Toys n Playthings August 2019 by Lema Publishing

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Helping everyone sell more

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9 st 201 Augu No. 11 8 Vol. 3

Z R Q V UH WR V WR Q L J LQ LV &UX RYHU WR FROOHFW SISO TOYS UK

Create new stories with the movie heroes!

70073 PLAYMOBIL:THE MOVIE Charlie with Prison Wagon

70078 PLAYMOBIL:THE MOVIE Rex Dasher‘s Porsche Mission E

70074 PLAYMOBIL: THE MOVIE Marla and Del with Flying Horse

70071 PLAYMOBIL: THE MOVIE Robotitron with Drone

70075 PLAYMOBIL:THE MOVIE Del‘s Food Truck

70070 PLAYMOBIL: THE MOVIE Rex Dasher with Parachute

70077 PLAYMOBIL:THE MOVIE Marla in the Fairytale Castle

70072 PLAYMOBIL:THE MOVIE Marla with Horse

70069 PLAYMOBIL: THE MOVIE Figures (series 1)

70076 PLAYMOBIL: THE MOVIE Emperor Maximus in the Colosseum

For more information: www.playmobil.co.uk 01268 548111

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CONTENTS Regular 5 Leader – with Mark Naish 6 News – the latest toy industry headlines

t 2019 Augus No. 11 Vol. 38

11 People news – all the movers and shakers 14 Media news – the multimedia rundown 16 Movie news – what’s happening on the big screen 18 Retail news – the latest from the retail landscape

Chairman Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

Managing Director Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

Editor Mairead Wilmot mairead@lemapublishing.co.uk

Editor

21 Toy talk – retailers reflect on the retro and wooden toys making a comeback 24 Trade talk – suppliers discuss how they set themselves apart from the rest 30 What’s new – new products that you need to get your hands on 62 Step back in time – a slice of toy history from the industry’s longest running magazine 63 Don’t miss – unmissable products for buyers and retailers

Features

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34 Autumn Fair preview – TnP takes a closer look at the latest toys and playthings in this ever-popular category

Georgie Dobie georgie@lemapublishing.co.uk

42 RC and app-controlled toys – the RC and app-controlled toy market is becoming one of the most dynamic and rapidly growing categories in the industry. TnP finds out more

Media Solutions Manager

48 Feature on the farm – farm toys have always been a firm favourite among children and their families. TnP delves into why they’re popular and what’s new to the category

Simon Davis simon@lemapublishing.co.uk

Writer Naomi MacKay naomi@lemapublishing.co.uk

Digital Publisher Mirella Anstey mirella@ltw.media

Digital Editor Rhys Thomas rhys@ltw.media

Production Director Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

Circulation Manager Robert Thomas robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

54 Feature TV and Film Character – TnP finds out which licences from the entertainment and character sector have been taking the sector by storm 58 Feature mythical creatures – As unicorns, mermaids, fairies and dragons continue to enchant children, we explore why mythical creatures are so popular

Special Report

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11 BTHA Briefing –Rebecca Deeming, the Public Relations Manager at BTHA, updates us on the ‘Don’t toy with children’s safety’ campaign, recaps the events of the BTHA AGM and Industry Day and looks ahead to Toy Fair 2020 20 Retail interview – Emma Scott, Central Buyer at Birmingham Museums Trust talks to TnP about range planning, merchandising and what’s in the pipeline for Thinktank – Birmingham’s awardwinning science museum 23 TnP Ambassadors – our tiny testers put some products to the test from Juratoys 28 Cover Story – Martin Whitaker, Siso Toys UK’s MD, talks to TnP about the company’s progress over the past year, and its investment in the Majorette die-cast car brand 32 Fighting the fakers – with the BTHA calling on the government to help to get unsafe toys off the market, we talk to some of the industry leaders about how they are tackling the issues of toy safety and counterfeiting

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Columnists 12 Media analysis - Generation Media looks back at advertising data from the first half of the year to help with planning for the all important autumn/winter season ahead

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15 Gaining insight – Kids Insights reveals how the company is able to identify and help clients understand an emerging trend. And the company considers a new craze that may be on the horizon 22 Retail opinion – John Ryan looks to retailers who are open to the idea of partnering up to split costs and enjoy the benefits of a shared retail space 26 The Independent/Secret Supplier – Our dynamic duo talk about the perils of burning yourself out at work and the importance of seeking support and taking a break

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At the heart of retail Also by Lema Publishing

he weather is glorious, temperatures the BTHA's good work is being Mark listened to by both Amazon and are through the roof – if only toy Naish eBay, who will both potentially be sales were too! However, it is not meeting with the BTHA in the all doom and gloom. With the coming months. Now whether this is mercury rising, outdoor sales just a political move remains to be have got the kick they seen and the BTHA quite rightly needed. Wilton Bradley should be applauded for their reported a 37 per cent efforts. We should be grateful increase in sales, which that this is great news for the great company and for its retail industry of partners. Retail continues ours has an to be tough, but much association like the weather, there are that is as some bright spots to bring proactive as some cheer. the BTHA. It is in When Hasbro held their P33 P28 neither platform's annual Netball and Football interest to have such tournament in July, TNP was there to products available to purchase via their shine a light on the day. And sites from third party vendors. However, it was certainly a great day We given the sheer volume that is sold on for all who attended. Best should be both platforms, on a daily basis, this of all, £8,000 was raised for grateful that will be tough to police. the Toy Trust, making this this great Having said that, Hasbro's most successful tournament to date! You can industry of ours Amazon is known for changing policies and read the report on page 17. has an for its many The last month has association that practices vendors, so if sufficient seen some changes and is as proactive noise is being made, acquisitions with Jumbo as the BTHA which it appears to merging with Galt. Galt MD be – by both the trade John McDonnell will head and public alike – then up the combined business hopefully matters will with Juan Ferrer Executive improve. This will be good for all P11 Chairman JumboDiset Group saying: "The concerned, not least our children! combined company will offer an extensive On the subject of counterfeit product portfolio and impressive end-togoods turn to page 32 where both the BTHA and end service on a worldwide scale." Snapdragon give advice on what is a distressing In addition, David Allan leaves DKL to and costly time for any company in the position join Marbel as MD – we wish him the best of dealing with being copied. Magformers and of luck. Smiffys also share their experience of discovering The BTHA launched their 'Don't toy counterfeits on the market, outlining how they with children's safety' campaign in dealt with this challenging problem. June to much fanfare. The initiative was With Autumn Fair just around the corner introduced to prompt the UK government we take a look at some of the companies and to better regulate the safety of toys sold products you will find there. This year it's through third party vendors on various all change as the show moves across to the online market places. It seems Atrium end of the NEC – this should make it P17 easier and more efficient to navigate. Autumn Fair is always a great show to pick-up some last-minute ranges for the final quarter. Also, in this issue we take a look at RC and app-controlled toys. Despite this being a crowded market there are some terrific ranges out there. 2019 has been a bumper year for film and TV licences in, particular franchise favourites Toy Story and Frozen have sequels this year. On page 54 we look at some of the opportunities available. So, fingers crossed for a sunny, positive August. Let's make the most of it, as before we know it we'll be in Q4 wondering where summer went, so enjoy!

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NEWS Jumbo merges with Galt

“I’m thrilled our collaboration will enable us to leverage our distinct brand names, while delivering enhanced and extensive product offerings and efficiencies.”

James Galt & Co has merged with the European parent company of UK puzzle and games supplier – the JumboDiset Group. Galt MD John McDonnell will head up the UK arm of the newly combined business, which will continue to trade with the well-known British brand names James Galt and Jumbo Games. Juan Ferrer, Executive Chairman of JumboDiset Group says: “Together, we can significantly add John McDonnell, MD, value across all our activities and continue to strengthen our mutual excellence and long-standing James Galt & Co customer relationships.” The collaboration marries two of the toy industry’s best-known and respected names and will deliver significant growth opportunities. Galt will combine its board games, creative play and toys portfolio with Jumbo Games’ leading UK leading puzzle brands, like Wasgij, Falcon de luxe and Puzzle Mates.

Worlds Apart rebrands as Moose Toys UK Worlds Apart has been rebranded as Moose Toys UK, after being acquired by Australian toy giant Moose Toys in November 2018. Giving its new UK arm a uniform visual identity is Moose’s way of signalling the rapid and successful integration between the businesses. Neil Shinner, CEO for the UK, says the process has been “incredibly smooth and positive” and is “already surpassing our initial ambitious” just over six months since the merger was announced. It was also confirmed that Moose Toys UK will be exhibiting at London Toy Fair 2020.

Partners Group buys Schleich stake Private investment manager Partners Group has agreed to acquire a majority equity stake in German toy company Schleich. Partners Group purchased the stake from investment company Ardian, which had been searching for a buyer since early this year, for an undisclosed amount. The company will continue to be headed up by the Schleich senior leadership team, led by CEO Dirk Engehausen. Partner Group says it will work with management to continue Schleich’s growth, developing the brand for further expansion globally and secure new partnerships with online and bricks and mortar retailers.

Did you know? With its roots in Germany stretching back to 1935, Schleich now has products sold in more than 50 countries worldwide and more than 40,000 points of sale online and offline.

TRENDS: THROWBACK TOYS Kristin Morency Goldman reviews the rise in retro toys that are bringing families together through play The saying, ‘What’s old is new again’, is particularly relevant to the toy aisle this year, thanks to a wave of iconic character and brand anniversaries, and the rerelease of classic toys and games that millennial mums and dads will remember from their own childhoods. “Parents are looking to connect with their kids by sharing toys and characters that bring back warm memories from their youth,” says Adrienne Appell, Senior Trend Expert at The 6

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Parents are looking to connect with their kids by sharing toys and characters that bring back warm memories from their youth

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Toy Association in the US. “This year we are seeing tons of special anniversary versions of popular toys and games, once-beloved brands and lines that are being resurrected in fun and innovative ways, as well as re-releases of classic playthings for a new generation of kids.” Throwback Toys was one of the hottest toy trends of the year announced by The Toy Association at Toy Fair New York in February. Read on for product examples that will engage and excite kids all year long: Tonka trucks (Basic Fun!): As

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#VividToyTakeover On the warmest day on record, Vivid enjoyed transforming its oﬃce into the hottest place to be if you’re a YouTube Creator. Showcasing the new must-have toys for Christmas to Viral Talent’s host of Creators, #VividToyTakeover was a huge success. Viral Talent’s roster of up-and-coming YouTube and TikTok talent were sent a VIP Golden Ticket inviting them to come and play at Vivid’s Toy Emporium. Laura Edwards CoFounder at Viral Talent Viral Talent is gearing with cooling down at water says: “We are proud up for the launch stations with Washimals and to partner with Vivid of Viral Talents Muddy Buddies. Tech toy Pooki on our debut Creators Influencer Academy and Animagic’s new pets were Day and to see all the also waiting for some TLC and KidFluencers interact, the day was rounded off playing bond and play together some of the new game launches including with such wonderful toy ranges from Vivid.” Boomtirx, Gator Golf and the Freeze Fall She adds: “It also allowed us to give the ice challenge game. Creators parents some tips and advice on Meg from the Meg and Mo Show (over how to grow their Social Media Platforms.” 500k subscribers) says: “I loved coming to The Creators had the chance to enjoy play at Vivid. Washimals was my favourite a range of Crayola activities including toy as you can redesign it again and again.” the Silly Scents Sniff Challenge, along

Watch this space…

Diary date for Dream Toys 2019 Get this date in your diary! DreamToys 2019 will take place on Wednesday 13 November. Recognised as the most authoritative, independent list of the top toys for Christmas, DreamToys is run by the Toy Retailers Association and spotlights toys and suppliers from across the industry. Each year it attracts hundreds of press and

part of a new licensing agreement with Hasbro, Basic Fun! will launch a new line of Tonka trucks this autumn, featuring the classic steel Tonka Trucks, die-cast range, and traditional plastic lights and sounds products. The iconic Tonka brand is more than 60 years old. Uncle Milton Butterfly Farm Live Habitat (Uncle Milton): Kids can build and decorate their butterfly house and watch the caterpillars’ incredible metamorphosis in action in the Transformation Chamber. The kit includes everything needed to create a beautiful butterfly habitat, plus a magnifying lens for observation, and a STEM learning poster that

AUGUST 2019

13 November DreamToys 2019 takes place in London.

industry attendees, securing widespread national media coverage as the vital Christmas trading period gets underway. St Mary’s Church in Marylebone, London will once again be the venue of choice.

teaches kids about the four stages of metamorphosis. Door Fort (Cortex Toys): The Door Fort turns any doorway into a fully immersive fort. Available in princess castle and fire station themes. Perfect for parents who are done with stained couch cushions and displaced furniture. Gator Golf (Goliath): Gator Golf is back. Grab your golf club and aim to feed the hungry little Gator. Sink your putt to score – he’ll flick your ball with his tail for more putting action. The first player to score three points wins. Make Your Own Kool-Aid Edible Slime

Having a ball! Clients, friends and influencers joined Playtime PR in a giant adult ballpit last month to celebrate the toy PR agency’s fifth birthday. Guests from Jazwares, John Adams and Thames & Kosmos, as well as a mix of toy and game designers, media influencers, suppliers and the TnP team enjoyed the VIP night at London’s Ballie Ballerson - home to more than a million balls! “It was great to bring everyone together to thank them for their support over the past five years,” says Playtime’s Founder and Owner, Lesley Singleton. “There’s a whole ecosystem of brilliant people around the agency now and we really wanted to acknowledge that and thank them for helping us create brilliant campaigns for all of our very valued clients.” Guests made the most of the VIP ballpit, endless pizza and open bar and each left with a Playtime pin badge, commissioned especially to mark five years of hardworking PR. Playtime is a completely independently-owned PR agency, which works only with brands in the toys, games and fun space. Founded in 2014, the agency has grown to a core team of more than 20 senior PR and communications professionals.

(Craft City): Karina Garcia, The Queen of Slime and Founder of DIY brand Craft City, and Kool-Aid have joined forces to launch a fun and delicious collaboration – edible slime. The creation kit launches this summer and comes with everything needed to create tasty and fruity KoolAid flavoured slime. Want to see hit toys and games coming to market in 2020? Come to Toy Fair New York – the largest toy, play, and youth entertainment product marketplace in the Western Hemisphere. Visit www.ToyFairNY.com to learn more.

Want to see hit toys and games coming to market in 2020? Come to Toy Fair New York – the largest toy, play, and youth entertainment product marketplace in the Western Hemisphere. Visit www.ToyFairNY.com to learn more. 7

Barbie goes into orbit The fab four Moose Toys has introduced four new toys as part of the Little Live brand, distributed by Character Options in the UK. Cozy Dozys’ Cubbles the Bear is the perfect bedtime buddy. Cubbles can be wrapped in his blanket, soothed with his pacifier and will giggle when you tickle his tummy. O.M.G. Pets are soft, squishy little puppies that look and sound so real! Each pet has more than 15 reactions, from adorable little sounds when you pat their heads to crying for attention or to be fed. Encouraging kids to take on a nurturing role is The Rainglow Vet Unicorn. Use the magical vet set to nurse her back to her playful self. In mid-autumn boys will connect with Wraptiles. Wrap them on your wrist with the slap-band tail and see their light-up eyes.

Did you know? The first wave of O.M.G. Pets will include Poodles, Beagles, German Shepherds, French Bulldogs, Huskies and Labradors.

Barbie and the European Space Agency with Barbie. (ESA) have teamed up to highlight The collaboration is part of the the achievements of the only active Barbie Dream Gap Project, an onfemale astronaut in Europe, Samantha going initiative with the goal of Cristoforetti, presenting her with a onelevelling the playing field for girls of-a-kind doll in her likeness to inspire around the world. girls throughout Europe. Samantha is an aviator, engineer, astronaut and is the first Italian female crew member Research has identified that of the European Space Agency. starting at age five, many girls She said that she hoped to help inspire “young girls and boys to begin to develop limiting selfdream about their future without beliefs and doubt their full limits”, through this collaboration

Did you know?

potential – this is called the Dream Gap.

New face of marketing Games and puzzles specialist, University Games and Paul Lamond Games are delighted to announce the appointment of Gemma Lewington to the position of Head of Marketing. Gemma brings with her over a decade of experience in the toy trade industry, including working on pre-school favourites LeapFrog and Vtech, as well as most recently Mookie Toys. Richard Wells, Managing Director, says: “Gemma will bring a new vision to the business and her role will include planning and overseeing heavier TV and online campaigns, as well as aligning all our assets and PR efforts.”

From fashion to Funko

Funrise makes a move Funrise International’s UK base has relocated to new premises in Milton Keynes with considerably more warehouse space to accommodate the expanding product range and growth in the UK and European business.

Funko has named Jennifer Fall Jung as its new Chief Financial Officer from mid-August. Jennifer brings 20 years’ experience to Funko, formerly holding senior roles at fashion retail brands Gap and Old Navy. Funko’s CEO, Brian Mariotti, says: “With Jennifer’s experience in operations and growing international markets, I’m confident that Funko will be well positioned to further diversify our portfolio and extend our geographic reach as we capitalize on the 500-billion-dollar global pop culture market.” Jennifer says: “I look forward to working closely with this creatively talented team to enhance Funko’s international partnerships, operations and engagement.” Former CFO Russell Nickel will remain with the company in an advisory capacity until the end of the year to aid in the transition.

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Playmobil heads to CarFest Playmobil has put two festival dates in the 2019 diary. It appeared at CarFest North last month in Cheshire, and this month heads to Hampshire for CarFest South. 2 CarFest is the brainchild Both appearances include costume characters, of radio presenter Chris life-size figures and play tables featuring the Evans, and was launched brand-new Playmobil: The Movie playsets. seven years ago to raise Attendance at the festival is part of Playmobil’s funds for UK children’s ongoing strategy to engage directly with key charities. It has raised audiences and provides the brand opportunity to more than £13.5million. share more about the movie. Jamie Dickinson, Marketing and Display Manager at Playmobil UK, says: “This is our first year attending CarFest. The festival provides an opportunity for fans to meet the characters and experience the new playsets first-hand, as well as keep families entertained over the weekend.’’

Fact!

Ryan gets slimed! Ryan’s World is about to get a lot slimier thanks to a new licence agreement with Zimpli Kids. One of Ryan’s Zimpli has signed a worldwide licensing deal with media Slime Baff videos company Pocket.Watch – which has more than 100 represents the brand extension million views! of the popular YouTuber – to introduce Ryan’s World Gelli Baff (Glitter Purple and Aqua Blue), Slime Baff (Green and Glitter Orange) plus some foil bags. Zimpli will also be launching Ryan’s World Gelli Worlds, including five sachets of Gelli, an Inflatable Tray and six popular Ryan’s world figures.

Fact!

Look out for latest trends The international TrendCommittee established by the Spielwarenmesse includes 12 toy experts – featuring market researchers, trend scouts and journalists – who track down and evaluate the latest market movements all over the world. The 12 committee experts will identify the main trends for 2020, which will be revealed from mid-October 2019. At the next Spielwarenmesse (29 January to 2 February 2020), the trends and related products can be experienced in action at the TrendGallery.

Crayola makes a splash Crayola has teamed up with Merlin Entertainments to give kids colourful days out with free tickets to Sea Life attractions across the UK and Ireland. Worth up to £22 per ticket, the new on-pack promotion, featuring Crayola Crayons, Pencils, Twistables, SuperTips and PipSqueaks is available now.

Each promotional pack includes one voucher that entitles one child a free entry to any of Sea Life’s 13 attractions with the purchase of one full-priced adult ticket.

Fact! The partnership will be supported by new pack designs, a heavyweight marketing campaign and social media activations featuring lively animations and influencer activities.

