Trends Column - the U.S. Toy Association shares toys and games to keep kids active this summer

Goliath completes Fun Promotion acquisition

Toys and games manufacturer Goliath has completed the acquisition of Fun Promotion from Toi-Toys International.

Fun Promotion has been creating novelty toys since 1978 and is best known for Magic Twisty - a product that has sold more than 20 million units in 30-plus countries. Other successful products include the rainbow rope Ztringz, Skippy Dance, and Super Balloon. The business was acquired by Toi-Toys in 2020.

Toi-Toys CEO Rob Rooijackers said: “As we will be focusing more on products under our own brand name in the future, we believe Goliath is a better fit to further develop the legacy and brand of Fun Promotion.”

Goliath has acquired Tucker Toys, Britz’n’Pieces, Wahu and Vivid in recent years. CEO Jochanan Golad commented: “We expect impulse products and retail business to be completely back to normal by spring 2022. We will be launching a range of exciting new products under the Fun Promotion portfolio and further strengthening its excellent in-store marketing strategy and relationships with retailers and distributors.”

Fun on the farm with Britains

Agricultural toys and collectables brand Britains is marking its centenary year by teaming up with the Rural Life Living Museum in Farnham, Surrey, to create an experience for the whole family - just in time for summer.

The Museum features a collection of old rural buildings, tractors and farm equipment, complete with its own small railway. Launched on 20 June, visitors are being treated to a specially designed Britains-inspired toy trail where Britains products will be ‘hidden’ around the site, challenging families to spot them along their route.

The experience will run until 12 September, and the team have designed a fun activity sheet to keep children entertained throughout the day. There are plenty of photo opportunities available to capture memories, and visitors can upload their best snap with the Britains frame to Facebook or Instagram to be in with a chance of winning one of Britains’ Farm in a Box toys.

TRENDS: KIDS CAN’T WAIT TO PLAY THIS SUMMER

This summer will be all about making up for lost play time, according to The U.S. Toy Association’s senior communications specialist Kristin Morency Goldman

Families missed out on so much last summer due to Covid-19, and with online learning, face masks, and social distancing, the past school year has been anything but easy.

This summer will be all about making up for lost time, according to a recent survey commissioned by The U.S. Toy Association’s Genius of Play initiative and conducted by OnePoll.

When asked what their ideal summer would look like, 2,000 parents and their children (aged from five to 14) said this summer should include five pool parties in the backyard, three road trips, and five trips to the beach.

The average child also included three trips to amusement parks in their plans - and wished for five new toys to play with.

Thankfully, families should be able to deliver on their kids’ requests. Read on for some toys and games that will keep kids active outdoors - or entertained inside on a rainy day - all summer long: Obstacle Course in a Box from Endless Games: Designed to play inside or outside, this comes with physical challenges to keep you moving. It features 27 floor tiles, a stopwatch, a jump rope, and a booklet filled with obstacle course ideas.

Slackers Swingline from B4 Adventure: Set up the ultimate challenge in your backyard between two trees. The set includes a ninja line, mesh swings, a steel monkey bar, and gym rings. Wing Ball from Hog Wild: Wing Ball can reach speeds of 88mph.

Air will pass through this tube-shaped toy to help lift it and create spirals.

Articulate from Tomy: Articulate is a team game of rapid descriptions. Players describe as many card entries as possible in 30 seconds. The first team to move around the board wins.

I Wish I Didn’t Know Family Edition from What Do You Meme?:

Players draw trivia cards while the rest of the group competes to guess which answer is correct. Once everyone has guessed, the judge reveals the correct answer and awards one point to those who chose correctly.

Founded in 1916, The U.S. Toy Association is a not-for-profit trade association representing businesses involved in creating and delivering toys and youth entertainment products for kids of all ages. The U.S. toy industry has an annual U.S. economic impact of $97.2 billion and its 1,000-plus members drive the annual $27 billion U.S. domestic toy market. The Association serves as the industry’s voice on the developmental benefits of play and promotes play’s positive impact on childhood development to consumers and the media. It has a long history of leadership in toy safety, having helped develop the first comprehensive toy safety standard more than 40 years ago, and remains committed to working with medical experts, government, consumers, and industry on programmes to ensure safe and fun play. The organisation produces the world-renowned Toy Fair New York and Toy Fair Dallas; advocates on behalf of members around the world; sustains the Canadian Toy Association; acts as secretariat for the International Council of Toy Industries and International Toy Industry CEO Roundtable; and chairs the committee that reviews and revises America’s widely emulated ASTM F963 toy safety standard.

