ireland expands team Toynamics UK & Ireland has appointed Alison Whitfield as operations manager and promoted Kate Mulliner to the role of business development manager. Alison joins with a wealth of experience, having previously worked for Geodis Distribution on the Mattel account. She is keen to apply her expertise in inventory and stock management, process mapping and quality control to her new role. Kate was previously a sales area manager for Toynamics. Commenting on her new post, Kate said: “I’m excited about developing new business, especially ecommerce as it’s a big growth driver for us in 2021.” MD David Allan added: “In line with our plan to support new business growth, I’m delighted to promote Kate and bring Alison on board to help drive our business forward.” ● Toynamics UK & Ireland is strengthening its UK marketing efforts with the hiring of award-winning communications agency Playtime PR to deliver PR support for both the Hape and Skip Hop brands as well as supporting Nebulous Stars and Nanoblocks in the UK.
DKB Toys & Distribution recruits James Luff In response to a surge in new account signings, DKB Toys & Distribution has named James Luff as account manager to focus on independent trade accounts. Having previously spent five years as a buyer at Toys “R” Us working across a wide range of categories including outdoor, wheeled, sports, arts & crafts and preschool, James brings a wealth of industry experience to the DKB Toys team. He most recently launched and grew the toys and merchandise category across four selling channels as consumer products manager at Zoom.co.uk: Amazon, eBay, mail order and Zoom.co.uk. Responsible for managing all buying and marketing, he worked with licensees including LEGO, Hasbro and Spin Master. His new role will enable him to focus on relationships with independent trade accounts - a key growth area for the DKB team - and work directly with MD Chris Lohmeyer to devise and implement initiatives to grow and develop the business.
toysnplaythings.media
LICENSING
NEWS
Hasbro signs Fortnite product licensing expansion deal Hasbro has signed a five-year contract with Epic Games, which expands its Fortnite product licensing deal beyond outdoor play products and tabletop games into additional categories such as collectable action figures, vehicles and roleplay items. This development extends a two-year deal between Hasbro and Epic Games wherein the company was granted licence to integrate Fortnite into its Nerf and Monopoly products. Now Hasbro will bring new products as well as in-game experiences to Fortnite fans of all ages. Hasbro SVP & GM Adam Biehl said: “We’ve had tremendous success collaborating with Epic Games and the Fortnite brand over the past few years, and this expanded product licensing partnership allows us to deliver an amazing line-up of Fortniteinspired toys and collector items that we’re confident fans will be excited to experience.” The new Hasbro-licensed Fortnite products are on track to launch in the autumn.
Wow! Stuff roars into Jurassic World
New CoComelon line-up Bandai UK has announced its new line-up of CoComelon toys following January’s NPD data ranking of CoComelon as the number one new infant/toddler licence for the month and number four in the same category for the year-to-date. The CoComelon licensed toy range, manufactured by Jazwares and distributed in the UK and Europe by Bandai UK, launched in A/W20 and has developed into S/S21 with a collection of new SKUs, including instruments, a musical tractor, educational collectables and a new wave of plush. CoComelon, which has the largest kids’ channel on YouTube with more than 100 million subscribers, encourages children aged one to four to sing and dance as they learn letters, numbers, animal sounds, colours and more. Bandai UK managing director Nic Aldridge said: “We are thrilled to move into 2021 with an even wider offering of innovative, themed, fun, educational toys to engage preschoolers and extend their enjoyment of the show.”
APRIL 2021
Toy company Wow! Stuff has added Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment’s blockbuster franchise Jurassic World to its roster of licensed brands. Wow! Stuff’s new Jurassic World line-up features flying dinosaur toys, collectable ‘swipe to light’ pods with special effects sound modes, and a new take on dinosaur hatching: Drop ‘n Pop’. Drop the egg onto any hard surface and it pops open to reveal a plush dinosaur. When popped open, the dinosaur sits proud at the base of the egg. It can also be easily squashed back into the eggshell.
Speakers confirmed for licensing online event Licensing experts from Asda, the BBC and Kantar are among the first tranche of speakers announced for the Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit, which takes place online from 9-11 June. The three-day event aims to help middle-management, business leaders and owners navigate the changing retail, content and consumer landscape through keynotes, panel discussions, roundtables and workshops providing advice, information and strategies on the future of brands and licensing. Insights leaders Kantar CEO Claire McLelland and Kids Industries co-founder and CEO Gary Pope will tackle the ‘consumer’ as they join License Global’s content editor Ben Roberts to investigate the changing purchasing choices of children, Generation Z and millennials. Asda’s head of baby and maternity Ruth Golightly will debate what’s next for bricks and mortar and the future of the high street consumer, while BBC Studios’ licensing director Rikesh Desai, Nutmeg Licensing managing director June Kirkwood and SGLP MD Simon Gresswell will focus on CSR and sustainability with a programme exclusively curated by Products of Change. Online registration for the Summit is now open at www. brandlicensinginnovationsummit. com. Early bird discounts of 30% are available until 16 April. Qualified retailers are invited to register for free.
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MEDIA
NEWS
Hot Wheels speeds to consoles and PCs
My Little Pony gallops to Netflix Hasbro’s global content studio Entertainment One (eOne) has announced that a new computer animated feature film based on the My Little Pony franchise will premiere on Netflix later this Autumn. Fans can also look forward to the release of a new My Little Pony G5 series in 2022. Animated by Hasbro’s Boulder Studio in Dublin, the new feature film is the first time the ponies will be seen in theatrical-quality CG animation. The entertainment releases will be accompanied with toys informed by the updated animation style, in addition to a portfolio of licensed products across fashion, home, publishing and lifestyle categories.
Fact!
Fresh content plan is confirmed for Peppa Pig Hasbro’s global content studio Entertainment One (eOne) has confirmed that 104 additional episodes of Peppa Pig have been greenlit for production, ensuring a continuous pipeline of fresh content through to 2027. This will take the total number of episodes in the Peppa Pig catalogue to 485. Animation studio Astley Baker Davies, the original creator of Peppa Pig, will work closely with eOne to hand the baton of creative production duties to the award-winning British animation studio Karrot. The animation style, music and voice talent is set to remain unchanged. Series nine kicks off this spring with a four-part US special, which sees Peppa and family take a road trip around America, followed by 22 episodes that will roll out globally throughout 2021.
Mattel and global racing game developer Milestone have announced the upcoming release of Hot Wheels Unleashed: an action-packed arcadestyle racing game featuring Hot Wheels cars and sky-high tracks. The game is scheduled to launch on 30 September on PlayStation5, PlayStation4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One consoles, Nintendo Switch and PC. Gamers can get ready to drift, boost, jump and crash on Hot Wheels Hot Wheels’ orange Singles assortment tracks in various was recognised as single-player game modes. Gamers the 2020 Global can also challenge Top-Selling Toy of friends in multiplayer the Year by the races, both online NPD Group and offline, leveraging a splitscreen mode. Hot Wheels Unleashed offers players the opportunity to drive the cars as if they were playing with the die-cast toys. The gameplay includes adrenaline-filled races, an extended choice of Hot Wheels vehicles with different attributes and rarity levels that players can customise with different skins, and tracks set in everyday-life locations with special track pieces and interactive items. The game also features a Track Editor, enabling players to customise tracks in any game environment and share them with the game’s community.
Bluey heads to cBeebies Australia’s hit preschool show Bluey launches on CBeebies this month. CBeebies will be the first free-to-air platform in the UK to broadcast the series, which is backed by BBC Studios. Series 1 will air on the channel every day. Licensed products set to hit retail in the Autumn include lines from Moose Toys and Ravensburger. There will also be a Bluey magazine from Immediate Media on newsstands in the summer.
New video game for Schleich characters Video game publisher Wild River Games is set to release the first video game based on the theme world created by Schleich. The horses from Schleich and the environment they live in come alive in Horse Club Adventures, which is available on 27 May for Nintendo Switch and Playstation 4 and as digital download for Xbox One and PC. Horse Club Adventures is described as an open-world game that provides a blend of adventure, roleplaying and racing elements coupled with mystery-solving fun. Players spend their vacation at the Lakeside Riding Stable and become part of the Horse Club clique, revolving around Hannah, Sarah, Sofia and Lisa. Together they reveal long-guarded secrets, complete quests, and collect objects such as photos and stickers. The appearance of the player avatars and their horses can be individually customised.
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tnp.media
MEDIA
ANALYSIS
How to buy effectively
on YouTube A
s most marketers in the toys and games industry will be aware, children’s viewing to all TV saw an overall decline of -22% last year. In fact, in the most-demanded months of the year, children’s viewing slumped by -33% and -39% Year-on-Year respectively in October and November, even though kids were spending more time at home during the second national lockdown. In line with these declines across the kids’ commercial channels, we saw fewer toys and games advertisers investing heavily We in TV, with a reported -26% drop in estimate that toys & games equivalent TVRs (TV rating points) across TV. digital spend However, with this decline in TV within the advertising spend, we estimate toys & games an increase in the proportion of industry advertising spend being attributed accounts for to digital media. Here at Generation a quarter of Media, we estimate that digital spend within the toys and games all advertising industry now accounts for a quarter budgets of all advertising budgets. In last month’s issue, we wrote about how advertisers within this industry can use our proprietary tools such as The Media Aggregator to confidently understand how to split their advertising budgets between TV and digital to build a cost-effective and sensible investment plan for their brands. But the next question is: how do you spend your budgets effectively outside of spot TV? Over the course of the next few months, we’ll be writing a series on the toys and games digital landscape and how to navigate it, from YouTube, to social, to website optimisations and retargeting. This month we look at the no-brainer of how to reach kids digitally - through YouTube. Giraffe Insight’s latest Kids And The Screen research shows no surprises that Subscription VOD (video on demand) services command the largest share of viewing occasions for children aged two to 12, with its closest second runner being YouTube.
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This can largely be attributed to YouTube subscriber data showcasing that ‘Made for Kids’ content channels hold a prominent position in the global YouTube landscape. Google introduced new privacy practices just a little over a year ago that mean children’s content creators have to label themselves as such, which initially affected how easily their content could be discovered. But for advertisers, this did not change things too drastically, as premium content is still available via the traditional auction mechanic in the way you should have already been buying it - contextually. And in order to buy contextually, you need the perfect mixture of real-time technology, as well as detailed insights to deliver the most optimum campaign. Precision DMP is children-specific YouTube technology from Generation Media, built on the foundations of insight. This technology tool is based on over 3bn data points collected from numerous YouTube campaigns that have run over the past few years, as well as layering this with all of the content research and data captured by Giraffe Insights’ Kids And The Screen research. The DMP tool works in real time, to optimise towards increasing VTRs (View Through Rates) and ultimately resulting in serving more ads towards viewers who are more likely to watch the ad in full, based on the contextual targeting that has delivered high VTRs throughout the campaign. There are additional routes to how YouTube can be bought contextually in order to reach children, and TV broadcasters themselves have accelerated their strategies over the years. Partners such as Super Awesome, Warner Media, Disney and Viacom all offer channel-based solutions to target their premium content that is naturally declining across live viewing.Non-skippable pre-roll is an additional layer to consider when pulling together your YouTube plans, to effectively create a presence across the ever-popular platform. If you would like advice or guidance on how Generation Media can help to strategise your media investments on YouTube, please contact us.
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Generation Media is the UK and Ireland’s largest independent media buyer of toys and games advertising. Visit generationmedia.co.uk or call 0207 307 7900 or email contact@generationmedia.co.uk to learn more.
Kate Moncur, associate director of Generation Media, shares advice on how to strategise your media investments
CONSUMER
INSIGHT
Stuck on you: the platforms
our kids are glued to!
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ur latest research shows that kids today are the most connected and conscious consumers to date. With constant access to the world around them via devices, their core values are exceedingly impacting their purchasing habits. According to our data, tweens and teens are currently sleeping seven minutes less per night. With less time spent sleeping, 10 to 18-year-olds are spending this extra time on digital leisure activity such as social media and playing video games. Video games rank as the top favourite hobby with teens (15%). They spend an average of one hour 25 minutes per day on gaming, compared with one hour 18 minutes previously. In fact, they are spending more time playing video games than watching TV. Despite gaming, kids are also craving communication. A demand for a sense of community while online is evidenced through a 20% increase in teen usage of chat platforms to keep in touch with others. This illustrates the opportunity for social platforms to encourage the maintaining of community spirit through continued restrictions due to the pandemic.
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Kids are also using their devices for much more than just entertainment. As an example, Hertfordshire County Council has introduced free e-learning modules for primary and secondary school children, encouraging students to complete ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’. The modules aim to give kids the tools to cope with mental health concerns and to foster a positive outlook. This suggests CSR [Corporate Social Responsibility] opportunities for brands to partner with similar initiatives to ensure as many kids as possible can access similar information. In fact, moving to online learning had a significant impact on the amount of time that kids spent on devices in 2020. The number of schoolkids aged six to 12 who spent more than an hour on a laptop each day increased by 32%.
Kids are using their devices for much more than just entertainment
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The number of tweens who spend more than four hours a day on their mobile phones has increased by 88%. They are becoming digital natives increased time spent on devices is the norm, says The Insights People founder and CEO Nick Richardson
What this means to you… For those of you who have kids or spend any time with kids, it is apparent very quickly how kids’ media ecosystems are made up of digital media. From as young as the age of five, we see evidence that they are spending time on social media sites and by the age of 12, nearly 12%
of kids are on TikTok. Despite this, much of the kids’ industry remains tightly focused on how much linear TV advertising is required, and the number of TVRs [TV ratings points] that will be purchased to support a new product. Quite often this strategy is one of the key considerations for a brand manager, product manager and - more importantly - a retail buyer. But each year, the number of online education and entertainment platforms increases, and children are likely to continue to choose digital platforms even more, instead of the familiar TV of the past. The latest development from The Insights People - our first real-time media tool Media Mix Compass - shows the particular numbers of how long and where exactly kids spend time online. We should also keep in mind that the growing influence and decisionmaking power of kids within the home is greater than of any other previous generation. Children have their own opinions about many other new categories, such as the purchase of a new family car (which 54% more kids say they influenced in 2020 compared with 2019). For more information on the Kids Insights Media Mix Compass, and to receive a complimentary demo of the tool and a copy of the Kids Insights Future Forecast report, visit www.kidsinsights.com/mediamix.
Experts in kids, parents and family marketing intelligence, The Insights People surveys more than 7,000 children every week aged three to 18 in 17 countries across five continents, and in total surveys more than 362,000 kids a year.
