Toys n Playthings by Lema Publishing

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6 er 201 b o t c O 1 6 No. Vol. 3

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

Helping everyone sell more

CONTENTS Regular 2016 mber Septe No.12 5 Vol. 3

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

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Leader - with Mirella Anstey

News - hot off the press

Quick Coffee Break - with Golden Bear’s Katherine Pierce

10 People News - checking in on the movers and shakers 12 Movie News - the latest from the box ofﬁce 13 Media News - the multimedia rundown 14 Media Charts - the latest kids’ TV viewing ﬁgures and toy TV advertising spend 16 Retail News - the latest from across the retail landscape 21 Toy Talk – the retailers have their say 28 What’s New - new products that you need to get your hands on

Editor Mairead Wilmot mairead@lemapublishing.co.uk

Writer Rhys Thomas rhys@lemapublishing.co.uk

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

Media Solutions Manager Bradley Mason bradley@lemapublishing.co.uk

Publisher Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

Production Director Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

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

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62 Spotlight on… MV Sports – one new product, all the USPs explained 72 NEW! Watch Out For… – a round up of toys you really don’t want to be without 75 Don’t Miss – unmissable products for all buyers and retailers

Features 32 Educational Learning Toys – education and playtime go hand in hand 50 Scooters – accessibility makes this wheeled toy a must-have for all 64 Youth Electronics – toys that spark the imagination

Special Report

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18 Retail Interview – Five years after bouncing back from administration, Hawkin’s Bazaar and Tobar MD, David Mordecai, talks turning the retailer around 22 The Entertainer – TnP joins Gary Grant and The Entertainer team at their annual Managers’ Conference 24 Cover story – TV advertising and innovation is keeping Chicco front of mind with mums this year 30 View from the Top – Hedley Barnes on his ﬁrst year as Spin Master’s GM Northern Europe

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46 Interview – Recruitment expert Pursuit NHA talks building a balanced team using Jungian fundamentals 48 In Focus – Vivid’s rich and varied games portfolio is just the ticket for retailers

Columnists 11

Media Whisperer – Clive Crouch is enthusiastic about Channel 4’s focus on kids’ content

15 Retail Opinion – Christmas is deﬁnitely coming, but John Ryan says there’s plenty more to autumn 26 The Independent and Secret Supplier – The Indie picks his top toys for Christmas, but what does our Secret Supplier think? 60 TnP Ambassadors – our ambassadors test the toys you stock on your shelves

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

Independently audited

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BLE 2016 Flip Cover Special Flip this issue of TnP over and dig into our preview of Brand Licensing Europe 2016. Discover who is exhibiting, what they are showing and why it’s such an important event for the toy industry. Also includes Licensing News and Kelvyn Gardner’s regular column Licensing Opinion.

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

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Helping everyone sell more

LEADER Spin Master’s Hedley Barnes is interviewed on page 30

A member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation

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

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

Mirella Anstey

This month’s cover story goes to our friends at e don’t know about you, but there Chicco. MD Mitch Levene speaks to us about seems to be an extra frisson in the Chicco’s break into TV advertising with their air — an overwhelming sense that toy range — it makes for an interesting read something is coming. It may be because we’re deep in the midst of preview season, or it may be because several friends have already triumphantly announced their Christmas shopping is done and dusted, or, it could be because invitations to Dream Toys have just landed in our inbox. Whatever the reason, something festive seems to be stirring and we’re already bracing ourselves for the impact. Whether your shop has been busy over the past number of weeks or not, and by all accounts the retailers we’ve been speaking to are not all reporting doom and gloom, Q4 is when the magic really happens, so sit tight and You’ll ﬁnd Youth Electronics on page 64 let us know how you are finding the build up. and it’s always reassuring to see Speaking of retail, I had the I had the suppliers supporting their ranges with pleasure of exclusively attending pleasure of TV advertising. It helps everyone sell The Entertainer’s Managers’ exclusively more. You’ll find out more on page 24. Conference recently – and it was We’re also really pleased to bring most definitely a schooling in attending The you an interview with Spin Master’s expert toy shop retailing. You’ll Entertainer’s main man in the UK, Hedley Barnes. find our report on page 24 and if Managers’ In quite an inspirational interview, you want some inspiration, this Conference Hedley speaks about the importance might do the trick for you. recently – and of innovation to Spin Master and how On the topic of inspiration, pushing the boundaries of creativity, our regular columnist John it was most matched with strategic growth and Ryan happens to remind us that deﬁnitely a maintaining an element of fun are there is something happening schooling in front and centre for the company. between now and Christmas. Yes, expert toy shop This month’s retail interview is Halloween is an opportunity to sell retailing with Hawkin’s Bazaar CEO David toys, and he is urging us not to Mordecai who speaks about bringing underestimate it. See what he has the retail outlet back from the brink, to say on page 15. and importance of balancing the company’s toy brand Tobar with the retail arm. Our features this month are Educational Learning, Scooters and Youth Electronics — we bring you the latest in each of these categories. And if that we’re enough, you’ll find more plus our usual features. Finally, Team TnP will, of course, be joining our colleagues from our sister magazine LTW at Brand Licensing Europe 2016. We will be at Stand A35, so make sure to pop by to say hello. If you’d like to book an appointment drop Ryan (ryan@lemapublishing.co.uk) or Bradley (bradley@lemapublishing.co.uk) an email. See you there!

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NEWS Big names back Toy Fair 2017 LEGO, Playmobil and Hornby are just some of the regular exhibitors who will be at Olympia in January for the 64th annual event Toy Fair 2017 looks set for success with these leading names already conﬁrmed. They will be joined by other big hitters like VTech, Spin Master, Character Options, Re:creation, Schleich, Wicked Vision, John Crane, Flair, Tomy, Bandai, Marvin’s Magic, K’Nex and Revell — to name but a few. Visitor registration is now open and ﬁrst-time signings ready to walk the halls include Skip Hop, Greener Sports, and Elf on the Shelf. Taking place at London’s Olympia from Tuesday 24 to Thursday 26 January 2017 from 9am to 6pm daily, some exciting returns include Bachmann, Plum Products and Kids@Play. Other returning features include a sold-out Greenhouse area and the ever popular Toy Fair TV hosted by Anna Williamson and

“ Gavin Inskip. Visitors can attend the show for free by registering through www.toyfair.co.uk. All attendees from any of the past three Toy Fairs will receive a Smart Link containing previous

It gives me great pleasure to welcome a signiﬁcant number of ﬁrst time exhibitors to the show as well as a high rate of returnees

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details so they’ll only need to check, update and submit to receive a bar code email which will enable them to gain access to the show. Visitors who choose not to pre-register or conﬁrm their Smart Link will be required to pay a £15 entry fee on the door. “We’re set for another busy three days at Toy Fair 2017,” says Majen Immink, Toy Fair Head of Sales & Operations. “It gives me great pleasure to welcome a significant number of first time exhibitors to the show as well as a high rate of returnees and several companies who will return after a period of absence. We look forward to welcoming everyone in January.”

Have you hatched?

The Entertainer reports growth The Entertainer has enjoyed its seventh consecutive year of growth, after releasing its annual results for the ﬁnancial year 2015/16. The company had a pre-tax proﬁt of £6.9m, after investment of £1.2 million on the build of its new distribution warehouse in Banbury. On a two-year basis The Entertainer’s sales were up 11 per cent like-for-like and saw an impressive 39 per cent growth online at TheToyShop.com.

Spin Master will unveil its highly-anticipated new toy Hatchimals on 7 October, 2016. The public will be able to see and purchase Hatchimals at major retailers and online on what is now being called on Hatch Day. To date, Spin Master has only revealed the toy’s egg-shaped exterior publicly. Children aged ﬁve and up can select the colour and species of their Hatchimal egg, but who is inside will only be revealed vealed by holding and hatching the he Hatchimal.

Arnotts gets the Schleich treatment Dublin department store Arnotts went back in time recently when a giant dinosaur stood in its newly revamped toy area. As Arnotts revealed its new-look toy department, Schleich’s huge T-Rex which stand 4.5 metres wide and 2.2 metres high dominated the entrance. “We’re so pleased with the giant T-Rex in the new toy department at Arnotts,” says Jeremy Robinson, Country Manager from Schleich UK. “He makes a great attraction in the store and will also raise awareness of the Schleich brand with visitors from far and wide. This further adds to the support for the dinosaur range.”

OCTOBER 2016

NEWS ARE YOU READY FOR THE CHALLENGE?

Pencil sharp deal Maped Helix has teamed up with Mattel to launch its exciting new Fun to Learn kids’ stationery brand. The range is targeted at kids aged two to six, and will feature some of Mattel’s best-loved brands. Barbie, Hot Wheels, Thomas & Friends and Bob the Builder will all feature on a selection of individually designed products in instantly recognisable colours. It will be in available from March 2017. Gray Richmond, Managing Director at Maped Helix said: “It’s an extremely proud moment for us to launch the Fun to Learn range with Mattel’s iconic brands. We’ve secured four fantastic licences, opening up our products to a new consumer demographic. Barbie, Hot Wheels, Thomas & Friends and Bob the Builder are iconic brands, and alongside these, we will continue to innovate and deliver a wide range of fun educational products.”

The Toy Trust has revealed that next year’s event will take place in the Cotswolds on Saturday, 6 May 2017. Heythrop Park Hotel, near Chipping Norton will be central to the action of the Big Cotswold Challenge with plans afoot for both 125km and 80km circular cycle rides, a 25km and 10km run and a 10km family jog or walk. A new event has also been added to the agenda with 25 places for a local Tough Mudder available for hardcore athletes! The endeavours of the day will culminate in a party for 300 at the Heythrop Park Hotel. “2017 is a landmark year for our industry charity,” said Toy Trust chair Foye Pascoe. “We have a whole year of exciting initiatives ahead of us, and the annual challenge will be our headline event. It is our aim to have more industry colleagues than ever before involved and we have set ourselves a very challenging target of raising £250,000. We are hoping that adding in activities such as the Tough Mudder will attract even more people and make this target a very real possibility, in a very special anniversary year.”

Kai Hawaleschka, Director of DKL Marketing Ltd recently visited Rainbows Hospice in Leicester to donate a cheque of over £10,000 for new specialist play equipment

All the money raised in 2017 will beneﬁt charities under one banner of Giving the Gift of Play. To register, companies should email Matt@BTHA.co.uk.

TREND SPOTTING Kristin Morency Goldman of the US Toy Industry Association talks toys that tackle the Science of Fun The US Toy Industry Association (TIA) identiﬁed brain booster toys as one of the top toy trends for 2016 coming out of last February’s North American International Toy Fair in New York City. Parents and educators appreciate these toys because they help prep kids for school by building important spatial, reasoning, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Brain-boosting playthings that fall into this trend also encourage kids’ proﬁciency in subjects beyond STEAM, such as language and history, and support children as they grow and gain new abilities. “Today’s millennial parents understand that toys are tools for learning,” says Adrienne Appell, TIA

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Today’s millennial parents understand that toys are tools for learning,” Adrienne Appell, TIA trend expert

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trend expert. “Whether it’s the latest high-tech gadget or simple wooden building blocks, all of these toys fall under the STEAM umbrella helping children to learn, explore, and grow. The Brain Boosting examples demonstrated above illustrate that there is something for everyone—and even parents and grandparents can get in on the learning and the fun.” The following is a sampling of key “Brain Booster” toys that will be on US retail shelves this holiday season. These examples demonstrate important STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) concepts… yet the most important element offered by these toys is good old-fashioned fun! Fisher-Price—Think & Learn CodeA-Pillar: Put your pre-schooler on the path to coding with Code-A-

toysnplaythings.co.uk

COFFEE BREAK

Halloween special Tobar are confident they have all things ghoulish taken care of! The company highlighted some of its best-selling and brand new items for Halloween recently. Brand new is the Bendy Spider, a spider with bendy legs, and Sticky Splatter Zombie, a liquid filled zombie that splats against surfaces when thrown. Among the bestsellers, the Glow in the Dark Stretchy Skeleton is a classic and their Test Tube Slime is filled with colourful slim and creatures. Sounds… appropriate!

Trad toys still top, says NPD Makers of traditional toys can rest easy, if ﬁgures released by NPD are to go by. The global information company says that time-honoured play patterns of building and collecting are enjoying strong growth. Since 2010, the building sets category has put in an extraordinary performance, recording value growth of over 121 per cent. Collecting is still big business in the toy market too. In the 12 months to August 2016, value sales of collectable cards, stickers, ﬁgurines and beanies have increased by 34 per cent.

Pillar. Pre-schoolers can arrange Code-A-Pillar’s easy-to-connect segments in endless combinations sending it along the path. When kids connect the segments to make Code-A-Pillar move—that’s sequencing! K’Nex—70-Model Building Set: Think it – and build it with K’NEX’s 70-Model Building Set. This set comes with more than 700 K’Nex rods and connectors to create 70 unique models. Learning Resources—Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set: The mouse gets the cheese, kids get a lesson in coding. Kids build a maze and then use the 30 doublesided coding cards to create a step-by-step path for Colby, the

Programmable Robot Mouse. Spin Master—Meccano cano Micronoid: Small robot, huge personality! This pocket-sized ocket-sized robot offers the programming rogramming and personality of the larger Meccanoid but at a more accessible building level for kids, ages 8 and up. To learn about the latest trends for 2017, attend the 114th North American International Toy Fair, which takes place Saturday, February 18–Tuesday, February 21 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. For the latest information, visit toyfairny.com.

Golden Bear’s Senior Licensing and Marketing Manager Katherine Pierce talks to TnP about the pre-school market, what is working for the company and why Katherine, can you sum up the past year for Golden Bear? The past year has been really strong for us. The company is the number one manufacturer of plush in the UK as well as the number one manufacturer in licensed plush (NPD, Full Year 2015) and master toy for many pre-school brands — encompassing both plush and plastic. We’ve also had some exciting new licenses join our brand portfolio including Oddbods, Messy goes to Okido, Lily’s Driftwood Bay and Thomas & Friends with further new announcements in 2016 still to come! Our existing ranges — including Twirlywoos, In the Night Garden and My First JCB have also continued to grow, and are looking strong going into 2017. Golden Bear really are licensed toy specialists — what sort of qualities do you look for in a license? While pre-school licensed toys form a large part of the Golden Bear portfolio we have expanded into the nursery and boys categories with licensed ranges. We produce both plush and plastics and we know that it is imperative to produce high quality, well thought out, innovative products which bring the license to life and an appeal to children and parents alike. Have you been surprised by the success of H any of your products recently? a No surprises as such, but we have been very pleased with new range launches such as Thomas & Friends, which has been well received at retail and is performing well as a license. The Oddbods collectable ﬁgures range has had a really strong start in what is r a very competitive market so we’re pleased v with how the license has started and we are continuing to work closely with our retail partners contin to keep it front of mind. What is fe feedback from retailers on your current lines — what are they loving at the moment? Sleep Tight All Night has launched with great marketing activation behind it. It’s a nursery product and our own IP. We have built a comprehensive campaign to support our key retail partners to launch this brand. Response to new lines coming in S/S 2017 from retail has also been very positive. What is Golden Bear excited about for 2017? We’ve got lots of great things planned for next year including a new IP launch. Existing ranges are expanding further and we’ve got a fantastic new licensed range in the pipeline which we’re hugely excited about — announcement coming soon!

Stay tuned for next month’s column, which will delve into another hot trend identiﬁed by the U.S. Toy Industry Association for 2016.

OCTOBER 2016

PEOPLE

NEWS

Katie Rollings joins eOne Katie Rollings has been appointed by Entertainment One as Head of UK Licensing for eOne Family and eOne Licensing. The “respected industry veteran” will be responsible for all commercial activity for eOne’s licensed properties in the UK, with a strategic focus on Peppa Pig and PJ Masks.

Turning over a new Leafe

Damian and Jodie leap into new roles Mookie has welcomed Damian Hall and Jodie Darn to its sales team. Damian joins as Sales Director, and will oversee all sales activity at the company. He brings years of experience to role, formerly holding the same position at LeapFrog and before that working across sales, strategy and operations at P&G and Nestle. Jodie has been appointed Mookie’s new National Account Manager, and will bring experience working with leading retailers including Smyths, Tesco, and Toymaster to the role.