LBP reveals award winners

Family-focused online parenting magazine Lovedbyparents.com announced the winners of its 11th annual Loved by Parents (LPA) Awards during a live virtual Twitter party that attracted more than 15.6 million impressions.

Billed as one of the largest and most trusted parenting awards programmes worldwide, each product is tested and voted for by parents. The 2021 winners of the playtime category are:

Best Doll L.O.L. OMG Dance Dance Dance Fashion Doll – Platinum Sparkle Girlz Hair Dreams by Zuru - Gold L.O.L. Surprise! Big B.B.s - Silver Best Roleplay Toy GLTC Coffee Cup Wooden Toy Kitchen - Platinum Baby Annabell/Baby Alexander/Baby Leah - Gold Little Tikes First Self-Checkout Stand - Platinum Best Soft Toy Rainbocorns Wild Heart Surprise Series 3 by Zuru - Platinum Best Ride on 1-3yrs Y Glider Luna - Platinum Best Preschool Toy TP 4 in 1 Trike Dino Discovery - Platinum Orchard Toys First Jungle Friends Jigsaw Puzzle - Gold Best Toddler Toy Orchard Toys First Jungle Friends Jigsaw Puzzle - Platinum TP Splash & Play Happy Chef Mud Kitchen - Platinum Tonies Toniebox - Gold TP 4 in 1 Trike Dino Discovery- Silver Best Educational Toy Tonies Toniebox – Platinum Yoto Player - Gold Orchard Toys Dino-Snore-Us Game - Silver Best Wooden Toy 0-1yrs Sawdust and Rainbows Wee’Un - Platinum Best Wooden Toy 1-3yrs Sawdust and Rainbows Wee’Un - Platinum Best Activity Toy 0-1 yrs Sawdust and Rainbows Wee’Un - Platinum Best Activity Toy 3-6 yrs TP Treehouse Wooden Play Tower - Platinum Early Fun All Purpose Swingball - Gold TP Splash & Play Happy Chef Mud Kitchen - Silver Best Activity Toy 6+ L.O.L. Surprise! Dance Machine - Platinum Best Outdoor Toy 1-3yrs+ TP 4 in 1 Trike Dino Discovery - Platinum Y Glider Luna - Gold Best Outdoor Toy 3-6yrs+ TP Treehouse Wooden Play Tower - Platinum Early Fun All Purpose Swingball - Gold TP Splash & Play Happy Chef Mud Kitchen - Gold Crazy Bunch O Balloons - Silver Best Interactive Toy 3+ Crazy Bunch O Balloons - Platinum Best Interactive Toy 6+ L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. 4-In-1 Glamper - Platinum Best Innovative Toy 2021 SmartMax ‘My First’ Acrobats- Platinum Yoto Player - Gold Orchard Toys Dino-Snore-Us Game - Silver Best Musical Toy Tonies Toniebox - Platinum Best Stimulative Toy 1-3 yrs Platinum SmartMax ‘My First’ Acrobats - Platinum Best Construction Toy1-3 yrs SmartMax ‘My First’ Acrobats - Platinum Best Toy Design GLTC Coffee Cup Wooden Toy Kitchen - Platinum Best Ride On 1-3 yrs+ TP 4 in 1 Trike Dino Discovery - Platinum

Casdon celebrates 75 years of play

Blackpool-based family-run supplier Casdon Toys commemorated its 75th anniversary on 8 June.

With roleplay being at the heart of the company, Casdon launched a ‘Helping out in the Home Corner’ initiative last month to coincide with this milestone.

The campaign sees 100 primary schools benefit through an interactive and resource-led programme packed full of fun activity sheets, certificates and stickers for kids to take home as well as child-sized home corner favourites from Casdon’s range of toys.

