Toys n Playthings August 2014

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Helping everyone sell more

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

FIT MADE

!

N U F

active We,ve put the eractive with... into int

The only ual wearable tvirgtets pet tha

kids ! active

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

Order Now 01895 202 840 Visit leapfrog.co.uk

Consistently the No.1 UK Learn to Read and Write system*

Read

Write

Listen

Learn

Reads books out loud

Stroke-by-stroke writing guidance

MP3 player holds 40 audio books

Vocabulary, maths, science and more

*Based on LeapFrog Read & Write deďŹ nitions and NPD Year-To-Date May 2014 & full year 2013 EPOS services, Value ÂŁ sales.

Order Now 01895 202 840

Visit leapfrog.co.uk

CONTENTS Regular 5

4 st 201 Augu No.11 3 Vol. 3

Leader with Mirella Cestaro

6

News – what’s the latest?

9

Quick Coffee Break with Graham Canning, Sales Director at VTech UK

14

People News – checking in on the movers and shakers

P18

12

Movie News – we give you the hottest updates

13

Exhibition News – the latest from the scene

10

Media News – all that is happening in media

11

Media Charts – the latest kids TV viewing figures and toy TV advertising spend

16

What’s New – new products that you need to get yourhands on

23

Toy Talk – the retailers have their say

Editor

59

Trade Talk – we give suppliers the chance to talk business

Mairead Wilmot mairead@lemapublishing.co.uk

68

Licensing News – the hottest news from the toy licensing industry

71

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

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

Writer Rhys Thomas rhys@lemapublishing.co.uk

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

Features 24

Autumn Fair preview – everything you need to know about this year’s show

38

Fashion Dolls – find out what’s de rigueur

P24

48 Radio Control – the latest from this action packed category 60

Party Time – bringing the party to the toy aisle

Sales Manager Abi Gardner abi@lemapublishing.co.uk

Special Report 15

Passion for People – Chicco introduces some former retailers that have joined the team

18

Cover Story – LeapFrog reveals all about its big new launches, a real high-tech trifecta

37

The nest big thing – Discover DigiBirds, the nature-inspired collectable range from Silverlit

Publisher Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

Production Director Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

Managing Director

44 Retail Interview – TnP’s Rhys Thomas sat down with Jarrold’s Toy and Baby Gifting Buyer, Selina Clarke 56

Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

Safety Roundtable – our panel of experts discuss the latest toy safety standards and legislations

P37

Columnists Circulation Manager

20

The Media Whisperer – media expert Clive Crouch talks original content and investment

Robert Thomas robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

22

Shop Talk – columnist John Ryan looks at the impact of technology on the toy industry

36 Lema Publishing Ltd

PUBLISHING

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

Business Driver – John Harper is back with the first in a new series of columns on motivation and maximising your impact when you’re at your best 47

The Independent and Secret Supplier– our two columnists tackle the tricky topic of online retailers

58

Technical Column – Malcolm Horner jumps in on the safety requirements for trampolines

66

TnP Ambassadors – Our tester families try out some fun toys!

70

Licensing Opinion – LIMA’s Kelvyn Gardner reveals a passion for fashion dolls

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

Independently audited

P48

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

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Helping everyone sell more

New for Autumn

˦ ÞŘOÌ ǼŸȖOÌ ǣONjssŘ

Secure internet browser ll New app allows ¶NjŸȖƼ ¶ Ŏs ƼĶ ɴ

Performance of an adult tablet, ǣƼsOÞʩO ĶĶɴ _sǣÞ¶Řs_ ¯ŸNj OÌÞĶ_NjsŘ

Download e-books, ɚÞ_sŸǣʰ ¶ Ŏsǣ Ř_ ŎȖǣÞO

LEADER Mirella Cestaro

A member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation

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

PUBLISHING

At the heart of retail Also published by Lema Publishing

licensing T O D A Y

W O R L D W I D E

magazine

TableWare INTERNATIONAL

PICTURE BUSINESS

Featuring FRAMING BUSINESS

I

Stomp and Chomp Gridlock, f you subscribe to Nerf Demolisher, My Monopoly and Nerf the idea that the toy Rebelle Agent Bow. And not forgetting industry tends to LEGO who were in there with the LEGO quieten down over the City Arctic Base Camp. summer months, we have That list is undoubtedly one to watch as to disagree with you. There we head into the season to be jolly. have been plenty of movers and shakers over the But back to the magazine, our People News month of July and lots of interesting news coming page was so packed this month that we have some out of the sector. NPD released a very insightful over-spill into our news pages. Notably we feature press release towards the end of the month the announcement from Schleich that Jeremy proclaiming that the French and UK toy markets Robinson has been confirmed as their new UK were the strongest performing in Europe, with Country Manager. He takes the reigns from Gary toy sales up 6% compared to the same period last Wilmot who has been announced as Character year. Toy Industry Analyst with the NPD Group, Option’s new Senior National Frederique Tutt was quoted Accounts Manager. We wish them as saying: “The UK market is both well in their respective new renowned for being particularly NPD reported ventures. receptive to new trends driven that a record £1 As promised last month, we by the entertainment calendar. million of Loom feature our report (complete with This year has been rich in events, Bands were sold in fetching pictures!) from TnP’s Golf from the World Cup, to strong film releases but it’s really the the first week of July Day as penned by our fearless leader Malcolm “Bubba” Naish. scale of new playground crazes and traditional play Turn to page 64 to have a gander. that has been welcomed by the categories were We welcome back a good friend industry after a few years seeing of TnP’s, John Harper, who returns consumers keeping rigidly to big flying with Building occasions to buy new toys.”

Sets up 21% and Arts with his must-read column. This month the former Hasbro head And were any of us surprised by and Crafts up 16% advises us “to be at our best” and the scale of these new playground you can read his invaluable words crazes? NPD reported that a of wisdom on page 36. Our Cover record £1 million of Loom Bands Story on pages 18 and 19 is given over to LeapFrog were sold in the first week of July and traditional who are not talking about one exciting new play categories were flying with Building Sets up launch, but three! You’ll want to get your hands on 21% and Arts and Crafts up 16%. The report also these so make sure to delve in. highlighted that 25 million World Cup related toys And if like us you are heading to Autumn Fair in have been sold so far this year, most of them being Birmingham, you should stickers. This is all good news, very good indeed. turn to page 24 for the LEGO, LeapFrog, Character Options and Panini start of our coverage. Our featured the top five best selling toys year to date (5/07/2014) and NPD pointed out that a whopping features this month focus in on fashion dolls, RC £9 million worth of Loom Bands were sold in the toys and Party and we also UK since the beginning of the year! have our quarterly Safety “We hadn’t seen such trends since at least Roundtable while Malcolm 2011 and it is great news for the market as small Horner from Bureau Veritas purchases and impulse buys are on the rise again,” returns with his Safety noted Frederique.

Column – a must-read for Argos’ chief toy buyer Linzi Walker also everyone who wants to announced their top toys for Christmas in an event know what is happening in which was live streamed – much to everyone’s the toy safety industry. excitement. Flair’s Xeno (in orange, blue and Congratulations to Christine Thomas, It has also been a year violet) featured, as did Vivid’s My Friend Cayla, Senior Licensing Executive at since TnP launched our Character’s Teksta Dinosaur, Little Live Pets Entertainment One UK who won LIMA UK’s inaugural Rising Stars Award 2014. redesign and we hope Birds and Cra-Z-Loom Christine is pictured with LIMA MD and we have abided by our bracelet maker, Jakks TnP columnist Kelvyn Gardner who promise to help everyone Pacific’s Disney Princess presented the award. sell more.

Snow Glow Elsa, VTech’s And with that, we will Kiddizoom Watch, let you enjoy our August 2014 edition of Toys n LeapFrog’s LeapBand, Playthings.

Hasbro’s Transformers

“

If you would like to subscribe to any of our other market leading titles please call Robert Thomas on 01442 289930 or email your request to robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

”

NEWS

Playground crazes and pocket money toys help boost traditional play, says NPD

The NPD group has said that traditional play is getting a boost thanks to pocket money toys and playgroup crazes. In a recent report, they pointed out that three of the top five best-selling toys belong to creative segments.

Looking at the best-selling toys since the beginning of the year, NPD reveals that three products in the top five come from the Building Sets or Arts & Crafts categories. “Collectibles have definitely made a come back in 2014 and boosted the traditional segments,” explained

Frédérique Tutt, Global Toy Industry Analyst with The NPD Group.

Despite the high tech category still being the fastest growing (+24% yearto-date June 2014), both the Arts & Crafts and the Building Sets categories are featuring significant sales increases at +16% and +21% respectively. This is driven by playground crazes such as Loom Bands and LEGO mini figures.

NPD also add that toy sales to date were up by 6% compared to the same period last year and the UK and France are currently the strongest performing markets in Europe. The top five best selling toys year to date (5/07/14) were Panini’s 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Single Pack, LEGO’s LEGO Mini Figures followed by LEGO Mini Figures The Simpsons Series, LeapFrog’s LeapPad Explorer Tablet and Character Options’ Cra-Z-Loom Bracelet Maker.

LeapFrog expands partnership with Disney It was announced recently that LeapFrog has added Disney’s ‘Planes 2: Fire and Rescue’ to the Read on Your Own Series for the award winning learn-toread-and-write system, LeapReader. The interactive book allows children aged five to eight to explore advanced vocabulary, play memory games and much more.

This addition to the LeapReader range sits alongside other popular Disney titles including ‘Doc McStuffins’ and ‘Monsters University’ and coincides with the launch of the new Disney movie, so children can continue the adventure after the film has ended whilst building confidence in their reading skills.

Sally Plumridge, International Marketing Director, LeapFrog said: “Disney ‘Planes 2: Fire and Rescue’ is an exciting addition to the LeapReader range, expanding upon LeapFrog’s existing partnership with Disney. We’re thrilled to be launching this new title alongside the hotly anticipated second film, which is sure to be a hit with children and parents alike this summer”.

Key findings: •

•

•

•

A record £1m of Loom bands were sold in the first week of July. £9m in total have been sold since the start of 2014.

Traditional play categories are growing: Building Sets +21% and Arts & Crafts +16% since the beginning of the year.

25m World Cup related toys have been sold so far this year – mostly stickers.

Argos announces top toys for Christmas Argos’ chief toy buyer Linzi Walker was in the hot seat recently as she announced the retailer’s top toys for Christmas 2014. In an event which was live streamed to the nation, Linzi previewed what Argos anticipate will be the most sought-after toys on the market. In no particular order, they are…

My Friend Cayla – Vivid Imaginations Transformers Stomp & Chomp Grimlock - Hasbro Xeno Interactive Toy - Flair Teksta Dinosaur – Character Options Disney Princess Snow Glow Elsa - Jakks LEGO City Arctic Base Camp - LEGO Nerf Demolisher darts missile - Hasbro My Monopoly - Hasbro Little Live Pets Birds Asstd – Character Options Cra-Z-Loom Bracelet Maker – Character Options VTech Kiddizoom Watch - VTech Leapfrog Leap Band Green - LeapFrog Nerf Rebelle Agent Bow - Hasbro

Nixies hit the shelves There was some exciting news from Peterkin towards the end of July with the announcement that the first delivery of Nixies have arrived in their Leicester warehouse. Peterkin describe Nixies as “beautiful, graceful, motorised mermaids - the ultimate in undersea glam on the go!”. There

6

are three different Nixies to collect in the launch assortment – Bella, Amelia and Narissa, as well as an aquarium playset, which is supplied complete with a Nixie, a pet seal and a decal sheet. Nixies are being supported with TV advertising, with the first burst going to air across the first two weeks of August.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Silverlit’s DigiBirds picks up award Silverlit are celebrating after picking up the Grand Prix de Jouet 2014 for DigiBirds.

DigiBirds came top in the Interactive Animal category at the French awards with this being the third honour the toy has picked up following success in Australia and Germany.

Silverlit say the award is testament to DigiBirds’ “uniqueness, originality, inspiration and innovation”.

DigiBirds are available in more than 20 colours and every DigiBird has a different design and characteristics.

The DigiBirds app is also hugely popular, offering mini games to players who can then unlock mysterious bird songs.

Go Doh Nutters for John Adams’ new games Continuing to build on the success of its headline-grabbing games like Doggie Doo, Silly Moo and Pig Out, John Adams has recently expanded its offering with the acquisition of the best-selling Pig Goes Pop and Doh Nutters games.

Pig Goes Pop is a hilarious and fast paced game where players feed the pig with mini-burgers, watch him get bigger then eventually pop!

The immensely popular Doh-Nutters game involves players wearing an elephant mask with the aim to catch as many doughnuts on the end of their ‘trunk’ as possible. Both games appeal to a wide age range and ability level, which enhances their play appeal and longevity.

“Our in-depth knowledge of the UK Games Market has enabled us to successfully introduce key new lines into our expanding Children’s Action Games portfolio,” said Simon Pilkington, Managing Director of John Adams. “Already huge successes in their own right, Pig Goes Pop and Doh Nutters fit perfectly into our established Action Games division and complement our range development programme for this year and beyond.”

Both Pig Goes Pop and Doh Nutters will be TV advertised and supported by a strong PR campaign.

Digitally divine: Next generation pet to hit the market

Gearing up for global expansion The team at Mask-arade are still celebrating after a successful trip to the Licensing Expo in Vegas, last June.

Fresh from being named as one of the UK’s Top 50 fastest growing businesses, the innovative party mask company say they are now gearing up for global expansion after a series of high-profile meetings.

Licensing director, Ray Duffy said: “After exhibiting at two trade fairs in Germany earlier this year and securing distribution channels across Europe our next target is naturally the USA.” The Warwickshire based business continues to grow at an impressive rate, a fact recognised recently when Mask-arade were named in the Santander Breakthrough 50 - an awards scheme created in partnership with Smarta to identify businesses that have captured a significant market share, are growing future revenues and have a clear vision to develop even further in the future.

Hasbro launch new vanity kit It is new and it is sure to be a hit! Hasbro’s DohVinci Style & Store Vanity kit has launched and if you don’t know about it yet, you should.

The customisable vanity set allows users to design in 3D, you just pop the deco pop compound into the styler and you’re ready to go. The specialty tip lets you create even more decorations; they harden overnight so your creations will be around for a long time.

The vanity has a real mirror and a working drawer, so once you’re done creating, you can store your favourite things in it. If you want to know a little more, contact Hasbro on 020 8569 1234.

Who needs real pets anyway? We’ve got Animin now!

Animin is being dubbed as a “next generation digital pet” which uses the latest augmented reality (AR) technology to bring mobile gaming to life. And we are reliably informed, you have to see it to believe it! Animin will be supported by a £300k marketing campaign and will be available in all major UK games, toy and supermarket retail outlets this Christmas, as well as being available to order online from Google Play, Apple iTunes, Amazon.co.uk or directly via the Animin website.

AUGUST 2014

7

NEWS & PEOPLE NEWS New range from Depesche Schleich UK’s new country manager confirmed Jeremy Robinson was announced as Schliech UK’s new Country Manager recently; taking over responsibility for the UK and Ireland from Gary Wilmot.

Robinson took up his new post from mid-July and has a wealth of sales experience within the toy trade having held senior sales posts previously at Tomy and Bluw.

Speaking of the appointment, Robinson commented: “I am thrilled to be joining Schleich UK. This is a world renowned brand that has a solid history of producing the finest quality play figures for children and is a company I have admired for many years. The months and years ahead represent a great challenge for me and I look forward to using the years of experience I have gained in the toy industry in making a real difference to Schleich’s UK operation.”

Gary Wilmot joins Character Options Character Options has a new Senior National Accounts Manager in the shape of Gary Wilmot.

Gary moved to Character on 10 July and will work directly under Sales Director, Mike Rowe and Sales Director Designate, David Bramford. He brings with him considerable industry experience having previously held the post of UK Country Manager for Schleich UK. He commented: “The move to Character Options represents a completely new chapter in my career and the challenge of working across multiple brands with major retailers is one that I am very much looking forward to.”

8

New General Manager for Zeon It was announced that Esther Jolley would take up a newly created role within the Zeon family. Acting as General Manager, Esther joins Zeon from Global Brand Licensing Agency, Beanstalk where she was Associate Vice President, Brand Development. In her new position as General Manager, Esther will work alongside the senior management team to drive growth in this exciting new phase for Zeon. Esther will work with Zeon’s Chairperson Monica Bloch and recently appointed Managing Director Simon Gilham to develop company strategy across all departments. She will also work with the team to build on Zeon’s strong stable of brands which already include Barbour, Vivienne Westwood and Braun as well as Zeon’s portfolio of character licenses.

Two new recruits to DKL DKL Marketing Limited has welcomed two appointments to the Sales & Marketing team.

Sian Kelly has joined as Sales Executive to manage current customers as well as growing DKL’s new business across all ranges.

Farel Williams is Marketing & Social Media Assistant, to control the world of Social Media at all levels and grow the Consumer & Trade PR.

Gaby is golden!

Golden Bear have welcomed Gaby Budai-Corfield as their new International Sales Manager.

Gaby will be responsible for all areas of international sales with a number of other key UK accounts.

Depesche, owners of the best-selling TOPModel creative brand, has launched a new range of gifts and stationery called Miss Melody.

Depesche’s UK sales manager, Dave Kelly said: “Miss Melody builds on the successful formula we’ve enjoyed with TOPModel - high-quality creative books and stationery with a clear and appealing theme.

“While TOPModel has focused on fashion, Miss Melody appeals to animal-lovers and particularly girls who like ponies and horses.”

Describing the collection, Depesche say Miss Melody is based around horses, girls and their adventures in a riding school.

The main characters of the collection are Miss Melody with her owner Sienna, Dancer and rider Jella, Acapella ridden by Lily and the fourth pairing is Black Angel with Toni.

As usual with all the Depesche ranges, each girl character has a clearly defined individual personality.

The brave Sienna helps the cautious Jella, who is very creative. Lily is less brave but has everything little girls dream of and Toni is described as ‘a cheerful whirlwind’.

The collection is presented in very clear, eyecatching colours with tone-in-tone designs. It will launch in-store this Autumn with a variety of gift items.

Bestline and Jilong sign agreement Shanghai Jilong Plastic Products Limited, one of the world’s major inflatables manufacturers have appointed Manchester based Bestline Imports Limited as their sole distributor in the UK Bestline say this is an exciting move for both companies as it will give Jilong an important foothold into the, as yet, largely untapped U.K. market through the expertise of Bestline’s knowledgeable sales team. For their part Bestline will have access to the vast range of quality inflatable products that Jilong are so well known for.

A spokesman for Bestline said: “This association with Jilong is the stamp of approval for Bestline and we are looking forward to a long partnership.”

Bestline and Jilong are exhibiting at the NEC Autumn Fair 2014, Hall 5; Stand B28.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

COFFEE BREAK

Swinging its way to a TV screen near you If you haven’t seen it yet, you will definitely see it soon. Mookie’s hit outdoor game Swingball will be appearing on TV this August, with 20 and 10 second adverts across 17 channels. The Swingball TVC’s went live from 28 July with 200 TVR’s and will be running through out August, as sales gain speed during the summer.

After 40 years on the market, Swingball is definitely a household name and continues to be a leader in the outdoor toy market, having sold over 10 million.

Last year, 2013, saw Swingball rank number one in Top 150 Sports Activities & Games on NPD in July. August saw empty shelves in leading retailers as Swingball completely sold out due to such high demand! Similar sales are expected again this year as Swingball continues to be a customer favourite.

InnoTab 3S

Toot-Toot Drivers Police Station

AUGUST 2014

What sets VTech apart from other companies?

At VTech, we work hard to ensure we are ahead of the curve when it comes to latest trends in technology to meet the needs of our shoppers and consumers. For example, we adapt the latest adult technology so that it is suitable for the younger market. By doing this we ensure our products are child-friendly, safe, easy to use and offer children hours of learning through play.

We pride ourselves in producing a variety of technological toys to suit children of all ages. This includes our VTech Baby range with toys such as the Toot-Toot Drivers, our Pre-School range which includes the Playtime Bus With Phonics and our electronic learning range including the popular InnoTab 3S and many more.

Tell us about your top three sellers at retail?

One of our top selling toys is the InnoTab 3S. Built to the highest specification and incorporating the latest technology, the Wi-Fi enabled tablet provides children with hours of entertainment within a safe, fun environment.

Another popular toy would be the Toot-Toot Drivers play sets. Since we launched the range in 2011, we have continued to expand by adding new play sets including the Police Station, Parking Tower and Fire Engine to the family in 2014. Lastly, the Kidizoom Smart Watch is to launch this month and is already promising to perform well.

What an uggly pet!

Character Options have had a busy time of late between the launch of their Little Live Pets TV campaign and their search for Britain’s funniest dogs in The Ugglys awards, named after their range of very uggly pets!

The first TV commercial for Little Live Pets was launched in July across multiple channels with Character also reporting a strong start to sales.

Marketing Director Jerry Healy is predicting Little Live Pets to be “one of the standout brands of the summer for Character Options”.

In other news, the Ugglys are on the hunt for the nation’s funniest dogs who could win an Uggly Award.

They have teamed with Gnasher and the August 16 edition of Dennis the Menace and Gnasher’s Epic magazine will see the awards launched to children. The awards will be announced in October with dogs nominated in three different categories, All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go, Smile for the Camera and Damned Uggly.

Graham Canning, Sales Director at VTech, has a coffee break with TnP and tells us about their product line-up, hero products and more!

How are you finding your sales figures in independent stores versus the majors?

At VTech we provide a variety of toys to suit all ages. This means that independent retailers can select the right products that suit their needs locally.

Kidizoom Smart Watch

Are there any exciting launches coming from the VTech camp?

Following the latest technological trend in the adult market, we will be launching the Kidizoom Smart Watch in July 2014 which is anticipated to be a topseller at Christmas.

Following the popularity of the Kidizoom range, which originally launched in 2007, the latest innovation will continue to encourage creative and independent play. It will also aid motor skill and memory development, as well as hand and eye coordination among children worldwide.

9

MOVIE

NEWS The Big Friendly Giant has a release date Lovers of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s tale, The Big Friendly Giant, will surely be rejoicing with news that Steven Spielberg is releasing the film in 2016.

The live-action DreamWorks film is slated for release on 22 July and Spielberg is producing the film with Frank Marshall who he also worked on Raiders of the Lost Ark with. For those who can’t quite recall what the book is about, The BFG tells the tale of the world’s only friendly giant and a young girl named Sophie.

The BFG makes it his mission to collect good dreams and gift them to children while destroying nightmares and stopping his fellow giant brethren from eating “human beans”. We can’t wait!

Turtles are totally going to take on the big screen

Apes knock Transformers off top spot in the U.S box office Here at Lema Towers, Team TnP can’t quite decide if we love or loathe Planet of the Apes. We love them in theory but the film does make us fear our hairy companions!

Luckily, that fear does not exist in the US where the latest film, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, knocked Transformers: Age of Extinction off the top spot and earned $73 million (US). The film was expected to take in $60 million so we’re sure everyone involved is very pleased, indeed.

Transformers spent three weeks in the US top spot and walks away with the accolade of being the highest-grossing film worldwide for 2014.

WHEN WILL WE BE ABLE TO MARVEL AT THE ANT-MAN?