Mann for the job Engino Toy Systems has appointed Robert Mann as VP International. The company was founded in 2004 by Costas Sisamos, and has experienced exceptional worldwide growth in both the educational and creative toy markets. Founded in 2004, the creative and educational construction toy company has experienced strong global growth and has appointed Robert to build on the foundation. He is well known in the toy industry, and has held senior European and international roles previously for RC2, Tomy and Munchkin.

Darren’s the key Keycraft has promoted Darren James to the role of Buying Director. Darren joined the company in 2014 and brings 20 years’ experience to his new role.

Vicki joins Bladez Vicki Marler-Hausen (nee Elmer) has been named as the new Marketing Manager for Bladez Toyz. Vicki will be responsible for the marketing and PR activity across Bladez’s growing portfolio of licenses and new pre-school RC ranges. “We are excited to welcome Vicki on board and to now have a dedicated marketing specialist in the company. She has a wealth of experience we can beneﬁt from as we look to drive Bladez into our 10th year of business and beyond,” said Bladez CEO, Iain Morgan.

Adrian Leafe will be leaving John Crane Ltd at the end of September due to a restructuring of the business. Adrian says he would like to stay in the industry. If anyone is currently looking for or has plans in the future to employ an experienced and knowledgable National Account Manager please contact Adrian directly on mobile 077 2027 5214 or email adrianleafe@gmail.com.

Raising the Barr Fiesta Crafts welcomes Laura Barr to its marketing department. After experiencing incredible growth over the past year, Laura has been brought on to work alongside Marketing Manager Rob Trup developing new promotional activities. “I’m so excited to start working with our current customers, connecting with the new ones, and really getting to know all our toys,” said Laura.

HTI says hi to Nina-Jo HTI has grown its product team with the appointment of Nina-Jo Uttley as Product Manager. Nina-Jo will be responsible for the development and management of HTI’s boys’ toys ranges, across a portfolio of licensed and own in-house brands. “I am delighted to welcome Nina-Jo to the HTI Product and Marketing Team,” said Alison Downie, HTI Global Licensing and Brand Director. “With a strong background in developing products and bringing them to market she brings with her a wealth of brand management experience, knowledge and enthusiasm.”

MEDIA

OPINION

All about the kids L

however, a recent push into live action kids programming has reinvigorated this genre. The Netflix production investment in this genre is consistent Whittingdale (Culture Secretary at the time) was toying with the values of other Netflix Original series such as House with the idea of privatising Channel 4. The reasons of Cards (HoC) and Orange is the New Black (OITNB), which for not selling outweighed the case for privatisation: all have big names and high profiles. Putting to one side the Channel 4 requires no public money, it spends £400m fact that Netflix do not run commercials, just like the BBC, they a year with independent programme makers, revenue is are investing in live action kids content as a genre in the same mutual between broadcast and online and it has 13.5m way they built patronage of HoC and OISTNB. registered digital viewers. We know that Channel 4 are positively increasing their Fast-forward to June and the Discovery Channel investment in children age 10-14 at a time when Netflix went public as a potential suitor to Channel 4 if the and Amazon are both investing in children’s live action opportunity were to arise. Furthermore in July, Channel productions. 4 fell short of their license terms on children’s output Finally, just to prove that the world has not gone completely despite achieving a five per cent increase in viewing digital, print media still reaches out to kids across the age across all time for under 16 year olds. brackets with a spread from children’s comics to The Week Following Ofcom and the House of Lord’s criticism of Junior. Readers of this magazine may well be familiar with The Channel 4 for “lack of provision and failing the younger Week and Time magazine, both successful in a print format for viewing demographic”, the channel responded positively. over 20 years or more. However, The Week Junior (“making Programme spending on shows sense of the world”) may not have grabbed for 10-14 year olds increasing by your attention. Channel 4 are £2m from £3m in 2015 and to £5m The publication has come to the kids annually by 2018. positively increasing their market in hard print format. Without the This move is really good news, benefit of a production subsidy, the investment in children at albeit 10-14 year olds are not magazine has recruited talent from a time when Netflix and the core audience age band for places like Wired, Newsweek Amazon are both children’s TV. The shows all play and Immediate Media. investing in children’s live in an 8pm slot, and as ever, will Following the launch action productions attract viewing from under the earlier this year, The under-tens with the viewing Week Junior has opportunity at a different time achieved an initial of day. Gogglesprogs, The Secret Life of the Zoo, and a subscription list of 12,000 young fourth series of Child Genius return while on E4 there are individual subscribers, plus a further 1500 more shows of Stage School, among others. Children’s schools signing up for a Great Minds broadcasters consistently present a fantastic slate of pre- promotion. school and viewing opportunities for children aged four The parent magazine is known for to nine. Channel 4’s further investment in 10-14 year olds some iconic front covers; The Week Junior is a positive worth watching to see just who is watching has already featured Einstein, Charles and how much it costs to reach them. Having established Darwin, The EU Referendum and that children can now eat cake and watch more Channel woolly mammoths. 4 and E4, there is more good news for the attention of As John Craven proved over these young viewers. many years, there is time, space If you have ever wondered what business gets and a place new that children transacted at trade fairs like MIP Junior and Kidscreen, can consume and understand as here is a really good example. Netflix have a good wellwell as entertainment and less presented menu of traditional children’s animated shows, Kardashian. et’s talk about Channel 4 — no, not the acquisition of Bake Off but rather its approach to children’s TV. First let’s rewind to March of this year. John

Channel 4 has been a talking point recently, but when it comes to kids properties, it is good news, says Clive Crouch

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Clive Crouch www.clivecrouch.com, info@clivecrouch.com, mobile: 07831 670453

OCTOBER 2016

MOVIE

NEWS

The Star Wars saga continues As fans gear up for the launch of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the first instalment in the Star Wars anthology series, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed a third entry would come in 2020. Speaking at an investor gathering, Bob revealed that he had met with Star Wars producer Kathleen Kennedy to map out the future of the franchise, planning movies all the way up to 2020. The newly confirmed movie will be the third outside the main episodic saga, the second of which will focus on fan-favourite Han Solo and be helmed by The LEGO Movie directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. No further details have been gleaned about the third anthology movie. Bob also said the studio does not expect Rogue One to do The Force Awakens numbers — currently the highest-ever grossing movie in the US — but the level of interest is “as high as it was” for last year’s film. Rogue One: A Story Wars Story forces its way into cinemas 16 December 2016.

Just what the doctor ordered Marvel released a glut of new images and information for Doctor Strange recently. A trio of cinema posters and 10 stills from the forthcoming comic book flick had fans in a flurry of excitement. A trailer was also released, bringing new footage of the mind-bending hero’s world to light. Fans won’t have long to wait, as Doctor Strange opens in the UK on 25 October. It was also revealed that Doctor Strange will likely play a role in the new Marvel Avengers movie, Infinity War. Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays the Sorcerer Supreme, let slip that his future schedule was looking “challenging”, as he had to line up filming with Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bethany, who all play characters in the Avengers movies. “To get us all together will be quite something,” he added.

On track for greatness Mattel celebrated the DVD release of Thomas & Friends’ most high speed adventure yet, The Great Race, with an extensive marketing and PR programme. Kicking off with a consumer survey of more than 1,000 parents in partnership with Netmums, the campaign promoting the popular movie also includes national PR outreach, TV advertising and social media support. Product launches from Fisher-Price, including the impressive Sky High Bridge Jump playset, support the new content and themes of the ﬁlm, which take things international as Thomas competes with engines from all over the world for a place in the Great Railway Show.

License to thrill

A real hot hit The Secret Life of Pets has now earned more than $800m at the global box ofﬁce, making it the sixth most successful movie of the year. In its domestic US market, the movie made $363m for Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures. Outside the States it has opened at number one in 42 markets, racking up a further $441m. The performance of the latest movie from the studio behind Minions brings its earnings to a whopping $4bn since 2010. Movies released in that time include Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2, Hop, Dr Seuss’ The Lorax, and box ofﬁce smash Minions. Next from Illumination Studios is Sing, which releases in cinemas just before Christmas, followed next summer by the turn of Gru and the Minions in Despicable Me 3.

Big Chief Studios created a stir when it revealed a range of high-end licensed James Bond collectable figures was in production. The premium collection will be based on the classic James Bond film series, and will be designed in collaboration with the movies’ producer EON Productions. The first wave of figures will feature characters from the 1964 Bond classic Goldfinger, including agent 007 James Bond in his iconic grey three-piece suit.

13 toysnplaythings.co.uk

MEDIA

NEWS

Pony up!

Shopkins fever is set to reach new heights Shopkins creator Moose Toys has partnered with UPHE Content Group to distribute the new Shopkins film on DVD and online. Based on the colourful world of Shopville, Shopkins tells the tale of inanimate objects coming to life and their adventures with their best friends, the Shoppies. To coincide with this release, both the Shopkins Season 6 and Shoppies Dolls ranges will feature characters showcased within the film, while the DVD will be packaged to include an exclusive Kooky Cookie character. “We are thrilled to bring the world of Shopville to life in a fun, new way,” says Belinda Gruebner, Marketing Director at Moose Toys. “The success of our YouTube webisode series is testament to the fact that our fans are content hungry and we see this fulllength film as the ideal platform to invite our fans on this next adventure of the Shopkins journey.”

Hasbro Studios has released a digital album of the official My Little Pony: Legend of Everfree soundtrack. The album features six original songs from My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Legend of Everfree, Hasbro Studios’ fourth instalment in the popular My Little Pony: Equestria Girls animated movie series, which premiered 1 October on Netflix. “My Little Pony fans love the Equestria Girls series, and the original music from the movies is a huge part of the magic,” says Stephen Davis, Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer of Hasbro Studios. “The songs Daniel Ingram has written for the cast of Legend of Everfree are better than ever and the performances are wonderful. The soundtrack is a fantastic way for fans to get into the Equestria Girls spirit ahead of the fourth movie’s premiere on Netflix in October.” The soundtrack is now available for purchase and download in a number of languages on all major online music services.

DHX goes prime time

Rolling out with Disney Heelys is rolling out a new marketing campaign with Disney EMEA as the exclusive European sponsor of Disney Channel’s latest live-action drama series The Lodge. The panEuropean campaign aims to raise awareness of the wheeled-shoe brand’s new A/W range. The campaign kicked off in the UK and Ireland on 23 September alongside the premier of The Lodge. The Team Heelys campaign includes Heelys brand ads, two TV competition spots running across the Disney and Disney XD channels, competitions across digital and social media and TV sponsorship idents. It also includes a range of branded video content featuring The Lodge and Heelys talent.

OCTOBER 2016

Cover stars Monster High and the Teletubbies are cover stars on Egmont Publishing’s latest magazine releases. The children’s specialist publisher launched the ﬁrst issue of Teletubbies magazine on 5 October. Aimed at kids aged six months to three years, it is packed with activities to help little ones grow and develop a wide range of skills. For Egmont’s Halloween special issue of Showcase magazine, Monster High will take over. The issue is ﬁlled with Monster High fashion, comic strips, stories, top tips for kids to create their very own Halloween party and has a sneaky look at the character’s diaries.

DHX Media has grown the digital presence of its shows in the UK in a new agreement with Amazon Prime Video. The subscription video-ondemand service will offer more than three-dozen DHX Media kids’ shows to its subscribers, including Teletubbies and In the Night Garden. Amazon Prime Video in the UK has licensed a number of titles including season one of the new Teletubbies, Messy Goes to Okido and Looped. Seasons one and two of Hank Zipzer have also been picked up, along with season three of In the Night Garden, and seasons four and ﬁve of Caillou.

MEDIA

CHARTS

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Summer spend cools off

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elcome to the August media report. This month we will be looking at Boys and Girls 4-9 years and Housewives with Children. There are big changes in the viewing levels for the Boys; Pop is now in the number one spot and has overtaken The Cartoon Network. Other stations doing well are Nick Junior, Disney Junior and Kix. The new station Pop Max is now starting to register ratings and has already overtaken CiTVB and ITVB. As mentioned in the previous issue, we suggested that August would be down in terms of viewing due to the school holidays — in fact August is down by 6.1 per cent. Looking at the viewing levels for the Girls; Tiny Pop continues to be the dominating force. Going from strength to strength, it is a long way ahead of its nearest rival Nick Junior in second place, followed by Disney Junior. But look at the progress for CiTV which shows the biggest increase — it will be interesting to see if this continues in the months to come. Overall, the market is down in viewing by 4.8 per cent when compared to August 2015, and we would suggest this is due to the school holidays. It’s all change for the Housewives with Children viewing levels. Nick Junior is market leader followed by Pop — but only just — with Disney Junior in third place. We are seeing a massive drop in viewing for Tiny Pop, but CiTV is showing growth, as is Channel 5. We are seeing a very small increase overall compared to August 2015. Reported expenditure for the top 10 spenders is down by 5.5 per cent compared to August 2015 and the total market is down by 2.7 per cent. All the usual suspects are there, although LEGO is noticeable by its absence. The TV market continues to show a decrease in reported revenue of 4.7 per cent. ITV is down, however Sky Media is looking very strong. Social Media continues to go from strength to strength. In the next issue we will continue to look at both Boys and Girls 4-9 years and Housewives with Children, although the reporting format for the stations will change to show the strength of each of the airtime sales houses.

Housewives Pre-school Children August 15 vs August 16

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Boys 4-9 years TVRs August 15 vs August 16

Aug 15 Aug-15

Aug 16 Aug-16

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Girls 4-9 Years TVRs August 15 vs August 16

Aug-15 Aug-16

Aug 2015 Toy Company TV Expenditure

Aug 2016 Toy Company TV Expenditure

Company Name

TV Expenditure

Company Name

TV Expenditure

Hasbro (UK) Ltd John Adams Leisure Ltd Character Options Ltd Flair Leisure Prod Ltd Vivid Imagination Ltd VTech Electronics Ltd LEGO Uk Ltd Thinkway Toys Golden Bear Prod Ltd Spin Master Toys Ltd

£1,629,472 £1,150,420 £818,833 £869,455 £816,571 £538,269 £526,937 £485,049 £424,372 £375,852

Hasbro (UK) Ltd Flair Leisure Prod Ltd John Adams Leisure Ltd Character Options Ltd MGA Ent IMC Toys Uk Ltd Mattel Uk Ltd VTech Electronics Ltd Zuru Toys Inc Vivid Imagination ltd

£1,204,742 £1,122,250 £992,844 £874,859 £593,141 £560,851 £511,328 £471,198 £459,807 £452,904

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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OPINION

to Halloween. k, so there are one, maybe two more of these It’s probably also worth noting that this kind of visual columns before 25 December, and you can’t help merchandising really doesn’t take too long to execute — wondering where the year’s gone and whether you’ve made the most of it. Can you honestly say that you a trip to the local stationers, some coloured paper, spray made the most of Easter as a commercial opportunity, or paint and scissors should do the trick. The other point that might be worth making is that did you, for that matter, do anything back in June to help it’s a festival that has legs. Halloween displays can a grateful nation mark the monarch’s 90th? reasonably be installed in mid-September and then left Possibly not, but there is still time to redeem yourself. to scare/excite children for a six-week period, making Two major toy-selling events lie between us and 2017 the whole exercise distinctly worthwhile. and one of them is not Christmas. Visiting Montreal But what happens to the ‘most wonderful time of the a couple of weeks ago, the US inﬂuence on Canada’s year’ while all of this is going on? Christmas windows second city was obvious — there were pumpkins start appearing in October, around the same time everywhere. journalists start penning articles about the Christmas Now, granted, Halloween is much bigger across the pond than it is this side of the water, but as far as growth selling period coming earlier every year. This equates to about two-and-a-half months of categories go in retail, 31 October is one of those areas ho-ho-hoing. that seems to see an increase every year at Or put another way, any excuse that can the moment. Two be found to delay the onset of Christmas, And it’s really not too late to do major toywithout affecting sales, may actually be something about it. This is one of those festivals that relies more heavily on selling events welcomed by the average consumer, and imagination and ingenuity than ready cash. lie between us Halloween is one way of doing this. Which the other point about this time of year It’s all a matter of getting more people and 2017 and brings into sharp focus — Christmas fatigue. It may through the door. There is always a direct one of them is well be the case that those in search of toys correlation between footfall and sales. If not Christmas for their children know exactly what is wanted you can spend an afternoon, or perhaps (they’ve an after-hours evening decking out your probably been store to look as if the three witches might told enough have chosen it in preference to a blasted times) and by the time heath, there’s a fair chance that you may put a few extra pounds in till — and it’s not just about selling toys related they get round to heading off to the shops to satisfy the seasonal need, they may simply have had enough. The Christmas bunting will have been around too long. Instead, the obvious antidote will be to One toy shop is making shop online, depriving sure Halloween takes centre stage on Twitter the shopkeeper of the chance to sell anything and giving the shopper a welcome respite from the Christmas fray. Seen like this, Halloween becomes a buffer zone and one that should be embraced. Fail to observe it and it’s a long old haul to the end of the year and it may lead to disappointment. The old aphorism that ‘you make your own luck’ may well be tiresome to hear, but it is certainly the case that at this time of year, and with so much riding on the next three months, you need to be aware of every trick that can be turned to your advantage. Our retail friends across This is not to suggest that Halloween the water take becomes all-consuming as it does in the US, Halloween seriously but it is another tool in the armoury.

