P36
P50
LEADER
Tim Murray
H At the heart of retail Also by Lema Publishing
ello there, and I’d like to welcome Action Man and assorted offshoots and Me-Too you all to the first issue of Toys ‘n’ toys (Little Big Man, for example) saw my mum, a dab hand with a sewing machine, making Playthings under my editorship. bespoke clothing items for my Action Men, I just want to say what a privilege it is including monogrammed polo shirts (seriously). for me to be helping oversee such a During the 90s I started buying vinyl toys and prestigious and storied title. collectables that included, again, Planet Of The I’ve received a very warm welcome Apes figures and loads more, limited edition myself from people in and around goodies picked up around the world, more Star the industry – it really is a very Wars, and shelves heaving under all kinds of friendly business. weird and wonderful characters and vehicles. For those who might have missed the Having kids meant spending the best part of story, I’ve started here after spending what seems like almost 15 years playing with the past 30 or so years working in B2B LEGO and assorted board and card games and trade journalism, covering home and more (I still marvel at how Dobble is entertainment, from VHS through to constructed) and an opportunity to immerse Blu-ray and streaming, across games myself once again in toys. and film, and, in recent years, in And now my youngest son is well into his addition to home entertainment, I’ve teenage years, I get to write about toys, and I also been working on a business title must say, I’m hugely excited to be here. for the newsagent and convenience I’ve got bags of ideas about what I want to store sector, covering, most recently, do with the magazine, but the first newspapers and I’ve often eyed hurdle is to steady the ship, get magazines. settled in, get a few issues of the I’ve often eyed the toy the toy industry magazine out and then see where industry with a a certain with a a certain we are. I’m not going to ring the amount of jealousy, amount of changes immediately, I’m going to having first signed up wait until I’ve spoken to you the to TnP more than jealousy, having readers, on both sides of the fence, 10 years ago at Toy first signed up to retailer and supplier, to see what Fair and thinking “here’s TnP more than you want from the magazine. an industry that appeals So please tell me what you want to me”. 10 years ago at to see in these pages – email me at Ever since I received Toy Fair and tim@lemapublishing.co.uk… a Stingray vehicle as thinking ‘here’s an Meanwhile, what’s in store for a reward for putting this issue? We’ve got loads of up with awful sunburn industry that news, including sustainability in Broadstairs as a appeals to me’ (something we’ll be featuring toddler, I’ve been more of in the coming months), a obsessed with toys. look at inflationary pressures on the toy trade From Gerry Anderson toys such as the and potential fallout for the industry, as well as aforementioned car from Marineville, major features on construction, STEM and plush including assorted hand-me-down toys. Moreover, we’ve got the excellent array of Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet vehicles (I still own an original Spectrum columnists, as well as some cracking interviews with retailers and suppliers from across the Pursuit Vehicle), through Kenner board. Expect more of the same in the coming superhero action figures picked up on a months – and some new elements too. trip to the US during the 1970s; Planet I’m really looking forward to getting my teeth Of The Apes, Star Wars, Subbuteo and stuck in, to meeting you all and to expanding my more, I’ve continued this obsession well toy collection. And I’ll see you soon… into my adulthood. My obsession with
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