With its release in the US on 8 August and hitting UK cinemas on 17 October, you can rest assured that fans are hotly anticipating the release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Flair, of course, have a fantastic Turtles range so there is plenty of toy product out there to whet fans’ appetite.

That appetite was definitely fanned mid-July when a new feature length trailer was released. Director Jonathan Liebesman’s take on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was very much cause for debate amongst die-hard fans, many of whom were reportedly concerned that the turtles would be portrayed as aliens instead of mutants! Fear not though, we are reliably informed that they are mutants – phew! It will be interesting to see how the film performs in the US but at the time of going to print, opening figures were not available. We will touch base with the film again in our September issue.

10

You might recall some months ago, we reported that Marvel Studios are starting work on a new superhero film, Ant-Man. With Hasbro strongly at the helm of all Marvel toy creations, we are sure they are also very interested in what is planned next with the film.

Currently, Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas have been named as cast members but rumours abound that Ant-Man still does not have a suitable screenplay which Marvel Studios are happy with.

The film will reportedly revolve around Ant-Man’s ability to shrink in size but increase in strength and he must help his mentor Dr Hank Pym protect the secret behind his Ant-Man suit from a new generation of threats. The release date is still set for 17 June next year so we will watch this space with interest.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

EXHIBITION

NEWS

Are you ready for Toy Fair 2015?

Not to cause a mass stampede but, Toy Fair 2015 is already 97% sold out.

The news was announced recently by organisers, the BTHA, with Majen Immink, Head of Toy Fair Operations and Sales saying: “It’s fantastic to be approaching sold out at this time of year. The returnee rate is really encouraging and at the same time it’s great to be able to accommodate a number of new exhibitors too. The operational process is well under way and we are looking forward to welcoming everyone to next year’s show.”

Toy Fair 2015 takes place from 20-22 January 2015 at Olympia, London. Returnees to the show include Zapf, Hasbro, Bandai, Lego, Character Options, Vivid and Simba Smoby amongst many others. Toy Fair will also welcome back some notable returnees to the show after a period of absence including Tomy, AB Gee, Theo Klein and Chicco UK as well as many brand new exhibitors such as Amscan, Bestline, Smart UK, Blueprint Collections and Jazwares. The Greenhouse area, which plays host to smaller companies in the centre of the Grand Hall, is now 71% full.

If you are interested in exhibiting please contact the Toy Fair team on 020 7701 7127. For sponsorship opportunities contact Majen@btha.co.uk

Last chance to get to Cologne Specialist baby and toddler show, Kind + Jugend, will run in Koelnmesse, Cologne from 11 to 14 September and there is a lot on offer! Visitors heading to Cologne can look forward to a fascinating show. The Innovation Awards are also a must-attend where the best products in the industry are honoured. The winners

will represent new products that are outstanding in terms of their form, visual appearance, materials used, ease of use and/ or technology. Last year, over 20,000 trade visitors from 110 countries visited the show.

And for the first time, there were over 1,000 global exhibitors.

To find out more about the show, log onto www.kindundjugend.com

NEW AWARDS TARGETING RETAILERS AT AUTUMN FAIR Autumn Fair International 2014 will see the launch of the inaugural Buyers Power List awards which will recognise the contributions Ireland. The Buyers Power List awards are unique accolades that are won via an industry-voted nomination system.

The first stage of the process is a round of nominations open to the whole industry, followed by a second round of peer nominations in which finalists will be able to rank their peers across each awards category.

The Buyers Power List is now open for nominations. To cast your vote, visit the Autumn Fair website www.autumnfair.com/buyerspowerlist

11.–14.9.2014 Curiosity pays off !

We can certainly learn a lot from our children. Set off on a journey of discovery at the leading international trade fair for the baby and toddler sector, take a long look at the diverse and extraordinary range of products on show, and use this opportunity to secure new and exciting business contacts.

It’s well worth a visit – and we look forward to seeing you there !

www.kindundjugend.com International Business Media Services 42 Christchurch Road | Ringwood | BH24 3JU | United Kingdom | Tel.: +44 1425 486830 | info@koelnmesse.co.uk

AUGUST 2014

11

MEDIA

NEWS

Clementoni launches new look website Clementoni has a brand new website which is now live! The website can be found at www.clementoni.com/en. The new site is dedicated to the UK market and provides a comprehensive guide to its product ranges, including Baby Clementoni, Young Learners, Computer Kid, Express Your Talent and Science & Play. Easy to navigate, it features plenty of strong product imagery and details how each product offers an educational opportunity, as well as lots of fun.

One of the key new products featured on the website is the unique interactive plush product, Mickey Ball Interactive. The website provides consumers with the educational values of each toy using an easy to understand symbol guide; the Mickey Ball Interactive toy for example offers child psychomotor development, affective development, develops imagination, supports numerical and linguistic cognitive development, as well as helping gain better spatial awareness.

Michele Marzillano, UK Country Manager, Clementoni, said: “We are very pleased with our new website. The redesign has allowed us to focus more on the educational opportunities our products offer. As well as reassuring parents that a particular toy supports their little ones learning and development, it also explains how the child can engage in play with the toy.

Consumers even have the chance to vote for favourite products. We hope people enjoy visiting our site and get an even better understanding of the breadth of our toy and game offering.”

12

Mind Candy unveils new app Mind Candy’s new app PopJam will focus on UGC and online safety for a younger user base.

Described as a “creative community for kids,” the new app will give children the tools to create their own digital content - including stories, pictures, games and more - and then share them with friends.

Can you trump that?

Winning Moves UK, makers of Top Trumps, have launched a new app, Top Trump It. The free app for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch puts friends, pets and favourite things in the spotlight on users very own Top Trumps card!

Top Trump It lets users create endless authentic Top Trumps cards for instant sharing with friends. The app is available free from the App Store for iOS 6 and up.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

MEDIA

CHARTS

4500 4000

Things are looking up in TV land

3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0

W

elcome to the Global Media Report covering the TV market for June.

As mentioned in the last month’s report, we said we would look at the viewing data for all boys, girls and Housewives with Children – Pre School.

When we look at the viewing data for all boys, like all these charts recently, you will see peaks and troughs. However when we look at the total number of TVR’s delivered for this period, there is only a 5% swing, in this case downwards which is not too much of a concern.

So, the total boys market is just the movement of viewers from one channel to another, the big winners are Pop which is up by 93%, Nicktoons is down by 34%, The Cartoon Network breaks even and remains the market leader for this target market.

Looking at the girls market, we again see ups and downs.

There is a massive drop with Pop Girls and an amazing increase for Pop. Nickelodeon continues to do well, despite a fall of 22% it still remains the market leader. Nick Junior is up, but this is because of the younger end of the girls market, which is strong for this station. Channel 5 is going well with a 10% increase, The Cartoon Network is up by 25% and Boomerang is holding its own. It is interesting to note that despite the movement of viewing levels, overall this market is up by 10%.

The viewing figures for Housewives with Children – Pre School show there is a lot of movement here. Nickelodeon Junior is market leader and has maintained its viewing levels, Disney Junior also looks to be doing well, Tiny Pop is up by 52% and Cartoonito is up by 25%; overall this category is ahead by 4%.

The TV market for June is breaking even on June 2013, although within the total, ITV has increased its share of revenue at the expense of the satellite networks. Reported toy company expenditure is up by a massive 40%, and the expenditure summary shows the usual suspects are there.

For the next issue we will look at Girls and Boys 4-9 years and Housewives with All Children.

All Kids TVR’s June 2013 vs June 2014

Jun-13 Jun-14

4500 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0

Boys 4-9 TVR’s June 2013 vs June 2014

Jun-13 Jun-14

4500 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0

Girls 4-9 TVR’s June 2013 vs June 2014

Jun-13 Jun-14

June 2013 Toy Company June 2014 Toy Company TV Expenditure TV Expenditure Company Name

TV Expenditure

Company Name

TV Expenditure

Mattel UK Lt LEGO UK Ltd Character Options Ltd Mookie Toys Smyths Toy Superstores Atm Sports Ltd (Dublin) Flair Leisure Prod Ltd Hasbro (UK) Ltd Interplay UK VTech Electronics Ltd

£276,780 £239,101 £192,082 £164,093 £155,860 £143,447 £114,603 £112,010 £99,241 £93,960

Hasbro (UK) Ltd LEGO UK Ltd Mattel UK Ltd Character Options Ltd Build A Bear Workshop IMC Toys UK Ltd Bandai UK Ltd Insectlore Creative Toys Flair Leisure Prod Ltd

£763,937 £693,557 £462,234 £284,087 £280,419 £140,396 £135,868 £126,769 £108,699 £81,918

For more information on viewing levels please contact Mike Penfold. mike@globalmedia.me.uk Tel: 01753 889630.

All graphs and information supplied by Global Media Services

13

PEOPLE

NEWS Lindsay Hardy named new Marketing Director at Trends UK Lindsay Hardy has taken up the position of Marketing Director at Trends UK, heading up the Oxfordshire based company’s marketing team. She brings with her many years of toy industry experience, most recently as Marketing Services Director at GP Flair. The new role at Trends will include overall responsibility for all aspects of the marketing strategy and range planning including above and below the line activities such as TV advertising, PR and exhibitions.

“We are delighted to welcome Lindsay to the team.

She brings with her a wealth of experience that will be incredibly beneficial to us and we feel privileged to have her on board,” said Graham Spark, Commercial Director of Trends UK. Lindsay said: “I am incredibly excited about my new role at Trends UK. This move represents a new era in my career in the industry I have lived, loved and worked in for almost three decades. All I can say is that I can’t wait to get stuck in and give the role my all!”

Having been a valued member of the GP Flair team, GP Flair MD, Simon Hedg, added: “I have had the personal good fortune to work with Lindsay, and fully understand that for everyone there comes a time for new challenges. With this in mind I speak on behalf of all at GP Flair in thanking Lindsay for many years of loyal support and wishing her all the very best for the future!”

Marvin’s Magic conjures up a new Account Manager Marvin’s Magic has bolstered its team with the new appointment of Ellie Mann. Ellie joins the company as Account Manager and will be dedicated to handling both UK and International accounts. She will support and work alongside the company’s Sales Manager, Rakesh Kakaya.

Gary Wood joins B Kids UK Gary Wood will be joining the sales team at B Kids UK to take the company’s collection to new heights. He is well known in the toy industry, having worked with the likes of Mattel and Hasbro, and understands the fast pace of the ever-changing market.

Having seen the growth of the B Kids UK collection over the past two years, Gary is delighted to join forces with Ian MacCrimmon. “B Kids Toys are phenomenal; they have a brilliant range which is innovative, fun, colourful and the price is right,” said Gary.

Ian MacCrimmon, who has known Gary for many years, added: “We are delighted to have Gary Wood on board. His knowledge of the toy industry is invaluable and he is already part of the B Kids UK Family, affectionately known as “Woo” at our headquarters in Hong Kong.”

14

Bandai bolsters marketing team Bandai has appointed Tess Parsons as the new Product Manager of Power Rangers, joining the Marketing Department at the Southampton based company.

Tess has spent the last two years at Mattel in the Boys brand management team working on key brands including Hot Wheels, Disney Cars, Disney Planes and Scrabble. Her previous role in the toy industry includes two years at Vivid Toy Group in brand management.

“We are delighted to have someone with Tess’ experience come on board,” said Darrell Jones, Marketing Director at Bandai. “Tess has a wealth of experience in the toy industry and will be a valuable addition to the Bandai marketing team. Her appointment will enable us to deliver enhanced support for the Power Rangers brand to our retail customers and business partners. “

Simon Gilham appointed MD of Zeon Ltd Zeon Ltd. has appointed Simon Gilham as the new Managing Director.

In his previous role as Sales Director, Zeon says Simon made a significant contribution to the business and has been central to operations since he joined the company in 1999.

Simon started his career as a national account manager at Kimberly Clark before moving on to brand management at Stelux and Intercity Group.

In the 15 years that Simon has been at Zeon, he has worked in a number of roles, has managed people across all departments, and was instrumental in the integration of licensed gift company Wesco Limited when it was acquired by Zeon in 2010.

In his new position, Simon will

Sarah Quigley returns to CBG Sarah Quigley has returned to Carte Blanche Group, stepping into the role of Head of UK Licensing. Sarah, who has worked for Hasbro as Senior Category Manager for the past two years, returns to Carte Blanche with the objective of further developing the long term licensing strategies for the company’s brands, building upon the recent successes of Carte Blanche’s licensing programme.

Sarah re-joins the business because of her passion and belief in Carte Blanche, its brands and its expanding licensing opportunities and brings with her a solid pedigree in developing cross category initiatives.

continue to promote sales and to support the company’s drive to bring luxury fashion and lifestyle brand licenses for watches to the fore and to develop Zeon’s gift division. Simon will be responsible for maximising new business opportunities and will focus on efficiency and growth.

Zeon’s Chairperson, Monica Bloch commented: “I am delighted to have found a Managing Director of Simon’s calibre from within our own ranks. The breadth of his knowledge and experience gives him the footing to successfully lead the business onwards and upwards. Simon’s appointment to this pivotal role signals a new era for the company.”

Hot hire for HIT HIT Entertainment has appointed Christopher Keenan as new VP, Creative & Executive Producer.

Based in HIT Entertainment’s London office, Keenan will continue the HIT Content Development and Production team’s work of building powerful preschool brands through engaging stories and content across multiple platforms. Keenan will oversee HIT’s centre of excellence for content and development, reporting to Edward Catchpole. He will replace Michael Carrington in the global head of production role. Edward Catchpole, Senior Vice President and General Manager, HIT Entertainment, said: “We are incredibly excited to bring on Christopher Keenan with his wealth of experience.”

toysnplaythings.co.uk

SPONSORED FEATURE CHICCO

Passion for People TnP sat down with two of Chicco’s newest recruits, who are former successful retailers, to find out about their new positions as Customer Development Managers, why they have changed career paths, and what excites them for the future in their new roles

I

t’s smiles all round at leading baby multi-specialist Artsana, parent company of the brands Chicco and Boppy, having celebrated a staggering 18 consecutive months of sales growth at the end of June.

With this growth comes the need for additional staff and in the May issue TnP looked at the latest news from this unstoppable company and the team that has recently joined the Chicco and Boppy brands. In particular, two of the new team members have been tempted away from their former roles as successful retailers, with Artsana UK and Eire Managing Director, Mitch Levene, explaining that “we were pleased that high quality retail personnel wish to adopt a gamekeeperpoacher approach, helping us to secure talent with an empathetic perspective on customer development”.

Here, we talk to the two newest Chicco and Boppy colleagues who were formerly retailers, Sinead Sharkey Customer Development Manager for Eire & Northern Ireland, and Cath Needham Customer Development Manager for the Midlands.

Was it always in your plans to move from a retail environment to a sales role?

Sinead: No, I had been with my previous employer in various roles for twelve years and I really was very lucky to be in a job that I loved. But opportunity came knocking…

Cath: Making the decision two years ago to exit retailing after over 30 years of working every weekend was a difficult one as I had always loved working in my pram store. It took eighteen months to complete my exit and although the major part of my business had always been in the cycle sector, I knew that I wanted to stay within the Nursery Industry. It seemed a sensible thing to share all the experience that I had gained within the Nursery sector with others in the industry.

Cath Needham

Sinead Sharkey

“

AUGUST 2014

We have a great team in place, and that, combined with even more innovative and award winning products, means that the future looks good

What attracted you to joining the Artsana team?

Sinead: I was already very familiar with the Chicco and Boppy brands and products having both sold and used them myself (My two year old is still in his Polly highchair!). I liked what I was hearing about a brand new strategy designed to support the retailer and I knew that there was lots of opportunity to grow the brand in Ireland and I wanted to be part of that growth.

Cath: Having sold Chicco products for twenty years, I knew and trusted the brand, and had experienced how well Artsana look after both its retailers and their customers. Knowing I am selling a quality product at the most affordable price with the support of a fantastic company behind me was essential to me when making the decision to join them. I had met most of the team while accompanying them at the consumer shows and during visits to my store.

Their company strategy is fantastic and I knew that the brand was going places.

What are you enjoying most in your new role?

Sinead: Besides the sightseeing, it’s meeting the retailers. They are the best brand ambassadors that we have, I love helping them identify the best products for their store, marketing them in the best way and seeing the subsequent results.

Cath: Every day is different, but everywhere I go I am surrounded by some of the nicest people you could meet. Sharing knowledge and ideas

is important, and I gain pleasure from offering guidance and support to my customers. Being part of a team is a great feeling and I feel boosted by the support they offer.

Which product have you enjoyed selling the most so far?

Sinead: The Next2Me Crib would be the obvious choice as it is so innovative, but it sells itself. With such a wide range of great products it’s hard to choose just one, but I love the Urban Travel System, its versatility makes it stand out against its competitors.

Cath: The Next2Me Crib has to be one of the best products I have seen for a long time. This innovative product has taken the industry by storm and is a pleasure to demonstrate. The crib, along with our fantastic marketing point of sale material, means it is easy to say this is my favourite product in our current range.

What excites you most about the future at Artsana?

Sinead: The opportunity for continued growth. We have a great team in place, and that, combined with even more innovative and award winning products, means that the future looks good.

Cath: Artsana is going places and to join the company part way through its journey and knowing how much further we can go makes my job rewarding and satisfying. There are always challenges along the way but with all the support behind us I feel we will continue the growth seen over the last 18 months for a long time to come.

” 15

WHAT’S NEW

NEW LAUNCHES TO HELP YOU SELL MORE

Play on the go!

CASDON 01253 608428 www.casdon.co.uk Casdon, one of the most respected names in roleplay toys is introducing two exciting new wood ranges in 2014. Boxset is a fantastic collection of seven self-contained playsets with carry handles that little ones are going to love taking everywhere they go. These stylish toys include a fairy house, a castle, pirate island, barn house, beach villa and train – plus a bamboo beauty set and a tool set. With all the play pieces contained in a neat wooden box, they are ideal for on-the-go roleplay fun, and the varied themes within the range means there is something for both girls and boys.

For budding builders there’s the interchangeable ‘Varoom’ range of wood construction vehicles. They will be available as great value individual items but also in two different 4 packs. There’s the ‘Demolition’ set containing a bulldozer, roller, tip truck and excavator, while the ‘Construction’ pack has a crane, cement mixer, forklift and truck. Designed with interchangeable parts and an easy push-along action, they are just right for tiny hands to explore some early roleplay building fun.

For a traditional and quality feel, both ranges are made from sustainable plantation wood or bamboo so they are sure to appeal to parents, as well as provide hours of imaginative play for pre-schoolers.

Can you win the trough-y?

JOHN ADAMS 01480 414361 www.johnadams.co.uk Well known for its established games portfolio, John Adams is boosting its action games collection with an innovative new introduction for 2014. Following on from award-winning Doggie Doo, the number one best-selling children’s game of 2013 (NPD Group) and Gooey Louie, ‘Action Game of the Year’ at The Toy Industry Awards, comes Pig Out – the game where being a greedy pig wins!

The game play mechanic is simple: players strap on their pig noses and roll the dice to begin the game. When a player rolls “Pig Out” on the dice, they then get to rootle around in the trough to try and secure food in their snout. Players need to watch out though, as other players can steal their food when they’re not looking! The winner of the game is the first player to get one piece of each fruit and veg. Pig Out comes complete with four pig nose masks and oinking trough, and is suitable for 2-4 players aged 3+. Pig Out will be TV advertised and supported by a strong PR campaign, as well as social media activity. The game is sure to have children and adults squealing with laughter this autumn!

16

Cuddly fun!

DEPESCHE 07760 305321 www.depesche.co.uk Depesche, owners of the best-selling TOPModel creative play brand, has launched a new range of plush collectibles and accessories called Ylvi and the Minimoomis. Ylvi (pronounced Il-vee) is a clever, witty and playful magical fairy who lives in the wonderful world of Silvana. The Minimoomis - four fluffy, cuddly, soft fantasy creatures with big eyes are her companions. Each Minimoomi has its own clear character and colour which translates through a small capsule collection of products and into POS, creating a clearly defined collectible range.

Loola is the funny Minimoomi, with wings in a deep pink colour; Pooby is the strong Minimoomi, in green with a long rainbow tail; Mooli is the little mouse in deep lilac with cute tufty hair; while little Coccoo is the frightened lop-eared Minimoomi in a crystal blue colour.

The plushes, each with sound, is complemented by smaller accessories such as bracelets, keyrings and pencils while beautiful Ylvi creative books, stationery and bags complete the range.

“Ylvi and the Minimoomis is a small but beautiful collection aimed at 6-10 year olds and colour plays a very important role,” said David Kelly, Depesche UK Sales Manager. “Our POS differs considerably from that of TOPModel and My Style Princess but still uses girls’ favourite colours. The overall theme is fantasy and colour with an emphasis on values such as honesty, caring and love.”

toysnplaythings.co.uk

WHAT’S NEW

NEW LAUNCHES TO HELP YOU SELL MORE

As seen on TV! GOLDEN BEAR

Wibble wobble!

01952 608308 www.goldenbeartoys.co.uk

CHARACTER OPTIONS

Fresh in the plush aisle this autumn is Golden Bear’s brand new collection of CBeebies Bugbies toys based on the iconic little yellow bugs from the CBeebies channel. The collection features fun games and soft plush including the Chatty Bugbies, which brings the characters to life, with eight different styles to collect. In addition there’s the Fun Sounds Party Squidge and Arty Flippity and the Sweet Dreams with Squidge, an interactive plush that softly glows whilst playing the bedtime tune as featured on the CBeebies channel for the past 10 years.

With great range of price points from pocket money up, CBeebies is bound to be a new and much loved affordable range.

0161 633 9800 www.character-online.com Hot off the heels of the coolest kid’s gadgets of the past 12 months, the latest in Character Options’ ChillFactor collection has just launched - The ChillFactor Jelly Maker!

Just like the immensely popular Slushy and Ice-cream Makers, the ChillFactor Jelly Maker can produce a cool treat in just minutes - but this time it’s altogether more wobbly.

Kids just pour liquid jelly mixture into the frozen cup and squeeze gently to see the liquid set into a tasty jelly dessert before their eyes. After a couple of minutes squeezing, simply flip the jelly maker upside down and transfer the mixture into the lid bowl to leave the jelly to set for a minute before enjoying a delicious wobbly treat with the included spoon. Styled like a traditional jelly mould, there are three colours to choose from, each inspired by favourite jelly flavours.

The entire ChillFactor collection including a cool new Frozen Yogurt Maker will be supported with TV advertising and active PR throughout the year.

Become a hot shot LEARNING RESOURCES 01553 762276 www.learningresources.co.uk Learning Resources has teamed up with Green Board Games Company’s popular BrainBox brand to apply its unique, selfchecking Hot Dots learning technology to its latest all-in-one set.

The great value Hot Dots BrainBox Let’s Learn! About Our World Set includes three spiral bound books, each featuring 32 images to study with 96 accompanying multiple-choice questions, focusing on the topics Flags, Places, and Capitals and Currencies. The set comes complete with the innovative Hot Dots Talking Pen. Children are enthralled as the fun Talking Pen responds to answer choices for selfchecking. The Talking Pen provides instant feedback, gently redirecting incorrect answers and congratulating correct ones.