Don’t let your shop become a victim of fatigue, there is a lot you can do between now and the end of the year, says John Ryan

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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.

OCTOBER 2016

RETAIL

NEWS

Sainsbury’s buys Argos Sainsbury’s has completed its acquisition of Argos’ parent company Home Retail Group, bringing the supermarket’s ﬂeet of retail locations to more than 2,000. The landmark purchase also bolsters Sainsbury’s online presence, bringing Argos’ experimental and successful online, and click and collect channels, into the fold. Speaking about the acquisition Sainsbury’s chief, Mike Coupe says: “The combination of Sainsbury’s and Home Retail Group creates one of the UK’s largest food and non–food retailers, offering customers over 90,000 products in over 2,000 stores and across market leading digital channels, employing 195,000 colleagues across the UK and Ireland. We look forward to welcoming our new colleagues and customers and our focus, as always, is on delivering excellent customer service.”

Toymaster expands Toymaster added a number of new stores to its list in September, including Welsh retailer Sugacane Toys, which opened its second store just six months after launching in March. East Midlands Toy Company also opened a new store, its ﬁfth to date, on the bustling Market Street in York. Members were also able to take advantage of a new Bob the Builder window display in September. It came complete with a Bob standee, colouring competition, and decal to advertise the recently launched 16 and 32-page A/W16 Toymaster catalogues.

A very good year Shop Direct has come up trumps in its first full year since ditching catalogues and operating as a purely digital retailer. Profits before tax soared by 43.6 per cent to £150m in the year to 30 June 2016, with sales also climbing 4.3 per cent to £1.86bn. The most significant growth came from Very.co.uk, growing 15.9 per cent to make more than £1bn for the first time. Total web traffic across Shop Direct’s sites grew by 12 per cent, with 1.2m visits per day on average.

New head for TRU Canada Toys R Us has appointed Melanie Teed-Murch as President of Toys R Us Canada, effective from 1 September. Melanie brings 20 years’ experience to the role, having joined the toy retailer in 1996 as a store manager in Ontario, Canada. As well as overseeing the operations and business activities for Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores and e-commerce in Canada, she will be responsible for the continued growth, proﬁtability and success of the company in this market, reporting directly to Chairman and CEO Dave Brandon. “I’m thrilled that Melanie will be taking on this leadership role,” says Dave. “Her experience in retail and drive for results, coupled with her strong relationships across our global teams and vendor community, give me great conﬁdence in her ability to achieve our growth goals in Canada.”

The big countdown A LEGO Big Ben is counting down the days until the grand opening of LEGO’s new Leicester Square store on 17 November, 2016. The central London shop will be the largest LEGO brand retail store in the world, covering 914q m over two ﬂoors. In addition to a variety of large LEGO models showcasing the creative potential of the company’s iconic brick, the store will feature exciting new technology within a LEGO retail environment, exclusive product sets, hands-on building areas, building demonstrations, a Pick & Build Brick Wall, and new iconic LEGO experiences. A new exclusive LEGO Minifgure mascot called Lester will welcome visitors to the Leicester Square store.

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Back Intu the classroom As the summer holidays drew to a close, Hamleys at Intu Lakeside played its part in getting kids ready for the dreaded return to the classroom with a Get Creative Back to School campaign. Between 20 August and 4 September, the Essex location of the famous Regent Street toy emporium ran free arts and crafts demonstrations to keep kids entertained. A number of promotions, with discounts on products to get kids classroom ready, are also on offer. Intu Lakeside’s Marketing Manager, Ben Leeson, said the campaign was “perfect for families with young children to take part in”. He also highlighted the centre’s wish to make it a family destination, with plans in place for the development of a Nickelodeon Family Entertainment Centre in the coming years.

Button pushers Consumers can now ﬁre off an order for new Nerf darts at the push of a button with the UK launch of Amazon’s Dash Buttons. The Wi-Fi-enabled devices link to an Amazon Prime account and automatically places orders and processes payments when the button is pressed. Each Dash device is branded, with Hasbro’s Nerf and Play-Doh among the launch wave. Mark Skilton, a technology expert and professor at Warwick Business School said the launch is the latest push from the online retail giant to “grab the moment” and capitalise on impulse purchases. “The Amazon Dash button is such a device to grab the moment: should you need to reorder items such as washing powder, food or other items you have ran out of, it’s quick and easy, with one press to setup and go.”

Marvin’s Magic creator Marvin Berglas at Hamleys for the unveiling of the Marvin’s Magic window display

Big day for Little Langleys Storied Norwich toy retailer Langleys opened a second location that will primarily focus on preschool toys last month. Located just a short distance down the road from the original store, Little Langleys had a successful grand opening on Saturday 3 September. Manager Chris Goulding said the new store would let them better showcase pre-school toys, something made difﬁcult by the limited space in its original location. “We can’t display pre-school toys in the way that we want to because there isn’t enough space, so we thought it would be brilliant to have a space where we could concentrate on that,” he says. It is the ﬁrst time the toy shop has expanded in its 133-year history, and Chris adds: “it is a big moment, but it’s a very exciting time.”

OCTOBER 2016

Window wizardry Marvin’s Magic dazzled Regent Street with the unveiling of a spellbinding Hamleys window display recently. Passers-by are being mesmerised by holographic gloved hands that perform incredible magic to entice them to visit the store. Marvin’s Magic creator Marvin Berglas says: “It is always good to see that we are still bringing magical smiles and wide-eyed amazement to children and adults alike. We can’t give away any secrets but our captivating window display at Hamleys will certainly give passers-by a real treat. If they’re lucky, they may even see me lose my head!”

Sindy’s back Almost a decade since the last Sindy doll was launched, the famous fashion doll is set to return to Tesco. Revamped exclusively by the supermarket giant, Sindy is now seven inches taller and has been given a modern makeover. Tesco believes Sindy can once again become a favourite alongside her three friends Zoe, Kate and Laura. Sindy has launched with a set of 11 on-trend outﬁts.

SIKU Kids

Bouncing back Hawkin’s Bazaar has come a long way since bouncing back from administration in 2011. TnP caught up with CEO David Mordecai to learn how the retailer turned things around, the power of licensing, and why slashing prices isn’t always the answer... same private equity house that owned it prior to administration, but with a stripped-back high street presence of just 10 locations.

David, Tobar and Hawkin’s Bazaar have a long history, but for those who don’t know, how are the two linked? Tobar and Hawkin’s Bazaar were and still are separate arms of the same company. Tobar is the wholesale and distribution side of the business, while Hawkin’s Bazaar is the retail arm, selling direct to consumers on the high street. In December 2011, Hawkin’s Bazaar went into administration; it ran out of cash. It was bought back by the

Top selling licenses ■ Star Wars ■ Marvel ■ Harry Potter

So what changed when Hawkin’s Bazaar rose from the ashes?

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By trading as a gifts retailer we don’t compete with our Tobar customers, who all do an incredible job as toy retailers

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I joined the company in May 2012, and we began to put a plan into action to get the retail side of the business back on its feet but diverse from Tobar. One of the reasons Hawkin’s Bazaar went into administration is that it depended on high sales volumes of low-value items, pocket money toys essentially, and that was around the time we saw fewer feet on the high street. When we brought Hawkin’s Bazaar back, we made a conscious effort to really split Tobar and Hawkin’s Bazaar

into separate entities. Before that the waters were a little murky, and Hawkin’s Bazaar was viewed largely as a shop front for Tobar toys, rather than a retailer in its own right. Leading up to administration, we were selling the same product through both sides of the business and that was cannibalising Tobar sales. We had to change that to gain the respect and support of our Tobar customer, which is a key side of the business.

So what was the solution? We had to become less reliant on footfall. We looked at the market and we didn’t feel that our product mix had enough products in the higher end of the price spectrum. We went out to look at RC product, which was trendy then and has only got bigger over the past few years, with drones and RC helicopters in particular. We also brought in more

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er ey Br

HAWKIN’S BAZAAR

T he number of Hawkin’s Bazaar stores, with plans for further expansion soon

branded products, from top brands like Ty and Scalextric. It wasn’t an overnight transition, and it’s taken from when I joined to recently for us to really see the success we knew was there. But we’re experiencing 11 per cent likefor-like growth, and we’re taking things one step at a time to ensure this continues.

And what about licensed products, has that become more important to you, too? Yes, and massively so. Star Wars, Marvel, and Harry Potter have been the big three for us — and Batman is an evergreen that never goes away. But we’ll also stock licensed product around the key ﬁlm releases each year. This year we got involved in The Secret Life of Pets and the new Ghostbusters movie in the summer. In the near future you’ll see product tied to the new DreamWorks movie Trolls in stores for November.

Historically, Hawkin’s Bazaar was a novelty and pocket money shop. What makes up the core of Hawkin’s Bazaar’s sales in 2016? Drones and RC helicopters are the

OCTOBER 2016

top products that we sell. They were the first change we made when I came aboard, and four years of being at the forefront of that has made us a household name for these types of products. I have previous experience in the drone and RC sector, and I was confident they could make a real difference at Hawkin’s Bazaar. This Christmas we will have a drone that retails for £400, and that’s a far cry from where we were five years ago.

What about the more traditional toys and stocking ﬁllers that Tobar are known for? Pocket money toys are still important to us; they’re part of our DNA. It’s important to sell a range of toys, so stocking ﬁllers, space hoppers and all the other toys we’re famous for still have their place among our newly introduced licensed, tech and branded lines.

You’ve cultivated a strong identity for Hawkin’s Bazaar as a gift shop, as opposed to what many would view as a toy shop. Why is that important to you? Gifts is where we’re trying to position ourself, and that beneﬁts

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It’s not just about how cheap a product is, but how much you get for your money at all price points

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us two-fold. But we are very insistent that customers and clients understand that Tobar and Hawkin’s Bazaar are two separate entities, each with a clear brand identity. As everyone knows the toy market is still growing, and that’s a critical part of the gifting market, so we know our customers want that. But by trading as a gifts retailer we don’t compete with our Tobar customers, who all do an incredible job as toy retailers. Everyone beneﬁts from having more toys in front of consumers, but we’re not cannibalising sales for anyone. It’s part of why we completely separated the brands in the ﬁrst place.

You have some ambitious expansion plans in place for the next ﬁve years. Is this in line with forecasted sales growth, or a move to facilitate that growth? They really go hand-in-hand, so it’s a natural mixture of the two. We were down to 10 stores after administration, and now we’re trading from 30. Having a bigger presence on the high street obviously allows us to reach more

RETAIL INTERVIEW HAWKIN’S BAZAAR

We asked... How much does the average Hawkin’s Bazaar customer now spend?

of D s e

octor’s E

Where do you start when looking for new locations to expand to? Each Christmas we open around a dozen pop-up stores. As well as using these to reach the Christmas shopping crowds, it gives us an opportunity to trial different locations. If all goes well, we will likely turn the into permanent units. It’s a strategy we’ve used over the last few years and gives us great insight before making our ﬁnal decisions.

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How does having a retail destination with Hawkins Bazaar beneﬁt retailers who you supply through Tobar? Firstly, on a strictly ﬁnancial level, it allows us to buy in larger quantities at a cheaper price and hopefully pass those savings on to our retail partners. But through Hawkin’s Bazaar we have the opportunity to

Each Christmas we open around a dozen pop-up stores

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see where the trends are heading on the high street ﬁrst-hand, and discover what consumers want. That is the biggest inﬂuence for us. It lets us stock the products consumers want in-store, and also wholesale and distribute the right products to our Tobar customers.

Do you often get an opportunity to get out and see things from the shop ﬂoor? I get out as much as I can; if you’re running a company you simply have to. Whether that’s researching locations for new stores or meeting with Tobar customers, being present is critical. We always visit a location before we sign a lease, and we go and tour around to ensure we’re doing everything we can to help all areas of our business shine.

qu ip m en t

8P i ec

It’s around the £20-25 mark, which is a massive change to where we used to be. Our focus on higher-priced items really has helped drive that ﬁgure up, and we’ve found that consumers now have a more complex view on what value for money is. It’s not just about how cheap a product is, but how much you get for your money at all price points, whether that’s longevity of play, novelty factor, overall product quality.

customers, and that both helps with sales growth and opens doors for us to work with different suppliers and partners. But this plan will not happening overnight, we estimate it will take around ﬁve years.

Dr Amanda Gummer Fundamentally Children Helps children understand medical care Encourages nurturing behaviour Promotes imaginative play

TV292 DOCTOR’S SET

info@letoyvan.com

www.letoyvan.com

0208 979 2036

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OPINION TnP loves to hear your views. This month we chat with retailers around the country to see what trends are emerging, and they tell us if the future if looking bright for them

Toy talk Retailers are important to us here at TnP. We love chatting to them each month to get industry insights into what is selling well and we ask some key questions... MICHAEL WARNER

SIMON WILSON Piccola Toys, Essex

Activity Chest, Chalfont St. Peter, Buckingham Co-Directors Michael and Liz sell smart stuff for smart kids at Activity Chest.

The Piccola Toys team marked their 50th anniversary earlier this year with a special celebration, complete with a visit from Peter Rabbit! What’s selling well for you currently? The breakout brand for us this year has to be Orange Tree Toys: there’s very little from their range that doesn’t sell well for us. They have striking new branding with window-fronted packaging that makes a real difference. Indigo Jamm’s Bernie’s Number Bus is another winner — those guys really know their stuff. Now autumn is ﬁrmly here, what changes will you be making in-store? What shoppers want between now and December is completely different from the rest of the year, so we slowly transform the whole shop over the next two months. We upgrade the stature and cost of products to offer customers more substantial gifts for the festive season. You have to have the wow factor, especially as an independent within a community. If you had £1,000, what would you spend end it on to get the shop ready for Christmas? I have actually invested in an automated Father Christmas, which I picked up at Autumn Fair this year. But I’d spend it on music; I’d love to have a brass band or some singers outside the shop. It’s all about creating an atmosphere at Christmas, s, and it would be lovely for the whole high street.

KAREN DORN theforgottentoyshop.co.uk Karen opened the virtual doors of the Forgotten Toy Shop back in 2014 based on her desire to bring back traditional toys. She has recently celebrated the arrival of her chief ‘toy tester,’ son Zach. What’s selling well for you currently? Personalised wooden name trains are really popular at the moment, particularly as presents for new babies. I’ve spotted a trend for the return of traditional names— and have also sold a few trains with the name Zachary.

OCTOBER 2016

What’s selling well for you currently? We stock a lot of learning and educational toys, and it’s the maths and spelling products that are very popular. Magnetic numbers and words form Fridge Magic sell consistently, and we’ve done quite well with the Roald Dahl license this year. Now autumn is ﬁrmly here, what changes will you be making in-store? Product-wise we move very much into indoor games like Brainbox from Green Board Games and indoor science kits like those from Galt. Airﬁx too — it’s a classic. If y you had £1,000, what would you spend it on to get the shop ready spe for Christmas? fo I’d I’ buy something big and daft for the t window, like an automaton animal. We have a bear costume a which we get out on the street, and w although it doesn’t always a translate to sales it’s t great for the kids and g goodwill. g

Now autumn’s here, what changes will you be making? I’ll be making sure we have everything in stock for Christmas. Not just the big toys but the stocking ﬁllers, too. Pick-Up Sticks and Jacks are really popular. NPD report says traditional toys are still the favourite with kids, parents and grandparents. Have you found this in your experience? My passion is for traditional toys. I love history and how playing with traditional toys can help children build social skills as well as have fun. I’ve always been a fan of traditional toys and that’s why I love to sell them. If you had £1,000, what would you spend it on to get the shop ready for Christmas? I’d invest in getting more sets of our board game Snobs!