RETAIL
OPINION
A vision of future toy retail? P
icture this. You’re heading to Playazon, a new toy shop that’s just opened in town (it’s from the US, apparently). You’ve downloaded the retailer’s app, because the blurb that was pushed through your door said that’s what you have to do, and you’ve decided to take your young nephew Rob with you - who knows, you might even treat him to a toy if you’re feeling generous. Arriving at the store you flash the QR code that appears, courtesy of the app, on your phone and walk in. Two things are immediately apparent. There’s no cash counter and staff are thinner on the ground than in Playland, which is in the ageing mall just around the corner. Rob is impressed. The store appears to have the latest edition (compatible with the graphics card he asked you for and which you bought) of Slay Them All 2, which does sound a mite inappropriate, but well, y’know, young people. While he’s inspecting this and working out an appropriate strategy to get you to dig deep, you happen to glance up. They’re not immediately obvious (mainly because the ceiling is black) but there are cameras - lots of them. They seem to be pointing at you and you don’t really like the implication. But what you do know is that whatever you take off the shelf and put in your bag you will be charged for. With this in mind, you opt to buy something small for Rob. You choose a product (and it’s not a bad selection really - they seem to have most of what you might want or what you’ve heard him talk about) and find Rob. He appears to be on the verge of shoplifting. You always thought his mum wasn’t a terribly responsible parent and determine to have words when you drop him off. Removing Slay 2 from the inside of his jacket, you can’t quite work out why the sole member of staff that was watching him continues to smile benignly. No matter, you leave - safe in the knowledge that you’ve got it all sorted before anything bad happens. Dropping Rob off, you have those prescripted words ready and duly deliver them. Frostiness all round, and then you’re on the way home. Now to take a look at how much that thing you bought actually cost. You peer at your phone and realise that the invoice says you’ve purchased not one, but three items - and that while the item you bought was less than £10, you have spent just over £35. The truth dawns. Rob has indeed proved to be light-fingered and the receipt for his theft is there for you to look at. Somehow - who knows how - your nephew has been included by Playazon as part of your shopping party. Now if you think this sounds somewhat improbable as a vision of future retail, just think about Amazon Fresh. The ‘freshly opened’ store in West
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London’s Ealing makes food shopping easy and ‘seamless’ (the buzzword for retail in 2021, surely) and more are on the way in the near future, in London at least. But beyond the world of food, could checkout-free stores represent a practical proposition, and would shoppers take to them? The answer would seem to be a qualified yes. Once you’ve got over the initial hurdle represented by downloading an app and then got used to deploying it when you enter a shop, this is all pretty easy. There are staff in the Amazon store, of course (the shelves do need to be replenished) but if the checkoutfree principle was extended to toy retail, regular replenishment would be less of an issue owing to the nature of the stock. That said, you’d still need staff to demonstrate how a specific toy works and to tempt onlookers into buying it. At this point, the iceberg that is retail economics becomes visible. Making things easier for shoppers sounds like a good idea and getting rid of queues must be something that is in demand. But what about the cost? The cameras and motion sensors that are integral to the Amazon operation come at a price and currently, with the exception of travel retailer Hudson News in the US, there have been no takers, under licence, of the Amazon tech that’s involved. Even the Seattle tech giant admits that making a profit from its high street ‘just walk out’ stores is something of a distant prospect. But suppose the price does come down - and it will, because that’s the way of the tech world - would you want to have a counter-free toy shop? It’s entirely possible that what I saw in Ealing is a little slice of the future. But it’s a future that is some way off, even with the obvious stimulus provided by Covid-19, because speed is not of the essence in toy retailing. Time is a luxury afforded to few, but you probably set aside more of it when you head into a toy shop than when you enter a supermarket. And on cost, scale matters. Shoppers will like the no checkout idea in principle. But if what’s involved means paying more for the merchandise, or the retailer taking a mild margin haircut, then ‘seamless’ toy shops will not be around anytime soon.
Beyond the world of food, could checkout-free stores represent a practical proposition, and would shoppers take to them?
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John Ryan is Stores Editor of business magazine Retail Week. He has worked for the title 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. 15
John Ryan pays a visit to the Amazon Fresh store in London and ponders the prospect of extending the ‘just walk out’ principle to the toy trade
THE INDEPENDENT
OPINION
On clicks-and-bricks The Secret Independent is looking forward to reopening again and refreshing his shelves with some key new stock - and hopes there is a hunger for people to go out and shop
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with all the overheads required, while the big guys already have well-established and trusted ecommerce platforms, felt like a waste. But now it’s clear that not having a robust online business, regardless of further pandemics or lockdowns, puts you at serious risk because there is simply no business being done on a daily basis to keep things ticking over. That has left me in a position of hoping that the sooner we can get open again and refresh our shelves with some key new stock, the better. And then hope there is a hunger for people to go out and shop. This, of course, I’m very confident about. I’m quite wellknown in my area (not trying to blow my own trumpet but I live in a small village) and people definitely do have an appetite for getting back out to local shops. My main fear is that they have already gone and bought that birthday present or some outdoor toys (which many of us stock) because of the fear of not getting what they want - which will only decrease my sales and put VOLUME: me under further pressure as time 1. Harry Potter Triwizard Challenge – LEGO goes on. 2. Spiderman Molten Man Battle – LEGO I’m speaking from experience here because I wanted to buy a mountain 3. Crayola 4 Pack Paints – Vivid bike from my local store, and they told VALUE: me it would be July before they would receive stock in my size, of any model. 1. Harry Potter Triwizard Challenge – LEGO This information forced me to go 2. Spiderman Molten Man Battle – LEGO online to see if I could find availability 3. Ninjago Monastery of Spinjitzu - LEGO and, once again, some of the dates
Best Sellers
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quoted were as late as 28 November! If I were your average consumer and wanted something, I definitely would have gone ahead and bought online, just to know that it was done, with another box ticked on my evergrowing to-do list. On top of that, if a child's birthday was coming up any time before the end of May, I would almost certainly have bought the goods weeks ago, as disappointment on a child's face is not something any parent wants to have to deal with. This feels like another negative rant, but it’s something that I’m extremely nervous and concerned about. Once we have been open for three to four weeks, I can certainly see things easing off in terms of sales, so I will wait to see what the figures and rate of sale is like after the initial burst. On a positive note, it’s springtime. The weather (in general) is much better and those people who worry about getting cold or wet - or both - by going outdoors, can start to enjoy the feel of some sun on their backs and light breezes on their faces when they step over the thresholds of their front doors. I know several people who have really struggled with this lockdown, and some who have had a really tough time just getting themselves out of bed in the morning. I’m so proud of all of those who have felt the difficulties of these last few months and can now try to look ahead and be positive. I hope this continues and we can all get back to the normality that we crave. Keep safe everyone.
It’s clear that not having a robust online business, regardless of further pandemics or lockdowns, puts you at serious risk
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o we finally have a date to work to, among all this madness. Regardless of all the chat that I hear on a daily basis, I’m glad to have some form of ‘road map’ for getting out of this whole mess. If I never have to do another lockdown in my entire life, it will be one too many. I love that we have come through what felt like the longest and wettest winter in history, and now is the time we can either decide to moan about the past 12 months or pick ourselves up (no matter how unsteady we are on our feet), dust ourselves down and try to claw back the disastrous start we have all had to 2021. I mentioned last month about my online sales not being strong. This unfortunately is very true, as I have always avoided putting any serious money into becoming established online. For all my decisions over the years, this has probably been the costliest to me now. But, like many of us indies out there, I always felt that going online would inevitably turn out to be futile, like gambling where the house [casino owners] - or majors in our case - always wins. To pump money into an online business,
toysnplaythings.media
RETAIL INTERVIEW
Heart of England Wildlife Park
A walk on the wild side TnP chats to fledgling toy retailer Martin Blyth, director of Heart of England Wildlife Park in Worcestershire about his animal-themed product offer Tell us about Heart of England Wildlife Park. Last September I gave notice on my secure and stable career in education management and completed the sale of my house to realise my dream of opening my own wildlife park in Worcestershire. Heart of England Wildlife Park is a conservation-focused enterprise, and we are currently going through the planning process with the intention of opening our physical environment in late summer. In the interim, we have created an online shop selling a range of gifts, toys and home décor. We have also recently started using Amazon and eBay to increase sales of our toys and gifts.
What are your key product categories? Imaginative play and soft toys. As a wildlife park, all our products are themed to animals and wildlife. We started our online shop featuring toys of animals that we intend to exhibit at the park, but since demand has been stronger than anticipated we have expanded our range to cover a large number of animal-themed products. We initially started with a limited range and only stocked a very small amount of Playmobil and Schleich figures and Ravensden plush animals to test market demand. As our business is primarily focused on the conservation of endangered wildlife species, we wanted to offer a product range that was closely associated with our ethos. We recently expanded into selling the popular ‘That’s Not My...’ sensory book series by Usborne Books, which complements our existing offering well. In the first half of the year we intend to develop relationships with a
APRIL 2021
have continued to be popular too: we sold out of its new Highland Cow and Desert Fox figures within 24 hours!
greater number of suppliers such as Keycraft and Orchard Toys.
What are your best sellers? Playmobil’s recent extension of the Family Fun range to include zoo animals has proved popular. The Hippo and Calf in this set have really caught the imagination of our customers. The Red Panda Habitat from the same collection offers great value for the number of pieces and this set is popular across all our online distribution channels. We sell a consistent number of Schleich toy animal figures and if I’m honest, it’s the Schleich products that I enjoy selling the most, because they are an incredibly lifelike representation of the animals we will have at the park.
What product launches have impressed you so far this year? The Playmobil Family Fun series, featuring a range of instantly recognisable animals including Rhinos, Alligators and Meerkats. Although these items are sold singularly, there is a real opportunity to bundle products together and offer discounts to customers. The expanded Living Nature soft toy range made with recycled plastic materials is also an impressive development and we intend to order this range imminently. Despite the slightly higher price point, the quality of the product offering - in addition to its environmentally friendly credentials - make this a certain winner. The latest Schleich figures
How has trade been for you in Lockdown 3?
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As our business is primarily focused on the conservation of endangered wildlife species, we wanted to offer a product range that was closely associated with our ethos
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We’ve noticed that our sales figures month-on-month on Amazon have continued to increase; it’s evident that consumers place significant emphasis on convenience and free delivery. Lockdown 3 has caused issues in other areas of our business including planning enquiries and face-to-face meetings at other zoological collections. But on the other hand, it’s helped us solidify our online offering and generate vital cash flow while we face planning delays elsewhere. Traffic to our own online store has also increased significantly during the latest set of restrictions and we are keen to build on this moving forward.
How are you preparing for opening? I can’t go to the supermarket without being approached by locals who want to talk about which animals we are getting and which zoos those animals are coming from! We’ve hired an excellent zoo consultant to address the animal welfare side of the business and I’m focusing on the most important commercial aspects of the wildlife park: the café and gift shop. We’ve been meeting suppliers using Teams or Zoom and have been able to view product samples. A priority for us is to continue building our network of suppliers so that when we do get the thumbs-up from the local planning department on our physical environment, we can open our café and gift shop at the earliest opportunity, even in advance of opening the rest of the park.
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WHAT’S N Bath time adventures Zimpli Kids 0845 459 1818 www.ZimpliKids.com
Drive time Wilton Bradley
01626 835400 | www.wiltonbradley.com Since 2014, Xootz has been making it easier than ever for kids to access the great outdoors in style. Xootz offers a range of premium, officially licensed vehicles. A new breed of grandeur, the Xootz BMW X5 M Electric Ride-On makes a powerful statement. This officially licensed BMW ride-on features all the details of the full-scale powerhouse. Featuring a kidney grille, sculptured bonnet and working front lights, this ride-on has presence. With a three-speed drive and reverse gear, little ones can practise their driving skills If they are too young to take the wheel, parents don’t need to worry - the included remote control allows them to take control. Open the doors and climb on board and notice the MP3 player with AUX input. Beneath the bonnet are two motors, which are powered by the rechargeable 12V battery. Great for indoors or outdoors, this machine will make light work of carpet, garden terrain or tarmac, thanks to its four-wheel independent suspension.
Zimpli Kids is taking its Slime Baff into outer space with the new Galaxy Slime Baff and Galaxy Slime Play. Galaxy Slime Baff turns bath water into glittery purple Slime. The product also comes with glowin-the-dark stars to complete the galactic adventure. Or unleash your inner slime scientist and create a popping, colour-changing, multisensory experiment with Galaxy Slime Play. First, turn your water into Clear Glitter Slime. Then add in the Crackle Baff Colours to watch the colours change, and listen to the Slime crackle. Finally, add in the glow-in-the-dark stars, switch off the light, and watch them glow! The Galaxy range is certified biodegradable, skin-safe, stainfree and drain-safe.
Make, play and display Thames & Kosmos UK 01580 713000 www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk Thames & Kosmos is excited for the arrival of its Creatto – Series 2 range, which is hitting UK shores this month. Creatto first arrived in the UK in autumn 2020 and became an instant hit, selling out within weeks. The company is introducing Series 2 this month with interest building up among retailers. Creatto is a simple yet versatile building system that consists of just two primary components that can be woven together into countless 3D creations. The flexible yet durable plastic tiles interlock quickly and easily for all skill levels. The kit requires no additional materials or hardware. Children from the age of six can make, play and display their illuminated artwork and let their imagination run wild. The kits come in Mini, Midi and Maxi sizes.
Wheely fun Bruder 00353 67 63800 | www.bruder.de Distributor in UK: Alpha Toys Ltd There’s a new port of call for sports-loving bworld figures. The bworld bikeshop has everything you would expect from a modern bicycle shop. In the comprehensively equipped workshop, bicycles can be fully serviced. There are assembly stands and a workbench including tools. In the shop, you can browse the shelves and look for new accessories or even complete bicycles. Expert advice is provided by the bworld figure, which is included. The bworld shop can be combined with the other bworld themed sets. The bworld racing bike rider, bworld mountain bike rider, Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and Bruder Roadster with corresponding bicycles are particularly fitting additions from the wide Bruder selection. 18
NEW Scoot off!
MV Sports & Leisure 01217488000 | www.mvsports.com
MV Sports’ Li-Fe 350-HC takes electric scooters to the next level. The 350W motor takes care of pushing you along up to 25km, but the real showstopper on the 350-HC is its maple wood deck, which not only looks good, but adds a level of comfort underfoot. Meanwhile, MV Sports has introduced a new range of Banksy’s Graffiti stunt scooters, lithium scooter and skateboards, along with a BMX bike and ramp helmet. Incorporating works by the celebrated street artist, the outdoor toys boast bright colour pops for teen appeal. One model includes the iconic barcode robot with blue accents and underdeck print. Fit for any stunt park, it features a prograde triple clamp, aluminium metal core wheels and BMX-style handlebar and stem. Likewise, the skateboards feature durable, aluminium trucks with PVC cushions for a smoother ride, double kicktail deck for advanced tricks, and a concave deck allowing for more foothold to enable next-level sliding, drifting and turning.
Disney meets STEM Great Gizmos 01293 543221 | www.ggtrade.co.uk
Great Gizmos has added several STEM products to its Disney range. Teach kids the wonder of robotics and anatomy with the Avengers Motorised Robot Hand; help them construct an impressive spider that scuttles up and down its string, with its legs moving from side to side, with Spider Man Spider Robot; or launch micro rockets up to 20ft in the air with Toy Story Pump Rocket. Children can also rebuild the 100-year-old optical toy that demonstrates the working principle of modern animations with the Disney Animation Praxinoscope, or learn about the solar system and watch the planets move around the sun (powered by the sun itself or a back-up battery) with the Toy Story Solar Hybrid Power System.
Fidget appeal H Grossman
01603 397 105 | www.tobar.co.uk
Famous for pocket money crazes, HGL is aiming to leading the way this year with Pushpoppers. Fans of the addictive nature of bubble wrap popping will understand the appeal of this latest fidget toy! Pushpoppers are lines of bubbles that you push and then pop them back from the other side of the toy. Available in a range of colours and sizes, there are lots of range extensions planned throughout 2021 to refresh and drive the appeal of these simple but compulsive playthings.
Power up! Epoch Making Toys 0843 557 4062 | epochmakingtoys.com/ Epoch continues to see growth with its range of tabletop family games featuring Nintendo’s video game and media franchise Super Mario. This category experienced huge growth over lockdown which, coupled with a new feature film launching in 2022, means Epoch predicts the momentum around this licensee will increase throughout the year. Three top-performing products have been carried forward into 2021, with the hero SKU being the Super Mario Shaky Tower. This balancing game challenges players to place Super Mario characters onto ledges of the central tower. The rounded base causes the tower to wobble, and once too many characters have been balanced, the ball drops - knocking them all off. The winner is the person who successfully balances the most characters before the ball drops. Three Super Mario Balancing Games challenge players to balance Super Mario characters on a swaying stage, testing their nerves and steady hands. With three different character and colour packs, there’s a set for every Super Mario fan. Finally, the Piranha Plant Escape is a tension board game. Roll the dice and move your character around the board, then press the ‘pump’ button to wind up the Piranha Plant. Just like in the video game, fans must avoid being eaten when it springs open.
