Toys n Playthings by Lema Publishing

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Helping everyone sell more

18 ary 20 u r b e F 5 7 No. Vol. 3

Independently audited ABC circulation of 5,121

1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017

CONTENTS Regular

18 ary 20 Febru No. 5 7 Vol. 3

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

Leader – with Mirella Anstey

News – the latest toy industry headlines

People News – all the movers and shakers

Movie news – what’s happening on the big screen

Media News – the multimedia rundown

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

Retail News – the latest from across the retail landscape

20 Toy Fair Toy Talk – what was hot for retailers at the January show 21

TnP Ambassadors – our tiny testers try out products

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

Mairead Wilmot mairead@lemapublishing.co.uk

Watch Out For… – a round up of toys you really don’t want to be without

Licensing News – the latest on licensed products

Spotlight on... A.B.Gee – one product, all teh USPs explained

Writer

Rhys Thomas rhys@lemapublishing.co.uk

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

Don’t Miss – unmissable products for all buyers and retailers

Editor

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

Features

Publisher

Science and nature – Experimenting, coding, exploring the great outdoors — what’s not to love

Special Report 16

Retail Interview – Kids Stuff’s Stephen Hartﬁeld looks back on 30 years in business

Cover Story – Learn about Screechers Wild and how Alpha Animation has taken a quick hold on the industry

Production Director Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

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30 Collectables – How social media is charging the rise of the collecting craze 42

Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

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48 Toy Fair Review – looking back on the London show

Design and Production Marian McNamara marian@lemapublishing.co.uk

Managing Director Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

Circulation Manager Robert Thomas robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

TnP TV at Toy Fair – who made it onto the small screen?

Spring Fair Review – how was it for toy exhibitors?

Nuremberg Toy Fair – news from the European show

Columnists 22

Retail Opinion – why you must understand what the shopper wants says John Ryan

The Independent – our indie is recovering from the whirlwind of the show season

News Kids on the Block – child-friendly content for YouTube

Media Analysis – why TV advertising is still key in the industry

Lema Publishing Ltd

PUBLISHING

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

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

Independently audited ABC circulation of 5,125 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016

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toysnplaythings.co.uk

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Helping everyone sell more

LEADER Mirella Anstey

I A member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation

Independently audited ABC circulation of 5,121 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2017

PUBLISHING

At the heart of retail Also published by Lema Publishing

licensing T O D A Y

W O R L D W I D E

magazine

TableWare INTERNATIONAL

always feel really privileged this time of year. Between previews, trade shows, meetings behind closed doors with strict NDAs and hosting TnP TV, I think I must be one of the most clued-up people this side of the Smyths buying team when it comes to the year’s newest toys. And what a line-up of toys it is. Between London Toy Fair, Nuremberg and Spring Fair, this year’s spread of products has to be the most diverse I’ve seen yet. Some companies, like Character, Flair, Golden Bear, Playmobil, MV Sports, VTech (there are too many to mention everyone), did what they do best and showcased another stellar line-up of toys — with proven sellers, innovative new products and the quirky lines that could just be the next big thing. But I was also impressed by some top suppliers that have really come out of their shell this year and stepped it up a notch. Learning Resources’ coding robot Botley is incredible, and the media and buyer furore surrounding it at Olympia is testament to that. It’s everything that makes Learning Resources so popular with kids and parents – real, substantial learning wrapped up in a clever, fun toy. Bandai too are spreading their wings. Power Rangers looks amazing (when has it not) but moving into yoyos and new collectables are bold, sensible moves that are sure to pay off. That’s clearly the work of a team passionate about driving their business forward along with their retail partners’ businesses. That’s just a drop in the bucket and these are just two top suppliers that epitomise this year’s wave of toys for me: innovative, affordable toys that parents will buy — Brexit belt-tightening or otherwise. We’re still buzzing from publishing the London Toy Fair Daily News, an annual highlight for the whole of Team TnP and I. Yes, we work long hours, and yes, not every member of the wider team gets to spend as much time on each stand as they’d like, but it’s a great honour to be able to share everyone’s news and views at the show each year. Thanks for all the incredible feedback.

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Bandai’s GM Nic Aldridge got straight to the point on TnP TV

We’ve worked hard to make the Daily News a key pillar of the show, and I know how many of you love having it on your stand and at the doors when you walk in each day. Of course, the big news on the retail front is Toys R Us — a tale as tangled as they come. Everyone we spoke with is rooting for the toy retail mainstay, and despite constant issues the leadership team there are doing everything they can to stay afloat, preserve jobs, and continue bringing toys to families not just in the UK, but around the world. A huge thank you must go out to everyone that collaborated with us this show season. From the suppliers that gave us a look at their brand new lines, and the retailers who shared their expert knowledge and insight, to everyone at the BTHA and beyond. It’s been a pleasure to bring you true multimedia coverage of the most exciting time for the industry across our magazines, supplements, newspapers, daily newsflashes and exclusive videos. We’re all about bringing you the latest developments in the trade however you prefer to get your news. Speaking of which, we’re delighted to welcome Alpha Animation and Toys to our cover for the very first time this issue. Their new range Screechers Wild looks like nothing we’ve seen before, and when it comes to passionate teams, I think Alpha Group might just take the biscuit. You must read their cover story on page 26, where we spoke to UK GM Mark Slater-Hyndman and the heads of the firm’s global design and brand departments. If you’ve been looking for a new range that is built from the ground up to succeed, you may just have found it. That’s another show season wrapped — almost. The North American International Toy Fair is just on the horizon, and TnP will be at the show to bring you the latest from the Big Apple and beyond. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled on our daily newsflash for updates from across the pond.

This year’s wave of toys for me: innovative, affordable toys that parents will buy

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

Learn all about Screechers Wild on page 26

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The Toy Fair Daily News was a huge success

NEWS

The Toys R Us tale continues… More than one twist has arisen in the ongoing tale of Toys R Us and its future since it first entered bankruptcy in September 2017. News of Toys R Us’s woes has dominated business and retail headlines across the national press, with the latest reports suggesting potential buyers of the retail group’s UK arm could face a price tag of £120m. Sky News said earlier this month it understood that Hilco — a restructuring firm that helped pull HMV back into the black in 2013 — was one of a small number of bidders eyeing the company. But contrasting reports in The Guardian said it was unlikely; these firms tend to swoop as companies circle closer to administration. Either way, sources speaking to The Telegraph said an immediate cash injection of £50m would be expected of any buyer in order to repay the group of bank lenders that have come to

the aid of the troubled toy retailer’s US parent company. A further £70m would be needed to get Toys R Us UK’s proposed ﬁve-year plan underway as it aims to tackle its main competition in the UK — largely Amazon and Argos. The money would be used to revamp stores, bring in measures to offer more competitive pricing and invest in updating its online retail offering. The retail group also wants to cut the floor space of its 79 stores — the number that remains after a wave of closures — by more than a third. This would be followed by the opening of a new group of around 30 smaller “Express” stores to serve regions of the country left without a Toys R Us. Documents obtained by The Mail on Sunday’s This is Money show Hasbro, LEGO and Mattel as key debtors, each owed between £3.5m and £5m.

Close shave Toy industry veteran Ross McDonald had a close shave at Toy Fair to raise funds for a charity very near and dear to his heart. Toy Fair 2018 marked 18 years since Ross’s daughter was involved in a road trafﬁc accident that left her with life limiting brain injuries. Over the years, The Silverling Brain Injury Charity has supported Ross and his family — and this year he went the extra mile to give back. Ross was taking donations to shave his head, and as the clock struck midnight it was time to go. “Crazy thing was, this wasn’t planned,” says Ross. “As midnight approached, Dave Howard (Drumond) had over £550 cash and promises of a further £1000 — now paid. Jackie Davies from Hasbro dipped again into her pocket for the honour of using the clippers.” Visit www.thesilverlining.org.uk to learn more about the charity.

Character reveals solid sales The Character Group has released a trading update ahead of its Annual General Meeting on Friday, revealing year-on-year growth in domestic sales in the first four months of its trading year. The company said overall sales were in line with expectations, and although external factors had impacted international business, directors are confident the supplier’s leading brands will continue to spur business in 2018. The statement said: “Our leading brands, the top five being Peppa Pig, Little Live Pets, Stretch, Mashems and Teletubbies, continue to trade well. These core ranges will be strengthened as we add innovative product extensions to them. “We continue to add exciting new ranges, such as the new line-up of Pokémon products, which will be launched at retail this summer.”

NPD’s Frederique Tutt announced the news at London Toy Fair

UK still on top A dip in UK toy sales still couldn’t knock the country off the top spot in Europe, as it has retained its crown as the largest market in the territory. Though sales did decline 2.8 per cent, NPD’s Global Toy Analyst Frederique Tutt noted that it was a particularly tough year for all non-food retail sectors — and also stacks up worse against an exceptional 2016. Bright spots include a buoyant collectables category, growing 17 per cent in 2017, and strong performances from Doll playsets, Pre-school Figures and Action Figures.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Fence Club welcomes Andrew The Fence Club welcomed its latest member, Andrew Carley, Head of Global Licensing at eOne, during the Fence Club’s Toy Fair evening at Chelsea Harbour Hotel in January. Andrew collected his membership pin at the event, as 200 enjoyed a fab meal and a great band — and raised a handsome sum for charity. Speaking to TnP, Andrew says: “I’m delighted to be invited to join the Fence Club. Its fundraising efforts for children’s charities are admired by everyone and I am now very much looking forward to being a part of those efforts.”

New chairman for Mattel Mattel has appointed Ynon Kreiz, a director of Mattel since June 2017, as Non-Executive Chairman of the Mattel Board of Directors. Ynon succeeds Christopher A. Sinclair, the Executive Chairman of the Mattel Board and former CEO of Mattel, who last June announced his intention to retire at the end of his term. Ynon brings more than two decades of experience in the media and entertainment industries. He is the former Chairman and CEO of Maker Studios Inc., a leading creator of online short-form video content, and served as Chairman and CEO of Endemol Group, one of the world’s largest independent television production companies.

Toy Trade All Stars kick off! The Fence Club Hong Kong charity football match between the Toy Trade All Stars and a HK select 11 last month at the Happy Valley Stadium raised more than £40,000 for the Fence Club Charity. The match, which saw a record attendance of more than 320 people, had a truly international feel with both players and supporters coming from all over the world. The highly competitive game resulted in a 1-1 draw, with the Toy Trade All stars arguably deserving the win!

FEBRUARY 2018

BTHA briefing Rebecca Deeming, the BTHA’s Public Relation’s Manager, gives us a post-Toy Fair update on this year’s event and the association’s goals and focus for 2018 How are we in February already? Toy Fair flew by and what a great show it was. On behalf of everyone at the BTHA, I’d like to say a huge thank you to all exhibitors and visitors that came to the show, Toy Fair wouldn’t be what it is without your continuous support. It was great to see the whole industry under one roof and discover the exciting new products being launched this year. From the great range of collectables that continue to drive the market, to a vast array of board games and STEAM toys, 2018 looks promising for the industry. The show also secured some great media coverage in print, online, radio, and TV, including various slots on BBC Breakfast, which featured some fantastic pieces for exhibitors. The Toy Industry Awards was once again a lovely occasion, celebrating the various achievements from the past 12 months. A big thank you also to all who donated towards the media auction which raised an incredible £72,900. The funds raised will go towards the Toy Trust’s overall fundraising for 2018 which will help the many children’s charities it supports throughout the year. The show may have only just finished but applications for Toy Fair 2019 are already open. Companies can apply online at www.toyfair.co.uk where you can learn more about the early booking discount. BTHA members also benefit from a 24% discount off their stand too. As well as the re-booking of stands at Toy Fair, our sights now turn back to the continuing effort of advocating on behalf of our members and tackling the issues affecting our industry. Here at the BTHA we will continue with Brexit negotiations with policy makers as well as fighting counterfeiters. More information on these developments can be found in future columns. If you would like to learn more about BTHA membership, please contact Tracey@btha.co.uk or call 020 7701 7271. If you are already a member and would like to receive our weekly newsletter, please e-mail me at Rebecca@btha.co.uk.

NEWS

Hasbro hits the target Net revenues for Hasbro’s full-year rose four per cent to $5.21bn in 2017, driven by strong performances from Transformers, Nerf, Monopoly and My Little Pony. The performance gave Hasbro operating proﬁts of 15.6 per cent — a good showing despite being hit with US tax reform charges to the tune of $269.5m. It was a strong year across the global toy giant’s major segments, with its domestic US and Canada business up ﬁve per cent, international business seeing growth of two per cent, and its entertainment and licensing segment soaring to 8 per cent growth. Focusing in on toys, Hasbro’s own franchise brands and Hasbro Gaming both saw 10 per cent upswings in revenue, but it was a different story for partner brands. A weakerthan-expected outcome for Star Wars and Yo-Kai Watch saw revenues in this category dip 10 per cent, although Beyblade, Marvel and Sesame Street all saw growth.

On the money! Digital money box Money Monsters made its debut at January’s London Toy Fair and had a stelllar show! Money Monsters is a digital money box for kids connected to a real Sanatander bank account with a real card. The idea is that parents put money into the connected bank account and the monster’s eyes light up to tell the young owner there is money inside. The screen will reveal the full account balance. Money Monsters are expected to be released later this year.

What’s hot in New York The Toy Association’s Kristin Morency Goldman takes a look at the hottest trends at New York Toy Fair The hottest new toys and games of 2018 are bought to life this February at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, where buyers, licensors, press, and other play-lovers gathered to attend The Toy Association’s world-renowned North American International Toy Fair. “Toy Fair unveils a crop of exciting and innovative playthings that are truly engaging and entertaining, whether they are tech-driven or unplugged,” says Adrienne Appell, trend expert at The Toy Association. “And with so many exciting, family-friendly

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With so many exciting, familyfriendly movies on the horizon, we predict that licensed playthings will continue to be hot

”

movies on the horizon for 2018, licensed playthings will continue to be hot across various categories.” According to Appell, toymakers are capitalising on the “unboxing” trend on social media to get kids even more excited about collectible toys (which were a key growth category for the US toy industry in 2017). “Companies of all types and sizes showcased collectables in blind bags, extensions of best-selling lines, and brand-new innovations in the collectables category,” says Appell. There’s also been a surge in family board games and puzzles that foster unplugged play,

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Top toy awards

Vivid new look With a new corporate logo and leadership team, Vivid is full steam ahead for 2018 with a raft of new licenses and ranges to drive the company forward into a new era. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Vivid has experienced an exciting year since the company was acquired by Privet in early 2017. Looking forward to what promises to be a fantastic 2018, Vivid showcased its recently announced partnership with Nickelodeon’s Nella The Princess Knight at London Toy Fair, which offers an exciting global toy platform for the company. Already experiencing strong success across Europe through the company’s Crayola division, numerous toy lines, and in the UK with the Drumond Park games division, Vivid also announce significant new distribution partnerships designed to further strengthen its position within the industry. “The new Vivid logo represents a dynamic shift for the company in the way we manage and develop our business both internally and as a global player in this dynamic industry,” said Tony Hicks, CEO of Vivid. “The creative team here at Vivid worked hard to develop a logo that best reflected our ideology and our company ethos with fun at its core but responding to the growing need for a corporate identity that could be adaptable across traditional and new communication platforms as well as on pack. The design is indicative of our global aspirations under new ownership and leadership.” The new logo will be rolling out over the next few months across all Vivid communication channels and packaging with a view to being fully completed by spring 2018.

and, on the other end of the spectrum, innovative tech toys with enhancements in Artiﬁcial Intelligence (AI), RC capabilities, augmented reality, and STEMlearning components. “In particular, ‘screen free’ tech toys are expected to be a major draw for parents who are mindful about balancing screen time with traditional play,” says Appell. “For example, wearables that track everything from ﬁtness levels to tooth-brushing are on the rise, as companies become even more creative about how they weave tech into their products.” To help toy companies home

FEBRUARY 2018

MGA’s L.O.L. Surprise! and Spin Master triumphed at the Toy Industry Awards, winning Toy of the Year and Supplier of the Year, respectively. A BTHA Golden Teddy Award was also presented to Colin Rossiter of Character Options for outstanding achievement and a career in the toy industry that has spanned 40 years. Organised by the British Toy & Hobby Association with the Toy Retailers Association (TRA) – the awards were presented at the gala event held in Olympia’s Apex Room following the ﬁrst day of the 65th annual Toy Fair. Action Toy of the Year:

Stretch Armstrong, Character Options

Pocket Money Toy of The Year:

Pokémon Cards, Asmodee UK

Interactive Toy of The Year:

Fingerlings, Jazwares

Craze of The Year:

L.O.L. Surprise, MGA

Collectable Range of The Year:

Hatchimals Colleggtibles, Spin Master

Retro Toy of the Year:

Rubik’s Cube, John Adams

Game of The Year:

Dobble, Asmodee

Doll of The Year:

Luvabella, Spin Master

Creative Toy of The Year:

L.O.L. Fizz Maker, MGA

Pre-School Toy of The Year:

Paw Patrol Vehicles, Spin Master

Electronic Toy of The Year:

Laser X, Character Options

Licensor of The Year:

Nickelodeon

Special Recognition Award:

Playmobil

Supplier of The Year:

Spin Master

Toy of the Year:

L.O.L. Surprise, MGA

in on the hottest trends of 2018, The Toy Association’s team of trend-spotters hosted a Toy Trends Brieﬁng at Toy Fair. The free seminar unveiled the year’s biggest trends and featured product examples from the show ﬂoor.

