Dress up and roleplay – TnP dons some fancy

Let’s pretend

Rubies

Dress up and roleplay toys form an evergreen sector that has plenty of retail opportunities as we head towards autumn and winter

The evergreen sector of dress up and roleplay had shown a decline in 2021, but with films aplenty this year, and licensed toys showing a 16% increase according to NPD figures, there is plenty of positivity in this part of the toy industry.

Mike O’Connell, managing director of Rubies, the world’s largest designer, manufacturer and distributor of costumes says: “Big events in the first half of 2022 have seen our ranges take off with no sign of slowing down. As a business, we will see our

“Our

Adaptive Costume range has been one of the first the world has seen

Mike O’Connell, managing director, Rubies

Casdon industry-leading distribution grow further and customer availability reach new heights with the acquisition of a new warehouse in Northern Europe, enabling us to deliver more trade inventory, to more territories than ever before.’’

This sounds really positive, and Mike says the company has “bounced back from the pandemic to be bigger and better than ever. It has been great to see celebrations and events return to normality as people gather with their friends and family. With stag and hen dos, festivals, Pride and parties, we’ve seen a steady increase in demand for our generic accessory ranges. while our licensed portfolio remains strong for summer-themed events.’’

Likewise, the signs are good at roleplay specialists Casdon, says managing director Phil Cassidy: “There is still an upwards trend for the traditional roleplay toys. Especially ones that encourage imaginative play patterns. Casdon was built on my grandfather’s belief that toys need to have a role in children’s learning and development as well as being fun to play with and this is still very much recognised today.’’

Mike O’Connell says that there are two key factors that have really helped boost the dress up sector: “A combination of big events, both nationally – such as World Book Day - and internationally such as Carnival, has seen the industry reinvigorated and ready to supply consumers with costumes and accessories essential to celebrations. Furthermore, large-scale cinematic releases such as DC’s The Batman, Universal’s Jurassic World: Dominion and Marvel’s Spider-Man: No Way Home are helping to bolster our existing strong portfolio.’’

But he says the biggest change Rubies has seen is that every aspect of business is now more interlocked with the web than ever before. “As a highly adaptable company, we’ve been able to keep up with this online demand by making our digital capabilities more enhanced and innovative to help stay ahead of the curve.’’

There’s also been a move towards a younger age group, he says: “The preschool and early ages market is one that has been growing exponentially recently; with the acquisition of licences such as Numberblocks and Cocomelon, we’ve been able to cater to this growing audience in new and exciting ways. Intersected with this is the phenomenal rise of streaming platforms as consumers access most of their digital media through services such as Disney+, Amazon Prime and Netflix, which influences fancy-dress

demand heavily. For example, our Spidey and His Amazing Friends costumes has been very well received among audiences who love catching up with the superheroes’ latest adventures online.’’

Inclusivity is another trend in the dress up sector says Mike: “As we see

the broader population’s “attitude change positively towards inclusivity, we are seeing the same in the industry. We’re proudly committed to championing it, and this is why our Adaptive Costume range has been one of the first the world has seen.

“We’re also seeing a massive shift in shopping habits towards sustainability, and correlating with this is our own Green Costume range, which helps consumers make the right choice when it comes to the environment and simultaneously cuts down on waste generated by the dress up industry. With Rubies new Green Range, some of the most loved licensed characters including Stormtroopers, Superman and the Hulk, are brought to life in an entirely new and Earth-friendly way.

“With machine washability to reduce the amount of single-use costumes and waste from the industry going to landfill, as well as being made of recycled polyester with 100% recycled and recyclable packaging, we are consciously committed to protecting the planet for future generations. We are also donating out-of-term inventory to charities such as The Children’s Society to ensure we avoid landfills and wastage.’

“As always, cinematic releases also help to influence costume trends, especially around Halloween. Our Obi-Wan Kenobi and Thor: Love and Thunder costumes are hotly tipped to be two of the bestsellers as we come into peak season. ‘’

So, what else can we expect in dress up and roleplay this year?

Casdon has just taken on a new licence, as Phil Cassidy explains: “We have continued to build on our heritage, this year saw us welcome a completely new licence as well as unveil new products across the portfolio.

“We celebrated the 25th anniversary of our exclusive licence partnership with Dyson. It was timely for us to reveal three new SKUs to our best-selling range of vacuum cleaner toys as well as bringing together Dyson Hair and roleplay, with the Dyson Supersonic and Corrale Styling Set. These toys include miniature versions of the Dyson Supersonic Hairdryer and Dyson Corrale Hair Straighteners. “We also have a fresh new licence in the Casdon portfolio,

There is from one of the world’s still an upwards trend for the leading houseware brands with a global presence spanning more than 100 countries – Joseph Joseph. We have traditional role play toys. launched six products in Especially the range, including the ones that encourage Joseph Joseph Extend which takes water play to a whole new level. “ imaginative play patterns Phil Cassidy, managing director, “As always, the toys have been designed and officially licensed to look just like the real thing, the Joseph Joseph Extend Casdon set comes complete with a wash bowl and tray to capture small spills while water can be pumped from the bowl through the dispenser and back again for endless play “Another new product is the Joseph Joseph Bake. This colourful set features four interlocking measuring cups, a large mixing bowl, twist whisk, egg spatula and ergonomic rolling pin.’’ Finally, where is the market heading, beyond 2022? “With our line-up of new products and updates on our current ranges I believe we will have a storming end of the year and beyond, but that won’t come without inevitable margins suffering - which we are prepared for,” says Phil Cassidy. “Our biggest challenge is freight costs, which seems impossible to overcome, so stock management is of the highest importance. However, with as little control as we have in this, our team is doing a We asked:

What brands do you stock in this sector?

We don’t do dress up beyond fairy wings, tiaras and builder’s hats as we just don’t have the room, plus the supermarkets and discount retailers tend to have lots of lower-price dress up, but we do have lots of roleplay, specifically Le Toy Van and Bigjigs wooden play food sets and Tool Belt, and Casdon Sweet Shop, Post Office and tills.

What sells really well?

The Bigjigs Cutting Fruit and Cutting Vegetable are probably the best sellers in this range. We also have a great Play Teachers set, which was put together by a local teacher for his two young daughters who loved it so much that he made it into a set to sell.

Is there anything you would love to stock but can’t find?

A nice affordable children’s jewellery range to replace Pink Poppy. Amanda Alexander, Giddy Goat Toys, Didsbury, Manchester

What brands do you stock in this sector?

In dress up we stock Leglar, M&D and Rubies and looking forward to the launch of the Bigjigs new roleplay costumes. Our best sellers are pirate costumes and nurses.

What sells really well?

Accessories always sell well; we don’t seem to ever stock enough wings, crowns, tiara, wands, swords and various hats from fireman to pirate hats. For roleplay in general our best sellers are Peterkins carry cases of tea sets, medical kits and tool boxes. Customers love the fact they come in a carry case to help tidy them up and be portable for journeys and holidays. Vicky Brown, Just Williams Toys, East Dulwich and Beckenham

fantastic job with logistics, and we are confident in the solutions they will find.’’ For Rubies, the digital influence is key: “Streaming services show no sign of slowing down and with that, the trend for fancy-dress costumes and accessories from this type of content continues to grow to new heights. The market is continuing to grow exponentially, and with the growth in our dropship capabilities and distribution capacities, we’re able to appeal to a wide new audience,’’ concludes Mike O’Connell.