APRIL 2019

Magic summer spectacular Magician, Jamie Raven. who wowed audiences and judges with his extraordinary magic skills on the 2015 series of Britain’s Got Talent, has created his own Making Magic Spectacular. Throughout July, August and September Jamie is based at Bluewater and is set to dazzle crowds with more than 250 performances in a purpose-built theatre. Alongside the theatre is the Making Magic workshop - a Magic School where families will be given the opportunity chance to learn mind-blowing tricks and magic skills from the internationally renowned illusionist. In 2017, the talented magician teamed up with Paul Lamond Games and In September 2018, a now has a series of Magic study by the University Sets available including: Card of Hertfordshire Magic, Magic of the Mind, concluded that learning Street Magic and Sleight magic can help improve of Hand. The Jamie Raven Ultimate Magic Set focuses children’s confidence on larger tricks to wow family and social skills. and friends. Budding magicians can also learn directly from the gifted illusionist as each Magic Set includes a secret online link where Jamie demonstrates how to perform each trick.

Did you know?

NEWS

Bunch of recycling Zuru has announced the Bunch O Balloons Recycling Program powered by a long-term alliance with recycling giant TerraCycle. The partnership encourages consumers to think ‘green’ and recycle 100 per cent of their used balloon plastics and packaging. All Zuru Bunch O Balloons products in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are now fully recyclable. Consumers will be able to ship or drop Zuru Bunch O Balloons off used Bunch O Balloons packaging, Self-Sealing Party balloon pieces and fast-fill stems at Balloons is the latest TerraCycle recycling stations, where they addition to the Bunch O will then be processed and recycled into new materials. Balloons brand, allowing

Guess what…

Heatwave boosts pool sales Sales of Wilton Bradley paddling pools climbed 37 per cent at the end of last month and are expected to continue soaring alongside the weather. During the recent heatwave, Wilton Bradley’s Bestway pools, pool toys and inflatables were snapped up at retail. Bestway’s new Pop Art collection introduces bright,

eye-catching pop art design features on a number of different pool inflatables, including animal ride-ons, beach balls and swim rings. The company has also just launched the new H20GO! Constant Air range - bouncy castle water parks featuring vibrant colours and exciting features for kids such as water slides and sprayers.

Guess what… Wilton Bradley’s new range of fashion float inflatables featured in this year’s Love Island series.

Paws on tour The popular characters of Nickelodeon’s hit tv series PAW Patrol will be touring the UK over the summer and into the autumn to thrill fans and support retailers of the hugely popular toys. Events have been held during July and will continue through August at intu shopping centres where youngsters can ‘PUP PUP Boogie’ and have their photos taken with their PAW Patrol, produced favourite pups. by Spin Master Each of the venues Entertainment, is supported by a communications campaign continues to be one targeting both traditional of Nick Jr.’s top-rated and social media outlets to pre-school series. help promote the events. The tour will also help promote and encourage interest and entries for the PAW Patrol Little Heroes Awards, which runs for the second year. You can enter the awards throughout the summer months (closing date of 31 August). The Awards will take place in London. For more information about the awards visit www.pawawards.co.uk

Did you know?

consumers to fill, tie and string 40 party balloons in 40 seconds.

Sylvanian families on festival tour EPOCH making toys has spent the summer taking Sylvanian Families to three UK summer festivals as part of Fundamentally Children’s Good Toy Zone. They have already appeared at the 3Foot People Festival in Chelmsford and The Great British Food Festival at Knebworth House, Hertfordshire. They will also visit CarFest South in Hampshire later this month. The events allow children to play with the latest Sylvanian Families play sets, receive exclusive goodie bags and enjoy meet-and-greets and photo opportunities with the Freya Chocolate Rabbit costume character.

New Start-Up Area at Kind + Jugend 2019 For the first time, Kind + Jugend is offering young, international, up-and-coming companies the opportunity to present themselves in a Start-up Area. The Start-up Area is already fully booked with 16 providers at the world’s leading trade fair for the baby and toddler outfitting industry. More than 1,200 companies from around 50 countries will be exhibiting at Kind + Jugend from 19 to 22 September 2019.

New area will include 16 young companies from six countries with new ideas and concepts.

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PEOPLE NEWS David Allan is Marbel’s new MD Hape International has appointed David Allan as MD of wholly-owned subsidiary Marbel. David has over 30 years’ experience in the industry, having most recently spent 12 years as Director at DKL Marketing. Purity Deng, Head of European Business Unit at Hape International, says: “We are delighted to have secured David Allan who brings with him many years UK experience of both the Toy Market and managing a distributor. Marbel (soon to be rebranded) is key to Hape’s growth plans both as a brand and as a distributor of quality

brands.” David Allan, who will assume the position of MD from 1 August, says: “This is a fantastic opportunity to take my next step as MD of an international company ready to invest and grow into the UK market.” This announcement comes shortly after Marbel relocated to new offices. The company’s new address is: Marbel Ltd, Penthouse Suite, The Parade, Liskeard, Cornwall, PL14 6AF.

Blue departure, golden appointment Golden Bear are pleased to confirm the appointment of John Harper as Non-Executive Chairman of Golden Bear with immediate effect. Having been President of Hasbro Europe before taking early retirement, John Harper is well-known within the toy industry. After 40 years at the helm, John Hales, Co-Founder and long-time Chairman of the company, has decided to retire. He remains the major shareholder and will remain a Director of the company. John Hales said “John Harper will work with the senior team at Golden Bear to bring a new approach to the business to ensure the company achieves significant growth over the next three to five years.

Fact! John Hales has attended over 50 Toy Fairs in his time within the industry.

One small step for Munn Alan Munn, Founder of the Toy Trust, was this year’s recipient of the Toy Trust Outstanding Contribution award at the BTHA AGM. Graham Canning, Chairman for the Toy Trust Charity, says: “On behalf of the Toy Trust Charity Committee, I am honoured to present Alan Munn with the Toy Trust Outstanding Contribution Award. Alan was the key founding member and driving force of the Toy Trust following its inception in 1990. Over many years of service, he has chaired and been a faithful member of the Toy Trust committee, chaired the more recent Toy Trust allocations committee and has without doubt been central to making the Toy Trust the successful fundraising instrument it is today. The award was bestowed upon Alan at the BTHA and TRA Industry Day held at the beginning of July, led by MGA’s Andrew Laughton who took over the role of BTHA Chair from Hasbro’s Foye Pascoe at the beginning of June.

BTHA Briefing Rebecca Deeming, the Public Relations Manager at BTHA, updates us on the ‘Don’t toy with children’s safety’ campaign, recaps the events of the BTHA AGM and Industry Day and looks ahead to Toy Fair 2020 Last month was a successful period for the BTHA. We were shortlisted for three awards at this year’s Trade Association Forum’s Best Practice Awards. Our public affairs and safety team won the BEIS Sector Representation of the Year for their outstanding efforts in representing members throughout Brexit negotiations. We received a special commendation for the Toy Trust for Corporate Social Responsibility, recognising the many years of hard work and dedication from the trust, and Toy Fair was also shortlisted for best exhibition. Since launching the BTHA’s ‘Don’t toy with children’s safety’ campaign in June, our public affairs team has written to a number of ministers and MPs asking for support and gave a summary of findings to a panel of MPs in a meeting at Portcullis House on UK IP day. Amazon has agreed to meet with the BTHA to discuss solutions and eBay has indicated that it would like to meet over the summer. If you would like to support the campaign by writing to your local MPs, please could you email Del@btha.co.uk who can support you with this. Last month also saw more than 100 people attend our AGM and Industry Day. This year, guest speakers included the Rt Hon. Kenneth Clarke MP, who gave an insight into the current political climate, and Don Williams from KPMG, who spoke about the current retail trends. During the Industry Day, key founding member of the Toy Trust Alan Munn was awarded the 2019 Toy Trust Outstanding Contribution Award. Over many years of service, he has chaired and been a faithful member of the Toy Trust committee, chaired the more recent Toy Trust allocations committee and has without doubt been central to making the Toy Trust the successful fundraising instrument it is today. Congratulations once again to Alan for his well-deserved award. The BTHA’s Connected Toys Expert, Antony Kirrane, hosted a free webinar on connected toys exclusively for BTHA members as part of our Training Hub series. Also presenting on the webinar was connected play innovator, Valerie Vacante, who shared her latest research on the connected play landscape and emerging technologies. The webinar also covered connected toy risks and mitigation, product lifecycle review and regulatory activity. Elsewhere, work is ongoing to ensure Toy Fair 2020 will be one of our best to date, with just a small number of stands remaining. To book your stand please visit toyfair.co.uk and apply online. We also still have sponsorship opportunities available, please email me at Rebecca@btha.co.uk for more information.

BTHA wins the BEIS Sector Representation of the Year award at the TAF Best Practice Awards 2019.

APRIL 2019

MEDIA

ANALYSIS

SS19: Under the Microscope Kate Moncur of Generation Media looks back at advertising data from the first half of the year to help with planning for the all important autumn/ winter season ahead

t the time of writing, the UK is about to go through it’s hottest week of the summer so far, but all advertisers can think about is the key autumn/winter season ahead. But to look forward, we need to look back. So, how has the first half of the year shaped up for children’s media consumption? As TV remains the largest outgoing spend of toys and games advertising, this is a good place to start. Q2 2019 TV data is now available, which means we can now take a look at the first half of the year in full. On first look, the results are not positive. Kids’ total commercial impacts across the children’s commercial stations, January-June, have declined 20 per cent YOY. However, this is a sign of improvement on Q1 2019, when children’s commercial impacts saw declines of 25 per cent YOY.

to draw high volumes of viewers. In May 2019, Toy Wing on Milkshake was the largest reported Kids Commercial programme for kids aged four- to nine-years-old, having achieved an average 122,000 kids aged four- to nineyears-old per transmission. Free to air channels like Pop, CITV and Milkshake have invested in such content that is keeping their YOY viewership stable. Advertisers now have a host of platforms available to capture commercial viewing Parents from children, when they're consuming the of kids aged content across multiple devices. However, to target kids effectively, it’s not just the two- to ninecontent needs that need to be understood years-old also across platforms – we need to understand the time spent across platforms too. agree that TV Then, most importantly we need to adverts hold Source: MediaOcean/BARB July 2019 measure the effectiveness of advertising The data above reflects the UK kids audience, on those platforms. We know from Kids & the greatest spanning kids aged four- to 15-years-old. By the Screen (Giraffe Insights, 2019) that toy influence over making these audiences more specific and lists from kids aged two- to nine-years-old relevant to the toys and games market, we are two- to nineare still largely inspired by the adverts that able to highlight several trends as outlined they see on TV. To support this, parents year-olds below. As you can see from the chart on of kids aged two- to nine-years-old also the right, the kids’ commercial channels agree that TV adverts hold the greatest are currently declining at a rate higher than influence over two- to nine-year-olds. that of all TV viewing. However, last year’s difficulty of But what is it that has accelerated the decline in kids reaching boys aged four- to nine-years-old has reversed in commercial viewing from girls aged four- to nine-years2019, with girls aged four- to nine-years-old viewing seeing old vs. boys aged four- to nine-years-old? Giraffe Insights larger levels of decline. have the answer. With their industry leading research A key contributing factor to the change in total ‘Kids and the Screen: Wave 2.0’, their research has viewing consumption is how savvy children are at qualitatively and quantitatively measured the viewing finding ways to consume content. Long gone are the behaviour of kids aged two- to nine-years-old through days that children consume content only on the TV their media diaries over the past two years. set. The term ‘content chasers’ is one we have If you want to understand how to get the most out of known for some time. With 175,000 children your advertising budgets, please get in touch. going online for the first time every day (SuperAwesome Digital Upfronts, April 2019), children can navigate the online space better than the playground. Source: MediaOcean/BARB May 2019 However, that’s not to say that The number of children who go online for the in 2019 TV does not still have a fundamental part to play in igniting first time every day (SuperAwesome Digital interest in a programme or show. It Upfronts, April 2019). only takes that one piece of content

“

175,000

Generation Media is the UK and Ireland’s largest independent media buyer of toys and games advertising. Visit generationmedia.co.uk or call 0207 307 7900 to learn more. 1

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MEDIA

PICTURE CREDIT: BBC/ITV

NEWS

Ryan’s World plays the game Ryan’s World is speeding onto consoles with the release of Race with Ryan, the first video game for the Pocket.watch brand.

1 November Race with Ryan release date.

Seven-year-old Ryan of Ryan ToysReview, is YouTube’s highestearning video star. In this kart racing game, he speeds around brightly coloured tracks, vying for first position with a cast of toy characters from Ryan’s World. Players are joined by Combo Panda, Gus the Gummy Gator, Red Titan, Mo, Peck. Developed by Outright Games, Race with Ryan launches on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PC in November.

BBC and ITV join forces for Britbox I TV and the BBC are joining forces to set up a subscription service in the UK as a rival to the likes of Netflix. Shows including Love Island, Gavin & Stacey, Gentleman Jack and Broadchurch will be on the broadcasters’ streaming service BritBox when it launches this year. It will cost £5.99 per month in HD for multiple screens, and will launch between October and the end of December. New programmes will also be made especially for BritBox, with the first arriving next year. Other existing series to be made available will include Victoria, Happy Valley, Les Miserables, The Office and Benidorm.

Making magic

Say hello to YooHoo apps Aurora World is launching a number of YooHoo mobile applications this year. Already available for download are a colouring book, an augmented reality sticker and a puzzle game. A number of other applications will launch in winter. Set to launch this winter are YooHoo Minigames, character collecting apps and digital content that includes digital wallpapers, icon packs, themes, stickers and watch faces. They are the latest in a growing number of licensed YooHoo products across the world including the new animated series YooHoo to the Rescue on Netflix, a new plush range based on the series, Panini stickers, mini figurines, trading cards, and Kennedy Publishing magazines.

Niantic, the company behind Pokémon Go! has released a new AR app – this time inspired by the world of Harry Potter. The game blends real world exploration and augmented reality interactions based on players’ locations. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, developed with WB Games launched in June in the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand, inviting Potterheads to head out with their smartphones and investigate the world around them for chaotic magical. “Today marks the beginning of an incredible journey for fans of the Wizarding World, opening up virtual doorways to remarkable adventures in the world around them,” says John Hanke, Founder and CEO, Niantic.

Bringing toys to life

2 October Release date for the tori Explorer Pack for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.

Bandai Namco Entertainment has announced tori, which uses augmented reality to bring toys to life. Tori allows children aged six to 12 and beyond to enjoy interactive play while encouraging individual creativity, collaboration and critical thinking. Using the company’s Mirror Play, tori makes children’s creations come magically to life and enables their every move to be instantly reflected in the supported apps. By using their tori Wand, tori Catapult and tori Spacecraft over the tori board, children can break down the barriers between their imagination and reality. The tori Explorer pack enables children to craft and customise both digital elements and the actual toy itself, through its creative kit and find them back in their own world, offering a balance of on and off-screen activities. The tori Explorer Pack will be released on 2 October 2019. Five apps will be available on release, with more apps and toys to be added in the future.

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CONSUMER RETAIL

OPINION INSIGHT

Catching the craze wave What creates a digital craze? Is there an art for identifying the next BIG thing?

a new game, popular among a small number of respondents in August 2017, we made the prediction that this could be the big trend on which to capitalise. This was an opportunity created by the alignment of additional factors, including the increasing accessibility of mobile gaming and cloud-based tech.

From our perspective trends simply do not happen by chance. Their foundations are in a broader contextual framework and they respond to fundamental human needs, such as health, happiness, Fortnite in focus control and security. As a result, Fast forward to July there are many factors 2019 and we can see that contribute to the that Fortnite continues creation of a trend. And Digital to be one of the most when it comes to digital trends are popular computer games trends, they are primarily with UK-based children. driven by technological primarily It is also clear that the advances, increased driven by success of Fortnite is now accessibility and changes affecting other categories, in attitudes and behaviour. technological like magazines, toys If we look at some of advances, and board games – with the key trends that we Fortnite: Monopoly being have identified, such as increased hot property on Christmas the “Gaming Revolution” accessibility wish lists last year. or “Generation Speak”, we can see how those three and changes in The foundations for factors have aligned to create the next digital trend: attitudes and the foundation of a trend. Generation Speak Effective marketing is also behaviour During 2018 we could required to really capitalise see that UK children on a trend opportunity. And were increasingly using this requires companies to first fully their voice to control their devices. This understanding who the children are that generation is evolving from Generation are the natural ‘early adopters’ of the Swipe (children who use touch to trend – what their attitudes, behaviour control their devices), to Generation and consumption is like – and then Speak (children who are using their secondly, act as the paraffin to ignite voice to control their devices). the trend to the next level. Given these Comparing Q1 2019, with Q1 2018, we complexities and the ever-changing kids can see that there has been a 75 per landscape, collaborations are becoming cent increase in children citing voice increasingly popular as a means of as their favourite method to control accelerating and maintaining a trend.

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Fortnite: born from the Gaming Revolution In our 2017 Q2 reports, we identified what we believed to be the foundations of a Gaming Revolution. We could also see that in the first quarter of 2017, that shoot ‘em up games, like Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty, were two of the most popular games with children between the age of nine and 12. So when we first saw Fortnite appear as

their device over the 12-month period. We have also seen smart speaker ownership increase by an astonishing 125 per cent year-on-year. With technological advances, increasing accessibility and changes in attitudes and behaviour becoming progressively more aligned, it offers justification for the phrase “Generation Speak”. We feel confident in our prediction that the first big “Voice Activated” trend is on the horizon – and we are sure that we will see it before anyone else. How we can help? Understanding and identifying crazes and trends is just one way we are helping clients. Collecting data continually means we don’t just provide data to our clients in real-time, it means we can also produce the most dynamic and comprehensive market intelligence

Nick Richardson, CEO of Kids Insights reveals how the company is able to identify and help clients understand an emerging trend. And he considers a new craze that may be on the horizon

insights, which we provide in easy-to-read reports every 12 weeks. This ensures our team of experts are directly helping clients to understand, define and test, measure and evaluate and ultimately improve their ROI across their business. For more information on how we could help improve your ROI, get in touch!

Our research and strategy team works with clients from across the sector, using data collected through surveying 21,300 kids in the UK each year. We provide insight to help clients develop their advertising and media strategies, from identifying the right media to inspiring their creative execution. To download a complimentary Kids Insights report, visit: kidsinsights.co.uk/ toysnplaythings, or to organise a meeting please call 0330 159 6631.

AUGUST 2019

MOVIE

NEWS

Del trucks into Westfield To celebrate the release of Playmobil: The Movie, Vue Entertainment is bringing Del’s food truck to life with a special one-day event at London’s Westfield Square. Vue will be transporting Del’s food truck direct from the Playmobil universe to Westfield Square on Saturday 10 August. Del himself will be serving up the delicious burritos as seen in the film, and lucky Release date for guests will be able to enjoy this free Mexican treat, Playmobil: The Movie courtesy of Vue.

9 August

Out of this world Amid the excitement of the Toy Story 4 release comes another announcement from Disney Pixar. This time, it’s to tell us that a movie called Soul will hit the big screen in June 2020. Brought to us by Pete Doctor, the Soul will be released in man behind Inside Out and Up, it June 2020. will take its characters on a journey from the streets of New York City to cosmic realms. Not only that, it also claims to answer life’s most pressing questions along the way. Soul will follow a couple of months after Onward, the story of two teenage elf brothers who set out on a quest to discover if there is still any magic left. The voice cast features Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Fact!

Love is brewing a storm Natalie Portman is to play The Mighty Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder, due to be released on 5 November 2021. Additional announcements focused on confirming Valkyrie’s open LGBTQ status, making this a first-ever for Marvel super heroes.

Did you know? Valkyrie will be the first-ever LGBTQ super hero 16

King of the global box office The Lion King has set some right-royal records in the UK and Ireland following its release last month. The live-action remake of the original animation claimed the title for the biggest-ever UK opening day for a Walt Disney Pictures movie (previously held by Beauty and the Beast in 2017). It also stole the crown from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 for the biggestever July opener in the US.

Fact! Opening weekend revenue of over £16.5m makes The Lion King the second biggest opening of 2019 in UK and Ireland – with global takings totalling $530m.