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Dare to Dream with
Character Options! TNP speaks with Kathryn Ludlam, brand manager at Character Options, to find out more about why the company is so excited about the Dream Seekers fashion dolls, which launched this spring… Kathryn, for those who aren’t familiar with Dream Seekers, can you tell us a little about the brand? Dream Seekers are the magical friends who flew into the dolls aisle this spring to share their dreams and inspire children to follow theirs. These beautifully crafted, poseable fashion dolls will listen to children’s dreams and help them to find the courage to make them come true by sharing their own dreams and revealing their unique personalities! Found on every Dream Seeker’s wrist is their unique ‘Dream Mark’, which represents the doll’s personality and the dream that they seek! With sublimation printing, glitter wings and removable fashions, the Dream Seekers always put their best fashion foot forward! Each Dream Seekers Doll features gorgeous long hair, which is deep rooted and
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accessorised with pretty hair ribbons. Children can display their Dream Seekers in their pink crescent moon packaging, posing their long arms and legs. Inside each moon pack, there’s a special star for kids to write down and hide their dreams. Dream Seekers will keep a child’s dreams safe and wish for them to come true.
So what characters are currently in the range? Dream Seekers launched with three dolls to discover - Bella, Hope and Luna. From her hair to her outfit, all the way through to her wings, Hope shines bright in magic rainbow colours. Then there’s Luna, who’s ready to hit the spotlight with her platinum hair, fluffy wings and all-white styling. And finally, there’s Bella, who looks sweeter than candy, with her bubble gum pink hair, polka dot skirt and candy cane striped socks! Children can collect them all and
create an enchanting bedroom display with their new best friends.
Kathryn Ludlam
What attracted Character Options to Dream Seekers and what has the reaction been like from retailers? At Character Options, we’re always on the lookout for brands that have the potential to really shake up a toy category and that’s what first caught our attention with Dream Seekers. Far from being just another fashion doll brand, Dream Seekers has a unique selling point - an extra play pattern that sets them apart from every other doll on the market. Dream Seekers combine the nostalgic appeal of ragdoll styling, with modern fashion and a fantasy fairy world. Children can play with and pose their dolls, style their hair, and play dress up. With their unique personalities and individual dreams that are conveyed through their Dream Mark and styling,
toysnplaythings.media
COVER STORY
CHARACTER OPTIONS
of pages will focus on the characters, offering the core market a beautiful introduction to the range. We’ll also be running a number of competitions and advertorials for Dream Seekers across a wide spread of magazines to further engage with the target audience and increase brand recognition.
children will be able to build an imaginary play world with Dream Seekers that feels authentic. Then, come bedtime, children can place their dolls in their Dream Seekers to watch over them and wish for their dreams to come true. The dolls become not just a display piece, but also a night-time companion to help children feel safe.
Following the strong investment from retail partners, what support has Character Options put behind the launch of the Dream Seekers brand? Dream Seekers was launched with a stunning dedicated spot in February, with further TV campaigns planned throughout Easter, the summer months and Q4 to support the new releases. The brand also benefits from full PR and digital support including influencer and social activity, as well as kids press and pre-roll. We will also be driving demand for Dream Seekers with special in-store activity. Our in-store promotions have always been wellreceived by families and we can’t wait to resume them now that bricks-andmortar stores are reopening their doors! We know that Dream Seekers is a brand that retailers have really invested in, and initial sales are looking really strong, so now we’re looking ahead to the reopening of all retail as we continue to roll out our marketing and PR plans. We’re confident that this support will help make Dream Seekers a go-to brand in the fashion dolls aisle.
What kind of digital activity is Character Options running for Dream Seekers? Our digital plan is comprehensive! We kicked off our activity at the beginning of March which, in just one month, reached one million-plus unique accounts with just a handful of posts. This activity is ongoing and continues to connect with kids and their parents across the UK. As part of the Dream Seekers influencer activity, we’ve been working with celebrity influencer Helen Flanagan and her two young daughters. She’s been promoting the
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collection to her Instagram followers, with a series of posts and stories. We’ve also been working with a number of high-profile, UK-based influencers to ensure lots of lovely coverage for Dream Seekers, across all key social platforms, including Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. This content saw influencers from both child-led and mum and daughter channels introduce the characters in the collection and show off their unique personalities and the play pattern. We’ve also been creating lots of coverage across Character Options’ social media channels and online reviews via parental outreach.
Your influencers were some of the first to play with the Dream Seeker Dolls - what was their reaction to the collection? The reaction has been fantastic! Kids have loved showing off their new Dream Seeker friends their different looks have been a real talking point, with special touches like Luna’s feathery wings and Hope’s rainbow-coloured hair especially popular! We’ve seen so many delightful images shared of children immersed in imaginative play, posing their Dream Seeker Dolls, styling their hair, and dressing them up. And mums too have really bought into the new collection, with many endorsements to bring out the link between Dream Seekers and how they can help to nurture a child’s dreams.
And tell us about your plans for print activity. While we know that mums and their children are spending more time than ever online, we also know that kids press can be an extremely effective way to introduce children to a new brand. That’s why we’ll also be working with Kennedy Publishing to create a series of activity pages for Dream Seekers in Pink Magazine. This beautiful series
What can buyers and retailers look forward to later in the year? Waiting to take the spotlight this autumn is Light Up Stella! Her removable rainbow gown complements her lovely long locks - children will be in awe of the beautiful spectrum of pastel colours woven through her hair! But what really makes Stella the star of the show is her ability to let her inner light shine! Stella’s wings light-up and change colour, with each colour representing the quality that she’s inspiring! Also included is a set of twist-in hair stars so you can create a fashionable hair look for Stella that is truly out of this world! Also new to the core dolls range will be Zara, with her long, lilac hair, glittery wings, and butterfly-embellished outfit! The new inclusion of a hair comb and clips will also add to the hair play element for the four core Dream Seeker characters, as well as a new colourful packaging theme that offers a dreamy new look, continuing to enhance the stand-out shelf appeal that is intrinsic to the Dream Seekers brand.
How will you be ramping up the activity to support the collection in the second half? Building on the momentum in spring, our marketing and PR efforts will be centred around increasing awareness of the new characters, with both price points receiving their own TV spot in the run-up to Christmas, plenty of preroll and influencer activity, plus a comprehensive digital campaign. We will also look to secure space in Christmas gift guides and achieve TV coverage for Dream Seekers ahead of the key festive selling period.
Character Options 0161 633 9800 | sales@charactergroup.plc.uk www.character-online.com 21
THE MD INTERVIEW SIMON NEWBERY
‘Learning Made Fun’ is at the heart of each and every one of Orchard Toys’ products
‘It’s been an exciting journey’ Every month TnP talks to the managing director of a major toy company. In this issue we interview Simon Newbery, who has clocked up three decades with Orchard Toys, which celebrates its golden anniversary this year What’s your background? I joined Orchard Toys in 1991 in what I thought was a short-term capacity! I had planned to join my uncle’s business, but his sudden and untimely death at the beginning of my final year at university in 1989 meant that this fell through. I met Keith Harvey, the founder of Orchard Toys, in September 1990 when he captained an end-of-season cricket match for the club that I captained in the regular league season. Keith decided to declare our innings when I
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was 98 not out, so we had something to talk about in the pub after the game! When it came to light that I was looking for a job, Keith said: “I’m sure I can find you something. It may be unloading lorries in the warehouse but come in and have a chat.” The result of that ‘chat’ was that I joined Keith the following February and I was lucky that things just opened up for me. Within a short time, the buyer left, and I took on that role - which gave me a fantastic chance to really understand our product range, manufacturing processes and supplier base. Over the following 15 years, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to gain experience in all aspects of the company covering a number of roles, Orchard Toys recently culminating in celebrated 25 years of my appointment its number one best as MD in 2006. seller, the Shopping List memory game It’s been an exciting journey for me personally and for Orchard Toys, and I take great pride in the company and the reputation we have built.
Covid-19 has taught us that there is more than one way to do things and we will continue to challenge ourselves to be even better at what we do
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Tell us a bit about Orchard Toys. We design and manufacture a range of educational games, jigsaws and activity books, but we are so much more than that. The staff here really care about what we do and take huge pride in the products and service that we offer our customers. We are also very much about the people; we celebrate our 50th anniversary this year and I’m immensely proud to say that we have customers and suppliers who have been with us for most, if not all, of that time. Our staff turnover is very low and between us we have literally hundreds of years of experience.
What changes have you made in light of the restrictions that Covid-19 has created? Like all businesses, we have had to adapt to keep our staff safe over the past year and we have made several operational changes to ensure that we achieve this.
What opportunities has the pandemic created? With three lockdowns and the need for children to be homeschooled, the demand for educational products has been huge - both in the UK and
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internationally - and we have therefore been able to introduce the Orchard Toys brand to an even wider audience. While there has been an obvious surge in online business, our hope is that when bricks-and-mortar retailers reopen, they too will see the benefit of this increased awareness of the Orchard Toys brand. The pandemic has also presented us with the opportunity to look at our business and to change the way we do things, to create a more dynamic and streamlined operation.
How much of your workforce has been working from home and what challenges does this present? The majority of our office-based staff have worked from home, but we still have a production and dispatch facility here at Wymondham [in Norfolk], so there’s a number of staff for whom this is not an option. As much as we have embraced and used [collaboration app Microsoft] Teams, there is no substitute for a face-to-face meeting, whether that be with a colleague, customer or supplier. We are very aware of the impact that working from home can have on mental wellbeing, and for those members of staff with young children, the additional pressure of homeschooling has certainly added to that. They have worked unbelievably hard throughout and continue to do so. I think we have all learned that there is always a way!
Do you see these working arrangements continuing after lockdown? That’s a very good question and a hot topic for us at the moment! Ultimately, it’s about what is best for the business and the employee, and certainly one size does not fit all. We have had to learn fast over the past 12 months, but we can now see that there is more than one way of working and we will try to create a model that gives the best of both worlds.
How has Brexit affected your business? There has been no noticeable impact on sales but it has made trading with Europe more complicated, time consuming and costly. However, it is still early days and where we are is the new norm, so it will no doubt become easier with time.
Apart from Covid-19, what’s the biggest challenge and opportunity facing toy suppliers? The pandemic has actually been good for the toy industry, perhaps demonstrating that even in the hardest of times, parents will continue to go without themselves to provide for their children’s emotional needs. The opportunity for the industry as a whole,
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is to carry this forward as we begin to win the fight against Covid-19. But, at the same time, it is also our biggest challenge.
How do you see Orchard Toys developing over the next 12 months? We are optimistic that we will see continued growth. We would expect to see a slight levelling in demand for educational games and jigsaws as the country starts to return to ‘normal’ and schools hopefully remain open. Covid-19 has taught us that there is more than one way to do things and we will continue to challenge ourselves to be even better at what we do.
Will you be looking to expand into other categories? We have no immediate plans to do this. I believe it’s important to know what you are good at and to keep doing it well.
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The pandemic has actually been good for the toy industry, perhaps demonstrating that even in the hardest of times, parents will continue to go without themselves to provide for their children’s emotional needs
What are your core goals for this year? To support our staff as we establish what our business looks like in a postpandemic world; to support our retailers as they reopen; and to continue to create fantastic new products to help educate and inspire young minds.
Where do you see opportunities for growth? Undoubtedly online will continue to be strong. But we also anticipate that there are opportunities within bricksand-mortar retailers as shoppers return to the high street. We also expect to see good growth within international markets.
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has been more prevalent than ever this year. Within seconds, we can reach thousands of people and almost immediately, we can see what they like (and what they don’t like). Our followers naturally market our product through word of mouth.
What is your earliest memory of your toy career? This has stuck with me for nearly 30 years. The first toy fair I attended was at Earl’s Court in 1993. At the end of my first day, I was introduced to John Adams. John looked me up and down and, after a brief pause, he barked at me: “You know that once you get into the toy trade, you never get out again.” All these years later, here I still am!
What do you miss from the early days - and what don’t you miss? I miss some of the nights out during the toy fair season (we mostly leave that to the younger members of our industry now). I don’t miss the hangovers; 9am on the stand feels very early after a big night!
What one change would you like to see in the toy industry? I would love to see counterfeit product being kept out of the market. Not only because much of it is dangerous, but also because toy companies work hard to create products and we don’t do it so that someone else can profit.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job? Hearing the positive feedback that we receive from retailers and consumers and knowing that the team here has done a great job in creating a brand that is truly loved.
What’s the most challenging aspect of your job?
There is a culture within our business that has remained in place for 50 years. My challenge and, indeed, the This month sees the launch challenge for the whole business, of two new games and an is to ensure that we retain those activity jigsaw puzzle set During your time in the toy values as we continue to adapt to industry, which retailers have an ever-changing retail environment. impressed you most and why? I’m always impressed by those who are What advice would you give to prepared to go the extra mile and adapt someone starting out in the toy to the changing world around them. industry? This is an amazing industry full of some What’s the biggest change you’ve extraordinary, innovative people, who seen since you joined the toy have a great deal of wisdom that they industry 30 years ago? are generally happy to share. Take For me, it is the way that we can advantage of that wisdom when offered, communicate a message instantly work hard, and don’t be afraid to have using social media - something that some fun - after all, it is the toy industry!
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RETAIL INTERVIEW BARGAIN MAX
‘Change is the only constant in ecommerce’ TnP talks to Daniel McKay, head of digital at online toy retailer Bargain Max What’s your background? I have been working in all aspects of ecommerce, from customer acquisition to conversion, for the past nine years. Prior to moving over to the toy industry in late 2018, I was in the cycling industry.
Tell us about Bargain Max We are based just outside Manchester and launched our website around 2014, so we are coming into our seventh year as an online toy retailer. We launched to simply provide a wide range of toys online at the lowest possible prices, while still providing a gold standard service.
How would you describe your range? Our focus is on developing our product range as much as possible while maintaining a competitive nature. We are not interested in stocking ranges that traditionally would be sold at half their
recommended price, because we can’t run our business on those margins. It’s important for us to continue to range items where we know we can maintain the market rate, while having at least 40% of our range as super special prices! These are lines that we have bought at discounted rates from suppliers in order to promote. We don’t promote our fullprice items.
What are your key categories? We try to stay agile and move with the market. If we see that certain things are trending, we will move with that. Traditionally, baby/preschool and outdoor toys have been a struggle for us, but this year we have placed specific focus on those categories and are hoping that the sun shines again!
Did you know? Year-on-year traffic is up 150% for www.BargainMax.co.uk and overall sales are up 160% 24
How many brands do you carry? Hundreds! We don’t limit. Some brands we will stock one item in, others we have 100.
How many suppliers do you deal with?
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We try to stay agile and move with the market
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We have a range of around 70 regular suppliers. The most significant of those for us are always Hasbro, Mattel, MGA, LEGO and Playmobil - nothing out of the ordinary there. We have made a big push in the past few months and have started with some great suppliers such as Jazwares, 8th Wonder, Galt, Ravensburger and many more.
How do you find products? We miss trade shows. We love meeting people, seeing friends, and welcoming friends into our offices. We really cannot wait to get that back!
What are your best sellers? It depends on what our awesome offers are each week. Our volume is driven by our promotional ranges so it can really vary. From our regular priced items, I would have to say CoComelon and L.O.L. are the ones that are storming it.
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LEGO sales leap during lockdown Bargain Max reported a 285% year-on-year rise in sales of LEGO products over the past 12 months to March 10 and a 70% increase in page views of its LEGO pages.
“LEGO has been the go-to choice for children in lockdown”
What have you started stocking recently?
What sets you apart from other online marketplaces?