HIGH STREET

HIGHS

Gary addresses his managers at the Managers’ Conference

The greatest show on Earth

The Entertainer’s board of directors at the Managers’ Conference

TnP Editor-in-Chief, Mirella Anstey, was thrilled to receive a personal invite from Gary Grant to join his team at their annual Managers’ Conference he FA’s National Training Centre, St George’s Park, is a pretty special place — huge, modern, quite beautiful too — but when it is ﬁlled to the brim with stilt walkers, plate spinners, jugglers and an alley of clowns — it has a totally different effect on your being — yep, it makes you guffaw. Especially, when, on closer inspection, you realise most of the performers make up the ranks of one of the slickest teams in retail — The Entertainer’s head honchos! But what is a circus troupe without the Ringmaster? As if on cue, I walk straight into him: “Morning Mirella – are you ready to get to The grips with how The Entertainer makes Managers’ The greatest show Conference was on Earth happen?” a big drill in the Gary Grant is on numbers. What top form. And must be I, like the 200 achieved before or so of The Christmas Eve? Entertainer An eye watering store £100m! managers, area

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managers and a few head ofﬁce staff sitting in the room are ready to get close to the business, understand the numbers and see how together, they can make this Christmas a great one for children and toy suppliers up and down the country. Gary drives to the stage in an enormous Little Tikes Cozy Coupe resplendent in his ringmaster outﬁt. The crowd — his staff let’s not forget — love it. They cheer and

Get inspired!

The Entertainer’s newest venture is its in-house brand Addo Play which sees The Entertainer teaming up with ex-Mega Bloks execs Dave Martin and Mary Price to create great value, quality, ownlabel products. The managers were unanimous in their verdict: “We want more lines, delivered faster, so we can sell more”!

applaud and tease him. Gary likes a good laugh and the team love him all the more for his self-deprecating humour, and his jibes back at them too. So, what is the greatest show on Earth? To the Entertainer it is, of course, Christmas. Gary poses the questions: “What part do each and every one of us play in creating the greatest show on Earth?” Well, the answer was about to be delivered in a twoday marathon Managers’ Conference which looped in financials, TV advertising, window promotions, product briefings and demos, performing, a new in-house toy brand, a black tie dinner, raising money for charity and selling loads of toys! The circus entertainment theme was a fabulous analogy to carry one and all through the Managers’ Conference and to push them further and harder into Christmas. Gary announced that they were all “acrobats — fast and flexible — and always performing for the customer, whether it is the first ‘show’ of the day or the last”. The fact is the customer expects to feel super special at all times — easier said than done, of course — but Gary drives his point home by giving the team a little lesson in toy retailing 101. The shop floor needs to be clean and tidy, staff pumped and ready to look after customers, shelves stocked and neat, baskets at the ready, answers to all questions on the tip of

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Batteries included An additional pack of batteries sold in one out of every 20 transactions means an extra £1.2m of revenue

their tongues, and ready to upsell at the drop of a hat. Alongside this, the Managers’ Conference was a big drill into the numbers. What must be achieved before Christmas Eve? An eye watering £100m! How many pallets is that? A gargantuan 40,500! How much is each pallet worth? £2,500! The managers are expected by Gary to communicate and share with their own teams in detail what is required to reach the magic number. Gary wants everyone at The Entertainer to “push on”. “Be motivated,” he says. “Point in the same direction to create the greatest show on Earth on the high street — and hit our targets”. Directors of The Entertainer take to the stage to explain how their part of the business is vital in helping the store managers and staff sell toys, and therefore, hit their targets. Everything from that crucial ﬁnancial data — just an extra 10 pence on every transaction will generate an additional £1.2m sales

— to the business of their exciting, beautiful and magical TV Christmas advertising campaign — which will be unveiled later I’m here! Gary arrives this month. at the Managers’ The TV commercial Conference in style is amazing and has a brilliantly warm and fuzzy celebrity who children and adults love at the heart of its messaging. The Entertainer staff are encouraged to get the whole organization’s participation in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies survey, and hope to better their Yes, 82nd position from last year. All this there are hard data is delivered with gusto risks — and humour but with grit too. But it doesn’t just stop there. With outlets but all in Azerbaijan and Pakistan going calculated from strength to strength, Gary makes an announcement about even more overseas expansion for 2017 and more UK store openings before Christmas 2016! The plans are big but not outlandish: “Yes, there are risks”, says

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That’s a wrap Selling an extra pack of two sheet gift wrap in one in 10 transactions would add more than £1 million pounds to the bottom line per year.

OCTOBER 2016

Gary, “but all calculated”. Gary calls on his staff to: “Wow the customer! Put on your greatest show so that together we combine to create the greatest show on Earth”. This makes perfect sense to my parental ears (we are in toy shops at least twice a week). But all too often one is faced with a retail environment which makes buying toys hard work and not an enjoyable experience. The Entertainer believes in making everything so enjoyable and playful that us parents can’t help but spend more money. And you know what? It works! At the core of everything Gary expounds is his fair business mind, and clearly his professional ethos is guided by his personal beliefs. Yes, he wants to make money, but he wants to treat his staff well, he wants children and parents to get value from his shops. He is proud of his staff giving back — the company matches every pound donated from the staff Payroll Giving scheme. He works hard for his own charity, Restore Hope, and the in-store rounding up scheme Pennies also raises an impressive amount and does a great deal of good. Essentially, The Entertainer’s Managers’ Conference is a taste of what one can expect from shopping in their stores: humour, fun, a sprinkle of magic and kindness and an abundance of knowledge and expertise. And there is still a whole lot more to come!

COVER FEATURE CHICCO

As seen on TV Investment in a debut toy TV campaign this August has seen retailers sell more Chicco toys than ever before. Chicco’s Managing Director Mitch Levene reveals how a follow-up campaign at Christmas will keep Chicco front of mind with mums, as the company celebrates another year of market-beating growth Mitch, how would you sum up the past year for Chicco? The past year has been another phenomenal success for Chicco. Our year-to-date sales have shown an increase of more than 26 per cent; an incredible feat considering the UK market as a whole is only up by ﬁve per cent. We have also released some really exciting new additions to our toy collection underneath our umbrella concept of The Fun of Development. These include a new line in our Fit n Fun range, the extension of our Turbo Team family, and the expansion of our Move & Grow range.

“

We’ve

had extremely positive feedback from retailers, who have seen a real difference in sales since the campaign hit the screens

Chicco is a really established baby brand but this magazine knows and loves the company for its toy offering. Tell us what you are trying to achieve with your toy range. Chicco’s toy range is all about offering products which promote education and development through play. That’s why we launched The Fun of Development to demonstrate how our products encourage fun and happiness at every developmental stage. By introducing this concept, it allowed Chicco the potential to really establish itself as a key provider of toys, which promote both fun and growth simultaneously.

“

You’re strong in preschool, but it is such a competitive market — what makes Chicco stand out? For us, innovation is key and that is why we are always striving to offer consumers something new and exciting. This is

particularly evident in the new releases we have launched in our Fit n Fun and Turbo Team ranges, which both offer the market something different. One thing that also really makes Chicco stand out is the fact that all the toy collections, along with every product in the Chicco range, has been specially designed and carefully tested in collaboration with Osservatorio Chicco (Chicco’s ofﬁcial Baby Research Centre). Paediatricians and parents work together to study stimuli and provide insight to ensure products support babies’ growth and learning development.

Did you know… Chicco’s adverts will air across leading kids’ TV channels including; CITV, Milkshake!, Nick Jr., Nicktoons, Tiny Pop, Boom and Cartoonito

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bringing back the much-loved Chicco elves and using giveaways and video content to ensure our toys are at the forefront of mums’ minds who are busy doing their Christmas shopping.

Talk us through the three advertised products and what makes each of them special.

Chicco broadcast its ﬁrst toy TV advertising campaign in August featuring Fit n Fun Jungle Rugby and Goal League. Why is 2016 the right time to get into TV advertising for toys? In recent years, Chicco has continued to see phenomenal growth in all category areas. In 2015, we became the ﬁrst nursery brand to advertise on national prime time TV with our Next2Me crib and saw fantastic results. This year, we wanted to maintain that momentum and celebrate the innovations in our toy range by taking them on TV.

Our Fit n Fun Jungle Rugby is a threein-one toy which encourages motor and social skills through three different play modes: the rugby match format, training mode, and stacker toy function. All three work together to create a funfilled toy that any budding rugby fans will love. I like it because, as with our whole Fit n Fun range, it encourages children to get excited about sports from an early age, and aids progression in cerebral function, team-building and attitudes towards fitness. Goal League is an electronic net, complete with flashing lights, 25 different melodies and interactive sounds, and a soft-play ball. There are three different modes of play and the net comes complete with a handy slider at the top to keep track of the scores. I love it because it works

What has the feedback from retailers been? So far, we have had extremely positive feedback from retailers who have seen a real difference in sales since the campaign hit the screens. It has also opened the doors for new retailer opportunities and continued growth as we move into 2017.

We know Chicco will also support the toy TV advertising with social media and marketing. Can you give retailers an insight into what they can expect? To support the campaign we have planned a programme of fully integrated marketing support, which covers both online and in-store activity to really bring the featured toys to life. In the lead up to Christmas, we have also planned some exciting social activity, where we will be

OCTOBER 2016

Chicco has already seen a dramatic upswing in the sales of its TV-advertised lines. Mitch says: “After just a couple of months’ worth of advertising, we have seen a sharp increase in the sales of Goal League, and this is also having a halo effect on Jungle Rugby. With the pre-Christmas advertising coming up, we only expect this to increase in early 2017, particularly with the start of the Rugby Six Nations.”

“

We have also planned some exciting social activity to ensure our toys are at the forefront of mums’ minds, who are busy doing their Christmas shopping

“

Your pre-Christmas campaign begins in early November — tell us a little about where the adverts will be broadcast. We will be carrying out six weeks of advertising during November and December. We have a 20 second Fit n Fun advert featuring Jungle Rugby and Goal League. There will then be a 10 second advert for RoboChicco, the latest addition to Chicco’s popular Turbo Team family. Both will be featured on children’s TV channels including; CITV, Milkshake!, Nick Jr., Nicktoons, Tiny Pop, Boom and Cartoonito.

Direct impact

ﬁrst pull down the arms, then the head and ﬁnally the body. It provides little ones with hours of fast and furious fun. I really like it because it is multi-functional which keeps things interesting for children.

Other than your advertised range, what Chicco products do you think retailers should get excited about? Our innovative Rodeo can be used as a rocking horse, sit-and-ride toy or interactive activity centre to provide hours of entertainment. By using interactive sensors, which activate moving eyes and a neighing sound, the fun character comes to life. What’s even better, when little ones feed Rodeo his tasty carrot, his jaw moves up and down to appear as if he’s chewing. The bright and cheerful Happy Shopper shopping trolley is the perfect toy to encourage little ones to get on the move. The removable shape sorter helps to develop their cognitive skills and the interactive scanner offers melodies and phrases to keep them entertained for hours. It also features a removable basket, which means they can always take their shopping with them on the go.

The percentage increase of Chicco’s year-to-date sales growth

to improve children’s accuracy and coordination, skills that are transferable to many sports and activities that they might ﬁnd themselves involved with in later life. Finally, the RoboChicco, which is part of our popular Turbo Team family, is the ﬁrst transformable remotecontrolled car in the pre-school range. The slick and stylish toy converts from a car into a futuristic looking robot in three simple steps:

THE INDEPENDENT

OPINION

Top toy tally As the Dream Toys top toy list is due to be announced early November, The Indie has got in ﬁrst and announced his own list! It is the same as your own? Read on to ﬁnd out

But at the end of the day that is what we are here for. Most people I know (including my staff) don’t appreciate that as a business owner I actually lose money for nine months of the year, break even for one month, and make good money — provided I have bought well — for two months. This makes the ﬁrst part of the year quite monotonous and boring. We try to do what we can to keep sales coming in and keep our customers excited every time The Indie’s top toys are… they walk through our doors. I have said this before, but we Hatchimals – Spin Master are the gateway to Santa and Paw Patrol Air Patroller – Spin Master Shopkins Happy Places Happy Home - Flair his mystical world in the Hot Wheels Garage – Mattel eye of a child. Selﬁe Mic – Worlds Apart I tell loads of the kids Silly Sausage – John Adams that come into my Tsum Tsum Playset – Click Distribution/Zuru stores that I know LEGO City Airport VIP Service - LEGO Stretch Armstrong – Character Options him personally and Teeny Tys – Ty that we help him to Treat Time Marshall – VTech get the toys out to Num Noms Lip Gloss Truck – MGA all the children of the

he time of year is upon us where we start to panic. We wonder if we have bought the right amount of the right stuff, but we have absolutely no indication just yet if we chose well, particularly considering how late the Christmas rush seems to be now. So, once again, October comes and we feel as if we only ﬁnished off tidying up on last Christmas.

Spin Master

world. Their faces literally light up at the mention of his name, and it does take a small weight off my shoulders considering the innocence of a child and the fact that they simply don’t care about money or proﬁts. I always love sitting down around this time of year and coming up with my own top 12 toys, to follow in the highly anticipated Dream Toys list which comes out every year. The aim of Dream Toys is to remind the public that Christmas is approaching and that the toy industry does have the best of the best for their money when

THE SECRET SUPPLIER

Buyer’s delight Yes, the top toy lists are great but don’t think too much about them, says our Secret Supplier

iven the understandable focuss all retailers have on sales during the final quarter of the he year, it is highly appropriate propriate that our columnist umnist The Independent ndent reflects on his selection of top toys for Christmas. istmas. His selection on looks excellent ent and mirrors many y of the similar lists that all retailers now w like to publish at this his time of the year. The official al top twelve toys will be announced ed at Spin Master

Dream Toys in November when we suppliers bring our toys to this really important media event in the hope that they will be among the chosen. As The Independent points out, Dream Toys is a highly appropriate way of reminding the toy buying public that Christmas is on its way and our industry has once again delivered a fantastic selection of

“

Worlds Apart

Let’s not forget that the whole purpose of selecting top toys is to provide a reason for TV, press and radio to highlight our industry to the nation

”

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“

I always love sitting down around this time of year and coming up with my own top 12 toys, to follow in the highly anticipated Dream Toys list

”

thinking about kids presents. That being said, I am always happy to put my neck on the line and open myself to scrutiny (somewhat helped by the fact that no one knows who I am) by listing what I think the toy 12 toys are going to be for this Christmas. My list may be slightly different to the Dream Toys list as a big part of my business is collectables and I like to recognise the sheer sales volume in my listing, but here it goes: Hatchimals – Spin Master Paw Patrol Air Patroller – Spin Master Shopkins Happy Places Happy Home - Flair Hot Wheels Garage – Mattel Selﬁe Mic – Worlds Apart Silly Sausage – John Adams Tsum Tsum Playset – Click Distribution/Zuru LEGO City Airport VIP Service - LEGO Stretch Armstrong – Character Teeny Tys – Ty Treat Time Marshall – VTech Num Noms Lip Gloss Truck – MGA

To be honest, unlike some years where I struggle to think of a stand out top 12 toys, this year I really struggled to whittle it down to only 12! Our industry has out-performed itself and has some really lovely hero lines within ranges that are working, but as tough as it is, these are my picks for the top sellers this coming Christmas. It is always so interesting to see how close I get to the reality, not even to the Dream Toys listing, as some of our sales on the official 12 toys have been shocking over the years, but how close my actual top sellers are when it comes to the end of the year. I suppose I’m not that far away from finding out, with some minor indications already that some of these lines are sure winners, but a lot can happen in 12 weeks. I also have to reflect a bit while writing this as I still do get a real buzz out of all the work that goes into each Christmas. It really is a bit of a miracle I’m

John Adams

still in business and making proﬁt considering just how much guess work there is involved in our trade. I am a small independent retailer as I have mentioned plenty of times, and if I don’t call my number early on particular product chances are when I come around to buying more of it they are sold out. This puts an added pressure on me, but we must be doing something right as a retailer to still be going after all this time. Maybe my wife is right, I truly am a big kid in every sense of the word. This also gives me an opportunity to thank most of the suppliers I work with on a daily basis, some realise that we are in this together and there is a relationship between us, so when help is required we get it to help both of us move forward. It is just unfortunate that this can’t be said of all suppliers — it would certainly make life easier, and no doubt, more proﬁtable for everyone.