Did you know? Halle is a part of an R&B duo with her sister, called Chloe X Halle.

Halle Bailey to play Little Mermaid Singer/actress Halle Bailey has landed the lead role of Ariel in Disney’s new live-action/CG version of The Little Mermaid. According to Director Rob Marshall, Bailey was chosen for her unique combination of ‘’spirit, heart, youth, innocence and substance – plus a glorious singing voice’’.

Mulan comes to life The first glimpse of live-action Mulan has finally been released to fans after having been in the pipeline since last year when filming took place in China and New Zealand. Due to hit the cinemas on 27 March 2020, this film aims to please with its slightly different take on the 1998 animated Chinese folk tale.

Playing for charity! Hasbro celebrates its most successful annual Football and Netball tournament yet, having seen participation from across the industry and raised an impressive £8,000 for the Toy Trust. TnP was on hand to cover the events of the day The annual Hasbro/Toy Trust Football and Netball tournament raised over £8,000 for the Toy Trust last week. The tournament saw participation from across the industry, having a staggering 13 football and 11 netball teams, all of which vying for the coveted trophies. Football: After group stages, the competition went into full swing with the knock-out stage seeing Disney Athletic victorious after winning the Final against Hasbro FC. Real Entertainer went on to win the Plate. Netball: The 11 netball teams played a round robin tournament. Team Lego had a sizzling performance and came away as overall winners, with Winning Movers coming in second and Entertainment One coming third – not bad considering this was their first tournament! This was Hasbro’s most successful tournament so far and they are ambitiously aiming to increase the number of participants next year. Hasbro would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported and participated in the event.

CHILDREN’S DRESSING UP COSTUMES AND ACCESSORIES FOR EDUCATIONAL PLAY

£8,000 The amount raised for the Toy Trust by Hasbro’s sporting day extravaganza.

High quality selection of designs for 6 months to 11 years. No minimums.

Go to www.pretendtobee.com Tel: +44 (0) 115 921 5690 Email: support@pretendtobee.com

AUGUST 2019

RETAIL

NEWS

Clicks to bricks Amazon opened its first Welsh clicks and mortar store in St David’s shopping centre last month. The store is only the second of its kind, and Amazon has revealed that it will not be the last, with 10 more set to launch in cities across the UK. The store will be open for six weeks, focusing on supporting local and national businesses with Amazon is due to create the online giant’s first taste 2,000 jobs with the clicks and mortar stores. of customerfacing retail.

Fact!

Divided by CMA Two months after blocking Asda and Sainsbury’s £12billion merger proposal, the CMA has decided to bar the two Sainsbury’s is barred supermarkets from acquiring a stake from acquiring in Asda or any of its stakes in both subsidiaries. Asda & the businesses, Walmart cannot buy a and their stake in Sainsbury’s or subsidiaries, any company holding for the next an interest in any Big decade. 4 rival. Sainsbury’s Chief Executive claims that the CMA is “taking £1billion out of customers’ pockets”, having promised they would invest that amount into cutting prices in the first three years if the merger were approved.

Did you know?

Wyevale sells six more centres to Blue Diamond Wyevale has sold another six of its garden centres to Blue Diamond. The sales of the centres - Blooms Worcester, Canterbury Chartham, Hereford, Lower Morden, Rake and Tunbridge Wells – should be completed during mid-September, with no job losses expected. The latest move means Wyevale has now sold off well over 100 stores. It is part of an investment scheme that has seen the group return to profitability.

Amazon under A-tax Companies earning more than £500million in digital revenue are set to pay a digital service tax from April 2020. The plans are laid out in draft legislation of the government’s next finance bill. Treasury financial secretary Jesse Norman stated: “The UK has always sought to lead in finding an

Fact!

The digital tax is expected to raise £400million a year by 2021.

international solution to taxing the digital economy. This targeted and proportionate digital services tax is designed to keep our tax system in this area both fair and competitive, pending a longerterm international settlement.” France has already implemented a similar tax, charging three per cent on companies earning more than €750million in digital revenue.

eBay to cut delivery times eBay is set to pitch itself against Amazon with the announcement of plans for a shipping and warehousing service. The online giant said that from next year it plans to offer its sellers the chance to rent out warehouse space so that they can store product closer to customers, cutting delivery times. The move follows in the footsteps of Fulfilment by Amazon, which offers its sellers worldwide fulfilment centres, speeding up delivery times. There are more changes at eBay as the online auction service has nabbed Peter Thompson, formerly head of Amazon’s Alexa Voice Services. Thompson will take up the role of Senior Vice President and Chief Product Officer.

Fact!

200 stores get the boot

Boots has more than 2,400 stores, employing about 62,000 people.

Boots has announced that it will be closing a total of 200 stores over the next 18 months. After the recent struggle in retail and pharmaceuticals, Boots has felt the squeeze with falling sales. However, they are not going down without a fight, also announcing they are going to be opening stores in locations they think will benefit from a new Boots store.

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Mothercare in sales talks New stores on the Mothercare’s store closure plans have seen UK sales fall by 23.2 per cent for the 15 weeks to 13 July. Mothercare UK stores However, its like-for-like now total 79, down sales rose by 3.2 per cent, although online figures fell by from a total of 134 12.1 per cent. stores last year. According to reports, the retailer is already in talks to franchise, sell or separate its portfolio of UK stores, only months after securing a CVA deal with creditors.

Fact!

Lego block Lego is building up to a big Christmas with a pair of new store openings in Birmingham’s bustling Bull Ring and Southampton’s popular West Quay Shopping Centre. Set to open ahead of Christmas, these new Lego stores will have the widest selection of Lego sets and a whole host of exciting play experiences, activities and events only available in-store.

Tesco Thai the knot with new expansion Tesco has announced its opening 750 convenience stores throughout Thailand over the next three years. The supermarket giant currently employs more than 46,000 people across 1,965 Tesco Lotus s tores in Thailand. It is the largest market outside the UK and still growing, Tesco is opening 750 generating £4.1billion of revenue in the year to 23 convenience stores over the next three years, which February. The expansion is due to create up to will create up to 10,000 10,000 jobs. new jobs.

Fact!

Toys R Us makes a comeback

Toys R Us is due to open two new pilot stores this November in Texas and New Jersey, both located in shopping centres. The aim of the smaller shops is to focus on experiential shopping, different from the warehouse-style stores of the past. Tru Kids, which owns the Toys R Us brand and the Geoffrey the Giraffe mascot, has joined forces with experiential retailer b8ta for the launches.

AUGUST 2019

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RETAIL INTERVIEW

THINKTANK, BIRMINGHAM’S SCIENCE MUSEUM

Think big, Thinktank Emma Scott, Central Buyer at Birmingham Museums Trust talks to TnP about range planning, merchandising and what’s in the pipeline for Thinktank – Birmingham’s award-winning Science museum Tell us a bit about Thinktank. Thinktank is Birmingham’s award-winning science museum that offers a fun-packed day out for the family. It's one of nine Birmingham Museums Trust venues across the city. Housed inside the Millennium Point building, Thinktank visitors can enjoy four floors of interactive exhibits and historical collections. From steam engines to talking robots, Thinktank has over 200 hands-on displays – all themed around science and technology.

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Merchandising is key. We want to present our products in the best way we can. If something looks great, it will sell

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What elements of retail are there at Thinktank? We have a gift shop at the entrance/ exit and we offer a goody bag service to groups that don’t have time to visit the shop. We also create party bags for celebrations that take place at the museum. Our online shop allows shoppers to browse ranges from across Birmingham Museums sites. All profits from the sale of our products go towards the care of Birmingham’s unique collection and the delivery of our award-winning education programme.

How do you build product ranges at Thinktank? We run a lot of different sites with a small team, so suppliers often come to us – we find

Did you know? MiniBrum is Thinktank’s new interactive gallery for under eights – a mini city where children are in charge. Thinktank looks at how children use this space to see where there’s a gap in the market.

that works better as it’s more personal. We also attend a couple of trade shows; due to the size of the exhibition and our proximity to the site, we visit Spring Fair. We also try to attend the Association of Cultural Enterprises annual conference and the trade show that they have. When we have an idea for a product or range that fits with what we do, we carry out research. And if we have a new or temporary exhibition, we look at what products could relate and provide a range that visitors will enjoying shopping.

What criteria must new lines meet to be added to the range? Education is a big message for us - many of our products facilitate learning in a fun way. Our products give parents a chance to keep the Thinktank experience going even when they’re at home. We ensure products reflect our collection, including any special exhibitions and events that we may have coming up. Products also need to be sustainable and we consider the price points so that we have something available for everyone. Quality is important too; we want to ensure the gifts people pick to remember their visit to Thinktank will stand the test of time.

What types of products are selling well for you this year? Marbles sell well as a pocket money toy. And we have the Legolab at the museum so Lego does well. We also have a space-themed range that relates to our 4k Planetarium at Thinktank, which is popular too. Our branded products sell really well. We get a lot of school visits and children like to take home a momento of their visit to Thinktank.

Which suppliers have you been working well with this year? We work with Emblem for our branded products, and Ravensden and Nature Planet for cuddly toys.

Is merchandising something that you give a lot of thought to? Yes, merchandising is key. We want to present our products in the best way we can. If something looks great, it will sell. I complete store walk-around each month to ensure we’re maintaining high standards. We also want to make the customer experience as smooth as possible and beautiful displays make that work. We organise our products in ranges. For instance, we have sections for space, wildlife, dinosaurs and more. Point of sale material helps to signpost our ranges, to make them easy for the customer to find. Best-sellers impact on displays too – the more an item sells the more we need to have available to buy. I also visit other retailers for inspiration on displays.

Do you run any activities at Thinktank to help boost sales? We sell an exclusive pack of Thinktank Top Trumps, the popular card game. The objects in the pack are exhibits around the museum. We have a trail sheet that visitors can use; to find those exhibits, as well as a wordsearch for children to complete.

Tell us about some of your upcoming plans for Thinktank. Our ambition is to have more environmentally friendly products, so we’re working hard on that at the moment. We’re planning on expanding our existing ranges, such as our Minibrum products. These will evolve as we see how visitors use the space. MiniBrum is Thinktank’s mini city, where children are in charge. We look at this to see where there’s a gap in the market and what we can do to fill that.

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RETAIL

OPINION

Talking retail

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Owner, Little Goat Gruff, a children’s clothes, toys and eco living shop in St Ives What eco friendly issues do you look at when buying toys? First we look that they have minimal impact on the environment during their production. Then we look at working conditions and whether the skilled workers are paid a living wage and ensure everything is fairly traded. Next we look at packaging – we always favour products that are packaged in card/paper only.

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What eco-friendly products are popular Currently our customers’ favourite brands are Lanka Kade, Eric & Albert and PlanToys.

TnP loves to hear your views . This month we chat to retail ers about eco-friendly toys and summer holiday best-sellers

Our ambition is to have more environmentally friendly products, so we’re working hard on that at the moment, particularly with our logo products

Paris Booton

Do your customers request no plastic or recycled product? Yes, the majority of our wonderful customers have come across us on their journey to reduce plastic consumption. Wooden toys should be viewed as heirlooms.

Next month we’ll be speaking about two unmentionables – Brexit and Christmas! If you would like to have your say, contact Naomi MacKay at naomi@lemapublishing.co.uk

Emma Scott, Central Buyer, Birmingham Museums Trust

Richard Harding Puffs Toy Shop, Wymondham Are eco-friendly toys something you

Brendan Will Will’s Toy Shop, Aberdeen Are eco-friendly toys something you and your customers look out for? We don’t do loads to be honest. We stock some wooden products that are nice because they last longer and they're not going to end up in landfill. Instead they will get passed on. It’s not something that is at the top of our minds, but it is going to happen eventually, so we will be thinking about it when we go to the next Toymaster Show. We do some Hape wooden toys that do quite well. What are you hoping to do well with over the summer holidays? We’re not far away from what we did for the whole of the month last year! That’s thanks to the new L.O.L. dolls that came in before the summer holidays. And Pokémon has been really popular with boys and girls from ages six to 12. The Pokémon movie has really reignited it – and then there is the Sword and Shield game for Nintendo Switch coming out at the end of the year that will keep that going, and presumably there will be new Pokémon cards in January, so I’m hoping that will keep going for some time.

and your customers look out for? It’s a nice extra but isn’t at the top of my list. We do a lot of wooden products, and many of those are Fairtrade – though that doesn’t necessarily mean they are sustainable. Hape does a lot of bamboo toys, which must be more sustainable. However, the fact that the toy industry’s manufacturing is based in China means that it is going to be particularly hard to move away from plastic. I have plenty of customers who want to steer clear of plastic, but few seem too bothered about the packaging. One thing that has really changed is that I give away far fewer plastic bags now. Usually customers say: "No, I’ve already brought one with me." What are you hoping to do well with over the summer holidays? Pokémon has really taken off since the Detective Pikachu film. And Squishmallows (from Innovation First) are flying off the shelves. We do a lot of the Orchard Toys – they are made in Wymondham and people like to support that and buy local. I really enjoy board games, so I always have demo copies in the shop and do lots of demos of games so we do very well with those. Dobble is always popular – and of course Harry Potter Dobble came out a couple of weeks ago – good timing because of the launch of the new Wizards Unite app. For people who come back to the shop having liked Dobble I always recommend Ghost Blitz (Big Potato Games) and Asmodee’s Cobra Paw. Toy Story Lego has started to do well now too, and I hope that will continue as more children see Toy Story 4 over the holidays.

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RETAIL

OPINION

Strength in numbers Image: Appear here - Look Mum No Hands

Image: twitter.comJamesTutt

he idea of taking what you have and sharing it with and your track record will come into play. Focus on what another may not appeal to some commercially minded you bring to the party and why it might be a benefit to individuals, but there are real benefits to teamwork. your host. Also, seek to be a real partner in terms of sharing A big shop opened on Oxford Circus on 11 July. The name on in success. Practically, this means making sure that things the door was Microsoft and the 21,000 sq ft store was filled with are organised on a turnover rent basis, rather than a fixed tablets, gaming consoles and laptops. What was less predictable rent arrangement. This way, you will pay some kind of was to be found in a corner on the ground floor. Here a low(ish) base rent, but if things go well, then both parties McClaren F1 supercar was ready and waiting to be driven using will benefit. Your host will share in the highs and your an Xbox (Microsoft owns Xbox) and it will undoubtedly attract position in the scheme of things will be cemented in a way legions of visitors, all of whom want to give it a go. that it may otherwise have not been. Now head north and in Selly Oak, in south west Birmingham, At this stage, even if your ‘partner’ seems to be the ideal there’s a large branch of Sainsbury’s which has an Oasis shophost, with your in-store position, the price you’re paying in-shop in its middle, looking for all the world like a high street and the percentage to be shared all looking positive, it’s branch of the fashion retailer. worth considering whether you are doing the And before you start to wonder what the right thing. There’s still time to think again two preceding paragraphs have to do with one before signing on the dotted line. You need another, allow me to make life a little easier: Teaming up to spend some time in the store where you both are about partnerships. Teaming up with want to share in the action, quietly watching with seemingly seemingly unrelated partners is one of the hotter the pattern of trading and how it all operates games in retail-town at the moment and there are unrelated partners (particularly at the weekend). benefits for both parties. And then you need to think about whether is one of the Each will get a slice of the footfall action, and there are other operations in the store that hotter games in by combining, they will create a whole that is may compete with your offering. There retail-town at the probably won’t be, but you need to be sure greater than the sum of the parts. In the process, the retail space may even become a destination. A moment and that your slice of the cake is not going to destination is defined as somewhere that people nibbled away at by another partner that there are benefits be will travel to in order to visit, and the more that do you hadn’t considered. Mutually exclusive for both parties so, the more they become destinations, in a kind categories may not be ideal, but the last of snowball effect. thing that’s required when buddying up with Now comes the difficult part. Would it make another retailer is that there is something that sense for you to team up with another retailer? There are several is a shade too close to what you are doing. This could lead things to think about. The first is probably the retailer and the to shopper spend being diverted away from your offering – space that might be available for you to be deemed a partner. electronic toys are very much a case in point. In truth, you’re probably going to want a position (if you are Now take a look around. Is there anything that you can the smaller partner) towards the front of the shop. The job of honestly say is complimentary to what you are doing? It’s the host partner is to try and offer you the best space for your better if there is, in as much as this means that collectively product – somewhere you will be able to sell your stock, without you are not just contributing to the whole, you are compromising the efforts of those around you. It’s a delicate also a destination within the store. It’s for this balance and occasionally, when you see toys up on the top reason that Sainsbury’s puts its Tu range of floor of a department store, it’s hard not to wonder how much clothing next to the Oasis shop-in-shop - both importance is afforded to the category by some. Therefore, it is are likely to be better for this positioning. important to haggle hard with your partner – you can both end All of this may sound straightforward, but up as relative losers if common sense does not prevail. it is always surprising how little rules of this Next up, and entirely related, is cost. Most in-store ‘partners’ kind are followed. Teamwork should be will be in place because the host wants them there and the price exactly that. You are there to support each you are likely to pay for your space will be directly proportional other, and as soon as there is any sense of to your pulling power. This is where your powers of negotiation one party being disadvantaged, then it’s no longer a partnership. And toy retailers are a good partnership proposition simply because there aren’t that many outfits on the ground, and therefore, you are likely to Before you establish a partnership with find yourself in demand. another retailer, spend some time in Hunting for the right partner is as difficult as finding the right stock. But the would-be host store, watching the get everything in place and it’s worth pattern of trading and how it operates. the effort!

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John Ryan looks to retailers who are open to the idea of partnering up to split the costs and enjoy the benefits of a shared retail space

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Top tip!

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.

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S R O D A S S A AMB L A I Janod Pure Train C E SP Freya, 22-months-old

Très chic toys This month, TnP’s tiny toy testers put some products to the test from Juratoys. From Janod’s wooden wonders to Kaloo’s luxury soft toys, this supplier offers something for all children to enjoy

. anod toys “We love J t, ilt to las They’re bu an s n Freya c which mea em time play with th ain.” g and time a

Leana Lioness Plush from the Kaloo Kalines collection Bella, four-years-old

Bella s

Dad Justin says:

s: “She’s so bea utiful! I love h ow sof t and fluffy s he is!”

Janod Lapin Stackable Roly-Poly Rabbit Ronnie, 12-months-old

Mum Amy says:

ts ry elemen “The senso nnie o R at touch. the were a gre n o ng the felt ed loved feeli v lo rs and he s bunny’s ea d a e of the b the sound " ring inside the

Janod Pure Fox Bead Maze Ronnie, 12-months-old

Mum Amy says: “I liked the fact that the toy was wooden. Not many toys are these days, so that was a nice touch”

My First Soft Doll, Rose K, from the Kaloo Tendresse collection Esmee, 21-months-old

Mum Jade says: “Where Esmee goes, her new dolly goes. The two are inseparable and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon – so thank goodness it’s made well and will stand the test of time!

Contact Janod/Juratoys sales@juratoys.co.uk 0208 878 2133 www.janod.com

TRADE

OPINION

Trade talk

TnP loves to hear your views. Next month we’ll be asking suppliers about their plans for the all-important final quarter. For your chance to feature in next month’s Trade Talk, email georgie@lemapublishing.co.uk

This month, Team TnP checks in with some of the industry’s key players to find out what they’re doing to set themselves apart in the current retail climate KAY THOMPSON

CARL BRADLEY

Head of Sales, Winning Moves

Buying Manager, Wilton Bradley

What is your company doing to set itself apart from the rest? We have a fresh new marketing team that’s tasked with finding alternative ways to drive sales and promote our products.

What is your company doing to set itself apart from the rest?

How do you support your retailers to help them sell more? Winning Moves has created POS material that fits any retail space, ranging from a metal clip strip to FSDUs that hold a variety of games at different price points. All FSDUs are free of charge with a stock fill order.

