14 minute read
Playground crazes and pocket money toys
Back to the playground
As the summer holidays come to a close and the kids start heading back to school, playground crazes, pocket money toys and collectables start to take on more importance for the toy retailer…
As the children head back to school (in August in Scotland and Ireland and September in the UK), the sales of big-ticket items and outdoor toys might start to drop off, but the good news is that there’s always a playground craze to keep them coming back.
Probably the bane of teachers everywhere, kids love to collect and compare small toys in the playground (and more annoyingly the classroom!) From fidget spinners and Loom Bands to trading cards and collectables, there’s always something to keep them amused – and the tills ringing before the Christmas rush begins.
Ruth Lue-Quee is the founder and educational & inclusion consultant at My Mummy Teacher (www. mymummyteacher.com), which sells educational and playful products to support children to learn through play. She “ Fidget spinners were traditionally used by children with additional needs who required sensory feedback and support to self-regulate in the classroom. As they became popular it removed any potential stigmas
Ruth Lue-Quee, founder, My Mummy Teacher
was previously a deputy headteacher.
She says: “As a deputy head and class teacher I saw many playground craze toys over the years… fidget spinners, collectable cards, Loom Bands, the list goes on. Don’t get me wrong, there were many occasions when they could become somewhat of a nightmare for teachers having to get children to put them away during lessons, but equally I have seen many benefits to these must-have playground crazes.
“Take the fidget spinners for example; these were traditionally used by children with additional needs who required sensory feedback and support to self-regulate in the classroom. As they became popular it removed any potential stigmas associated with them and supported inclusion. As with many tools and strategies that are put in place for children with additional needs, it can also support the other children too, and the popularity of a fidget toy meant all children were able to use the spinners to help them to self-regulate and be in a better place for learning once returning back to the classroom.
Spin Master
“The toys that usually become a playground craze typically cost £2 or £3, making them accessible for many children. The Loom Band craze was great for developing children’s fine motor, concentration and creativity skills. There are always hidden learning and developmental opportunities in these toys, which children may not access as frequently without the toy. The best way for children to learn is through play, and the playground craze toys enable them to do exactly this!
“There’s many benefits to the craze of collectable cards too, they encourage discussion and conversation with their peers, develop reading skills, and require the child to use their organisational skills. Children learn life skills such as understanding the effects of trading and swapping cards – once they’ve given it away they can’t get it back and they begin to understand the value placed on different cards and why, which are all really important skills to transfer into the real world.’’
Character Options
One For Fun is one supplier that has plenty to offer in this category. We asked CEO David Mordecai about the sector and its impact on the business:
Kids are back at school post-pandemic and back on the playgrounds, has this helped business?
It’s always good when we have kids back together again anyway, and yes it’s good to see them sharing crazes too and swapping toys and having fun. Anything like this helps our business - but to be honest I am just glad they are able to be back at school.
How will the cost of living crisis affect the pocket money and playground craze sector?
We are planning to increase this sector and as these are low-cost items to the consumer we think they will hold their own. There is obviously potential for growth as gift buying may become more cost-conscious.
How has kids’ use of online and social media apps such as Tik Tok changed the business?
Tremendously - many of the latest crazes start with streaming online and sharing. Pushpoppers was really helped by this as are all fidget toys. Our Scrunchem ball range and also Loom Bands are getting plenty of attention too at the moment.
Are crazes and fads speeding up, or slowing down? Are the dynamics changing?
The most successful crazes have always been generated from the playground up -kids talking to kids, with everything from yo-yos to fidget toys and let’s face it yoyos are the perfect fidget toy - it’s always been led by the end user. The dynamics have changed massively over the past 10 years with the rise and rise of influencers, social media apps and just the proliferation of access to all forms of media.
What are your key products for the rest of the year?
Loads of variations on fidgets, Pushpoppers, muddle puzzles - and our range of Scrunchems balls are flying out. Our mini beasts and the accompanying tubs are really popular and can be topped up for a very low retail price.
Ask the retailer
We asked our retailers what playground toys are selling well.
Vicky Brown runs two shops in South London/ Kent; Just Williams Toys in East Dulwich and Beckenham:
And how do those products reflect the changes in the market?
We are constantly bringing in new items to compensate for a shorter craze period; product development have to work on a shorter time cycle to keep interest high. Thankfully we are always looking ahead. “Playground crazes, where do I start! This changes all the time and between my two shops. At the moment Scoobidou and fidget toys (fidget spinner and fidget track) are very popular. However, squishy toys of any form - be it anything from a mesh ball to a squishy parsnip - never seem to ease in popularity. But I guess they fit perfectly into a pocket and are very tactile. We purchase our playground pocket money toys from a wide range of places including HTI, One for Fun and Muddleit. There items are really important to our business as they are volume purchases that are regular and affordable. They are a big part of the business.’’