“

As The Independent points out, Dream Toys is a highly appropriate way of reminding the toy buying public that Christmas is on its way and our industry has once again delivered a fantastic selection of hugely entertaining toys hugely entertaining toys. And let’s not forget that the whole purpose of selecting top toys is to provide a reason for TV, press and radio to highlight our industry to the nation. This year our industry is truly blessed with a fantastic range of really good toys across all the different NPD categories, and these toys really are the bread and butter of our industry. Given that the average

OCTOBER 2016

Character Options

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toy shop could stock possibly 10,000 different toys, Mr Independent should not worry too much about picking out just 12 different toys. What really counts is his ability to sell what he has already ordered and in stock. It is just as well, therefore, that the industry has come up with a great selection of good margin earning product that Mr Independent can sell this Christmas.

Flair

Mattel

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

Stable mates RE:CREATION LTD 0118 973 6222 www.recreationltd.co.uk Fans of Equestria will be pleased to see that Re:creation has added a MY LITTLE PONY edition to its Magic Choc Make-a-Bar line-up. The kit includes everything children need to design and make their own delicious chocolate bars including MY LITTLE PONY themed templates, moulds and three colours of 100 per cent Belgian chocolate. Designed for children from age four to get creative with chocolate, just a bowl of warm water is required to melt the handy chocolate-ﬁlled foil bags.

FACT! The kit includes everything children need to design and make their own delicious chocolate bars including MY LITTLE PONY themedtemplates, moulds and three colours of 100 per cent Belgian chocolate.

Wish granted GP FLAIR (JUST PLAY) 0208 643 0320 www.ﬂairplc.co.uk

Pop ’til you drop CHARACTER OPTIONS 0161 633 9800 www.character-online.com Kids can now make their own cute collectables with Shopkins Poppits, the mini clay creations that can be pieced together and decorated. Just use the special tools to pop and create super cute Shopkins Characters. Each set contains the unique Poppit clay, crafting tools and moulds, while refill packs of clay are also available to extend the fun. What better way to add to a girl’s treasured Shopkins character collection than by creating their very own? each Shopkins Poppits set contains unique Poppit clay, crafting tools and moulds, while reﬁll packs of clay are also available.

Girls will emulate their favourite genie characters from the popular Nick Jr show, Shimmer and Shine, with the Ponytail assortment, the Dress-Up Trunk and the Dress-up Box Set.

Launching this month is Just Play’s exciting Shimmer and Shine role-play range. Girls will emulate their favourite genie characters from the popular Nick Jr show, Shimmer and Shine, with the Ponytail assortment, the Dress-Up Trunk and the Dress-up Box Set, which includes glittery costumes for an instant transformation. In addition, beautifully soft plush characters will further delight fans as they can take the whole team home with them. The four assorted styles include the Shimmer and Shine genies and their two pets, Tala and Nehal.

Did you know…

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NEW Quick draw VIVID IMAGINATIONS 01483 449944 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk Scribble Scramble is the disappearing drawing game. Draw w your picture before it gets wiped out — the quicker your team guesses, the more points you score. But take too long ng and your drawing will be gone!

Get connected SAM LABS info@samlabs.com samlabs.com

FACT! Sam Labs’ innovative launches has hit headlines on the BBC, national newspapers and leading tech sites.

The brand new Curio kit from connected playthings specialist Sam Labs is an inventing experience that allows users to build and programme their own cars and games, providing hours of learning while having fun. Equipped with ﬁve paper-fold car bodies, a car base, and remote control, kids can build and program with SAM, while gaining 21st century skills from the STEM curriculum. A step-by-step tutorial booklet and the informative SAM app, both ﬁlled with detailed instructions, guide kids and parents through an array of other smart projects and hacks.

On the right Trax TOY STATE 020 8440 5060 www.toystate.com Toy State and Nikko branded toys have been a toy industry leader and innovator in licensed and highly stylised lights and sound and RC toy vehicles for more than 60 years. The Velocitrax from Nikko is a full-function radio control vehicle with fast and futuristic styling. Featuring 360-degree spins and ultra maneuverability, Velocitrax gives kids a path to off-road adventure and allows them to conquer the obstacles in their path. FrequencyAnd for kids who like the coolest licensed body styles, proportional controls, full suspension and sound hopping technology lets kids effects are going to love Nikko’s Elite Trucks, which race Nikko’s Elite Trucks with up deliver the best performance on or off-road. to 40 friends at the same time.

FACT!

OCTOBER 2016

VIEW FROM THE TOP

SPIN MASTER

Master innovators

Zoomer Chimp

One year into his role as Spin Master’s General Manager Northern Europe, TnP spoke with Hedley Barnes about his experiences so far. From developing new brands to rejuvenating the classics, ﬁnd out why the company’s culture of innovation means every day is a school day for Hedley Hedley, you’ve been in your new position at Spin Master for a year now. How would you describe your personal experience so far? Spin Master is an exhilarating place to be. We have experienced signiﬁcant growth internationally, and through our recent acquisitions of Cardinal (a large US based games and puzzles company) and Italian games company Editrice Giochi, we are able Hedley Barnes to strategically leverage our global platforms for international expansion. The European teams are an important part of pushing the boundaries of creativity, Our innovation and fun for the promise is to consumer. I am personally push the excited by the journey and the opportunities that lay ahead for boundaries me and the company. We feel of innovation, lucky and proud to be here.

“

Where do you think Spin Master excels? Innovation is the key for Spin Master. We have a global R&D network, with leading capabilities in advanced technologies and robotics as well as fantastic relationships with inventors

creativity and fun

”

worldwide. This dedication to innovation can been seen in the amazing achievement across our product lines. We were the ﬁrst to bring to market products such as a Flying Fairy, to re-invent Meccano, and introduce a buildable and programmable robot, and the interactive Zoomer range is an amazing achievement. Spin Master has been recognised worldwide with 12 Toy Industry Association Toy of The Year nominations for Innovative Toy of the Year, more than any of our competitors! We not only develop innovative and cutting-edge products, but we also strive to break the mold and inject creativity into every aspect of our organisation. Our marketing plans and investments are vital as we integrate fully across TV, digital, social media, PR and marketing programmes. The company’s revenue was up 40 per cent in Q2 2016 from the same period in 2015. How important are these ﬁgures to you? Obviously, sales are an important benchmark to a company’s success. However, our promise is to push the boundaries of innovation, creativity and fun. When we are laser-focused on disruptive innovation, our demand for integrity, our entrepreneurial edge, and our desire to do our best always, then the sales follow. The best

Air Hogs Switchblade

barometer of success is when our toys and characters have captured the imagination of a child and inspire a wonderful experience. How else do you measure success and progress? One of our key growth objectives in 2016 has been to strategically grow sales internationally in both developed and emerging markets. Already in 2016, we have expanded our presence in Mexico and Central Eastern Europe and opened an office in Australia. Spin Master has some really strong licensed ranges. What is your secret to success when choosing licenses to work with? Entertainment is big part of what we do and whether it’s our own IP like PAW Patrol, or working with a licensing partner, we strive to make it a beneficial relationship for everyone. A key measure of success for Spin Master is in developing partnerships where we all succeed. Our licensing team have developed extraordinary relationships with our partners and have a demonstrated track record. This means we are often approached as the first choice partner.

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“

Our global entertainment property pipeline is growing with the goal to launch a new property per year

Speaking of your success with PAW PAW Patrol, why do you think kids have connected with this property so much? Everyone loves the pups! PAW Patrol resonates with both boys and girls around the world with stories of teamwork, bravery and humour. The characters are so likeable and relatable and the parents appreciate the positive messaging. It is a privilege to work on a brand that is resonating around the world, in over 160 countries and territories, whose core values promote, teamwork, friendship and good citizenship. Can we expect more direct involvement with new brands and properties from Spin Master in the future? Deﬁnitely! Along with PAW Patrol, we have written and co-produced another animated pre-school series debuting this autumn in North America called Rusty Rivets. The series encourages kids to use their imaginations to design and create gadgets and inventions, promoting creative problem solving, innovation and engineering. Our global entertainment property pipeline is growing with Kinetic Sand Bakery Boutique

”

the goal to launch a new property per year.

What is the ethos that drives Spin Master? Innovation, innovation, innovation — and some fun along the way, of course! Our mission is to push the boundaries of innovation, creativity and fun. We live this every day. Part of what makes that possible is the fantastic relationships we have. Our collaborative business model drives everything we do, whether it’s with the inventors where it all starts, through to the licensors, suppliers, retailers, broadcasters, animation studios, and other B2B partners we work with along the way. Is Spin Master where you want it to be? Yes, I cannot think of anywhere better right now. But of course, that doesn’t mean we aren’t always trying to improve and grow the company. Continuous improvement is part of our DNA. Describe an average day in the life of Hedley Barnes. When not travelling, I’m up early to take the dog for a run, and have breakfast with my three kids. Drive to work, spend the morning with my teams, and the afternoon on the phone to LA A and Toronto. evenings,, I love to cook In the evenings dinner for my w wife Lisa, put the kids to bed and w watch Prison clearing Break while cle earing my emails… on reﬂection,, perhaps I should change the rroutine a little and do what we d do best at Spin have Master — hav ve more fun!

We asked… What are Spin Master’s big brands for autumn 2016? Hatchimals Day is October 7 and that’s when the most-anticipated toy of the season will be revealed. Hatchimals are interactive magical creatures inside eggs, revealed only through a child’s nurturing. Kids can care for them and they will hatch with a child’s help. Zoomer Chimp is the newest member of the Zoomer family. It has lifelike movements and realistic sounds, along with advanced voice recognition technology so that the more kids play with Zoomer Chimp, the more it learns and evolves. Micronoid is a pocket-sized robot friend that offers big-time fun by taking the programming of larger-scale Meccanoid to a more accessible level in both price and building. The Micronoids tell jokes, laugh and move, and interact with each other. Bunchems are off to a fantastic start in the UK, following the successful launch in the US. Bunchems are colourful little balls that stick together so you can build amazing 3D creations — then take them apart and y you can build again and again! p g g Pottery Cool Studio turns pottery upside down. Kids can create perfectly shaped pottery by letting gravity do the work. Once air-dried, the creativity really begins. Includes everything needed to make a variety of projects.

Hedley’s major milestones ■ Top 8 manufacturer YTD ■ No. 1 pre-school property with PAW Patrol ■ No.1 item in creative compounds in March with Kinetic Sand

OCTOBER 2016

PAW Patrol Air Controller

FEATURE

EDUCATIONAL LEARNING

That’s education! Anything which helps encourage learning in fun, stimulating way is a winner with parents. TnP takes a closer look at some of the products available in the category, and we talk to some suppliers to ﬁnd out what works for them

ducation, it may be the bane of a seven-year-old’s average day, particularly when they just want to go outside to play, but it is a necessary evil. So making the whole thing a bit more fun and engaging is always going to be a winner with parents. Step forward educational toys, sent to help both children and parents. And anything that parents want, retailers and manufacturers are happy to provide, which is why there has been an upsurge in educational toys in general, toys that combine fun with learning opportunities, developmental beneﬁts and enriching children’s understanding of the world. Retailers are capitalising on this already big and growing trend.

VTech

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Retailers need to understand that STEM is now becoming a hot topic in primary schools so parents are already primed with an interest in it

Dennis Blackmore, MD, Learning Resources

”

Since STEM, in particular, is now very important to parents we asked some experts in the ﬁeld for their views on this growing trend. If you want children to eat healthily, take exercise, even read books, you have to start them early, the earlier the better and it is exactly the same with educational toys – the sooner parents introduce them, the sooner their children will grasp the importance of being interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

A hot topic On the subject of STEM sales, Dennis Blackmore, MD at Learning Resources, tells us: “Retailers need to understand that STEM is now becoming a hot topic in primary schools so parents are already primed with an interest in it. Retailers can capitalise on this trend by stocking quality STEM products that engage children in the process of solving real-world problems. Learning Resources’ offers fun STEM activities

Thames & Kosmos

Did you know… STEM was originally known as SMET! at attractive prices.” Dave Kelly MD at Magformers is in agreement and notes the international influence of STEM toys. He says: “The easy route is to stock more STEM products, but there’s more to it than that. Retail staff need to understand STEM products fully, what they do, what they teach and how they fit into the national curriculum – as extending what’s learnt at school into the home is a growing trend. “Magformers is used as an official learning tool in maths textbooks for sixth graders in Korea, and we are seeing more schools using our products in the UK.” Indeed, as we have seen over the years the Far East has been influential in science and technology but the West is beginning to realise the importance of these key subjects. Dennis adds: “Developing key skills through hands-on play is crucial for young learners and parents instinctively know this; when a child is

We asked… Who who buys STEM toys? “Educational toys are bought by people who want to invest in a future of learning for their children whether they are parents, grandparents, friends or other relatives. Anecdotal evidence points to grandparents and aunts and uncles being the biggest spender in this category.” Dennis Blackmore, MD, Learning Resources “I certainly think at birthdays and Christmas, grandparents like to ﬁnd something that isn’t just a throwaway toy – something with long-term play value. That’s certainly why our magnetic construction sets appeal to that demographic. They see the true value in making things, as it’s something they enjoyed themselves when they were young.” Dave Kelly, MD, Magformers

toysnplaythings.co.uk

having fun while learning then that learning tends to ‘stick’. “At Learning Resources we design our toys around learning aims from the start and then add the fun. Our team has a deep understanding of the development of learning and so your customers can be conﬁdent of the value of what their kids are doing.”

programme run by Matt Donald. He’s combining the wonder and magic of Magformers’ unique design with interesting educational facts about our sets and it’s really striking a chord.” It is educational but not of education because as Dennis points out - STEM, while an interesting concept, does not exist as a subject in schools or on the national curriculum. “However the experience of undertaking STEM activities is extremely powerful in delivering key aspects of the national curriculum in Maths, Science and Design and Technology,” he said. “More than that STEM encourages the kind of collaborative and creative learning experiences that are the key to

Have fun! It is apparent that one of the best ways to do anything is to have fun doing it – whatever it happens to be. It is a similar situation with education. Play and have fun and children are learning without realising. Dennis says: “We only make and sell educational toys and so we really cannot disagree. “We believe that we deliver this added value in our products: fun and learning. Every parent (or grandparent) wants the best for their children and by choosing toys with educational/developmental beneﬁts they are contributing to that.” Magformers Dave adds: “When communicated properly – and in an interesting way – showing that a toy has dual fun and learning potential is very powerful. This has become a key feature of our in-store demonstration

Clementoni

“

Retail staff need to understand STEM products fully, what they do, what they teach and how they ﬁt into the national curriculum – as extending what’s learnt at school into the home is a growing trend

Dave Kelly, MD, Magformers

”

success in all aspects of the national curriculum. “An exception to this is our awardwinning STEM Code & Go Robot Mouse toys; already our bestseller in this category the Robot Mouse is the perfect introduction to coding and simple computing which are part of the National Curriculum.” Dave tells us that the use of STEM toys “is growing all the time and we’ve introduced STEAM sets now (adding Art to Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). If you look at one of our simplest models, a cube, it can be built in seconds using six Magformers squares, transforming from a ﬂat 2D net to a 3D shape almost instantly. To do that with a paper net, scissors and glue can take an hour, or even more in some classes. So we’re making subjects easier and clearer to understand.” It’s clear that toys with an educational value can also help build interest in future career opportunities — investment in educational learning toys is a must.