FUTURECASTING In the months following New York Toy Fair, The Toy Association’s trends team will get down to work scouting developments for 2019 and beyond, attending events in parallel industries and The Toy Association’s own PlayCon (in May) and Fall Toy Preview (in October).

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Wearables that track everything from ﬁtness levels to toothbrushing are on the rise

”

The Association has also entered a new partnership with ProdigyWorks to help develop a clear view of the future of play. ProdigyWorks is assembling expert insights from retail and consumer strategists, toy collectors, parents, mobile app developers, mechanical engineers, neuroscientists, and others, to bring high-level, outside thinking in to address potential innovations and challenges in the toy and play space. The ﬁrst topic addressed by the experts is “the future toy consumer and the future retail ecosystem for toys”. The ﬁndings will be unveiled at PlayCon.

PEOPLE

NEWS

Jumbo grows team Jumbo Games has strengthened its sales and marketing team with two new recruits to its UK ofﬁce. Mark Holland joins the Jumbo sales team as National Account Manager, bringing over 15 years of toy industry expertise to the role. Bryce Vernon joins the marketing team and will be responsible for managing Jumbo’s growing digital platforms.

Nancy’s promoted Nancy Twynam, formerly Marketing Director for Consumer Products for the UK region of BBC Worldwide, has been appointed Marketing Director across all BBC Worldwide UK. Nancy will be responsible for the brand and marketing strategy for BBC Worldwide’s TV Sales, Consumer Products, Publishing and Live Events businesses.

Mike’s the key Wilton Bradley has promoted Area Sales Manager Mike Gascoigne to the role of Key Account Manager. Mike said: “‘I’m really looking forward to my new role at Wilton Bradley as it’s a very exciting time for the company. We have some great new products and licenses for 2018 which we can’t wait to get into the market.”

MD gets OBE

Alex joins the board Following the continued growth of Generation Media, the agency has promoted Alex Taylor-Smith to Director of Business Development. “The journey so far has been an exciting one and I look forward to being a part of the team navigating the future of the business,” said Alex. Alex writes a monthly column for Toys n Playthings.

Premier Decorations MD John Athwal has been honoured by the Queen in the New Year’s Honours List, having been made an OBE for his services to business and charity. The Order Of The British Empire recognises John’s outstanding contribution to the British economy for his thriving Christmas supply business, now employing 84 permanent staff and 250 temporary staff during the delivery season as the company celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2018.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

MOVIE

NEWS

2017’s biggest movie Star Wars: The Last Jedi was the biggest film of 2017 after taking £73.1m in just three weeks and spending 22 consecutive days at number one. The result comes from box office measurement company comScore, which calculates the full 52-week box office takings that closed on 4 January, and means Disney is, for the second year in a row, the biggest UK and Ireland distributor

of the year with £265.1m in box office takings across just six films. Disney had three out of the top five performing films of the year at the UK and Ireland box office with Beauty and the Beast taking £72.4m – the second biggest film of the year – and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 taking £41m. Star Wars: The Last Jedi is currently the 7th biggest film ever released in the UK and Ireland.

Mario leaps into cinemas

Box office record Filmgoers gave UK and Ireland cinemas their biggest-ever grossing year in 2017, raking in £1.378bn over 52 weeks, according to movie industry analyst ComScore. Revenues increased by 3.6 per cent on 2016, with the UK box office pulled in £1.33bn. This jumps even higher to 6.1 per cent when comparing like-for-likes. It is the third consecutive recordbreaking year for UK cinemas. Disney’s line-up contributed 19.2 per cent of overall ticket sales. The studio’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Beauty and the Beast were the top two grossing films of the year.

Nintendo has confirmed that a movie is to be produced using characters from the Super Mario games. Nintendo will be working with Illumination Entertainment, the company responsible for films such as Minions and Despicable Me, on the new movie, which is rumoured to be set for a 2020 release. A live-action film, Super Mario Bros., starring Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo and Dennis Hopper, was released in 1993.

Small Marvel Superhero fans have been given their first look at the forthcoming Ant-Man and The Wasp movie from Disney’s Marvel Studios. The official synopsis for the film says: “From the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes a new chapter featuring heroes with the astonishing ability to shrink: Ant-Man and The Wasp. In the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a Super Hero and a father. As he struggles to rebalance his home life with his responsibilities as AntMan, he’s confronted by Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) with an urgent new mission. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside The Wasp as the team works together to uncover secrets from their past.

The one and only Disney gave Star Wars fans their ﬁrst glimpse of this year’s Han Solo movie during the Super Bowl on February 4. Solo: A Star Wars Story is the second standalone movie in Disney’s current batch of Star Wars movies, and focuses on a young Han Solo. The 45-second teaser teaser gave fans their ﬁrst look at the movie in action, with Alden Ehrenreich’s Han Solo joined by Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian – and of course, Han’s ever-present partner and co-pilot Chewbacca. Solo: A Star Wars Story is pegged for release on 25 May, 2018.

FEBRUARY 2018 11

MEDIA

NEWS

Magical memories

Book a Surprise! Parragon Books has unveiled a new line of L.O.L. Surprise! licensed titles across its book and books+ ranges, due to launch from spring 2018. Kirsty Bradbury, Group Sales & Marketing Director, Parragon, said: “L.O.L. Surprise! has been a huge hit this Christmas, combining collectability with the surprise reveal element so popular with children today. We are delighted to be working again with the creative team at MGA across a host of new products which aim to reﬂect the fun, creativity and collectability of this hit license.” The activity books will feature

lots of fun surprises with favourite L.O.L. Surprise! characters. With the new L.O.L. Surprise Cute ‘n’ Fierce colouring and activity book, readers can ﬁnd out which club they belong in, crack secret messages, create their own little rebel and lots more. The pack also includes four bold colouring crayons and over 30 outrageous stickers.

Third time’s a charm Tiger Aspect Productions is to produce a third series of Mr Bean The Animated Series. The series will air in 2019 on CITV in the UK and across international markets on Turner’s Boomerang (as well as other Turner Kids channels in select markets) through deals agreed by Endemol Shine International. Rowan Atkinson will return to voice the animated version of the British icon, and will continue to be involved in the creative direction of the show. The 26 x 11’ run will see Mr Bean and Teddy embark on new adventures, making new friends and getting into mischief along the way.

DHX Brands teamed up with National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) to create Magical Memories, a national campaign highlighting the social and emotional beneﬁts that hit pre-school brand, In the Night Garden, provides for children. The campaign aimed to reach 6000 nurseries and some 200,000 children, aged one to three, along with their parents and early years practitioners during January and February. Inspired by In the Night Garden’s enchanting and captivating world, along with its lovable characters Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy and Makka Pakka, the campaign helped pre-school children to create their own ‘magical memories’ through a varied set of activities, such as water exploration with Igglepiggle, expressive dancing with Upsy Daisy and creating story stones with Makka Pakka.

Thomas shakes it up Thomas & Friends is now available to watch seven days a week on Channel 5’s Milkshake, including weekdays at 6:50am and weekends from 7am. Series 21, the latest series, which launched last year, sees Thomas and his fellow engines embark on lots of exciting journeys. In 2017, Thomas & Friends reached a total of 4.8 million viewers including 1.4 million kids on Milkshake. It was also the pre-school programming block’s best year for share among kids aged four to 15 years-old, up 16 per cent year on year.

Three for all Entertainment One (eOne) has announced that a third series of its global preschool hit animated superhero TV show, PJ Masks, is currently in production. The new 52 x 11min episodes, produced by eOne and Frog Box, will further expand the PJ Masks universe with fresh adventures for brave heroes Catboy, Owlette and Gekko. As the third series of PJ Masks heads into production, the ﬁrst episodes from series two have just premiered in the US. eOne is now gearing up to roll out the new second season to the rest of the world from February 2018 on global broadcast platform, Disney Junior, France 5 in France and terrestrial channels in multiple markets.

Powerpuff Girls turns 20 The Powerpuff Girls celebrate their 20th anniversary this year. Celebrations begin in February with the global rollout of new episodes, events and products that will continue into 2019. Fourth sister Bliss will also return throughout the year. As the original harbingers of girl power, the iconic brand has been an inspiration to generations of girls and young women since its initial launch in November 1998. With more than $2.5 billion in retail sales generated since its original debut, The Powerpuff Girls is one of the most enduring and top-grossing Cartoon Network brands of all time.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

MEDIA

CHARTS

Change is coming elcome to the Media Report for December 2017. Last year was a rollercoaster year with regards to viewing levels. It was becoming extremely difﬁcult to predict viewing levels, as we were seeing massive movement of viewing from one station to another, based on programming and changes in the kids’s lifestyles. We are reporting viewing levels for Girls 4-9 years, Boys 4-9 years and Housewives with Children. The viewing levels for the Girls show some dramatic drops in viewing for the major Kids channels. Nick Jr. is doing well and there is a small increase for Disney, but other than that most of the other stations are down. Overall market for this sector is down by 15 per cent. There’s a slightly better picture for the Boys with the overall market down by 7.3 per cent. Tiny Pop levels have gone through the roof, Boomerang shows E a small increase as does WE AR E V E I L Channel 5, but the others WE BE A TOTAL are struggling to reach SEEINGFORMATION the ﬁgures delivered in H December 2016. TRANSW KIDS WIS D E O As mentioned in last ON H ENTERTAIN month’s report we believe TO BE we are seeing a total transformation on how kids wish to be entertained. TV is still the most powerful form of advertising to kids, for the moment, but social media is catching up very quickly. There is an overall feeling that social media will overtake TV advertising revenue within the kid’s market and most probably other sectors in the near future. The viewing levels for Housewives with Children are down by 1.6 per cent. Nickelodeon Junior, Tiny Pop and CiTV are showing increases. Most of the other stations are breaking even or showing a decrease on December 2016. The reported expenditure for the top 10 spenders is down by 8.3 per cent compared to December 2016, the overall market is down by 3.6 per cent. The next issue we will continue to look at these target markets.

Housewifes all Children Dec 16 vs Dec 17

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Boys 4-9 TVRs Dec 16 vs Dec 17

Girls 4-9 TVRs Dec 16 vs Dec 17

Dec 2016 Toy Company TV Expenditure

Dec 2017 Toy Company TV Expenditure

Company Name

TV Expenditure

Company Name

TV Expenditure

JLego Uk Ltd Vtech Electronics Ltd Character Options Ltd Ravensburger Toys Ltd John Adams Leisure Ltd Playmobil Uk Ltd Mattel Uk Ltd Epoch Uk Flair Leisure Prod Ltd Hasbro (Uk) Ltd

504,605 463,021 555,896 558,332 570,951 903,792 981,880 1,365,896 1,612,133 1,667,094

Ravensburger Toys Ltd Imc Toys Uk Ltd Lego Uk Ltd Character Options Ltd Flair Leisure Prod Ltd Playmobil Uk Ltd Epoch Uk John Adams Leisure Ltd Hasbro (Uk) Ltd Spin Master Toys Ltd

571,780 604,258 86,440 671,295 819,082 854,692 1,088,801 1,076,577 1,346,773 1,625,034

For more information on viewing levels please contact Mike Penfold. mike@globalmedia.me.uk Tel: 01494 763178. All graphs and information supplied by Global Media Services

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RETAIL

NEWS

Oh so quiet… Toys for big kids Barclaycard and Smyths Toys Superstores teamed up to beat the January blues with a Big Kids Aisle. The aisle of classic and modern toys at Smyths’ Staples Corner store was created to turn Blue Monday into Blue Funday, with over half of adults (51 per cent) polled by OnePoll saying that playing with children’s toys and games is stress-relieving. The Big Kids Aisle at the Smyths Toys Superstore was ﬁlled with retro classics such as Tamagotchis, Teddy Ruxpin and LEGO, as well as current favourites including Cozmo the Robot. Shoppers were able to relive their favourite childhood pastimes and play with the latest toys on offer. Life-size board games and adult versions of kids’ toys such as the increasingly popular Pony Cycle were also available for shoppers to try.

The Entertainer held a quiet hour each day in all of its UK stores this half term to create a more calming environment for children with autism. Running until Friday 23 February, for the ﬁrst hour of opening stores have been switching off the music in store to help create a calming and less daunting environment for children with autism. Gary Grant, Founder and Managing Director of The Entertainer, said: “We always strive to make our stores a happy place for people to visit and we have for some time been exploring ways in which we can make The Entertainer a more comfortable place for children with autism.”

Owners sell American Greetings stake UK Greetings’ owner American Greetings has announced the sale of 60 per cent of the card, gift packaging, party goods and stationery side of the company. The announcement revealed that Dewsbury-based UK Greetings is part of the deal but that the Weiss family is keeping full ownership of Clintons, which sells a number of plush brands and kids’ gifts, that the British retailers AG acquired out of administration in 2012, and American Greetings Entertainment. Eddie Shepherd, CEO of Clintons, said: “The Weiss family have been incredibly supportive owners of the business and it is fitting that on the eve of Valentine’s Day they are reaffirming their love for the brand. The Clintons team are delighted that we will continue to benefit from their knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm for real-world personal greetings.”

Nisa’s wonderful time of the year Nisa saw sales grow 17.7 per cent over the Christmas sales period, up to £277.2m from £235.6m in the same period last year. The wholesaler and convenience group, which at the end of last year agreed to be acquired by Co-op for £140m, said the 10-week performance was driven by an increase in the numbers of stores served, and a positive like-for-like performance, which increased by 1.7 per cent on the back of by investment in seasonal promotions.

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Toymaster gets LEGO makeover As part of its 60th anniversary celebrations LEGO gave its ﬁrst and oldest UK retail partner a special makeover last month. Osborne’s Toymaster in Rushden was the ﬁrst UK customer to buy and sell LEGO sets, and LEGO created the store front completely out of LEGO bricks to mark the longstanding partnership.

Tesco books new CEO Charles Wilson (pictured above, left) is to take over as CEO of Tesco’s retail and wholesale operations in the UK & ROI. The move will take place once the merger with Booker Group plc – expected on 5 March 2018 – has been completed. Until then, Matt Davies will continue in his role as CEO of UK & ROI. He will then offer support during the handover, and will leave the Group at the end of April 2018. The £3.7bn merger with wholesaler Booker was announced a year ago, and it was approved by competition watchdogs at the end of 2017.