KINGSLEY LI UK Business Development Manager, Rollplay What is your company doing to differentiate itself? With a number of high-performance launches – and several in the pipeline – Rollplay is creating a new subsector of innovative ride-ons for pre-teens. What’s more, as a manufacturer, we can guarantee our high quality. How do you support your retailers? Aside from our guaranteed quality assurance, Rollplay has built-up a reliable and convenient drop-shipment system. We also provide our customers with an aftersales service that is handled by native speakers. Have you done anything special with your product recently? We currently have demo models in Toy Galaxy in Hatfield and Toy Barnhaus in Worthing but this autumn will see us install our first dedicated Rollplay play area in Fenwicks, Newcastle and Bentalls, Kingston, which will include a branded display.

EXPERT OPINION NICK RICHARDSON CEO, The Insights People How important is it for companies to establish a point of difference in today’s market? In an agile economy, I believe that this is critical – not only to differentiate from competition, but to ensure that we continue to provide the maximum return on investment possible. Our business is based on listening and then responding to clients. We continue to work closely with them to help us understand what challenges they are facing, which drives the innovation in our business – from new developments to the portal, to offering new services.

With over 25 years of experience in sourcing goods, we provide unrivalled sourcing capabilities for our customers. We have time honoured values of 'tough but fair' and transparent dealings with our supply chain, ensuring competitive pricing, quality and reliable delivery. And our Hong Kong Office is home to an expert team of sourcing and quality control specialists. While we source goods and have ongoing direct relationships with hundreds of manufacturers, we also choose to represent a select number of factories exclusively, such as Bestway. We have a talented design and product development team who create new products for our own brands and help retailers conceptualise their own product ideas. Our full-time, in-house compliance team allows us to have complete confidence in our offering. They ensure all of the products we develop are safe and fit for purpose. We also offer customers a method of supply that best suits their business from FOB, direct container, domestic trade supply to direct dispatch. And we carry inventory of own brand products in our 100,000 sq. ft. UK-based warehouse facility. How do you support your retailers to help them sell more? It starts with the product – our design team ensure that the packaging is eye catching, appealing and communicates the USPs. Our in-house photographers, videographer and copywriters produce quality product content, while our design and marketing teams create eye-catching packaging, POS and FSDUs which helps products to stand out in-store. We invest in brand marketing campaigns to drive demand and awareness for our products and we work with customers on specific marketing campaigns. Finally, our after sales team make sure that the customer is satisfied and supported with their purchase. Have you run any exciting campaigns this year? We’ve just launched a campaign with The Entertainer to introduce their exclusive range of Mi-Mic Mini’s. The campaign included a range of marketing activities, including a custom video featuring the kids’ karaoke microphones that was then shared across YouTube, PopJam and all of The Entertainer’s social channels. 25 tnp.media

EXPERT OPINION BILLY LANGSWORTHY

COFFEE BREAK

Co-Founder, Mojo Nation, Billy@Mojo-Nation.com How important is design when it comes to establishing a point of difference in the toy industry? Great design and innovation is essential to standing out in today’s toy and game space. Look at how well something like Scruff-a-Luvs has done for Moose Toys. The design team at Worlds Apart – now Moose Toys Ltd UK - brought compounds and processes that had never been utilised in the plush space and created something innovative for that category. Look at the success of board games like Fog of Love and Wingspan – both of which introduced new themes to the table top space in the form of rom-com tropes and birdwatching. There’s recent examples in almost every category and it’s a testament to how important quality design remains to the success of toy and game lines. How can companies get ahead of the curve when it comes to toys and games development? I’m a bit biased, but I’d say, to forge great relationships with the toy and game design community. There’s lots of truly brilliant invention studios, design agencies and freelance creative talent out there, creating some of the industry’s biggest hits, year-in yearout. Most companies already work with these types of firms, but if you don’t, we’d be happy to help, as this is at the heart of what we do at Mojo Nation. We run events like the annual Mojo Pitch, which allows designers to pitch concepts to companies, as well as bespoke events that connect firms to the design world. When launching a product, is there anything companies can do to set it apart from the rest? I think there’s value in connecting retailers with the creators of product. It’s something John Lewis excel at – getting game designers into stores to demo their games. But I think independents in particular could build some great instore experiences by introducing customers to the design process behind certain products. I’ve had a great time playing Spin Master’s The Sock Game against the designers at Toy Fair and industry events like Lesley Singleton's Board Game Club, so maybe that sort of thing could work for indies. The origins of Spin Master’s Fugglers is a very funny tale and I think if I got to hear the designer, Louise McGettrick, explain where the idea came from in a store, it’d be near-impossible to leave without buying one.

BARRY HUGHES Managing Director, Golden Bear What is your company doing to set itself apart from the rest? We pride ourselves at “getting under the skin” of the brands within our portfolio, developing product and implementing marketing strategies that truly reflect how these brands are viewed by the end consumer. Evergreen brands such as In The Night Garden and Mr Tumble are performing well this year and we’re seeing incremental growth through Hey Duggee and Waffle the Wonder Dog. How do you support your retailers to help them sell more? We believe in giving retailers added value on top of exceptional products. This year, we have introduced a two-for-one voucher code on special promotional packs of all our pre-school brands associated with CBeebies. Consumers who take advantage of this offer also have the chance to win one of five stays in the CBeebies Land Hotel and family tickets. Have you done anything special with your product recently? Our new Kick-up Counting Football – Smart Ball – is being demonstrated in Smyths stores across the UK and Ireland. It's proving to be great way of engaging with consumers and creating a great atmosphere in-store!

AUGUST 2019

TnP caught up with Paul Dearlove, Trade Marketing Manager at Schleich, to learn more about the company’s significant investment in both trade and consumer marketing We’ve enjoyed seeing so many creative initiatives from Schleich this year. Can you tell us more about some of this activity? Wow! It’s difficult to know where to start! It’s already been a standout past few months, with Schleich building significantly on last year’s record year, with an even greater marketing focus and investment, across both trade and consumer. Highlights include the start of our first TV advertising campaign, sponsorship of the Royal Dublin Horse Show, Summer Holiday partnership with Giraffe restaurant, our Giant T-Rex Roadshow and the installation of several major in-store POS initiatives. Underpinning all of this activity is the aim to increase brand awareness and support our loyal retailer base. What exciting plans do you have for in-store/retail activity in 2019? We have already installed a number of standout POS displays, as well as continuing to support our independent customer base. There are still a couple more other major initiatives to be unveiled during Q4 – and we even have a ‘Golden Donkey’ promotional campaign that we are running with retailers from October to December. Capping this is the special twist to our T-Rex Roadshow. Are there any new partnerships in the works? If so, tell us more. For 2019, everything is mostly planned as mentioned, but we aim to repeat our partnership activity for 2020 and can’t wait to announce these as the plans are finalised. Are you doing anything different across your digital platforms? On a brand level, this year we have seen the launch of the Horse Club app but we have plenty of digital activity besides this including a full schedule of You Tube pre-roll to add to our TV campaign. Why is it so important to think outside the box when promoting your product in this industry? Although we have experienced tremendous growth in the past 18 months or so, we still have plenty of work to grow Schleich’s brand awareness in the UK. In a crowded and competitive market, we need to continue to seek innovative solutions to stand out from the crowd. 25

THE INDEPENDENT

OPINION

Banishing the The Independent reflects on the perils of burning yourself out at work, as he books in a much-needed short break away with his wife

Best-sellers VOLUME: 1) Hot Wheels Singles – Mattel 2) L.O.L. Bling Dolls – MGA 3) Toy Story 4 Basic Figures – Mattel VALUE: 1) L.O.L. Bling Dolls – MGA 2) L.O.L. Hair Dolls – MGA 3) Toy Story 4 Basic Figures - Mattel

through on some promotional items that would have sold quite well in my stores, and my sole reason for not ordering any was because I simply couldn`t be bothered. I suppose I need to explain myself a bit. It isn`t that I have simply lost interest – rather like Forrest Gump when he simply decides to stop running and packs it all in and goes home – it's more that I have just finished writing all of my main order forecasts with the bulk of my top suppliers to ensure that my orders go on the system. And I am so fed up creating new products on my EPOS system that I would rather go ten rounds with Mike Tyson than add one more line in. The point I want to raise is this: Is this feeling ok to have? Should I not be going mad, trying to make sure I have the very best quality stock on shelf – especially when this is at promotional

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pricing, which helps me to combat the rather ridiculous price cuts throughout the rest of the industry. So, for me to have come to this position would seem to suggest that I simply don`t care, which I don`t feel is accurate. Maybe it is that I don`t care anymore (short-term), that I’ve hit a wall, and that I need to take a break and get away from it all. The only problem is, I can`t! I have already had my two-week

I truly believe we all need to find a better work-life balance

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enerally speaking, I know I like to complain – about everything! It isn`t necessarily intentional, it's more that I like to speak up about the things that are not right with the world. And then I'll drink whisky at home, stewing over these things as though it were my personal job to sort them out and put the world to rights. But something unbelievable happened to me very recently. Something that has never happened before. I got an offer

THE SECRET SUPPLIER

Need a helping hand? The Secret Supplier expresses his concern for The Independent’s current stress levels and implores him to seek support and take a break

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Being independent means that all the responsibility rests on your shoulders

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have always had a huge amount of admiration for our worthy Independent. This is why I was most concerned to read this month’s article. It made me wonder: “How many more independent retailers suffer in the same way?” As much as anything, it highlights a significant difference between suppliers and independent toy retailers. The very word ‘independent’ points us towards a problem that

other retailers may be affected by. Being independent means that all the responsibility rests on your shoulders and that the whole success of the business is reliant not only on your ability to motivate and manage staff but also to select the appropriate products to deliver that much hoped-for level of sales. This is a big and very difficult task to get right. As a supplier, our organisation is clearly divided into key

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he blues break earlier in the year. We are already short-staffed (hence why I am the one creating the items on our system) and unlike many retailers, we have stores that specialise in summer sales, as well as the usual run-up to Christmas – so things are pretty hectic for us from here on. Is it safer for me to try and get a few days away, knowing that it won`t really affect the business, or is it my job and duty as the boss to dig in and do everything I can to drive the business, even though that may put me dangerously close to being even more over-stressed. I really don`t know where the answer lies, but I am sure we all feel this way at some point during the year. If I had a staff member come to me and say they just fancied a few days off to re-charge themselves, I would have to stifle my laughter. I would then have to advise them that I do not pay them for anything but working and that it’s up to staff to manage their own holidays, and so forth. But now that I am in the same position, I find myself on the fence with the whole thing.

Sure, I could weigh up my overall stress against theirs, but that simply wouldn`t be fair. I truly believe we all need to find a better work-life balance. I think most people I know it I speak to talk about how sounds stupid, busy, stressed and unhappy they are when discussing but even matters of work. We’re in the toy industry, an industry writing this article has let that by definition should be fun. Unfortunately, that me see that I isn`t the case for many of am well us. From my own personal point of view, I have been overdue a in a bad rut for a few weeks break now, with no real light at the end of the tunnel. I see nothing but issues and a full-on workload from now until I pack it all in – and believe me, I may not be the proverbial spring chicken any more, but I have a few years to go before that becomes a real possibility.

responsibilities, and no one apart from the CEO has total responsibility. Mr Independent is clearly suffering from high levels of stress, which is affecting his attitude towards the business and his life. But there is a possible solution! As a supplier and manager, one of the key people in any business is the number two – that is the person who can assist the owner – and that is what Mr Independent appears to lack. Who takes responsibility when the Independent takes his welldeserved holiday? He may argue that his business cannot afford such a person. But the key to any future growth may depend on making such an appointment. I would argue that his business cannot afford not to make such an

appointment. This is a pivotal time for his business – he has to bite the bullet and make this key decision. This new person can take away the tedious tasks that our retail friend hates and allow him more time for the all-important task of strategically thinking about where the business needs to go in the future. Planning the future of a business needs a fresh and alert mind – and that necessitates passing on the more mundane and time-consuming tasks to a sympathetic number two. All businesses need the person in charge to have bucketloads of enthusiasm. Clearly, right now, Mr Independent is down in the dumps. At the same time, it might also be worth thinking about counselling, as that would give him a chance to

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As a supplier, our organisation is clearly divided into key responsibilities, and no one apart from the CEO has total responsibility

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AUGUST 2019

“

As I write this, it is shortly after 20:00, and I already see on my phone that I have 13 unanswered emails since 17:30 – my guess is that none of them are free holidays or lottery wins, or legitimate versions of these anyway – which simply means more work coming through that I will have to respond to or deal with in some way. I definitely need another break! In fact, as soon as I finish this, I am going to pour myself another whisky and take a look at booking a long weekend away for me and the wife. I know it sounds stupid, but even writing this article has let me see that I am well overdue a break. And if I let myself, I would probably work myself into an early grave. Sometimes the most important thing is to see what is right under your nose and do something about it.

speak freely and get some support in dealing with his stressful work life. Running your own business should be fun – in spite of the risks and demands that are involved – but right now, Mr Independent is too focused on too many issues and he needs help! 27

COVER FEATURE SISO TOYS UK

Moving into the Major league Martin Whitaker, Siso Toys UK’s MD, talks to TnP about the company’s progress over the past year, and its investment in the Majorette die-cast car brand Siso Toys UK has made a huge amount of progress in a short amount of time. Can you give us a bit of an update on what you have achieved over the past year? A lot has happened since last May when the business was formed. We now have a team of four in our office in Marlow, with Mandy Victory coming on board in April as our General Sales Manager and Mayur Pattni joining us as our UK Marketing Manager. We also hope to grow the team over the next 12 to 24 months. We exhibited at Toy Fair in January, which was great, as well as at the AIS and Toymaster shows. Our sales force is fully in place, having partnered with OSS to manage the independent trade accounts. We successfully took over the distribution of Masha and the range is performing well at retail. Masha is the number-one show on Tiny Pop, the brand is up 40 per cent YOY and we have invested in a full year, alwayson marketing plan as well as bespoke activity with key retail partners. Our much-anticipated Toy Story RC line launched in April and our sell-through of the 1:24 Woody and Buzz is on a par with the

100,000

Cars 3 RC in movie year. With the Simba Dickie Group acquiring Jada Toys, we were quick to add the YouTube phenomenon Ryan’s World to our collection for 2019 and the range is performing well for us. Our introduction of Corolle has also taken shape, with online and indies on board. We are now looking ahead to 2020, with SS20 previews underway, as well as keeping our focus on the second half of this year as we launch Majorette, and our marketing amplifies on Toy Story and Masha.

And what’s in the pipeline for Siso Toys UK in the coming months? Majorette is a key focus for us over the next few months, as we launched the brand last month, and hope to build a foundation with retailers this year. We have eye-catching POS going into more than 20 indies and hope to bring more partners on board. We will be launching bigger Creatix playsets in time for Christmas, which can click together to form a massive Majorette city! Our marketing on Toy Story 4 started at the end of July and ramps up as we go into Q4, as we really try to drive sell-through of our lines at retail. Masha and the Bear remains a big focus for us this year too – our

The number of Majorette fans across Facebook and Instagram. 28

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We will be launching bigger Creatix playsets in time for Christmas, which can click together to form a massive Majorette city!

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marketing campaign will run through the end of the year, comprising TV, YouTube and sponsorship. On this month’s cover you’re showcasing the Majorette brand – can you tell us a bit about the history of this range? Majorette is one of the world’s largest and most revered die-cast toy car brands and has a history that dates back more than 50 years. The brand is sold worldwide by the Simba Dickie Group and is a real diecast gem for collectors who crave more realism in their die-cast vehicles. Majorette was originally produced in France, where the company was founded in 1964, but now Majorette die-cast cars roll off the production line in a state-of-the-art facility in Thailand. Majorette is the number two die-cast property in France and number three die-cast property in Germany. Last year 500,000 units of the Premium Cars die-cast were sold in France alone. The brand is performing well this year across Europe and is up versus the market in France, Germany and Italy! The Majorette brand became a part of the Simba Dickie Group in 2010. How has the brand developed since then? A lot of development and investment has gone into Majorette since 2010. There have been packaging re-designs, brand refreshes, new licences acquired with leading car manufacturers and really eye-catching

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Did you know? Majorette has licences with top car brands including Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini, Land Rover, and Mercedes.

POS and fixture development to create real theatre in stores worldwide. More investment and development has gone into the product, with licences acquired for Lamborghini and Porsche, for instance. We have bi-seasonal wave refreshes of the die-cast cars, with new colours ways, new models and licences to collect. There has also been a lot of further development into the playsets, which offer great value and really bring the Majorette action home for younger fans. The playsets have themes including garage, police/rescue, airport, farm and racetracks. Which lines do you tend to advise retailers to start with when it comes to introducing Majorette into their product offering? And why? The single die-cast packs are the core of the range and start the collectability for fans. Retailers should start with the street and premium cars. Within the street cars there are ten different cars to collect across licences including Audi, Renault, and Land Rover. The premium cars are the real heart of the Majorette brand. With 18 to collect, the premium cars boast opening doors, interiors, suspension and transparent headlights. We also have a wide variety of different themes including construction, farm, buses, trailers and more. The SOS theme has ﬂashing lights so young fans can play out cops and robbers chases. A great item is the playtape and die-cast pack, which includes a die-cast car and a role of playtape that can be used to make a track. It’s a great ready-to-play item. After the single packs, we move into the deluxe cars, which come with a collector box, have metal bodies and rubber tyres. We have a great assortment of five-car gift packs including vintage, Mercedes and American Muscle cars, which come in a gift box. Retailers can

AUGUST 2019

then move into the playsets – the smaller ones come with a die-cast car, while the larger sets come with five die-cast cars.

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Majorette is the number two die-cast property in France and number three die-cast property in Germany. Last year 500,000 units of the Premium Cars die-cast were sold in France alone

Since acquiring the Majorette brand, the Simba Dickie Group has received recognition for its positioning of this historic French brand. The company has opened its ﬁrst ﬂagship Majorette store, taken the brand on tour in Europe, won an award for its creative Majorette merchandising display and relaunched its website, among other activities. Can you tell us more about this effort to position the Majorette brand effectively? The level of marketing investment has increased over the past few years to establish Majorette as a strong die-cast brand and offering to die-cast fans and collectors. The brand received amazing responses in-store thanks to the POS that has been introduced across France and Germany, as well as the retail shopping centre tours placed across Europe and Asia. The pop-up store at Europa Park has been amazing for the brand and has

”

allowed fans and collectors to really interact with Majorette. We have a build-your-own die-cast machine in the store too, which is great for fans. The Majorette brand is built on collecting realistic cars and playsets with realism. With more realistic die-cast cars, the marketing touch points we have implemented were a way of connecting better with collectors and fans. This is something that we could not have done so effectively had we had simply run a traditional TV campaign. Social media has played a key part in building up the brand in Germany and Australasia, with over 100,000 fans across Facebook and Instagram. The social platform allows us to reach millions, with daily die-cast images for fans to engage with. There are also investments being made with collector magazines to really help position Majorette as a brand for diecast collectors. We will be incorporating these elements into our UK plan to help build the brand in our market. What does the Majorette brand offer that other die-cast models do not? From a product perspective, Majorette focuses on realism and produces premium die-cast cars, which have opening doors, suspension, transparent headlights and interiors. We have licences with all major car manufactures including Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini, Land Rover, Mercedes and more, to create perfect replicas for collectors and young fans. Our playsets also focus on realism, making for great play. The realistic, premium nature of our die-cast makes them must-haves for enthusiasts. What is also unique about Majorette is that the brand is owned by one of Europe’s top five toy suppliers. That’s great because the group invests significantly in building the brand with consumers through social, print, tours and events, and with retailers through POS to drive sell-through.

01620 674 778 | sales@sisotoys.co.uk 29

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

Roadster Repairs BRUDER 01491 412415 (The Sales Partnership) www.bruder.de The new bworld car workshop is the port of call for Bruder vehicles in need of a service. The mechanic can inspect vehicles on the height-adjustable vehicle lift and test the brakes too. The result is displayed on the monitor. Smaller repairs can be taken care of immediately using the included tools and finally, the tyre pressure can be checked. This great set also includes the Bruder Roadster, spare wheels and, thanks to the roadster’s new wheel changing system, this is taken care of in no time.