AUGUST 2014

Children learn about the world by studying an image before flipping over the page and answering three multiple-choice questions. As they learn geographical facts they’ll also be developing memory and observation skills. Flags features different flags from around the world, testing children’s knowledge and recognition, while Places broadens children’s awareness of countries around the world. Capitals and Currencies helps children learn about the capital cities of different countries and the currencies and coinage associated with each.

17

COVER STORY LEAPFROG

Leaping into This summer, the team at LeapFrog have three exciting new launches to whet retailers’ appetites. Here, they give TnP an insight into the LeapBand, the LeapPad3 and LeapTV. It’s what everyone is talking about!

LeapBand RRP £29.99 Available in green, pink, blue and orange.

This year, LeapFrog has entered the progressive world of wearable tech with the launch of LeapBand, the first activity tracker designed just for kids. LeapBand encourages active play and healthy habits in children as they play and move along with a customisable pet pal. Aimed at children aged four to seven years old, this is the ultimate must-have wearable technology for children which makes fitness fun!

LeapBand is fully equipped to be one of the hottest gadgets for kids this year following a brilliant reception from parents, children, press and retailers alike since its reveal in May. LeapBand has been designed in conjunction with LeapFrog’s in-house team of educational experts and tested with families throughout its development. High-tech features on the device include a built-in accelerometer, high-resolution colour screen, rechargeable battery and splash-proof design. LeapBand also doubles up as both an analogue and digital watch, adding to its educational features. Parents can also set school time and night time modes through LeapFrog Connect, to select days and times during the week where LeapBand will only display the analogue clock but will continue to track and reward movement.

LeapPad3 RRP £89.99 Available in pink or green This summer, LeapFrog added LeapPad3 to its number one family of tablets for children (NPD, June 2014). LeapPad3 is the fastest, highest-performance five-inch tablet ever from LeapFrog, Aimed at three to nine year olds, LeapPad3 is kid-smart, kid-safe and kidtough and has been designed to provide children with the perfect combination of performance, durability and safety in their first tablet.

Kid-Smart LeapPad3 provides access to LeapFrog’s award-winning Learning Library of over 700 games, apps, eBooks, videos, music and more. All content is designed or curated in conjunction with LeapFrog’s in-house team of gaming and learning

1

This unique gadget comes with eight different pets to choose from – a cat, dog, dragon, monkey, panda, penguin, robot and unicorn – which kids can personalise, nurture and play with as they complete physical challenges and games. Children can play pre-loaded games including Pet Boogie and Pet Parlour or take on 10 challenges like ‘jump like a kangaroo’ or ‘pop like popcorn’ to power their pet with active play. Parents can also set up to 36 additional free challenges via LeapFrog Connect to help encourage children to meet daily activity goals.

For extended play, parents can download a free app called Petathlon Games, available for Wi-Fi enabled LeapPads, iOS or Android devices, which allows children to compete as their pet in mini-games to win extra rewards for their animals, including medals and tracksuits.

experts and focuses on 2,600 skills across core subjects including reading, maths, science and creativity. Games such as Disney’s ‘Planes: Dusty’s Big Dream’ interactive storybook and ‘Sofia the First’ automatically adjust the text from simple to complex levels creating the appropriate challenge for each reader.

Kid-Safe With built-in kid-safe Wi-Fi enabled feature LeapSearch, powered by Zui, parents can be safe in the knowledge that LeapPad3 is web-safe straight out of the box. LeapSearch is an innovative browsing tool that allows kids to explore content in an easy and 100% safe way, exploring content all pre-approved by LeapFrog’s learning experts.

Kid-Tough LeapPad3 has been drop, impact and compression tested and also features a shatter-safe screen that prevents it from coming loose, making it a quality assured product for parents to purchase with confidence. The new tablet has 4GB of memory, enough for 20,000 photos, two mega-pixel front and back cameras, video recorders and six-hour rechargeable battery life, making it the most powerful tablet in the award-winning LeapPad family.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

the future LeapTV RRP: £119.99 This October, LeapFrog is set to launch the first active and educational video gaming system designed just for kids, LeapTV. Video gaming made smarter, LeapTV puts learning in motion with three unique ways to play. Designed from the ground-up for children aged three to eight years old, LeapTV is set to transform the way children game by combining activity and movement with the best-inclass educational curriculum. The recent announcement received global excitement, predicting a world-wide effect on the gaming industry when the system launches later this year.

LeapTV system is compatible with a library of 100+ game cartridges, downloads and videos which have all been designed or curated in conjunction with LeapFrog’s in-house Learning Team.

LeapTV games feature kidfavourite characters and popular play patterns that kids love and with a library of active games that blend a comprehensive curriculum into age-appropriate gameplay and videos that keep children learning, they will never run out of fun.

LeapTV has been crafted with first time gamers in mind, equipped with three ways to play: Body Motion: As children run, hop and tip-toe to play controller free, their movements control the on-screen action. In LeapFrog Sports’ epic nine-game tournament, children wave their arms to defend goals and karatechop fast-moving blocks, and in selected games they’ll even be able to see themselves on TV!

for young children to play with in-game audio tutorials Paul Bennett, Vice President of Sales and Operations at LeapFrog said: “We’re immensely proud to launch the first educational and active video gaming system for children. At LeapFrog, we are constantly striving to provide new ways to help children reach their full potential, offering educational experiences which are fun and engaging. Following an incredibly positive reaction to the announcement from retailers and parents alike, LeapTV is set to be this year’s Christmas must-have, revolutionising the way children learn, play and game for years to come.”

Multiplayer games are turn-based or play-together games that can be enjoyed by two or more players and parents can easily manage their children’s profile, change wireless settings and set parental controls on the console. Select games will adapt to each child’s ability, automatically adjusting the learning for the right challenge and ensuring every child can learn and play in a way that is appropriate for them. A large selection of games will be available at launch, featuring popular children’s characters to make the learning experience even more fun including Disney’s ‘Sofia the First’ and LeapFrog’s own games including the LeapFrog Dance Party and Sports games.

The LeapTV system includes console, motion-sensing camera, camera mount, transforming controller with wrist strap, HDMI cable, 16GB of memory and built-in Wi-Fi for downloading apps.

It also includes a bonus game, Pet Play World, which allows children to create and care for a pet, expanding the fun with rewards earned in every game.

Pointer Play: Children can twist, turn and move using the controller as a pointer. When they swivel the controller with a simple click, it instantly transforms to snap jungle vines and slice through coconuts with Disney’s ‘Jake and the Never Land Pirates’ and sling webs and swing across buildings with Marvel’s ‘Ultimate Spider-Man’ Classic Control: Designed to fit small hands, children can press the A and B buttons for fast-paced gaming, or tilt and shake the controller to navigate through an enchanted garden or race in a classic kart-racing game. A built-in hint button also makes it easy

AUGUST 2014

19

MEDIA

OPINION

What is the bigger picture?

This month Clive takes a look at original content, investment and football!

A

nn Wood is an authority on children’s television.

A top slate of kids’ shows to her name, and a list of achievements that added together reflect her enduring creativity, knowledge and ability. Not to mention a prominent listing in The Sunday Times Rich List, deserving of her contribution to children’s TV. Last month Ann Wood was interviewed on Radio 4, the headline lifted from radio into the press read, “The children’s TV industry has been struggling for many years”.

The market for UK broadcasters in the children’s sector is made up of two constituent parts. Firstly, independent production companies who create shows. Cannes plays host to this market for Mipcom twice a year when children’s shows from all over the world are presented to the broadcast buyers. The other supply route originates from broadcasters who commission a company to make a show. Despite the fact that kid’s EPG lists around 30 channels (including Plus 1) Ann Wood claimed that “the number of people who commission in a serious way may have disappeared”.

The TV regulator Ofcom reported last month that: “Children’s TV is not as good as it would ideally be” (not exactly the clearest of messages). Prior to digital switchover, Ofcom relaxed quotas and license mandates for ITV, Channel 4 and Five, for children’s TV and religious programmes.

It is not easy to look back and picture exactly how it was for these two genres, however, these days it is a lot easier to find a plumber on a Sunday afternoon than a hymn, a prayer or a kid’s drama.

The BBC and ITV are commissioning original children’s content, with the BBC stating that three quarters of their output is British-made.

The traditional model for a toy company to license a show is changing, twenty years of Power Rangers shows and toys is unlikely to be repeated. Whilst on the “R” word, Ofcom reported that in 1988 repeats made up 38% of children’s programmes. In 2011 the figure was 91%, that traditional model is no longer.

The viewing of children’s programmes has been declining. The popularity and availability of televised football has also impacted on the availability of boys to view children’s TV, particularly as football’s appeal continues to age down.

“

This time last year football enthusiasts were weighing up the options between BT Sport and Sky. Twelve months on, the traditional fare of pies, burgers and bagels at football stadiums may soon include a Chinese fortune cookie.

The Premier League is expecting a Chinese invasion into football.

China is the world’s second largest economy, and a nation familiar in business to readers of this magazine.

As we prepare for the start of the new football season, there are rumours of Chinese companies buying a Premiership club. To date, the only Chinese Premiership association is technology giant Huawei’s tie-up with Arsenal.

An influx of Chinese investment would also have the likely effect of raising the value of Premier League TV rights in the Far East, meaning more cash flowing to the Premiership teams, who collectively generated around £3.2bn last season.

Premiership football clubs are big boy’s collectables. The geographical ownership profile (outside of UK interest) is represented by USA, Russia, Egypt, Thailand, Malaysia, U.A.E. and Switzerland; a bundle of countries that look like a bad game of RISK. However the anticipated arrival of Chinese investment is one small component of a rapidly developing relationship between China and English football.

To date this relationship has manifested with The Premier League’s strategic alliance with the Chinese Super League.

The Premier League’s current portfolio of deals with overseas broadcasters is worth £2.2bn over three years, a 50% increase on the previous deal, and is likely to fetch more than £3bn when new contracts for 2016-2019 are negotiated. The word “negotiated” seems inappropriate when you look at the increase in income that the Premiership has obtained since 2007, given that it is in essence the same product offering.

A future investment from China is likely to propel this rocketing income to even higher levels.

Meanwhile there appears to be a little turbulence within the Chinese state broadcast industry.

China’s President Xi Jinping has vowed to punish both “tigers and flies” with his anti-corruption campaign, his action is now reaching into the media industry.

Last month the lead anchor of Chinese Central Television (CCTV) Rui Chenggang was arrested along with his fellow producer and director. Rui is a popular outspoken successful journalist. Mr Rui’s detainment by “prosecutors” came after he had warned that Apple’s iPhone could track users via its positioning technology and reveal state secrets by passing data to US intelligence agencies. Mr Rui has become increasingly aggressive in criticising big foreign brands.

This action left the show with an empty desk and a live microphone until someone else stepped into the chair to continue the show.

The New York Times describes Mr Rui as the “media face of capitalism”. The situation looks like Mr Rui has bitten into a bad apple and Mr Jinping has red carded a tiger.

Let’s hope the matter is resolved before the big K.O.

The popularity and availability of televised football has also impacted on the availability of boys to view children’s TV, particularly as football’s appeal continues to age down

”

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

20

toysnplaythings.co.uk

AVAILABLE NOW

The perfect ямБrst tablet for kids Great things come in 3s Safe Tough Smart PLREATRRANICNKG OGRE DROP TEST ED

100% KID-SAFE WEB

4GB

9 APPS

MORY ME STORES UP TO

HIGH RES T

GO LARGE

INYCSTLRAIGHT AWAY PLA

GO LARGE 7" SCREEN

2

EL MEGRAA ANPIX D VIDEO CAME FRONT AND BACK

OUGH SCRE EN

2 IXEL

MEMGERAA APND VIDEO

OED VER 700 FASTERRE UCATOR-APPRO VED & MEORFUL W

GAMES

11 APUDPESD

8GB

MEMORY SSTORES U P TO 440 ,,000 PHOT OS

PLAY S TRAIGH T AWAY

5"

The No1 kids tablet

20,000 PHOTOS

INCLUD ED

SS

CA D BACK FRONT AN

HIGH RREEENS TTOUGH SC

OVER 700

EDUCATO R-APPRO VED

GAMES

PO

Order Now 01895 202 840

Visit leapfrog.co.uk

RETAIL

OPINION

Counting the cost of radio-control RC used to be considered cuttingedge, but today it’s all part of technology and selling toys, says John Ryan

T

ime was when radio control meant one thing – personal failure! Generations of boys would spend hours building scale models of aeroplanes from balsawood and doped tissue paper. The really well heeled among them would buy a 1cc (or thereabouts) petrol engine, install this and then cap things off with “2 or 4 channel RC”.

This meant they could head out to the nearest open space, launch their pride and joy and then have that sinking feeling as the radio control failed to do that which it was supposed to, allowing the model to fly straight into the nearest solid object and smash. And if this sounds a mite autobiographical, that’s because it is. Nonetheless, hope springs eternal and however many knock-backs, the same young men would either rebuild or start a new project, usually with identical results.

Fast forward about 40 years and radio control is commonplace and it’s not confined to high-end model aircraft enthusiasts. Walk into a store such as Hamleys today and if you’re lucky you’ll not be bumped by a micro chopper controlled remotely by a demonstrator determined to show-off what the toy is capable of. Equally, if the mood takes you, you’ll probably be able to race a small car round a track using a radio-controlled console or maybe you’ll just want to command a threatening robot and make it move in a particular direction. Nothing is too much trouble and if web-enabling is added to the formula, you may even be able to cede control to somebody whose only point of contact with what you are looking at is via a laptop thousands of miles away.

The obvious questions are, why is this attractive and where next? The answer to the first is simple – because we can and because once one child has a new techno-toy, then others will wish to follow suit – it’s all about the peer group. The real puzzle is to try and work out where things are headed.

Back in the day, you might have been happy if the object that you wished to control remotely did as it was told. Now we want our toys to ‘learn’ from the commands that we issue. It’s no longer enough to do the same thing over and over – there has to be novelty every time – our boredom thresholds are probably at a historic low and one way that those who know see

“

to overcome this is make our toys do something different whenever we ‘interact’ with them.

This, in essence, has been the underlying principle of the Furby Boom. These toys fascinate the very young because they really do appear able to react to the demands of the operator (aka a child). And this is probably where things really are going.

Those heading off to Autumn Fair in Brum who feel the lack of interactive and radio-controlled toys in their offer may find plenty to choose from this year and it seems likely that most of what is on show will prove popular. Technology arrived in the toy sector some time ago, but it is the nature of the very young consumer that such arrivals are a matter of course, hardly worthy of comment other than that they are wanted and wanted now.

But does it matter if your shop doesn’t have such items in it? There is still room for more traditional toys and if they are well merchandised, then they’ll sell. That said, when a radio-controlled F1 model racing car these days can come in at considerably less than £20 in the shops, perhaps our notions of what constitutes ‘traditional’ are as subject to change as the relentless onward march of technology.

All of which is hardly reassuring to the indie retailer intent on having the right item in-store.

But here’s the thing. The process of selecting toys for a shop is no different in terms of the decision-making process than it has even been. History backed by hunches remains the only way in which toys are likely to end up on display. The downside is that there has been, over the years, something of an arms race as far as average selling prices are concerned.

Technology, in the form of radio-control or anything else, has ensured that early techno toy adopters will pay the price, as will the retailer if something doesn’t sell and a markdown is called for.

The stakes are higher than ever. Get it wrong and mistakes, if you go down the technology route, will be costly. But then again, the rewards are there for the taking for those who really can grapple with the zeitgeist.

But here’s a thought. At what point is it likely that some form of technology will be invented that can accurately predict what toys should be bought for a store and when?

The clear and simple answer is never – otherwise we’d all be billionaires and City whizz-kids would be out of a job.

Put on a brave face therefore, head up to Birmingham and see what gives. A measure of confusion is the likely outcome, but ‘twas ever so. At worst, you’ll beat a retreat with your tail between your legs and paralysis as far as spending is concerned. But you’ll live to fight another day and you may even be able to purchase retrospectively via radio-control… or isn’t this sometimes referred to as ‘the internet’?

Fast forward about 40 years and radio control is commonplace and it’s not confined to high-end model aircraft enthusiasts

”

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

22

toysnplaythings.co.uk

The Puppet Company

The Puppet Company design and wholesale over 800 fabulous puppets and finger puppets of all shapes and sizes.

To see our fantastic range, please visit us at Autumn Fair Hall 5 - 5C20 - D21 from the 7th - 10th of September.

Have a puppet - have Fun!

www.thepuppetcompany.com

PREVIEW

AUTUMN FAIR

The finest Autumn Fair is back! Once again Birmingham’s NEC will be brimming with enthusiastic retailers all looking to get their hands on some fantastic products in time for the Christmas season

T

o Birmingham we go! The great and the good of the toy industry will head to Birmingham’s NEC this September for Autumn Fair International 2014. Running from Sunday 7 to Wednesday 10 September, this year’s fair promises to be as diverse and interesting as ever.

With a whopping 60,000 new products being launched by more than 1,400 UK and international suppliers, the show is set to simply buzz with potential for retailers. And to add to the excitement, organisers i2i Events Group have announced a new awards ceremony which recognises retailers.

1

The Puppet Company

“

The Buyers Autumn Power List Fair presents the awards have been perfect established to “celebrate, reward opportunity for and recognise the Great Gizmos to contributions of reach buyers and retailers independent throughout the UK and Ireland,” said retailers looking organisers i2i. to make their But back to choices for the business of Christmas, in the fair itself! Hall 5 is where toy particular within retailers will mostly the gift sector find themselves Judith Dayus inhabiting with Great Gizmos Children’s Gifts, Toys and Gadgets on show. Over 100 companies will have set-up in the NEC showcasing a myriad of products. Among the 22 new exhibitors are classic wooden toy specialist Le Toy Van, Wow Toys, Icon Live, What on Earth books, International Dance Supplies and Headrush Europe. They join regular Autumn Fair exhibitors such as Keel Toys, 50 Fifty Gifts, Boxer, Tobar Group Trading, She Who Dares, Amulette, Scream Wholesale and Whitehouse Leisure.

Familiar to the halls of the NEC is Judith Dayus, Director of Great Gizmos. Returning once again to Autumn Fair International, Judith told us: “Autumn Fair presents the perfect opportunity for Great Gizmos to reach independent retailers looking to make their choices for Christmas, in particular within the gift sector. Often these retailers are looking for a shorter lead time when committing to new stock supplies and the ability to mix and match their orders… What’s more, the contacts we make at Autumn Fair go on to be customers year after year.”

Head of Marketing at Winning Moves, Suzie Howes explained that they choose to exhibit at the show because: “We have always had a great response from our presence at the show and it is great to speak to all our independent customers. The timing of the show also works well allowing us to launch

”

toysnplaythings.co.uk

of fairs brand new products into the range.”

For Green Board Games CEO Keith Grafham, Autumn Fair gives the company an opportunity to meet customers face-to-face.

“The timing of this show is perfect,” Keith adds. “It is back to school time and everyone comes back fresh from the summer looking forward to Christmas. It gives us a good idea of what the golden quarter might look like and a chance to launch some new lines live.” The Puppet Company’s Sue Lockey points out that often times, photography doesn’t completely convey their products’ unique features. “We pride ourselves on producing puppets with maximum play value and functionality. This cannot be completely conveyed through photography, so Autumn Fair is the perfect opportunity for customers, both old and new, to play with our products rather than simply see them in photos.”

This year, the Puppet Company will be introducing their new Funky Monkey range and their new fabric Puppet Theatre which has been designed for hanging in doorways.

Sue adds: “Autumn Fair is the perfect show for customers looking to stock up on exciting new products for Christmas. Exhibiting there gives us the chance to introduce new product ranges to our customers ready for this busy and important time.”

Great Gizmos’ Judith Dayus says that one of the benefits of Autumn Fair is the type of retailer who attends. “Great Gizmos is known for its strength in the independent sector and our set up has always catered for this. Our prospective Autumn Fair clients come looking for a wide range of stock and they certainly get to see just that!”

Winning Moves Suzie Howes adds: “It is a real advantage to have everybody in one place and focused according to the hall they are visiting. It gives us the opportunity to show the independents our whole range at its best and we also get the chance to meet those customers who might not typically have thought about visiting a games company before.”

Organisers point out that Autumn Fair is key for independent retailers who are looking for key lines for Christmas. Given that many retailers will be keeping an eye out for the all-important Christmas season, gauging key trends will be vitally important. Judith suggests retailers approach the tricky business of trend watching by keeping “a little open mindedness about what’s hot. Independent retailers are just that… independent! It’s what makes them different and a desirable place for

AUGUST 2014

the consumer to shop.

If independent retailers became Autumn just smaller versions Fair is the of the major and multiple stores, but perfect could not match opportunity for their discounting, customers, both then they could be old and new, to on a rocky road.“ This was echoed play with our

by The Puppet products rather company’s Sue than simply see Lockey who said: “Independent them in photos retailers shine Sue Lockey, The because they Puppet Company can provide their customers with unique product that larger chains buying in bulk shy away from. Autumn Fair offers retailers the chance to compare many different wholesale suppliers and see which products stand out.” When it comes to predicting the next big thing (loom bands anyone?!) Green Board Games’ Keith Grafham says retailers already have a good idea of what their customers want as they are the ones who speak to them, but advises sticking to suppliers and products which have a proven track record, something which Judith also advocates. In terms of top tips for retailers visiting Autumn Fair, our suppliers suggest keeping an open mind, think outside of the box, talk to the suppliers on the stands, make a list of who you want to see but most importantly, make time from browsing! But of course, the beauty of Autumn Fair is that there is a huge range of products available so no one should come home empty-handed! Team TnP will also be attending Autumn Fair so do say hello when we drop by the stands or stop you in the aisles to have a chat.

“

Great Gizmos

”

Great Gizmos

AUTUMN FAIR 2014 Where: The NEC, Birmingham When: September 7 - 10; Volume Halls open on Saturday September 6 Opening: September 6: 10.00 – 17.00; September 7 - 9: 09.00 – 18.00; September 10: 09.00 – 16.00 Travel: By train or plane directly to The NEC, or by car (onsite parking is free).

Register for free: www.autumnfair.com

25

PREVIEW

AUTUMN FAIR

Get crafty and creative GREAT GIZMOS 01293 543221 enquiries@greatgizmos.co.uk

Where? Hall 5 D60-E61 Great Gizmos has a whole collection of autumn treats including eco-friendly wooden toy range Plan Toys, luxury plush brand NICI, traditional ride ons, plus more to discover from 4M on its stand at Autumn Fair this year.

Renowned for its highly successful arts and crafts kits, Great Gizmos continues to take creative play to another level with exciting new additions to its 4M range that will appeal to every artistic mind.

The Easy-to-Make Embroidery Stitches kit will allow kids to embroider and embellish their world; learning 10 new stitching skills along the way. The French Knitting Owl Doll can be created in simple steps using French Knitting techniques to sew a chubby owl doll.

The owl theme continues with the Mould and Paint Glow Owls set that creates pins and magnets in six various owl designs that can be moulded, painted and displayed. Plus, the included glow powder means they will always be seen.

The Plan Toys collection of naturally coloured wooden toys that appeal to both boys and girls from the age of six months is currently leading the way in n innovative manufacturing methods and its belief in sustainable play.