FEBRUARY 2018

A high standard of entry was praised at last month’s Toy Retailer of the Year awards, with Toy Retailers’ Association chairman Alan Simpson said they had a hard task selecting this year’s winners. Toytown was the toast of the town, taking the Overall Retailer of the Year Award alongside its Specialist Multiple Retailer Over 25 Stores trophy. Having presented the retailer awards, BTHA chairman Jon Diver, said: “It is a great pleasure to see such a high standard of entry, and judges debated long and hard to determine this year’s winners. Recognition must also go to our worthy runners-up and big thanks must go to everyone for taking part.”

Who won what…

Every discount helps It’s believed that Tesco is planning a discount grocery chain to rival the likes of Lidl and Aldi. Reports suggest that the retailer has appointed Boston Consulting Group to help it work on the plan. It’s thought that Tesco is creating a new brand that would be able to match on price with the German discount stores.

Top of the shops

Overall Toy Retailer of the Year: Toytown

Waterstones in buy-out talks Waterstones has entered talks with activist hedge fund company Elliot Advisors, one of a small number of bidders in the frame for a possible takeover. According to Sky News, the High Street chain has granted Elliot Investors a period of exclusivity to agree on a deal before it is opened to the wider market. It was revealed last October that Alexander Mamut, the Russian billionaire who bought Waterstones from HMV in 2011, was considering selling the company for £250million. However, sources now state the asking price may now be signiﬁcantly lower.

Small Independent Toy Retailer of the Year: Just Williams Toys Large Independent Toy Retailer of the Year: Toymaster Cavan Specialist Multiple Toy Retailer of the Year (up to 5 stores): Toy Galaxy Specialist Multiple Toy Retailer of the Year (up to 25 stores): Kids Stuff Toys Specialist Multiple Toy Retailer of the Year (over 25 stores): Toytown General Multiple Toy Retailer of the Year: Argos Department Store Toy Retailer of the Year: Jarrold Online Toy Retailer of the Year: Smyths.

RETAIL KIDS STUFF TOYS

A family affair Award-winning Kids Stuff Toys started out as the seed of an idea three decades ago but has since grown into a labour of love connecting three generations and their many customers. Sarah Welsh spoke to Director Stephen Hartfield to find out more… 2018 marks three decades in business for Kids Stuff, but take us back to the beginning. How did it all start out for the Hartfield family? It was a few months before my younger sister Debbie, now 33, was due to start school and my mum Debbie had been shopping in our local town of Uckfield to try to find her a toy — I think it was a Tiny Tears doll. She couldn’t find one and came home quite frustrated and my dad said to her: “You’re going to want to do something once she’s in school all day — why don’t you open a toy shop?” And that was where Kids Stuff began. Funny where one conversation can lead you! When mum launched the business my dad already had his own, working as a milkman. Although he’s involved in some financial aspects of the business, Kids Stuff was all mum’s vision from the start. How did you come to work for Kids Stuff? Working in the toy industry is all I can remember really — I’d say it’s just in my blood. I enjoyed being in the warehouse helping to unpack deliveries from when I was in primary school, but I started

my first proper Saturday job grafting from 9am to 5.30pm at the age of 13. I did have a couple of years when I went to work for Barclays Bank but I didn’t enjoy it and soon came back. The toy trade has such a fun element to it. We’re a people-oriented company — many of our staff and managers have been with us for years and we’re very customer led. I also think this industry is exciting because it’s centred so much around innovation and design and there is always something new and fresh when it comes to product. Mum is still very much involved with Kids Stuff, and we work together on the buying side so it’s a real family business. My daughters Jasmine, 15, and eight-year-old Isabella are great in terms of ‘market research’, and in particular my youngest tells me she wants to come and work with us. It scares me a little but it’s also lovely to hear! You now have eight stores in addition to your thriving website business, but do you have a flagship store, and which one was the first to open? Uckfield was our first shop and we’re

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Over the past 30 years we’ve kept evolving, with a broad range of products and keeping up with trends. I’m pleased to say it seems to be a formula that’s working

” Favourite suppliers Reliable sellers for Kids Stuff include: Playmobil, LEGO, Mattel, Hasbro, Character Options, Flair and more recently, Green Elephant and Learning Resources. The Putney store does well with Rachel Ellen Designs, Brio and Micro Scooters.

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Stephen picked up the award for Specialist Retailer up to 25 Stores at this year’s TRA awards evening

still in the town in the same premises — although we’ve knocked through into the store next door. We then opened a branch in Crowborough, but that shut around three years ago. We now have eight toy shops, with our ﬂagship branch in Putney where we have 6000 square feet of retail space. We’ve had a presence in London for two-and-a-half years, but we’ve been in our current store since last May. We launched the website 10 years ago, and it’s certainly not as important as the stores. I use it more as a shop window now. I think to make a digital business pay you have to invest lots of time and money and I’d rather concentrate on our bricks and mortar. I’d rather sell to our loyal, local customer base.

we think certain product should go — what I call a planogram — but if certain merchandising is working well in one particular shop we’ll run with that. And similarly if one approach is working well in one store we might like to roll it out. Each of our stores feels like an independent. Buying we tend to do centrally at our warehouse in Uckﬁeld, but with certain brands — LEGO and Schleich spring to mind — you need to be able to react to customer demand so then we’ll deliver to the individual stores. With Putney, because of its size and the customer demographic, some lines do well there that might not do as well elsewhere. Here Rachel Ellen Designs, Brio and Micro Scooters have been important brands.

How do you approach visual merchandising across all branches? Is each store unique or do you have a streamlined approach across all management teams? Each of our stores has its own manager, and we have lots of ﬂexibility in terms of the way we work. We always have an initial layout in mind in terms of where

What are you favourite toy suppliers to work with? Playmobil, LEGO, Mattel, Hasbro, Character Options and Flair are always reliable for us in terms of sales and we also do try to support local suppliers as and where we can. 2017 was certainly the ‘year of putty’ and having spoken to Green Elephant

FEBRUARY 2018

Working in the toy industry is all I can remember really — I’d say it’s just in my blood

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RETAIL KIDS STUFF TOYS

Learning Resources’s Playfoam has been a winner for Kids Stuff

at a trade show they went from being a company I’d never worked with to my seventh biggest supplier. Playfoam from Learning Resources was also huge for us last year. These types of products are great as we can react quickly to crazes. When a customer comes in and asks about a particular product three or four times you know it means something. Looking ahead to 2018, what toy trends are you predicting will be big? This is going to be the year of unicorns and poo-related product! Soft ‘n Slo Squishies from Character Options also look set to be huge. Has the rise of social media made a big difference to your business? No doubt it’s had a big effect, but it’s a blessing and a curse really. The toy trade is very customer driven in the sense that children see things on YouTube and social media and come in to ask for it, but you can’t always get hold of them. Having different launch schedules around the world for new lines can make things

difﬁcult for toy companies in the UK! How was Toy Fair for you this year? The biggest show of the year for us is Toymaster at Harrogate but Toy Fair is always important in terms of planning ahead and it’s a very design-led show, so great to see all the new launches up close. There’s always a good atmosphere. Congratulations on your award win – not a bad way to celebrate your business anniversary! You’ve been nominated for many awards in the past – but what does winning Specialist Multiple Toy Retailer of the Year mean to you and the business? Our customers always tell us how well we’re doing, which is great but it’s very nice to be recognised for how we think a toy shop should be run by our peers. Over the past 30 years we’ve kept evolving, with a broad range of products and keeping up with trends. I’m pleased to say it seems to be a formula that’s working.

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I think to make ke a digital tal business ess pay you ou have to investt lots of time e and money y and I’d rather her concentrate on our bricks and mortar

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30 years Since Kids Stuff ﬁrst opened in Uckﬁeld, East Sussex

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RETAIL

OPINION

Toy talk

TnP loves to hear your views. This month we chat with retailers at Toy Fair to ﬁnd out what they enjoyed at the show and what they hope to be buying...

TnP caught up with some retailers and buyers before and during Toy Fair 2017 to ﬁnd out what toys they want to stock on their shelves and what suppliers they are deﬁnitely going to be visiting…

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I don’t understand people who don’t come to Toy Fair! We expect customers to touch product and see it in real life – we should do the same. You can’t buy by just looking at a catalogue or online. I look for quality, packaging and price in a product – and there are a few new lines I want to see while I’m here. I have placed some orders at the show. Playmobil did really well for us last year and I’ve bought from the new ranges as we were low on stock. I also bought some good general stock from Ty. Bill Deacon, Silly Billy’s Toy Shop, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire

“We’re a store that sells comics, cards, board games and comics. We also offer games nights in store. We’re hoping to ﬁnd a few new lines, especially in terms of trading board games. We’re really interested in some of the licensed products we’ve seen. The latest Pokémon lines from both Character Options and Asmodee UK have been our stand-outs of the show.”

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“As buyers for the educational sector – primarily large order quantities for children age zero to 16 – Toy Fair has proven exceptionally beneﬁcial to us. It’s been good to catch up with our suppliers in one format and has been a superb timesaving exercise for us – we have managed to see about 10 a day. We have seen a number of wow products for the business, in particular slime products and anatomical dolls.”

Mercedes Peake and Emma Burton, Findel Education, Hyde, Cheshire

Leah Parsons and Heather Leach, Chimera Leisure, Beeston, Nottingham

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Having visited for a number of years, it was imperative that we pre-planned our Toy Fair visit to ensure we get the most from our time while here. We have seen some great products from Playmobil, who have fantastic price points. Of course, an absolute must is Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty from Green Elephant Trading – this is amazing and sells extremely well. Alan Marquis, The Wharf Toy Shop, St Ives, Cornwall

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“ “As an aircraft museum we are looking for products that relate to aircraft or engineering. One exhibitor who has really stood out for us this year has to be Cobi. Although they are new to the UK the company is 30 years old. For us they provide a new type of model for our customers – different from die cast models – for collectors or little buildable models aimed at children.”

Jonathan Fulwell and Jeff Hill, De Havilland Aircraft Museum, St Albans 20

We are mainly a nursery company, and we’re looking to expand into toys that ﬁt with our original business, which was founded 15 years ago from the kitchen table and now turns over £1m. We’ve mainly been on the lookout for wooden toys from the likes of Le Toy Van and Melissa & Doug. And we’re interested in Playmobil because we loved playing with it when we were children! Gabby Johnston and Kerry Durham, PreciousLittleOne Limited, Grantham, Lincolnshire

” toysnplaythings.co.uk

AMBASS ADORS

Star buy Four-year-old Edison loves Star Wars and is thrilled when Uncle Rob treats him to the Hasbro Star Wars Forces of Destiny Rey of Jakku and BB-8 ﬁgures Edison is never more than a few feet away from a Star Wars toy, much like me when I was younger — except where I was obsessed with Han Solo and Chewie, he’s grown up with the latest chapters in the space saga so naturally his favourites are Rey and BB-8. Handily, Hasbro has just the thing with a brilliant double-pack containing the hero and her droid companion – and, might I add, for a very decent price. Getting both in one box makes feel like a proper treat. Clearly Hasbro know what they are doing.

Soft n slow smash hit! The slow rising foam craze is here with a vengeance – and two and half year old Austin is not immune! Grandma Carmela tells TnP all about it Austin is at pre-school and has been more than a little light-ﬁngered lately! The girls in his class have been bringing in lots of cute slow rising foam toys for their show and tell – pets, cakes and all sorts of other wonderful things. My little grandson has been coming home with them and so I am left with the task of returning them all the next morning. Up until now that is, as little Austin now has his hands on his very own slow rising foam. I bought these recently and they are by Character Options. I know there is lots of this sort of toy in shops and online at the moment, but I thought this one was perfect for him. Firstly, they are big! Really large products and very good value for money! Also, they are not very ‘girly’. I know that’s not a fashionable view nowadays but he is quite rough and tumble and likes very ‘boy’ things. These foody toys are neither boy nor girl but are not too much of one not the other – so perfect. But the best thing, Austin thinks, about these is that they are so soft, so squishy and they takes ages to come back to their original shape – he loves that they do that and to his little mind it’s like magic happening before his very eyes! Big thumbs up from us and actually all we want to say is that please Character Options, can you get some more in the shops!

FEBRUARY 2018

Put your stamp on it Like so many kids her age, four-year-old Evie just loves PAW Patrol, and anything that lets her get creative with her favourite characters is a hit Evie is a big fan of the animated TV show Paw Patrol, so when her uncle Simon gave her some themed Stampeez from BandL to play with she was delighted. “Evie loves Marshall, Ryder Chase and their friends, and she loves colouring and drawing, so combining the two in these fun stamps was the perfect combination for her,” he said. As soon as she was given the stamps, Evie got busy creating her own artwork using the inked stamps and felt pens. “Stampeez are really reasonably priced, too, so if she wants to collect other characters – there are Disney Frozen, Frozen Star Wars, Cars and Minions designs too — it won’t cost me a fortune!”

RETAIL

OPINION

Destination Barbie Creating demand is about understanding what shoppers want and playing to your hunches, says John Ryan

etail history is littered with single proposition stores Increasingly, these are somewhat thin on the ground and so that failed to capture the attention of shoppers – or if should do well as destinations in their own right. But many they did, perhaps they didn’t actually spend anything. don’t. The reason for this is probably pretty straightforward. Almost a decade ago, Mattel opened a six-storey, sugar-sweet As any department store operator will tell you, you just can’t Barbie store in Shanghai filled with the eponymous dolls and be all things to all people, so set out your stall on the basis of related paraphernalia appealing to a specific segment of the population. The world gasped, the press scribbled and around two And make sure that you are flexible. Another reason for years later in early 2011, the £20m enterprise closed its doors. the Barbie failure is that its design was so set in stone that if Whether a store on this scale dedicated solely to Barbie was visitors didn’t really like what they saw, Mattel was not really not wanted or whether the dolls were waning in popularity is a in a position to do much about it. moot point, but the fact is that it proved a costly mistake. Or put another way: make your store more of a destination. Fast forward more or less to the At any one time, there will always be present, cross the world and perhaps some part of the toy panorama that is you might find yourself in an American ‘on-trend’ and offering this almost to Your job as a toy Girl Place outpost. This is the retailer the exclusion of anything else is likely retailer is not just to select that offers dolls and the chance to to pay dividends, even if, God forbid, that which you think will sell this involves taking some of the things dress like them, for mothers and daughters (mainly). The format does that you hold dear off the floor. best, but to provide an appear to have enduring appeal and Now consider the current ‘all things environment that enhances 2017 saw the New York store getting to all toy-buying people’ retailers the product a major makeover, right down to and the obvious candidate is Toys R touchscreens for those wishing to do Us. The fact that this is an emporium so to create their own customised dolls where most things that are wanted and matching attire. will be stocked, and quite a lot besides, counts for nothing. The fact of the matter is, that providing the idea is given In an age when the internet is where choice resides, the enough rope, rather than hang itself, the single proposition toy retailer has to offer something different and this is a store will probably act as a destination. The Barbie debacle merchant that does not. may have simply been a matter of price; these things do not By this reckoning, the name of the destination game is come cheap and Mattel must have been aiming for a return on ‘curation’. Any wannabe retail psychologist will be quick to its hefty investment. tell you that too much choice baffles and that what shoppers The question is, given today’s Brexit-battered consumer seek is clarity: the process of editing already done for them. (and it hasn’t even happened yet), where might a retailer Your job as a toy retailer is not just to select that which looking for the next big thing turn to transform a shop you think will sell best, but to provide an environment that from a store into a must-visit? enhances the product. And for an idea of how this might be At this point, it is worth saying that if your done, head to any exhibition at one of the major art galleries. correspondent had a ready answer to this particular Every visit to a show of this kind involves a journey ending question he might well stop writing and contemplate up in the museum shop, where there will certainly be regular heading off to a waiting tax haven, but it is nonetheless items, but where most of the space will be give over to that worth considering a few options. which is related to the artist in question. Having provided the One road that it is not worth going down is the incentive – the exhibition – the shop seals the deal. war or video games route. With Games Workshop The same modus operandi should be applied in the successfully touting Warhammer, this is a path welltoyshop. Workaday toys should be in evidence, but it trodden. The same is probably true of anything to becomes a matter of how much of the precious in-store do with electronics. Such is the demand for the latest space you have you are prepared to devote to a single games that everybody from mobile phone networks item or toy category. Fortune favours the brave and true to standalone stores offering hardware and destination-creators will take a risk. Things can of course go software for gamers have covered the ground. wrong, so in backing your in-store hunch consider Shanghai But where does that leave the standard high Barbie. But it is still worth remembering that being a toystreet toy shop? meister does not mean being a jack-of-all-trades.