Big launch for small toy JAZWARES 0203 0203 598 598 0270www.jazwares.com 0270www.jazwares.com Jazwares’ new collectable world of Nanables features a colourful, ultrasmall world of imaginative lands with detailed ‘eye-candy’ dwellings for Nanos, the unique inhabitants who call them home. Nanables launches with two themed lands to explore, each with a variety of different houses to collect: Sweetness Town is home to Dusted Donut Diner, Milk and Cookie Mill and Lolli-pop Dance Stars Studio, while the first wave of Rainbow Way houses are Sparkle Day Spa, Rainbow-tique and Twinkle Twinkle Inn. Each house includes two Nanos with built-in hangouts; on a balcony, inside a doorway or other special places unique to each house. Using the integrated viewer, children can peek inside each house for a glimpse of the interior and a taste of what life is like for the Nanos. A free downloadable AR app lets children scan their Nanables house, bringing the Nanos’ world to life. The app unlocks exclusive content, mini games, a collector’s guide and more.

Waddle you do without It? KIDS@PLAY 01291 429 007 kids-at-play.com Waddles the Waddle Duck is a truly amazing character – full of fun that will make you smile. With a simple push, Waddles will waddle along, quacking merrily like a real duck bringing a smile to all around. Suitable for any toddling child to grown-ups, Waddles is a musthave for the run-up to Christmas. Perfect to have out in store for customers play with.

Be a drama llama! PRETEND TO BEE 0115 921 5690 www.pretendtobee.com

Fact! P re te n d to B e e

i s a s m a l l fa m i l yThe award-winning range from Pretend to Bee this year sees the ru n b u s i n e ss addition of a Llama Zip Top costume t h at h a s b e e n and a new and faux fur-trimmed s e l l i n g d re ss i n g Velour Cape with LED lights, which u p co st u m e s comes in three beautiful colours. Also s i n ce 20 0 5 . new are two deluxe Knight costumes and some exciting accessories such as a plush jet pack to shoot to the stars. And the Light and Sound Wands will be a great accessory to the Light Up Capes and the perfect Sword and Shield for the Knight costume.

Guess what… Waddles quacks like a real duck. 30

tnp.media

NEW Stick with Avery UK AVERY UK

“Most parents have been in a situation when a child has lost a much-loved toy. Labelling items can help missing items to be returned more easily and with the new Avery family range of labels, names can be quickly handwritten on and attached to toys and games in matter of minutes. By adding the Avery family range to your store, you can increase your sales with an impulse purchase from parents looking for a quick, easy and cheap naming solution.” Laura Brickley, Retail Product Manager, Avery UK

0800 80 50 20 www.avery.co.uk This summer, Avery UK is launching an exciting new range of labels that will be perfect for keeping young and busy families organised. These labels have been designed to help identify all items including toys, stationery, clothing, shoes, bags and lunchboxes should they get lost or mixed in with others. Avery labels can be handwritten on, so each item can be labelled in a matter of seconds. Parents can even leave the labels in the car for last-minute naming on-the-go. At certain times of year, like Christmas and new school years, more new items are purchased. At these times, labelling products is key. Having displays of naming labels at tills will remind parents about the importance of ensuring new items don’t get lost. Avery self-adhesive labels are perfect for labelling belongings and these labels are sold at a low price making them an attractive choice for all parents looking to reduce the risk of losing much-loved items.

The number of Coding Critters in the range.

Cool coding LEARNING RESOURCES 01553 819 380 www.learningresources.co.uk Coding Critters are the latest coding innovation from Learning Resources. Suitable for ages four-years-plus, Coding Critters are ready to code straight out of the box and introduce little learners to screen-free coding, critical thinking, problem solving and other STEM skills. There are three Coding Critters in the range: Scamper the dog, Ranger the cat and Rumble the dinosaur. Children use the arrow buttons to build the code and programme their Critter to do various tasks, just like a real pet! Each Critter comes with a 22-piece play-set and full-colour storybook, brimming with exciting coding challenges that allow them to develop a wide range of STEM skills.

AUGUST 2019

Riding the trends ASMODEE UK 01420 593593 www.asmodee.co.uk

Did you know...

Ticket to Ride: London is a bite-sized edition of the globally popular Ticket to Ride board game, transporting players to the British capital in the 1970s. It’s a race to complete bus routes across the city between certain destinations that match your ticket cards. With a learn time of just three minutes and playable from start to finish within 15 minutes, this travel-friendly interpretation is the ideal way to introduce new players to the Modern Classics title.

The Ticket to Ride board game has been popular with the British nation since the 1970s.

FEATURE

SAFETY AND COUNTERFEITS

Fighting the

fakers

With the BTHA calling on the government to help to get unsafe toys off the market, we talk to some of the industry leaders about how they are tackling the issues of toy safety and counterfeiting

hen it comes to your brand, imitation is certainly not the most sincere form of flattery. The OECD estimates that trade in fake goods is worth USD$486bn, making up nearly 2.5 per cent of world trade. The sad truth is that with the continued rise of the internet, more and more of us are bound to find products sold online that infringe our Intellectual Property. Shockingly, European Union statistics have shown that counterfeit toys are one of the most commonly seized items by EU customs. Many pass-through customs and enter the EU market, ending up in stores, at fairs and car-boot sales. Many more are available online, easily found on websites and wellknown online marketplaces. Loss of revenue is a major challenge for any toy business targeted by counterfeiters and can have potentially devastating implications, particularly for smaller companies with little flexible income. Counterfeits destroy brand reputations and harmful fakes present a real danger to consumers. TnP takes a look at how you can fight back at the fakes.

CALL TO STOP UNSAFE TOYS In June, The British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA) and its members launched a white paper calling for action from the government to ensure unsafe toys are removed from the market. The move followed a study across online platforms that found 58 per cent of toys selected for assessment were noncompliant with the toy safety regulations in the UK and 22 per cent of the total had serious safety issues. The BTHA has been actively raising awareness that toys sold by third-party sellers on online marketplaces pose significant safety risks for the British public. It’s campaign, Don’t Toy With Children’s Safety, highlights the importance of quality in the development of children’s toys and offers advice to consumers on how to recognise fake toys that may pose a danger to children. Natasha Crookes, Director of Communications for the BTHA, says: “The BTHA has been testing toys on

FIGHTING BACK Rachel Jones, Head Dragon at SnapDragon, explains how companies can stop copies of their products appearing on the market

How can companies prevent counterfeit goods from appearing on the market? It is critical to file trademarks that are valid in the countries where you plan to make and sell your product. Registered trademarks are your first line of defence and are among the most cost-effective pieces of registered intellectual property (IP) available. If applicable, design rights can also be extremely valuable and, while slightly more expensive than trademarks, are likely to be worth their weight in gold if you have to use them. If you choose to manufacture in China, visit and develop a relationship with your factory. Factories working directly with brands are far less likely to rip you off. Consider a nondisclosure, non-use, non-circumvention (NNN) agreement, signed before sharing any product information. This can be more effectively enforced in China and is better than a standard UK or US Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). What basic steps should companies take if they learn that their products have been copied? First, don’t panic if you come across a counterfeit of your product online. The next thing to do is to buy a sample. If you have a sample of an infringing product in your

online marketplaces and finding concerning levels of illegal and unsafe toys. We have been sharing the results with the platforms and regulators to call for change. We are concerned that unsafe and illegal products are not removed fast enough and identical products remain on sale. There are gaps in the UK regulations which allow the sellers and

hands, you can do a proper comparison with your own. Try to find three differences, which will enable you to alert trusted distributors, as well as your customers. If the products are incredibly similar, look for packaging errors, spelling mistakes, differences in finishing, smells, the inclusion of silica gel packets - anything that could indicate it’s a fake. Think about incorporating ‘secret ingredients’ into your products to help those in your trusted network to identify a fake. Small edits which a lessthan-scrupulous counterfeiter won’t notice – oddities with thread or extra bumps on moulds for example – along with security labelling or tagging if you can. Finally, monitor online platforms regularly for the links you have reported to ensure they have been removed, and for any new infringements - remember not to only search in English. You can then report the infringing links and sellers through ecommerce platform reporting mechanisms. How can SnapDragon support companies who find themselves in this frustrating position? Dealing with the complex issue of counterfeit products can be a highly stressful and timeconsuming business for brand owners. But it doesn’t have to be. SnapDragon provides online brand protection, using our innovative technology to find and eliminate fakes on the world’s busiest online marketplaces. We use IP rights to defend your brand on e-commerce platforms across the world – protecting your business, your brand, your reputation and, most importantly, your customers. Our founder successfully battled counterfeits of her own brand before creating the SnapDragon team to do the same for others – so with us, it’s personal. We’re driven to protect because we’ve been there ourselves.

the marketplaces to not be held to account and for unsafe toys to continue to be available to UK consumers. We call on government to close that gap before a child is seriously injured or killed by an unsafe toy.” The full report be downloaded from the BTHA website - www.btha.co.uk/advocacy/

toysnplaythings.co.uk

SATURATED MARKET TnP talked to Dominique Peckett, Director at Smiffys Tell us about how Smiffys tackles counterfeits. We have found the market to be saturated with both counterfeit Smiffys and licensed products. By policing online platforms, Smiffys run widespread enforcement campaigns to specifically target online sellers and third parties selling substitute product. Smiffys takes infringement of our intellectual property rights extremely seriously as it represents a direct attack on our business and is theft of our intellectual creations. We have a dedicated Intellectual Property team to mitigate these risks, carrying out enforcement campaigns to prevent misuse of our trademarks and imagery. When you discover counterfeits, what are your concerns? A major concern for the business is counterfeit goods which fail to comply with health and safety regulations. All our children’s costumes exceed the safety standards required by law and comply with regulations. The business’ reputation is

threatened by bad-quality copies, branded as Smiffys. As the official licence holder for many popular licences, copies can threaten the integrity of these licences too. Infringements could deter customers from buying Smiffys in the future. Counterfeits also affect the reputation of the business where trade diversion occurs and affects trade customer sales. What happens when you discover counterfeit items? Sellers identified as falsely using Smiffys trademarks and copyright images are subject to a ‘takedown’ request. Test purchases will be made on the products confirming they are infringements. Sellers will then be issued with a cease-and-desist letter; the letter includes payment for legal costs and damages, and a signature requirement preventing IP misuse in the future. Through enforcement campaigns, Smiffys has noticed a reduction in the number of infringements. It is important that consumers are vigilant. We urge consumers to always ensure they are dealing with a reputable online retailer or shop on the high street.

PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT TnP talks to Magformers’ David Kelly about tackling fake products Tell us about how you discovered counterfeit Magformers products. We were contacted by an member of the public who had purchased a Magformers set online. Around the same time, I was contacted by Border Force agents who had seized some Magformers products. What were your initial concerns about the copies? As a parent my initial concern was around safety. At Magformers we pride ourselves on product innovation and quality and this is why our products are not heavily discounted or readily available at knockdown prices. These products were potentially harmful and posed a serious threat to a child’s safety. Of course, this passing off damages our reputation and if this was not dealt with, more and more of these items would find their way to market. What measures did you take to mitigate these risks? I contacted Border Force and ensured our application for action was upheld. This ensures the counterfeit products are held while further investigations take place. Even though I had clearly explained that the products were counterfeit (with validation) and posed a serious threat and possible death to a child, they would still release the goods to the importer as it was up to the IP rights holder to prove that the products were counterfeit. So Magformers had to hire lawyers to issue court proceedings and foot the bill to bring this case to court. What was the end result? Fortunately, the importer accepted liability so the goods were all destroyed, but not without great costs incurred to my business. Some of this has since been recovered but certainly not the full amount. I recently attended the BTHA compliance masterclass, where I was happy to share my experiences with various trading standards officials. I am also supporting the BTHA campaign Don’t toy with children’s safety. And my local MP will be receiving a direct letter voicing my concerns and calling for action.

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AUGUST 2019

FEATURE

COFFEE BREAK

AUTUMN FAIR

TnP caught up with Julie Driscoll, UK Regional Director, Spring and Autumn Fair to gain insight into this year's show. For those who haven’t previously visited Autumn Fair, can you tell us a bit about the show?

Why is Autumn Fair an important show for suppliers to exhibit at? “The show is specifically designed to help facilitate connections between suppliers and retailers, making it as easy as possible for exhibitors to get to catch-up directly with the market’s most receptive and influential buyers.” Why is the fair an unmissable event for retailers? “The latest trends, a refreshed and exciting speaker lineup, both the biggest and most unique exhibitors.” What advice would you give to retailers visiting Autumn Fair? “Make the most of the speaker sessions and content on offer. For the first time the show will have a colour trends partner in Colour Hive who’ll be bringing insights and practical applications on killer future trends and their applications to this year’s show. Expertise from the likes of Colour Hive and many of our other amazing speakers at the show can really help visitors to understand what products will be driving sales throughout the season and beyond.” In your experience, is there anything exhibitors can do to get more visitors to their stands? “Make it eye-catching and engaging. Your best products should be front and centre, with plenty of merchandise to draw the eye. Many suppliers believe that it requires a huge budget to draw the crowds, but all it in fact requires sometimes is a little innovative thinking.” What are you planning to add/refine for 2019 to make the show even better than last year? “At Autumn Fair we know the retail market across all categories has undeniably changed since the inception of Autumn Fair. We’ve always strived to ensure that we’re providing the most on-trend and up-to-date insights into the industry for our visitors – ultimately it’s why the industry continues to rely on the show. 2019 will be no different. This year the show has been completely reedited; moving to a new venue within the NEC, with new, streamlined show sectors and a completely revamped content programme, ensuring that suppliers are able to suppliers stay ahead of the curve and continue to drive orders into late 2019 and beyond.”

Show Time! The last big show of the year, Autumn Fair, is eagerly anticipated by many in the Toy industry as they prepare the last, and busiest quarter of the year

utumn Fair, the UK’s orders and get in touch with unmissable home and suppliers before the frenzy of the gift trade show, offers festive season begins. new and existing faces This diverse, relevant and in the toy industry an exciting fair attracts opportunity to come thousands of people together for the last each year, and for Autumn big trade show of retailer it’s not Fair is a time to one the year. just about building Although the those all-important touch base Christmas period is Matt with customers relationships. fast approaching, Kirby, Director at both suppliers before the all Crocodile Stores and retailers find says: “We tend to important last the time to attend find something new quarter Autumn Fair, as at Autumn Fair most they believe the years, whereas at David Mordecai, show helps them some of the other Tobar to prepare for the shows, we often busiest season of visit people that the year. we’ve already worked with.” David Mordecai, CEO of Tobar, Ben Smith, General Manager says: “Autumn Fair is a time GB & Eire, Kids@Play describes to touch base with customers his experience at Autumn Fair before the all important last 2018 as a ‘Springboard’ for quarter.” Retailers agree that it is the business, particularly with a good time to discuss Christmas independent retailers who have

“

Autumn Fair is the UK’s biggest gifting and home wares marketplace. It’s been the centrepiece of the retail market for nearly three decades. In that time, it has helped drive countless deals and forged long-lasting buying relationships between retail’s boldest buyers and suppliers.

Did you know? The Autumn Fair will be run from Saturday 31 august to Wednesday 4 September. “built a really positive working relationship with over the past 12 months.” He believes Autumn Fair provides an “opportunity to drive awareness,” and supports them in standing out in this evergrowing market. Stay on the look out this year for exclusive show offers, many new additions to licenced ranges and a host of new and exciting product lines. For Asmodee, it's all about showcasing its newly launched licenced version of the ever-popular Dobble – that is Harry Potter Dobble. Marketing Manager, Ben Hogg says: “There will be ‘a new spin on the winning formula” and the company will be showing this off at Autumn Fair. The game promises to add to the ‘magic’ of Dobble's success. Many other great licensed products will be on offer to ensure sales throughout Q4 of 2019, and beyond are driven. Kids@Play is offering more on

Autumn Fair Dates: 1-4 September 2019 Venue: NEC in Birmingham the Harry Potter front with the Warner Bros Harry Potter Advent Calendar and Sorting Hat. Tobar will be focusing on its collection of Angry Birds pocket money collectables in anticipation for the Angry Birds Movie 2, as well as the company's 26 new additions to the Amigos range. All in all, expectations are high for Autumn Fair, which offers something a little bit different for both exhibitors and retailers. The unique trading experience is bound to provide days of fun, learning and trading for all.

What is the latest date suppliers can apply for a stand? You can apply for the stand up until the show How many exhibitors will there be at Autumn Fair? There will be around 1300 exhibitors across all show sectors. Within Play & Tech there are hundreds of exciting brands, but you will also find lots of inspiring and relevant products within gift too! Who can visit the show? You are eligible to attend if you have buying and purchasing responsibilities or control spend. How do you register for Autumn Fair? Via the website for free: www.autumnfair.com

Series 2 Squishy Buddies are here! This T highly collectible trend line is proving to be hugely popular with consumers. Look Looo out for new characters, including a panda, daa dda, and dinosaur, as well as sparkly designs hhedgehog hedg hedge edge d ggnss and super-sized additions.

1MBDF ZPVS PSEFS UPEBZ tel: 01603 397 105 email: sales@tobar.co.uk www.tobar.co.uk/squishy AUGUST 2019

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FEATURE

AUTUMN FAIR

Trumping the game world WINNING MOVES 0207 298 9507 www.winningmoves.co.uk

Hall 7 Stand E80

Fact! Top Trumps Quiz contains 500 questions about your favourite licences.

One of Winning Moves’ hottest products just got hotter. With an ever-increasing pool of licences, and an ever-growing understanding of concept and gameplay, Top Trumps Quiz – the intriguing addition to the Top Trumps brand – contains 500 questions about your favourite licences. Test your wizarding knowledge with the Harry Potter licence. Can you answer more questions than your duelling partner? At an excellent pocket-money price, customers are guaranteed hours of enjoyment with enough questions to maintain interest and excitement. But will they expect the twist? Visit Winning Moves at Autumn Fair and take advantage of the company’s show offer – five per cent off orders over £500 and ten per cent off orders above £1,000. Terms and conditions apply.

Games galore PAUL LAMOND GAMES / UNIVERSITY GAMES 020 7254 0100 www.paul–lamond.com

Hall 7 Stand C80-D81

Buckle up THAMES AND KOSMOS 01580 212 000 www.thamesandkosmos.com

Hall 7 Stand E92

Did you know? Thames and Kosmos are bringing new editions to the Exit range this Autumn Fair.

Thames and Kosmos will have lots of new and exciting products on offer at Autumn Fair, including additions to the best-selling Exit range: The Haunted Rollercoaster and The House of Riddles. And for the budding scientists out there, keep an eye out for the brandnew Fun Science range. Topics cover crystals, magnets, slime and much more. The Thames & Kosmos UK team will also have the latest spy and gadget kits in the Three Detective series: Digital Safe and the relaunched Master Detective Toolkit, adventures with Pepper Mint and brand new globes.

Games and puzzles specialists University Games and Paul Lamond Games will have a bonanza of both new and evergreen lines on display at Autumn Fair this year. Exciting new arrivals this autumn will provide hours of entertainment for the whole family. Tip of the Tongue is a fun, fast-paced game that will have the family in stitches. Players have just two seconds to attempt to answer the quickfire trivia questions. Also joining the family games portfolio this autumn is Sort it Out, a game of putting things in order. Guess from a list, from the longest to the shortest or fastest to the slowest. These great new games will be displayed alongside some of the company’s most popular existing games, including the frightfully funny Stupid Deaths board game, the quirky and innovative ‘Are you Dumber than a Box of Rocks?’ and the strategic dice game Perudo. There are also plenty of new action-packed pre-school games launching this autumn that have been designed to encourage learning through play. Exciting new additions also include board games that feature two of the most renowned brands in the children’s sector: Horrible Histories and Roald Dahl.