This autumn, sensory learning plays an important role in the Plan Toys portfolio with a series of toys that truly aid the development of children with special needs. The Braille Alphabet allows kids to create words in both upper and lower case, using the braille symbols present on the blocks. The Hand-Sign Alphabet allows children to learn sign language by mimicking the hand gestures that correspond to the letters printed on the wooden tiles.

Luxury plush and accessories collection NICI, offers everything from plush toys for tots to stationary and bedroom

accessories for preac teens. Debuting at te Autumn Fair are the new A NICI ranges of Winter N 2014, Hansel and Gretal, 20 Horse Club Junior and H the new Dragons th collection that includes co some ferocious looking creatures! These new ranges join favourites such as Cow, Meerkat, Schnauzer, Classic Bear, Summer and a whole host of Beanies, Beauties and MagNICI’s meaning there is something for every taste and every occasion.

Great Gizmos also offers a range of traditional ride on toys including the Classic Pedal Car that has a new powder pink colour that is ideal for girls and is made from the same strong steel as other vehicles in the collection. The range expands further with models such as the Ride On Aeroplane, Rocket and Retro Racers in green and red.

DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY!

BE A HIP CHICK

Coiledspring Games

01278 434440 www.hippychick.com

020 3301 1160 www.coiledspring.co.uk

Where? Hall 5 A48-B49

FAST AND FURIOUS OFFERS! Bladez Toyz www.bladeztoyz.co.uk 02392 658 259 Where? Hall 5 E53 Bladez Toyz will be offering their first 20 customers at Autumn Fair the opportunity to receive Free Stock, as well as inflated margins! The offer is simply, “Buy 2 cartons, and receive one unit FREE.” The offer is available across the entire Bladez Toyz range, and can be bought in multiples. Bladez will also be showcasing new additions to their eclectic range that will be hitting stores over the next 12 months. Be sure to go and check out the Stunt Quad; fitted with an on-board water or missile shooter!

26

Coiledspring Games will be at Autumn Fair with a tranche of new products. From ThinkFun comes the hugely anticipated Robot Turtles, prior to being picked up by ThinkFun it was the highest backed board game in Kickstarter history.Robot Turtles teaches pre-schoolers the fundamentals of computer programming. The first delivery of Game of Thrones 4D Puzzle from 4D Cityscape sold out in under 7 days. Visit the stand to pre-order in time for Christmas.

Also look out for TENZI and pick up your starter pack – a pre-stocked CDU with nine units and a free in-store demo deck.

Hippychick

Where? Hall 5B17 Hippychick will be showcasing the range of funky inflatable toys from HappyHopperz alongside the award-winning collection of ride-on, push along and wooden toys from Moover and Wheelybug.

Also on display will be the fabulous Nattou range of soft toys, plus much more! Moover Toys are an exquisitely crafted Danishdesigned range of wooden toys and Wheelybugs are adored by everyone.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

PREVIEW

AUTUMN FAIR

SOME BIG DEALS TO BE HAD Bigjigs 01303 250400 www.bigjigstoys.com

Where? Hall 5 A50

Lock up your children, they will want them all!

ERNEST THE BEAR TOYS

At this year’s Autumn Fair, Bigjigs will be showcasing a brand new collection of beautiful wooden jewellery from Tatiri. As exclusive distributor of Tatiri products, Bigjigs is excited to present their new Bracelets, Necklaces and Jewellery Starter Packs, available in three separate design themes: pretty cupcake, cheeky owl or dainty hearts. Alongside the Tatiri jewellery, Bigjigs will also be showcasing their other new toy launches of 2014, including wooden Mini Playsets, new Baby Bigjigs products, and new additions to the Bigjigs Dolls range.

The new colours in the Bigjigs Rail Name range can also be seen.

Bigjigs are offering customers a 5% discount on orders of £500 or more, when they place an order on the day of the show.

08456 808075 www.ernestthebeartoys.co.uk

Where? Hall 5 D63 Ernest the Bear’s range of Schylling’s high quality traditional toys continues to enthral pre-school and youngsters alike. Toy shop owners also love them because they appeal not only to the child but also the child’s parents and grandparents. This is living proof that they will always sell, and never be considered out of date. The tin ranges continue apace. The newly introduced Tin Lockers, which come with lock and key as well as a range of customising stickers, are doing particularly well. They come in either pink or blue and are just like the school lockers in TV soaps and movies but are desk-top size. Their other tin items include our fast selling Tin Friction Trains, Planes, Boats and Automobiles. These delightful and collectable (six of each type) are both colourful and sturdy and yet they are firmly in the pocket-money price bracket. They are sold in eye-catching POS packs. More tin items in the train theme include the ever-popular Schylling Express Train and the Streamline Tin Train. Other car related toys include Babar the Wooden Speedway Cars and the delightful Ba Wooden Toy.

Box that gift up BOXER GIFTS 01133 955 595 www.boxergifts.com

Where? Hall5A10 Boxer Gifts has two new exciting and successful pocket money toys with a range of Pretty Bejewelled Purses and Name Stampers. The fast-selling pretty purses are in funky-coloured silicon available in purple, pink, and blue are an excellent pick-up line. The Name Stampers provide an excellent alternative stationary pick-up line. Boxer Gifts has an excellent range of classic farting toys for children who appreciate the wonderful musical repertoire of the human body. The Finger Fart Pens have been very successful. The thick pen invites being pulled. The retractable pen give a strong blue line. The pens come in a colourful and attractive Merchandiser that holds 12 pens. The Fart Bottle Opener makes opening bottles a surprisingly funny activity. The bottle cap completes the circuit on the opener resulting in a loud fart as the cap is removed. The opener has an on/off switch so the prank can be selectively applied! The products come in great Merchandiser holding 24 bottle openers.

Just iimagine playing with these HALILIT 01254 8724 872454 www.halilit.co.uk www.halilit.

Where? Hall5 D71 Wher Halilit w will have lots of new toys on their colourful stand. The real children’s musical instruments in Halilit’s gift sets are designed to encourage a love of music from an early instrum age, are jjust the right size for little hands to hold and help inspire babies and toddlers to create their own music. My First Letters is one of a large range of boxed sets from Scotchi designed to help young children learn the lower case alphabet and basic words in a fun and is desig child doesn’t love playing with a cardboard box? The simple practical re-usable kits way. What c Imaginabox allow a child to turn any cardboard box into a car, aeroplane, oven, train or from Imagin cradle. The car kit, for instance, includes a chunky steering wheel (with wing nut), a dashboard ‘wheel’ stickers. All Imaginabox moving plastic parts are re-usable, recyclable along with four f and simple tto use and each kit encourages children from three upwards to use their full imagination when playing. Pop by the stand to see more.

28

toysnplaythings.co.uk

PREVIEW

AUTUMN FAIR

Make a winning move with your great game WINNING MOVES 020 7262 9696 www.winningmoves.co.uk

Where? Hall 5 D51 Winning Moves will be showcasing their amazing range of licensed family favourites.

Hero products include Big Bang Theory Cluedo, Transformers Retro Monopoly, My Little Pony Monopoly Junior, Harry Potter Trivial Pursuit, Walking Dead Risk, Disney Princess Guess Who, and One Direction Twister.

With the growth of the board games category in the past couple of years, you can be certain these much-loved games will be a hit with children of all ages.

Top Trumps is fast-paced, super competitive and easy to pick up and enjoy, kids love learning heaps of amazing facts and stats while playing

the game.

It has been a firm playground favourite urite since the late 1970s, 0s, with over 70 million on packs have been sold worldwide.

Top Trumps produces hundreds ds of different packs ranging from Dinosaurs to Baby y Animals and Manchester United d to One Direction. Winning Moves will be showing owing all of the latest licenses include Frozen, Star Wars Rebels, Transformers 4 and My Little Pony.

They Th will also be showing show some sneak peeks pee of their exciting exc new 2015 ranges, rang so look out for them on the stand! stan You Yo will be able to see the first samples from the brand new range rang of Waddingtons classic class wooden games, like Chess, C Draughts, Backgammon, Backg Dominoes Domino and Solitaire.

Winning Moves has ha a wealth of experience within the family games arena, so why not come along to see them!

ZIP OVER TO THE STAND! FIZZ CREATIONS

ARE YOU CUT OUT TO BE A STAR?

DESIGNS ON GREATNESS

www.fizzcreations.com 01903 327006 Where? Hall 5 E34 – E35

Star Cut-outs

01442 289898 www.travis.co.uk

Fizz Creations has over 40 brand new items launching at the Autumn Fair. They have been selected to distribute the Zipit range of purses, pouches and bags, and are excited to be showing the whole selection at Autumn Fair. They are also launching some amazingly cool mugs, more products within the hugely successful Drink Inc range, a selection of after dinner games and more.

‘Selfies’ are massively on-trend and the Selfie Stick is sure to be a huge winner too this Christmas. The Selfie Stick is an extendable holder for your camera or phone which means you can shoot perfect selfie’s every time!

30

0161 3445839 www.starcutouts.com

Where? HALL 5 E31 Star Cut-outs have lots to share! Adventure Time, How to Train your Dragon 2, the new Dr Who, and Marvel will all be at Autumn Fair in addition to their range of iconic characters and standees such as Disney Frozen and Star Wars.

They will also launch their new Marvel character range, which includes everything from face-masks to full size standees.

Plus a 10% price reduction on any order placed.

Travis Designs Ltd

Where? Hall 5 A29 and A31 Once again the Dress up by Design range has a host of exciting new options launching at the Autumn Fair.

There are over 18 new styles in the range covering princesses, fairies, boys, babies and animals.

Hot favourites include the Ride on Pony a must have Christmas present this year alongside the Prince, the Damask Princess, Frosted Princess and the Aqua Fairy. Travis offer customers, images and video clips, an essential promotional tool to help maximise sales. Sizes range from 3 months to 12 years depending on the style.

Fully stocked all year round and only £250 UK carriage paid order minimums! All this and lots more so pop by the stand.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Exciting new friends from Nici in time for Christmas!

Finger flinging fun!

Pull along fun from Plan Toys!

www.ggtrade.co.uk Zip around on nifty retro rockets!

Hard filled for sitting on!

Come and see us at Autumn Fair!

Hall 5 D60/E61

x o B in a r B e t a im lt u e Th challenge has arrived!

Discover a world of natural beauty!

New

Lifft the Lift li i lid...

Collect C ll t 1 card d from f each h off 8 categories t i to t win in TV advertised over seasonal period Order at Autumn Fair, hall 5, stand B11

Call to Order:

Revealin ng Revealing board d

01494 538999

PREVIEW

AUTUMN FAIR

Play like the Crawleys and get lost in the Abbey DESTINATION BOARD GAMES 023 9270 4040 www.destinationboardgames.com Where? Hall 5 C35 Destination Board Games is proud to announce their latest edition, the fast moving board game that transports you into the world of Downton Abbey. The game is suitable for ages 8+ years and for 2-6 players.

As maid or footman, you have to complete the tasks you are given as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Starting in the Servants’ Hall, each player is dealt Destination cards, which have varying values indicated by the number of bells on the card. This relates to how important or difficult the task is.

The player must then navigate their way

around the corridors and stairs of the Abbey, throwing the dice to determine how many moves they can make. Once they reach the destination of a task, they collect their bell tokens, and the next player throws the dice to set off for the next job.

But nothing is that simple! Along the way, a player can land on a ‘Carson Card’

space and have to take a card, which could either help or hinder them. On other spaces, the players may have to collect a ‘Letter’ that could call them away from the Abbey, slowing them down, or costing them bells!

And which route will they take? A short easy-looking one to get a job done earning only one bell, or a longer route with the possibility of collecting a higher reward?

The winner is the player who has completed all their jobs and collected the most bells.

FANCY BEING A TYCOON? Esdevium Games 01420 593593 www.esdeviumgames.com

Where? Hall 5 B30

Where being Frozen is good!

ICON LIVE 01444240000 www.iconlive.com

Esdevium will once again showcase the latest hot collectibles and best-selling games at this year’s Autumn Fair. New for 2014 will be the highly-anticipated Hotel Tycoon family board game. The new edition brings the game into the 21st Century with an astonishing array of components, including twenty-eight 3D hotel buildings.

Also on show will be Esdevium’s Frozen 6-in-1 game. Other Disney games include Jake and the Never Land Pirates, Sofia the First, Doc McStuffins and a number of Disney Princess games. In addition, Esdevium will have a wide number of their most successful games on show including their Dobble card game, the re-launch of Timeline and new licensed titles for Countdown and 8 out of 10 Cats. Gift shop favourites, the Fisher-Price Classics range and the Nostalgia wooden games ranges will there.

Where? Hall 5 D43 Do you want to build a snowman? That is the question many children will be asking this winter as the success of Disney’s Frozen sweeps the nation. Thanks to Icon Live, whether it snows or not, the answer will be yes! By very popular demand the Anna and Elsa jewellery and hair accessories have been strengthened with a cute range of Olaf products, the star of which is the three pack ‘build a snowman’ wristbands. Buyers will be able to view the Frozen range in its entirety along with other great licenced ranges. Another great cinematic success, is the very yellow and hilariously endearing Minions franchise. Icon Live will preview the first of its jewellery, hair and novelty accessories at the show. The range has something for every member of the family! Girls’ jewellery and hair lines are supported with funky wrist wear that boys will want to collect and for all ‘Gru’ dads out there, cuff link and money clips. Icon Live is also launching a new range of Scrabble jewellery with a selection of initial tile necklace and earring lines available as perfect stocking fillers for this Christmas. In addition, new ranges of Hello Kitty, Barbie and Monster High will all be on show.

32

Get yourself in a twist for Loom!

H. GROSSMAN LTD 01416132525 www.ozbozz.co.uk

Where? Hall 5 D20/E21 The main story for HGL this show is the phenomenal success of the LOOM TWISTER. The range covers every price point and every size, from gift packs containing 5,000 bands right down to starter and ‘tester’ packs. Known for their outdoor ranges, the Despicable Me 2 line will be on show at Autumn Fair, from scooters to pogo sticks to skateboards. Grossman has everything for everyone who wants to hop, skip and jump across a range of varied best selling pocket money lines including the Horrid Henry range of joke items. This top license which has sold over 16 million books and will run through cost effective single joke packs to outdoor ranges.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 – another top summer movie will feature on scooters, pogos and skateboards – a full range of products to support last month’s film launch.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

n Fair

Autum

Hall 5 B28 Stand

Why choose Bestline Imports Ltd? • Over 10 years of importing experience so you can trust our knowledge and abilities • We are one of the largest importers in the area with a great reputation • There is a very close relationship between ourselves and the manufacturers • “Toy King” is the registered trademark of Bestline Imports Ltd • We import only the highest quality products manufactured by people we trust • Large showroom and outlet in Manchester • New range for 2014/2015 now available

Bestline Imports Limited Khalsa House, Chatley Street, Manchester, M3 1HX 0161 835 4000 • admin@bestlineimports.com • www.www.bestlineimports.com t

Tin PLANES, TRAINS, AUTOMOBILES & BOATS

Ernest the Bear Toys Contact us for further details: Ernest the Bear Toys, 38 Mill Street, Bedford, Beds MK40 3HD

Tel: 08456 808075 Fax: 08456 808076 Web: www.ernestthebeartoys.co.uk Email: sales@ernestthebeartoys.co.uk

PREVIEW

AUTUMN FAIR

Let’s hang out THE PUPPET COMPANY 01462 446040 www.thepuppetcompany.com

Where? Hall 5 C20-D21 The Puppet Company are eagerly awaiting Autumn Fair. It is the perfect opportunity to meet customers, old and new, and debut exciting new product ranges ready for the Christmas rush!

New for autumn is the Hanging Theatre which can turn any doorway into a stunning stage. They were designed in England and made from screen-printed fabric, their design is inspired by the beautiful Victorian Theatres of London.

The Puppet Company Hanging Theatre is designed for maximum impact. Its scale means it will fill your doorway and can be used by adult and child puppeteers alike.

To use, simply fix two hooks to the top of

your doorway, loop the cords to the hooks and let the show begin! The theatre can be rolled up and neatly stored away in its complimentary handy storage bag. Also new is the 21-piece Full Bodied Puppet range. This is a naturalistic collection of baby animal puppets, which includes pets, farm animals and world wildlife. They are fully padded and designed to combine functionality as a puppet with looking good on the shop shelf. Cuddly and naturalistic and rendered in the softest plush fabrics, The Puppet Company cannot wait to introduce these to customers at Autumn Fair.

The brains behind great games GREEN BOARD GAMES 01494 538999 www.greenboardgames.com

Where? Hall 5 B11 The next stop on the Green Board Games tour is the Autumn Fair in Birmingham. The Fair Offer this autumn will be:• Spend £250 – Get x6 Brain Box’s worth £60 at retail • Spend £500 – Get x12 Brain Box’s worth £120 at retail • Spend £1,000 – Get x24 Brain Box’s worth £240 at retail Underpinning their best-selling BrainBox range, due to popular demand, GBG have created the new BrainBox Board Game; simply lift the lid to reveal the magical multi-coloured board and get going!

To play, roll the die and land on a coloured square, look at a card of that colour and answer a question correctly to earn the card. The winner is the first player to collect a BrainBox card for each category. From Entertainment to People and Places to Sport and Food and Drink, this great board game has a lot to offer. Be careful, if you land on the white square, there is all to play for as you can go head to head and battle other players for their cards! The BrainBox Board Game provides endless family fun!

The wonderful Word Bits will also be available at the show.

This simple word-naming game is great fun and can be played by anyone. Simply select a category card and roll the letter dice provided. The first to call a word containing all the letters wins the card. The player with the most cards wins!

34

Be the best!

BESTLINE IMPORTS LIMITED D 0161 835 4000 admin@bestlineimports.com

Where? Hall 5 B28 Bestline Imports Limited, the Manchester er based toy importer, are once again showing at the NEC Autumn Fair. Bestline estlin ne have, for many years now, been leading the way in importing quality toys and games for the U.K. Market. This year and next promises s to be both exciting and challenging g for the company following the announcement of a three-year agreement with Shanghai Jilong Plastic Products Limited; one of the e world’s largest manufacturers of inflatable products. This agreement will give sole U.K. distributorship rights of all Jilong products to Bestline Imports for the next three years, and will keep Bestline and Jilong at the forefront of the toy and inflatable market in the United Kingdom. Both companies will be showing at Autumn Fair, and as well as Bestline’s usual vast assortment of products, there will be a fabulous new range of Beach Toys, Dolls, 3D Pictures, Bump ‘n’ Go Cars and Vehicles, Loom Band Kits and Bubble Guns.

There will also be a wonderful and exciting range of Radio Controlled Helicopters, Cars and Boats. Linking these exciting products with Jilong’s new and vibrant range of Inflatable Boats, Paddling Pools, Paddle Boards, Beach Toys and their incredible outdoor utdoor Spas will put both companies in a unique position in the U.K. K. market.

ttoysnplaythings.co.uk oysnplaythings.co.u

©Disney ©D

How to have a magical time TOBAR

Do you want to build a snowman?

0844 573 4299 www.tobar.co.uk

Where? Hall 5 D10-E11 Tobar will be exhibiting at the Autumn Fair with some incredible new lines that are bound to be great for sales.

Tobar will be distributing My Magical Mermaid! from Zuru, the brains behind Robo Fish. Place the mermaid in water and her tail will swish from side to side, allowing her to swim exactly like magical mermaids as seen in popular fantasy films. There are three different My Magical Mermaids available, Pearl, Shelly and Cassie, each one sporting a different hair colour and tail design. For additional sales the new My Magical Mermaid Play Set provides an enchanting underwater environment for them to dip, dive and perform within.

Let the tension get you CHEATWELL GAMES 02392 524098 www.cheatwell.com

Olaf Wristbands and other Olaf lines available to order.

Where? Hall5 A05 Tension, one of the top-selling games in the country, is to be supported in 2014 with a TV advertising campaign on ITV2. Two editions of this Top Ten manic naming game are available covering all ages and interests. Stand Up Sit Down! is the great big trivia quiz for kids… with a difference. Players don’t shout out the answers - in fact they don’t even need to know them - they simply stand up or sit down to show their choice. In Kids Scavenger Hunt everyone has a rip-roaring time as players frantically search for the objects pictured on their cards. From a list of diverse items kids race to hunt down their quarry from feathers to footballs, pennies to piggies. Whether you are stuck inside on a rainy day or at the park in brilliant sunshine, this game is a fantastic way to get kids moving. Kids Scavenger Hunt is year round fun for the whole family - parents included!

Did someone call for a doctor?

LE TOY VAN 0208 979 2036 www.letoyvan.com

Loom bands with charms also available!

VISIT US AT AUTUMN FAIR HALL 5 STAND 5D43

Where? Hall 5 D78 Le Toy Van is making their debut at Autumn Fair with their new ‘Doctor’s Set’ from the Honeybake Collection. A vintage style, child sized fabric Doctor’s Bag filled with wooden medical instruments and bottles. The set includes a toy stethoscope, thermometer, syringe, blood pressure gauge, ear scope, reflex hammer, scissors and two medicine bottles. This and lots more!

AUGUST 2014

Sales Enquiries salesteam@iconlive.com Tel: 01444 240000

Licensing Warren Traeger warren.traeger@iconlive.com www.iconlive.com Icon Live Ltd, Icon House, York Road, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 9TT, UK

35

BUSINESS

DRIVER

Be the best that only you can be!

TnP columnist John Harper is back!

The former European President of Hasbro inspires us to recognise ‘triggers’ which knock us off our stride

T

he corporate world is firmly in the past and I am now coaching and mentoring young entrepreneurs.

One of these entrepreneurs is Libby Grant who has started her own licensing business called We Are Bloom.

Her enthusiasm, creativity and passion for the business opportunity she has identified is infectious and it is such fun working with her. Indeed, I haven’t had this much fun since Spurs beat Chelsea at Wembley in 2008. I will come back to Spurs later.

A few weeks ago Libby asked me what the single another problem is “great most important thing she - guaranteed employment could do to develop the for another 6 months”. business. To her surprise, my Even the most If there were no response was to “be at your problems to solve or confi dent people are held best most of the time”. I gave challenges to deliver then this answer because when back at times with negative I wouldn’t be needed. As you are at your best, you are a leader, when I am at thoughts and self doubt. in touch with the future you the top of my game this want to create, you inspire When this happens you positive energy inspires those around you and you get my team and the multiple need to get back to your results. In summary, you are effect of a group of people at the “top of your game” and best as quickly as possible being at their best is that’s a great place to be! incredibly powerful.

During my time heading up Over this four-year Hasbro UK I honestly felt that turnaround time, did I I was w at my best most of the doubt at times that we would achieve our goals? time. Along with my senior team we developed tim Were tthere periods of uncertainty? Of course there a turnaround t plan based on great customer Even the most confident people are held back were. E service ser ervice and getting the business focused times with negative thoughts and self doubt. at time on n the t most important challenges that we When this happens you need to get back to your faced. face ed. as quickly as possible. It is impossible to avoid best a We believed in the plan, we supported W times when you are not at your best. each other and we delivered against The secret to success is to minimise these times our promises. prromises. Yes, the strategies and be at your best most of the time. were important im mportant and the new product Over the next few articles, I will be exploring how Ove development development was critical, but the fact recognise the triggers that knock you out of your to reco that we e were at our best most of the stride and how some people give you energy while time was arguably the key ingredient others are energy takers. We will also look at what behind our o success. can do to get back to your best when you are you ca When n I am at my best I am focused, your game. off you buzzing, buzzing g, highly energised, committed and I Talking of games, I promised to return to Spurs. If Talk anything feel any nything is possible.