We created a World Book Day page and introduced a range of exciting products, from books to games and costumes. One of the most exciting ranges to come in this year is Masters of the Universe. It flew out the day it came in. We wish we had believed Mattel now when they told us it was going to be huge - it really is!
One of the things we strive for is to make our website as user-friendly as possible - whether that’s by having lots of information on the product page or offering the most complete payment methods. We also provide a click-and-collect service via Hermes Parcel shops, so customers can collect their parcels at thousands of stores nationwide. This provides even more options for customers who may not be in all the time but want their items delivered somewhere safe. We are always looking at ways to improve the customer experience. Our customer base extends to some areas of Europe and this is one of our focuses for the upcoming year, so watch this space!
How is trading compared with this time last year? We are definitely still seeing the impact of people being under lockdown and purchases of toys that provide entertainment and education, which we have been seeing since March 2020. I think customers who have found the brand since lockdown have been pleasantly surprised with just how good the service is and have become loyal repeat customers for us. We have definitely noted a trend in consumers buying products to keep their kids entertained at home, but also purchasing products that provide educational needs such as STEM.
With schools reopened, do you anticipate a shift in shoppers’ buying patterns? It will be very interesting to see how buying patterns are impacted. I think that with the Easter holiday being not too far away, there will still be a need for toys that keep kids entertained and toys that families can do together such as board games and arts & crafts.
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Where are you taking the business next? We are going to continue to innovate and provide the best online experience in the online toy industry. Whether that’s product range or the website experience, change is the only constant in the ecommerce industry.
Head of digital Daniel McKay comments: “LEGO continues to be a popular choice for children across the country. The variety of products available under the LEGO brand are very varied, and we are pleased to continue supplying families with fantastic LEGO products. The 285% rise in sales and 70% increase in page views compared with our previous year of trading shows us that LEGO has been the go-to choice for children in lockdown.”
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We are always looking at ways to improve the customer experience
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technology. We try to focus on strategies that work and provide customer growth or conversion rate increase. We monitor everything so that we can keep our finger on the pulse of the industry and our website, and make changes where needed.
What’s the most challenging aspect of your job? The most challenging aspect is probably the same as every other industry: competition is rife and that’s why we try to keep a close eye on the industry to try to stay one step ahead. Obviously, Amazon is a giant in all verticals now. However, I believe you can still win as long as the core fundamentals of your business are sound.
Finally, what is your favourite toy or game? My favourite ever toy is Subbuteo! Nintendo 64 is a close second.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job? Seeing tangible results and growth. Within digital and ecommerce there is the potential to get carried away with all sorts of new
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RETAIL
OPINION
Talking retail
If you wo uld like t o take pa in Toy Ta rt lk, we’d lo ve to hea from you r . Please e mail clare@lem apublishin g.co.uk
Owner, Crafts4Kids The Engine Yard at Belvoir Castle Nottingham
Tell us a bit about your business.
Tell us a bit about your business. Crafts4Kids is an online familyrun children’s arts & crafts and educational toy shop. We began in 2005 with a focus on children’s art and craft kits and hobby kits such as sewing, knitting and crocheting, and have expanded since those early days. We now also offer high-quality contemporary and traditionally influenced creative activity and educational toys. Our key product categories are arts & crafts for kids, sew and knit, pretend play, wooden toys, traditional toys, eco-friendly toys and gifts by age. We deal with more than 50 different suppliers and our key brands are Djeco, Melissa & “We’ve used the Doug, Thames & Kosmos, Clockwork Soldier, Janod, Aquarellum and The time to reorganise Crafty Kit Company. We opened our shop in 2018, which our shop, add has been really well received. Despite in a number of the pandemic, it has gone from new brands and strength to strength. How did you feel when you heard the news that you can reopen?
We can’t wait to reopen. It was such a disappointment to have to close so soon after we got back on our feet after the previous lockdown. But we are lucky that we have our online business to focus on during this time. What steps are you taking to prepare for reopening? We’ve used the time to reorganise our shop, add in a number of new brands and ranges and get ready to welcome customers back into a Covid-safe environment. Are you concerned about consumer confidence and the possibility that customers may be cautious of going out? Luckily, our shop is in a lovely open-air shopping development with plenty of fresh air and outdoor space, so it’s the perfect place for people to get out and about to. Our customers know that we offer a safe shopping environment and adhere to all the Covid protocols to make shopping a safe, but enjoyable experience.
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Richard Barsley MD, Barsleys Department Store Paddock Wood, Kent
Tess Bradshaw
ranges and get ready to welcome customers back into a Covid-safe environment”
TnP loves to hear your views. This month we ask retailers for their thoughts on the government’s decision to reopen non-essential shops
We are one of the few familyrun traditional department stores in the area. Now in our fourth generation, we are pleased to celebrate 130 years of trading. We provide a wide range of products and services including toys. Our range includes products from companies including LEGO (always our number one seller), Playmobil, Ravensburger, Dickies, Simba and Mattel. How did you feel when you heard the news that you can reopen? Very pleased. It’s what we’ve been waiting for. Are you disappointed that you aren't allowed to reopen earlier? No, because it’s sensible. We don’t need to jump too quickly. It could be later the date is 12 April at the earliest - and if that’s what it needs to be, that’s what it needs to be. One thing we’ve learned with all this is: until it happens, don’t rely on it happening.
“One thing we’ve learned with all this is: until it happens, don’t rely on it happening”
What steps are you taking to prepare for reopening? We’ve bought some new sanitising hands-free equipment for the front door. It’s automated, so you stick your hand underneath, and a blob of gel comes out. You don’t have to push a pump. Are you worried about consumer confidence and the possibility that customers may be cautious of going out? I think there will be more confidence because of people having the vaccination. What I’m concerned about is that it will make some people overconfident, and they won’t adhere to social distancing [guidelines] as they should. They’ll think: “I’ve had the jabs, so I can do what I want.” No, you’ve still got to keep good distancing, good hand washing and all the rest of it. Are you concerned about the possibility of the postlockdown timeframe changing again? Yes, but we will happily accept whatever the government feels is best based on medical advice.
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Hazel McCarthy Owner, Toy Corner Moycullen, County Galway How did you feel when you heard the news that you can reopen? Here in the Republic of Ireland we are still working without a reopening date. I have to say it’s been very hard - the worst lockdown yet - as we have no idea of when restrictions will lift. In addition, and also different to the UK, click and collect for non-essential retail has also been banned.
I now have about a third more space for product in the shop which means more buying. Are you disappointed that My feeling However, actually receiving you can't reopen earlier? the stock has taken about is that twice as long as usual I should be, but I think I’ve people are just since Brexit. resigned myself to the hard part is that situation now. I’m just really dying for a bit forThe some companies the consciously trying to put timeline is really quick and my energies and emotions of normality for others, it could be six in a more positive and a chance weeks or longer, which direction. So I’m trying to to browse makes it difficult to plan. make the most of being I’ve put Covid measures closed to help me plan for on the long finger until we get a the rest of the year and beyond. reopening date in case there are What steps are you taking to prepare updated guidelines. for reopening? I should be in a situation within a I’ve taken the opportunity to couple of weeks where I can finally completely redesign the interior layout. start putting the place back together I’ve done it all myself with the help of again and remerchandising, which will my husband as the construction sector be exciting and will make all the hard has been closed all of this time too. work worthwhile.
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Are you concerned about consumer confidence and that customers may be cautious of going out? I’m not concerned about that at all. People are out and about, they expect and want the shop to be open, and for anyone feeling anxious, they will still be able to avail themselves of click and collect, with the advantage that I have now relocated my counter to right beside the door, so they will hardly need to enter the store to collect. I will certainly promote that aspect, but my feeling is that people are just dying for a bit of normality and a chance to browse again.
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Dr Wendy Hamilton CEO, Curious Minds Helensburgh, Scotland Tell us a bit about your business. We opened in 2010 as an online retailer specialising in science toys. We opened the toy shop in 2012 and have branched out into mainstream toys but still specialise in science toys and gifts. Our range is broad: from pocket money toys right through to specialised science and coding kits, with everything in between including LEGO, Games Workshop and Playmobil.
Frustrated. We’re based in Scotland and can’t reopen until 26 April. I’m disappointed we were closed in the first place. I’m sceptical about the government’s strategy in dealing with the Covid situation. What steps are you taking to prepare for reopening?
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Customers are now used to shopping online and I can’t see them swapping that convenience for the inconvenience of face masks, hand sanitisers and distance rules. Let’s hope I’m wrong
We’re not taking too many steps as we’re waiting to see what happens; we’ve been here before and the stopstart nature of the past year has been costly and disruptive. We’ll proceed with caution until we’re quite certain this is the real thing.
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How did you feel when you heard the news that you can reopen?
Are you worried about consumer confidence and the possibility that customers may be cautious about going out? So long as face masks and social distancing remain in place, I think it’s highly unlikely that we’re going to open up and find a queue of customers lining the street. Customers are now used to shopping online and I can’t see them swapping that convenience for the inconvenience of face masks, hand sanitisers and distance rules. Let’s hope I’m wrong. Are you concerned about the post-lockdown timeframe changing again? Yes. I fear this is the new norm and our governments will decide to lock us down at the slightest whiff of new viruses in the future. We need to have some crisis management planning in place for such events. 27
TRADE
OPINION
Trade talk
Calling all suppliers and distributors! We’d love to hear your views. Get in touch with Clare@lemapublishing.co.uk to have your say!
This month we find out industry reactions to the Chancellor’s Spring Budget and, on a lighter note, we invite suppliers to take a trip down memory lane and revisit their favourite toys of yesteryear HELEN DICKINSON Chief executive British Retail Consortium
PHIL RATCLIFFE Joint Managing Director MV Sports & Leisure What pleases you about the Budget in terms of how it affects your business? It seems fairly measured and to be honest, I expected more immediate or medium-term increases on taxation although the hike in corporation tax after 2023 will have a big impact. I also like the new Freeport initiative. What disappoints you about the Budget in terms of how it affects your business? The big damage has already been done with Brexit and the non-level playing field we have agreed. Is there anything you feel was ignored or should have been addressed more thoroughly? Possibly some equalisation in taxation of certain overseas companies to allow fairer competition. Finally (not Budget related!), what is your earliest toy memory? Roleplaying Thunderbirds with my mum and then my best friend, with diecast Thunderbirds vehicles.
We welcome the extension of key business funding schemes. The Chancellor's announcement provides some targeted support to struggling businesses across the country. Action to support the retail industry will be vital to reviving the economy, including business rates relief, restart grants and loans, and an extension to the furlough scheme. The Chancellor must keep the situation under review, as we wait to see how the economy responds to reopening.
JULIA LOESER Science kit sales, marketing & PR manager, Thames & Kosmos What pleased you about the Budget in terms of how it affects your business? I think the entire toy industry breathed a sigh of relief after the Budget announcement. With the extension of the furlough scheme to the end of September and the announcement of business rates relief, small businesses such as bricks-and-mortar shops and the independents will hopefully be able to recover after the difficult past year. The additional funding for a further 45 towns in England through the Towns Fund to support long-term economic and social regeneration is also welcome news. If town centres and high streets are more accessible and a place that people want to visit, it can only be of benefit to retail. Is there anything you felt was ignored or should be addressed more thoroughly? The Budget is a first step in the right direction and a sign of positive things to come - and hopefully sees the start of the economic recovery. The toy industry is resilient: we know from many of our customers that they found the past year hard but managed to keep going in ingenious ways – and they all said their customers have been incredibly loyal and have kept shopping with them. The next few months will show whether the investments planned are going to be enough. Finally (not Budget related!), what is your earliest toy memory? One of my earliest toy memories is the Fisher Price Cassette Player. It was one of my most prized toys and the envy of my school friends - and was only eclipsed in my teens by the Sony Walkman! My favourite board game was The Game of Life; we spent many evenings playing this with my grandparents.
ANDREW GOODACRE CEO, Bira (British Independent Retailers Association)
We broadly welcome the announcements for smaller retailers in the Budget; restart grants, recovery loans, furlough scheme and reduced business rates. A reduction in business rates for 2021/22 is welcome but we strongly believe that the Chancellor has missed an opportunity to go one step further by not giving a full year of relief to non-essential retailers. This has been done in Scotland, and such a decision in England would only have cost approximately £1bn to give genuine reassurance to thousands of retailers looking to rebuild their businesses. Also, we need an extension of the rent moratorium so that businesses can look forward to making the most of the support being made available by the government. These measures are certainly something that indie retailers can work with, but as always, it will be a matter of there being ‘devil in the detail’. 28
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COFFEE BREAK TnP catches up with University Games sales director Mark Jones to find out about the company’s plans for the year How are you working with retailers to looking for the ‘at home’ entertainment help them prepare for reopening? factor. Family games night and virtual We have been in regular communication games nights have been one of the few with our retailers throughout lockdown successes of the very difficult year we as many have continued to trade online have all endured, and I think they will have and as stores begin to reopen their doors, an important place for some time to come. we will work closely with them to ensure Our new Mystery Case Files and family they are able to offer the full product games such as Smart Ass, Sort it Out range they want. and Kersplatt! - along with We will also be our entire puzzles portfolio “We are taking helping our retailers really have provided muchsignificant steps to ensure the space needed non-screen time for in-store works with many children and parents. in our quest to any new Covid-19 One of the main strengths be the most restrictions. Our sales of University Games has environmentallyteam is brilliant at always been our commitment supporting in-store to support independent friendly games & planning and we are tourist attractions puzzles company retailers, always happy to help and leisure parks throughout ensure shelf space looks in the UK” the UK with a full-time sales eye-catching and is easy team. Any retailers looking to shop, as well as maximising space. to stock products to keep all the family One of the main strengths of our new entertained while on a staycation can be Lagoon range, which joined the University confident that our team will be on hand Games portfolio in 2020, is a range of to advise them on top-selling lines. space-saving CDUs. Retailers can achieve Are there are any other big launches a great return on a really small footprint we can look forward to with these, and this year? this solution With the Euros set to go allows them to ahead this summer, we stock a larger are really excited about variety of lines for the launch of our highly their customers anticipated, first-ever allto choose from. female Subbuteo Set: The During the Official England Lionesses first lockdown Subbuteo Main Game. we maintained We hope this (along with good stock levels the Euros!) will create a throughout while little bit of a football-fever other suppliers distraction that the nation sometimes can get behind once again. struggled, and The Lionesses Main Game we will endeavour Set arrives this month and to maintain our stock will join the latest additions levels throughout 2021. However, with to the Subbuteo range: more than 70 new lines joining our the Subbuteo VAR Set and 700-strong product range this year enhanced Fences Set. and, as we are all aware, games & We also have some great puzzles have been a real hit throughout new family games launching lockdowns - our lines are selling fast, so this year including Quicksand, don’t hang about! Judge Your Friends, 5 Star Under the current lockdown exit plan, Review, Auto Correct and Antioverseas holidays may not be permitted Monopoly, as well as The Tiger for UK families for a while. What impact Who Came To Tea preschool do you think this will have on your sales? board game. There is also a In the games & puzzles sector this is a fantastic new series of Tool little bit of a bonus, as families will still be Box games joining the Lagoon
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range. The Hammered, Nailed It and You Know the Drill Tool Box Games will make perfect gifts for DIY fans. What are your goals for 2021? Fundamentally, although 2020 provided us with possibly the most difficult year we could all personally ever imagine, an outcome of it was a very good year for the games & puzzles sector. Therefore, our core goal for 2021 is to continue to support our fantastic retailers, to ensure that we consolidate and build on the business success of last year. We are also taking significant steps to improve our environmental impact this year, in our quest to be the most environmentallyfriendly games & puzzles company in the UK. Which toy do you wish would make a comeback? Battle Tops from Hasbro - I loved this game and would happily make a purchase if it made a comeback! Finally, what is your coffee break beverage of choice? Starbucks Latte - Costa doesn’t cut it for me!