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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.

DECEMBER DE ECE EMB MBER ER 2017 201 017 7

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THE INDEPENDENT

OPINION

Off to a ﬂying start The Indie reﬂects on the whirlwind that is the start of every year in the toy trade, tackling everything from ever-changing buying strategies to this year’s amazing product offering

he whiskey season is almost over, and I am starting to get those looks from my beloved wife every time I mention that it must be time for another wee dram. In the run up to Christmas the stress of the trade in general is enough to drive a man to a drink! But at this time of year, especially with me sharing all manner of detail about how well this year has started, it’s a little bit more difﬁcult to gain her approval to sit on the sofa, not listening to a word she says, quietly thankful that I have such a small thing to look forward to each night. Anyway, it all has to come to an end at some point. To be honest, I think if I changed my tact and told her just how long it has taken me to recover from travelling about to trade fairs and studying products, I could probably carry on drinking until 2019 — but that might be pushing it a little. I am, as mentioned ed above, very happy with how this is year has started. I will be honest onest — as I usually tend to be — that I ﬁnished 2017 with a little bit it more stock than I had hoped. In n the main it is very good stock ck and it is selling well, but on some fronts I am in trouble and looking at my 2017 prize lines as now holding me back from buying ng some new toys I really want. I don’t know about many other retailers, but I struggled with the e bigger box items last year, and d now we are 2 months into the year ear and I am still looking at the majority ority of it, even when I drop the prices ices so it costs me money. This leads me to query if I got carried away with the quantities I thought I could sell. ell. Did the products under deliver liver and consumers were not ot willing to spend that level of cash on them? Or did I simply miss ss the sales that could have been captured aptured had I been more on the ball with my pricing and location on of these high ticket products? To o be honest, I have no idea and my feeling is that it is probably a mixture xture of all of the above. I always make sure re that I have

FEBRUARY 2018

the top lines, as we do usually sell them quite well, but my gut always tells me to order a bit less and make sure I don’t end up in the situation I find myself in now. And yet here I am. I remember when I was only a few years into toy retailing I wanted to experiment with my purchasing to see if there was a trend that would work for my stores and customers so that I satisfied as many as possible, but in turn covered my own back so I could put a big smile on my face when I ran out of stock in the middle of December. Turns out the only trend I ever found was that I got my plan wrong every year, and subsequently could match up certain trends that, in hindsight, would have worked really well with some of the toy line ups. It makes me laugh now, because I had this really strong feeling, deep inside, that everything was logical. I am not sure if it is a little trait of mine or not, but I still feel like anything that is illogical just annoys me. Toys are a moving feast, and selling them is down right difficult indeed, but I am still in business, have been profitable for many years, and can boast one of the most enjoyable working environments possible – credit there goes to my wonderful team of staff. I find at this time of year a good week or a bad week makes no real difference. But I have been trying to maximise my

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The strength of the products that are being offered seems to be as strong as I have ever seen

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sales, margin and therefore profit since the day I started, so to me every week does count a lot. I am over the moon with this year so far, especially considering the fear out there over Brexit and people holding onto their money like never before. I have given myself a number of pats on the back already this year on the strength of toys I have purchased. The strength of the products that are being offered seems to be as strong as I have ever seen. The only area of my stores that seems to be lacking vigour is the action figures area. No idea why but it just feels a bit dull and boring. My own insight to this (which probably means I am wrong!) is that people are getting fed up with movies and products that are aimed too heavily towards adults. It is about time action figures had a real overhaul to help catch up with everything else. All you need to do is spend about five minutes walking around a toy retailer to see how strong the girls’ collectables area is. Without much trouble one could open a store dedicated to this section of toys alone. Come on boys, time to catch up!

Best sellers VOLUME 1) Ty Mini Boo Collectibles – Ty 2) Pikmi Pops Singles – Flair 3) Hot Wheels Singles – Mattel VALUE 1) Pikmi Pops Singles – Flair 2) Pikmi Pops Surprise – Flair 3) Fingerlings Playset - Jazwares Pikmi Pops p — Flair

23 toysnplaythings.co.uk

COLUMN

VIRAL TALENT

Kid-safe content Laura Edwards, Commercial Director at Viral Talent, delves into the recent changes on YouTube and explains how the agency is working with YouTube to ensure all content is child-friendly to best boost the exposure of brands in 2018

ast year was a fantastic year for influencer activity within the kids’ space. The biggest brands in the world partnered with kid YouTubers — or kidfluencers — to create sponsored content and, on many occasions, went viral, with one single video hitting more than 13m views in four weeks. This powerful new medium is essential for all brands looking to engage with kids. We specialise in managing the largest kidfluencers in the UK, with talent such as Toys The AndMe (7.7m subscribers), influencer market Tekkerz Kid (845K is booming, but subscribers), Emily Tube in recent weeks (5.7m subscribers) and Ethan this medium of Gamer (1.8m subscribers) to advertising has name but a few. Last year Viral Talent’s been put under sponsored content the microscope campaigns generated an incredible 99.8m views. The clients that we worked with were master toy companies, film publishers, fashion brands, sports brands, games and mobile publishers,

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all with the same key objective — to engage and inspire children. These 99.8 million views were not just 30 second adverts, they were engaged views with an average dwell time of 5m.33 seconds. This equates to more than 529 million minutes viewed by kids for Viral Talents influencer campaigns! These figures illustrate that the influencer market is booming, but in recent weeks this medium of advertising has been put under the microscope. There have been reports about certain content masquerading as family-friendly on YouTube with content on the site that was deemed not child safe from so called family-friendly channels. And there were concerns among some family creators about changes on the platform. This has resulted in YouTube taking immediate action and amendments to the algorithm and policies have been implemented in a short space of time. This is a huge positive for the industry and ensures all content produced within this space is all child-friendly. Viral Talent are working collaboratively with The Family and Learning Division at YouTube to ensure any new updates on its policies are communicated to family creators and all content falls in line with its new policies. As specialists within this space we educate all our talent and our clients about the new policies and ensure that these are implemented across all our talents’ content. Since these changes have been announced, our Talent Managers have sat down with the

kidfluencers’s families and explained the new policies; abiding by the new policies is a key factor of Viral Talents terms and conditions. Our Brand and Commercial Managers will only recommend talent that sign-up to our T&Cs for sponsorship and brand deals. We are here to help and support our kidfluencers in creating fantastic content while also providing our clients with the specialist knowledge to ensure their brands are fully compliant and the content they are being associated with is brand-safe and, more importantly, child-safe. We are not only compliant with YouTube but fully compliant with all ASA and CAP rules. This year is predicted be the biggest year to date for influencer activity, and agents and managers representing talent have to be up to speed with any new changes. Brands working in partnership with kidfluencers must be educated on the new changes and all creative concepts have to be in line with any new policy. This will not harm the creative angle as the key objective will be to create fun and engaging content that their fans love! The influencer space is here to stay and agencies such as Viral Talent are in place to ensure all parties are achieving objectives and all content is regulated in the correct way. We look forward to catching up with you in 2018 and informing you of the changes. If you aren’t working with us please get in touch and we can inform of the fantastic work our influencers can do for you.

Tiana Toys AndMe engaged fans with Shopkins recently

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MEDIA

ANALYSIS

The measured approach I

nvestment to TV versus other pillars of the media mix was one conversation that caused much debate in board rooms across the toys and games industry in 2017. As we look ahead to 2018, we assess some of the key statistics to help make a measured and considered approach to your media mix in the coming year. TV is comparable with an alternative media. Once there Despite discussions to the contrary, the number of is ‘permission to spend’ the system will recommend a Toys & Games TV campaigns on air in 2017 was in fact unique media budget split, based on numerous product/ higher than any other year, with 839 Toys brand specific metrics. and Games Campaigns compared with 821 The Media Aggregator is constantly evolving in 2016. However, despite this increase and in 2018, is being updated to include key When it in campaign count, Generation Media learnings from Kids And The Screen: Changing comes to estimates that demand for Kids Commercial The Channel – ground-breaking research from balancing TV Airtime fell by 1.5 per cent, indicating a Giraffe Insights (Formerly iGen Insight). Those marginal decline in the weight of those and other audio marketers with pre-school brands will know campaigns when compared to last year. that no one tool reports viewing from under visual media on When contrasting vs. the level of supply, threes (BARB against 4 years-plus, Youth TGI a campaign the kid’s commercial channels experienced for 7 years-plus, Ofcom registers statistics for schedule, there a 17 percentile point decline in viewing YoY. 3-year-olds upwards). The result of this is that AV campaigns need There is therefore a clear gap in market is never a one to work harder than ever before to deliver knowledge of media consumption from 2-3 size ﬁts all the same level of exposure. As industry year olds, which is captured in Kids & The market leaders, we have adapted to Screen. This insight will allow those that changing children’s media habits, have access, the confidence ensuring a considered approach to support a changing to all digital online investments media mix (and through the Introduction of digital online The Media Aggregator, our investments), proprietary planning tool. through a When it comes to measured balancing TV and other and considered audio visual media on a approach. campaign schedule, there is For a detailed assessment never a one size fits all approach. of how The Media Aggregator could The Media Aggregator (TMA) assesses be utilised for crafting your brand’s media mix, the requirements of a product/brand versus a whole please contact us at the below address. host of variables to define the correct balance. The tool For access to insights from Kids & The Screen: (first devised in 2016), works by assessing the point at Changing the Channel please contact Maxine Fox on which the cost of an additional unique cover point on 0207 307 7916. Source: BARB/DDS, 2018.

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Investment in TV versus other media was a hot topic in 2017 and remains so in 2018. But the box is still a vital pillar in any media campaign – the magic is in the mix says Alex

Did you know… There were 839 Toys and Games Campaigns on TV in 2017, an increase on the 821 aired in 2016

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.

FEBRUARY 2018

toysnplaythings.co.uk

COVER STORY ALPHA ANIMATION AND TOYS

Our ultimate goal is to become a truly global company, and we expect the recent announcement of our collaboration with Nickelodeon to be the springboard of much more to come

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Alpha to Omega! Alpha Animation and Toys may well be a newly established company here in the UK, but it has a portfolio stretching back many years. To gain some insight into how the company has gained a strong foothold in the industry in such a short space of time, and to ﬁnd out more about what’s coming up, TnP catches up with GM Mark Slater-Hyndman Mark, you’ve been established a little less than a year here — tell us about the journey so far. Well it’s been a pretty hectic year! I launched the business in January 2017 and set up our ofﬁce with one employee. I previewed initially to some industry partners in HK, extended the team around Easter and we introduced product into the market in June. Since I’ve grown the team to nine, we registered in NPD after only eight weeks, were nominated for Dream Toys and following another successful show in Nuremberg have just announced two global master toy deals! Breathe! Which products have driven the business to date? I’m sure most people know our key preschool property Super Wings. From this range our Transforming Characters have been the stand-out item culminating in a Dream Toys nomination last year, and our mini Transform-a-bots are the perfect OPP. Wave Racers provides true speed and excitement for young adrenaline junkies — the speed of the cars on the track is truly engaging. The brand had a solid start in 2017, and we expect much more in 2018.

And what is the plan for growth? We have ambitious growth plans for 2018/19, both here in the UK and internationally. We received excellent support from the trade in 2017, we will be augmenting those partnerships in 2018, in addition to working with many new retail partners. I will also be looking to extend the team. We will be attending all the regional toy and licensing shows this year as licensing will also contribute to our growth. Rockpool Licensing, led by the fabulous Vickie O’Malley, are our licensing agents and we have an extending program in place here too. Our ultimate goal is to become a truly global company, and we expect the recent announcement of our collaboration with Nickelodeon to be the springboard of much more to come. Tell us about your core lines? Super Wings had a great launch season last AW, with all lines carrying forward into 2018. Transforming Vehicles & Transform a Bots continue to be the two best selling items, both of which are refreshed with new characters for

“

We registered in NPD after only 8 weeks, and were nominated for Dream Toys

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spring. We have some exciting new product extensions launching this year too. Jett’s Super Robot Suit will be a huge hit for Jett fans this Christmas. This impressive Super Robot Suit transforms from a freewheeling vehicle to a freestanding Bot that can bust through the toughest of obstacles! With interactive lights, catch phrases, and a 5” Transforming Jett ﬁgure, we are pre-empting this item to be a sellout! Wave Racers & Drone Force, both late Q4 launches last year, will also continue into 2018 with some exciting new developments coming through!

How we help you sell more “At Alpha, we ensure that each brand has its own bespoke campaign, offering a gamut of marketing elements to support the brand at retail. It is about having a strong combination of traditional TV media, inﬂuencer activity and ensuring the product stands out on shelf, through vibrant packaging or striking POS. We work collaboratively with our retailers to create strategies and launch programmes for our brands to ensure the best possible launch.”

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Screeching ahead Mark Slater-Hyndman and the Alpha team talks us through an exciting new brand which is delighting retailers – Screechers Wild!

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f you hadn’t heard about Screechers Wild before London Toy Fair, I am sure you have by now!” says Alpha UK GM, Mark Slater-Hyndman. But what is it? Mark tells us: “Screechers Wild is a world where walking, talking creatures get behind the wheel of Screechers — a racecar/machine hybrid that harnesses the mysterious molecular energy animatter and d transforms their sleek rides into awesome creature-powered juggernauts!” Mark’s passion for the product is visible and shared by the entire international Alpha team. “The product is so different from anything out there and has had nothing but positive feedback globally,” he says. “The development for AW18 and beyond takes the brand to another level. Supported with 60 digital shorts from launch and with TV animation already in development, we have high hopes for this brand. For Greg Mitchell, Sr. Director, Marketing & Brand Management (Boys Toys) at Alpha, it is something so new and different that makes Screechers Wild such a hit for retailers. “One of the sweetest pleasures of working in the toy business is when you see a new toy design or feature that surprises, delights and impresses. We were so energised by the automatic ﬂip-andtransform mechanism of Screechers Wild, we knew we had something very special and new for kids,” he says. Greg explains in more detail why Screechers Wild is so captivating: “Transforming toys are an evergreen at this point, so the ability to take a sleek vehicle and magically morph it into a cool, easily identiﬁable animal was the key for us. “And, thankfully, not just for us — seeing the eyes of the Man of Action team light up (with a jaw drop or two!) when they

FEBRUARY 2018

transformed Gatecreeper and T-Wrekker for the first time was thrilling and validating. With their pedigree of success in boys entertainment brands, and having seen it all in the toy space, they were immediately ready to rock and create an entire Screechers Wild world around these vehicles and creatures. “From that day onward, we haven’t stopped Screeching! We’ve worked closely with partners Man of Action, WexWorks Media and Atomic Animation to produce 40 exciting episodic shorts for our very own Screechers Wild YouTube channel and also develop a full length adventure series for pitching to kids’ broadcasters. And much like that first flip-and-transform experience with the toys, seeing these amazing Screechers brought to life in MOA’s world-building, character driven stories and Atomic’s delicious mix of 2D and 3D animation nearly made us flip. “When we stop to think about it, it all makes sense: a multi-year investment in an ownable, toyetic feature, backed with entertainment by award-winning creative partners. And sure, from a marketing perspective, that’s exactly what it is. But what it all comes down to is that moment and reaction anytime a salesperson, retail buyer and, ultimately, kid has when

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The product is so different from anything out there and has had nothing but positive feedback globally

”

they Screech for the first time”. For Darren Lee Phillipson, Alpha’s Vice President of Global Product Design, the glee is apparent too: “The first reaction we get to Screechers Wild toys is, ‘Hey, these are really awesome looking vehicles’. It’s true, the vehicles, with their futuristic, translucent bodies look amazing at first glance. However, it’s what’s underneath the Screechers hood that really counts. Once the vehicle connects with the collectible disc and the transformation unfolds, we then go to the mind-is-blown reaction. “Designing Screechers product is every toy designer’s dream and is definitely one wild ride. The crazier the combinations, the better. How about a Praying Mantis that morphs into an armoured tank? Or, a wooly mammoth that transforms into a rugged Excavator construction vehicle? “We have a whole host of amazing Screechers Wild toys in development including playsets, launchers and deluxe vehicles. We are also stepping up the level of excitement with the transformation of the vehicles and some of the new mechanisms we are designing for future product lines are truly incredible. Unlock your inner Screecher!”