Fact! The strategic dice game Perudo celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

tnp.media

Has arrived!

Ready for the laughter and waddling to begin? Simply push Waddles the Waddle Duckâ&#x201E;˘ along any surface and his feet begin to flap. Flapping feet and wobbling head is fun to see but as Waddles gets going youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll hear the quacks start. Brand new preschool push-along toy

Sell out first season in the USA achieved with WalMart

Tel: +44 (0) 1291 429000 | Email: info@kaptoys.com Kids@Play Ltd is a fast growing distributor and manufacturer of toys serving the UK & Eire markets. They are based in Chepstow, South Wales. Founded in 2005 they were taken over by award winning entrepreneur Nathaniel Southworth in 2017. For more information visit www.kaptoys.com

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FEATURE

AUTUMN FAIR

From witchcraft to arts & crafts KIDS@PLAY

01291 429 007 kids-at-play.com

Hall 6 Stand A90 Kids@Play is excited to be attending Autumn Fair following the success of last year’s show, when visitors came to see what this new business had to offer the toy and gift world. For 2019, there will be a whole host of new products to showcase – some of which featured at London Toy Fair, but many of which will be new to see. Taking pride of place will be the Harry Potter Infinity Box Advent Calendar, which is likely to sell just for the unique, magical way consumers

have to open the box. Alongside the Harry Potter plush, there will be further expansion into other WB characters including Batman who celebrates his 80th Anniversary this year. Kid Made Modern is a step into the world of arts and crafts for Kids@Play and on show will be the full range of products being offered to the UK market. Kids@Play will be catering for preschoolers with its distribution of Ecoiffier and Fisher Price musical instruments, as the company brings to market a solid range for creative little ones. Finally, the heritage of the business cannot be forgotten with new ride-on products on offer including a quality pedal Land Rover Defender.

Making magic The new Harry Potter infinity Box Advent Calendar has a unique rotating design that fans can open in the countdown to Christmas to reveal one of 24 themed gifts, including exclusive plush toys, to reusable bags, to pin badges.

Angry Birds take flight TOBAR 01603 397 105 www.tobar.co.uk

Hall 7 Stand A70-B71

Did you know? Tobar’s Angry Birds range includes slime, lava lamps, night-lamps, Jellyball squishies, radio-controlled toys and construction toys.

Built around Red and five other major characters, Tobar’s Angry Birds range has been extended for 2019, with the introduction of new lines at different price points. The collection includes pocket money items, like slime, lava lamps and night-lights. This licensed range also features radio-controlled and construction toys that have been packaged in blind bags to encourage collectability. Look out for the fabulous Slot Car Racing Set and the Hatch and Race collectables. Featuring in the Jellyball line-up are six Angry Birds characters. This collectable blindbagged range comprises squishy stress toys, designed to sit on your phone, desk or computer. Jellyballs are perfect for calming anyone who ‘sees Red’. Other brand new Jellyballs will be making an appearance on Tobar’s Autumn Fair stand. Push a Pine Ape Elle! Zuru Oosh Cotton Candy Cuties are another collectable winner. As an official distributor of the Zuru Robo Alive and Pets Alive ranges, Boppi the twerking Llama and other great new lines from Zuru will also be on show. Pocket money toys are the order of the day. Llamacorns are the perfect fusion, combining llamas and unicorns – the two favourite mythical creatures of the moment. The popular Mermaid range also has new additions. The popular Animigos collection has been extended to feature the New Born Animigos. These are baby animal versions of the existing animated plush – each with their own baby bottle. This year’s fourth quarter will also see the new Animigos Nature range adding to the existing menagerie. 4

tnp.media

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FEATURE

AUTUMN FAIR

It’s a gem!

Life’s a Dobble

CRAFT BUDDY 0203 417 6565 www.craftbuddyltd.co.uk

ASMODEE UK

Hall 6 Stand D82

01420 593593 www.asmodee.co.uk

Hall 7 Stand A80-B81 What do you get when you combine the UK’s top-selling game with one of the world’s most beloved licenses? Find out at the Asmodee stand, where Harry Potter Dobble will take centre stage as players look to spot the matching images of iconic characters and symbols from J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World. Having recently received an emphatic seal of approval from Holly Willoughby, who declared Dobble the “best game ever” in a segment highlighting multiple Asmodee UK titles on ITV’s ‘This Morning’, Asmodee’s Autumn Fair stand will be a hot-spot for retailers on the hunt for fun, travel-friendly games that all members of the family can enjoy. This deceptively simple card game was Dobble was named the UK’s biggest-selling game of 2018 named the UK’s by value according to NPD’s year-to-date biggest-selling December data. And, with year-on-year growth game of 2018 by of 24 per cent, it was announced in January value according to that the original UK version of Dobble had NPD’s year-to-date crossed a major volume milestone by selling December data. its one millionth copy. This did not include the many variations that have been released since it first arrived on the scene in 2011. Also worthy of attention will be two board-game adaptations of televisual hits. First among them is Tenable, adapting the hit quiz show hosted by Star Wars actor Warwick Davis. Just as it’s done on screen, players will aim to complete top-ten lists across a wide variety of trivia categories. Carpool Karaoke is also coming to Asmodee, inviting players to cue up their favourite music-streaming service to compete in singing and trivia challenges. It brings the fun of James Corden’s viral hit segment to the whole family!

Fact!

Craft Buddy welcomes customers to its Autumn Fair stand to view its popular Crystal Art range. The company will be showcasing brand-new licensed designs from Anne Stokes – who will be making a special appearance to celebrate the new licensed launch – and Animal Club International. The therapeutic Crystal Art range offers something for all ages and all budgets.

Let’s talk tactics TACTIC GAMES 01483 332070 www.tactic.net

Hall 7 Stand C90 Highlights from the Tactic games portfolio at Autumn Fair will include the hilarious new games Doodle Doo and Don’t Upset The Llama. Tactic is also bringing two new licensed ranges to the show in Masha and the Bear and Angry Birds. Two of the Masha games are designed to test children’s recognition skills.

Pocket money pleasers H. GROSSMAN 0141 613 2525 www.ozbozz.co.uk

Hall 8 Stand F70-7A71 It’s all about pocket money toys this year. HGL have everything from Dog Poo slime, to putty featuring all the mythical and popular creatures of the year. Outdoor toys this year include new items aimed at the younger market. The well-designed My First Trike won a BTHA Best New Product award at London Toy Fair. Visit HGL’s stand for an exciting unveiling.

tnp.media

World of wonders

Puzzle me this JUMBO GAMES 01707 289289

GREEN BOARD GAMES

www.jumbo.eu

01494538999

Hall 7 Stand F93

www.greenboardgames.com

Hall 7 Stand F81 There is nothing quite like board games to bring family and friends together. Visitors to the stand can enjoy a walkthrough of the Green Board Games family games collection – all of which are quick and easy to play. Games will suit pockets of all sizes and will be great to play during winter’s seasonal festivities. Retailers can expect There are new new editions editions to the of the world’s award-winning, award winning, internationally internationally acclaimed acclaimed BrainBox range. BrainBox range, which combines puzzling and play. Added to the extensive range this year are many new titles, including World Traveller, Time Traveller games, and the highly anticipated Disney and Pixar products.

Did you know?

AUGUST 2019

With Christmas fast approaching, as consumers continue to start buying earlier each year, it’s not too late to make sure you’re stocked up on Jumbo’s popular puzzles Falcon de luxe and Wasgij Christmas 1,000-piece puzzles offer something a little extra for retailers and consumers with an extra 1,000-piece Christmas puzzle in the box, at no extra cost. Brand new releases this year include the Falcon de luxe titled Santa’s Special Delivery and the latest Wasgij Christmas 15 titled Santa’s Unexpected Delivery! Following the new releases of Disney’s Classic films, Jumbo has released 1,000-piece puzzles for The Lion King and Aladdin. With The Little Mermaid set to celebrate its 30th anniversary in November, Jumbo has also just released a 1,000-piece movie poster for this underwater classic. To compliment Jumbo’s adult puzzle range, the Puzzle Mates accessories offer sorting and storage solutions to make for a more enjoyable and puzzling experience.

FEATURE

RC AND APP TOYS

Putting kids in control With the speed at which technology advances, it should be no real surprise that the RC and app-controlled toy market is becoming one of the most dynamic and rapidly growing categories in the industry. TnP finds out more

he toy market has seen unprecedented growth in all things technology. Whether its creative coding robots from Learning Resources, Spin Master’s gravitydefying air-powered vehicles or mixed play experiences from the likes of Mattel, the RC and app-controlled market is storming ahead with more innovative products entering the market than ever before. Warren Du Preez, Toy Buyer at Daniel department store, Windsor, says: “From our point of view, tech toys have to be fantastic standalone products that customers will love, with tech as an added benefit. It’s still the quality of the design that sells these toys, rather than the technology alone.” Creating products that keep children engaged and entertained can be challenging in today’s fast and furious world. But interactivity is a factor that can help maintain a child’s interest in a toy, making for a personalised play experience that puts little ones in control. For the Science Museum, RC and appcontrolled toys are some of their most popular products at retail. Speaking of the appeal of RC and app-controlled toys for children and their parents, Davide De Matteis, Head of Retail, Ecommerce and Licensing at the Science Museum Group, says: “Remote and app-controlled games are highly interactive and many of these toys enable children to create different and even personalised versions, making the toy unique to the individual who plays with it. Interactivity is a huge and exciting part of today’s toys and games. Remote and appcontrolled toys are excellent options, as they blend together the traditional toy, such as a cars or robots, with video gaming, which is now more popular than ever.” And these toys promote fun learning

68%

at home. Having conducted a study into the popularity of educational toys in 2017, Learning Resources found that 77 per cent of parents had purchased an educational toy in the last 12 months. Simon Tomlinson, Head of Marketing, Learning Resources, says: “The beauty of STEM-based learning is that there is no right or wrong answer. Changing thinking from ‘right answer versus wrong answer’ to ‘let’s try it this way’ is at the heart of STEM. This presents us with a great opportunity to create innovative products that allow children to learn through exploratory play.” For many retailers, the educational element of RC and app-controlled toys is key to the popularity of this category, with many parents purchasing these products to support their children’s development. Davide De Matteis of the Science Museum says: “These kinds of Davide De Matteis, toys maintain the educational and collaborative element, Science Museum allowing children to work Group together with parents, friends or siblings to build and programme their own toys. And the toys you engage with as a child can play a big part in inspiring your future career choices. Remote and app-controlled toys are a great way to learn about coding and computer programming which we hope will help to inspire the engineers and computer scientists of tomorrow.” Ranjit Dhutti, Senior Brand Manager RC at Spin Master Toys UK echoes this idea that RC and app-controlled toys will

The percentage of three- to six-yearolds who own their own tablet device – and one in five own their own mobile phone. (Kids Insights, July 2019)

“

Remote and app-controlled games are highly interactive and many of these toys enable children to create different and even personalised versions, making the toy unique to the individual who plays with it

help prepare children for the future. He says: “Remote and app toys not only allow kids to feel in control and accomplished, but they also build confidence and dispel fear of tackling the more complex tech challenges they face in the future.” But there is more to these toys than regimented education. They’re also a great deal of fun, giving children a sense of control and autonomy over their play experience. Spin Master’s Ranjit Dhutti says: “RC offers a popular play pattern allowing kids to have control and learn to master something that they can then go on to enjoy socially, such as racing with friends and family. Despite the world being largely tech savvy and connected, there’s still something magical about being in control of something that doesn’t have wires!” Collabsco is a strategy and innovation firm that has been tracking ‘Connected Play’ – that is products that allow people to interact, play, or learn in the physical and digital world. Speaking to TnP about RC and app-controlled toys, Founder of Collabsco, Valerie Vacante, says: “Where these toys are concerned, I think it really is this element of creating control that makes them so beneficial – and appealing – for children. Adding this element of control can really enhance a child’s experience of playing with a product, making for a more dynamic play experience. These kinds of toys support the development of problem-solving skills, encourage critical thinking and creativity.” The popularity of robotics is rising; Juniper Research suggests consumer robotics will reach almost $23 billion per annum by 2022, up from an estimated $6.4 billion in 2018. One thing is for sure, the RC and appcontrolled toy market is a category in which companies are investing significantly.

64%

The percentage of three- to 12-yearolds who own their own tablet device – and 38 per cent own their own mobile phone.

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Pookie pet

What’s trending

Vivid Imaginations

01483 449944 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk Vivid will be introducing Pooki to the interactive robotic pet market in AW19. Pooki is the next generation of robotic pet that responds to kids. Through AniMotion technology and internal projection, Pooki can display emotions, adventures, presents and cartoons on her screen. With over an hour of animated content and adorable responses to touch and sound via animatronic head and ears, Pooki interacts with its owner creating a long-lasting friendship. Connect to Pooki via the Pooki app to access additional content, review unlocked content and feed Pooki.

Trends UK

01295 768078 www.trendsuk.co.uk The Xtrem Bots range, distributed by Trends UK, offers traditional robot play operated with a remote control or hand gestures. Cool animated/LED facial expressions show the personality and moods of the robots. Easy to have fun with straight out of the box, they also have more advanced programmable features ensuring there is longevity of play. The Xtrem Bots offer fantastic value for money at an affordable price point.

Gravity-defying thrills Spin Master 01628 535000 www.spinmaster.com

Spin Master continues to drive tech innovation forward across its powerful portfolio of brands, and the latest launch from its Air Hogs line of radio-controlled, free-flying and air-powered vehicles is no exception. For over two decades, Air Hogs has been synonymous with high energy excitement in the world of RC, and now kids can defy gravity with the new wall climbing Air Hogs Zero Gravity Laser. Air Hogs can race on Using patented Wall Climber Technology, this floors, up walls and lightweight race car can drive on floors, even on the ceiling. up walls and even upside down on the ceiling. Zero Gravity Laser easily chases the controller’s LED light on smooth indoor surfaces, in any direction at super-fast speeds. With multi-directional control, just point the laser light within a one-foot radius of the vehicle, anywhere you want the car to go. Fun and easy to control, you can even make sharp turns and spin the Zero Gravity Laser. And now, motorcycle and tech enthusiasts can experience the thrill of Ducati motorcycle racing at their fingertips, with the Upriser Ducati Panigale V4 S RC motorcycle. This 1:6 scale replica RC sport bike is unlike any remote-controlled vehicle you’ve ever experienced. Equipped with True Balance and Omni Wheel technology, the Upriser Ducati RC can self-balance at any speed without a kickstand or support. Tuned for outdoor performance, this impressive remote-control motorcycle can reach speeds of up to 12 miles (20 kilometres) an hour.

Did you know…

AUGUST 2019

FEATURE

RC AND APP TOYS

All about the bots Character Options 0161 633 9800 | www.character-online.com

Code cracking kids

50+

Really R.A.D. Robots from Character Options are packed full of attitude and The number of come with great features at affordable functions and price points. The collection will continue through summer, with the highly successful sounds that MiBro, a remote-controlled buddy with MiBro has to over 50 functions and sounds. He can keep the kids prank, spy, play or serve. entertained. In late autumn, MiBro is joined by Really R.A.D’s Turbo Bot. The full function remote control plus voice command feature makes Turbo Bot super controllable, while his all-terrain wheels and autonomous explore mode means this chap can go where other robots can’t.

Learning Resources 01553 819 380 www.learningresources.co.uk Say hello to Artie, where coding meets creativity! Artie is the new, multi award-winning coding and drawing robot that introduces the basics of coding to children aged seven-yearsplus. This clever little robot gets children to write the code and then he draws the lines! Children will develop left and right-brain skills with Artie 3000, the coding/drawing robot. Playing with Artie, primary learners will develop skills such as basic programming, geometry and maths. Young learners will also build on skills such as creativity, imagination and expression as they develop patterns and drawing. Artie has a built-in WIFI server so can be used anywhere without requiring an internet connection. The easy-to-use drag and drop programming can be used on a Mac, PC, tablet or smartphone. With 360-degree movement, children can tell Artie to turn right or left, forward or backward in any direction. With four modes of play including pre-programmed shapes, games, art for colouring and freeform coding children will love coding Artie to “tell” the robot what to do! With browser-based apps, point and click and remote control, Artie will provide hours upon hours of fun learning.

Fact! Artie has 360-degree movement, meaning he can move in any direction.

Sky’s the limit Alpha Animation 01293804599 SalesSupport@alpha-animation.com Bringing the hero of Super Wings, to life, the RC Jett Vehicle puts little ones aged three-years-plus in control of their favourite character. Jett can zoom forward and spin 360 degrees, all with a simple remote control. The red plane also lights up and makes sounds at the push of a button. For RC enthusiasts aged eight and over, the Terra Sect Rolling Lizard features a 2.4 Ghz controller that keeps the unstoppable reptile close to the ground and on-track for its next attack.

Funny ﬂatulence Funrise

01908 555640 www.funrise.com For RC, farting antics look no further than Fart Ninjas. Sure to blow you away. These farting ninjas are perfect for kids who love pranking their friends and family. Be careful, if you walk past a Fart Ninja the motion sensor will be activated! Included in the initial range are eight smaller collectable figures, as well as the Fart Ninja XL’s, which include a remote control to fart on demand.

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FEATURE

RC AND APP TOYS

Electric entertainment Wilton Bradley 01626 835400 www.wiltonbradley.com

Did you know? 2018 also saw the Monster Smash Up range win two toy awards in the Right Start and Made for Mums awards.

The RC Monster Smash Up range has been a great success for Wilton Bradley so far. And 2019 introduces the Monster Smash Up Carnage, a progression to the original all-exploding Monster Smash Up product, developing a best-selling line and targeting a wider customer audience. This collection still has the same spec as the original Monster Smash Ups, but they are smaller and at a more competitive price point. The Monster Smash Up range has already seen significant success worldwide and has rapidly become one of Wilton Bradley’s best-selling brands.

RC comes alive Tobar 01603 397 105 www.tobar.co.uk The popular Tobar RC range has three new products joining the line-up this year: the Fire Engine, the Mini Digger and the Speedboat covering fire, earth and water. Looking for something a little larger, check out the Monster Trucks from Maisto Tech R/C. This off-road series packs a real punch. New for this year is the Rock Crawler Pro which joins the mighty RC RockZilla. Looking for something smaller and sleeker, there is a whole range of performance cars to choose from: Ferraris, Aston Martins, Mercedes, Lamborghinis, and of course, Formula One – plus a host of off roaders. Toy Fair season this year saw Boppi ‘the booty shakin’ Llama steal the show! Boppi is part of the Zuru Pets Alive range and shakes her stuff to three dance tracks. 2019 also sees the introduction of the Zuru Pets Alive My Magical Unicorn.

Turbocharged Toy Story Siso Toys UK 01620 674 778 sales@sisotoys.co.uk With Toy Story 4 enjoying great success at box office, this toy Siso Toys UK will property is set to be be investing in a one of the biggest of full 360 marketing the year. Having launched in plan, including TV April, the Siso Toys UK investment, to drive range of RC vehicles sell through at retail from the movie include on its RC range. a radio-controlled cable space ship, with a Buzz Lightyear figure attached, as well as a cable flying buzz which is equipped with propellers, so kids can enjoy making Buzz go to infinity and beyond! The core range is made up of the impressive 1:24 scale RC which includes Woody and Buzz. Both of these icon characters sit atop the RC character buggy, allowing kids to bring their favourite moments from the movie to life. The 1:24 scale Woody and Buzz include Turbo Speed features, so kids can zoom past trouble. New favourite Duke Caboom is also included and has an articulated Duke figure attached to the bike that can be posed into stunt poses – like in the film. Another great collection in Siso’s RC portfolio is Ryan’s World, based on the global YouTube sensation Ryan. The range includes Ryan and his Pizza Delivery ATV and a set of RC Bumper Cars in a twin pack, including Ryan and his favourite pal, Combo Panda. The hero item is the Stunt Combo Panda skate board. Kids can perform tricks, stunts and spins and when Combo falls over, he can get back up.

Fact!