Amanda Alexander owns Giddy Goat Toys in Didsbury, Manchester. She says:
“Pokemon cards are the consistent big seller, but fiddle toys, putty and squishy toys still sell. I even got asked for Loom Bands today.
“This category is really important, they’re what bring the kids in. So even though the sale value and often the margins are low on the pocket money crazes it keeps people coming back so that they remember that there’s a toy shop here when it comes to buying the biggervalue party presents, birthday presents and Christmas presents.’’
How are you communicating those
products to consumers? Through social media, bloggers and “These are lowcost items to the mainstream PR. Our consumer so we fidget toys were in the think they will hold national media again their own. There is this month. obviously potential
Looking beyond this year, where do for growth as gift buying may you see the market become more heading in 2023? cost-conscious
Given the current conditions, growth is expected. These are cost-effective David Mordecai, CEO One For Fun “ products at a time when we are all focused on the cost of living.
What are you doing to make your business more sustainable?
At One for Fun we do strive to be as environmentally friendly as we can and as such we are now moving all our classic wooden toys and wooden pocket money items over to not just FSC wood but FSC packaging, too. Our Animigos plush range is already filled with recyclable stuffing. Visitors to the Autumn Fair can take a look –we will be on Stand 20 – G40-H41.
One For Fun
Fact!
Pocket money pop stars
FLAIR GP
0208 643 0320 | sales@flairplc.co.uk
From cute, collectable brands to pop-and-swap mini-figures, Flair GP’s portfolio is packed full of pocket money toys that are sure to keep kids entertained in the playground this year. There’s a collectable line-up of interchangeable mini-figures to be discovered with Action Heroes, which feature pop and swap head and body pieces, and double-sided faces with different expressions. The pieces can be mixed and matched to create thousands of new combinations; the more figures they collect, the more characters they can create. Then, collectors can build their own Action Heroes worlds, with playsets and incredible action vehicles also available in the range. The collection launches in AW22 with two themed worlds to build, which bring the excitement of the police force and the awe-inspiring era of dinosaurs to the fore. Hamstars are coming! Hamstars are the super-talented hamsters who are all about music, fashion and hair. This fresh IP launches this A/W, with a host of cool lines to collect. There are four 3in Micro Popstars for kids to spend their pocket money on. Hamstars Micro Popstars are small plush personalities, made with 100% recycled stuffing, with long hair that’s fun to style. Each character comes with hairdressing accessories and comes in microphoneDid you know? shaped packaging. Little Hamstars fans can build on their collections with the larger 8in characters and One for dino fans… Action playsets. Heroes offers two themed From one new IP to another, Unicones are the worlds to build, one of sweet ’n sparkly unicorns with a slime surprise. Kids which brings the era of can collect all of the adorable unicorn characters dinosaurs to the fore in the range. Will they discover the rare, superrare or ultra-rare characters? Each unicorn comes hidden in a sweet ice cream cone, along with a variety of accessories and stickers to decorate the unicorn inside. There are more than 10 surprises to unwrap, and that’s not all. Inside each cone, children will also find one container of unicorn poop slime; there are 12 mystery styles to find.
Squish and collect!
CHARACTER OPTIONS
0161 633 9800 sales@charactergroup.plc.uk.
Character Options is a go-to for playground crazes and pocket money toys, with a raft of cool, stretchable, squishable and collectable brands.
This year, the firm is leveraging its worldwide success with stretchy, squishy, crunchy tactile toys with a new concept for the collectable dolls aisle: GooZonians. A launch collection includes six stretchy, squishy, crunchy superheroes from the mythical realm of GooZonia, where enchanted, rainbow-hued goo flows through everything. These beautiful, colourful heroes are 7ins tall and launched globally this June.
Supported by a gripping 12-minute webisode introducing the characters and the story behind the realm of GooZonia - girls everywhere are sure to fall in love with the GooZonians. Launching with webisode, TVC, FSDU and an extensive influencer campaign the range is set for full impact. Alongside six single Hero packs there will also be a Twin Pack with exclusive fillings on the royal leads Queen Ember and Princess Flik.