Supporting the National Cur riculum Mookie

n on

as see

See our full range at: www.greenboardgames.com

Call: 01494 538999 sales@greenboardgames.com

OCTOBER 2016

FEATURE

EDUCATIONAL LEARNING

Learning with friends VTECH 01235 555545 www.vtech.co.uk Join Marshall to learn letters, phonics, colours, daily routines and more with Treat Time Marshall. Marshall knows and remembers the first letter of a child’s name, and includes 26 letter biscuits, and 120 plus responses, facts and questions to help reinforce letter and vocabulary learning. More than 50 songs, melodies, sounds and phrases are also included. Marshall’s eyes and ears move, while his badge button flashes as the music plays to enhance interactive fun. Teletubbies Time to Rhyme is a big, chunky book featuring all four Teletubbies characters, with four easy-to-turn pages that make it easy for baby to play. With a big light up sun button that triggers sounds and melodies, the storytelling buttons play different rhymes on each page, introducing the Teletubbies characters. The light flashes to the music to enhance visual stimulation, with one sing-along song and six melodies. My 1st Toolbox is a cute role-play toolbox that comes complete with mechanical twoway drill, role-play hammer, spanner, nails and screws! Two double-sided cards feature different projects to mend or to use too discover colours, spelling, letters, phonics, numbers, household objects, modes of transport and more. Three light-up tool buttons introduce the tool, tool facts and colour. Drill in the screws or hammer in the nails to answer questions. Includes three modes of play, three turning gears and seven singalong songs. All the accessories fit neatly into the tool box for on-the-go play. A cute pull-along alligator, Alpha-Gator teaches phonics, facts, and more! Kids can pull it along to see its head shake from side to side and play three songs. There are five modes of play including phonics, fun facts, quiz, silly sentence and music. It features 26 letters and object buttons.

Think pink

Globe trotting

TRENDS UK

CLEMENTONI

01295 768078 www.trendsuk.co.uk Trends UK’s new range of Peppa Pig electronic learning toys has already seen great demand since launch in summer 2016. Leading with the hero item and TV line Peppa’s Alphaphonics Campervan, Trends UK is also offering Peppa’s Flip & Learn Phone, Peppa’s Singalong & Learn Microphone, and Peppa’s Laugh & Learn Laptop. The Peppa Pig ELA range starts for children 18 months and over, and is designed to help pre-schoolers develop early learning skills including understanding colours, phonetics and numbers through interactive play features. Trends UK is supporting the launch with TV advertising and lifestyle PR campaigns. Reaching large audiences of mums with pre-school children, the new Peppa Pig ELAs will also be promoted on UKMums.TV this autumn with a campaign taking over the homepage. The campaign will feature creative content across the site and endorsements through parenting blogger reviews.

020 8782 1144 www.clementoni.com Clementoni is strengthening its offering in the educational sector with the launch of the Explore the World Interactive Globe, complete with augmented reality app technology. Meanwhile, Sandy Cuddle and Learn Bear is an interactive development plush for babies aged six months plus. Sandy Cuddle and Learn Bear is TV promoted and parents can also download an app that brings Sandy to life on-screen.

Animal kingdom SCHLEICH 01279 870000 www.schleich-s.co.uk Learning about animals opens up a fascinating world for children, and with Schleich’s vast collection of farm and wildlife animals, little ones are given an early introduction to the world of nature. The Farm and Wild Life ﬁgures and playsets from its World of Nature collection encourage play by engaging children’s curiosity about different animals and their habitats. These affordable and highly collectable ﬁgures from Schleich need no introduction and no instruction.

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FEATURE

EDUCATIONAL LEARNING

Right on the money GREEN BOARD GAMES 01494 538 999 www.greenboardgames.com Green Board Games has always been a popular company with retailers, teachers, and educationalists for creating fun and engaging ways to help children grasp difficult subjects. In order to meet customer demands and consumer needs, the company established Green Board Education three years ago. GBG has been focused on primary school age children aligning a section of existing and particularly relevant games to the new national curriculum. Having developed a range of resources specifically to help teach some of the new curriculum required topics, it has subsequently added in a pre-school BrainBox range to help in nurseries and reception classes. The Green Board Education range of product has multi-level play, enabling them to be used in adaptable ways as children's confidence and abilities develop. The Green Board Games and Education range offers product that can be played time and time again by children of all ages and abilities. Understanding the expected learning outcomes for children has enabled GBG to underpin these with comprehensive educationally derived guides, packed full of background subject information and many different games to play. Parents are then able to purchase the same products as teachers, feeling confident that when they spend time with their children at home they can build on what they started at school.

On a collision course with fun

State of the art

DKL MARKETING

Distributed by Asobi, Micador early stART products are speciﬁcally designed to get toddlers and pre-schoolers experiencing and enjoying art early in life. The art and craft range from the Australian company has been developed especially with little ones from the age of 18 months to four years in mind.

01604 678 780 www.dkltoys.co.uk DKL offers a fantastic range of educational toys including lines from brands SmartLab and Miniland Educational to inspire educational play. The SmartLab range of fun-ﬁlled science kits keep children entertained and engaged for hours, and all come complete with activity books for extra educational play value. New from SmartLab is the unique Crash Test Lab. This fun kit includes the only crash test dummy that can measure the force of the crash. Teaching key lessons in physics, the Crash Test Lab is as educational as it is fun. Not to be missed is the best-selling Squishy Human Body. The body comes complete with squishy organs, bones and muscles, and a 24-page activity book which guides them as they dissect and pull the model apart. Also included is a poster which helps children get to grips with all the different parts which make up a human body. Children can collect other kits from the squishy range which also includes The Inhuman Squishy Zombie, the Squishy T-Rex, and the Squishy Brain. Miniland Educational’s best-selling Electrokit now has a fantastic 198 experiments for children to test out. It provides hours of fun while children are able to learn the skills and concepts of electricity and electronics which are a necessity in today’s environment. All parts are designed for quick and easy assembly with components connected together with press-studs. The electronic science set is packed with value and also competitively priced. Another great option from Miniland is the Discover Science CDU, a fun collection of foldable, magnetic games ideal for learning on the go.

ASOBI 01628 200 077 www.asobi.co.uk

Lovely learning BANANAGRAMS 020 7298 9500 (Winning Moves) www.bananagrams.com Bananagrams has added to its bunch with My First Bananagrams, a brand new game designed to help ripen little learners’ vocabulary. Aimed at ages four plus, the early-learners version differs from the original family word game with colourful lower-case letters and unique double-letter tiles. My First Bananagrams includes a collection of fun games, with 10 curriculum-based mini games designed to become more challenging as conﬁdence and vocabulary grows. My First Bananagrams helps mark Bananagrams’ 10th Bananaversary.

41 toysnplaythin toysnplaythings.co.uk

SUPPORT

NEW PINK

VERSION

SUPPORT

LeapFrogâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s award winning range of role play toys continues to grow; now with TV and digital support for the 2016 autumn/winter season.

NEW

FEATURE

EDUCATIONAL LEARNING

Talking sensory LE TOY VAN 020 8979 2036 www.letoyvan.com

Turtle-y cool LEAPFROG 01895 202840 www.leapfrog.co.uk LeapFrog is a leader in innovative learning solutions for children, creating award-winning educational solutions that delight, engage and inspire children to reach their potential. Children learn best when they’re having fun and LeapFrog’s latest solutions brings pure learning fun every day. Melody the Musical Turtle is a modern take on classic memory play, with an added musical twist. Ten musical activities prompt toddlers to ﬁnd numbers and colours, repeat sequences from memory, and create tunes by pressing light-up buttons on Melody’s shell. Melody is a highly engaging toy that fosters skills such as learning numbers and colours, memory, music, as well as key 21st century skills, like collaborative play for well-rounded development. With the Count Along Till, budding entrepreneurs can run a shop and expand their imagination through pretend play, and exercise social play skills. The interactive till talks, sings and lights up, encouraging imaginative role playing while introducing pre-schoolers to early money skills. The till enables kids to explore colours, vocabulary, food sorting, healthy habits, number recognition and counting with a delightful and engaging character.

Petilou Sensory Shapes is just one of 20 lines in the Petilou toddler toys collection, offering lots of fun activities to stimulate young minds. Recommended by the Good Toy Guide the wooden sensory set encourages colour and shape recognition as kids sort blocks into the matching tray. Each of the nine blocks presents a sensation, and kids can shake to hear a jingling bell, look through the kaleidoscope, touch the ﬂuffy fabric, and discover them all. This toy encourages manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination. All of the toys in this collection are presented in the distinctive Petilou packaging to provide a clear range effect for retailing and brand recognition. Le Toy Van has trademarked the name Petilou, which is derived from Petit Loup an affectionate French saying meaning my little wolf. Woodland creatures provide a unifying theme to the Petilou collection. With a range of retail recommended prices, they offer a great choice for that special gift. Natural, safe and educational, Petilou toys are design especially for children from 12 months, and are ethically made of solid wood. Le Toy Van is proud of its ICTI Certiﬁcation.

Train your brain MAGFORMERS 08000 385195 www.magformers.co.uk Magformers’ magnetic construction sets encourage 3D brain training through fun and education. Magformers Basic Line sets contain anything from six to 62 pieces. With a mix of squares, triangles and pentagons, children learn about the different properties of shapes while they play and are ideal for both pre-schoolers and those at the early years foundation stage. For older children in KS1 or 2, Magformers offers a wide range of boxed sets that introduce STEM activities and the Power Gear set introduces LED lighting, a motor, gears and remote control, and more. Magformers also extends learning through various special Idea Books, puzzle cards and play sheets contained in its packaging. With the Dinosaur Set, not only can children make 10 amazing dinos, they also receive detailed factsheets about each real animal’s size, habitat and the prehistoric periods in which they lived. The free-spinning magnets are safely encapsulated within all the edge surfaces, but can rotate in any direction to ensure connection. Starting from simple 2D nets, children can transform their builds easily into hundreds of 3D geometric structures.

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Quality toys with key educational themes including STEM products complete with worksheets

RRPs fro

£8.99

facebook.com/DKL.Toys

DKL Marketing Ltd 11 Deer Park Road, Northampton NN3 6QD, UK

twitter.com/DKLtoys

tel 01604 678780 • fax 01604 678787 • email dkl@dkl.co.uk • web www.dkl.co.uk

FEATURE

EDUCATIONAL LEARNING

Hoovering up knowledge CHARACTER OPTIONS 0161 633 9800 www.character-online.com

Animal insider THAMES AND KOSMOS 01580 212000 www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk For any young biologists who enjoy something squeamish, the Thames and Kosmos Animal Anatomy sets are the perfect gift! Kids can piece together the model while learning how each speciﬁc part works, as well as spot the seal in the Great White Shark’s stomach or learn about Tiger habitats! Brand new to the Nature Discovery range, these fun 3D models offer an insight into animal anatomy and inspire children to learn about our world and the creatures that live on it. Each set includes a detailed model with detachable parts that can easily be assembled to show the internal organs and bone structure of an animal, along with a fun and informative instruction manual providing facts about each animal and its habitat. Choose from a Tiger, Gorilla, Great White Shark or an Orca. Along with the animal sets, also available is a Human Body puzzle. Construct the body and learn about how the brain controls everything we do, why the skeletal structure is so important, and why the heart is vital to survive. Looking for something smaller? Try the amazing 3D Animal Puzzles. There is a selection of marine based animals, reptiles and mammals to choose from. Each one comes with assembly instructions and a fun fact sheet. Kids can see how quickly it takes to piece together and challenge friends, or keep their own miniature zoo of puzzles! Animals include a clownﬁsh, chameleon and a giant panda.

This year sees the return of the iconic Teletubbies brand and Character Options has bolstered its popular range with new technology and superb educational play value. A highlight of the range is the Pull & Play Giant Noo-noo, which is suitable for ages for 18 months and over, and makes an ideal toddler toy! The giant pull-along toy is packed with features and play options: children can shape-sort, complete a 3D puzzle or press the bright coloured buttons for different music and sound effects. Children will beneﬁt in several ways from the Pull & Play Giant Noo-noo, as the toy teaches cause and effect, develops hand-eye coordination, and promotes spatial awareness to name just a few. The interactive Noo-noo also promises plenty of laughs with its characteristic wobbly eyes and custard-sucking effects. When they have ﬁnished playing, everything stores away on board in the handy storage compartment.

Code read LEARNING RESOURCES 01553 818 062 www.learningresources.co.uk The award-winning Code & Go Robot Mouse makes programming simple and is the fun way for youngsters to learn all about coding. Use it with the specially provided maze board or straight on the carpet. This key product in Learning Resources’ STEM range quickly gets children programming a sequence of steps using colourful buttons on the mouse’s back. It also features lights and sounds for when the mouse ﬁnally ﬁnds the cheese! The activity set includes 16 maze grids to create a maze board, 22 maze walls and three tunnels plus 30 double-sided coding cards, 10 double-sided activity cards and a cheese wedge. Double the fun and add multiple players with an additional Robot Mouse, sold separately.

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www.interplayuk.com

® ... toys designed to inspire

Top selling nature study brand in the UK Discover ‘Fantastic Antics’ with...

Designed for children by nature experts Experiments and activities to support National Curriculum Science KS1 and KS2 For full My Living World range visit www.interplayuk.com

INTERACTIVE PACKAGING

SEE THE FULL RANGE & MORE STEM TOYS AT WWW.DKL.CO.UK SQUISHY ORGANS

EDUCATIONAL GUIDE

DKL Marketing Ltd 11 Deer Park Road, Northampton, NN3 6QD, UK tel. 01604 678780 • fax: 01604 678787 • email. dkl@dkl.co.uk • www.dkl.co.uk facebook.com/DKL.Toys

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FEATURE

EDUCATIONAL LEARNING

Bug’s life INTERPLAY UK 01628 488944 www.interplayuk.com My Living World is the brand that science and nature lovers choose. Packed full of supplies and equipment, plus highly informative guides written by TV nature specialist and wildlife authority Nick Baker, these kits show children how best to investigate the secret miniature world - just like the experts! Following its hugely successful relaunch in 2013, Interplay has continued to add to the range. The range now includes 10 popular products, including Ant World, Worm World, Triop World, Bug Safari, Instant Flower Press, and Pocket Microscope to name just a few. My Living World kits include experiments to support the national curriculum science KS1 and KS2, and free teachers notes and lesson plans are also available. These kits are not only stimulating and great fun for kids, but also help develop an understanding of the natural world and consideration for the environment. Free standing display units and other POS are available for My Living World range. Get in touch with Interplay for more information.

Science is a breeze GP FLAIR 0208 643 0320 www.ﬂairplc.co.uk

Exciting new developments in GP Flair’s portfolio will transport kids out of this world and educate them along the way. The Uncle Milton Star Wars Science collection brings together the Star Wars Universe with our own world, with innovative products that have real science learning behind them. With Spacecraft Flight Lab, children can build and launch their very own motorised Star Wars paper spacecraft, with designs based on the ﬁlms, while also getting to grips with aerodynamics and force. 42

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Great time to learn GREAT GIZMOS 01293 543221 ggtrade.co.uk Great Gizmos has a growing range of educational learning toys that promote STEM skills while still having lots of fun. Learn all about the human body and organs with new 4M Science Kits. Human Skeleton allows children to mould a full human skeleton and learn how it supports the body. Kids can explore human body science and make interesting models and toys based on human organs with the Human Organs kit. Be a junior surgeon with Human Torso. The Green Science range teaches science and the uses of renewable and natural energy in a fun environment.

OCTOBER 2016

High notes BIGJIGS TOYS 01303 250400 trade.bigjigstoys.co.uk Bigjigs Toys’ educational toys are all designed to help improve numeracy and literacy skills in a fun environment. Bigjigs’ toys enhance the overall learning process by using visual aids and help make educational concepts more entertaining. Toys such as the Learn to Count puzzle are a fun introduction to mathematics and counting skills, helping to develop dexterity and concentration.The Bigjigs Wooden Music Set will help children to develop their musical ﬂair from an early age and to understand more about how different sounds can work together.

FEATURE

EDUCATIONAL LEARNING

Time for learning ORCHARD TOYS 01953 859539 www.orchardtoys.com Established for over 40 years, British manufacturer Orchard Toys continues to go from strength to strength, with strong sales in trade, consumer and export markets. The award-winning brand has a reputation for delivering quality educational games and jigsaws, which are trusted by both parents and educational professionals for their balance of education and fun. One of Orchard Toys’ latest additions to the range is What’s the Time, Mr Wolf?, a classic example of the company’s ethos: learning made fun. This unique board game for ages ﬁve to nine offers a fun, alternative solution to help children learn to tell the time through play.