L A I C E P S S R O D A S S A B M A S T F A R C ARTS &
! t i m i l e h st
e y d The
s team r o d a s s y Amba o T P n T ’ Tybo r s u y o o f T o e i r embe h Mook t i w d n e A new m e-dye tr i t e h t s udio, t S rock n g i s -dye De e i T y d i ains… l T p x e r e Amb as mum “My daughter Tula (aged 12) is an arts & crafts fanatic, so the Tybo Tidy Tie-dye Design Studio was a lovely lockdown treat for her. She was thrilled when the toy arrived and couldn’t wait to unbox it and get stuck in!” says mum Amber. “Tula tried tie-dying once at her friend’s house and was keen to do it again, but I was reluctant for her to repeat the experience here because I knew it would get messy. Luckily, that’s not a problem at all with this product. “What a cool little machine! The Tybo Tidy Tie-dye Design Studio is easy to set up and use with simple instructions. Batteries are not required and, best of all for me, it’s mess-free! I think it’s very clever how everything is contained in the Magic Mixing Orb, which clips together and has small holes to insert the dye bottles’ nozzles into so no stains in my washing up bowl or bath! “There’s also a great holder for the bottles to sit in, and even a pot to store the elastic bands - I’m so relieved the bands came supplied, because you can never find one when you need one, let alone several! The gloves are a thoughtful touch too. “My daughter enjoyed squeezing the dye ■ 1 x Design Studio through the holes in the Orb without getting messy hands and, once she removed the elastic ■ 1 x Magic Mixing Orb bands, she was excited to see ‘the big reveal’ and was delighted with the result. ■ 1 x Handy Handle “Tula felt very grown up being able to colour ■ 6 x Amazingly her own clothes and can’t wait to create more Brightly Coloured things. I’ve bought a few plain items for her to use, and now she thinks she’s a fashion designer!” Dye Powders
What’s in the box?
■ 6 x Squeezy Peasy Dye Bottles ■ Instruction leaflet ■ Clear plastic gloves ■ Elastic bands
Tula says: “It’s great fun - the bright colours are fab and seeing what I created at the end was awesome”
Contact Mookie Toys 01525 722722 | www.mookie.com 30
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Time to get crafty! Our tiny testers put two Aquabeads sets - Enchanted World and Star Bead Studio - from Epoch making toys through their paces 'Encouraging creativity and imagination' Mum Vyshie says: “My daughters Nila (aged seven) and Sia (aged four) love anything that’s creative with lots of colours, and the Aquabeads sets keep them busy for hours! They are super easy to use: the instructions are very clear, and the girls picked it up instantly. “I like the fact that ‘aquabeading’ encourages their creativity and imagination. The packaging for the Star Bead Studio set was creative too. My girls were very excited to see a star-shaped box and have been creating a star to match.''
What’s included in the box? The Enchanted World set includes: ■ design pegs ■ 1,800-plus star, solid and ■ layout tray jewel beads ■ sprayer in 26 colours ■ template sheet ■ creation ■ instructions displays
‘Fun, mess-free and foolproof’
What’s included in the box? The Star Bead Studio set includes: ■
1,000-plus star
Mum Amber says: “My daughters Tamba (aged and solid beads six) and True (aged seven) enjoy arts & crafts in 24 colours activities and have been busy making and creating throughout lockdown. The Aquabeads sets have ■ star-shaped proved a great success. Playing with the beads bead case keeps them quiet and occupied for ages because they have to concentrate - which gives me time to ■ bead pen with catch up on household chores!” bead picker Aquabeads stick together with water so no heat, tools, paints or extra accessories are needed, ■ flip tray set meaning children can enjoy the whole process from ■ sprayer beginning to end. Amber explains: “The sets come ready-to-play, so ■ template sheets my girls can start crafting straight away. And there’s ■ instructions no mess because they only need to use a small squirt of water (from the sprayer that’s supplied), plus the beads for the Star Bead Studio set can be stored away in the star-shaped case. The sets include template sheets, and my daughters love replicating the colours and copying the positions of the beads from the examples, so they are learning to follow instructions. “So far they’ve made a fox, chick and a unicorn. They’ve also gone ‘freehand’ and mixed and matched the beads to make countless flowers, which pop up everywhere. Their floral designs have been given to friends at school, placed on my pillow and even popped into daddy’s toolbox as surprise gifts! “This activity is fun, mess-free and foolproof with no adult supervision required, so it gets a big thumbs-up from me.”
Contact Epoch making toys 0208 049 1377 www. epochmakingtoys.com
APRIL 2021
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FEATURE
ARTS & CRAFTS Epoch
The arts & crafts
movement
Through three lockdowns and a long winter, arts & crafts has experienced a resurgence in popularity. But as the country (hopefully) makes it way towards the end of Covid restrictions, will interest continue and help toy retailers keep their tills ringing?
W
ith long days at home Zoom - or even having a bit of a lie-in? stretching out ahead of Paper weaving and slime making came them, and with school and out tops for the length of time and the low outside clubs cancelled, noise levels, with origami, painting rocks it’s no surprise that children (along with and jewellery making not far behind. teenagers and adults) have Meanwhile, arts & craft retailer been getting creative to Hobbycraft has predicted keep busy over the past year. some of the top trends for With With parents working lockdown easing 2021. ‘Cottagecore’ is a trend at home, keeping children on country-style and coming to an focused occupied (and quiet) has been living, cosy interiors, floral an important part of the day - end, we still prints and celebrates a return and arts & crafts products fulfil believe people to traditional crafts such as that need. But which are the sewing, knitting, home baking will be cautious best arts & crafts for keeping and pottery. and life will not kids occupied? Crafts that use resin have go back to total Online DIY community also soared in popularity, normality for DIYS.com decided to put as has sustainable crafting a while still this to the test, sending (upcycling, recycling etc). popular craft activities to Crafting for mindfulness is Jital Rao, Craft Buddy more than 1,500 parents, also important. Searches on and asking them to time the Hobbycraft website for how long children were occupied for cross stitch, embroidery, colouring books and to assess the noise levels! So what and scrapbooks were up 224%, 209% 198% can you tell your customers who are and 225% respectively during lockdown. looking for something to keep their So it’s clear that the past year has been a children occupied while they are on a great boost for the sector. But how are toy work call, or undertaking an interview on suppliers going to keep up the momentum
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of this huge interest in arts & crafts? At Fiesta Crafts it’s about nostalgia, says MD Andrew Bacon: “We have consistently seen an increase in parents wanting to engage their children in arts & crafts activities and this began even before the pandemic. Parents are looking for products that take children away from
Great Gizmos 32
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Hasbro
Ask the retailers
screen time and we will keep momentum going by continuing to introduce products that offer unique crafting activities while harking back to the traditional elements of crafts that adults enjoyed as kids.’’ Always something new Now that many of us have fallen back in love with arts & crafts, Great Gizmos aims to keep introducing something new to keep us interested, says sales director Sarah Dayus: “We only see this going from strength to strength, even when life is back to ‘normal’. We plan to keep introducing new and exciting products throughout the year and keep on top of trends. Customers are always looking for new ideas and look to the brands they know and trust.’’ New products are in store at Mookie Toys too. “Over 2020 the tie-dye trend sky-rocketed, and our brand Tybo experienced a huge demand,’’ says Christina Aikman, international marketing manager. “In 2021 Tybo will be launching two new products, Tybo XL and Tybo Dip & Dye. Children always love to express their creative side through arts & crafts, and we are looking forward to diversifying our product range to support this category.’’ A touch of Disney magic is set to keep Crystal Art flying off the shelves, says Craft Buddy marketing manager Jital Rao. “Sales of our Crystal Art range have exceeded all expectations during lockdown. We are releasing our new Disney collection this month, which our existing customers will enjoy and which we believe will attract new crafters. “With lockdown easing and coming to an end, we still believe people will be cautious and life will not go back to total normality for a while still. The spring/summer weather is a nice welcome and our crafts can be taken and enjoyed outdoors too.’’ Along with the vast uptake in arts & crafts products, interest has been shown across an older age group too. So are suppliers catering to that market? “Our KidzMaker range is aimed at a slightly older age group and we have seen strong sales to reflect this trend,’’ notes Great Gizmos’ Sarah Dayus. Andrew Bacon points out: “As I said previously, many parents have an affinity with Fiesta Crafts thanks not only to the diverse range of products but also to the fact that lots of our ranges are traditional and similar to those played with when they were young. Our Wood and Felt Craft and Wood and Clay Kits, for example, are extremely absorbing for kids of all
APRIL 2021
What do you stock in this category and which are best sellers? One of our key brands is Djeco and its beautiful ranges of craft kits are consistently best sellers for us - mosaics, foil art, scratch art and origami, to name a few. Our sew and knit kits are also really popular from The Crafty Kit and Buttonbag.
What new products are you planning to bring in?
ages and their parents. Our new 3D construction puzzles will also cover a wide age range.’’ Crafts for teens and adults Craft Buddy’s Jotal Rao adds: “We have a great selection of fantasy crystal art with our Anne Stokes collection, which appeals to teens through to adults. We recently launched two new sets to our collection: New Easter 3D scene and Wearable Crystal Art kits.’’ Mookie Toys has also recognised that adults want to get in on the fun! “Tybo is diversifying into additional product offerings over 2021: Tybo XL and Tybo Dip Studio will help adults transform their clothes and accessories into colourful masterpieces,’’ explains Christina Aikman. So with arts & crafts on an upward trajectory, what can retailers look forward to stocking? Great Gizmos has “a new range of 3D Mould & Paint kits,’’ says Sarah Dayus. “At the moment this includes Unicorn and Dinosaur designs but we have some more titles coming soon. Our new Disney Arts & Crafts range is also performing really strongly.’’ Bigjigs Toys is introducing a new distribution range - Tiger Tribe - says director Liz Ireland. “The range of compact and portable activity sets from Tiger Tribe are ideal for keeping little hands busy and providing screen-free entertainment.’’ Finally, Fiesta Crafts plans to answer parents’ prayers: “As we have all no doubt experienced during the past year, keeping children engaged in activities can be tough and parents are looking for products that extend the time they stay absorbed with arts & crafts. So open-ended play inspired products and products that allow children to express their own creativity are key. This is why we will be introducing more 3D Craft Masks this summer as well as 3D construction puzzles this month,’’ says Andrew Bacon.
We have just introduced a number of new product ranges: new clay modelling kits, paint by numbers and velvet colouring kits. And we always bring our customers the latest new products from Djeco; they never fail to disappoint!
Have you noticed any trends? We have extended our sew and knit range to cater for older children, along with beautiful Aquarellum watercolour and acrylic kits that create stunning poster-sized works of art. Tess Bradshaw, Crafts4Kids, Nottingham
What do you stock in this category and which are best sellers? I love the Fuzzikins range from Interplay, and Epoch’s Aquabeads. BThey are brilliant for combined imagination and creative play, and the Aquabeads are great for pattern making and fine motor skills. I’ve just restocked my arts & crafts section, mostly with Great Gizmos’ KidzMaker range. I had a few other orders submitted for other products to complement the section, but the companies don’t know how to ship to Ireland yet post-Brexit, so I’m back to the drawing board again in terms of sourcing.
Have you noticed any trends? ‘Diamond Painting’ is being requested a lot by teens and adults so I stock a few patterns in that, along with Paint by Numbers and Pouring Acrylic sets. Hazel McCarthy, Toy Corner, Moycullen, County Galway
What do you stock in this category and which are your best sellers? Actually we’re thin on the ground for art supplies, so if there are any good suppliers out there, please contact us!
Have you noticed any trends? We’re selling more and more to adults. Dr Wendy Hamilton, Curious Minds, Helensburgh, Scotland
What’s trending in arts & crafts? We don’t seem to be able to retail the very cheap and cheerful arts & crafts but we’re very strong with Galt and Melissa & Doug, which is mid-range and above. Anything sewing and knitting-related has been good. Paul Wohl, Argosy Toys, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex
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ARTS & CRAFTS
Get creative with Casdon
Style your imagination BANDAI UK
0208 324 616 | www.bandai.co.uk Creativity is the freest form of self-expression and Harumika is set to put the ‘fabulous’ into arts & crafts with new trends and styles launching for 2021. The fashion design kits include mannequin torsos, fabric, and accessories to inspire creativity and appeal to budding fashionistas. Safe and easy to use (with no sewing, scissors or glue required), all materials and accessories are reusable. In addition to the core trends already available, 2021 sees the introduction of Nature Mood and New Age Tie-Dye to the Single Torso range. Fashion designers are often inspired by the natural world when building their collection or a design, and Nature Mood draws references from the natural world with prints in a garden palette. Tie-dye has been trending in fashion circles for years but in the early days of lockdown, tie-dye became the official uniform for everyone from celebrities stuck at home to homeschooled kids. New Age Tie-Dye lets you create your own looks. The Single Torso assortment comes with a torso, stick, 10 pins and three fabrics. Other mood boards include Street Blues, Neon Beast, Charming Countryside and Sweet Peru. These sets are a really great way to dream up new looks and cultivate a love for fashion, and the silicon strip at the back of the mannequin makes it easy to hold fabric in place exactly where you want it. Be King or Queen of the catwalk with the Double Torso Assortment, which includes two torsos, one stick, 2 0 pins, four fabrics and one ribbon or belt. This set comes in four styles: Frozen Fruits, Cosmic Kawaii, Yummy All Over and Asian. The Bridal Gown Sets let your imagination and creativity flow to design wedding and bridesmaid dresses for the big day. There are two styles to choose from: The Bridal Set and the Candy Wedding Party. With plenty of glamorous materials including satin and lace and accessories, there’s no end to the designs you can create.
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CASDON 07951 033234 | www.casdon.com Bringing traditional arts & crafts into the home is Casdon’s Wooden Easel. Not only does it encourage children to create and show off their artistic masterpieces, but it also helps with fine motor skill development. The traditional Wooden Easel houses a chalkboard surface on one side and a wipe-clean magnetic surface on the other: perfect for mess-free creative fun! Children can use the chalk included to create their masterpieces or hang paper for colourful drawings using the attached clips, to make sure their works of art stay in place.
A gamut of craft gizmos GREAT GIZMOS 01293 543221 | www.ggtrade.co.uk Great Gizmos has a huge craft offering that goes from strength to strength each year. Here is just a snippet of products that the company has to offer: the popular Mould & Paint range is expanding with a number of new additions. 3D Unicorn has everything included to make and decorate two impressive unicorn figures. Create amazingly detailed fridge magnets and badges with Mould & Paint Wild Animals. Children will love adding the string of LED lights to the KidzMaker Fairy Light Bulb or creating a giant glittery light-up Unicorn Origami Room Light. Grow amazing crystals and make a magical unicorn wonderland with Unicorn Crystal Terrarium. The craft range is also expanding with the Disney licence. Create dazzling patterns with Frozen II Kaleidoscope Making Kit, while Mould & Paint Toy Story has everything included to made and decorate six different Toy Story characters.
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FEATURE
ARTS & CRAFTS
Get crafty outside! H GROSSMAN 01603 397 105 | www.tobar.co.uk
Keeping creative kids busy with beads EPOCH MAKING TOYS 0843 557 4062 | www.epochmakingtoys.com/
“We’re very excited for a special launch later this year with iconic brand Super Mario, which long-term fans of the game will love!”