Spurs played at their best most of the time I would When Whe hen I am in this frame of mind I don’t much more effective on Mondays, clearly one of be mu see problems, only opportunities. My se triggers! my trig standard response to being told of

“

”

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

36

toysnplaythings.co.uk

FOCUS

The nest big thing!

SILVERLIT - DIGIBIRDS

Silverlit’s latest range, DigiBirds, brings colourful bird collectables to the toy aisle. With intuitive tech features and bright, characterful bird toys, this hot new range is just taking off!

B

irdsong is no longer the preserve of the outdoors with the launch of DigiBirds, a brand new range of colourful bird collectables that brings the sounds and styling of nature into perfect harmony with technology. The latest from Silverlit, the award-winning DigiBirds encourages interactive play and collectablity, with bright colourways, funky designs, and some elegantly implemented tech.

Each DigiBird can be set to tweeting with a blow, or singing from a selection of pre-programmed tunes using a simple whistle. And they act just like real birds too, moving their heads and beak in time with the music, and even interacting with one another.

With 12 birds to collect, each with its own design inspired by its name and personality, DigiBirds is set to be the next big thing. And for DigiBird fans that build up a collection, there are exciting new ways to play. Simply arrange the birds in a group, blow that all-important whistle, and watch as the birds come to life and synchronise to sing together in one big, avian choir. Each DigiBird comes packaged with a whistle-holder combo ring, giving the bird something to attach to in the hand and helping children that can’t whistle on their own a way to get their DigiBirds

AUGUST 2014

Contact Details: For information on any Digibirds please visit Twitter: @MyDigiBirds Facebook: /DigiBirdsOfficial Instagram: /DigiBirds YouTube: /DigiBirdsOfficial

tweeting and singing. They also come with bright hexagonal display stands that clip to one another, allowing kids to display their collection like a honeycomb.

Six special edition DigiBirds are also available, complete with their very own bird cage. These include the spectaculart Breeze, who likes nothing more than sitting on her perch as the wind gently rocks her cage, and the bright-eyed Twinkle, a real groovy mover who spends her nights stargazing. With the tagline, ‘We Tweet, We Sing, We Move’, DigiBirds offer simple, intuitive interactivity, with additional play styles to unlock through collection. For consumers and retailers alike, this new collectable range of feathered friends represents high tech, high impact fun for a low price.

New designs and songs are already beginning to hatch at the Silverlit aviary, so now is the perfect time to join the flock!

Email tommullen@ silverlit.com or call 01923 606147 for more information.

Bird Wide Web As well as singing, DigiBirds love to get connected.

The fun extends online at www.digibirds.com, offering kids hours of additional play value that can have an impact on their real-world collectables.

Every DigiBird has its own name and personality, and kids can discover more about their very own DigiBirds with character profiles on the site.

Sunbeam, for example, loves to greet the new season, watch the flowers grow and trees bloom, while Legacy loves to meet up with all her friends and recall the sunny and beautiful days. All of them, of course, love nothing more than to get together for a big sing song!

There are also games, contests and other activities for kids to interact with, and here they can unlock some bonuses for their DigiBirds in real life.

Completing games and competitions will unlock upto 14 new songs for collectors’ DigiBirds, giving them a reason to interact online, and opening up some exciting new ways to enjoy their collection.

The DigiBirds app gives tech-nuts even more ways to play. Downloading the app will immediately unlock 4 exclusive new songs, with the ability to add even more to the song sheet through mini games.

DigiBirds is supported with TV advertising on key kids channels.

37

FEATURE

FASHION DOLLS

Hey, Doll! You’re

looking good Fashion dolls are the staple of practically every little girl’s toy collection. Collectable, keepable and very much adored, the popularity of these dolls continues to rise and rise. TnP takes a closer look

I

f you are to abandon the notion of gender stereotyping, you cannot deny that the very first thing you think of when you think of a girl’s toy collection is fashion dolls.

Be it Bratz, Monster High or Pinypon – these dolls have found a place in nearly every home. They have inspired girls to greatness, inspired them to use their endless imaginative capabilities and in many cases, inspired them to break that glass ceiling (Barbie has had close to 150 careers, don’t you know!).

But what really makes a successful fashion doll, is it the lure of accessories, the aspiration brand messaging or even the unique play features?

“A successful fashion doll is one that has the ability to regularly adapt to changing lifestyles,” points out MGA’s Marian Davis. “Iconic MGA brands Bratz and Moxie Girlz have continually remained contemporary through changes in clothing, styles, hair, accessories and the varied roles they portray. It is important for a fashion doll to continually reinvent itself, while maintaining the core brand personality.”

Speaking about that level of relevancy, Famosa’s Nikki Jeffery agrees: “Fashion dolls, like most girls toys, need to be part of Famosa a little girl’s world. Unlike boys who like to swap and battle, girls will collect and keep. It is therefore important to allow girls to ‘build’ on their collection by offering a range of SKU’s at gifting and pocket money prices to keep the range accessible. Girls also look for toys for aspiration so it is important to offer product which girls can relate to, whether that be different doll personalities, trend based accessories, or relevant themes.”

Mattel’s Senior Brand Manager Girls UK, Denise Fillary, says a number of components ensure a successful fashion doll but warns it is important to get the right mix: “Fashion dolls are a core play pattern for girls so they love Marian Davis, the fashion play with the different outfits and accessories on offer but more importantly it’s the world of imagination that doll play brings, allowing them to act out stories with their dolls and create play scenarios.”

The wide appeal of fashion dolls is undeniable and girls are being attracted to their dynamic category at an even younger age, says Famosa’s Nikki Jeffrey.

Top 5 best-selling Fashion dolls toys YTD “It is widely June 2014 in sterling known that 1. Monster High Frights, Camera, Action! Asst: fashion dolls have reached Mattel girls younger and 2. Disney Princess Frozen Sparkle Anna: younger over the Mattel last 10 years, with 3. Disney Frozen Sparkle Doll Elsa/Kristoff Asst: three-year-olds Mattel now highly engaged with Barbie 4. Monster High Hauntlywood Black: for example.

Mattel Because these 5. One Direction Doll Assortment: dolls are aspiraVivid Imaginations tional, retailers offer access to the Supplied by global information company The NPD Group ranges and can

“

Vivid build strong promotions to tap into the collectability aspect girls crave. As Pinypon is so fantastically priced, 70% of the range is less the £10, collectability is very appealing.”

With the launch of their upcoming fashion doll brand Lalaloopsy, MGA are firmly focused on the category and Marian Davis says fashion dolls offer retailers the chance to partake in a number of different brand building opportunities. “We work closely with our retailers to ensure we offer brands that appeal to a broad age range – Moxie Girlz skews younger for children aged 3 + whilst the new Lalaloopsy Girls are now a little older, a little more colourful and a little more quirky, and are targeted at children aged 5-8 years.”

In terms of performance at retail, it seems fashion dolls are having a strong year.

“Pinypon has had an incredibly successful start, we could not have hoped for better,” says Famosa’s Nikki Jeffrey. “It is a new brand in the UK but has a very successful sales story behind it. Since its re-launch in Europe sales rocketed from E4m in 2011 to more than E27m by the end of 2013. The UK launch this year has seen a strong marketing campaign resulting in strong distribution across a number of accounts its February introduction.”

MGA And MGA are feeling equally positive. “The fashion doll category is extremely competitive and we are confident that the best is yet to come. The launch of Lalaloopsy Girls in August, alongside the launch of key new segments in Moxie Girlz, is set to accelerate growth and shake up the fashion dolls sector.”

Mattel are also reporting good sales with Denise revealing: “The dolls market is having a very strong year. Fashion dolls are a core category within Mattel’s portfolio and we continue to bring innovation not only to the Barbie brand but also with new introductions, keeping the category aspirational and relevant.”

There is also the small matter of licensing – it goes hand-inhand with fashion dolls. Apparel, make-up, perfume, TV, the list is endless.

“It is absolutely essential. Licensing has a big role to play in building the brand and engaging the consumer through entertainment,” says MGA’s Marian and Mattel agree, with Denise describing it as a “key focus for Mattel”.

Taking a different approach, however, is Famosa with Nikki explaining: “With the right doll and the right feature/characteristic/play appeal, it is very possible to have a successful fashion doll line without the backing of a popular license.”

As the fashion doll sector continues to evolve and maintain a firm place in the hearts and minds of young girls, retailers have a fantastic selection to choose from and can rest assured these dolls will continue to be a hot favourite in 100 years!

It is important for a fashion doll to continually reinvent itself, while maintaining the core brand personality

38

”

toysnplaythings.co.uk

FEATURE

FASHION DOLLS

A passion for fashion MGA ENTERTAINMENT 0845 0533 333 www.mgae.com

MGA Entertainment prepares to shake up the fashion dolls market this autumn with a number of innovative new product launches from Lalaloopsy and Moxie Girlz. The new Lalaloopsy Girls launch sees MGA introduce a fashion doll inspired by the hugely popular Lalaloopsy brand. Targeted at an older girl demographic of ages 5-8, the first wave of the range will see original Lalaloopsy characters become available in 11” dolls, wearing fashionable

versions of their original themed outfits.

The new brand is the first fashion doll to come with lanyard hair and will see the now grown up original Lalaloopsy characters attend boarding school, the Lalaloopsy Academy for Learning Arts.

Each core doll comes with a pet and hair accessories and the Lalaloopsy Girls Deluxe dolls come with lanyard hair that changes colour in water as well as a second outfit, pet and hair

IT’S DE RIGUEUR! DKL www.dkl.co.uk 01604 678780 DKL is proud to be the exclusive UK distributor of Corolle, a range premium dolls, fashions and accessories designed in France.

Each Corolle doll carries a signature vanilla scent making it a familiar, loving part of childhood. Corolle Les Cheries are modern fashion dolls that are styled according to the latest fashion trends.

New for 2014 is Camille Soiree Theatre, she is dressed in an ontrend gold jacket with peplum detail along with a deep purple skirt and matching shoes. Also new to the Les Cherie collection is Clara Sunny Days, she is beach ready in an adorable pink polka dot bathing suit, sun hat and towel. A fantastic array of accessories and fashions are available for the Les Cheries collection.

40

accessories, including hair bow. The Lalaloopsy Girls launch will be supported by TV, PR, digital and merchandising. A strong programme of entertainment will support the brand launch including a music video which will be released in August, and a movie/ DVD launching later this year.

The Moxie Girlz brand continues to build upon the creative play patterns it has become renowned for with the new Moxie Girlz Magic Hair Stamp Designer range. Colour changing hair and glitter that can be used in either the doll’s hair or the child’s adds to the expressive and creative aspects of the Moxie Girlz brand.

The range launches don’t stop there either. The new Moxie Girlz Art-titude dolls aim to harness children’s textile and fashion passions by introducing fashionable outfits that can be decorated and customised by the child.

The range also includes the Airbrush Studio and Color Me Car which also both focus on being decorated and customised by the child. The two new ranges in the Moxie Girlz brand will both be supported by TV, PR, digital and merchandising.

STYLE SISTAS’ Mattel 01628 500303 www.mattel.com From Barbie, the world’s number one fashion doll, to global phenomenon Monster High, Mattel continues to bring innovation and excitement to the girls’ category with its award winning brands and strong licensing partnerships.

Driving growth throughout 2014 with the huge success of its Disney Frozen range and with a hot new property unveiled last summer, Ever After High, the category looks set to continue to go from strength to strength.

Barbie continues to inspire and engage with girls of all ages this autumn, celebrating that with Barbie ‘Anything is Possible’ and turning heads with the launch of a new Barbie Style Doll collection.

As a proven force in entertainment, 1 September sees the release of a new animated feature film, Barbie and the Secret Door. The new DVD and accompanying toy line are supported by an extensive marketing programme. Monster High, Ever After High and Disney Princesses also have exciting new launches.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Contact details: famosauk@famosa.es 01623 237 433 www.famosagroup.com

FEATURE

FASHION DOLLS

Heading in one direction – up!

VIVID 01483 449 944 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk

OMG! Based in the world of Bear Valley Hills Club Chic are the coolest, trendiest bears around! Priced at £16.99 there are five different dolls to collect who all bear to be different! Each character has their own unique personality and comes complete with a super-styling handbag, uber trendy fashion outfits in a super cute eight-inch sizing. With a new single out this month, Union J are back and ready to cause deafening sounds of girls screaming! Fans can get hold of this boy band sensation by grabbing a 12” Collector’s Dolls of Josh, JJ, Jaymi and George. The Union J dolls will be kitted out in replica outfits personally selected by the boys themselves. Fans can collect all four dolls in addition to collectible figurines, game and puzzle. One Direction are taking over the world!

With their hugely successful sell out worldwide tour, the boys are showing no signs of slowing down. The Wave 4 12” Collector’s Dolls launched this June and showcased the boys new outfits which were personally selected by the One Direction boys themselves. Fans can collect all five boys in addition to the One Direction 4x4 Cruiser, Celebz Collectible Figurines, Celebz key chain and the One Direction game.

The must-have accessory HTI 01253 778888 www.htigroup.co.uk HTI’s exciting new Barbie & Me Colour Change Glam Bag takes fashion doll related play to a completely new level as, for the first time ever, state-of-the-art colour-change technology lights up the toy market and the world’s greatest and iconic fashion doll, Barbie, unveils the hottest accessory for this autumn!

Winner of the UK Toy Fair Best New Toy Awards 2014 in the Role-Play Toys Category, the Barbie & Me Colour-Change Glam Bag magically changes colour to match any outfit! Simply hold the bag against any item of clothing and press the button to match over 100 different shades. The bag comes with lots of fab, clip-on Barbie accessories, so that it can be personalised to suit any style statement.

HTI’s Barbie & Me role-play toys range offers a unique twist as each set includes accessories that enable girls to involve their own Barbie doll in the same roleplay experience. The Colour Change Glam Bag includes a mini matching hand bag for the girl’s own Barbie doll – the perfect accessory for little girls aged 3-7 years.

The Barbie & Me Colour Change Glam Bag is supported by a TV, marketing and PR campaign from summer 2014.

A lotta love for Lottie MARBEL LTD 0845 6000 286 www.marbel.co.uk Last year saw the launch of Marbel Toys’ new collectable Lottie dolls.

Lottie dolls were developed based on 18 months’ worth of research into what retailers, mums and children wanted. As a result the dolls were sized to an actual 9-year-old child.

Lottie dolls are different to other dolls as they enjoy childlike activities such as

3

horse riding, looking after their pets and karate. They want girls to be girls and enjoy their childhood. The dolls are flexible, the arms, legs and head all move but the dolls can stand on their own.

Lottie dolls are packaged in a cardboard gift bag style box with minimal plastic so will look great on store shelves. New to the Lottie dolls range this year are the Kawaii Karate

doll, Pandora Box doll, Butterfly Protector doll, Lighthouse Keeper doll, Pirate Queen doll and Robot Girl doll.

Also within the Lottie range are beautiful accessory sets including new outfits and toys for play including Seren the Pony and a Persian Cat. Lottie dolls are targeted at girls upwards of 3 years and the dolls themselves measure 7.5 inches tall. The dolls have won various awards including the Oppenheim platinum best toy award.

For more information on the above range or to place an order please either contact the office or your local sales representative.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Life’s a holiday FAMOSA 07903 843241 www.famosa.es Pinypon, the unique range of cute interchangeable mini dolls and playsets has made an impactful comeback for 2014. The only dolls with removable hair, head, body and accessories plus double sided faces with different fun expressions to add to the dress up fun, Pinypon launched with new pricing, new features and an aggressive marketing campaign.

In addition to the impressive line of collectible themed figures, Pinypon launched the first of many planned playsets in January. The Pinypon Campervan hides a host of surprises and has received a great reaction. The roof is a pedal boat with slide, there is a little swimming pool with working shower, a fridge, kitchen accessories and a table with 1 deck chair for your

picnic. This great set also includes 1 Pinypon figure and retails at a great value price of £19.99!

The Campervan is one of two playsets which are the focus for Q3 and Q4. July saw the introduction of the Pinypon Hotel which is packed with fun features and retails for £34.99. A heavyweight TV Campaign is planned to support these sets with a targeted 1000 TVR’s and tactical promotions will also be put in place to encourage collectability across the brand.

Nikki Jeffery, Famosa UK Marketing Manager said: “With new aggressive price points to drive awareness and collectability, plus marketing

investment four times larger than any previous investment on the range, Pinypon is sure to mirror the huge success in the UK it currently enjoys around the world.”

STRICTLY FOR FASHIONISTAS!

THIS WILL BE A HIT!

Asobi

Hasbro

01628 200077 www.asobi.co.uk

020 8569 1234 www.hasbro.com Seedling is one of Asobi’s most significant brands, taking the UK by storm last year when it arrived with its innovative craft kits. What about a fashion doll with a difference? Perfect for encouraging creativity among children, any budding fashion designer will adore this unique kit. With an array of design essentials, they will be armed with everything they need to turn designs into a reality.

Perfect for girls and suitable for complete beginners, this set includes a wooden mannequin doll to designs and clothes come to life.

The full set includes assorted fabrics, a wooden mannequin, basic pattern shapes, a sketch book, coloured pencils, sewing needles and cotton, assorted ribbons and a set of tips and instructions.

AUGUST 2014

My Little Pony Equestria Girls are taking the lime light with an exciting range of ‘Dolls that Rock’ and an accompanying superstar stage playset: the Mane Event Stage.

With the Equestria Girls Dolls that Rock range, each individual doll sings her ‘hit song’ when you give her a high five. With bending elbows and knees, you can pose with their microphones or musical instruments, and watch as they show off their stage style. Each doll wears their favourite performance outfit, as well as a musical instrument unique to them.

When you place all the figures together on the Mane Event Stage, they form a band and sing in unison. This stage is where the battle of the bands takes place; it’s a superstar stage and the ultimate place for owners to re-enact the amazing talent and style of their Equestria Girls doll collection. Spotlights hang above the stage, while six doll stands line the stage floor. The stage can be set for a rock showdown with the included Pinkie Pie doll, along with the rest of the band.

4

RETAIL INTERVIEW JARROLDS

The art of good toy buying!

TnP’s Rhys Thomas spoke with Jarrold’s Toy and Baby Gifting Buyer, Selina Clarke, to learn how they make the most of toys in a multicategory environment, and, as the department celebrates its 80th year, how toys have remained vital to the store’s product offering since the 1930s

44

Selina, tell us a little about yourself, how did you make your way into the toy industry?

I have been in the store for 12 years and worked from the sales floor to where I am now. I have been the Buyer for our Art, Craft and Haberdashery department for six years.

Last year I was asked to buy for our Baby Gifting area, and then this year was asked to include the toy department in my buyerships. The departments are all on the same floor so I have been tasked with improving adjacencies and blurring the lines between the areas. Before art and craft my background was fashion buying, so it’s been varied!

What are the challenges you face when buying for several stores in different locations?

We try and keep product consistent across the stores. We will sometimes up the quantities of lines for the other stores depending on what they are and will sometimes include unique lines just for them. For example, we just reintroduced kites to the department. In this order we took a basic range for the main department store, some animal and bird lines for our local shop and beach and stunt lines for the shop in Cromer. It’s about looking at ranges and seeing what would be best where. It’s a practice we do across the store so we are well versed In it now!

And what’s your role at Jarrolds? Do you handle toy buying for all the stores or just a particular location?

I am the sole buyer for the departments listed above. We have quite a few stores across the region of which only two others carry toys.

One of these is a store that focuses on locally made ranges and the product for here is picked carefully to reflect these ranges and themes in the store.

The other store is based in the seaside town of Cromer. There we try and pick a good selection across the whole range, focusing on beach and holiday lines in the summer. All stock is centrally bought for the main store and then distributed to the others.

And how important are toys to the overall product offering at Jarrolds? Being a family run department store in the middle of the city, toys is a very important part of our business. We have customers come in with their children who were brought in by their parents, who were brought in by their parents! It’s a category that works in a department store environment and one that covers our wide customer base. We’ve just found an old advert from 1934 advertising the opening of the ‘Jarrold Toy Emporium’ which means we are about to celebrate our 80th birthday as a department. With so many changes that can happen in a department store it’s testament to it that it is still important.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

What’s been the surprise hit product of your whole career?

Something that just came out of nowhere, or maybe a real comeback kid.

I’ve only been in Toys for a few months so everything so far has been a surprise! Coming from a fashion background every season there was something different and then in art and craft there is not much newness. I’d love to see Spirograph come back with a vengeance as we are constantly asked for it and sell imposters very well! I have seen it is being distributed this year so am looking forward to bringing it in.

Has this importance changed over the past five years?

Have toys grown or waned in significance?

The importance of the department has not changed.

Due to the internet and local competition we have had to be smarter with space. The department sits on a smaller footprint than it did a few years ago but we grow this at Christmas. The space it lost a few years ago was given over to baby gifting and christening gifts and 18 months ago we incorporated our Little Joules Clothing concession into the area. These additions still keep the toy ‘feeling’ but give us more consistency with sales. It still sits on 3,500sq ft and will grow by nearly a third at Christmas.

So, what has 2014 been like generally for toy sales? Is 2014 the ‘recovery’ year that it was predicted to be?

We’re feeling positive. We set our budgets accordingly and realistically and are on course to beat them. There seems to be a change in online shopping with our customers saying that it’s good to come somewhere that has choice and knowledge. ‘Must have’ products like Loom Bands are great as, even though they can be found in the internet, the need for ‘immediate’ fulfilment means we are getting more and more frequent customers into the department. Also, looking at the products coming through for the

“

The LEGO display at Jarrolds

Toys were one of the first categories we went live with on our Website and still equates to nearly 20% of our total toy sales

”

second half, staff knowledge, help and guidance for customers is going to be key for making this a recovery year within stores.

What have been your top three sellers so far this year?

LEGO, LEGO and LEGO! Like everyone, we are having a great year with LEGO and are currently 20% up on last year with them.Schleich has always been a consistently strong seller for us. We added in two more metres last year and it continues to be an important part of our business. Outdoor in general is doing well. We are currently 42% up on Outdoor Toys this year.

We have benefitted from some good weather but made an effort to make it stand out. We have a core range of lines from Mookie and Hasbro’s Nerf and this year included the Sunny Patch range from Melissa and Doug.

Are licensed toys an important part of your toy offering?

It’s mixed. There are licenses that seem to have made their way into core traditional product and others that are misses. As much as it is good to have the latest hot license in store we are conscious of still staying and becoming more of a traditional toy shop. There is not space to do both so we will be carefully looking at licensed product in the future. With so much competition around us in the city we feel we are able to step outside the license safety net and create our own niche.

Best sellers • • • •

LEGO Schleich Mookie Toys Hasbro

Is there a certain product category that sells particularly well for Jarrolds? We’ve always been strong on construction. We were the first store in the region, and rumoured outside of London, to stock LEGO and this seems to have cemented our place in the area for any construction toy.