Heroes of Goo Jit Zu remains a top priority for Character Options, with the collection now sold in 50+ territories. And success for the collection is assured, thanks to the regular addition of new core themes, hot licences, and extensive marketing. Big news for 2022 are the Goo Shifters. The Heroes of Goo Jit Zu characters are back, embarking on a new journey to discover the secrets hidden within. Each Goo Shifter figure features a special hidden core. Kids find the core then crush it to power up their Goo Jit Zu hero and watch their goo transformation. In this latest series, there are seven new figures to collect; each has a unique hidden core to discover and explore, aligning the range perfectly with the continuing ASMR toy trend. Plus, don’t miss the limited-edition Corruptagon, with its epic light-up feature. The Goo Shifter theme continues with super-sized Rockjaw and Thrash Primal Packs – larger 8.5in figures complete with chomp attack jaws for added battle play. Plus, there will also be a Goo Shifter Versus Pack to collect: Shadow Orbs Scorpius takes on Liquid Gold Pantaro in the ongoing battle of Goo VS Evil.
There is lots of newness for Mash’ems – the squish kids can’t resist. In this licensed, surprise reveal range, kids will find all their favourite characters hidden inside cool Mash’ems capsules. There’s a host of squishy figures to collect; the latest collections include Batman, and the Amazing Spidey and Friends. These new licences join the likes of other power licences including Pa Patrol, Peppa Pig, Disney Princess, My Little Pony, Harry Potter, Disney Frozen and Toy Story, with lots of new waves available to collect.
Fact!
Eldrador’s Mini Creatures feature 13 new characters, with 16 more to come in December Fantastic creatures
SCHLEICH
01279 870000 schleich@schleich.co.uk www.schleich-s.com/en
Schleich’s collectable offering has seen another successful year with strong additions to both its Eldrador Creatures and bayala ranges.
This month sees the launch of Series 2 of Eldrador Mini Creatures, with 13 new creatures including a rare golden Mini Hero, closely followed by Series 3 in December featuring a further 16 creatures. Available in a blind bag with a small collector’s poster, fans can stack the creatures up into a mighty pyramid before toppling them over, or pop them in the Eldrador Master Robot. The franchise will benefit from TV and digital advertising, PR and magazine covermount sampling.
Schleich’s magical bayala range added another seven collectable foals to its offering in July, each with a different candy marking on its hind. While the brand’s first mystery collectable eggs, featuring six Hatching Baby Dragons and six Winged Baby Kittens including two rare transparent, sparkling figures, has been a huge hit since its spring launch.
Hooray for
Hollywood rides
SIMBA SMOBY
01620 674 778 | sales@simbasmoby.com
There’s something for all car and movie fanatics in Simba Smoby Toys UK’s Jada Toys and Majorette die-cast vehicle collections, be they kids or kidults.
Big news for the Jada Toys collection this year is the launch of the latest Batmobile in its Hollywood Rides range. The ultimate must-have for Batman fans, The Batman 1:32 Scale is a perfect replica of the Dark Knight’s latest set of wheels. The Batman hit the big screen this March, giving fans a look at the highly anticipately Batmobile vehicle. The 1:32 scale die-cast vehicle comes with a scaled Batman metal figure. There are now seven 1:32 scale Batmobile with Batman packs to collect, each modelled on one of Batman’s on-screen appearances.
Also available in Jada’s Hollywood Rides range is a host of iconic properties including Back to the Future, Scooby Doo, and Jurassic Park. An evergreen seller in the range is the 1:32 scale Fast & Furious range, which includes detailed replicas popular cars from the eight-film, multi-billion-dollar franchise. Meanwhile, perfect for kids and kidult collectors is the Majorette range of diecast vehicles. Small in size but big on detail, this premium range of 3in scale cars boasts opening doors, suspension, transparent front lights and interiors. The collection is available to retailers as a 36-piece CDU, with a mix of 18 car models and themed cars. Guess what…
The Majorette range of diecast vehicles is available to retailers as a 36-piece CDU, with a mix of 18 cars
Playground crazes galore...
TOYNAMICS
0116 478 5230 | www.toynamics.com
Toynamics UK & Ireland distributes an entire collection of Hape pocket money toys and games, ideal for playground crazes and pocket money collectables. They are available to retailers in a bespoke freestanding display unit, or for retailers with limited space there’s a smaller counter display unit. Refill packs for both units ensure retailers can stay stocked up.
The FSDU accommodates more than 70 individual products, across more than 20 different types of games and toys.
Games include magnifying glass, whistles, animal stamps, spinning tops and kaleidoscopes, with the Hape Magnetic Drawing Board the best seller - the bright red apple is filled with metal balls, and the magnetic leaf pen is used to create pictures and patterns.
Toynamics also distributes Nebulous Stars, which provides children aged seven and over with creative play and craft sets. The Nebulous Stars Watercolour-To-Go (Pitch Black) Sets, are new this year; compact and portable art sets, which fold out and include a pad of paper and eight colours, mixing palate and paint brush, are available in a small display unit.
DinosArt offers a variety of dinosaur-themed craft sets, painting, drawing and collectable items for children aged seven-plus.
Toynamics provides marketing support for all brands and in-store product promotion.