Body language GIBSONS 020 8661 8866 www.gibsonsgames.co.uk Starting school will be a doddle with Gibsons’ My World range of puzzles and games. Each of the seven products in the range has been developed in conjunction with Child Psychologist and Play Specialist, Dr Amanda Gummer, and each element of My World is linked to early learning goals. My Body is a set of two puzzles for little ones over the age of four. There are lots of clever lozengeshaped pieces that identify internal and external body parts and the challenge is to get them all in the right place. There are lots of fun facts to read around the edges that will teach mum and dad a lesson too.

License to learn JUMBO GAMES 01707 289289 www.jumbo.eu Jumbo’s popular range of pre-school jigsaw puzzles and games are great for helping young children develop key fundamental educational skills from a young age such as ﬁne motor skills, hand eye coordination, colour recognition and spatial awareness – while having fun. Make sure to check out the brand new collection of Bob the Builder Puzzles & Games.

Learn from friends KD UK 01727 827194 www.kdplanet.com/uk KD UK’s Noddy’s WhoWhatWhere Tablet features in each episode of the new TV series Noddy, Toyland Detective. The WhoWhatWhere Tablet helps Noddy and friends complete missions through various games. Children can now learn about numbers, colours, letters, instruments, shapes and more while having lots of fun with the Toyland gang. The tablet helps children develop important learning skills such as hand-eye coordination, sound recognition, and imaginative role-play, and is perfect for both indoor and outdoor play. The PAW Patrol Blazon features three different gameplay modes - learning, quiz mode and sequence games. Children can discover shapes, numbers, colours and fun facts about their favourite pups, answer fun questions, and play games of Follow Me as they watch the lights and repeat the sequence. Children can play alone or challenge their friends. The Blazon is designed to help children develop important learning skills such as logic, memory, ﬁne motor skills, hand-eye coordination and role play.

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Home learning MARBEL 0845 6000 286 www.marbel.co.uk

All details subject to Licensor approval

Hape’s beautiful range of home education toys allow for endless hours of fun and play. The complete range has been developed to build children’s skills and confidence in a fun gentle way. These three products, all part the Home Education range, are endorsed by teachers from around the world. With the Converse Puzzle Set, kids are encouraged to find, match and describe pairs and opposites using brightly coloured picture cards. It’s a great way to develop children’s communication skills and have fun at the same time, with 20 pairs of playing card, one red card and instructions. Listen to the Clues is a great communication game containing four game strips for the listener and 32 colourful playing cards for the speaker. Combino gives opportunities to develop children’s experimental skills as the child discovers the steps to creating finished pictures using colourful overlays.

Peppa’s Flip & Learn Phone

Go green LITTLE TIKES 0845 0533 333 www.littletikes.co.uk Playhouses remain a core area for Little Tikes – and this year sees the business continue to drive this category forward with the launch of the brand new Go Green Play House. This unique modern playhouse is ﬁlled with earth-friendly features and activities for children from two-plus years. Designed for the ultimate in eco-fun, it also aims to teach children about the environment and the importance of thinking green for the future.

Full marketing support: TV, press and digital campaigns

Peppa’s Laugh & Learn Laptop

Peppa’s Alphaphonics™ Campervan To place an order please contact:

+44 (0)1295 768078 salesadmin@trendsuk.co.uk www.trendsuk.co.uk

OCTOBER 2016

For media enquiries, please contact Ane Olesen: ane@wirepr.eu OfficialPeppaPig © ABD Ltd/Ent. One UK Ltd 2003. www.peppapig.com

INSIGHT

PURSUIT NHA

It’s all about the people Pursuit NHA International are experts in resourcing for the toy and licensing markets. Exhibiting at Brand Licensing Europe this October on stand F84, LTW caught up with MD Andy Ferguson and Senior Consultant David Evans to ﬁnd out more

or 30 years, Pursuit NHA International has At BLE been helping Sales & we will be Management teams looking for as increase their effectiveness many people as through consultancy, recruitment possible to and training, producing positive results for their business. participate in Managing Director Andy the Toy & Ferguson, who graduated Licensing from the University of Wales in Salary Guide, Economics and Statistics, has which we will a career spanning more than launch in 20 years in European Sales and January 2017 General Management at Procter exclusively with & Gamble, Hasbro and Wilson Lema Sporting Goods, and more than Publishing’s 15 years in Strategic Sales and LTW and TnP Management Consultancy. His experience means that he Andy Ferguson, is able to help clients identify and capitalise on opportunities MD, Pursuit leading to improved business NHA results. Leading the team, he has overall responsibility for ensuring that client expectations are met and exceeded. One of the company’s senior consultant David Evans has successfully delivered both training

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Pursuit NHA’s Senior Consultant David Evans

Dial up the support you need

and resourcing projects for Pursuit NHA International clients for more than 10 years. He has a background in Sales and National Account Management and has worked for major FMCG, Pharma and B2B organisations for over 20 years. And crucially, both Andy and David are members of the British Psychological Society.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

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Our mission is to be the sales and management consultancy which delivers results for its clients through talented people Andy Ferguson, MD, Pursuit NHA

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Pursuit NHA’s Managing Director Andy Ferguson

Finding the right talent Andy says: “Our consultants look to get to the DNA of your business. By truly understanding your unique needs and the market you operate in we do a number of things: ■

Establish clear objectives and methods of measurement

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Implement each project in close consultation with our clients

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Consolidate our recommendations to ensure implementation

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Evaluate and review the impact of our work”

Through expertise gained in recruitment, and their knowledge of the toy industry, they have identiﬁed an opportunity to help businesses in the toy and licensing market be more effective in resourcing. But, of course, it isn’t a straightforward

process — resourcing cannot and should not be a ‘one cap ﬁts all’ approach — so Pursuit NHA delivers resourcing solutions tailored to individual companies’ needs. Senior Consultant, David Evans, says: “We will be delighted to talk through our resourcing solutions, which can combine recruitment search

and selection, psychometric proﬁling, reasoning testing and ongoing skills training.” And the company is immersing itself in the market: “We will be at BLE in October and the Toy Fair in January — which is a wonderful and exciting opportunity for us to engage with the industry. At BLE we will be looking for as many people as possible to participate in the Toy & Licensing Salary Guide, which we will launch in January 2017 exclusively with Lema Publishing’s LTW and TnP,” says MD Andy Ferguson. The Pursuit NHA team brings the unusual blend of sales and management skills and expertise combined with human resource and psychological experience — their consultants are qualiﬁed to administer and feedback ability and psychometric tools. Andy takes up the story: “Over the past decade we have worked with most of the key toy manufacturers, giving us a valuable insight into different organisations. We have also developed great relationships with key contacts in the industry. Our mission is to be the sales and management consultancy which delivers results for its clients through talented people.” For several years Pursuit NHA have been using psychometric tools to help build teams and individuals. The main focus has been on Myers Briggs (MBTI), 16PF, OPQ32, Insights Discovery and Ability Tests, which have helped increase the effectiveness of client organisations. Pursuit NHA have proven that using these tools, understanding the culture of an organisation and benchmarking people are the key ingredients of successful resourcing.

Contact Pursuit NHA Tel: 0118 940 5100 Web: www.pursuitnha.com

PREMIUM RESELLER

CEB Talent Assessment Offerings

IN FOCUS

VIVID

Use your imagination When it comes to having a dynamic, retail-friendly portfolio, Vivid Imaginations are front and centre. TnP takes a closer look at some of its top products in its games category, and examines its pre-Christmas TV advertising plans

ollowing the successful launch of Og on the Bog, Shh… Don’t Wake Dad and BBQ Party in A/W15, four more children’s games have joined Vivid’s Drumond Park portfolio in A/W16. Watch out for Dig In, the irresistible game of instant frantic, ﬁnding fun; Stoopido, the game of 1,000 silly faces; Pickin’Chickens where you need to help Farmer Giles keep his chickens safe from the fox and Crazy Claw, the crazy arcade action game. Additionally, in family games, Rapidough is expected to have another strong year, while the TV gameshow games Catchphrase and Family Fortunes go from strength-to-strength. For adults the much loved perennial

sellers Articulate and Logo are expected to be at the top of the best seller list once again driven by strong TV advertising, PR and sampling programmes. Drumond Park is known as a heavyweight advertiser in the preChristmas season and 2016 will be no different with 16 games on air across the adult, family and children’s portfolio. Strong TV support will be in place to drive sales of Articulate and Logo keeping Drumond Park at number one in this segment.

Scribble Scramble

ttoysnplaythings.co.uk oysnplaythings.co.uk

Ruby & Lottie

Rapidough and Wordsearch/Wordsearch Junior start their campaigns in October and the 11 children’s games all hit TV screens from August 2015. Crayola is Game On for 2016 with three exciting new creative games. For fast ﬁngers 3,2,1 Draw! is perfect for on-the-go fun with a variety of play options in one stow-away set. Action packed Scribble Scramble is a frantic team game where you have to guess it before it disappears. The ultimate family board game Doodle Delirium is a fun-ﬁlled adventure against time with creative challenges to complete on the Doodle Delirium board: Paper Mashups, Model Madness, Scribble Riddles and Doodle Dummies!

In full colour Crayola will ignite children’s love of colour and imagination with nearly 3,000 TVRs across the holiday period. Crayola will launch a dedicated TV campaign to support the range of the brand new Crayola games launching this season. Scribble Scramble and Doodle Delirium will be on air from August through to December. In addition, Crayola will TV advertise seven other products within the range throughout the autumn period. Vivid has 15 brand new TV creatives airing this season across boys, girls, preschool and outdoor with 26 campaigns running in total. Campaigns will run across October half-term and into the peak Christmas season on key brands such as AniMagic, Thunderbirds, Fungus Amungus, Nocto, Flip a Zoo, Charm U and Chuckle Ball — to name a few! paign to date with the AniMagic sees its strongest TV campaign launch of new hero item Ruby & Lottie alongside perennial favourite Fluffy Goes Walkies and Alﬁe My Training n, Puppy. After a successful launch season, d Batch 2 of Fungus Amungus has arrived in stores and will be heavily advertised alongside the Toxic Chamber, y ExGERMinator and the ultimate Funguy catching machine, the Yuck Truck. Other new brands such as e Oodlebrites, Flip a Zoo and the ultimate p paper plane launcher PPS will also b ughout beneﬁt from TV support throughout th the season.

Fungus Yuck Truck

Flip a Zoo

Thunderbirds

OCTOBER R 2016

FEATURE FEATURE SCOOTERS SCOOTERS

Hy-Pro

Ride on! HTI

Scoot on With year-round appeal, scooters have a lot to offer for every age group. TnP takes a look at the category which is hot to trot with everyone from pre-schoolers right up to their parents…

o back a few decades to a time when there were fewer cars on the roads. The streets and pavements were awash with Retailers children zooming up and can capitalise down on scooters. Some had the Real McCoy while others on the fact that had scooters made by scooters make a granddad or dad but scoot great purchase they did. at any time of Scooters had to make way for skateboards for a while year and not but they never lost their just in the appeal. summer So why are they so popular? “For a start Analei Samaseia, scooters are fantastic value Yvolution compared to many other toy products,” says Phil Ratcliffe of MV Sports. “For around £20, an entry-level model provides years of reliable play value and scooters often get handed down from older

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to younger siblings.” Martin Grossman of H Grossman is of the same mind, saying: “They are affordable and great for outdoor fun.” Scooters, says Kiddimoto’s Jack Patterson, are a simple mode of transport and that is part of their appeal. “They are loved by parents because they are a cheaper alternative to a pedal bike but remain key in the development of key motor skills in such as balance and running,” he adds.

Ice cool appeal While they are family friendly, scooters have kerb appeal too. Yvolution’s Senior Marketing Manager Analei Samaseia tells us: “Scooters remain a cool item for kids to own no matter what their age. For youngsters they are easy

Now that the weather is getting cooler, scooters don’t have to be packed away with the buckets and spades – they can be used whatever the weather. Yvolution’s Analei agrees: “Retailers can capitalise on the fact that scooters make a great purchase at any time of year and not just in the summer,” she says. “As the months get colder scooters are often banished to the back of the store, when really they should be pushed as an ideal Christmas gift and the higher price points make them the perfect present.” Reassuringly, the scooter market is always evolving, and Kiddimoto’s Jack says: “We have seen scooters developed with added motors, new colours and new scooter designs. Our scooter is a lean to steer scooter. This style has become very popular with young children, however our scooter stands out because of the light up wheels. As you zoom along the spinning of the wheels power LEDs embedded in the wheels. Little ideas like this are simple yet extremely effective.” “Having a sample out for testing is always a good idea, especially if the product has a unique feature, as many Yvolution scooters do,” says Analei. “Making sure they aren’t banished to the back of the store is also important. Video sizzles as part of the display would be especially helpful in the case of Yvolution products as videos would allow consumers to see the innovative features of our rides.”

toysnplaythings.co.uk

to manoeuvre and acceptable in high footfall situations such as on the school run, and for the older kids they are easily adapted for tricks and stunts.” And as mentioned, they are totally family friendly. “Scooters are a portal through which kids can enjoy the freedom of getting mobile and active from an earlier age than a first bicycle,” agrees MV’s Phil. But what about the retailers, what benefits are there for the sellers? Phil tells us that “by stocking a tight core range incorporating the top licences and a good value generic offer and mixed containers direct from the factory can boost margins.” Kiddimoto’s Jack adds: “Retailers should definitely be stocking and displaying scooters. They are an item that sells very easily when displayed and promoted in store. Furthermore, scooters are toys which not only develop a child’s

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Scooters are fantastic value compared to many other toy products

Phil Ratcliffe, MV Sports gross motor skills but also engages them into an active lifestyle early on in life.”

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Licensing adds more And, of course, scooters can be licensed. The cool kids will all want a scooter branded with the latest ﬁlm, TV or music superstar. Thomas & Friends, Batman, Fireman Sam, PAW Patrol, Star Wars, Peppa Pig, Shopkins, Disney Princess and My Little Pony all do well for retailers. Phil explains more: “Licences do have a major role to play in the category most notably if there is a vehicular element to MV Sports

the property. Licenses such as Thomas, Fireman Sam, PAW Patrol, Cars and Batman all have a vehicular element, which allows children to role play their favourite characters and/or episodes while getting active at the same time.” Martin Grossman adds: “Kids buy into the latest brand so this helps the retailer. In terms of quality and margin generic scooters will always be best for the business but licensed properties are here to stay.” Scooters — cool, healthy, outdoors, fun, energy creating, easy to use, plus great margins and licences. What’s not to love?

Re:creation

Innovation and fun

For All Ages! www.yvolution.com

OCTOBER 2016

FEATURE SCOOTERS

Brilliant balancing LITTLE TIKES

Take Flyte HY-PRO 01582 670 100 hy-pro.co.uk Hy-Pro saw some great success over the summer with the Flyte brand. So far this year Flyte has launched its newest Mini model and joined up with multiple new retail partners, both at home and across the globe. Even before the summer holidays had begun, Flytes had been ﬂying off the shelves and now the product is almost completely sold out across the country. The Flyte case scooter, which launched in 2015 with the original Midi Flyte, combines the fun of a rock ‘n’ roll scooter with the functionality of both a compact piece of luggage and a pullalong trolley case. Designed for little adventurers aged four to eight, the Midi Flyte currently comes in ﬁve colourful designs and underneath each one is a PU foam case which has a might capacity of 25 litres. This spring saw the introduction of the Mini Flyte, which followed the same successful format as the Midi. This smaller version is perfect for ages two to four, with its smaller frame and 20 litre case capacity. It launched in May 2016 with a whole new range of fun designs, such as Sid the Cyclops, and features a soft EVA foam case. Zinc has also been cause for celebration at Hy-Pro with the introduction of its new electric models. The E-Drift is the latest Lithium scooter model from Zinc. It reaches speeds of up to 8mph and has a run time of up to 60 minutes, with a rapid recharge for instant use and endless fun. The Volt 80+ is another new offering from the UK’s #1 scooter brand. Modelled after their original Volt 80, this push-and-go start up electric scooter features durable polyurethane wheels and travels up to 8mph. The Volt 80+ has the added bonus of a removable saddle for both stand-up and sit-down scooting.