Epoch making toys enjoyed huge sales growth of its arts and crafts brand Aquabeads throughout lockdown and has big plans for 2021. Aimed at children aged between four and 10, Aquabeads has experienced popularity since its launch in 2004, thanks to the water adhesive feature of the beads. All sets come ready-to-play, without the need for heat, sharp tools, messy paints or extra accessories meaning children can start crafting straight away. The brand hopes to maintain its recent momentum with new additions to its core and licensed ranges, plus TV advertising and influencer campaigns later in the year. Kim Nicholls, brand manager, says: “We’re introducing an array of exciting new SKUs in our Star Beads collection that new and existing fans alike will love. The hero SKUs are our Fairy World Set and Enchanted World. Both are complete sets containing everything children need to get crafting, including extra accessories such as charms, a tiara and a bracelet. This extends their play value and lets children wear their creations with pride!” Many older children and adults also enjoyed arts and crafts activities over lockdown. “The full Aquabeads range truly has something for everyone: more advanced 3D sets, popular licences such as Disney Princess, collectable Mini Theme Assortments, bead replacement packs, plus extra templates,’’ says Kim. “Parents can enjoy making creations with their child, while older fans can design their own templates or even go freehand to create something unique.” She adds that some of the new SKUs will also appeal directly to older fans: “Our recently launched Animal Crossing New Horizons Character Set has proved incredibly popular with fans of the game. They can make all their favourite characters, including Tom Nook, Isabelle, Bunny, Peanut and more. We’re also very excited for a special launch later this year with iconic brand Super Mario.” A key trend that Aquabeads is focusing on this year is extended play value. Kim notes: “We started 2021 by launching the Creation Display in our complete sets. This fun display board allows crafters to elongate their Aquabeads experience by making signs, messages or scenes. Coupled with our playmats and bead stands, it allows children more play opportunities.’’
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Tobar Colour Your Own Cardboard Playhouse is the perfect outdoor craft project. Just slot together the house (with no fixings or glue needed) and then let kids loose with crayons and pencils on the pre-printed design. It’s great fun, whatever the weather - indoors or out - and 2021 sees the Colour Your Own Tent version of this classic outdoor/indoor art project! The ultimate craft challenge is the Junior Engineers Workshop range. Using tools to fit metal pieces together with real nuts and bolts, these model-making kits can combine to make bespoke creations. Each kit comes with its own difficulty rating and the range includes a pull back and go robot, a pull back and go digger and an off roader. The small sets are pocket money prices and include planes, bikes, helicopters and a car. Older children can tackle the Workshop Action Bot, a Ferris Wheel and an Aeroplane with moving propellors. HGL also has lots of Tobar kits to make your own slime of different types and textures. Or, for something less gooey, choose a kit to create your own candles, or design and decorate glass bottles for the perfect gift. The Solar System Planetarium combines craft, art and science, as you build and paint your own solar system. And for those who love to knit, there’s a Knitting Kit with everything needed to learn this craft. A selection of wools is also available.
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Totally roarsome HASBRO 020 8744 5652 | www.hasbro.co.uk Introducing the Play-Doh Dino Crew Crunchin’ T-Rex. There are so many hilarious ways to get creative with this toy! Imagine prehistoric adventures again and again with the green dinosaur figure, pterodactyl friend, and three PlayDoh eggs filled with 2.5 ounces of non-toxic modelling Take your compound. Hear T-Rex crunch, gulp, slurp, and burp as kids feed him compound, and watch the Play-Doh bits drop into imagination his tummy and then out the backside. The toy pterodactyl friend back in time to makes little half-eggs for the nest. It’s a totally roarsome dinosaur toy a world filled for boys and girls aged from three to five, or a great gift for kids who with dinos and love dinosaurs. It includes the Crunchin’ T-Rex figure, pterodactyl egg volcanoes! mould, and three eggs filled with Play-Doh brand modelling compound. Next, take your imagination back in time to a world filled with dinos and volcanoes! The Play-Doh Slime Dino Crew Lava Bones Island Playset features eggs filled with slippery-smooth Play-Doh slime hydroglitz compound to make the toy volcano erupt and fill the valley below with pretend lava. Each egg also contains mini dino bones to discover along the way. Fill the clear dino mould with the skeleton and the Play-Doh Slime lava to make your own dinosaur! This dinosaur toy is suitable for kids aged four years and up, and makes a great gift for dinosaur lovers. It includes a volcano playset, T-Rex bones, bone mix-ins, ruby charms, dinosaur mould, and four eggs filled with Play-Doh slime hydroglitz compound.
Clever colouring VIVID 01483 449944 | vividtoysandgames.co.uk
Charming crystal art CRAFT BUDDY 0203 417 6565 | www.craftbuddyltd.co.uk With diamond painting becoming a growing trend across Europe and taking the UK by storm, Craft Buddy UK has expanded its popular Crystal Art collection to include new Crystal Art Pendants kits, giving crafters the option to create stunning works of Crystal Art to display or wear, with multiple uses from necklaces, keyrings and brooches to magnets. With a range of components in the set, all in a delicate gold tone, simply decorate by sticking each crystal into the base using the glue provided and build an embellished unicorn, ballerina, butterfly, bee, owl or kingfisher charm.
APRIL 2021
Colour and style - again and again - with Crayola Colour ‘n’ Style Friends! Combining the strength of a growing supercategory, with an evergreen colouring activity and customisation, kids can have hours of creative fun colouring and restyling. Each doll comes with its own clothing accessory to clip on and style up. Using dry erase markers, colour in fun patterns and designs to the hair and clothes, to give the doll a cool new look. When you’re finished, just wipe off your designs and style again. The ‘Colour ‘n’ Style catwalk wardrobe playset transforms into a boutique catwalk that you can colour and sticker to add a personalised style. Then showcase your doll’s new marvellous makeover down the runway and store all your accessories! The Colour ‘n’ Style Colour Coupe has a real working car to colour in and personalise, before letting your dolls travel in style. Next, colour, wash and colour again the Crayola Washimals adorable little pets! Colour the pets in and when it’s time for a new look, pop them in the tub, give them a scrub with water and they are ready to be coloured in all over again. In 2021 Crayola Washimals is introducing a new set of characterful pets, which are ocean themed. The Washimals Ocean Lagoon Playset features adorable pets such as Sydney the Dolphin and Toby the Turtle. Crayola Color Wonder’s special inks don’t colour on skin, clothing or furniture, but magically turn to colour on the special colouring pages so you can have all the fun, without the mess. In 2021 the Color Wonder range is introducing more colourful adventures from kids’ favourite themes including Love Diana, CoComelon and Paw Patrol the Movie. Based on the evergreen play pattern of mechanical drawing, Crayola is launching the new Spin ‘N’ Swirl Oscar. Oscar the Octopus loves drawing and creating cool spiral patterns with his twirling tentacles. Place your pens in Oscar’s arms, press the button and get Oscar drawing!
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ARTS & CRAFTS
Schooled in the art of creativity SIMBA SMOBY TOYS UK 01620 674 778 www.uk.simba-dickie-group.com/en/home/
Creative playtime SPIN MASTER 01628 535 000 www.spinmastertoys.co.uk With brands such as Kinetic Sand and Cool Maker under its belt, Spin Master has a solid selection of arts & crafts toys that bring a creative element to playtime. 2021 will see several additions to Spin Master’s Kinetic Sand products, with highlights including the Ice Cream Treats Playset and new scented sand packaged in specially designed ice cream cone containers. The Ice Cream Treats Playset comes with vanilla, chocolate and strawberry scented Kinetic Sand, six different tools and moulds, and six topping accessories to create ice cream sundaes, waffles, ice cream cookie sandwiches and ice cream cones. Also new this year are the Shimmer Sand packs, which provide 907g of glittery Kinetic Sand that sparkles and shines for elevated sensory play. Meanwhile, Spin Master’s Cool Maker products include the Go Glam Nail Salon and Hollywood Hair Extension Maker, both of which provide kids and teens with the opportunity to create personalised nail art and unique hairstyles. This year, Spin Master is adding the Go Glam Glitter Nails Kit to the range. This activity kit includes six different colours of glitter and everything needed to create the perfect sparkly manicure.
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For creative fun on a bumper scale, there’s the Smoby School. Designed with preschoolers in mind, this playset combines arts & crafts fun with educational play. With the Smoby School, children can recreate the classroom setting and play-out a typical day in preschool. This compact, fold-out set comes with accessories and activities. For example, artistic kids will love the reversible slate. One side is an erasable white board, which is magnetic, so kids can doodle and then practise their writing and numerical skills with the magnetic letters and numbers included. The other side is a blackboard for use with chalks, so children can learn to create lots of different effects. There are even pegs to hang children’s drawings.
A flair for fun! FLAIR 0208 643 0320 | www.flairgp.co.uk Flair’s portfolio is bursting with creativity, with a host of new arts and crafts concepts and some heritage favourites that the whole family will enjoy. A/W21 will see an arrival to Flair’s creative play portfolio that will encourage kids to upcycle their scrap and decorative paper into all manner of things! With Paper FX, children can create accessories, gifts and decorations from magazines, wrapping paper, junk mail and more. The Paper FX weaving machine transforms any sheet of paper or card in minutes: simply tear the sheets, crease them, weave them and make unique creations. From handbags to purses, wallets, belts, coasters and more, children can let their imaginations run wild. Flair steps into an exciting new world where collectables meet craft - Sneak’Artz! Letting kids create their own miniature designs, the range launches with 24 mini shoe styles to collect.
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Bright design and vibrant sand MOOKIE TOYS 01525 722769 | www.mookie.com Throughout 2020 tie-dye was a massive trend and it’s here to stay. Mookie’s brand Tybo - a mess-free solution to tie-dye - is the perfect product to fit into this trend. Tybo successfully launched in the US last year and has hit the ground running in the UK. Tybo has two new products launching this year. Tybo XL is a bigger version of the Tybo Design Studio - eight times bigger, in fact! Able to transform larger items of clothing, it can turn plain clothes such as old hoodies into colourful masterpieces. Meanwhile, Tybo Dip & Dye allows you to add a bright twist to all kinds of accessories, by upgrading anything from nails to phone cases to give you truly one-of-a-kind pieces! Tybo will be supported by a TV led multichannel marketing campaign, with a new TVC for Dip & Dye and how-to videos for both. Jelly Sand is a new, fun and easy craft brand encouraging kids to get creative. Inspired by quick and easy play patterns, Jelly Sand is ready to play straight from the box. Simply pick from the range of face pieces, add to your mould, layer up your colourful sand and dip into water. The Jelly Sand characters are super cute once finished, looking perfect every time. Jelly Sand includes a range of options for fun face pieces and vibrant sand, and the Jelly Sand Super Studio comes complete with a water tank, sand holder and sand scooper for the ultimate play experience. The brand will be supported by TV, social and PR.
Mask up!
Arts & crafts with a twist
FIESTA CRAFTS
CHARACTER OPTIONS
020 8804 0563 | www.fiestacrafts.co.uk
0161 633 9800 | www.character-online.com
Following on from the success of Fiesta Crafts’ popular 3D Craft Mask Head range in 2020, the company has added to the collection with Colour-In 3D full-head mask kits. The sturdy cardboard shapes can be coloured in and fitted together to create a 3D Dinosaur Mask and a 3D Unicorn Mask. The colour-in versions add to the creativity of the mask as children can either follow suggested colours or personalise with their own unique designs. The huge 3D Masks can then be worn to complement roleplay or dress up activities and are even big enough to fit many adult-sized heads. The existing 3D Craft Mask Head range will continue throughout 2021 and will now feature the new Panda and Horse Head Sets. The impulse price point makes these an ideal pocket money purchase with exceptional play value.
Character Options is the home of Cra-Z-Art Shimmer ‘n Sparkle. This brand offers fashion-conscious kids an arts & crafts range to harness their creativity and express themselves. New for this year is the 6-in-1 Real Massaging Foot Spa, which lets children enjoy the ultimate pampered pedicure experience at home. The spa has six Spa-mazing features for the total foot spa experience: massaging foot rollers, skin smoothing buffer, cascading waterfall, relaxing bubbling action, colour-changing lights and a scented pedi-soak. The set even comes with a pair of spa slippers! Also fresh for 2021 is the Ultimate Twist & Colour Tie Dye Studio. Helping to inspire the next generation of fashion designers, this cool kit lets children design and create super bright tie dye fashions. Totally mess-free, children can twist it, band it, and dye it to create five different effects. This creative line joins the everpopular Nail & Body Art Designer Studio, which gives kids all the tools they need to create awesome nail and body art. This 250-plus piece set offers children hours of fun designing (temporary!) tattoos or creating stunning nail art. These new items will benefit from significant TV support.
APRIL 2021
FEATURE DOLLS
Mattel
Ask the retailers What dolls do you stock?
The value of
doll play
Sales of dolls have thrived during lockdown, as parents have stocked up on toys to get their children through the pandemic. TnP finds out how suppliers are making the most of this trend
D
olls have always been a core category for toy retailers, encouraging children to immerse themselves in imaginative play and, in the process, develop care-taking and nurturing skills. In the past 12 months, with the world under Covid restrictions, this role has been more important than ever - and doll suppliers are reaping the benefits. As Mattel UK director of marketing Kelly Philp points out: “The doll category is one of the success stories of last year.” Barbie ended 2020 leading this category as the number one dolls property and the number one fashion doll [The NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service, GBP Sales, Full Year 2020]. “Now, more than ever, parents are worried about ensuring their child is developing social skills,” Kelly says. “In fact, parents are more likely to encourage their child to play with a toy if they know it’s proven to help their child develop emotional skills, such as empathy. Fashion doll play delivers this, and the Barbie brand resonates with parents and girls, showing the important place that doll play has in a child’s development.” Bigjigs Toys director Liz Ireland supports this view. “Throughout the pandemic we’ve seen really good sales across both of our doll ranges. Dolls provide companionship and a
APRIL 2021
friendly face to little ones, which has been a great comfort when we’ve had to maintain distance.” Kasia Leskow, marketing manager of Zapf Creation UK, agrees. “Last year, we saw an increased demand for our products as parents looked for ways to steer children away from screens and towards traditional play - and we’ve had a positive start to 2021. To drive this trend forward, we’ve been focusing on educating parents on the value of doll play for the development of social, emotional and physical skills.” The past year has also seen more pressure to make dolls inclusive and reflective of their users. So how are doll suppliers embracing this? “Inclusivity in dolls gives kids more options to play, which will only have a positive impact,” says Kelly at Mattel. Since inception, Mattel’s Barbie has introduced more than 175-plus looks, offering children a variety of skin tones, eye colours, hair colours and textures, and body types to choose from. Barbie is continuing its journey to represent global diversity and inclusivity in the fashion doll aisle in 2021 with a new Fashionista line-up, including Ken in a wheelchair, Ken with rooted afro texture hair and Barbie with lighter skin with vitiligo - all for the first time. At Zapf Creation, “we’ve always said dolls are for everyone, and the many
We’ve historically always sold Melissa & Doug dolls, but with our reopening, we think it’s time to have a look and see what else is out there. We’ll be searching for something different. Dr Wendy Hamilton, Curious Minds, Helensburgh, Scotland
I made a choice early on to only do the Dolls World range from Peterkin as my space is so small: for dolls, I have a 10ft high, one metre bay. The price point is great, and they have lots of size and body options, as well as a full range of accessories. Call Me Chloe is fabulous, but I think you really have to see her in person to appreciate her. So I’m looking forward to being able to reopen and show her off properly. I probably won’t be taking too much of a risk on anything new in the dolls department until later in the year, and hopefully by then it will be possible to see new products in person again. Hazel McCarthy, Toy Corner, Moycullen, County Galway
Barbie and Our Generation are doing well for us, along with traditional baby dolls. When all’s said and done, sales of dolls are pretty good. Paul Wohl, Argosy Toys, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex
accessories and clothes we have across both our Baby Annabell and BABY born lines allow children to harness their imagination and play in any way they would like,” says Kasia. Bigjigs Toys’ Liz adds: “There’s a doll to suit every little one’s aspirations and encourage them to reach for the stars. The clothes are gender fluid and the range features dolls of different ethnicities and abilities - but the focus remains on exploring their interests, learning and having fun. For example, the Mia Wildlife Photographer doll wears a cochlear implant - but this doesn’t define her or stop her exploring to get the perfect photo.”