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

Golden ticket FIESTA CRAFTS 020 8804 0563 www.ﬁestacrafts.co.uk

Fiesta Crafts picked up a coveted Toy Fair’s Hero Toys award for its Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Hand Puppet and Finger Puppet Set. The collection includes ﬁnger puppets of the ﬁve lucky children admitted to Wonka’s factory – Charlie Bucket, Violet Beauregarde, Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt and Mike Teavee. The full Roald Dahl range also includes iconic characters from The BFG and Matilda, which are available displayed in branded counter display units — ideal pick-up toys for fans of the stories.

Having a blast

Heroes vs villains

HASBRO

MAGIC BOX TOYS

020 8569 1234 www.hasbro.com

01420 593593 (dist. Asmodee UK) www.esdeviumgames.com

The Nerf N-Strike Modulus Mediator core blaster features pump-action, clip-fed blasting. It comes with a 6-dart clip that loads into the side of the blaster. Pump the handle backwards and forwards to prime the blaster, then pull the trigger to ﬁre a dart. Keep pumping the handle and pulling the trigger to ﬁre all six darts in a row without reloading. Customise for battle with the Mediator core, stock, and barrel (each sold separately).

SuperZings from Magic Box Toys are everyday objects brought to life in a fun, comic-style hero vs villain rivalry theme. Clad in superhero capes and eye masks, there are 80 multicoloured characters to collect, each with a matching rival. For example, unwrap a hero orange Mr C and kids will want to ﬁnd his rival Jack the Juicer! The collectable range includes: blind bags containing one SuperZing, Hideouts including one SuperZing (eight to collect), and Supercars including one SuperZing (eight to collect).

“We are delighted at the success of the SuperZings launch. Kids all over the country are busy collecting their superheroes and villains after being exposed to the range through our truly 360-degree launch.” Ben Harper, UK Director, Magic Box Toys

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NEW

Making a splash PLAYMOBIL 01268 548111 www.playmobil.co.uk

Did you know... Playmobil is launching more than 300 new and exciting products in 2018

The Aquarium range is perfect for children aged four plus and features several sets including the Aquarium, Aquarium Shop, Penguin Enclosure and Aquarium Enclosure. The toy line brings the scenes to life with six additional animal packs, including Sea Turtle with Babies and Seal with Pups, which ﬂoat when in water, and Octopus with Baby, which changes colour when submerged in water.

Smile, it’s bath time! ZIMPLI KIDS 08454 591 818 www.zimplikids.com

Zimpli Kids has teamed up with emoji to bring an iconic creative range of ﬁve new products to kids’ bath time. The bath time products focus on a brand new concept of display and play. The emoji Gelli Play, Gelli Baff and two variants of Baff Bombs come packaged in a plastic emoji-shaped pod that not only looks great but adds play value and can be used time and time again. The 100 per cent safe Gelli powder transforms water into a brightly coloured, thick yellow goo and back again! The new Chocolate emoji maker lets kids get creative and make their very own chocolate emoji bar. The new range will launch at retail from June 2018.

FEBRUARY 2018

FEATURE

COLLECTABLES

Cool, charmed and collected From the pocket money pricing and clever social media marketing strategies to the consumer magic they create, there are many reasons for retailers to love collectables – not least because they sell in their droves

ollectables aren’t a new toy phenomenon, as many of us old enough to remember Panini sticker sets of old and the original Care Bear and Sylvanian Families characters can attest – but their irresistible lure for customers of all ages has never been stronger. Think of some of the biggest toy brands of the past ﬁve years – Shopkins, Num Noms and Bush Baby World to name just a few – and they all fall into the collectables category, but just what is driving the winning formula behind this as one of the biggest industry success stories? The answer is a combination of highly affordable price points, bigname licenses and brands that gain cult status from playground peer reviews, innovative design, clever and consumer-driven marketing and, of course, the rise of social media. Add into the mix a continual wave of new smash-hit licenses and brands, such as Stranger Things and Panini’s new World Cup 2018 stickers, and it looks like collectables is an area of the toy market that is only set to grow. “Collectables have always been out there,” says Laura Bull, Marketing Manager for Posh Paws. “What’s changed things dramatically is the presence of social media and its effect on things like the tween

market. Brands now have a direct dialogue with the consumer and that’s what is driving the current craze for collectables. “Toy manufacturers know there is a huge market out there and we’re only going to see this grow year on year.” Max Rodman, Click Distribution’s Marketing and Social Media Manager, agrees: “The soaring popularity of collectables is down to a mixture of things. An affordable price point is important and peer pressure often creates a playground currency, which is important for a successful launch in this category – but I still think the most important element is the magic of the consumer making that blind bag purchase and the look on his or her face when they open the pack and find they have the sticker, card, figure or hanger that they were hoping for.” And then of course there’s the digital factor. “Pocket money pricing of collectables appeals because it makes these toys accessible to children – either via pocket money or pester power – but in today’s world kids are as likely to be influenced by their favourite YouTube star as their peers,” says Christine Nicholls, ViceChairman and Director of Product Development at Golden Bear. “Our Bush Baby World collectable range took the world by

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With social media, brands now have a direct dialogue with the consumer and that’s what is driving the current craze for collectables

”

Laura Bull, Posh Paws

storm last year, so we’re building on that success in 2018 and have extended the range signiﬁcantly. “Marketing, PR and digital activity all played a big part in our launch strategy for Bush Baby World, alongside TV advertising.”

Multi-channel marketing One facet of the success of collectables is the innovative use of marketing by manufacturers and distributors alike and how it can drive consumer demand. Click Distribution’s Max Rodman explains: “The use of social media as part of a marketing campaign has become increasingly important and I don’t think theres a manufacturer in this category that hasn’t identiﬁed this. “Take Panini for example, its social media campaign for World Cup stickers is huge and has proved to be so successful, the #GotGotNeed hashtag on Twitter has become a globally recognised phrase now by both adults and children alike and the company will use this with its retail POS material too. “Social media is a great way to engage instantly with your end user, but it needs to be part of a mixed marketing effort that should include sampling and perhaps TV and YouTube advertising and box/product breaks with youth inﬂuencers.

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Did id you know... now... Funko nko averages an 54 new items across several veral hundred licenses enses every week

“The control and marketing around the release of new characters and collectable ranges is also massively important. Identify your consumer, target effectively and make sure you can feed the demand.” Posh Paws has just launched a brand new range of glittery-eyed Disney characters to great acclaim at London Toy Fair, and Laura Bull says carefully controlled marketing and the timing of expanding the collection will both be crucial to its continued success. She adds: “These toys look set to be huge for us. We’ve got everything from Belle and Mickey Mouse to Tigger, Pooh and Sully from Monsters, Inc. “The feedback we’ve had from retail has been amazing and there will be four or five new ranges launched this year. The release of new characters is very consumer driven as they constantly want fresh product and the collection updated. “In terms of marketing collectables and with a big license like Disney you have to have a lot of control. That’s why we release new figures in squads to create consumer demand. “This is certainly a big year for us in terms of collectables as we have a much-anticipated plush Shopkins range coming out for autumn and winter as well. The figures will be available in a range of sizes, but the

FEBRUARY 2018

five-inch collectable figures will retail for less than a fiver.”

Keeping things fresh One company that is an undisputed expert in forward-thinking design and constant collection updates is Funko, averaging 54 new items across several hundred licenses every week! “The key to every part of the Funko range is our stylisation which is not an on-model representation of the studios characters,” reveals Managing Director, EMEA, Andy Oddie. “We believe this stylisation sets us apart from other licensees and we over index by property as a result. “Right now our most popular brands are Five Nights At Freddy’s, Harry Potter and Rick and Morty, and for these we have our full complement of core categories including: POP! Vinyl, Mystery Minis, Pint Size Heroes and Plush. Also coming through strongly is Stranger Things. “Looking ahead we only see the popularity of collectables continuing to grow, but speciﬁcally stylised ranges of the type unique to Funko.” For Golden Bear, 2017 success was all about Bush Baby World, and there is a wealth of new product lined

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The control and marketing around the release of new characters and collectable ranges is massively important

”

Max Rodman, Click Distribution

up for this year to keep retailers and consumers alike happy. “Each new collection of Bush Babies is based on a new realm within Bush Baby World, and we have the Blossom Bush Babies from Blossom Meadow launching in Q1,” says Christine Nicholls. “The Shimmies collection will then launch, closely followed by Princess Izzabeth, and then The Snowies and Princess Frostina in Q4. “Our hero line for AW18 is the magniﬁcent Shimmer Palace – home to Princess Melina and the perfect place for kids to display their growing Bush Baby collection.” As for Click Distribution, Max Rodman says that while Num Noms and Shopkins have been hugely successful for the company, they are now seeing a slow-down in demand. “Overwatch, Rocket League and Slither.io, Bob’s Burgers and Rick and Morty are all doing well for us and watch out this autumn for Bendy and the Ink Machine and The Ark,” he says. “This year, however, the biggest-selling collectable will be Panini’s World Cup 2018 sticker collection, the promotion behind it is massive and sales will eclipse all other collectables in the market.”

FEATURE

COLLECTABLES

Super characters MAGIC BOX TOYS 01403 251286 www.magicboxint.com Magic Box Toys, the collectible toy specialists ts behind Star Monsters and Zomlings, is excited to reveal its ts brand-new collectible range: SuperZings – Rivals of Kaboom. oo SuperZings are everyday objects brought to life in a fun, comic Hero vs Villain rivalry theme. Clad in iconic superhero capes and eyemasks, there are 80 multi-coloured characters to collect, each with a matching rival. Unwrap hero orange Mr C and you’ll want to ﬁnd his rival Jack the Juicer! Discover an ice cube and you’ll need to ﬁnd the hairdryer! All living together in Kaboom City, there are 36 regular characters available in two different colour themes, plus six Silver and two Gold Rare

A smashing time ZURU 01604 401719 www.zuru.com Zuru has launched brandnew collectables Smashers where the innovative element is that each Smashers character is housed inside an iconic red Smashball. Kids can only discover which ones they’ve collected by smashing open the Smashball, thanks to a unique and on-trend surprise opening mechanic created by Zuru. Once unboxed, children can battle, collect and score with their Smashers as each has its own Smash Point Value, allowing for extended play. Series 1 is based on the world’s most popular sports going into 2018, a year that sees a number of global sporting events including the Football World Cup in June. The range includes both good and bad sport characters, along with rare Sports and Golden Trophies to ﬁnd, and all Smashers appear on the Collector’s Guide and Game Sheet. Aimed at both pocket money and birthday money budgets, SKUs include the Smashers one pack, three pack, eight pack, and bigger items including the Collectors’ Tin and Smashers Team Bus that transforms into a Football Field to shoot Smashers.

and One Enigma Super Rare SuperZing. The ﬁgures all have their own superpower and proﬁle, use colourful collectable pocket-money-friendly Supercars to get around (eight to collect) and live in cool Hideouts (eight to collect) which can also be used to launch characters into the air. There’s a great value Starter Pack, a Blister Pack containing four SuperZings, two Hideouts and an exclusive SuperDisc Blaster. There’s also the Kaboom Trap to imprison villains that comes with two exclusive SuperZings, plus a Mission Pack, which provides hours of play potential for children.

Make a squish CHARACTER OPTIONS 0161 633 9800 www.character-online.com This year is sure to be all things Squishy so look no further than Character Options’ Soft ‘n Slo Squishies. Super soft, slow rising and ultracollectable, Soft ‘n Slo Squishies come in a variety of themes and sizes. Kids can squish, squeeze and watch them slowly rise and transform again and again! With lots to collect, the Squishy collectable craze is not only taking off, it’s rising! Character unveils its debut Pokémon master toy line for summer 2018. With four sizes, from 2in to 12in, for the first time each Pokemon figurine will be to scale. Kids are also going to find themselves immersed in a world of Keplopolis and discover it’s cool to be No.2. Embracing the trend of all things poop, Poopeez are the collectable characters that come with more than a little toilet trouble. At the heart of Character’s collectable range, Mash’ems and Fash’ems have attractive and functional POS displays with new collections including licensed characters for both preschoolers and older kids. And December saw the launch of Cake Pop Cuties and Mine It, with Cheeki Mees to follow for February.

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FEATURE

COLLECTABLES

Be my baby GOLDEN BEAR 01952 608308 www.goldenbeartoys.com Building on the strength of its success as the top new plush property Golden Bear’s Bush Baby World collection, which launched in AW17, will be expanding further in 2018. The introduction of the Blossom Meadow Bush Babies in SS18 brings funky patterns, sparkly detailing and softer than ever fabrics into the collection. There are six Blossom Bush Baby characters to collect along with two Scented Blossom characters – Lili and Rosi. They have a unique blossom scent and come with a flowershaped brush for their beautiful bright long hair and tail. Easter will see the arrival of a new royal in Bush Baby World – Princess ss Blossom – who comes with a glittery flower pod, brush and magical flower wer wand! She has beautiful long hair and a cool flower crown as well as a cute ute glittery tummy – she is one stylish princess! The hero line for AW18 is the magnificent Shimmer Palace. Home to Princess Melina, this amazing playset will measure over 70cms in height and plays three Bush Baby World songs. With a multitude of features including a lightshow, royal throne, dancefloor, secret storage compartments and an exclusive Bush Baby as well as the palace cat with her very own pod basket – it’s the perfect place for a royal party! Bush Baby World was the no3 Traditional Plush property in 2017, with three Bush Baby World items making it into the top 10 in December 2017.

Make new pals LEARNING RESOURCES 01553 819380 www.learningresources.co.uk Children can squish, squash and sculpt their way to creative play with new additions to Learning Resources’ bestselling Playfoam range. New Playfoam Pals feature 12 collectible pods that open to reveal a unique animal character encased in Playfoam. The super-squishy, sculpting material is child friendly, won’t dry out and doesn’t stick to clothes or carpet – perfect for indoor creative play. Children love opening the Playfoam Pals pods to reveal their surprise collectible. Heads and bodies can be mixed and matched for endless character combinations; look out for the ultra-rare Golden Pal. Playfoam makes the perfect material to sculpt props such as nests and beds for animal friends and a handy collection sheet illustrates the home countries of each animal, helping children to keep on track of what Playfoam Pals they need to complete their set! Available in a POP display of 12 pods or a pack of two.