Outdoor toys are popular

AUGUST 2014

45

RETAIL INTERVIEW JARROLDS

rain and snow to come in. As a store we make a great effort to make Christmas special for both customers and staff. We have held events in store for the last five years to try and create that ‘Christmas Spirit’ during the year as it’s such a good feeling.

And what product or line from the previews you’ve been to would you tell independents to keep a keen eye on? Is there a toy that you would mark as a shoe in for Christmas success?

Not telling!

Schleich is a big seller As a multiple category retailer, does licensed cross-category synergy play a big role in what you select each year?

It doesn’t. We pick products and ranges based on how they sit with our own department and how they will appeal to our customers. We work with other areas of the store when we do have licensees that match or even themes. We have good ties with our book department and dual site ranges when we can.

Most recently we have created dual displays for Minecraft and Peppa Pig where we each have products form each department.

We are also working this year to do store wide events for children in the holidays based around a Sealife theme. This will mean mixing products from books, art and craft and toys to make more impact and lead customers to previously unvisited departments.

Where do you position Jarrolds in the overall toy retail landscape?

I feel with the range we have we are a good alternative to specialist toy retailers. We don’t just have the latest ranges or products aimed at gift purchasing.

We stock everything from 40p pocket money items to £200 sets of LEGO to Microscopes. We try to offer as much choice as we can, in all categories, for any type of customer that comes onto the department. We are looking at becoming more specialised in some areas but are also conscious that we need to be appealing to everyone. We have other shops in the City that specialise in areas and feel we don’t need to

46

compete, we just need to do our own thing as well as we can.

We’re past the mid way point of the year now, what potential hurdles do you face in the long run up to Christmas?

For us there isn’t really a long run up to Christmas. We are starting to talk about it now; how Father Christmas arrives, how the Grotto will look, staffing levels etc.

We are also trying to move the floor around We have and are planning some customers come big Summer Holiday events. While all this in with their goes on Christmas is children who still being planned in were brought in the background. It may look like a long run up by their parents, on paper but we feel it’s who were just around the corner. brought in by In my other departments their parents! we heavily promote back Selina Clarke, Art, Craft, to school so my biggest Haberdashery, Baby Gifting and hurdle will be time Toy Buyer, Jarrold management!

“

Do world/big events, such as this summer’s World Cup, or annual events like Wimbledon have an impact on toy sales?

We don’t really see a difference.

This year we did not buy any World Cup themed product due to poor sales previously for these types of events and the timings of the World Cup games have been ‘retail friendly’. We do use these events to help promote products we already stock, for example, we demoed the Orchard Toys Football Game on the days England played in the World Cup and have been demoing Swingball for Wimbledon. For me it’s about being able to tie in with them and pick up sales off the back of them instead of buying specifically for them.

And finally, the most important question: If you were a child today, what toy would you be nagging your mum for?

LEGO Tower Bridge… although I am still waiting for the extension to my Sindy house my parents promised me when I was 8!

”

Is Christmas still the pivotal sales season of the year, or has its significance changed?

Christmas is still vital to sales, not just on toys but as a department store. You build on sales during the year and Christmas is where you make the money. Each year it does seem to be later and later but you can’t get away from it! We have, what has been said, the best grotto in the city and make a big event of Father Christmas arriving. We have a very successful Christmas Gift Guide which is heavily backed by our website and social media platforms and well supported by suppliers. Our Christmas customer evening is heavily lauded by our customers who queue in

toysnplaythings.co.uk

THE INDEPENDENT

OPINION

Online worries and woes This month our columnist looks into the tricky topic of online

S

o, it seems that the most important time of the year is rolling around. Once again stock will start flying in as we try to furiously keep on top of everything in the build-up to that massive rush which helps us to pay our bills for the next nine months or so.

And now that we are getting ever closer to the main season for selling the toys that we are so passionate about, what can we expect to see going on throughout the trade?

A year or two ago I used to spend a lot of time visiting my competitors, both large and small, and sitting online trying to get a feel for exactly what was going on with certain retailers trying to sell volume at very little profit. If I actually sat down and calculated the amount of time I spent doing that sort of thing and “worrying” about the activity of other retailers, I

Best Sellers VOLUME 1) Simpson`s Minifigures - Lego 2) Loom Twister Bands - HGL 3) Frozen Elsa Dolls - Mattel VALUE 1) Frozen Elsa Dolls - Mattel 2) Minecraft Animal Pack Character Options 3) Minecraft Diamond Steve Character Options

would fret at just how much more productive my time could have been working on things in my own stores!

I feel it is far too easy for us smaller guys to get caught up in the hype of what has been described to me as a “market share war” between our wonderful friends the majors.

But I really struggle to understand where they actually try to make a profit during this “war”.

There is nothing worse seeing a TV advert by one of the majors telling me that you have to come and shop in their stores.

They let you know that you have to come and shop in their store because they are slashing prices like there is no tomorrow, and if you want to save up to 50% or take advantage of a 3 for 2 offer then you have to come in store and give your hard earned cash to them!

This type of thing makes me wonder why my business survives every year. I know that if the same advert comes on for a lawnmower, garden furniture or some other appliance that I am in need of, I usually don`t even wait until the end of the day before announcing to the rest of the staff that I have an important “off-site” meeting to attend and I may or may not be back in later on. Such is the pull of promotional activity, and I don`t think I am any different to any regular Joe. The problem with this is that when I purchase my lawnmower at a reduced price, is it my problem that the place I purchased it from loses money or doesn`t make as much money as the product is worth? No. But, is it something that I should take notice of that there is another, smaller store somewhere close to me that is selling that same item at the

standard RRP who will miss his sale because the larger store has decided it wants to “gobble up” as many sales as possible at the expense of the smaller guy who just wanted to make a fair profit out of the sale? On this I am not so sure what my answer is.

Money off items is always a great incentive for people to go and spend money in a certain place, but with online becoming increasingly easy to shop on, and more and more ways of speeding up delivery of goods, there is no telling exactly where things will go in the future.

I can recall laughing out loud when I read of Amazon’s idea for having drones flying orders around to improve the distribution of their goods.

But then again, if someone had mentioned to me a few years ago that I could walk up and down an aisle in a store, pull out my phone to read the barcode and buy it cheaper within a couple of seconds, I would have laughed out loud then also!

All I can say is that when this day does come, I can see a lot of people investing in a very long pole to knock these drones out of the sky and take the goods for themselves.

It is crazy when I look back to my business starting off, we had the same customers day in day out, spending their money and getting reliable items that provided their children with a useful toy.

Now we are on the cusp of “flying delivery vehicles” delivering our goods within minutes of us clicking the button to purchase them. I wonder whether there will ever be a time when I simply think of an item and when I get home, it will be wrapped and sitting on my doorstep.

THE SECRET SUPPLIER Fighting the good fight Price and margin are always an issue, says our Secret Supplier

A

s the Independent highlights, this is the time of the year when we all take a big breath and make our commitments for Christmas; suppliers and retailers alike.

Some products you can safely rely on but for many others you simply have to rely on gut reaction. Even then there is always something that comes along and takes the whole industry by surprise. But the real problem highlighted by The Independent is that having committed to stock, retailers have no certainty as to what price it will be sold for, or what margin it will deliver!

We know how the general public shop simply by examining our own purchasing habits.

How many of us use Amazon and other online retailers? Are we guilty of undermining bricks and mortar retailers by our own actions? But on the other hand we all know retailers where it is a real pleasure to shop and experience the wonders of actually being able to see, touch and

AUGUST 2014

smell the products we want to buy.

The Independent is naturally upset by seeing the “majors” advertising toys at discounted price. And of course these major retailers can use toys to attract consumers into store so they can fill their shopping trollies full of wine and food on which they make better margins But even Tesco and Sainsbury are fighting a losing battle to their German competitors like Aldi. It would be great if consumers would consciously support their independent toys shops but the fact is consumers go where they get what they perceive as the best shopping experience. In this context the independent retailer does have some weapons in its armoury with which to battle against the majors. Would you be able to get any advice in Tesco or Sainsbury if you were uncertain about what toys would be suitable for your young granddaughter? How would their store staff react if you asked for a product to be

demonstrated? It is possible for independent toy retailers to win customers away from the majors by being aggressively full service retailers.

It may be a difficult task to blend attractive price promotions within a normal pricing situation but by way of example, Toymaster provides sensible opportunities to create an environment where it looks as though the independent retailer is price competitive.

Combine this with a wide range of attractively displayed and demonstrated toys at sensible prices and backed up by sound practical advice and specific information on age and gender suitability provided by a cheerful and well trained staff member, then the retailer will have a weapon in his arsenal that can’t be matched by the majors. Christmas is a retail battle, but the fight can be won by enterprising full service retailers. The challenges are high but the opportunities great!

47

FEATURE

RADIO CONTROL

Tuning into speed The technology driven RC market is one of the most exciting and vibrant sectors in the toy industry. And with dedicated fans enthralled by products, it is hard not to be enamoured with all that RC offers. TnP takes a closer look at this dynamic sector

T

“

As with all areas within toys, we constantly strive to bring new and exciting product to consumers… modern technology has brought leaps and bounds in knowledge to today’s generation of consumers Tom Mullen, Silverlit

AUGUST 2014

”

he RC category is fast-paced, fresh and furiously inventive. With high-quality, high-excitement products flooding the market, this is not an arena for the fainthearted. RC toys have an all-encompassing appeal, which is powerfully attractive to fans of every age.

From toddlers right up to granddads, the appeal of RC is universal and who hasn’t had a random conversation about drones in the last year? Everyone is talking about them and everyone who claims to be an RC fan wants one!

There is a lot happening in the market and with manufacturers becoming ever more inventive, there is a lot to be excited about too.

“RC in general has performed for us at a steady level this year versus 2013,” says Tom Mullen, GM of Silverlit, who added: “We believe with the introduction of new items we should see an uplift in autumn/winter sales.”

Flying Toys MD David Rawlins agrees, explaining: “We distribute Silverlit and Parrot ranges in the UK… there was a time that traditional RC toys only seemed to perform well in the run up to Christmas, and whilst this is clearly the peak period, it is no longer the case. Our Silverlit RC aeroplanes literally take off as soon as the weather breaks in the spring, and sales of the X-Twin Jets and classic Centenary Sopwith Camel in particular, have already proven substantial this summer. Similarly sales of our high profile Wi-Fi controlled Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 Power Edition quadricopter continue to be strong, with enthusiasts often using the Parrot GPS Flight Recorder combined with its high definition camera, to achieve the optimum results.”

But what about retailers looking to diversify their range and who might be concerned that RC may be considered a niche market? This is simply not so, says Tom, who points out: “This area of the toy market has really never

been niche, there has been some sort of RC toy for a long time and with new technology this area of the market has widened with appeal to all ages and genders in the sector.”

David echoes this, and points out that the majority of products are “easy to operate, and are offered completely ready to fly, making these equally suitable for sale in traditional toy outlets, as through specialist model shops.”

As tech-savvy customers become ever more aware of what is on the market, is there an onus on manufacturers and suppliers to feed their need for speed by continuously delivering new, even more exciting and high-performing product?

Silverlit’s Tom Mullen says: “As with all areas within toys, we constantly strive to bring new and exciting product to consumers.

Consumers are becoming more aware by the day, modern technology has brought leaps and bounds in knowledge to today’s generation of consumers.” But Tom does warn: “With adding technology to toys it does add a cost to the product and there are times we get caught in a retail/price-point dilemma.”

Flying Toys David Rawlins agrees, pointing out: “While there will always be best sellers like that continue to perform well for a number of years, innovation is surely the key to success in the RC market.”

The promotion and merchandising of toys is always of interest to retailers and RC products are no different. Tom believes that “in-store demos can be important” to promotion but says “space at retail can become an issue.”

From his perspective, David argues that the importance of promotion is key. “We have always believed that promotion is more important than price cutting, and subsequently have two full time demonstrators on stand at Spring Fair.

Professional product videos are often available, showing Flying Toys products in action, and the company has over 400 films on its YouTube channel for retailers to use in-store or online if required.”

When it comes to catching trends, from a manufacturers point of view Tom warns they have to keep up to speed and not let product fall out of date as technology moves so fast.

So with the RC market striving to be more inventive and exciting than ever, and fans buying into their favourite brands and products, what is not to love about the category?

48

FEATURE

RADIO CONTROL

Flying high with fantastic toys FLYING TOYS 01702 295110 www.flyingtoys.com UK Distributor Flying toys are delighted to announce the launch off the latest Parrot Connected Toys, the Rolling Spider and Jumping Sumo, playful robots piloted with a Smartphone or Tablet.

With both MinDrones arriving in August, the Rolling Spider is a miniature quadcopter that can roll up p walls and along ceilings with its ultra a light wheels, whilst the Jumping Sumo mo incorporates a forward facing camera, ra, can leap up to 80cm into the air, as well as performing precise 90° and 180° turns on command.

Both products use the same Lithium Polymer battery, can be customised using stickers, and are controlled using the new FreeFlight 3 application for iOS and Android, with Windows coming soon.

Flying Toys are particularly proud to distribute the brilliant new Parrot Bebop Drone, a sophisticated leisure

quadcopter with all the features of a professional one.

Equipped with a high definition 14 mega pixels fisheye camera, the Bebop Drone takes video and pictures of the world in a 180° field with remarkable image quality.

Featuring full digital image stabilisation on its 3-axis, the Bebop Drone captures perfect video despite the movements inherent in recording aerial footage. The combination of

numerous sensors gives nu it impressive stability, plus great p manoeuvrability, when m piloted with a p Smartphone or a Tablet.

S An optional Parrot Bebop Skycontroller Be accommodates the ac piloting device fixed on a pilo shelf, and the pilot controls she drone via two the d proportional joysticks. propo an amplified Wi-Fi radio Equipped with a antennas, the Skycontroller with four antenn extends the Wi-Fi range up to 2kms. For extreme sensations, it is possible to connect First Person View glasses to the Skycontroller, allowing the camera to follow head movements.

With the first delivery of the Parrot Bebop Drone anticipated around the end of September, customers are advised to contact Flying Toys for an allocation, as soon as possible.

EXCITING NEW ENTRIES TO THE RC SECTOR

THUNDERING INTO SHOPS NEAR YOU

Flair 0208 643 0320 www.flairplc.co.uk

Chicco 01623750870 www.chicco.co.uk

Two of Flair’s hugely successful licensed portfolios now feature RC options with boys favourite the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and pre-schoolers favourite Tree Fu Tom. Tree Fu Tom has entered the RC sector with a Remote Control Tom that features a removable leaf-board. Using the remote control, kids will be able to steer Tom left, right, backwards and forwards. Fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles can drive all four Turtles into their next battle with the fantastic remote control Ninja Control Shellraiser.

From rail-riding to street-surfing, Donatello’s customised combat creation packs a powerful punch. This vehicle comes with full-steering remote-control.

Chicco’s range of toy cars has been strengthened by the introduction of the new Jimmy Thunder remote control car.

With its sporty design, including a spoiler on the back and lightning bolt vinyls, this racing car is the perfect choice for any budding young drivers. The Jimmy Thunder R/C comes complete with a swift black steering wheel, which includes intuitive remote control function. The easy to hold remote control will guide the car in different directions by simply turning it, mirroring the use of a normal steering wheel. In addition it boasts coloured headlamps and a roaring engine that turn on when the car starts to move. As is common to the Chicco range the car also features a friendly character face on the windscreen, to engage and entertain little ones.

50

ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES Thames and Kosmos 01580 212000 www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk Build your own motorised vehicles and machines with the Thames and Kosmos Remote Control Machines kit this summer. Choose one of ten models to build, including a formula one racing car, a bulldozer or even a robotic arm. As well as all the building components, this kit also comes with an illustrated step-by-step instruction manual to help children learn through play and develop their mechanical understanding, creative thinking skills and hand-eye coordination. After you have built all the models in the instructions, you can design your own remote control creations.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

FEATURE

RADIO CONTROL

Lighting the RC market SILVERLIT 01923606147 www.silverlit.com

FAST AND UN! FURIOUS FUN! Golden Bear 01952 608308 www.goldenbeartoys.co.uk rtoys.co.uk Golden Bear brings even more fast and furious fun to its remote control collection n with vehicles from m its Go MINI and V-Dubs ranges.

Cool stunt based vehicle brand Go MINI is set for high-speed gh-speed action with the brand new Twin Turbo Raceway which offers the ultimate GO MINII racing experience for all abilities.

The RC WOLF Rally to ll Car C continues ti t be b a firm favourite. f it This remote control speed machine features lights and sounds that are activated by the steering wheel remote handset, plus RC Wolf can perform all sorts of cool skids and donut spins. New to Golden Bear’s portfolio is the brand new V-Dubs pre-school vehicle collection based around the world-class brand, Volkswagen and consists of quirky collectable vehicles with fun stickers for both girls and boys aged 3-6 to enjoy.

GET VAPORIZED! Peterkin 0116 254 3645 www.peterkin.co.uk (domestic supply) www.nikko.eu (FOB supply) The RC market for Silverlit has remained solid and steady over the past 12 months, with a core range of product that has become a stock line for many retailers. They ensure they keep their range high tech, but still with the play value of a toy.

This year’s new item, Heli Combat, is a perfect example of this.

Silverlit are dedicated to being market leaders in RC, constantly looking for something old or new that can be developed to fit into today’s consumer expectations. Now in their 37th year of trading, over the years they have found product that has changed and brought the RC category out of the dark ages. Silverlit have plans to be here for at least another 37 years and develop more items that will only enhance the RC market.

52

HAPPY DRIVING Character Options 0161 633 9800 www.character-online.com For little ones taking their first foray into remote control action, Character Options offers chunky and robust ‘Drive and Steer’ designs featuring Fireman Sam and Postman Pat. Fireman Sam’s Jupiter Drive and Steer has a chunky steering wheel unit, which controls where Sam’s trusty fire engine goes. Simply press forward or reverse, whilst a turn of the wheel determines left or a right.

There’s even a turbo button for extra speed! Packed with key Fireman Sam phrases and a siren to warn other vehicles, kids will be ready for any emergency!

Alternatively kids can determine the movements of Postman Pat and his trusty companion Jess as they head off on their deliveries in the Postman Pat Drive and Steer. Little ones can control the direction and speed of Pat’s van with the steering wheel, and also press the buttons to hear a fun Postman Pat tune plus other sound effects and phrases!

Nikko’s VaporizR continues to prove itself as the number one RC vehicle of choice! This fantastic full function amphibious stunt car will work on virtually any terrain going, in any condition - mud, gravel, tarmac, snow, water - the VaporizR can cope with pretty much any challenge thrown it’s way. It also floats and powers itself through water! 2 motors and a 4 wheel drive action also mean 360 degree spins, which is why VaporizR endures as the ultimate all action stunt vehicle. VaporizR is supplied in 2 colours, is ready to run, either 27Mhz or 40Mhz, with Nikko’s 1 hour Quick Charger.

Another key lines for 2014 will be SlammR – a virtually indestructible stunt vehicle with two motors and 4 wheel drive.

52 toysnplaythings.co.uk

Ferrari F1 The Ferrari F1 is every child’s dream - their very own remote controlled ride on car

Bentley

Nano Quad

The Bentley is every child’s dream - their very own remote controlled ride on car

The Worlds Smallest Quad Copter

T77 Indoor and Outdoor helicopter that has an RRP of £39.99!”

battle UFO Flying Gadgets world exclusive flying and battling UFO’s

www.flyinggadgets.com E: sales@flyinggadgets.co.uk T: 0844 209 2626

FEATURE

RADIO CONTROL

When innovation comes to life FLYING GADGETS GETS LTD. 0844 209 2626 www.flyinggadgets.com ets.com

Flying Gadgets Ltd. currently hol holds lds one of the most innovative modern vative and mode ern product lines in the world. Tradin Trading ng for 10 years, it has grown within the market ithi th k t to bring the newest products available. ailable.

Flying Gadgets products’ range from the world’s fastest RC car, Velocity, ty, to the world’s most luxurious children’s en’s ride-on car, Henes M7.

MAKING A SPLASH LASH! Bladez Toyz 02392 658 259 www.bladeztoyz.co.uk The Gameplay Range from Bladez Toyz is packed full of fresh, new ideas for Radio Control Helicopters.

Stepping it up a gear from every day RC Helicopters, the designers at Bladez HQ have developed a collection of top-of-the-range choppers; each with a unique game-play feature.

Make a splash with the super-soaking Water Blaster, Lock & Load with the Target Missile Launcher, Carry your Cargo with the TransporterWinch and Shoot Bubbles with the Unbelievable Bubble Blaster!

For those who like a bit more of a challenge, Bladez will be showcasing their new X-BLADEZ Stunt Quad at Autumn Fair.

This isn’t just any 4 Channel Quadcopter! At 65cm in diameter, this beast comes with on board Missile Launcher and Water Blaster attachments, as well as striking LED lights for the ultimate R/C experience. Visit Bladez at the Autumn Fair to see the X-BLADEZ Stunt Quad in action.

Each game-play gadget has easy-to-use controls, and comes neatly packaged with a selection of spares and accessories, as well as full, detailed instructions and contact information for the Customer Service Support team at Bladez Toyz.

Strong branding means the packaging is high quality and eye catching; making Bladez Toyz products a first choice for end customers.

Bladez will be offering a ‘Buy two cartons get one unit free’ show deal at Autumn Fair.

The offer is available across the range, and can be bought in multiples.

54

Controlling the skies Vivid 01483 449944 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk Do more than just fly with Sky Rover! This voicecontrolled helicopter is super lightweight and easy to control and fly. With over 17 different commands you can get your helicopter spinning around in circles and reaching dizzying new heights. A headset is included and Sky Rover is fitted with voice recognition technology so you can easily command your helicopter. A remote control is also included to get you off to a flying start.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

VISIT US HALL 5 - E53

gamepla ga g a y

JUMBO

RADIO CONTROL

ttrade@bladeztoyz.co.uk rade@blad e@blade bl d t k

www.bladeztoyz.com bl

+44(0) 2392 658 259

SAFETY

ROUNDTABLE

When safety comes first Welcome to TnP’s quarterly Safety Roundtable. We know that safety is paramount in the toy industry, which is why we have brought together some of the finest minds in the safety sector to answer some pressing questions. This month Bureau Veritas’ Malcolm Horner, Intertek’s Philip Bullock and Rob Hinchcliff and UL’S Keith Richards give us an insight into hot topics within the industry Malcolm Horner, Toy Technical Consultant, Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services What are the biggest concerns currently for your clients with regards to testing toys?

We do get many questions around acoustics requirements (see below).

But generally, I would say that the cost is probably the main concern.

Although all laboratories do what they can to minimise the cost by grouping together components and materials for testing where permitted by the test method, there are now so many chemical tests that could be carried out to show that the toy meets the legal requirements, that the cost is increasing a lot.

Consequently, it is crucially important that manufacturers carry out a detailed chemical safety assessment. The EU Commission’s Guidelines do say that the scope of testing may be based on the results of that assessment. We are also asked questions regarding chemicals in recycled toys. Indeed, how can you ensure that recycled toys are fully compliant to the chemical requirements of the Toy Safety Directive? Looking at the RAPEX notifications since the beginning of the year, toys are the most notified product category. With children’s safety being at the forefront of surveillance officers’ minds across Europe, product compliance is as critical as it has always been. And for those companies who are selling their toys internationally, there is the need to understand which standards are applicable in each market. This is where technical experts like Bureau Veritas, who have a global network of laboratories and consultants, can support.