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FEATURE DOLLS
Character Options gets dolled up! CHARACTER OPTIONS 0161 633 9800 | www.character-online.com Character Options will continue to shake up the dolls category in the second half, with a new direction for the InstaGlam Dolls and new characters to meet from Dream Seekers. First, glam your doll, glam yourself, glam your world with Shimmer ‘n Sparkle InstaGlam Dolls! Character Options’ super-cool doll x makeup brand has nailed it once again in an upcoming new theme: Series 3 Wicked Nails. Launching for A/W21, Wicked Nails sees a new direction for the brand, as the Glam squad returns to model fresh metallic styles, with a secret nail polish compartment hidden inside each doll. Each Wicked Nails InstaGlam Doll comes with two miniature nail polish colours, plus nail gems and accessories. Also arriving later in the year are the InstaGlam Glo-Up Dolls. The adorable range of 10in collectable fashion dolls is based on the transformational ‘glow up’ trend that is taking over social media. Each doll comes wearing a sleep mask and pyjamas. Girls will love giving their dolls a complete top-to-toe beauty transformation, taking them on a makeover journey like no other, with exciting reveals on the doll and fabulous fashions and accessories to unbox. There are 25 fashion surprises in total including a real facemask for children to use, so they too can enjoy the glo-up process! The range launches with four characters to collect and Glo-Up, each with their own totally stylish look.
Having successfully launched this spring, the Dream Seekers range is set to go from strength to strength, with new characters to meet from autumn. Waiting to take the spotlight in the second half is Light Up Stella. Her removable rainbow gown complements her lovely long locks - girls will be in awe of the beautiful spectrum of pastel colours woven through her hair! But what really makes Stella the star of the show is her ability to let her inner light shine: Stella’s wings light up and change colour, with each colour representing the quality that she’s inspiring! Also new is Zara, with long lilac hair, glittery wings and a butterfly-embellished outfit. This free spirit will sit in her dream catcher, guarding a child’s dreams, while wishing for them to come true! These upcoming launches join a strong portfolio of doll brands, including a selection of larger dolls: Ballerina Dreamer, Call Me Chloe, and My Baby Tumbles. These ranges are all available now and benefit from comprehensive PR and marketing support.
Fashion fantasy BANDAI UK 0208 324 616 www.bandai.co.uk Children love to watch the adventures of Marinette and her crime-fighting teenage friends in popular TV show Miraculous. The main character Marinette, aka Ladybug, dreams of becoming a fashion designer - and this is where the Miraculous collection of dolls bring fantasy into reality. The four 12cm Small Dolls come with 15 points of articulation, one weapon and one removable accessory to play out key moments from the show. Accessories include a swivelling mirror, removable wings, and a removable cape. The six 26cm Fashion Dolls have 13 points of articulation, real-life rooted hair, and an assortment of accessories. The Superhero Secret Fashion Doll allows kids to help Marinette transform into Ladybug. This set includes two outfits, the miraculous earrings, her signature crossbody bag, a yo-yo weapon, a removable mask and the Tikki Kwami. For ultimate fans, the Deluxe 2-Pack will tick all the boxes. This set includes Cat Noir & Ladybug Fashion Dolls, along with their Superhero outfits, shoes and their yo-yo and staff weapons.
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Swim out SEAster FLAIR 0208 643 0320 | www. flairgp.co.uk Big news for Flair this autumn is the arrival of a new world of collectable dolls: SEAsters. Kids will be amazed as their beautiful but seemingly ordinary doll transforms from a princess into a magical mermaid when she’s immersed in water. They can watch her outfit mysteriously disappear to reveal her mermaid tail. Once the transformation is complete, kids can unlock the secret case to discover the pet charm bracelet hidden within. They’ll also be able to brush and style their SEAster’s hair and indulge in some imaginative play. Children can discover and collect 12 mesmerising mermaids - each a princess born of one of the Earth’s four oceans! Flair is also making some new introductions within the Hairdorables range this spring. The Series 6 Blow Dry Bestie dolls come styled with ‘blown away’ hairdos, a mini hairdryer, hair gel and accessories, as well as a doll stand. There’s also a colour change hair streak for girls to discover.
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Let’s pretend! Simba Smoby Toys UK 01620 674 778 | www.uk.simba-dickie-group.com/en/home Simba Smoby Toys UK continues to fill young minds with pretend play possibilities, with its Steffi Love and Evi Love collections. Sure to be a hit is Steffi Love Swap Mermaid. Steffi has been transformed into a mermaid with a shiny tail. Kids will enjoy running their fingers over the sequins to change the shade from blue to purple - and will love the colourful hair extensions that come included: they can be attached to Steffi’s hair or their own! For some nurturing playtime fun, there’s the Steffi Love Baby World playset. Mummy Steffi has her hands full looking after three babies, so kids can help Steffi push her youngest along in the pram, while one of the others gets to scoot along on their scooter. When it’s mealtime, children can place Steffi’s toddlers in the highchair ready for eat. And at nap time, a doll can sleep inside the cot - or, if Steffi is on the go, in the car seat. With 12 other accessories included with the playset, there’s plenty to keep little ones amused. Meanwhile, for Evi Love, Steffi’s younger sister, there’s a slumber party in store. The Bunk Bed playset comes complete with two dolls and two single beds that can be arranged as bunk beds, plus nightdresses, covers and pillows. Plus, kids will love the Evi Love Dog Sitter doll. Being a dog sitter is Evi’s favourite job - and it’s obvious why when you see her four-legged companion and puppies! Children can help Evi take them for a walk and lend a helping hand with bottle feeding too.
Dolly on-the-go CASDON 07951 033234 | www.casdon.com
More from Mattel MATTEL 01628 500000 | www.mattel.com Barbie momentum continues into 2021 with its mission to show girls ‘You Can Be Anything’. Q1 kicked off with new diverse editions to the Barbie Fashionistas range, more unboxing fun with the new Color Reveal Series and two new dolls joining the Barbie Extra line-up. Inspired by the new Barbie content special is the Barbie & Chelsea Story set and Chelsea Jungle River Playset. Bringing pet play to life is the new Puppy Party playset and adding magic to the range and a dramatic transformation is the Dreamtopia Colour Change Mermaid. Mattel’s dolls portfolio continues to expand with Polly Pocket, the original micro doll, adding the Koala Purse to the Large Wearable Compact Assortment, along with new animal-themed compacts in the Pocket World Assortment. Cave Club has new characters: Bashley and Rockelle. And new to the portfolio is Spirit, a range covering horses, dolls, collectables, and playsets inspired by the Dreamworks animated film, Spirit Untamed!
APRIL 2021
Well-versed at helping children develop through play, Casdon offers not just the trusted brands and roleplay toys for which the company is renowned, but also a range of doll accessories in its Baby Huggles collection. With the Car Booster Seat, little ones can take dolly on-the-go! The seat features hugging hand-shaped buckles and a threepoint harness that can be fixed inside any car, ready for the day’s adventures. For changing time, there’s the Baby Changing Mat Set. Designed to suit the most popular sizes of children’s own dolls, this stylish looking mat comes with a host of accessories. There is a reusable nappy, a real brush and even a little pot of nappy cream - everything a child could need to keep their dolly clean and dry! Another must-have is the Bath & Potty Set. This comes with a brush, comb, sponge, pretend soap and little beauty tubs.
Timeless classic ragdolls POSH PAWS 01268 567317 www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk The Ragdolls from Posh Paws’ Ragtales collection has handmade toys for girls and boys. Choose from Tilly, Sophie and Tommy and create your own imaginative play. Sophie the Ballerina Ragdoll is ready to spin and twirl her way through dance classes, as she finds her feet. She wears a pink dancing skirt with soft voile petticoat, together with a matching cardigan and velour slippers, and is ready to shine as the star of the show. The Tilly Ragdoll is dressed in a soft, traditional floral dress, stripy tights and purple velour shoes. She is ready for imaginative adventures with her friend Tommy, who is dressed in brown corduroy dungarees and a tiny beanie hat.
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POCKET MONEY TOYS
Say hello to impulse buys With shops and attractions closed, lockdowns have been hard on the pocket money sector. But with light at the end of the tunnel, what will children want to buy on a Saturday morning?
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I
t’s been quite a tough Everyone will year for the impulse buy, with (nonbe Pushpopping essential) shops barely in 2021! open, and child-friendly David Mordecai, attractions such as zoos H. Grossman and museums mostly shut. Some shops have managed to sell pocket money toys by presenting them as part of a Mookie Toys larger package, and suppliers Curli Pets have taken a similar tack. H. Grossman, for example, has created its own packages. “allowing customers to buy a collection of pocket money toys by age and gender,’’ says CEO David Mordecai. Bigjigs Toys had a similar strategy, as director Liz Ireland explains: “For our trade customers, we grouped together products for online listings and offered a lower freight paid so customers could keep good stocks.’’ Over at Mookie Toys, international marketing manager Christina Aikman says: “Over 2020 we ensured our pocket money offerings were available online as well
Spin Master
as in-store. We found customers were adding lower-priced items onto their existing orders.’’ Another strategy by suppliers has been to introduce toys with more play value within their pocket money ranges, to encourage online sales. For instance, at Spin Master, Hannah Ward says: “This autumn we are introducing a new product to our Twisty Petz range, which retains a low price point but allows for elongated play. The Twisty Petz Bracelet Kit gives consumers a chance to create up to five bracelets, demonstrating good play and monetary value.’’ Christina Aikman at Mookie Toys says they are “looking forward to launching Biopods by Silverlit - electronic creatures hidden in small pods. With three product options in the range, the hero product, Biopod In Motion (a large dinosaur-like creature), will help to support the smaller products.’’ Finally, pocket money toys are often where we find the ‘next big thing’. So what’s going to be hot in 2021? At Spin Master, Hannah Ward thinks it will be “pocket money toys that can be personalised’’. H Grossman is well known for having its finger on the pulse of the latest craze. David Mordecai says: “This year, watch out for Pushpoppers. We have hundreds of thousands on their way. Everyone will be Pushpopping in 2021!’’
Juratoys
Ask the retailers What pocket money toys do you stock? The best sellers are always slimes, putty, rubber snakes and stretchy toys. Anything kids can squeal ‘yuk!’ at! Our online sales have been extremely strong [during lockdown]. Dr Wendy Hamilton, Curious Minds, Helensburgh, Scotland
I’m planning to bring in the Pushpoppers [from H Grossman under its HGL brand]. I had the magnetic fidget spinners last year and I really liked them, but by far the best-selling pocket money toy was any squishy ball covered in mesh. Don’t ask me why! I have all my pocket money toys and collectables online, but they don’t go! I anticipate a strong demand when I reopen. Hazel McCarthy, Toy Corner, Moycullen, County Galway
We would normally sell quite a few pocket money toys in-store but it’s not the sort of thing that sells very well online. It’s ‘pick up’ product or ‘fob off’ product, as I like to call it. You know, the kid says: “I really want that!” and the parents say, “why don’t we get you that instead… and then we can get you out of the shop!” Paul Wohl, Argosy Toys, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex
Cool Maker
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Pocket Money Toys
• Range of 13 different products • All made from FSC wood • Price points from £1.99 to £7.50 Juratoys UK Ltd: sales@juratoys.co.uk • 0208 878 2133 • www.janod.com Jura April Ad.indd 1
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POCKET MONEY TOYS
Eco-friendly options JURATOYS
0208 878 2133 | www.janod.com The Pocket Money range from Janod features 13 different products: a beads game, spinning top, moo and baa noisemaker, articulated snake and crocodile, articulated caterpillar, bird whistle, yoyo, tooth box, kaleidoscope, cow and donkey push-up puppet, bear and rabbit noisemaker, pull-back car, and a stamp. Each item is produced from FSC wood so it’s the perfect option for an environmentally conscious pocket money range. Packed in attractive counter display packs, there is something to suit every budget. The products are perfect to pop next to the till for that impulse purchase once we’re all allowed back in the shops. Juratoys are offering launch deals including free stock.
Collectables with plenty of character! CHARACTER OPTIONS
0161 633 9800 | www.character-online.com Character Options is stretching out the play value of its pocket money ranges, with a host of new collectables from Mash’ems and the Heroes of Goo Jit Zu. There’s big news for Mash’ems: having marked the brand’s 10th anniversary in 2020, this licensed collection of squishable collectables will see plenty of newness added to the range this year. Arriving just in time to support the new movie, there’s Minions Rise of Gru, which launches later this month. Meanwhile, A/W21 arrivals include an enchantingly squishy Disney Princess collection, a surprisingly squashy Spider-Man selection, a PAW Patrol collection, and an assortment of Jurassic World characters. This twistable, squishable line benefits from a massive awareness campaign, including dedicated TV support. Mash’ems’ first TV campaign launches in May, showcasing a huge range of these collectable characters with multiple TV spots and coverage for all licences across the collection. Having shipped more than 10 million Heroes of Goo Jit Zu toys globally in 2020, Character Options has introduced a fun new way to play with the brand, with the spring launch of a new licensing collaboration: the Heroes of Goo Jit Zu DC range, including special DC Minis. Smaller in size but big in stretch value, this collection presents the DC Heroes like they’ve never been seen before! There are eight super stretchy heroes to collect,
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Purr-fect pocket money pick-up TWO IN 1 DIRECT Paul@allin1products.com catsvpickles.com Cats vs. Pickles is the new collectable craze. Purr-fect for a quick pocket money pick-up, this paw-some collection is inspired by Cepia LLC’s hilariously silly property in which Cats are nothing short of paw-trified of Pickles! But Cats have meowsunderstood - all Pickles want is a bit of love. Exclusively available from TWO IN 1 Direct, the Cats vs. Pickle line launched earlier this year with Collectable Plushies. These character-based collectables can be bought as single packs, twopacks and themed four packs, with more than 100 different styles to collect. Launching this autumn, Cats vs. Pickles can look forward to city living with the cute Kitty Condos. These light-up, customisable playsets stack together to create bright and cheerful neighbourhoods for their Plushie pals. Kitty Condos will be available in two pocket money friendly options: Core Habitats and Themed Habitats. Both come with one container, accessories and character. For a plusher option, there’s the 22-piece Deluxe Habitat.
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A myriad of mini purchases SPIN MASTER
01628 535 000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk Spin Master’s roster of pocket money toys is expanding with the introduction of the Hatchimals Wilder Wings range this spring and Shimmer Babies in autumn. There is a wide variety of new Hatchimals to buy and collect, including the Wilder Wings Pixies. These cute dolls each have their own unique fabric wings with bold patterns, and every character comes in a new style of egg with a different look and two themed accessories. In addition to the collectable Monster Jam 1:24 and 1:64 scale trucks, Spin Master is also introducing a new line of mini trucks perfect for a pocket
money purchase. Compact and small in size, the tiny 1:87 scale trucks each have unique detailed designs and are hidden within concealed packaging for added mystery and fun. Also new are the Paw Patrol Moto Pups Mini Figures. Each 5.1cm tall figure comes in an Adventure Bay Tower container and it’s a surprise who’s inside. There are seven pups to collect, including newest team member Wildcat. In addition, this year Spin Master is adding to its Cool Maker lines with the Go Glam Glitter Nails Kit. With six different colours of glitter available, it’s a great pocket money purchase for anyone looking to add some sparkle to their day. On top of this, Spin Master’s Twisty Girlz are perfect for an additional dose of style and fun. With the new ‘Girls Night Out’ theme, each Twisty Girl transforms from a fashionable doll into an actual wearable bracelet. They also come with a secret Twisty Pet, which can turn into a ring.