Mix it up ALPHA ANIMATION & TOYS 01293 804599 www.alphatoys.com Imagine a world where children can create quirky mix-ups of everything they love – even animals! In the Miximals world, anything is possible. The Miximals collectable range includes more than 30 characters to collect, ultimate collector packs and mobile mix up vehicles. There will be three series of Miximals staggered throughout 2018, with additional playsets launching in autumn, allowing kids to create their very own Miximals world. Each Miximals Surprise Pack features one Miximal character, a mixed-up accessory, and collector ﬁle. Also available is the Surprise Triple Pack enabling kids to grow their collection of Miximals even faster! For spring, there are two vehicles to collect; Whalekey’s Banana Submarine and Kittony’s Cattractor. Each vehicle comes with an exclusive character and accessories. A must-have for any Miximals fan is the Collector Pack with eight Miximals to grow your collection. With a 360-degree marketing plan centred around the #Whatcanyouimagine campaign, Miximal fans will have the chance to hunt for the coveted golden Glitzy Mixie hidden throughout the Surprise Packs. If the Glitzy Mixie is found kids can submit their own Miximal creation online, with the chance for their character to be made and delivered in a beautiful display case, complete with certiﬁcate. The brand launch has been supported with a dynamic campaign, featuring TV, digital and social media.

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FEATURE

COLLECTABLES LECTABLES

Get mushy BANDAI 020 8324 6160 www.bandai.co.uk

Pop! art FUNKO 020 3376 3223 www.funko.com When it comes to collectables and the kidulthood trend, Funko is at the forefront, and continues to delight fans of all ages across the world with its exciting releases across a huge number of licenses. Known best for its popular Pop! Vinyl Figures, Funko has other successful and highly collectable categories across a multitude of different price points. From its blind bag Pint Size Heroes, blind box Mystery Mini figures, and the latest addition, the adorable Mystery Mini Plush (available as keychains or miniature plush) – needless to say, Funko has this area of collectable toys covered. Movie fans will be thrilled with the upcoming Jurassic Park Pop! Vinyl collection. This range features iconic characters such as Dr Alan Grant, Dr Ian Malcolm, a host of terrifying dinosaurs and the wounded Dr Ian Malcom exclusive which has taken the internet by storm. When it comes to gaming, Funko has you covered. Fans of Overwatch will love the recently announced second wave of Pop! Vinyl, featuring Mercy, Junkrat and many more, which will no doubt be as successful as wave one. The Cuphead game has been a smash hit in North America and will no doubt have the same success in Europe. The must-have Cuphead Pop! Vinyl figures look like they’ve stepped out of the screen, and the range includes characters such as Cuphead, Mugman and The Devil. For fans eager for more, there is also the recently-announced Mystery Mini Cuphead collection featuring a wider range of characters. Nostalgic collectors will fall in love with the Care Bears Pop! Vinyl and Masters of the Universe Pint Size Heroes ranges. For Netflix addicts, the Riverdale Pop! Vinyl collection is arriving soon, alongside lots of new additions to popular existing licenses including Rick and Morty and Marvel. Collectors across the board will no doubt have plenty to keep them busy in the coming months.

Bandai’s 2018 portfolio includes leading squishy collectibles range, Smooshy Mushy, perfect for that slowrise feeling that promises swift sales at retail. Leading the way in the squishy collectibles market, kids simply can’t get enough of Bandai’s new Smooshy Mushy range! After a highly successful launch of Series 1 in December 2017, fans are already keen to see what’s in store for Series 2 when the new selection of the scented and squishy collectibles will take on the delicious Do-Dat Donuts theme with new characters and their besties for fans to meet. Following that, the amazing Smooshy Mushy YOLO Fro-Yo with a whole new colour-change element will add to the delight and fascination of the range. Plans are already in place for series 3, 4 and 5 and autumn will see exciting new development with themed play and display sets to really show a collection off in style! Also from the creators of Smooshy Mushy will come a

Sweet treats TRENDS UK 01295 768078 www.trendsuk.co.uk Trends UK is introducing the adorable new Sweet Pups. The magic is hidden inside - ﬁnd a cute puppy in scented croissants, macaroons and sticky buns. Transform them from deliciouslooking pastries into cuddly, gorgeous plush pups by turning them inside out. There are 12 adorable Sweet Pups to collect, each presented in a scrummy pastrystyle pack. Available from late spring. An instant hit with UK fans when introduced in autumn 2017, the cool and adorable Slither.io toys are based on the gaming phenomenon and YouTuber hit. 60 per cent of British under 14s have downloaded Slither.io and 124 million games are played a month in the UK. The Slither.io gaming phenomenon translates to the toy line with different skins, which mimic the game. For 2018, Trends UK is expanding with Build-a-Slither, which lets collectors construct their own Slither.io creature with connectable colourway pieces, creating unique skins, just like the game. Available as a Blind Bag Assortment with pieces to make one Slither, and a Multi-Pack Assortments, which has four buildable Slithers including a mystery one, Build-a-Slither comes with rare and ultra-rare colourways.

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N0.1

Heavyweight TV & Marketing campaign for 2018

New Plush Property in 2017 NPD Full Year 2017

A Top 3 winner of the Editor’s Choice Award 2018

t c u d o r Fantastic new p r a e y e launches throughout th Telephone: +44 (0)1952 608308 All enquiries:customerservices@goldenbeartoys.co.uk www.goldenbeartoys.com BUSH BABY WORLD® is a registered trade mark of, and is used under licence from, 2 Toobz Limited. © 2017 2Toobz Ltd, Golden Bear Products Ltd. Licensed by BWI

Toys n play_Feb_BBW.indd 1

02/02/2018 13:55

FEATURE

COLLECTABLES

A plush job CLICK DISTRIBUTION 0330 123 2559 www.clickdistribution.co.uk Meegos are collectable handmade, crochet plush inspired by the Japanese art of Amigurumi. This is Click Distribution’s own IP, where collectors can match their Meegos with their Minis to complete a family tree and uncover all their personalities and habitats at MyMeegos.com. The beauty of this product is not only the collectability factor of a range of cute, handmade, crochet toys, but who Click and every Meegos customer is helping in the process – every purchase of Click’s Meegos and Mini Meegos really will make a difference in helping more than 200 villages in Bangladesh with sustainable, regular and ﬂexible employment and an opportunity for the people to give their own children a better life. Series 1 is the highly anticipated range of Dogs and Pups, to hit shelves in March followed by a Series 2 in AW18 featuring Wild Animals and a Series 3 to be conﬁrmed for SS19, and the Meegos

range will be supported by a marketing campaign including TV and social media adverts, PR, and in-store activity with selected retailers. Meanwhile, for fans of the beautiful game, the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia is fast approaching, and the excitement has already kicked-off for football fans of all ages with the release of Panini’s Ofﬁcial Trading Card Collection, which is available in stores now. The Trading Card Collection will be supported by a heavyweight marketing campaign along with the highly anticipated World Cup Sticker Collection, which launches on 22 March. Also supporting the World Cup is the brand-new heritage range, which features limited edition lithographic prints, keychains and mugs.

On the case PLAYMOBIL 01268 548111 www.playmobil.co.uk Playmobil continues to offer children a range of collectable carry cases and a host of figures that they will definitely want to get their hands on. Playmobil’s 2018 collectable range includes a fantastic variety of items from the Figures, Special Plus and Playmo Friends sets, plus the extremely popular opular Carry Cases, which are sure to be keepsakes for years to come. Brand new to the popular Special Plus range this year is a whole host of all new characters, including Firefighter with Tree and Sky Knight with Jet, both suitable for children aged four upwards. Playmobil will also usher in the new Series 13 Figures in February for children to assemble and collect. These brand-new Figures are suitable for children aged five and above. The mystery foil bags contain a surprise Playmobil figure, with new characters including a sushi chef, repair woman and a fairy, plus many more exciting characters to collect. A popular collectable choice among children has always been Playmobil’s variety of Carry Cases. It is also a perfect gift for children on the go. This year there will be 10 of the popular cases available, including the all new Fairy Boat Carry Case and Space Exploration Carry Case. Inside each carry case are characters with a selection of accessories that can be enjoyed added to your Playmobil collection or enjoyed own. ed on their o

Disney squads POSH PAWS 01268 567317 www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk When does a plush become a collectable? When it’s the Disney Collection from Posh Paws! Introducing the exciting, wide-eyed and adorable Disney Collection from Posh Paws. These glittery plush toys feature fan favourites from both Disney’s back catalogue and most recent ﬁlms. Released in squads of six, each character is cute, with super large eyes that instantly attract. Released in waves, Squad A’s characters launched in January and include Cinderella, Marie from the Aristocats, Minnie Mouse, Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger. Squad B will see Bambi, Snow White, Mickey Mouse, Simba from The Lion King, Patch from 101 Dalmatians and Eeyore. The fresh, new and stylised look and feel offers kids, teens and adults alike an utterly adorable plush that is priced as a collectable, so fans can build their own #DisneySquad. POS stands are also available and are perfect to ﬁll and refresh with new characters as they are continually released throughout 2018.

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FEATURE F EATUR

COLLECTABLES C OLLECTAB

Pop and shop GP FLAIR 020 8643 0320 www.ﬂairplc.co.uk

Kids’ best friends VIVID IMAGINATIONS 01483 449944 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk Enter the #amazeballs world of the BFFs where shopping and socialising is a daily event! With their own unique personality, interests and attitude, each of the 60 BFFs in the #BFFSquad is one of a kind! The six core BFFs lead a collection of colourful collectable characters including Furries, Exotics, Fluffy Tails and glittery Ultra Exotics, all looking for a Bestie and their forever home. Each BFF collectable pet comes with its own gorgeous teeny travel bag which doubles as a fun fashion accessory so you can pop them in and take them anywhere! Available from summer, the BFF range includes Mystery Packs, Three BFF Squad Packs, Six BFF Deluxe Packs and Bestie Doll Pack. Be quick off the mark with the latest collectable craze – Ooshies! Disney, Disney Pixar Cars, and WWE, have all had the pencil-topper treatment, along with the updated series of heroes and villains from DC Comics and Marvel, making these the perfect pencil-case pals. With 40 characters to collect in each series, a mix of common, rare and limited edition Ooshies are available in single blind bags or packs of four and seven.

The recently-launched Pikmi Pops collectable range is a proven success and retailers are already looking forward to the launch of Season 2 in mid spring. This sweet-scented mini plushies range packaged inside iconic lollipop vessels will reveal a refreshed Single Pack, Surprise Pack and Jumbo plush assortment and then, launching in summer all new scents and characters will be presented as well as the new Pikmi Pops PushMi Ups, which come with an explosive confetti surprise! Season 9 of Shopkins has just launched with the wildest theme yet, and in autumn, the Shopkins megabrand will transform itself once again with a new theme. Also part of the Shopkins franchise will be even more character vehicles for Cutie Cars, plus a whole new collection called Shopkins Lil’ Secrets. Another new addition to the girls’ portfolio is the collectable Kekilou range – mini bags that magically transform into mini dolls with a secret make-up compartment hidden inside. The K Cutie Mini Bags are the entry point to the range with a cute doll and cool makeup hidden inside. Brand new in March, Glimmies Aquaria takes girls’ favourite star fairies and adds a touch of underwater magic. In autumn, the Glimmies move from underwater to a breathtaking new ice world with the launch of Glimmies Polaris and a light-up feature! Another illuminating collection for boys is Exogini, the collectable alien ﬁgures with a special electronic light-up feature. Looking ahead Exogini Alien Shake is landing in autumn. Shake the ﬁgures and the new shake sensor light-up function is activated – the more you shake, the greater the light intensity. Once they reach their maximum power, they will magically change colour! With this new feature also comes extra playability; Alien Shake battles will be the talk of the playground as kids compete to see whose Exogini can stay lit the longest! The hit collectable property Grossery Gang is also back this spring with a Bug Army invasion to contend with and, from autumn, the Grossery Gang will be calling upon allies from throughout the ages in a new Time Wars theme.

Pop stars CHEATWELL GAMES 02392 524098 www.cheatwell.com Once you’ve popped you just can’t……. Squeeze poppers are an action-packed stress ball, easy to use, fun for all with plenty of characters to collect. Select a sphere launcher, with animals, a garden gnome, two styles of unicorn and the Monster poppers range (a new poop popper arriving soon) – there’s a squeeze popper for everyone. Just pop a foam ball in their mouths and, with a squeeze of the belly, kids are able to launch the soft foam projectile an impressive distance - the harder they squeeze the further they’ll ﬁre. They’re ideal for both indoor and outdoor play with each pack supplied with six balls and a net bag.

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Do the Roblox

Town planning EPOCH MAKING TOYS 08435 574062 www.sylvanianfamilies.net Epoch making toys is expanding its Sylvanian Families collectable range with the largest product launch in the brand’s history – a new town with 22 product lines, launching in March. Dominating the town is the new Grand Department Store, which has a revolving door and working lift. The Grand Department Store Gift Set includes the furniture needed to run the store such as the Boutique Fashion Set, Cosmetic Beauty Set, and Fashion Showcase Set. It won a Hero Toy award at this year’s London Toy Fair. New occupants of the town include Stella, Lulu and Laura – the older sisters of existing characters. The Ride Along Tram is the latest addition to the Sylvanian Families vehicle category.

FEBRUARY 2018

JAZWARES 020 3598 0272 www.jazwares.com Roblox went ofﬂine last year with a new toy line from Jazwares. Fans can take apart the characters in the physical toy line and mix and match parts to create new characters, just like they can in Roblox’s virtual world. The collectable characters are based on the creations of some of the most popular community developers. Following the success of Roblox series one toys in 2017, Jazwares is delighted to have launched with series two in 2018 including 24 collectable blind boxes. The blind boxes contain a mystery ﬁgure, accessories, collector’s checklist and an exclusive virtual item code for Roblox users to redeem online. Series three toys will be available from Easter 2018. New Roblox toys for 2018 will include all new characters, vehicles, play sets and a comprehensive offering for girl gamers, supported by heavyweight marketing. Roblox is the largest social platform for play that allows children to imagine, create, and play together in immersive 3D world, with more than 64 million players visiting Roblox every month.

FEATURE

SCIENCE AND NATURE

Did you know... 66 per cent of parents see themselves as primary educators of their children, so are often happy to spend money on science and nature toys

The natural choice Science and nature toys combine traditional play with design innovation, suit all tastes and budgets, and are as loved by the parent pound as the child consumer. TnP talked to some industry experts about this crowd-pleasing category…

hile screen time has its part to play in every honest family’s life, getting hands-on with nature – whether metaphorically speaking or actually in terms of dirty knees and ﬁngernails – and absorbed by science and the environment has never been more popular. And when you combine this with the current obsession with educational toys, it’s little wonder that science and nature products are on the up and up. Research by leading brand Learning Resources reveals that 66 per cent of parents see themselves as primary educators of their children, meaning they are often happy to spend money on science and nature toys – and this is backed up by the fact that 77 per cent have purchased an educational toy in the past year. And with designers, manufacturers and suppliers as passionate about this area of the market as retailers and customers, science and nature toys will surely be bigger than ever in 2018.

Learning about the world More and more toy companies are buying into helping to educate the next generation through entertaining products. “Our science and nature kits are the reason that Thames and Kosmos exists,” says Joanna Drage, the

company’s Sales Director. “We are passionate about helping children to learn about the world around them in a fun, safe and healthy way. I think we’ve grown our reputation from the amazing quality of our products. “In some ways parents are the source of the demand for science and nature toys, but we also feel that the industry as a whole has an obligation to educate the next generation.” Sarah Dayus, Sales and Marketing Manager for Great Gizmos, agrees: “The natural environment is becoming increasingly important for children, as highlighted through the media and school curriculum. Our kits take an active approach in helping children to learn about natural energy sources, recycling and much more. “Parents are becoming more aware of what their kids are learning at school and we’ve seen a real movement away from electronics and plastic toys towards educational kits that complement this.” This is also the experience of West Design, as Jo Bray, Managing Director or for Sales and Marketing, explains: “Educational toys in general are very ry important to West Design. We have e exclusively distributed the Creativity ty for Kids kits in the UK for more than an 15 years and it’s been very successful ssful for us. Their ethos of: ‘Doing ordinary things extraordinary well,’ ell,’ is

“

We feel that the industry as a whole has an obligation to educate the next generation about the world around them and the importance of science.