We enquired in our last toy safety feature if there has been an increase in failure while testing to the updates acoustic standard – can you give us an update on the findings from your laboratory as this is an issue for many companies?

From the information gathered so far, it looks as though the new acoustics requirements that come into effect on the 30th September this year are going to be particularly onerous

56

for those types of toys that were not previously within the scope of EN 71-1. This will include percussion toys such as xylophones and drums, and wind toys such as whistles and musical instruments.

Are there any impending changes to the Safety Directive looming that toy companies should be aware of?

One of the big forthcoming changes will be the new standard for trampolines.

Currently, there is no Harmonised Standard for toy trampolines. For more than eight years now, a CEN working group has been tasked with the job of creating a new standard for toy trampolines. It would appear that the publication of the new EN 71-14 standard is fast approaching. The draft standard will shortly be launched for a Formal Vote and it is possible that the standard could be published either late this year or early 2015. Amongst other things, the standard will address aspects such as enclosures, durability of materials, entrapment, pinching and crushing hazards, sharp edges and points, access devices, padding, strength, mat deflection, stability and warnings, marking and instructions. The European Commission has recently amended the Toy Safety Directive to allow the presence of nickel in electrical toys (in addition to the already existing exemption for nickel in stainless steel). This is a rare, but in my view, sensible relaxation. Nickel is classified (under Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008) as a carcinogenic category 2 substance and as such would not normally be permitted in toys or parts of toys in concentrations above 1%. However, under certain circumstances, metallic nickel is not considered to pose a significant risk to the health of children. Many electric toys use metallic components which contain metallic nickel (plating, coatings and alloys enabling electrical conductivity). The EU Commission therefore asked the Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER) for an opinion on the risks associated with metal nickel in electric toys.

The Committee concluded that the health risk due to nickel exposure when handling toys was low. The Committee further concluded that the use of nickel in parts of toys allowing the correct electric function of toys will result in very low potential for exposure to nickel by oral and dermal intake.

The EU Commission has also lowered the limits for three flame-retardant plasticisers: TCEP, TCPP and TDCP, and Bisphenol A. TCEP is a phosphate ester used as a flameretardant plasticiser in polymers. Halogenated alternatives to TCEP (TCPP and TDCP) are also concerned by the new limit of 5mg/kg (content limit).

Bisphenol A is used as a monomer in the manufacturer of polycarbonate plastics and has been found in certain toys. It is classified under the CLP Regulation as toxic for reproduction category 2. As with TCEP, in order to offer a high level of protection to children, the EU Commission has further restricted the migration limit of Bisphenol A in toys (0.1mg/l).

Do you find the testing of certain toys is seasonal and if so, what is currently being tested for most commonly and what should companies be looking out for?

The traditional pick seasons for toys are Christmas and summer. We currently receive all sorts of toys at our UK laboratory (plush toys, games, electric toys, outdoor toys, dress ups, acoustic toys, licensed premiums and ride-on toys, to name only a few categories) as our clients are now testing for Christmas 2014. As a toy consultant I get to see all the Christmas bestsellers before the public. Also, clients with trampolines are now asking about the forthcoming new standard.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Keith Richards, Technical Director – European Toys and Children’s Products, UL What are your biggest concerns currently with regards to testing toys?

The main concerns relate to the frequently changing international legislation and standards. Our clients are looking for opportunities in the global market and are ideally looking to supply one product for all markets. Unfortunately increased complexities of legislation makes this extremely difficult.

We enquired in our last toy safety feature if there has been an increase in failure while testing to the updates acoustic standard – can you give us an update on the findings from your laboratory as this is an issue for many companies? It is early days to collate data on the new tests. We are finding failures of products that are now within scope and were not required to be tested under the old standard such as percussion and wind activated toys. Items such as musical instruments and whistles can often achieve acoustic dB levels in excess of those stated in the standard and have to be modified in order to comply with the toy standard requirements.

We enquired in our last toy safety feature if there has been an increase in failure while testing to the updates acoustic standard – can you give us an update on the findings from your laboratory as this is an issue for many companies? As we have gained more experience of a wider range of toys, our initial concerns have been confirmed. Toy manufacturers and laboratories are facing the challenges of existing

AUGUST 2014

Do you find the testing of certain toys is seasonal and if so, what is currently being tested for most commonly and what should companies be looking out for? There are seasonal variations in the types of work being requested but during the summer period there is a bigger mix of products. Often new products are being developed so we often see the prototypes. There is a clear move to use electronic components in toys some incorporate Blue tooth technology. This is often a new area for many clients and can be complicated to understand.

developing a guidance document to help with some of the issues.

Rob Hinchcliffe, UK Toys & Hardlines Business Line Manager and Philip Bullock, Technical Manager – Toys & Hardlines, Intertek What are your biggest concerns currently with regards to testing toys?

Since last year, there has been a noticeable decline in third party testing within the European toy industry. This may be a reflection of market conditions, but could also be a kick-back against everspiralling costs and increases in legislation. There is a danger that in cutting back, some toy companies are taking undue risks, cutting corners and possibly not demonstrating enough due diligence if challenged by enforcement. These decisions could have much greater repercussions to the industry in the long-run.

Are there any impending changes to the Safety Directive looming that toy companies should be aware of?

There have been a number of recent amendments to the Toys directive. Flame retardants TCEP, TCPP, TDCP and the monomer Bisphenol A now have specific limits values for chemicals used in toys intended for use by children under 36 months or in other toys intended to be placed in the mouth. The permitted use of Nickel has been updated so it is now allowed in stainless steel and in toy components which are intended to conduct an electric current.

Toy companies should also be aware of changes to REACh with the introduction of requirements for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in toys.

products which no longer comply with the new requirements as well as difficulties in applying the new standard. For example some types of toy are difficult to classify in terms of their type or exposure category which could potentially lead to differences between test results. Along with practical difficulties in applying the tests, for example for voice toys, this has led to work at a European level on

Do you find the testing of certain toys is seasonal and if so, what is currently being tested for most commonly and what should companies be looking out for?

We tend to find toy testing is cyclical. We normally see many toy companies testing their products in two year cycles. As such, many companies have not tested ongoing product lines this year, which is concerning with 2013 having been such a big year for regulatory changes. The testing we have seen this year tends to be more skewed towards the chemical requirements; as clearly, this is an area that still relies more heavily on third party verification and testing. However, we would tend

to suggest that physical testing isn’t ignored at the expense of chemical requirements. In addition, we would suggest that Article 18 Safety Assessments aren’t ignored either. This does appear to be an area still neglected by many companies and missing from Technical Files.

Are there any impending changes to the Safety Directive looming that toy companies should be aware of?

From 30 September new requirements in the amended EN 71-1 will apply to toys placed on the EU Market from that date. Apart from the changes for sound producing toys, these changes apply a more pragmatic approach to paperboard products which will result in less of these products failing to comply. Other changes include guidance on best practice for labeling and warnings, extension of the requirements for plastic bags and a clarification of the definition of “elastic” in the context of the small parts exemption.

In terms of changes to the directive, the exclusion of nickel from the CMR requirements has been extended from July 2015 to parts which are intended to conduct electricity. From December 2015 there will be restrictions on Bisphenol-A and a number of flame retardants.

57

TECHNICAL COLUMN BUREAU VERITAS

Bouncing around Malcolm Horner, Toy Technical Consultant at Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services looks at the EU requirements for trampolines

“

A trampoline may comply with safety standards, it is worth emphasising that many accidents that happen to children whilst they are using toy trampolines may often be attributed to possible misuse

”

58

The majority of us have, or know someone who has, a trampoline in their backyard. They are perennially popular particularly as we are now in summer and our weather is as good as it is going to get. In this installment of his latest column, Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services’ Toy Technical Consultan, Malcolm Horner, takes a look at the vital safety aspects behind testing trampolines.

“Trampolines are generally split into four separate categories: •

Gymnastic trampolines

•

Fitness trampolines

•

Trampolines used in a public recreation ground

•

Domestic trampolines for use by children

such as enclosures, durability of materials, entrapment, pinching and crushing hazards, sharp edges and points, access devices, padding, strength, mat deflection, stability and warnings, marking and instructions.

It is expected however that some revisions will be made after the publication of the standard as some adjustments may need to be made.

Although a trampoline may comply with safety standards, it is worth emphasising that many accidents that happen to children whilst they are using toy trampolines may often be attributed to possible misuse.

The very nature of a toy trampoline and the type of activity for which it is used, means that it is a relatively and inherently high risk item. Children should always be closely supervised whilst using a trampoline and in particular, due to the potential risk of a collision, only one child should use the trampoline at a time.”

The Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC defines a toy as a product designed or intended, whether or not exclusively, For more information visit www.bureauveritas.co.uk/ cps; email bvsales@uk.bureauveritas.com or call on +44 for use in play by children under 14 years of age.

(0)1925 854 360 Of the four categories above, domestic trampolines for use by children (and only this category) are usually considered to be toys under the Toy Safety Directive (and indeed would have also been classed as toys within the scope of the 1988 Toy Directive). However, as yet, there is no Harmonised Standard for these toy trampolines. For more than 8 years now, a CEN working Group has been tasked with the job of creating a new standard for toy trampolines. Despite many setbacks, it would appear that the publication of the new EN 71-14 is approaching. The draft standard will shortly be launched for a Formal Vote and it is possible that the standard could be published either late this year or early 2015. However, this will depend upon the number of comments received from the National Standards Bodies and the time needed by the CEN Working Group to resolve those comments.

Currently, toy trampolines are required to go through the EC type examination procedure before being placed on the market.

The title of the new standard will be “Trampolines for domestic use” and the scope will be “requirements and test methods for trampolines for domestic use, their access devices and their enclosures, intended for outdoor and/or indoor use above ground level by one person at a time.” The standard will split the requirements into 3 categories of trampoline (Mini, Medium and Large), which will be based upon the frame size, the frame height and the maximum user weight. The scope will include the very small trampolines with a handle that are intended for quite young children, right up to the very large ones that are usually used in domestic back gardens.

Amongst other things, the standard will address aspects

toysnplaythings.co.uk

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

BEN HOGG Marketing Manager, Esdevium How has trade been for you so far this year? We’ve had a great year so far - Pokémon sales are around 50% up since the X and Y video games launched at the tail end of last year and we have seen similar improvements for Yu-GiOh! too. Our board game sales show no signs of slowing down and we’re finding that increasingly there is demand for many of our perhaps more niche titles that in the past have only been on the fringes of the toy industry.

The trade show season is starting again soon, will you be showcasing anything in that retailers should get excited about? Absolutely, Autumn Fair is a great opportunity for us to give

RETAIL

OPINION

Trade talk

a last minute look at our range and secure some vital orders. We will have our fantastic, TV-advertised family board game, Hotel Tycoon, front and center of our stand at Autumn Fair. We’ll also have the first public appearance of our licensed Frozen board game that we are seeing huge pre-orders for. Of course, in addition to all this we will be introducing even more customers to our bestselling Dobble Card Game and offering them the chance to take the Dobble Challenge!

What, in your view, is the biggest story in the toy industry right now?

From my point of view it is fantastic to see more and more stories on the success of board games both within the trade and also at a consumer level too.

MALCOLM EVANS, Founder, Kids@play How has trade been for you so far? Which quarter has performed best?

Our first quarter results (April – June) have performed best for us. We have been deliberately developing much more product for the summer, just to relieve the pressure at back end of autumn and winter.

The trade show season is starting again soon, will you be showcasing anything that retailers should get excited about?

Yes for sure! Our new 6v paramedic powered bike! Plus we have some exciting battery powered vehicles licensed by Disney. But would you believe it? We are now previewing and selling in for 2015!

Next year there is a huge amount of activity on Shaun the Sheep. More TV, ‘Shaun the Sheep The Movie’ is out in February and Shaun the Sheep becomes the official mascot for the Rugby World Cup 2015. All during the year there are various activities for beloved Shaun and the BBC will be showing Shaun over Christmas 2015 too. Combine this with the new Disney Pixar movie ‘The Good Dinosaur’ which is out in cinemas in December 2015 and 2015 is going to be a great year for our industry and for Kids@ play. Nothing quite like planning ahead!

AUGUST 2014

This month we talk to some of the industry’s finest to find out how trading has been, their take on the industry’s biggest stories and trade fair season...

LAURA BULL Marketing Manager, Schleich How has trade been for you so far? Which quarter has performed best?

Trade has been steady for Schleich in the first half of the year but just like all toy companies we expect it to rise as the Christmas buying season comes. Dinosaurs in particular have been a favourite and have now become a staple line in the Schleich portfolio.

What are your views on 3D printing and its possible impact on the toy industry?

It would depend on whether you mean as a method of manufacture or as part of product development.

Schleich uses 3D printing in the development process to produce product prototypes and it has certainly made a difference to this.

Overall as the technology increases it will take the time from concept to production down. As a part of the manufacturing process, however I do not believe the impact will be felt in the near future as it is not really cost efficient yet.

The trade show season is starting again soon, will you be showcasing anything that retailers should get excited about? Of course Schleich will once again have a huge amount of new lines for retailers to get excited about in 2015! The long anticipated DC Comics range will be available from January and there’ll be lots of new fantastic additions to existing play worlds. This will commence with Toy Fair in January.

59

FEATURE

PARTY PRODUCTS

Let’s get this party started The party industry is ever growing and with so many ways to entertain children – from balloons to puppet shows to dress-up - TnP decided to take a closer look at this exciting and diverse market

W

hen you hear the words ‘party’ – you immediately think ‘fun!’, and that level of excitement is safely doubled when children hear the words ‘party!’. With the toy and party industries seemingly so closely linked, it makes sense to presume that more and more toy shops see this as a burgeoning opportunity for them to boost their in-store offering by stocking party related goods. And this can mean anything from balloons, dress-up, face-paints, and tablewear to indoor and outdoor toys and games which will entertain for hours on end.

Leading party specialists, Amscan, play a central role in helping parties across the nation come to life. Mike McGillion, VP of International Retail Development sees huge potential in toys and party products living happily side by side in store.

“An increasing number of toy shops in the UK and around Europe are starting to recognise the opportunity of stocking a range of well-selected party products to complement their toy ranges,” he tells TnP. Encouragingly for retailers who have yet to buy into the party and toy union, Mike says: “Amscan International is working with toy retailers across all territories to establish party as a destination for consumers looking for the latest ranges and as a result, sales are continuing to grow.”

Making a reassuringly valid point, which is sure to ring true with many retailers looking for a consistently strong performing source, Mike points out that the party industry is not a one-trick pony.

“Unlike seasonal demands seen by many other industries, party is driven by consumer demands for ranges all year round. Other than expected spikes around 60

“

licensed products for theatrical and DVD releases, party An continues to be a strong increasing performer 365 days a year.” number of Often themed to suit a toyshops in the child’s favourite whim and fancy of the moment, parties UK and around can be a licensee’s dream.

Europe are Everyone gets involved! Toys, starting to apparel, party products – the list goes on, and there is a recognize the place for everyone. This is opportunity of something Amscan recognise. stocking a range “Key ranges that are an of well-selected extension of toys and further complement role-play amongst party products preschoolers include pirates to compliment and princesses and licenses their toy ranges such as Fisher Price - which is Mike McGillion, VP of driving baby and baby International Retail showers,” says Mike, adding Development, Amscan “Monster High, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Angry Birds and One Direction are great properties for older children.”

The undeniable link between Amscan party and toys makes it an attractive one for retailers looking to diversify their ranges while also

”

supporting the product they already carry in-store.

“Amscan is at the forefront of driving category growth,” says Mike. “Recent additions to ranges include disposable party games, home catering solutions and candy buffets. In addition, seasonality drives in-store campaigns for Halloween, Christmas and Book Week. Amscan is the world’s largest party company and is truly a one-stop shop for all things party, from dress up to face paints and tableware to foil balloons.”

Stocking party products in toy stores can add an element of vitality to a retailer’s offering. You can buy the presents, you can buy the products to entertain the masses and you can buy all the special added extras that make a child’s party so unique and important, creating nothing short of a magical environment for them to enjoy.

Addressing retailers, Mike says: “Amscan will be exhibiting at the following exhibitions next year - Toy Fair in Olympia, Toy Fair in Nuremberg, Spring Fair at the NEC and Toymaster in Harrogate. To find out more, visit Amscan’s showroom to see for yourself how the world’s largest party company can help transform retail space in toy shops. Alternatively, call Amscan’s Customer Services team on 01908 288500, who would be delighted to talk through the different product ranges and options for your store.”

And if that isn’t an invitation to a party – we don’t know what is!

toysnplaythings.co.uk

FEATURE

PARTY PRODUCTS

Up, up and away!

AMSCAN 01908 288500 www.amscan.co.uk Party specialists Amscan are up, up and away with their fantastic range of Anagram AirWalkers.

The AirWalker balloon from Anagram provides entertainment for all ages.

These versatile, life-sized balloons have specially weighted parts that enable the balloon to float, hover or even walk on air.

Whether used as the perfect gift or accessory, toy or decoration, they’re guaranteed to bring a smile.

Available in licensed characters, animals, and

other fun shapes they can be filled with helium or even air.

The SpiderMan AirWalker is an impressive 91cm tall and has received the Innovation Award.

Its success still shines since becoming a winner and is now part of an extensive best selling range. Be sure to check out Amscan’s other innovative ranges from Anagram including Inflate-A-Fun, Orbz, Cubez and Diamondz!

And when it comes to their licensed ranges, look out for Peppa Pig. The balloons are all in line with the new

Peppa Pig Muddy Puddles theme, celebrating Peppa Pig’s 10 year anniversary. Five designs are spread across four different formats from Standard size to SuperShape, Inflate-A-Fun and Cubez. Also keep an eye out for Power Rangers in the One Stop Party and Balloon Shop. The party range is bright in colour and perfect for children’s parties aged 6-11 years. This fun range includes tableware, party accessories, favours and foil balloons.

KEEP THE PARTY GOING

GET CRAFTY THIS PARTY SEASON

MISCHIEF AND MAGIC

Galt Toys 0161 428 9111 www.galttoys.com

Interplay 01628 488944 www.interplayuk.com

Golden Bear Toys 01952 608308 www. goldenbeartoys.co.uk

Galt Toys has introduced seven new crafty kits to its range of Activity Packs, designed to entertain young children for hours on end, while inspiring creativity and imagination.

The brand new Activity Packs, including jewellery making, face paints and design kits, are perfect for keeping children busy and entertained on rainy days, at weekends and during the school holidays! Fairy Princess Face Paints is a kit of six pastel face paint colours, glitter gel and face stickers.

Zombie Face Paints is great for creating ghoulishly ghastly zombie and monster faces, ideal for Halloween and fancy dress parties. The kit includes special effects wax to model realistic scary scars, plus a brush, sponge and guide to create frightening faces.

Interplay offers an easy solution to a children’s party with everything they need in one box with Craft Party! Craft Party provides the ideal and inexpensive solution to any children’s party. With four themes to choose from, kids can paint their own pony and hold jumping and racing contests to win rosettes with the Mad about Ponies Party, alternatively they can enjoy the Treasure Box, Princess Fairies or Pirate party. Each kit contains everything needed for a fun activity with an instruction sheet to show them exactly how it’s done.

Golden Bear brings a little mischief and magic to the party with the new Sooty toy range.

Golden Bear’s new Sooty range is set to appeal to Sooty fans of all ages.

These much loved puppet characters are perfect for party entertainment, keep the guests amused and then once the party is over they become the coolest characters in the toy box.

Central to the collection are the authentic Sooty, Sweep and Soo Hand Puppets which are bound to be firm favourites with the whole family. Finally, the ultimate production can be easily created with the Pop-up Sooty Puppet Show! The Sooty puppet comes in its very own puppeteer box which is created using the packaging.

Sooty pops straight out of the box with a magic wand and water gun, perfect for causing mischief!

62

STAR QUALITY! Star Cut-outs 0161 3445839 sales@starcutouts.com There is no better way to entertain your guests than with one of Star Cut-outs Stand-in range. With a large range of stand-ins designed around children’s height and themes the kids can be anything from a princess to a monkey, a pirate or even a mermaid.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

RETAIL

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

PAUL CARPENTER Totally Toys, Bristol

OPINION

Toy talk This month, TnP talks to retailers about whether they will be heading to Autumn Fair, what they predict with be a best seller for them at Christmas and more...

“I’ve only had two jobs,” joked owner of Bristol’s Totally Toys, Paul Carpenter. After a career with Woolworths, Paul opened his toy shop 26 years ago and he had been there ever since.

GRANVILLE SIMPSON

What are your top sellers?

If you asked me three months ago, I would have said LEGO, LEGO, LEGO but now I’m saying Loom Bands, Loom Bands, Loom Bands. It’s great for the industry!

Granville has owned The Rocking Horse in Harrogate, which you can find online at www. harrogatetoyshop.com, for 18 years. “I used to be a senior toy buyer in the ‘90s and started to think about retiring. So we opened a toy shop and my wife and I said we would give it five years. I’m still here 18 years later”.

Are you heading to Autumn Fair?

Yes, I will be going, there are more and more suppliers going there. January was a long time ago so it is good to get updated.

How are fashion dolls performing for you?

We do carry fashion dolls and I’m finding it is the Anna and Elsa dolls from Frozen that are in high demand. Monster High sells well for us too.

What do you predict will be a hit this Christmas?

I think Frozen and Loom Bands but Bristol is a big city with a lot of major toy shops and as an independent, we try to offer something different. We let our customers guide us on what they would like and we tend to sell across ranges rather than have one stand-out products.

If you were a child what would you nag your mum for?

I’d really like some Meccano.

The Rocking Horse, Harrogate

What are your top sellers?

We’re a traditional toy shop so our best sellers are not driven by crazes. For example, Jack-in-the-Box, sell well all year round. For us, wooden toys from the likes of Bigjigs, John Crane, Orange Tree and Lanka Kade do well.

Are you heading to Autumn Fair?

Yes I will be going. I will generally walk around Hall 5 looking for something different. I always want something different!

What do you predict will be a hit this Christmas?

The Puppet Company sell well for us and they know what they are talking about. But Christmas isn’t about selling new lines for me, it is about keeping our range focused and working keenly on price.

EILEEN O’SULLIVAN, O’Sullivan’s Toymaster, Skibereen, Co. Cork, Ireland O’Sullivan’s Toymaster in the gorgeous surrounds of West Cork (where our editor Mairead hails from so she is not at all biased!) has been run by Peter and Eileen for “many, many years!” says Eileen. Eileen also mentioned an interesting scheme run by their local Chamber of Commerce which launched an over-60s discount card. Participating retailers give a 10% discount to those over 60 and O’Sullivan’s are taking part.

What are your top sellers?

LEGO is selling really well, and anything that has to do with the outdoors and the sea!

If you were a child what would you nag your mum for?

I always really wanted a doll’s pram but I never got one, so I’ll have to say that!

How are RC toys performing for you?

Yes, they are really popular at the moment.

What do you predict will be a hit this Christmas?

The range out there is just so vast at the moment that I couldn’t predict a Christmas hit right now.