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_learn to code__line by line

AS SEEN ON TV!

“It’s really fun and easy to use” THE GADGET SHOW

NEW Artie 3000™ the award winning, WiFi enabled, drawing robot Artie 3000™ is the new coding and drawing robot that puts children in control! Artie has a built-in Wi-Fi server so can be used anywhere without requiring an internet connection. The easy-to-use drag and drop programming can be used on a Mac, PC or tablet and offers four modes of play; pre-programmed shapes, games, art for colouring and freeform coding. Artie 3000™ EI 1125

Toys n Playthings August2019.indd 1

16/07/2019 15:07:08

FEATURE FARM TOYS

Cream of the crop Tomy

arm toys have always been a firm favourite among children, and this year is no exception. From farmyard friends to vociferous farm vehicles, the farm themed toy sector has something to offer everyone. Toys will Bruder’s Florian Loh, Area Sales Manager always be bought Northern Europe, and farm toys will believes that the company’s portfolio of always have the ‘on the farm’ themed timeless toys is particularly popular because fascination of they “interpret reality children realistically, and simultaneously link and Julia Lowe, Founder, inspire generations. Farm Toys Online This in turn creates some kind of ageless momentum.” The farm theme is one that lends itself to a variety of different toy categories – largely due to its versatility. It can be seen in plush ranges, games, collectable ranges and more, which is why these timeless toys are unlikely to see the back of the toy drawer. Julia Lowe, Founder of online toy retailer Farm Toys Online, celebrated a decade of her business last year. With a focused offering of farm-themed

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Over the years farm themed toys have proven to be popular, not only with children, but among adults too. So what’s behind this category’s success?

playthings, she has tapped into the broad appeal of farmyard fun to great success. Speaking of the ‘on the farm’ category, she says: “Toys will always be bought and farm toys will always have the timeless fascination of children.” Hideo Takeda, Assistant Brand Manager for Tomy, agrees and adds: “Farming is a massive industry, not just in the UK, but also in Europe. These toys encourage educational play, teaching children not only about farming, but also about where our food comes from.” Many parents would agree that farm themed toys help children develop in all areas. Amanda Alexander, Director of independent retailer Giddy Goat Toys supports this, saying: “Animal themed toys help to reinforce what children have learned about animals. They also help to develop a child’s imagination and creativity. Plush animal toys can also encourage nurturing and caring.” MD of Orchard Toys, Simon Newbury, also believes in the educational power of farm-related toys and games. He says: “The versatility of the farm theme makes it a great platform for teaching a range of skills, as well as a great way of promoting discussion in young learners.” In the ever-evolving world we call the toy industry, it can be hard for

Following the trends Tomy has seen a trend not only in children’s toys but also for replica collectors that are popular across all generations.

suppliers and retailers to stay upto-date with the hottest trends. However, it is understood that farm toys have always been a “core range” for many suppliers and retailers. Bruder’s range appeals to those who are interested in agricultural vehicles: tractors, harvesters, field choppers and trailers. Always quick to respond to consumer demand, Bruder will soon be launching two fantastically playable tractor-trailer additions to their agricultural themed toys. Recognising one’s target market is crucial in the toy business, as this can sometimes change. Tomy’s Hideo Takeda says: “Farm toys continue to be a growing trend not only in children’s toys but also for replica collectors and are popular across all generations.” In terms of what’s selling well for retailers, Whirligig Toys Limited’s Director, Peter Allison, has found that Smart Farm, a new logical thinking game, has been popular and has had brilliant feedback. It continues to attract both boys and girls of five plus as “customers can easily see how children could play the game.” For one dedicated retailer, Giddy Goat Toys, there are a few standout farm themed products: animal figures from Papo, peg puzzles from Janod, Hape, Bigjigs and Melisa and Dough; along with tractors from Kayes of Cardiff and soft toys from Manhattan Toys and Aurora. Wishing to reap the rewards of this popular and enduring category, many suppliers and retailers continue to promote and drive sales in this highly successful sector.

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Farm house fun Jumbo Games

Free spirits Playmobil

www.playmobil.co.uk 01268 548111 Playmobil’s Spirit Riding Free collection includes seven sets, featuring characters and locations from the original television series DreamWorks Spirit Riding Free. The new playsets inspire fans to recreate scenes with their favourite characters from the popular series, or children can instead make up new adventures of their own. Enjoy a fun-filled day on the farm with Playmobil 70118 DreamWorks Spirit Riding Free: Barn with Lucky, Pru and Abigail. In the large barn there is plenty of space for the friends to relax and play before preparing the horses for a day of riding and adventures. There is also a ladder leading to the hayloft, with a cosy hammock for Lucky to rest in. The playset comes complete with an extensive array of accessories including a wheelbarrow, grooming tools, horse-riding equipment, interchangeable ﬂowers, the horse Sagebrush and four characters from the show in Playmobil form: Pru, Lucky, Abigail and Mr Granger.

01707 289289 www.jumbo.eu

Fact!

Jumbo’s high quality Goula wooden range, includes a collection of entertaining and educational Farm There are six animals themed products that are great for to choose from in toddlers and pre-schoolers. The Goula Farm House Shape Sorter the Magnetic Farm is one of the most popular items in Puzzles range. the range and provides little ones with hours of fun, as they learn key handeye coordination skills, colour-matching skills and develop their finemotoring skills. New to the wooden magnetic puzzles range is the adorable Magnetic Farm Puzzles that allows children to match the head and bodies of six different farm animals, and then connect them using the magnetic pieces. Also, within the puzzles offering are the Colour Farm Animals Puzzle, Mother & Babies Farm Puzzle, Farm Silhouette Peg Puzzle, Farm Fabric Puzzle and the Cubic Farm Puzzles – made from durable and high-quality wood. For gifting ideas, there is the Farm Matching Memo Game. Packaged in a decorative cube box, little ones can take this game with them wherever they go and enjoy matching all the different farm animals.

Pocket money pick-up Tobar Fledgling farmers 10.5cm Ravensburger

01869 363 800 www.ravensburger.com Designed for the youngest of train drivers, the BRIO My First Railway offers frustration-free fun for toddlers. Recent addition to the range, the BRIO My First Farm play set gives children hours of fun while teaching them about farmyard animals. Five wooden animals fit into the animal wagon ready to be transported by train to the farm. Each animal features three distinct sounds, which are activated automatically when placed in the farm meadow. The My First Railway collection is compatible with the BRIO wooden railway system.

AUGUST 2019

01603 397 105 www.tobar.co.uk

Tobar are tops for tractors for all ages and in all styles, from the chunky wooden pre-school classic to the professional die-cast collector.

The size of Tobar’s small die-cast tractor.

Small 10.5cm die-cast tractors make the perfect pocket money pick-up. Available in three colours, these tractors are showcased in a handy CDU and suitable for children aged three-years-plus. And younger children will love the wooden pull-along tractor complete with wooden pig, cow and horse. Moving up the scale, the Wooden Farm playset has a complete farm in one package including the farm house, trees, vegetable patch, animals and the farmer and his wife. For the serious tractor fan, the Bburago range offers a complete line-up of New Holland tractors and various trailers. Detailed die-cast scaled copies of the originals with accessories including tipping trailers, front loaders, combination trailers, tipping trailers, log trailers and even a horse box. New for this year, Massey Ferguson fans will love the Bburago scale version of their 8700 Tractor.

Did you know? Tomy’s Britains range are all detailed replicas of real farm vehicles that we have and use today.

All aboard Tomy 01392 281928 www.tomy.com Farm toys have continued to grow in popularity – not only in children’s toys but also for replica collectors. With Tomy’s vast range of toys in the category, the company has enjoyed watching this category go from strength to strength. Suitable for children aged 18 months and over, the Tomy Build a Johnny Tractor is one of the company’s hero products. With strong TV support scheduled for the October mid-term break, this line will undoubtedly continue to be popular. This particular product encourages creative and coordination skills as youngsters assemble and disassemble Johnny Tractor with a battery powered drill. Tomy will also be launching a pink version of another hero item – the Britains Valtra Playset. The release of this new addition is designed tie in with Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October with a percentage of sales set to be donated to Breast Cancer Awareness. The Valtra is a tough workhorse

packed with high-tech features, and with it being a replica model of a real vehicle, the design is highly authentic and doesn’t compromise on detail. There are many educational and developmental elements in farm toys, as children can learn many skills by simply playing. On the farm products teach children not only about farming, but also where some of our food comes from. From Britains and John Deere pre-school, the Tomy farm toy range is suitable for children as young as 18 months. The company’s Britains range is suitable not only for children, but adults too, as these products are detailed replicas of real farm vehicles that we still use today. All products in Tomy’s Britains range are designed with quality and realness in mind, offering good value for money. Farming is a massive industry, not just in the UK but also in Europe, so it’s easy to see why Tomy’s products are so popular.

Fuelled by fun Kids@Play 01291 429 007 kids-at-play.com

Did you know?

Kids@Play are proud to work in Kids@Play partnership with FALK Toys who distributes ride-on manufacture a fantastic range of vehicles from FALK ride-on vehicles that are right at Toys in the UK. home on the farm, including the most respected brands in the farming industry including Massey Ferguson, JCB, CLAAS, New Holland and Kubota to name but a few. Ranges include foot to floor and pedal tractors for oneto three-year-olds up to larger tractors suitable for four- to seven-year-olds. Kids@Play hold stock in the UK of a select range and can work with retailers to bring in a bespoke collection if volumes are achievable direct from the manufacturing plant in France with fairly low MOQs.

Farmyard frenzy Orchard Toys 01953 859525 www.orchardtoys.com

The farm theme is prominent across the Orchard Toys’ range, featuring in The number numerous games and jigsaws for various of pieces in ages. The versatility of the theme makes the Orchard it a great platform for teaching a range of skills, and it’s a great way to start Toys’ prediscussions in young learners. school Farmyard Heads and Tails is a firm farmyard favourite with pre-school children and jigsaw puzzle parents and has proven to be extremely successful for Orchard Toys. It’s suitable for children as young as 18 months, making it a great way to introduce children to farmyard animals and objects. The simple farm themed matching and memory game lends itself perfectly to encourage speech development as children sound out the animals’ names and noises. Old MacDonald Lotto is also popular having featured strongly in the range for ten years.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

FEATURE FARM TOYS

Happy harvesting Bruder 01491 412415 (The Sales Partnership) www.bruder.de

The number of bales per hour that the C441R can output.

The C441R combination press is an ideal tool to harvest straw and hay. Thanks to cutting-edge pressing and conveyor technology, this pressing and wrapping combination outputs up to 60 bales per hour. This harvesting machine is a new addition to the Bruder agriculture themed world. Bruder has once again focused on maximum levels of detail and functionality. The functional pick-up is mobile and height-adjustable. Thanks to the flap on the top, young farmers can insert the enclosed straw bales. With the new conveyor system development straw bales can be transported from the pressing chamber to the wrapping unit and the rotating film wrapper completes the harvesting process. For even more resemblance of the original, the set also includes a wrapped straw bale. This great, new model by Bruder is compatible with all tractors in the 2000 and 3000 series. Add the round bales accessories (item no. 02345) to make it even more fun.

A whole new Farm World

Wheeler dealer

Schleich

Golden Bear

01279 870000 www.schleich-s.co.uk

01952 608308 www.goldenbeartoys.com

A name synonymous with the most authentic farm toys and figures is Schleich. Schleich’s Farm World continues to offer the best in imaginative play with the most detailed and realistic toys, teaching children about responsible interaction between people and animals. Each Schleich animal can be added to until an entire play world is created. The new colourful Horse Stable offers lots of fun features and provides endless fun for little ones. With seven cute animals, two horse boxes, farmers Paul and Laura and, of course, lots of accessories, it is easy to reproduce all the daily work on the farm. A great addition to the new Horse Stable is the Vet Visiting Mare and Foal Set.

Start horsing around DKL Marketing 01604 678780 www.dkl.co.uk The iconic Breyer Model Horses brand is distributed exclusively by DKL Marketing. The range has plenty to offer with three different model horse collections, three different scale sizes, and great prices throughout. The miniature world of Stablemates from Breyer is a 1:32 scale. Must have from the Stablemates range is the Deluxe Animal Hospital – perfect for animal loving children aged four-years-plus. The Classic range from Breyer is also a popular option – and keep an eye out for the Traditional Series of large models which are ideal collectables. Plus-Plus tubes offer endless possibilities for play and building creations! New to 2019 is the eye-catching farmyard animals’ range.

Golden Bear’s My 1st JCB Big Wheelers has had a packaging refresh. The platform box shows the appealing ‘kid tough’ characters with chunky big wheels. These characters are ready for any indoor adventure or outdoor challenge down on the farm. Choose from Big Wheeler Joey, Big Wheeler Doug and Big Wheeler Freddie Fastrac. Pull the exhaust on Big Wheeler Joey to lift the front scoop. Big Wheeler Doug has a tipping bucket and Big Wheeler Freddie Fastrac has a plough rake tool and opening bucket.

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1:32 AUTUMN/WINTER NEW LINES COMING SOON

JCB TM420 Loader

Vicon FastBale

John Deere Gator RSX860i

LIMITED EDITION

Valtra Pink Playset (Limited Edition)

FENDT 828 Vario Tractor

www.britainsfarmtoys.co.uk

Facebook.com/BritainsFarmToys

7Q3B%ULWDLQVB [ LQGG

@BritainsFarmToys

BUILD YOUR FARM

FEATURE

FILM AND TV

Posh Paws

Screen time

TV and film characters are big business in the toy industry – and this year is no exception – TnP finds out which licences have been taking the sector by storm

aking an appearance across all sectors this year – not least in the toy industry – is a catalogue of familiar faces from both the box office and the small screen. According to Licensing International’s fifth Annual Global Licensing Survey (published June Even 2019), global retail sales of though we licensed merchandise and services grew 3.2 per cent billion continue to in 2018. Accounting for $122.7 see a change billion (43.8 per cent) of the total global licensing market, the in the way entertainment and character sector was the largest category. children Laura Bull, Marketing Manager consume at Posh Paws, says: “Even though we continue to see a change in content, TV the way children consume and films still content, TV and films still drive the top properties within the drive the top industry. Through cross category licensing and halo moments such properties as theatrical and DVD releases, within the properties are ever present in consumer minds.” industry When TnP spoke to Shop Direct in April this year, Andrea Laura Bull, Posh Paws Gornall, Category Manager told TnP: “I think 2019 will be a big year for toys related to movies. We’re excited about the Toy Story 4 range, as well as the Frozen 2 range towards the end of the year. Both look fantastic.” There is certainly no shortage of Toy Story toys on the market, with ranges

“

”

31%

from Posh Paws, MV Sports, Siso Toys UK, Mattel, Funko, Character Options, Flair and Thinkway Toys to name a few. Claire Terry, Retail Commercial Director, The Walt Disney Company, says: “One of the most magical things about Toy Story is that while most licensed box office toys are toys of the characters on screen, the line gets a little blurred with Toy Story, as they’re all toys. It’s the ultimate storytelling.” Retailers, too, see Toy Story as an exciting opportunity. Paul Wohl, Owner of Argosy Toys in Westcliff-on-Sea, says: “Any Disney film is brilliant, but Toy Story is great because it’s unisex and it has appeal for all ages.” Toy Story 4 inspired toys have been performing well for Wizard Toys. Director James Colclough, says: “Toy Story 4 is a big one for me – a real firework under multiple brands and ranges across most age groups. The movie series reminds us of the value in imaginative play – and that’s exactly what toy shops need.” Maurice Doyle, GM of Banba Toymaster in Dublin, also recognises the importance of a wider appeal. Speaking of two box office favourites, Toy Story 4 and The Lego Movie 2, he says: “I believe the fact that the humour works on both a child’s and an adult’s level helps greatly in extending the life of a product.” Selecting toys that have a broad appeal is something that Jade OliverDeacon, who runs The Toy Shop,

Kids aged three- to tenyears-old have bought toys related to their favourite TV show.

Devon is careful to do. “Pokémon has taken off again for both boys and girls. I think that the film has.” Lindsay Meyer Nicholas, Owner of Toyville in Bristol has also seen a spike in the popularity of Pokémon. She says: “Pokémon cards are currently bringing both boys and girls into the shop. We’ve stocked them since we opened but they’re selling particularly well at the moment – perhaps due to the recently-released movie.” Posh Paws is a company that has licensing covered. Marketing Manager Laura Bull, says: “As the home of licensed plush we have something for everyone. From TV we have Sunny Bunnies and Pirata & Capitano, and from the film arena we have everything from Toy Story 4 to Frozen 2, and 2020 looks just as exciting with Trolls 2 and Minions 2 on their way!” Winning Moves, is another licensee who is popular among consumers. The company recently released LexGo! Harry Potter pack – just in time for the summer holidays. Kay Thompson, Head of Sales at Winning Moves, says: “Harry Potter Wizards Unite is guaranteed to spark a renewed interest in the cultural phenomenon, after the immense success of Pokémon Go. It will no doubt have a knock-on effect with other toys in the franchise.” And there are plenty of familiar characters popping up in this arena. Read on to see which properties will be occupying shelf space in Q3 and Q4.

27%

Kids aged three- to ten-years-old have bought toys related to their favourite film.

When three- to ten-year-olds were asked ‘What new toy would you like to own?’, four of the top ten responses were connected to film or TV brands: LEGO, Barbie, Batman, Paw Patrol. (Kids Insights UK Q2 2019 data - 01/04/19 – 30/06/19) 54

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Soft super hero!

Get on the movie sets

Kids@Play

01291 429 007 kids-at-play.com As it’s the 80th Anniversary of the release of Batman, it’s only fitting that there should be product to remember the heritage of the character. Working with Warner Bros, Kids@ Play is proud to be bringing a special collection of Batman soft toys to the UK featuring artwork from across those 80 years.

Playmobil www.playmobil.co.uk 01268 548111 Playmobil has just released its brand-new movie playsets in time for the August debut of Playmobil: The Movie. Look out for sets including Rex Dasher with Parachute and Marla and Del with Flying Horse.

Up, up and away! Alpha Animation 01293804599 SalesSupport@ alpha-animation.com As ratings soar for Alpha Animation’s pre-school animation Super Wings – all new products have been developed in line with Series 3, airing now on Cartoonito and coming soon to Tiny Pop.

Go wild for plush Posh Paws

01268 567317 www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk Posh Paws is taking the best in TV and movie plush to new levels with its classic range for Disney’s The Lion King and a beautiful collection for BBC Earth. Fans will also be going wild with excitement for an adorable Lion King collection new to the Posh Paws line-up this summer. To mark the 25th anniversary of the original Lion King movie, and the new live-action film release in July, the classically styled range of supersoft plush really brings Simba and friends to life. The BBC Earth plush range from Posh Paws is a real eye catcher. These high-quality, super-soft stuffed animals are available in small and medium. From elephants to sea turtles, sharks to tigers, there’s an animal for everyone to collect. Finally, Posh Paws’ Toy Story 4 range of plush has proved popular for retailers.

AUGUST 2019

Hatch your own dragon Spin Master

01628 535000 www.spinmaster.com Spin Master is combining the success of the movie How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, and Hatchimals to bring you the Hatching Dragon. Due to launch in October, Hatching Toothless Interactive Baby Dragon lets kids aged eight-plus hatch and train their very own baby dragon! Toothless comes to life with light-up eyes, movements and interactive sounds. The favourite dragon characters from How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World are also now available in a 3in squeezable plush.

Pikachu in my pocket Character Options 0161 633 9800 www.character-online.com Character Options’ Pokémon line-up is growing, with continual waves of new figures, plush and roleplay lines plus a cute new pocket-sized Pikachu. Pokémon Fans can interact with Pikachu like never before thanks to the new electronic My Partner Pikachu Toy. With two interactive modes, Pokémon Trainers can discover all that’s possible with this new handheld friend. Plush toys are also key to the Pokémon autumn line-up.