The race is on SIMBA SMOBY TOYS UK
01620 674 778 www.uk.simba-dickie-group.com/en/home Simba Smoby Toys UK continues to drive its pocket money toy sales with the diecast collectables brand Jada Toys and a Ryan’s World collection that is full of eggcellent surprises! Revved up for a fast and furious year of growth is Simba Smoby Toys UK’s collectable die-cast vehicle brand Jada Toys. Celebrating the best in action film merchandising with scaled replicas of the most memorable wheels, these models feature an impressive level of detail. The Fast & Furious collection, which is part of Jada’s Hollywood Rides series, will enjoy greater traction this year with the release of the F9 movie in May. Fans can collect popular cars from the eight-film, multibillion-dollar franchise, as well as new additions from Hobbs & Shaw. There’s something for Bat-fans, too. This pop icon celebrated his 80th birthday in 2020 so to celebrate, Jada launched a range of Batman 1:32 scale die-cast vehicles. Each of the six packs contain a metal figure and vehicle modelled on Batman’s onscreen appearances. Meanwhile, there’s lots more pocket money fun to be had with the Ryan’s World Mystery Eggs. Kids can create their own unboxing videos as they crack open the bright yellow egg, to reveal a free-wheeling 1:64 die-cast fantasy race car hidden inside. With 12 different die-cast vehicles waiting to be unboxed, including the Combo Panda Speedster and Ryan’s Muscle Car - plus one chase model - the race is on to collect them all!
MARCH 2021
A pocketful of hot properties BASIC FUN!
0118 925 3270 | www.BasicFun.com From an all-new peel ‘n’ reveal unboxing experience to a selection of colourful plush collectables, Basic Fun! is a perfect partner for pocket money toys this year. Following an incredible 2020 for Monopoly, look out for Monopoly Surprise Collectables for A/W21. These blind-boxed, multi-purpose collectables serve up a peel ‘n’ reveal unboxing experience. With six different collectable cubes to discover, and five surprises in every pack, kids can collect, play, and display more than 20 game tokens. The surprises include heavyweighted, exclusive tokens; unique coins; new Mr. Monopoly expressions; chase tokens, and more. The collectables can also be used while playing nearly any version of the property trading game. Basic Fun! has also plated up an extended Cutetitos menu. Look out for the new limited edition Unicornitos theme. With magical markings; each of these little cuties has a ‘hot spot’ personality waiting to be discovered. Children will also want a slice of the action when it comes to Series 5 Wave 2 Pizzaitos. There are eight new animalitoes to collect in adorable prints and fun pizza wraps.
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POCKET MONEY TOYS
Vivid’s on trend VIVID TOY GROUP
A big Bandai Ball bonanza BANDAI UK 0208 324 616 | www.bandai.co.uk Bandai UK continues to evolve its collectables portfolio throughout 2021 with the unveiling of new ranges and extensions to its best-selling brands. Fans of mega-hit Dragon Ball - one of the most successful manga and anime series of all time - are given an entry-price action figure range with Bandai’s latest collection. The highly articulated Evolve Action Figures recently added new 12.5cm versions of Goku Ultra Instinct Silver, Golden Frieza, and Jiren Full Power Final Form to the range, for Dragon Ball play at pocket money budgets. Arts & crafts fashion IP Harumika brings a host of styles for the new season with new Nature Mood and Tie-Dye themes added to its popular line of Single Torso Sets, which allow budding fashionistas to channel their creativity without the need for gluing, sewing, or cutting. Children simply arrange the fabrics around the mannequin torso, tuck into the slits using the stick and pins, and the design stays in place. The single torso assortment comes with a torso, stick, 10 pins and three fabrics. Existing mood boards include Street Blues, Neon Beast, Charming Countryside and Sweet Peru, and complete the Single Torso Set collection to inspire creativity and cultivate a love for fashion. Since its relaunch last year, Harumika has established a growing community where children can access YouTube and Instagram channels to share creations, be inspired and learn new techniques from a catalogue of tutorials. Currently airing on children’s TV channel POP, Miraculous follows the adventures of high school student Marinette and her LadyBug alter ego. With a new TV season planned to air from Easter, and a feature film debut due in Q4, the show’s popularity is expected to soar - along with demand for licensed product. Bandai UK continues to invest in the brand with the introduction of new Kwami collectables to join its existing range of fashion dolls, playsets, roleplay accessories, and plush. The Kwami collectables offer pocket money purchase options and give children an opportunity to unlock the magic, as seen in the animated series, at an entry-level price point. The collectables themselves are housed in Miraculous blind boxes and are moulded holding their precious Miraculous. Pearlescent and glitter finishes to the packaging creates stand-out before the unboxing surprise reveal. Four of the show’s major characters feature within Bandai’s collection of 12cm collectable small dolls.
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01483 449944 | vividtoysandgames.co.uk Vivid’s talent for picking out hot new brands in the YouTube space is enhanced with the launch of the Love, Diana range for 2021. The star of YouTube’s Kids Diana Show has more than 5 billion views a month globally (Tubefilter, August 2020), and her popularity continues to rise. Vivid is launching an all-encompassing product range based around Diana, her family and their adventures; focusing on the positivity of friendship, family, creativity and the power of play. The Love, Diana Collectables range consists of a selection of articulated mini figures of Diana, her brother Roma and the myriad of other characters from her channel. A/W21 will allow Love, Diana fans to discover a whole new host of characters, outfits, accessories and two new themes of mash-up playsets at a mid-level price point. The range will also welcome two larger-scale playsets with multiple levels of play, inviting children to create their own pretend play in their homes and integrate their other Love, Diana collectables too! Based on popular themes from the hit Kids Diana Show YouTube channel of family play and music, they will include exclusive figures and accessories to match the playset’s theme. Ryan’s World continues to go from strength to strength with the Ryan channels racking up more than 4 billion UK lifetime views (YouTube data, Oct 2020); Vivid’s retail sales up 15% YTD and the brand holding its own as the number 3 property in the preschool toys category (NPD YTD data, Aug 2020). Off the back of the overall brand success, Vivid is launching a range of new product for 2021. Ryan’s World Tour is a key new brand initiative, with a product range based around Ryan and his adventures learning about different countries. The line includes new collectable figures and playsets from all four corners of the globe. Collect 80 different versions of Ryan and his friends, each with a unique style and flag sticker for the country they represent.
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From pods to pet pals MOOKIE TOYS 01525 722769 | www.mookie.com Mookie Toys and robotic expert Silverlit have some interesting new lines launching in the pocket money category. BioPods are electronic creatures hidden in small pods, with a glowing eye on show: build them to find out what creature is inside! The mini robots have realistic sound effects and light-up LED eyes - and there are more than 12 to collect. Meanwhile, EXOST Jump has an environmental focus: a friction-controlled car with packaging that turns into a jumping ramp. With six styles to collect, all you need to do is charge and go. Plus, 2020 saw the launch of Curli Girls and in 2021 Mookie is launching the adorable Curli Pets: a range of pocket-sized pals with Magi-curl patented hair who sit in their salon chairs. Dress them up, style their hair and carry them around!
A Flair for surprises FLAIR 0208 643 0320 | www.flairgp.co.uk There’s a world of pocket money priced surprises waiting to be discovered in the 2021 Flair Just Play portfolio. First up, an exciting door opens with Disney Doorables! Kids will love revealing the Disney characters hidden behind surprise doors. Available as Mini Peek Packs and as A’Doorable Mini Playsets, there are 62 characters available to collect. In A/W21 fans can look forward to more launches and a further 41 characters to find. There will be a fresh new series and products launching for A/W. Keep an eye out for Series 5, as well as the Disney Doorables Collectors Packs, which contain special edition figures. What’s more, there will also be new Mini Playsets and bigger Beyond the Door Playsets. Also fresh for spring is Sneak’Artz, the customisable craft collectable. The range launches with 24 mini shoe styles to collect and design. Look out for the Sneak’Artz Bumper Set, with its two-shoe format, spray can, glitter and four-dots pens, accessories, and stencils. Later in the year look out for hydrographic papers - an all-new processing technique that allows kids to transfer graphics to their Sneak’Artz shoes. This series will launch with a special edition Galaxy theme.
APRIL 2021
Sensory appeal FUNRISE UK SalesUK@Funrise.com | www.funrise.com/ From Fart Ninjas and light-up Bright Fairy Friends to Gazillion Bubbles pets, the Funrise UK pocket money toy portfolio has all-round sensory appeal. The Fart Ninjas collection now comprises an impressive assortment of characters and poses, with plenty of new arrivals for 2021. Kids will be able to choose from a hilarious selection of outrageously crude names, as well as a variety of creative formats from this property. There’s motion sensor activated figures that produce realistic fart sounds and Fart Ninjas XL Figures that come with a remote control for ‘fart on demand’, as well as a record and play back function. New to the Gazillion Bubble range this year are battery-free Bubble Pets that can be ‘fed’ premium Gazillion bubble solution; squeeze their bellies to produce bubbles from their mouths! There’s more to come from BFF Bright Fairy Friends. This season, each BFF character comes housed in a pearlescent pink mason jar, offering children an exciting blind-reveal experience. Each doll has colour-changing wings, which glow when the doll’s necklace is pressed. Kids can look forward to meeting the BFF Bestie Pets, and a mermaid theme swimming onto the scene for A/W21.
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DON’T MISS…
Here’s a quick peek at some of the hottest and newest products. Buyers and retailers, get in touch with your sales contact now!
Product: Solar System Circular Puzzle Company: Bigjigs Toys Tel: 01303 250400 Web: www.bigjigstoys.co.uk
Product: Travel Folding Cribbage and Solitaire (new packaging) Company: Gibsons Tel: 020 8661 8866 Web: www.gibsonsgames.co.uk
Product: Hedstrom Musical Folding Toddler Swing Company: MV Sports & Leisure Tel: 01217488000 Web: www.mvsports.com
Product: bworld UPS Store Company: Bruder (Distributor in UK: Alpha Toys Ltd) Tel: 00353 67 63800 Web: www.bruder.de
Product: KidzMaker Fairy Light Bulb Company: Great Gizmos Tel: 01293 543221 Web: www.ggtrade.co.uk
Product: Dino Rise T-Rex: Battle of the Giants Company: Playmobil Tel: 01268 548111 Web: www.playmobil.co.uk
Product: Magicube Shapes and Wheels Company: Geomagworld Tel: 07831 886997 Web: www.geomagworld.com
Product: My First Garden Collection Company: Lamaze Tel: 01932 281 928 Web: www.uk.tomy.com/toys/lamaze
Product: EXIT – Gate Between Worlds Company: Thames & Kosmos UK Tel: 01580 713000 Web: www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk
TNP
LOOKS BACK
Step back in time TnP founder Malcolm Naish takes a look back through time to reflect on industry goings-on in April 2011, 2001, 1991 and 1983
April 1983 •
April 2001
Our front cover for the month featured Grandstand’s hand-held Firefox F-7. It was TV promoted and highlighted the strong market growth for hand-held electronic games that were quickly taking big sales away from the more established toy categories.
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The TnP front cover featured K’Nex, publicising its latest Space range.
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It would appear that Easter sales were very flat, with no ‘hot’ product to bring children and their parents into store.
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As if to illustrate the longevity of good character licensing, we highlighted the Smurfs, who kept coming back into the popularity stakes on a regular basis.
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Toymaster enjoyed big Easter success with a promotion across the Palitoy range of products, giving some sorely-needed extra profit margin. The promotion saw 2.25 million leaflets distributed to Toymaster members.
A number of smaller EU countries were trying to get the EU to ban all TV advertising to kids. This of course was most strongly fought by British TV stations. The good news was that finally EU commissioner Vivine Reding confirmed in very strong terms that she was NOT interested in any ban. Big sighs of relief all round!
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Hasbro announced a loss of $25 million on its first quarter global sales. The blame went to declining sales of Furby and Pokémon.
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Licensing 2001 International, held at the Javitz Centre in New York saw British characters leading the charge with Bob the Builder, Tomb Raider, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter right up the front on licensing deals.
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Norman Walker, as well as being CEO of K’Nex in New York, also wrote our ‘Letter from America’ article each month. Norman was a brilliant scribe and penned a cautionary tale of an American customer – etoys - which wanted to place a big order for delivery in total by the end of September. Etoys was probably the first online operator before eBay and spent big on consumer advertising.
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His stance to not deliver big was vindicated when he wrote that while etoys paid its bill in full, a few months later, thanks to dwindling online sales, it was forced to close and sell its stock at just 24 cents to the dollar to a close-out specialist. It looks like etoys was simply ahead of its time.
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We got involved with Dave Cave, then toy buyer at Makro, to cosponsor its tennis tournament on the grass courts of Ilkley Tennis Club. Dave had got into hot water with his then boss for using the Makro name for his first tournament in 1982, so we were very happy to get involved, particularly as I had a mean, top spin first serve and was able occasionally to run up to the net to volley! We continued to have a great relationship with Dave and Makro staff and in the process raised thousands of pounds for charity. Well-known Woolies buyer of many years Geoff Pritchard, who was about to retire, sadly collapsed and died on the golf course. Geoff had many friends and his death was a great shock to all his friends and family.
April 1991 •
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Sindy from Pedigree - who in those days outsold Barbie in independent toy stores - was the star of our front cover. Looking very sweet in her cycling gear, it was a great shame that she wasn’t able to maintain her market share in the UK toy trade. We were sad to announce that Bob Scott was retiring from Toymaster due to health reasons. Bob had been with Toymaster for more than 10 years and was highly regarded by the industry. At the same time the buying group announced that Peter Ovall would be joining the Board as business development director.
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Bandai allocated over £1 million in TV advertising to its ‘Turtles’ products, running from May to the middle of August.
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Max Zapf decide to advertise Baby Born on TV for the first time.
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Our W.H. Smith Top 40 best-selling games saw no changes at the top with Pictionary, Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble occupying the top three slots. Others in the top 10 included Balderdash, Monopoly, Pass the Pigs, Uno and Risk - all games that are still popular in 2021.
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One of the nicest men in the toy trade sadly passed away. His name was Tony Cuthbertson and he was the owner and driving force behind Britwood Toys. Tony exhibited at all the regional toy fairs and was always the life and soul of any gathering. Hamleys was owned by American duo Duncan Chadwick and Neil Bailey who were credited with introducing the very first EPOS system to America with their California-based toy business. They changed the toy range considerably after buying the company to include far more infant accessories, handicrafts and fantasy figurines.
APRIL 2021
April 2011 •
Re:creation advertised its ‘Ickle Stikeez’ on our front cover. Said to be squishy, squeezy and sticky, the toys were big sellers and probably every mother’s worst nightmare. Just what kids want these days!
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Corinthian Marketing was placed into administration; a sad situation as it had, over the years, brought some great product to market. Its ‘In my Pocket’ range was immediately snapped up by Flair, with more suitors vying for the other brands.
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Crown Cards closed down. A long-established wholesaler, best known for its greeting cards, it was also part of the Impact Group of wholesalers, selling a big range of pocket money toys over the years.
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Tomy was given the green light for its purchase of Racing Champions.
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Character Group delivered impressive half-year figures with pre-tax profits of £6.64 million - an improvement year-on-year of 77.8%. Revenue was up 34.8% to £58.1 million.
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Hit Entertainment was looking for a buyer. According to analysts, Apax needed to raise £650 million from the sale to pay back the banks and recoup its £306 million initial investment.
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Talk about going the extra mile; Rob Mann completed the London Marathon, hobbling the last 12 miles due to a dodgy knee. Run on behalf of BTHA’s Toy Trust, Rob raised plenty of money for the charity although he admitted: “The training nearly killed me and I have lost any friends I ever had by my constant demands for money!”
51
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