FEATURE
DRESS-UP & ROLEPLAY
The power of imagination
Ask the retailer What dress-up ranges do you stock? Not so much dress-up but I do have roleplay accessories: guns (you wouldn’t believe how many little boys love their toy guns!); bows and arrows; swords and shields for knights and warriors - plus cleaning sets and tea sets for girls, along with medical sets and tool sets in wee cases. Oh, saying that, I do stock cowboy hats too!
Roleplay and dressing up are perennial favourites for younger children. TnP takes a look at this evergreen category of ‘playing pretend’
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ress-up and roleplay are a big part of play and development for kids from toddler age upwards. As The Genius of Play ambassador Keri Wilmot says on The U.S. Toy Association’s thegeniusofplay. org website: “Dress-up play allows anyone to dream, hope, and use their imagination. It gives kids permission to pretend to be someone or something different and extraordinary that reflects their personality and current interests, and promotes more independence by allowing kids to practice self-care skills.” Roleplay fulfils a similar role, allowing little ones to act out real-life situations within the safety of a make-believe situation. Dressing up has also become more and more popular over recent years, thanks to special occasions such as World Book Day in schools and the prevalence of Hallowe’en costume parties. According to data reports from www. statista.com, spending on Hallowe’en in the UK rose from £419m in 2018 to a whopping £474m in 2019. Licensed products have
become a more solid part of the category too. Phil Cassidy, managing director of Casdon, says: “Licensed products Deborah Ferris, joint owner, Mapes of help to really bring the Millport, Isle of Cumbrae, Scotland roleplay experience to life for kids. Casdon toys, the Hape wooden toy range is a products are child-sized popular choice for those wanting to versions of items that adults invest in heirlooms that can be kept may already use within the and passed down through generations,” household. They allow children he says. “Hape has created a Toddler to imitate grown-ups and ‘help Kitchen for tots from 18 months-plus: out’ around the home. Because one of the only brands the products look so to have a kitchen from realistic, little ones this young age. believe they are using The “Children love copying the real thing!’’ ability for their parents from an However, always at children to early age, whether it’s the heart of dresslose cooking, cleaning, or up and roleplay is themselves making a cup of coffee. imagination and in ‘playing These strong roleplay play value. “The themes are still very ability for children pretend’ is much in demand.’’ to lose themselves highly Phil Cassidy at Casdon in ‘playing pretend’ is important agrees: “Perhaps without highly important for for knowing it, parents have confidence building confidence been the biggest influence and developing key on their children’s play, social skills - whether building and particularly during the licensed product or developing lockdown period - just by not,’’ says Phil Ratcliffe, key social going about their daily joint managing director skills household chores, they of MV Sports & Leisure. have been inspiring their He adds that eco Phil Ratcliffe, children’s imagination concerns are also joint MD, MV for roleplay!’’ coming to the fore in Sports & Leisure So if you only have the sector. “Eco-friendly space for a couple of items in this toys play a huge role today, with category, which should you choose to ever-increasing demand,” he says. stock in your shop? He cites the example of “our Grove Casdon’s Phil Cassidy recommends mud kitchen, which is made from the Hetty and Henry vacuum cleaners sustainably-sourced wood with a and cleaning trolleys, because they sturdy construction, and provides are “such an iconic and recognisable the perfect play area for multiple range and their friendly faces are a real children to make mud pies in their favourite with children’’ while Toynamics’ own dream kitchen’’. David Allan recommends toy kitchens It’s a sentiment echoed by David and accessories. “They are always a Allan, MD of Toynamics UK & popular choice for gifting,” he says, “and Ireland. “With the heightened are some of our best-selling products”. awareness of sustainable
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