”

Joanna Drage, Sales Director, Thames and Kosmos

something we endorse. “Our Grow range, which we launched last year, helps children connect with nature through creativity and care, and we also just launched a new range of products at London Toy Fair called Invent.” One of the market leaders in the science and nature sector here in the UK, Learning Resources has found that parents are not only looking to provide hands-on learning for their children, but also want to watch them learn through exploration and discovery. “We develop clever products that help children learn about their environment, animals and nature through play,” says Simon Tomlinson, Head of Marketing. “For example, our new Geosafari Jr Talking Globe and Talking Microscope feature the voice of wildlife warrior Bindi Irwin. “Science and nature products form a key part of the product portfolios of both Learning Resources and our Educational Insights sister company c and we have a range of products dedicated to developing STEM skills dedica in both girls and boys from the ages of two to 11.” With STEM and STEAM “driving Wit and nature market,” the science s according to Greast Gizmos’ Sarah, acco now is the time to jump on board this burgeoning category. bur

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It’s the only talking microscope for preschool scientists! LearningResources.co.uk 01553 819 380 Sales@learning-resources.co.uk

FEATURE

SCIENCE AND NATURE

Look and learn LEARNING RESOURCES 01553 819 380 www.learningresources.co.uk Look, listen and learn with new ‘talking’ additions to the awardwinning GeoSafari Jr. range from Learning Resources. Designed specifically for small hands and big imaginations, this best-selling range encourages curious young explorers to investigate using colourful and functional tools. The only talking microscope available for pre-schoolers, the GeoSafari Jr. Talking Microscope features audio from wildlife warrior Bindi Irwin, 5x magnification and two comfy eye pieces for an easy, focus free viewing experience. A collection of 20 prepared slides each feature three photoquality images of animals, plants, insects and more! Set the microscope to ‘fact’ mode to learn more about the items on the slide or switch to ‘quiz’ mode to test scientific knowledge, perfect for independent learning.

system from the Children can explore explo the wonders of the solar s comfort of their home with the GeoSafari Jr. Talking Telescope. Choose between ‘fact’ mode or ‘quiz’ mode to learn about outer space as audio from Emmy-nominated science TV host Emily Dawn Calandrelli guides them through 24 fascinating images of planets, stars and space. Easy to operate, simply look through the two-eye goggle piece and turn the dial to switch between images.

Sweet STREAM is made of this GREAT GIZMOS 01293 543221 www.ggtrade.co.uk

Bright sparks WEST DESIGN 01303 297888 www.westdesignproducts.co.uk This year sees the launch of a new range of Creativity for Kids products called Invent. These products have been developed in association with the Spark!Lab at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. The Invent range introduces children to invention by using the same process used by real inventors and helps them develop 21st century skills such as critical thinking and creativity in a fun and open-ended way. There are currently four products in the range Inventor›s Studio, Invent Terriﬁc Toys, Invent Fantastic Flying Machines and Invent the Greatest Board Game. Also new in the successful Grow range is Plant A Pizza Garden. This product lets kids nurture their garden from seed germination through harvest. Watch basil, tomatoes, oregano and peppers grow and then turn them into a tasty homemade pizza. There is even a delicious recipe included. The Grow range was released last year and is designed to help children connect with nature through creativity and care. They can express their artistic side while captivating their developing minds, by promoting creativity while learning about growing plants.

4M’s popular Science and Nature categories are evolving, with new introductions. The entire range is designed to combine the elements of STREAM, encouraging learning while having fun. Kidzrobotics is a new range from 4M and combines advanced robotics with creative play. 2018 will see the launch of four robots; Fridge Robot, Spider Robot, Crazy Robot and Motorised Robot Hand. New to the Kidzlabs range is Magnet Mining – kids can dig away to ﬁnd the buried magnetic stones and then conduct fun experiments to learn about magnetism. Learn the theory behind the magical 3D hologram and impress friends with the Hologram Projector. Kids can have fun outdoors with Survival Science and will learn how science can help you get out of trouble in the wild. Hunt for buried treasure with Metal Detector Robot using the remote control. The Green Science range is also expanding with some new additions. Water Powered Clock teaches how clean energy generates power. Build the clock and add water and the clock will begin to work.

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FEATURE

SCIENCE AND NATURE

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FEBRUARY 2018

Trends UK (National Accounts)

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For media enquiries, please contact:

Tel: +44 (0)1295 768078

Tel: +44 (0)1353 724140

Email: salesadmin@trendsuk.co.uk www.trendsuk.co.uk

Email: sales@wind-designs.com www.wind-designs.com

Ane Olesen: ane@wirepr.eu 45

FEATURE

SCIENCE AND NATURE

DIY robots CLEMENTONI 020 3206 1101 www.clementoni.com Clementoni’s Robotic and Crystal creation kits were top sellers throughout 2017. This year, RoboMaker is added to the mix — a fusion of mechanics and engineering to bring intelligent robots to life and open up a whole new world of educational robotics. With more than 250 interchangeable components, children will be able to build ﬁve robots of increasing complexity that can be programmed manually or via the free downloadable app. For younger children, Clementoni is launching Mind Designer, an intelligent robot that guides children through the process of learning mathematics, arithmetic and geometry. This robot can be programmed manually or by voice recognition and using an exclusive app, children can experiment with coding and play interactive games. Mind Designer is sure to be a must-have item in 2018.

A whole new world THAMES & KOSMOS 01580 212 000 www.thamesandkosmos.com Since 2001, Thames & Kosmos has been developing science kits for children around the world. For 2018, Thames & Kosmos is excited to unveil the brand-new range of fun, interactive educational and STEM toys which will be released throughout the spring/summer season. The Globes range includes two new educational globes. Day and Night Globe, which is not only a true representation of Earth by day, including illustrations of animals and landmarks, but is also a fantastic lit star and constellation map of the sky at night. Kids First Globe is a great learning tool showing animals, landmarks and cultural objects around the world complete with an accompanying educational manual. Ooze Labs are simple and fun science experiments in big chunky plastic test tubes that kids will love. Each Ooze Lab tube contains a simple science experiment to create a safe material that is both fun to play with and chemically interesting. Choose from Hypercolour Slime, Glow in the Dark Slime, Sunshine Slime, Glitter Slime and Magnetic Slime. Thames & Kosmos are also introducing Pepper Mint – a new line of STEM kits with experiments and activities that follow the adventures of Pepper Mint, a curious, capable and creative scientist. The Great treehouse Enginnering Adventure won Nuremberg Toy Award in the School Kids (6-10 years) category and will launch in August along with The Fantastic Underwater Science Voyage. Both sets contain multiple components in order to create an impressive construction, which draws on engineering and design skills.

Monkey business BANDAI 0208 324 6160 www.bandai.co.uk Bandai UK brings two new collections to market, each with its own take on STEM. Get ready dy to experiment with a wide choice from the world of National Geographic plus the option to nurture urture Sea Monkeys. The National Geographic range combines es a trusted and well-known brand with fun and exciting experiments, expert learning guides des and fascinating subjects. Meanwhile, The Original inal Sea Monkeys range will launch in late spring.

Going wild GP FLAIR 020 8643 0320 www.ﬂairplc.co.uk The team at GP Flair believes science kits should be much more than just toys, which is where the Wild Science collection comes in, offering a wide range of projects with attitude. Wild Science explores real science through kits that produce tangible and exciting results every time, with topics that are popular and relevant with today’s modern young audience. My First Magic Show is an early learning project that uses holograms and optical illusions to put on an amazing show. Alternatively, the Cake Soap and Bath Bomb Factories are always popular. Children can learn about creating suspensions and the theory behind solids and liquids when making attractive soap gifts, or why not discover chemical reactions when making ﬁzzy bath bombs.

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FEATURE

SCIENCE AND NATURE

Mad science TRENDS UK 01295 768078 www.trendsuk.co.uk For 2018, the popular Science Mad brand will be refreshed with vibrant new unisex packaging and a coherent range with six new kits. The Science Mad range offers real experiments, based on proper chemistry. Budding scientists can mix the ingredients to watch awesome chemical reactions (Chemistry Lab) and grow crystals to ﬁnd out how nature’s building materials work for real (Crystal Growing Kit). The new kits enable kids to experiment with slime in various gloriously gloopy states (Science Mad Slime Lab), and perform amazing luminous, glow in the dark projects (Science Mad After Dark Lab). The Discovery toy range from Trends UK is inspired by the Discovery Channel. Making learning fun and interactive, the Discovery toys promote adventure and curiosity about the real world. Encouraging children to have fun outside and learn from the natural world, Trends UK is launching a range of new Discovery toys for 2018 that explore nature on the go. The Discovery Pocket Scope (spring) is a new handheld microscope for outside investigation of specimens in minute detail. The Discovery Binoculars & Carry Case, (spring) are light, portable and child friendly with a 6 x magniﬁcation and a built-in compass, perfect for observing wildlife. The new Nightlight Illuminated Globe (AW) shows a political global map with countries in colour blocks, names seas/oceans and capital cities, perfect for learning about planet earth and making the bedroom cosy as kids drop off to sleep!

FEBRUARY 2018

REVIEW

LONDON TOY FAIR

Oh what a show! London Toy Fair is over for another year. We take a look back at the highlights and ﬁnd out how it went for some of the exhibitors…

oy Fair 2018 took place from January 23-25 at London’s Olympia. There was plenty going on – from a dancing princess on the Bush Baby stand, to celebrity appearances at Asmodee UK and John Adams. Tomy was joined by Premier League footballer Jack Collison, who helped them launch the sport and robotics themed game Soccerborg. And there was exciting stuff going on at the Wilton Bradley stand, too: “There was the small matter of breaking a world record from our stand on the ﬁrst day,” recalled Simon Hampson, Head of Sales. “Hans Van Dan Elzen from Yo-Yo Factory (which is distributed by Wilton Bradley) smashed the record for the greatest number of loop-the-loops in one minute. The aisles were blocked around the stand with camera crews, photographers and interested toy buyers!” Aside from all this excitement, for exhibitors the name of the game was to show their latest products to buyers and retailers – and to take those allimportant orders. So how was it for them? Tess Parsons-Broome, Bandai’s Marketing Manager, said: “There were so many new brands for us to reveal and ﬁrst waves of products to show, which

resulted in really positive reactions from our customers. In addition, the next season for key brands such as Power Rangers and Smooshy Mushy were there for all to see.” Gibsons also used the show to reveal latest releases including the quick play game Pixit, and the quirky gift puzzle, Rubik’s Cube. “Toy Fair is the ﬁrst opportunity we get to showcase product to both independent and high street retailers, whilst gaining valuable feedback,” said Samantha Goodburn, Marketing and PR executive. On the Jumbo Games stand, it was all about Peter Rabbit: “Launching our range of Peter Rabbit puzzles for both the movie and the classic Beatrix Potter books at the show couldn’t have gone any better! It wasn’t a surprise how popular they would be, but it truly surpassed all our incredibly high expectations,” commented Steven Russell, Senior Marketing Executive. Over on the MV Sports stand: “We introduced 12 exciting new licenses for 2018 including LOL Surprise and Hatchimals, which went down a storm, in addition to our existing roster of top properties such as PJ Masks and Paw Patrol,” recalled Charlie Howarth, Product Development Manager.

The show season really gives exhibitors the chance to show off their products in detail and offers would-be buyers hands-on experience of what’s on show. First-time exhibitors Sinco really felt the beneﬁt of showing off their wares to showgoers. Sally Hunter, Sales Director, said: “Our stand was buzzing with excitement and we saw everyone that we wanted to see and more. The location of the stand was a real win for us too with lots of foot trafﬁc. London Toy Fair has been a fantastic opportunity to

Set for success Matt Jones from the BTHA talks about the Toy Trust events and initiatives at this year’s Toy Fair “The Toy Trust was proud to launch two initiatives for 2018 during Toy Fair – ﬁrst, the Big Toy Trust Rafﬂe, which contained industry-donated, money-can’t-buy prizes. There were some truly outstanding prizes on offer and we are incredibly grateful to our industry colleagues who donated the prizes. “Our second event launched during the show is our annual Media Auction, which raised a fantastic £72,900 – thanks goes to those that bid and our media partners for creating more successful fundraising for the Toy Trust.”

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Award winners “The big news for us was our PAW Patrol Marshall’s 6v Bubble Blowin’ Fire Truck winning the Toy Fair Hero Toy award, a prize that we have won for two years running. Overall, the reaction that we received from our customers, licensors and other visitors was fantastic!” Charlie Howarth, Product Development Manager at MV Sports “Botley the coding robot became a star! Not only did Botley win a Toy Fair Hero Award, but also appeared on BBC Breakfast alongside Learning Resources’ Managing Director Dennis Blackmore, who was interviewed by Steph McGovern” Simon Tomlinson, Head of Marketing, Learning Resources UK

establish Sinco Creations’ position in the toy industry.” Jumbo’s Steven Russell said: “Being able to spend quality time showing customers all the varieties in images, piece counts and talking to them about how they can really drive sales in the ﬁrst half of the year was a big success and a pleasure. We had some great meetings with licensors for both children’s and adult properties, so watch this space and what’s to come in the second half of the year!” The same was true for MV Sports, as Charlie Howarth, Product Development Manager, explained: “Toy Fair offered a fantastic opportunity to showcase more than 200 new products to both our existing customers and potential new ones. It provided a great insight into what retailers were interested in and we succeeded in cementing our 2018 line plans with several major customers.” Tomy also beneﬁted from visitors getting to see their products in person, said Head of Marketing UK, Nicola Jenkins: “We received a really good reaction to our core business drivers, from Lamaze through to Britains, but also strong leads for opportunistic brands such as Kiipix and Soccerborg that we are keenly following up.” Collectables were another big story big for 2018, and Learning Resources got in on that action. “Our new Playfoam product Playfoam Pals generated a lot of interest. The beauty of Playfoam Pals is that not only do children get to play and be creative with the playfoam, but there is also a hidden animal friend inside each one, which adds an element of

surprise,” said Head of Marketing Simon Tomlinson. Bandai’s Tess Parsons-Broome said: “Meetings with buyers were fruitful particularly on girls collectables so we’re really looking forward to the year ahead in this sector!” STEM and STEAM products made a big impact at this year’s show as the educational element of toys becomes more and more a focus. Learning Resources’ Simon, said: “Our new coding robot Botley was a real hit — people loved the fact that Botley not only teaches STEM in a fun and hands-on way, but is also competitively priced.” We’ll leave the ﬁnal comment on Toy Fair to Majen Immink from the BTHA: “It’s always exciting to see the new products launched for the ﬁrst time in the UK, and presents a key opportunity for developing and maintaining new and current relationships. It was also great to see BBC Breakfast back at the show too; they provided some great coverage of the exhibition and it was lovely that they included a good number of exhibitors and their products too. I’d like to say a huge thank you to all our exhibitors and visitors who attended and helped make the show a success — we hope to see you again next year for Toy Fair 2019!”

Toy Fair 2019! Toy Fair 2019 will take place on 22-24 January 2019. Visit www.toyfair.co.uk/register-2019 to book your space now!