FEATURE

FILM AND TV

PJ Masks drive sales GP Flair 020 8643 0320 www.flairplc.co.uk

Stand by for action. 5, 4, 3,2,1

The PJ Masks range continues to drive sales for Flair, with the PJ Masks vehicles behind the wheel, while a major focus for autumn, and perfect to track down those pesky night-time villains, is the new PJ Masks Seeker. The PJ Masks Seeker can fit up to four vehicles inside the detachable carrier.

Bandai

0208 324 6160 www.bandai.co.uk

King of the toy shelf

Bandai has re-launched the toy range for the much-loved brand Thunderbirds Are Go. Season 3 is currently airing in the UK. The new toy line consists of collectables, action figures and vehicles that encourage imaginative rescue roleplay and interaction between the characters. The newly-priced iconic Tracy Island Playset now includes key interactive elements.

Hasbro

020 8569 1234www.hasbro.com Disney’s the Lion King Mighty Roar Simba by Furreal embodies all the fun, charm, and humour of animation’s most famous lion cub. Perfect for kids aged four years plus, Disney’s the Lion King Mighty Roar Simba responds to touch and sound. Children will love watching their Mighty Roar Simba come to life, as he moves his head, eyes, ears, mouth, legs, and tail.

Characters top it off!

A piece of the past Ravensburger

01869 363 800 www.ravensburger.com Ravensburger is launching a raft of movie-based licensed puzzles. With the much-loved TV drama Downton Abbey set for a big-screen debut later this year, fans will enjoy the Ravensburger 1000-piece Downton Abbey puzzle celebrating the movie launch. Continuing to dominate the 3D puzzle category, Ravensburger introduces the Harry Potter Knight Bus 3D puzzle.

Vivid Imaginations 01483 449944 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk Your favourite Toy Story 4 and Frozen 2 characters have been Ooshed. The new Ooshies XL range of collectable figures features core characters from Toy Story 4 and the much-anticipated Frozen 2. These pencil topper figures are the perfect collectable for fans of these major kids’ movies!

Big screen birds Jazwares

020 3598 0270 www.jazwares.com Jazwares’ new Angry Birds Movie 2 toy line hit shelves ahead of the August 2019 release of The Angry Birds Movie 2. The new toy line follows Jazwares’ appointment as global master toy partner for Rovio Entertainment Corp. The collection features splat balls, catablind collectable figures, plush, a figure pack, a game pack, and a Pig City Build n Launch playset.

Toy Story 4 under control Siso Toys UK

01620 674 778 sales@sisotoysuk.com Siso’s Toy Story 4 toy range is proving to be a winner. The range includes 1:24 scale RC of key characters Woody, Buzz and Duke Caboom. Also included is an IR-controlled Forky, Cable Flying Buzz and Cable control Space Ship. Siso Toys UK will be investing in a full 360 marketing plan, including TV investment, to drive sell-through at retail.

tnp.media

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FEATURE

MYTHICAL CREATURES

Magical myth story tour As unicorns, mermaids, fairies and dragons continue to enchant children, we explore why mythical creatures are so popular ‘’The popularity of the likes of Games of Thrones and the ongoing Harry Potter phenomenon have no doubt helped,’’ says Schleich’s Paul Dearlove. ‘’ We re-launched our mythical offer under the ‘Eldrador Creatures’ brand last year, and it has quickly become our fastest-growing product category.’’ Ben Smith, GM GB & Eire, Kids@play, agrees: ‘’The introduction of the Fantastic Beast films has really opened up the imagination of consumers and provided some loveable creatures, none more so than the Niffler. ‘’Niffler continues to nicorns have been The popularity of attract a lot of attention popular for centuries wherever the team take the likes of Games of – they’re the national office niffler, who has animal of Scotland, and Thrones and the ongoing our taken on a life of his own feature on the Royal Harry Potter on social media - look out family’s coat of arms. But phenomenon have no for #officeniffler on our the recent love of all things Instagram feed kaptoys.’’ doubt helped, but most mythical began several ‘’Unicorns are still hugely years ago, fuelled in part importantly we have a popular!’’ says Amanda by the millennial great range of incredibly- Alexander, Owner of Giddy generation’s childhood Goat Toys in Didsbury, detailed and awesomenostalgia – look back to Manchester. ‘’Unicorn soft the 2004 TV series My looking figures toys and the Unicorn figures Little Pony: Friendship Is Paul Dearlove, Schleich and Mythical Creatures from Magic. Combine this Papo sell well. We also stock nostalgia with the visual the Zuru roaring dragons. aesthetic that fuels social media (the ‘’Children love to believe in #unicorn hashtag on Instagram has fairytales and magic and create clocked up more than eight million imaginative stories, this has been posts over the past seven years) and helped by the popularity of Harry you come up with the latest trend. Potter and How to Train Your Dragon, According to Kids Insights, when while generally in children’s literature asked, ‘What do you think will be the and on children’s TV there is an next really popular thing?’, unicorns abundance of mythical creatures. were the fifth most common answer ‘’These toys encourage creativity from kids aged three to six (in a and imagination, although I think question where kids can type their even when a toy is mythical rather own responses). Unicorns also rank than based on a real animal, children ninth for three- to six-year-olds when still role play in a particular way and asked, ‘What new toy would you like give the toys specific values.‘’ to own?’ (01/04/19 - 30/06/19) Dragons are popular with Peter With the Harry Potter phenomenon Allinson, Director of Whirligig Toys, and its unicorns and dragons looking a chain of four toy shops in the unlikely to wane, followed by the Southeast, along with an online shop. Fantastic Beasts franchise, it’s little ‘’We have always loved dragons wonder that we are all obsessed with and unicorns and while the unicorn mythical and magical creatures.

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craze is slightly over, we have a number of make-and-do projects that fit this category and they work very well for the five to 10 age group. Our Timberkits Dragon kit is always popular – it has really great movement and children are keen to replicate it.’’ While working models encourage model kit sales at Whirligig stores, Kids@Play’s Ben Smith says: ‘’We encourage our retail partners to put the Nifflers close to the till point as our small-scale soft toys are a great impulse purchase for their customers, especially the Baby Niffler.’’ For Schleich meanwhile, ‘’Eldrador Creatures feature strongly within our Schleich POS displays, and have their own colour-coded shelf strips for easier in-store recognition. The brand also features strongly on our secondary displays of FSDUs, and pallet displays throughout the year, as well as forming part of our overall Marketing and PR activity,’’ says Paul Dearlove. The popularity of mythical creatures is apparent: ‘’We re-launched our mythical offer under the ‘Eldrador Creatures’ brand last year, and it has quickly become our fastest-growing product category,’’ says Schleich’s Paul Dearlove. ‘’Several of the items now appear in our Top 20 sellers, across ALL Schleich products, which some retailers might not have expected! ‘’Two of the most crucial initiatives have been the introduction of a strong storytelling theme, and incorporating far greater action into the figures, for a much greater play experience. Extensive consumer research went in to creating the four different worlds of Lava, Ice, Water and Stone and we have some really cool characters.’’ It doesn’t look like mythical and magic creatures will wane in popularity any time soon, as Ben from Kids@Play says: ‘’We are continuing to work with our partners YuMe Toys on new additions to our range from the Warner Bros catalogue of great creatures and other characters.’’

toysnplaythings.co.uk

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FEATURE

MYTHICAL CREATURES

The monster, the myth, the legend SCHLEICH 01279 870000 WWW.SCHLEICH-S.CO.UK Fun and lots of new adventures: the Eldrador Creatures range adds two new mythical creatures from the worlds of lava and ice. There is so much going on in the fantasy world Eldrador Creatures by Schleich. Little action fans between the ages of seven and 12 can look forward to two brand new monsters of a mythical kind as the fight for the Superweapon of Eldrador continues – the Lava Scorpion and Ice Griffin. These two new creatures take the total collection to 18 figures. The Lava Scorpion is a dangerous contemporary, whose stinger and grippers are movable as he lurks well

hidden in the rugged rocks of the lava world awaiting his victims. The Ice Griffin, equipped with movable wings, possesses several dangerous characteristics to neutralise his enemies. In the duel, he first breaks through the armour of his attackers with his pointed claws, then pecks his enemies with his sharp beak. This cold-blooded monster also has six razor-sharp ice feathers on each of his mighty wings to keep enemies at a distance. The figures are ideal for collecting – and their special design and unique features guarantee action-packed play enjoyment.

Pom pom pets BANDAI

0208 324 6160 www.bandai.co.uk Tapping into the unicorn trend, Bandai’s portfolio offers the legendary creature in various guises. New plush brand Rainbow Dreams is a super-soft magical unicorn with light-up features that plays music and soothing sounds. Suitable for ages 18 months-plus, Rainbow Dreams acts as both a cuddly companion and night-light for added

comfort while sleeping. Winter the unicorn has been added to the Pomsies range of interactive plush pets. Designed to be taken anywhere thanks to the Pomsies’ long fuzzy tails which can be wrapped around the wrist, hair or backpack, Winter includes up to 50 reactions and can be set to both Pet and Freeze Dance modes for extended play. Smaller versions of the Pomsies are available as miniature plush Pomsie Poos, with Luna the unicorn a part of the growing collection. Rescue Runts, the range of adoptable pets for children to rescue, groom and love, has recently unveiled a new unicorn character. Promoting nurture and the responsibility of pet ownership, the Rescue Runts strays require care and a forever home.

Did you know? 60

Pomsie Poos are designed to be taken anywhere! Their long fuzzy tail can be wrapped around a wrist, hair or backpack.

Nifty Nifflers KIDS@PLAY

01291 429 007 kids-at-play.com The Wizarding World continues to excite and bring to our attention mystical and mythical creatures – none more alluring than Newt Scaramanger’s Niffler. And thanks to the last year’s Crimes of Grindelwald, we’ve also seen the introduction of the baby Nifflers. Kids@Play has a fantastic range of Niffler and baby Niffler soft toys from 4in up to 10.5in sizes. These little guys are so mischievous that the Kids@Play office has adopted one who keeps escaping. Look out on the company’s social media platforms for #officeniffler. Also available within the range is a lovely selection of Hedwig soft toys – Harry Potter’s loyal snowy owl.

Welcome to the dark side CRAFT BUDDY

0203 417 6565 www.craftbuddyltd.co.uk Featuring everything from firebreathing dragons to the angelic fairy and the elusive unicorn, Craft Buddy’s newest releases have seen them expand their Crystal Art range to offer their fans a variety of popular mythical designs. Offering a range of innovative Crystal Art kits, Craft Buddy’s expansion of its portfolio has seen it offer a new dark and mysterious theme following the announcement of a licensing deal with Anne Stokes. Featuring a collection of elves, fairies, and dragons, Anne’s imagery captures the romance of the mythical world alongside the dark underbelly associated with the gothic.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Multi-coloured magic VIVID 01483 449944 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk Rainbow the magical unicorn from AniMagic is a beautiful majestic unicorn that loves you to stroke and adore her. She is the prettiest unicorn with her magical light up horn and glossy multi-coloured mane and tail. Rainbow gets all the attention in the group – she loves hugs and cuddles. Stroke her back to see her horn light up mystic colours If you stroke Rainbow’s back, and hear her neigh her horns light up. in excitement.

Fun fact!

There’s beauty in Pixie Belles JAZWARES

0203 598 0270 www.jazwares.com Launching in October, Pixie Belles by WowWee are the cutest interactive creatures that bring you love, light, and lots of fun movements. With magnetic pods, you can wear your Pixie Belles on your clothing and bring them with you wherever you go. Bond with your Belles – in Nurture Mode, they let you know their mood based on the colour of their horn. Pet them for a fun reaction or press them to your cheek for super cute kisses powered by WowWee KissTech technology. Have a dance party – with six different signature dances, your Pixie Belles will never miss a beat in Dance Mode. Spin time – talk out loud, clap your hands, or activate KissTech, when in Spin Mode watch these Belles spin and spin. These cute creatures react to touch and voice, and each comes with a removeable tail that doubles as a bracelet, key-chain, or hair accessory.

Pre-school puzzlers

Let imaginations soar SPIN MASTER

01628 535000 www.spinmaster.com Spin Master has a new collection this autumn that is sure to be popular with fans of DreamWorks’ How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. October will see the launch of Hatching Dragon, which harnesses the success of Hatchimals and combines this with the popular DreamWorks’ property. The Hatching Toothless Interactive Baby Dragon lets kids hatch and train their very own baby dragon. Toothless comes to life with light-up eyes, DreamWorks’ Toothless the movements and dragon is launching this August. interactive sounds. Teach him how to fly and plasma blast. As you guide Toothless through the sky, his ears move and wings flap, and he lets out dragon roars. Feed him his fish accessory snack; ask him questions and he’ll respond with head and wing movements, lights and sounds. From autumn, kids will be able to bring out the fierce side of Toothless with the Squeeze & Growl Toothless 11in plush. Squeeze his belly to turn this playful dragon into a growling dragon. Little fans will also be able to soar the skies with their very own 8in soft plush DreamWorks’ Dragons and Toothless.

Did you know?

AUGUST 2013

GIBSONS

020 8661 8866 www.gibsonsgames.co.uk Drift off into a dream-world filled with llamas and unicorns with Gibsons’ magical 36-piece puzzle, Sweet Dreams. Little Gibsons is their collection of bright and colourful jigsaw puzzles and games that have been tailor-made for inquisitive pre-schoolers. The products are produced from the same high-quality materials as Gibsons’ award-winning adult jigsaw range and all the artwork has been designed by British artists. What’s more, each jigsaw and game is presented in an innovative box to complement the artwork theme, which means that the collection includes some weird and wonderful boxes that are sure to spark the imagination. For example, the Sweet Dreams puzzle is presented in a striking crystal-ball shaped box to portray the mystical jigsaw puzzle that is inside.

Unicorns take by storm DKL MARKETING 01604 678780 www.dkl.co.uk Unicorns can be found across DKL Marketing’s Breyer, Hama and Plus-Plus ranges. The company’s best-seller is Breyer’s Unicorn Forthwind from the Classics range. Forthwind is a young unicorn with a pale icy blue coat, white mane and golden horn and hooves. Not to be missed is the new 2019 additions Aurora and Cupcake. From the Breyer Traditional Collectables range is the ever-popular Xavier Mystical Unicorn Stallion, offering an unmatched level of realism and attention to detail. New this year is Cascade & Caspian, sea inspired Mare and Foal set. Breyer Stablemate accessories include a pocket-money range for little horse enthusiasts to begin their Breyer collection. The newest addition to Breyer’s blind bags is the Unicorn Surprise featuring seven different styles. And don’t miss Hama’s best-selling Magical Horses Large Gift Box.

TNP

LOOKS BACK

Step back in time TnP’s Founder Malcolm Naish looks back through the news of Augusts past: 1989, 1999, 2009 and 2014

August 2014

August 1999

• We interviewed Selina Clarke, Toy Buyer for Jarrolds. Particularly popular in East Anglia, there had been a toy department in-store for 80 years at the time of writing. Jarrolds had an advert that they had placed locally in 1934 that promoted their new ‘Toy Emporium’. LEGO seemed to be their biggest seller, with Hasbro, Schleich and Mookie Toys also doing well.

• Phil Green moved from Woolies to United Overseas, with Mark Dixon taking over as Head of Toys and Stationery.

• It was announced that the BTHA would be awarding Gary Grant one of their highly regarded ‘Lifetime Achievement’ awards. • Hamleys announced the opening of a new mega store in Moscow – a store far larger than Regent Street with a floor area of 72,600sq. ft. • Flair launched ‘Xenos’ at London Zoo, which was well received by the 120 or so who attended. • Loom Bands were still the hottest item in toy stores across the country with Grossman and Character most frequently mentioned. For girls, Mattel’s Frozen Elsa dolls and Frozen ice skating dolls were very popular. • And we mustn’t forget Minecraft that was also enjoying big sales.

August 2009 • Retrospective contributions from major retailers received a fair amount of criticism – and quite rightly so. When you have agreed to supply a customer in terms of quantities and prices, how can it be fair for the retailer, some months later, to suddenly demand a retrospective discount? We said at the time, this practice should be outlawed – and as our Editor noted, it didn’t help Woolworths when they tried it on as they eventually closed down. • Wallace and Gromit were celebrating 20 years. To say this is a classic evergreen is a bit of an understatement as ten years on they are still a popular duo. • Lego came in for some stick because while they were having a fantastic 2009, many Independents believed they were not getting a fair crack of the whip when it came to deliveries and pricing. They cited nonfulfilment of orders, discounted prices they couldn’t match and huge price-cutting by Tesco on Lego’s new board games.

• I have always tried to support suppliers in the way they are treated by buyers working for the various major retailers. So when I was told the following story I thought it was well worth printing. This particular supplier had contacted one of the majors by phone with the simple request: “Can I speak to Mr. So and So?” He was told that he must first write in and outline why he wanted to speak to said buyer. Once upon a time, many years ago, in a land far away, all you had to do was pick up the phone, ask for the buyer by name and you actually spoke to them. Evidently, not anymore! • Golden Bear announced that they were TV advertising for the first time with a campaign for Talk Together Teletubbies that they hoped would achieve over 400 TVRs. • I highlighted that a certain Mr Barry Walker had reached the ripe old age of 60! Move on to 2019 and Barry is still going strong. • The BTHA Fun Day attracted almost 2,500 visitors – and in the process raised over £50,000. Hard to believe that the Toy Shop marquee raised a staggering £26,000. • Who remembers Dennis Watts of Arbon & Watts fame? Do readers also remember that Dennis was one of the very first to create an online presence with his Mail Order Express. If only Dennis had had the necessary funds, I believe his site could have rivalled Amazon.

August 1989 • From his office at Makro, Dave Cave informed me that Takara’s Rock’N Flowers was selling like a bomb. In its first week Dave sold 1000 pieces. ‘Rock on Tommy’ or should I say ‘Dave’! • I also announced the birth of Mike Ganley’s daughter. Rather unkindly, a number of Mike’s friends told me that it was the first time that anything from Mike had ever been delivered early. • A Steiff bear sold at auction for £55,000. Sotheby’s catalogued the ‘Petsy’ bear at £7,900, so the selling price easily beat the previous best-selling price for a Steiff bear at £12,000. • Our intrepid TnP Shopper visited Maidstone in Kent. Among the shops visited were Gamleys who scored the highest score of 37 points. Hugh and Keith had been trying to persuade their boss at Gamleys that the store needed a total facelift and re-design. On reading our TnP shopper’s report, their boss called Hugh and Keith into his office and told them that with such a fantastic report, which included: depth of stock, presentation, helpfulness, facilities for children and fun factor, he didn’t see the need to spend any money on improvements. The power of the press!

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DON’T MISS… We bring to the fore a selection of the hottest and newest products that will help you sell more. Buyers and retailers, get in touch with your sales contact now!

Product: Harry Potter Dobble Company: Asmodee UK Tel: 01420 593593 Web: www.asmodee.co.uk

Product: Harry Potter Infinity Box Advent Calendar Company: Kids@Play Tel: 01291 429000 Web: www.kaptoys.com

Product: Angry Birds Hatch and Race Eggs – Blind bags Company: Tobar Tel: 01603 397 105 Web: www.tobar.co.uk

Product: Fortnite Legendary Series: Skull Trooper with Accessories Company: Jazwares Tel: 0203 598 0272 Web: UKsales@jazwares.com

Product: Sort It Out Company: University Games UK / Paul Lamond Games Tel: 020 7254 0100 Web: www.university-games.co.uk

Product: Micro Wheels Company: Vivid Tel: 01483 449944 Web: www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk

Product: Falcon de luxe ‘Santa’s Special Delivery’ 1,000-piece Puzzle (incl. FREE 1,000pc Puzzle) Company: Jumbo Games Tel: 01707 289289 Web: www.jumbo.eu

Product: Wave Catcher Company: Rollplay Tel: 07986 971902 Web: www.rollplay.com

Product: Range Rover Ride On & Suitcase Company: Wilton Bradley Tel: 01626 835400 Web: www.wiltonbradley.com

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