AUGUST 2014

63

FEATURE

GOLF REPORT

Toy trade

golfers turn TnP’s MD ‘Bubba’ Naish reports from the 6th Goring & Streatley Golf Day which took place on 24 June. Things were competitive, pants were bright and a lot of fun was had!

Despite this, 44 avid industry golfers enjoyed brilliant, wonderful sunny weather with just a slight breeze making it a day to remember. It was great to welcome several Goring & Streatley virgins, namely Gary Wyatt and Keith Graffham from Green Board Games, Jonathan

Top team prize went to Dave Martin, Michele Bates, Brian Triptree and Grant Timms

E

ver since I first re-introduced what used to be the Youngster’s golf day at Goring & Streatley six years ago, we have been blessed with fantastic weather and a management at the club that makes us really welcome.

Having reserved the date almost a year ago, my co-organisers Vicki and Keith Elmer pointed out that the date clashed with England’s third group match in the World Cup. Of course, back in 2013 we were all confident that England would make it to the later stages of the competition. So moving on to the day, 24 June 2014, we were all a little deflated, having organised the morning round to start an hour earlier than normal to ensure that the last few four-balls would be finishing by 5 p.m, to hopefully see England continue their winning run!

Oh the pain!

AR’S E Y T X NE Y IS A D F L E O TNP G R 23RD JUN SET FO ON’T MISS 2015, D OUT!

“

Schaffer from Plum Products, Nik Hallam now working for Intertek and Gary Parker of the Character Group.

The morning Texas Scramble saw the team of Ross McDonald, Dave Howard, Steve Wilks and Steve Wells coasting home with a score over the nine holes of 28.1. Second were Karen Giles, David Winstanley, Gary Parker and Trevor Moorhead on 29.4. and third, the team of Kingsley Mathews, Colin Rossiter, Debbie Wilks and Keith Graffham – 30.4.

Following a delicious ham, egg and chips lunch the afternoon round that included the individual Stableford, team four-ball and yellow ball competition got underway.

With some serious trophies up for grabs and a number of very low handicap golfers taking part a number of excellent scores were posted.

With Keith – the head barman at the golf club – running the Halfway House, it didn’t take much persuading as the weather was in the high seventies to partake of a lager or two before continuing the round, which didn’t work in my case as my next drive on the short par 4 only needed a pitch to the green and I man-

Yellow Ball winners with 39 points were Lester Giles, Jonathan Schaffer, Trevor Simmons and Peter Kerr-Kerr

aged to skew the ball sideways and therefore totally mess up the hole!

The team four-ball is always a most closely contested affair. The winners this year with 119 points were Michele Bates, Brian Triptree, Grant Timms and Dave Martin. Second with 115 points were Jonathan Schaffer, Trevor Simmons, Lester Giles and Peter Kerr-Kerr, following not far behind in third place with 112 points were Graham Gardiner, Martin Stone – now with Jakks Pacific – and Keith Graffham.

The Yellow ball competition beloved of serious golfers was won by Lester Giles and his team, completing a very successful day for the team who managed 39 points.

Michele Bates had very kindly presented a trophy for the Ladies to contend – The Evolution Cup. With seven ladies competing, it was perhaps most fitting that Michele actually won her own trophy, winning by 5 points with 36 points from Fun ‘n’ Frolic’s Jan Marketis and the ever steady Mary Watson of Orchard Toys coming third with 30 points. A very nice touch was Michele’s presentation to all the ladies of a bottle of pink champagne with the golf day printed on the label – nice touch Michele!

The trophy for golfers from 24-28 handicap was won for the second time by Vivid/Drummond Park’s Dave Howard with 34 points – well done Dave.

For the second year running, the individual Stableford cup was won by Rubie’s Harry Issit playing off 3 with 41 points. Harry is a member of Goring & Streatley, but even so, a fantastic

Texas Scramble winners Ross, McDonald, Steve Wells, Dave Howard and Steve Wilkes

64

toysnplaythings.co.uk

out in force Last year’s winner Debbie Wilkes presents Michele Bates with the Ladies Cup

Nearest the Pin and Longest drive winners were Tony Mace, Trevor Moorhead, Stu Nicholas and David Winstanley

With all of us managing to not only enjoy our golf, but also top up the sun tan, how could any toy trade boss not allow his golfing staff to enjoy a day of essential networking?

Finally, my thanks to Vicki Elmer for running the front desk and making sure we all arrived at the first tee on time and for Keith Elmer for checking the score cards in such a diligent way.

Next year’s date has already been set at the 23rd of June 2015 and with no World Cup to depress us, morning tee offs from 9 a.m.

effort. With a score like that Harry also won the Mike Arnold trophy for Best Gross with 69 strokes. Kevin Moore of Newbright was second with 40 points playing off 11 and Tomy’s Kingsley Mathews came in third with 38 points.

I wouldn’t have managed those results if I’d played another 18 holes!

It was then only left to me to reward the winners of the longest drive and nearest the pin awards who were, longest drive went to Stu Nicholas, nearest the pin on the 9th Trevor Moorhead and nearest the pin on the 12th Tony Mace of Mega Bloks. Our final nearest the pin in two on the 18th was won by David Winstanley.

Yes Bubba Naish’s trousers really are that bright!

AUGUST 2014

Rubie’s Harry Issit swept the board winning both the individual trophy and the Mike Arnold cup for best gross

The 24-28 Handi cappers cup was won once again by Dave Howard with 34 points

The ladies who made up the female challenge this year

2

TNP

AMBASSADORS

The toy testers strike Scott Birch is dad to Gabe (8) and works in events publishing. He tells us about Gabe’s experience with Galt’s Marbel Racer

he just grabbed all of the bright pieces and instinctively snapped them all together. It’s fair to say the first design was not the best, as a result, but he soon adapted that once he realized how all the individual elements worked and This 80-piece set from Galt has a how best they could be combined. simple and universal appeal, and my Within 15 minutes he was on design 8-year-old son was excited as soon as number two which was he saw the brightly-coloured perfect in terms of box. “Oh! I love marble construction.

S racing games!” he U EE In this box set there exclaimed, and I CAN SIS GAME H is a starter top and T although I don’t G starter base, PLAYIN ME TIME TO recall him ever a finish having one, he FOR SO ! podium, E instantly knew M O C four chutes, a what to expect. wiggly chute with As it says on bellpaddle wheel, the box, “start by curved chute with recreating the track design horizontal wheel, on the box and progress to designing an S-shaped your own track”. chute and three He didn’t do that of course, racing vortex – which made for the most interest for Gabe.

You start off with four different coloured marbles in the starter gate, and from there it is a race through the various elements to see which marble finishes in first place on the podium. The three vortex are like giant plugholes, with the marbles racing around the side before eventually falling down. This is where most changes in race order take place.

We played with this for a good hour and he showed no signs of losing interest, and would even race against himself, predicting which marbles would make it through his crazy maze the fastest. The other great thing is that as soon as he does get bored of one track, he can

“

66

make a completely new one and try out different combinations and setups.

All of the pieces slot together easily and seem sturdy enough to stand up to some boyish handling. I can see us playing this game for some time to come!

WHAT THE KIDS SAY! FAVOURITE TOY: Match Attax football cards and Star Wars LEGO MOST WANTED: Star Wars LEGO Millennium Falcon FAVOURITE FILM: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Holiday fun begins!

Toy testers Madeleine and Claudia, both 7, sat down with MEGA Bloks Barbie Build and Play Luxe Camper. Madeleine’s mum Abigail tells us about it Best friends since birth, Madeleine and Claudia, both aged 7, are girls whose play can vary between typical ‘mums and dads’ to ‘schools’ to rough and tumble water fights and the like. When they were showed the Barbie Build and Play Luxe Camper from MEGABLOKS they could hardly contain their excitement. As a Mum, my concern when opening the packaging was the amount of involvement they would need from me in actually building, not only the campervan, but all the tiny little pieces of furniture, hot tub, picnic sets and various other accessories that were included. Fear not! For once they opened the smaller packages inside the box, they found it quite straightforward to match the pieces required to the instruction booklet and we had this lovely surge of teamwork as one did the hot tub and the other the scooter. They needed help with a few bits, mainly where there were some little pieces that they couldn’t quite see how they

AUGUST 2014

should form, and – at that point it was funny to see that my concern as the Mum was immediately eradicated as Dad came to the rescue and got stuck in helping them to build. I think there was a bit of a power struggle at this point as he wanted to continue but the girls were adamant they could do it and wanted their new toy back!

ET THIS S HOLE Once built, the two AW girls spent a good few GAVE ON OF FUN hours ‘creating’ worlds NO AFTER outside whereby one half of the garden was England – the other half California. As Barbie and Chelsea

“

WHAT THE KIDS SAY!

set off on their holidays, the girls were able to take turns in driving the campervan whilst the other followed along on the scooter, they had lovely conversations about which ice creams they might have (these are part of the accessories) and whether they were staying on the beach or nearby in the camp site! Imagination was in abundance, and the girls even managed to develop an American accent whilst enjoying the time spent in California – all part of the fun! Madeleine says her favourite part of the campervan set is that the roof that comes off and the windows that open – how exciting to enter through the roof! She says it’s really cool because it is pink and turquoise which are her favourite colours. Claudia liked the scooter, she enjoyed taking Chelsea out on the open road following Barbie driving the campervan! This set gave them a whole afternoon of entertainment, and has been played with since on numerous occasions. Madeleine is now super keen to start getting all of the other sets that match and complement this one.

FAVOURITE TOY: Scooter MOST WANTED: Scented Loom bands FAVOURITE FILM: Disney’s Frozen

67

LICENSING

NEWS

Frozen’s five year plan put into action The toy industry might be crying out for Frozen product but you can all breathe a sigh of relief.

Disney has announced that they have a five-year plan following the hit film taking the world by storm.

After taking in an eye-watering $1.2billion globally, the film is still a hot topic in homes around the country and we’re positive almost everyone knows the words to Let it Go! Well, the soundtrack has sold three million copies.

Speaking about the film’s potential, Disney CEO Bob Iger said: “You can expect us to take full advantage of that over the next at least five years”. What this means in terms of merchandising and licensing is yet to be uncovered but you can be sure Disney have a lot up their sleeves!

Tree Fu Tom hits the stage Can you imagine Tree Fu Tom on stage? Well, soon you won’t have to. FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment recently announced that Tree Fu Tom – who already has nearly 30 UK licensees - will be taking to the stage next year after signing Premier Stage Productions as the theatrical licensee for the property.

Premier will produce a 90-minute live show to run in theatres across the UK in 2015, bringing to life the animated adventures of the popular CBeebies series.

The brand new production will see Tree Fu Tom bring his special mix of Big World magic, movement, action and adventure to the nation’s theatres in this live theatre experience. Pindy O’Brien, FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment VP Licensing and Retail UK said: “Premier Stage Productions are leading lights in producing standout children’s theatre shows.

Tree Fu Tom’s interactive elements lend themselves perfectly to a show.”

68

Don’t just Doodle, jump Lima Sky, the studio behind mobile gaming hit Doodle Jump, has partnered with master publishing house, Egmont Publishing, for the worldwide manufacturing and distribution of a Doodle Jump activity and sticker book. The deal was brokered by Lima Sky’s UK licensing agent, Tinderbox.

Featuring four pages of stickers as well as fold-out pages for additional activity space, the book follows Doodle Jump as he travels up the sheets of graph paper, jumping from one platform to the next, picking up jet packs, avoiding black holes, and blasting baddies along the way. It is targeted at gamers and readers 6+ and will be available from August 2014.

Eric Karp, Chief Licensing Officer at Lima Sky, said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Egmont, one of the world’s leading children’s book publishers. Egmont skilfully merges physical and digital entertainment, making this a great fit for the growing Doodle Jump publishing programme. All credit to our brand extension agency, Tinderbox, for forging this exciting partnership.”

Shaun the Sheep is the nation’s favourite character Shaun the Sheep is surely on a bit of a high these days. He’s got his new film coming out and he’s been voted the nation’s favourite BBC children’s TV character of all time in a poll conducted by Radio Times. He was hotly followed by Postman Pat and Sooty & Sweep who completed the top three.

Over 41,000 voted in the poll and voters were also asked to vote for their favourite puppet from the last seven decades.

Sooty and Sweep topped the poll for the ‘50s, The Magic Roundabout topped the poll for the ‘60s, Paddinton was voted the ‘70s favourite bear, Potman Pat was the ‘80s winner, Bob the Builder was a ‘90s favourite while Shaun the Sheep won for the noughties.

LEGO AND MINECRAFT You can expect a full range of LEGO Minecraft sets to hit the market after it was announced that the toy maker and Mojang, the makers of Minecraft, are extending their partnership. Already, four LEGO Minecraft sets have been released and the new partnership will see a full range which will be similar in size to that of LEGO Star Wars. The previous four sets were made in ‘micro-scale’. The sets are expected to be released around autumn so watch this space.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Brought to you by

licensing T O D A Y

W O R L D W I D E

Everybody… rock on!

PLAY IT LIKE A NINJA The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are definitely celebrating a renaissance of late thanks to the upcoming movie and now, they can add rock stars to their CV. It was recently announced that John Hornby Skewes & Co Ltd. has partnered with Nickelodeon to launch a range of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles musical instruments.

Featuring everyone’s favourite Heroes in a HalfShell, the collection features two different ukulele designs and a 3/4 size guitar outfit, available from early autumn.

“It is a privilege to be once again working alongside the team at Nickelodeon, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Real Musical Instruments are a fantastic addition to our other licensed brands,” said JHS Managing Director Dennis Drumm.

All the outfits are packaged with full colour stand out graphics to make an easy and attractive display.

“We’re excited to extend our partnership with JHS to include the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles brand,” said Marianne James VP Consumer Products, UK & Ireland and European Retail Sales & Marketing. “Real musical instruments are a great additional to the phenomenal Turtles product range that exists in the UK and now for the first time fans can rock out with Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo.”

New licensing deals for Clangers Coolabi Group has secured six new UK licensees for its forthcoming stop-frame series, Clangers. Launching in Spring 2015 on CBeebies, the property is now licensed with magazine publisher, Immediate Media Co, leading apparel supplier, C&M Licensing, wheeled toy specialist, MV Sports & Leisure Limited, greeting cards and gift wrap publisher, Gemma International Ltd, children’s bag supplier, Trade Mark Collections and costume character creators, Rainbow Productions.

Valerie Fry, Director of Sales at Coolabi, said: “We are delighted to welcome such a respected and diverse range of new licensees to the Clangers’ portfolio. Their fantastic reputations and quality product development add to the excitement building for our newest pre-school property. With Character Options and Penguin already announced, Clangers is going from strength to strength.”

AUGUST 2014

K’NEX Brands have teamed up with rock band KISS! It was announced midJuly that the legendary rock band are having a new lease of life, as a toy.

Epic Rights, who represent the band’s merchandising and licensing interests made the announcement. Juli BoylanRiddles, Executive Vice President, Global Strategic

Partnerships & Licensing, Epic Rights said: “There continues to be an incredible demand for anything Kiss, as evidenced by the quality and quantity of licensing partners that the band and the brand attract.”

K’NEX Brands has KISS buildable figures that provide consumers with the ability to build their own Demon, Starchild, Spaceman and Catman, including costumes, musical instruments and a stage to display the completed KISS band members.

K’NEX has also produced a KISS Rock Stage Big Rig Building Set which provides consumers with everything they’ll need to take their KISS figures on tour, including two roadie figures and more than 300 pieces to create the ultimate KISS concert stage.

Boom! That’s a great deal Sonic fans will now be able to immerse themselves even further into the world of our favourite blue bolt.

Archie Comics and SEGA announced plans for a third ongoing Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series – SONIC BOOM – based on the eagerlyanticipated franchise extension that will include two new video games, a Cartoon Network CGanimated TV series, and extensive merchandising program.

Written by bestselling Sonic comic scribe Ian Flynn, the series will reside in the same story universe as the TV series and games, featuring a different take on the Sonic the Hedgehog universe, with a new look and feel. Sonic and his friends Tails, Amy, Knuckles and new member Sticks, must come together as a team to explore a new world full of comedy and adventure.

69

LICENSING OPINION KELVYN GARDNER

A passion for fashion (dolls!)

This month LIMA MD Kelvyn Garner gets in touch with his inner fashionista and explores the myriad of collectable fashion dolls on the market. He harks back to dolls of yore!

“Barbie has ruled the fashion doll world for decades, and despite her citadel having been stormed in recent years by the likes of Bratz, she still reigns supreme today as she did in 1985”

F

ans of the classic Universal Studios movie, Back to the Future (and I’m one of them) have a huge event on their hands this month, with added dates to the sold-out Secret Cinema presentation of the movie in London. At the time of writing, that’s all I can say, as the venue is under wraps. Secret Cinema already have a big rep for providing highly unusual screenings of classic films, and Back to the Future is their biggest event to date, with the whole town of Hill Valley, and the Enchantment under the Sea dance, being recreated along with the film screening. If you are a fan, you won’t need me to tell you that a significant date in the film is 1985. Something else significant happened in 1985: the original launch of Hasbro’s ‘answer to Barbie’, Jem and the Holograms. Now, Barbie has ruled the fashion doll world for decades, and despite her citadel having been stormed in recent years by the likes of Bratz, she still reigns supreme today as she did in 1985.

However, Hasbro, better known (especially back then) for their boys toys, really had a dig at toppling Barbie from her high-heeled perch. Jem, you see, was a pop star, with a secret identity, surely the most glamorous and exciting a profession that any wannabe champion fashion doll could possibly aspire to? Of course, Mattel wasn’t going to leave this territory unexplored, and, true to her chameleon nature that had already seen Barbie surface as teacher, nurse, secretary, zoo keeper and astronaut (to name but a few), Barbie and the Rock Stars was born, complete with direct-to-video VHS cassette movie telling the story of how Barbie staged the first ever concert for world peace from outer space!

If all this sounds familiar (Hannah Montana/Sarah Brightman) it’s only because fashion dolls seem to explore most of life’s possibilities before the real thing happens.

Hasbro’s Jem and the Holograms took on Barbie back in the ‘80s but Mattel’s main gal reigned supreme

partly, I’m reliably informed by the brand manager of the time, because the latter was one-inch bigger than Barbie, thus missing out as girls could not acquire a Jem and then use their Barbie wardrobes, already acquired, to dress her. As it happens, Hasbro announced at Licensing Expo in Las Vegas in June that they are to bring back Jem and the Holograms, but this time as a live-action movie (at least in the first place) as part of the Hasbro Studios film initiative.

Well, we are certainly blessed with a wide variety of career-aspirant fashion dolls right now, so why not revisit the music business?

Monster High, riding on the cultural crest of gothic-wave trail blazed and enabled by the success of the Twilight books and movies, brings the whole panoply of classic monsters into the fold. Ever After High, also from Mattel, takes all the well known and loved fairy tale heroines and heroes, princes and princesses, goodies and baddies and gives them a new twist by imagining their offspring in a ‘real world, High-School’ setting.

Hasbro’s My Little Pony has spawned Equestria Girls, who are, of course, at High School, despite being ponies at heart. Not content with Disney Princess, already a very powerful force in the genre, Disney are also spreading their wings here. We’ve all just seen Maleficent hit the cinemas in the person of Angelina Jolie, and next year a Disney channel movie special, Descendants, will tell the story of the next generation of their animated fairytale protagonists living in the kingdom ruled over by the teenage son of Beast and Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Phew! In this digital world, it’s good to see vibrancy in such a traditional toy market. I just wish that not all of them were at High School!

LIMA the trade association for the licensing business www.licensing.org/uk email rbeaird@licensing.org 70

toysnplaythings.co.uk

TNP T

LOOKS S BAC BACK

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

August 2009 August 09 Volume 28 Number 11

• How many of our supplier-based retailers can remember back to August 2009 and recall which retailer had been approaching its suppliers asking for retrospective contributions? Most suppliers declined to play ball and we point out that when Woolworths tried this on a few years earlier, it didn’t particularly help them having closed down in 2008.

• Sainsbury’s release their first non-food catalogue, a 98 pager designed to give a taster to what they have on offer online. Their aim to grow their non-food revenue by one third over the next year. Did they succeed I wonder?

• Ed Marcus joins the family firm KSG. Dad Stuart Marcus quipps that now Ed has joined the company, he will be able to look forward to his retirement in the next ten years!

• Wallace & Gromit celebrate 20 years with a number of their licencees offering discounts to their customers on Wallace & Gromit products.

• Disney launch their new ‘XD’ channel at the end of the month.

August 2004 • Toys R Us are having a tough time in the USA, even contemplating selling off their Babies R Us chain. They have second thoughts on this idea. John Barbour is appointed to head up the USA operation – seen by the industry as a very positive move.

• David Lipman decides to leave Jakks Pacific having sold his company to Jakks in 2001. I’ll miss my meetings with David that first began back in the mid-sixties during which period we both survived plenty of ups and downs.

• I’m sad to report the death of Ronnie Sampson. He will be best remembered as sales director at Invicta Plastics when they introduced and marketed the game ‘Mastermind’ – one of the toy trade’s biggest games.

• W.H. Smith has a new supremo – Kate Swann. Her plan to improve the company’s performance is as follows - reducing overheads - that will probably mean making staff redundant. Increase direct buying from the Far East-that tends to mean cutting out suppliers and dealing direct and tougher price negotiations with suppliers. We suggest that enlisting suppliers’ help is far more important than playing ‘hard ball’ with them.

• Staff at Allders are worried about talk of the Group being sold. House of Fraser is the name of the likely buyer.

August 1994 • The hottest toy line at the moment is Bandai’s ‘Power Rangers’. As with every hot item supply is tough, but Bandai operate a fair system in making sure that all customer categories are equally dealt with.

• We run a feature on the sale of videos. The childrens’ video market in 1993 was valued at around £650m at retail and toy retailers were not getting that involved in selling them. Too many retailers are seeing them as purely videos and not natural extensions of popular character merchandise stars.

• Twenty years on I highlight a few of the brands that are around today that were still going strong in 1994 and being advertised in TnP.. They are Playdoh, Humbrol, Estes rockets, Burago die-cast, mic-o-mic construction kits.

• Our retail ring round highlights that ‘Ninja Turtles’ are still selling well, despite many industry pundits telling us that they were now well past their sell-by date.

August 1984 • An interesting book from the States is published stating that violent video games produce violent behavior, further adding that the games most likely to produce aggressive behavior as those played alone by children. (I suggest that they don’t need to play video games to witness violent behavior as they can currently watch Arthur Scargill and his mates everyday on TV at the pithead!)

• The author Patricia Greenfield is spot on as we well know 30 years later.

• Our regular ‘Stranger than Fiction’ contributor that is set as two toy retailers meeting for a pint each month and discussing the ups and downs of toy retailing mentions that one of his customers bought their son a £400 home computer. The result is that her son brings round half a dozen friends and they all enjoy hours of fun on this new fangled contraption. How times have changed!

• Woolworths announce their strategy for the next five years. To focus on the 25/44 age group from the C1/C2 social grouping – the lower middle class and skilled working class shopper. This group has the biggest spending power in the country – approximately accounting for 60% of all spending by consumers. Further Woolworths have calculated that by 1991 there will be over one million more adults in this age group. A company internal report at the time to all their managers: the aim in the leisure and play sector is to hold and grow from its existing market base and to become “No.1” in toys.

AUGUST 2014

71