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REVIEW

Time for a coffee and catch up with Jumbo Games’s Steve Washbourne

Lights, camera, action! The inimitable Phil Ratcliffe shows us the latest from MV Sports

Actress Kara Tointon stopped by to show her support and passion for Asmodee’s new game Arokah

TnP TV r etur look at s ned to London T learn mo ome of this year oy Fair this year re ’s t the incre from top kids’ li most exciting pr o bring you a clo dible inn c s o ovation a ensors. Bringing duct launches a er nd tt vi hosted b y TnP Ed he show, you can ewers just a ﬂavo ito ur c www.toy r-in-chief Mirella atch up on episo of des snplayth ings.co.u Anstey on k

Wilton Bradley’s Mike Gascoigne belts out all the hits with the new X Factor mic range

En garde! Bandai GM Nic Aldridge gets straight to the point with a bundle of exciting new lines

It’s always a laugh with Character Options’ Marketing Manager Mark Hunt

The queen of Toy Fair, Golden Bear’s Vice Chairman Christine Nicholls, takes it easy on the Bush Baby World throne

FEBRUARY 2018

Having a blast with Mookie’s Gemma Lewington and the new Laser M.A.D range

Mark Kingston, SVP of International Licensing at Viacom, stops by to spill the beans on the new Nickelodeon Slime Hyper Blaster from Sambro

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WATCH OUT FORâ&#x20AC;Ś The monthly focus on products that are hot right now and can help you sell more Scented Blossoms Bush Babie s www.goldenbeartoys.com

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Soccerborg

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Janod Mint Sco

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L.O.L Surprise Folding Inline Scooter www.mvsports.co.uk

Glove A Bubble

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www.trendsuk.co.uk 2

REVIEW

SPRING FAIR

Spring ﬂing In the midst of toy fair season, toy exhibitors made the trip to Birmingham’s NEC for Spring Fair 2018. Team TnP went along too…

F Sinco’s Sally Hunter

Jumbo’s Steven Russell

Did you know… Spring Fair encompasses 14 show sectors, with more than 2500 UK and international exhibitors displaying their wares All smiles at Sambro

“

or anyone interested in toys, Hall 5 was the place to be, with everything The from retro handcrafted toys to high feedback we’ve tech gadgets and gizmos. This was the place to ﬁnd the latest trend appealing to received on the kids, and to work out what would be on their ranges has all Christmas list for 2018. been very Heading to Spring Fair, exhibitors and visitors alike are all well into the shows season, positive and it’s and Spring Fair gives the chance for stand been great to holders to continue the success of teh trade be back show season. It also gives buyers another Christine Nicholls, crack of the whip when it comes to snapping Golden Bear up products they have already shown an interest in. The other advantage of Spring Fair is that it appeals to a diverse range of buyers thanks to the rich variety of sectors represented at the show – stall holders can expect to see buyers from museums, garden centres, gift shops and leisure centres, as well as specialist toy retailers. “After a great response for Shaun the Sheep at Toy Fair, we’ve continued the success at Spring Fair,” says Sally Hunter, Sales Director, Sinco Creations. And Playmobil has a similar experience with a recently launched range: “The Country range has done really well this week after its launch at Toy Fair in January,” says Steve Watkins, territory manager for Playmobil. “It’s got great play value and has TV advertising throughout the year.” “Our adult puzzles have continued to be strong at Spring Fair,” says Steven Russell, senior marketing executive, Jumbo Games. “We’ve been continuing to show new releases to keep fans excited.” The move towards gender-neutral products has worked well for Juratoys, as Sales & Marketing manager Michelle Probert explains: “We’ve had a great response to the Baby Pop range this week. It’s not too garish, gender neutral and has a great price point. Ocado and Harrods visited this week and really liked it.” At the other end of the scale, the bright green of Nickelodeon’s Slime range has gone down well. The sales team at Sambro had been busy demonstrating the Nickelodeon Slime Hyper Blaster on their stand. “It’s deﬁnitely been all about slime this week!” says Michelle Lawson, right. She’s joined by Robyn Relph (left) and Jonny Shneck (centre). Demonstrations of another kind drew plenty of attention over on the Golden Bear stand. “We’ve had a fantastic few days at Spring Fair,” commented Christine Nicholls, Vice Chairman and Director of Product Development at Golden Bear. “We’ve had lots of visitors coming onto the stand and the Bush Baby World dance performances have gone down a storm! The feedback we’ve received on the ranges has all been very positive and it’s been great to be back.” Make a date in your diary for next year’s Spring Fair, which returns to the NEC from 3-7 Februayr, 2019.

”

Playmobil had a great show Snap happy with Juratoys

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Did you know… Attendees spent the same 2.8 days on average at the show despite its new, shorter format

And the winners are…

Biggest show on Earth Nuremberg Toy Fair 2018 was the biggest in the show’s 69-year history — and the most internationally diverse — cementing the world’s biggest toy fair as a must-attend event

N The ToyAwards are one of the most prestigious honours in the global toy trade. This year’s winners included Silverlit, with Chairman Kevin Choi saying: “Having this award is a big encouragement for our team to go into the future.” This year’s triumphant toys are: Baby & Infant (0-3 years): Kullerbü – Car Park-Play Track, Habermaass Pre-School (3-6 years): Robo Chameleon, Silverlit Toys Manufactory SchoolKids (6-10 years): Pepper Mint and the Treehouse Adventure, Franckh-Kosmos Teenager & Adults (from 10 years): 1:87 VW T1 Samba Bus 2.4G 100% RTR, TAMIYA-CARSON Modellbau

FEBRUARY 2018

uremberg Toy Fair seems to outdo itself every year, and the 69th edition of the world’s largest toy trade event, which ran 31 January to 4 February 2018, was no exception. A record number of exhibitors brought the most diverse offering of games, puzzles, action ﬁgures, role-play, RC, ride-ons — you name it, it was there — to date. And from the TrendGallery to the licensing parade, those in attendance were able to get a leg-up on all aspects of the toy industry. A total of 2,902 exhibitors from made this year’s show the biggest ever — that’s 31 more than 2017, which was also a record-setting year. But size isn’t everything. Variety is a major reason trade shows continue to draw huge crowds, and this year’s Nuremberg Toy Fair was also the most internationally diverse event so far, with exhibitors from 68 countries — up from 63 in 2017 — and decision-making retailers from a whopping 129 countries around the globe. In fact, 63 per cent of visitors travelled from abroad, with the biggest increase in attendance coming from Asia, Eastern Europe and the rapidly emerging South American market. Stephen Watson, Category Buyer Toys for Australian department store

chain Myers, says: “It’s a long way from Australia, so it’s good to see everything all in one spot. There aren’t this many people at any other trade fair; there aren’t this many suppliers in one spot or ideas in one spot.” But despite record numbers and overwhelming support from exhibitors and visitors alike — with 83 per cent saying they intend to return next year — the show isn’t resting on its laurels. This year’s revamped TrendGallery was well received and will be followed up with further reﬁnements in 2019. One major transformation will take place in Hall 7A, which becomes the new home of both the model railway and model construction categories next year – a move welcomed by exhibitors looking to draw similar retailers to their stands. And plans are already underway on further developments to better meet the demands of all in the trade and better reﬂect industry shifts. Ernst Kick, CEO of Spielwarenmesse eG, explains: “We will continue to develop the content of the Spielwarenmesse in this way, creating hall capacity for those product segments that are in high demand.” So be sure to block out 30 January3 February 2019 in your diary for when Nuremberg Toy Fair returns next year — you wouldn’t want to miss it.

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LICENSING

W O R L D W I D E

NEWS

Sweet style Zag’s characters are set to be immortalised in vinyl and as sweet dispensers. The animation studio has announced two new global licensing partners in the collectables category for its brand Miraculous, Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir. Funko is releasing a trio of collectable POP! stylised vinyl ﬁgures of the most popular Miraculous characters: super hero duo Ladybug with Tikki and Cat Noir with Plagg, along with their antagonist, super villain Hawk Moth. Beginning in May 2018, the products will be available on-shelf worldwide, excluding Japan, China and Korea. Pez will create the Miraculous, Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir iconic heroes in its Pez candy dispenser conﬁguration. The Parisian pair are anticipated to hit retail shelves worldwide starting in August 2018.

Alpha bags SpongeBob Nickelodeon has appointed The Alpha Group as global master toy for the network’s iconic SpongeBob SquarePants. The new product line, which will include toys, collectables, plush and novelties, is expected to debut worldwide in 2019. “It’s an honour for Alpha to partner with Nickelodeon for a new SpongeBob product line that will excite and unite a full spectrum of kids, teens and millennials,” said Brehan Maul, Vice President Marketing, The Alpha Group LLC. “Kids all around the world have grown up with this beloved, iconic character. This is an amazing opportunity and we are planning a full range of SpongeBob collectables, plush, novelties and playthings. Stay tuned for what’s in store.”

Slime time Nickelodeon has teamed with Sambro, to launch a range of Slime-related products from April 2018. The hero product in the Sambro range is the Nickelodeon Slime Blaster. The pump-action-style device is capable of projecting the infamous green liquid up to seven metres. Coming with 10 packs of instant Slime in two colours, every kid will be fully prepared and tooled up for any Slime adventure. Nikki Samuels, Licensing Director at Sambro, says: “We love working with Nickelodeon and this partnership is one of the best yet. Slime is one of the most popular crazes among kids today. This line enables kids to both make slime and get creative in its applications.”

Zimpli’s all smiles Emoji has teamed up with Zimpli Kids to introduce a range of products with ﬁve new SKUs: Chocolate emoji maker, emoji Gelli Play Pods, emoji Gelli Baff Pods and two variants of emoji Baff Bombs. The bathtime products focus on a new concept of display and play. The emoji Gelli Play, Gelli Baff and Baff Bombs are encased in a plastic yellow emoji pod, which looks great and adds play value. Another new product in the range is the Chocolate emoji maker; get creative and make a chocolate emoji bar. Simply melt the milk, white and dark chocolate in a bowl of warm water, place the emoji stencil underneath and get arty creating your favourite emoji.

Posh teddy Carte Blanche has teamed up with Posh Paws International to make the soft toy specialist the sole producer of Tiny Tatty Teddy Baby and Infant Plush for the UK and Ireland. Already a successful nursery brand within greeting cards and giftware categories, the new deal will see a core collection of plush toys added to the brand, including a traditional bear soft toy alongside comforters, activity toys and ring rattles that are all suitable from birth-up. The range is expected to launch to market as early as autumn 2018. Posh Paws will also be working together with retailers on exclusive designs to support the continued success of the brand’s apparel ranges.

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TNP

LOOKS S BACK

Step back in time A rather personal look back through time beginning with February 2013, 2008, 1998 and 1988 by TnP Founder and MD Malcolm Naish

February 2013 Volume 32 Number 05

February 2013 13

February 1998

● We interviewed Waterstone’s ne’s Children’s non-book buyer to fi find out more about their toy offer offering. Interestingly, 25/30% off thei their turnover was non-book ok related. rela Big sellers back in 2013 w were YuGi-Oh trading cards, ards, L LEGO and all things Magic Gathering. With ic the Ga 267 stores, Sally Ann Campbell visits Olym Olympia, Nuremberg and both Spring and Autumn Fair. b

● Bluebird Toys see off a hostile bid by the Guinness Peat Group, whose offer of 101p per share does not impress Sir Torquil. Mattel about to launch Bluebird’s Polly Pocket and Disney miniatures in the States should considerably strengthen Bluebird’s stock market value.

● I am gutted to record the passing of Peter Fielding after a courageous fight against the big ‘C’. He was a lovely man and one of the best ever sales personnel that Hasbro, Kidz Biz and Matchbox ever had. © 2012 Mattel, Inc. All Rights Reserved. eserved.

● Mattel head the net spend for the year 2012 on telly with a spend at rate card of £8,388,849. Not sure where Hasbro were as they didn’t feature in the top five. ● Hasbro’s Furby won Toy of the Year with VTech capturing the Supplier of the Year award. Great to see Dave Middleton of Midco Toymaster winning the Independent Toy Retailer of the Year award. Specialist Multiple was awarded to Smyths Toys.

February 2008 ● Richard Morriss sells his Toyway company to Australian company Brainy Toys who appoint Jim Andrews as MD. As a big Gooner fan I ask Richard if he might be buying a share of Arsenal F.C.? ● MGA pull out of the running to buy troubled French toy company Smoby, leaving just three remaining one of which is Simba-Dickie. ● Can it be 10 years ago that Roland Earl decides to re-join the BTHA? He succeeds David Hawtin as Director General. ● Hasbro win Toy of the Year with their In the Night Garden Iggle Piggle Blanket Time. During the awards Val Stedham was presented with a lovely bouquet of flowers on her retirement from the TRA. What a lovely lady and well deserved. This was also the year that Martin Grossman seemed to take over the role of Master of Ceremonies and perhaps made the BTHA realise that in future, no speeches from Toy of the Year recipients are necessary! ● Paul Fogarty becomes Tomy’s Commercial Director for the whole of Europe. ● I particularly enjoyed Martin Grossman’s GATA’S awards – Grossman’s Alternative Toy Awards that he made whilst comparing the Toy of the Year. Sadly, it proved to be the first and last we ever heard of them.

● Tiger Electronics is bought by Hasbro. A shame from our point of view as this truly innovative company is swallowed up along with their advertising budget in Toys ‘n’ Playthings. Tiger were just launching their latest hit – FURBY. No wonder Hasbro bought the company! Roger Dyson having left Ertl last autumn re-surfaces as MD of Ideal Toys. ● Another industry great Mr. Tom Cassidy visits Buckingham Palace to receive his OBE from the Queen. ● Lledo die cast’s launch for 1998 is Del Boy’s Robin Reliant from TV’s Only Fools and Horses. This glorious piece of die-cast must be worth a hell of a lot more now than when it launched 20 years ago at £9.99. retail! ● Was it really 20 years ago that Teletubbies won Toy of the Year? No wonder Golden Bear’s M.D. John Hales is smiling. Diana and Ken Wallman are also in the pic.

February 1988 ● 30 years ago and the women in the U.K. toy industry form their own club W.I.T’s – Women in Toys. I write that this is a great idea, but sadly it limped along for a few years and never really attracted the top ladies of our industry. ● Martins Newsagents sell 66 of their larger stores to Menzies for £35 million. ● Peter Locke was a very popular buyer at Texplant, but after 23 years with the company decides to leave for pastures new. I seem to recall that Peter was never to be found at toy fair as it interfered with his annual skiing holiday. – quite right too, let’s not put business before pleasure. ● Upper Thames Wholesalers decide to withdraw from Toymaster and go it alone. Owning their freehold property valued thirty years ago at over £500,000 they believe they are more than capable of holding their own and claim that all of their members wish to remain with them rather than join Toymaster. ● Some of the games titles launched in 1988 were You must be Joking Action GT, Orgy – Comissatio – all in the best possible taste! Spycatcher – Paul Lamond, Question of Sport – Toybrokers, Trivial Pursuit – Kenner Parker, Rubik’s Clock – Matchbox Toys, Saint & Greavsie – Pic Toys, Subbuteo – Waddingtons, Therapy – Milton Bradley and Woof Woof – Crown & Andrews. ● Thus proving how strong games were 30 years ago and continue to be.

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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: Myla the Magical Make-up Unicorn Company: VTech Tel: 01235 555 545 Web: www.vtech.co.uk

Product: PJ Masks Turbo Blast Racers Company: GP Flair/Just Play Tel: 020 8643 0320 Web: www.ﬂairplc.co.uk

Product: Disney Guess the Film Game Company: Jumbo Games Tel: 01707 289289 Web: www.jumbo.eu

Product: Poopeez Multi Pack Company: Character Options Tel: 0161 633 9800 Web: www.character-online.com

Product: Orbis Company: Revell Tel: 0845 459 0747 Web: www.revell.de/en

FEBRUARY 2018

Product: Aqua Crystals Creation Station Company: Mookie Tel: 01525 722722 Web: www.mookie.co.uk

Product: Wicked Pranks and Jokes sett Company: Marvin’s Magic Tel: 01582 849000 Web: www.marvinsmagic.com

Product: Black Widow – Monster Smash Ups Company: Wilton Bradley Tel: 01626 835400 Web: www.wiltonbradley.com

Product: Wedding Limo Company: Playmobil Tel: 01268 548111 Web: www.playmobil.co.uk