Phil Cassidy, managing director of Casdon and grandson of founder Thomas Cassidy, said: “Celebrating our 75th anniversary is a fantastic milestone. Casdon was built on my grandfather’s belief that toys need to have a role in children’s learning and development, as well as being fun to play with. We’re excited about the launch of our primary school initiative and look forward to continuing to develop products that capture the imaginations of children.”

Get set for Autumn Fair

Autumn Fair will reopen its doors for the first time in 18 months from 5-8 September at the NEC in Birmingham.

Show organiser Hyve Group said that with UK government and AEO (Association of Event Organisers) approved ‘Safe & Secure Guidelines’ in place, the event will offer ‘the definitive space for Covid-safe trading, networking, inspiration and more, as the retail industry gets back up and running’. The full guidelines can be viewed at www.autumnfair.com.

Hyve Group managing director, retail & fashion Julie Driscoll said: “With our long-standing heritage and experience, we can deliver a trusted platform and inspirational marketplace for physical business to take place again.’’

Hasbro powers up with Panasonic

Battery manufacturer Panasonic Energy has launched a new campaign and collaboration with Hasbro, owner of the Power Rangers franchise.

Power Up is an action-packed online game, where players’ Power Rangers mission is to collect as many Panasonic batteries as possible. Submitting a high score to compete for the grand prize can be done once a month. Three winners will have chance to win a spot at the Power Rangers karate boot camp. Each will be offered a four-day trip, including flights and accommodation, to a top-secret location.

Additionally, 50 runners-up will receive prizes: a Power Rangers Dino Fury Morpher and a Nerf Ultra AMP. Monthly prizes include Panasonic battery packs, a Power Rangers Dino Fury Battle Attackers two-pack, a Nerf Ultra AMP, and a Nerf Elite 2.0 Phoenix CS-6.

You can play as often as you like at poweryourday. win. The competition ends on 31 December 2021.

TOIKIDO and Winning Moves team up

Toikido has partnered with games company Winning Moves and Top Trumps USA to bring puzzles to its global fanbase.

The games specialist will initially launch four challenging and fun puzzle designs globally in A/W21, with Top Trumps USA exclusively distributing for the North America market. Fans will be able to choose their difficulty level as the puzzles will be released in 100, 250, 500 and 1,000 piece formats.

Winning Moves senior licensing manager Megan Wain said Winning Moves has always had a big focus on the latest trends, so is looking forward to being part of the Toikido - Among Us family. She added: “Both Among Us and jigsaw puzzles have solidified their place in our daily lives culture with massive fan bases, and we are excited to bring these worlds together for the first time.”

Toys accredited by the British Skin Foundation

Zimpli Kids’ Gelli Baff and Slime Baff toys have received accreditation from the British Skin Foundation (BSF) research charity. This recognition helps give parents buying Zimpli Kids products peace of mind that they are not only fun but 100% safe on their child’s skin.

Both toys are certified biodegradable powders that transform water into colourful slime or goo. Gelli Baff has been around for more than 10 years but recently Zimpli discovered that it’s beneficial to people who suffer from dry skin and, in some cases, skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.

BSF head of partnerships Phil Brady said: “Protecting our children is something close to all our hearts, so the BSF is delighted to be partnering with Zimpli Kids in promoting skin safety and the use of child-friendly products.”

Zimpli Kids will feature the BSF approved logo on all retail boxes and promote the accreditation through a marketing and social media campaign.

Fall Guys joins Wow! Stuff’s Pods line-up

Wow! Stuff’s collectable Wow! Pods, dubbed the collectable for fans of character brands, has added games developer Mediatonic’s Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout to its roster of tier 1 brands.

Billed as the breakout gaming hit of 2020, players of Fall Guys tumble over bizarre obstacles, shove through unruly competitors, and overcome the laws of physics to avoid elimination in their quest for the crown.

Now, Fall Guys’ brightly coloured beans are stumbling into the spotlight as main characters of the new Wow! Pods Fall Guys collectables range. The products will feature the unique Wow! Stuff patent-applied-for Swipe to Light function, which reveals mystery icons under the UV light.

Wow! Stuff co-founder and head of licensing Kenny McAndrew said: “Fall Guys is a phenomenal hit, and the characters are loved by thousands of players around the world. Fall Guys fits perfectly within our ethos of ensuring Wow! Pods meets the fandom thirst from fans of character brands.”