0845 0533 333 www.littletikes.co.uk It’s time to scoot to it with the funky Lean to Turn Scooter guaranteed to create smiles as kids zoom along. The three-wheel design, easy-touch brake and soft rubber handlebars makes this a safe and sturdy ride. Suitable for children aged two to four years old, these super cool scooters have an extra wide base for better control, a low to the ground deck for easier balance and a quick release handle for easy storage. What’s more the lean to steer teaches children balance and co-ordination. Available in six bright and bold colours – including four fantastic new colourways of orange/blue, red/ yellow, blue/pink and green/blue, these are hard to miss and promise hours of fun for little ones!

Fact: The Lean to Turn Scooter is available in six colours

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FEATURE SCOOTERS

Refreshingly good MV SPORTS 0121 748 8000 www.mvsports.co.uk Thomas and Fireman Sam lead MV’s pre-school classic ranges with a design refresh available for Fireman Sam in 2017. Authentic 3D features are the hallmark of the multi-functional 3 in 1 Scooter Trailer and Ride-on and the Thomas 3D Tilt ‘n’ Turn Scooter. In addition to these deluxe models is the best selling Tilt ‘n’ turn, Tri and My First Inline Scooters. Fireman Sam comes to the rescue with an exciting Light and Sound Rescue Scooter, Tri-scooter, and a My First Inline Scooter. The PAW Patrol range races ahead with a new Sit ‘n’ Scoot model which converts from ride-on to a scooter with a simple click and twist mechanism. The new Scootin’ Suitcase easily converts from suitcase to scooter in a couple of easy steps. In response to rapidly increasing demand the My Little Pony has been refreshed with a multi character Tri-scooter and In-line supporting an expanded range. For younger girls, Peppa Pig still hogs the limelight with a contemporary collection featuring a Tri-scooter, Tilt ‘n’ Turn, My First Inline and Scootin’ Suitcase.

Disney Princess, Trolls and Shopkins are all on a roll at the present time with Inline Scooters and Scootin’ Suitcases appealing to older girls. Superhero fans will be blown away by some awesome Star Wars Avengers and Batman scooters varying in size to suit younger or older fans. In particular the 24V Electric Batman Scooter with cool character graphics is a proven success. MV’s incredible own brand Twista, a range of 2 in 1 self-propelling colourful ‘Twist’ scooters, allow two ways to ride and glide. The first mode involves flexing legs in and out with the second mode involving a side-to-side hip swinging action. Finally, MV’s dynamic own brand Stunted has recently undergone an awesome refresh with improved specs and a brand new, cool urban design. These new scooters feature threadless headsets, providing improved rigidity, durability and a smoother ride, plus a new box section deck for both amateur stunters and aficionados.

Did you know... Peppa Pig still hogs the limelight with a contemporary collection featuring a Tri-scooter, Tilt ‘n’ Turn, My First Inline and Scootin’ Suitcase.

Let it rip! HTI

01253 775 544 www.htigroup.co.uk

Did you know… Licenses available include Blaze and the Monster Machines, Bing, Disney’s Frozen, Descendants, Toy Story and Ultimate Spiderman.

When it comes to scooters, HTI let Rïpp with their own in-house range of high spec, high detail scooters and accessories for kids of six years upwards. The company also offers a wide portfolio of high proﬁle licensed scooters for children from pre-school age to seven years. The Rïpp R500, R900 Pro Series and Dirt Rider scooters, offer solutions for both track riders and all-terrain. With a spec to match that of its class leading rivals, Rïpp scooters provide excellent value for money and positons Rïpp as a real high-end range to be reckoned with for riders that are serious about scooters – all year round. As a specialist wheeled manufacturer in the UK, HTI’s licensed offering includes three-wheel and Move n Groove scooters for pre-schoolers through to Inline Folding Scooters for children ﬁve years upwards. Licensed brands available include Blaze and the Monster Machines, Bing, Disney’s Frozen, Descendants, Toy Story and Ultimate Spiderman. New licenses signed for AW17 include Num Noms (the innovative novelty scented collectibles range that is taking the collectables market by storm) and Shimmer & Shine, the enchanting all-new CG animated TV series from Nickelodeon.

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FEATURE SCOOTERS

Razor sharp RE:CREATION LTD 0118 973 6222 www.recreationltd.co.uk Re:creation powers up its communications for the Razor outdoor range in the drive towards Christmas. Extensive TV and PR will continue to build on awareness of the company’s incredible raft of innovative and exciting new scooters and ride-ons. Razor will encourage riders to ‘power up their ride’ this festive season as a wave of new products benefitting from the Company’s in-house developed Power Core hub motor technology raise the bar once again. Razor builds on a proven success story in the E100 electric scooter with the launch of the Power Core E100 and Power Core E100S. With doubled ride times, reduced maintenance and increased speed, these funky and zippy rides showcase Razor’s dedication to excellence in quality and design. These recent launches joins the spring launch the Power Core E90 electric scooter. As the A5 Lux continues to be a go-to scooter for older kids and commuting adults alike, Razor introduces a bold, shocking pink edition recently featured in TOWIE and the Daily Mail. With sturdy construction, adjustable handlebars and generous deck, this statement ride offers a smooth, confident ride at a fantastic value price point. First time scooter riders too benefit from Razor’s unrivalled expertise in delivering outstanding rides as Razor Jr. welcomes the addition of the T3 three wheeled scooter with ‘tilt-to-turn’ technology. Designed to help young riders develop riding confidence with easy steering and turning, the T3 is an ideal ride as scooter fans build on their skills and take the step up to a two wheeler. Re:creation will continue to keep Razor scooters top of mind with strong TV presence and extensive PR placement.

Evolution of the scooter YVOLUTION 0800 802 1197 www.yvolution.com

Did you know... First time scooter riders beneﬁt from Razor’s unrivalled expertise in delivering outstanding rides as Razor Jr. welcomes the addition of the T3 three wheeled scooter with ‘tilt-to-turn’ technology.

Fact! Recently being seen as the wheels of choice of Simon Cowell’s son Eric, the Y Glider 3 in 1 is the ideal ﬁrst set of wheels for any tot as it helps develop critical coordination and balance.

Yvolution, the innovative Dublin-based scooter company, has plenty for tots, tweens and teens to discover this autumn with new additions across its scooter portfolio including a high-flying addition for the renowned Fliker series. The Y Fliker LIFT and Y Fliker Air continue to be favourites. Thanks to the scooter’s revolutionary lift technology, all kids need to do is pick up speed, then simply lean back and lift to pop wheelies forward and even sideways! Ensuring kids are in the know about the hottest of brands, kids press, blogging and YouTube reviews will all be part of the marketing plan. With innovation being key with Yvolution consumers will see the introduction of the superb new Flyer that brings with it a ground-breaking stepper movement to scooter action. Mastering the art of stepping while scooting will provide motorised pedal power and a forward projection. The Fold and Go system is easy for transporting from one place to another while a hand-controlled brake adds to the safety features. This autumn sees another top choice for kids that promises to add a whole lot of light to their street cred. The new Neon range has scooters, skateboards and street rollers with kinetic lights that activate as the rider moves along and will be launched with an autumn campaign of kids press and media outreach. It’s the innovation behind the brands that has resulted in the firm taking a high profile stand at this year’s Gadget Show Technology Showcase where, during October Half term, over half a million visitors to London’s Westfield Shopping Center will be able to experience the brands first hand. Of course when it comes to scooters for the little ones Yvolution also has it covered with the Y Glider 3 in 1 remaining a favourite. Recently being seen as the wheels of choice of Simon Cowell’s son Eric, the Y Glider 3 in 1 is the ideal first set of wheels for any tot.

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FEATURE TURE SCOOTERS TERS

Kids in motion KIDDIMOTO 01749 871175 www.kiddimoto.co.uk The awesome Kiddimoto U-Zoom scooter has been designed with both little ones and grown-ups in mind. Funky designs, flashing wheels, easy to transport with a folding handle and great for coordination development, the U-Zoom scooter is a big hit with kids and parents alike. Suitable for ages three to five. The funky skull, union jack and pastel dotty designs will ensure little ones looks their best out and about, while no child could fail to be impressed by flashing light-up wheels. For the parents, a foldable handlebar stem makes the U-Zoom very easy to carry around. Best of all, the easy-lean technology makes for a smooth and easy-to-learn steering experience, leaving children to concentrate on having fun!

Fact! The easy-lean technology makes for a smooth and easy-to-learn steering experience, leaving children to concentrate on having fun!

Bursting with action H GROSSMAN LTD 0141 613 2525 www.ozbozz.com

A Disney makeover MOOKIE 01525 722 722 www.mookie.co.uk Mookie’s ride-ons ScuttleBug and ScrambleBug have had a Disney make-over this A/W. ScuttleBug features Disney Cars and Disney Princess, while ScrambleBug features Mickey and Minnie Mouse. This partnership between Mookie and Disney looks set to develop the ScuttleBug and ScrambleBug brand, offering a more extensive range. For 2017, the Bug range will expand further with the introduction of ScuttleBug Frozen, capitalising on the still hugely successful girls’ licence. These new lines will be supported with a heavyweight TV campaign with PR and online activity.

HGL are renowned for outdoor products under their Ozbozz brand and 2016 has seen some exciting additions. The new Light Burst scooter has a solid feel with an amazing array of lights on the deck which stay on as long as you scoot. The best-selling Cosmic Light and Lightning Strike scooters have all been updated with brand new decks. Scooter specialists will love the Torq range. Designed to carry up to 100kg in weight they are perfect for the older, more experienced enthusiast. These scooters have been designed with a tough aluminium chassis and a non-adjustable one-piece T bar system. The award winning My First Scooter has new colourways and new styling, bringing this mum’s favourite bang up to date. Licensed scooters are always popular and this year Grossmans has introduced Ghostbusters and Secret Life of Pets to its line up. New for fourth quarter are Power Rangers and the popular Emoji brand.

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ELECTRIC POWERED CASTER BOARD CRAZY SPINNING AND DRIFTING ACTION THE ULTIMATE RIDE

3 NEW TV DRIVERS THIS CHRISTMAS!

POWERING UP INTO CHRISTMAS 2016

TNP

AMBASSADORS

Gliding along nicely Three-year-old Evie from Hertfordshire had her heart set on a new set of wheels — luckily, her uncle Simon knew just the one to do the trick, Yvolution’s Y Glider Deluxe in a dazzling pink!

My niece, Evie, is three years old and I thought the time was about right for her to get going on a scooter. Nowadays, you see little kids tearing about on their scooters and I’m a big believer in giving little ones some autonomy to gain some conﬁdence. Hence the Yvolution Y Glider. I know it might be a bit stereotypical, but Evie is a girly girl and she likes pink and the Y Glider is SO pink, it’s right up her street. As she is only just three, balance and steering can be a bit of a challenge for her at the moment, so I thought she would be wobbling all over the place but this hasn’t been the case at all! The Y Glider is solid, but light — making it easy for her to get on without fear of falling off. Also, manoeuvres are easy for her to make. The design of the scooter is really very good and the slightest turn she makes with the handlebars really do turn the scooter well — you don’t have to be an expert to get on it. The Y Glider has this system called Lean to Steer and it is patented. The scooter moves effectively, by leaning into it, and stopping by hitting the back brake. Evie found that super easy, she was in control and loved experimenting with speeding up and slowing down.

I would actually go so far as to say that the Y Glider is a great ﬁrst scooter — it looks very cool, it is very sturdy but not heavy, the functionality of it is really brilliant too. I think the makers have thought really hard about what a little kid can and can’t do and they have designed and made the scooter accordingly. The deck is quite wide too — so that obviously helps with any balance issues but for me, one of the cleverest things is the back brake — you just quickly and lightly tread

on it and the scooter comes to a halt. Perfect for any out-of-control kids and even better for any cautious parents! All up, it is robust, fun, easy and looks very cool. In fact, Evie scoots around everywhere now — she always tries to match her outﬁts to her scooter (hence her cute pink shoes) and uses it to get to pre-school every day now, where of course, she is the envy of her pals!

What Yvolution say…

Little Evie adored her Yvolution Y Glider

The Y Glider Deluxe kick scooter can be used indoors as well as outdoors and is a great way to help your little one develop their balance, co-ordination and motor skills. This kids scooter is designed with a unique steering mechanism which helps the user to learn how to steer correctly. Perfect for ﬁrst time riders, this self-propelling mini scooter allows younger children to comfortably enjoy scooting at their developmental stage. Using the unique “Lean to Steer” method that is more natural and developmentally in line with the motor skills of young children. The Y Glider Deluxe also helps develop their critical balance and coordination skills.

Fast facts! ■ Suitable for children aged 3 and over. ■ Unique steering mechanism which helps the user to learn how to steer correctly. ■ Can be used indoors as well as outdoors. ■ Helps develop their balance, coordination and motor skills.

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Great odds Golden Bear’s walking and talking Fuse from Oddbods gets the once over from our new little TnP Ambassadors, three-year-old Spencer and his mum Leah My three-year-old Spencer is really enjoying watching Oddbods on TV at the moment. It’s quite a new show and as he is just coming out of his Mr Tumble stage, I was really pleased that he was enjoying something which, honestly, I think is quite funny! The characters are little misshapen chaps who get up to all sorts of everyday tasks but with humorous and unexpected consequences — Spencer is tickled by them. As a result, I have been Googling Oddbods toys or Oddbods soft toys on a fairly regular basis and for a long while there was disappointment, but now, at last — success! Spencer’s favourite character is Fuse and this toy is really great. I don’t normally buy soft toys as they don’t really do anything, but this one is a bit more premium: it is voice activated and can walk too. All Spencer does is squeeze his hand and then Fuse can ‘talk’ back at him. The toy laughs, giggles and makes weird

sounds — rather like on the TV show — Spencer really ﬁnds the reactions very funny indeed. In fact, he will place the toy in front of the screen when the show is off and have them talking to one another — he thinks that a riot! But that isn’t even the best bit about the toy. I love the way it can walk around — it is jerky, but again, that is the same as the characters on the show — but in any event, it is very funny. Our cat Monty has a love-hate relationship with Fuse, which is hilarious to watch. Another plus for me is that they toy isn't for girls or boys - it's totally neutral which is a big trend among parents nowadays. So, another tick for Fuse there! The toy is very good quality indeed — it is super-soft and very cuddly — and with all the things it can do, I would deﬁnitely recommend it to other mums for their little ones.

What Golden Bear says… Measuring 28cm high and made from super soft plush fabric, both Fuse and Pogo feature a unique facial expression to match their distinctive personality! Each sold separately. Batteries included. Suitable for children aged three years and over.

I don’t normally buy soft toys as they don’t really do anything, but this one is a bit more premium — it is voice activated and can walk too Spencer loved his Oddbods toy from Golden Bear

Fast facts!

OCTOBER 2016

■

Simply press their hand to start the amazing voice activation feature. After you speak, clap or shout watch them walk and talk back in their very own quirky Oddbods language.

■

Or switch off the walking function to listen to all their funny sounds, for even more giggles.

Spotlight on MV SPORTS Glide on with the Electrick IO Glideboard from MV Sports The original patented Hoverboard/ self-balancing scooter

Exclusive UK & Ireland distribution. Beware of cheap and infringing imitations

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certification All ce (plus additional (plu p testing) verified t by a specialist U.K electronics laboratory

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Contact: MV Sports & Leisure Tel: 0121 748 8000 Web: www.mvsports.co.uk

UNLEASH THE

LAUGHTER TOMY CLASSIC

Jumbo Jamboree

Hide & Squeak Eggs

instruments in 1

Fix & Load Tow Truck

Foam Cone Factory

Remote Control Rescue Boat

No.1 Bath toy in 2016*

Mix & Match Motor Boat

TOMY TOYS INSPIRE LAUGHTER AND ACTIVE, OPEN-ENDED PLAY TO ENGAGE CHILDREN AS THEY GROW AND DEVELOP. EACH TOY FEATURES MULTIPLE WAYS TO PLAY AND LOTS OF HIDDEN SURPRISES. CALL THE SALES DEPARTMENT ON 01392 281928 | OR EMAIL UKCUSTOMERSERVICES@TOMY.COM *Source: NPD 2016 EPoS Value sales

FEATURE

YOUTH ELECTRONICS

Power play

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These days, electronics in toys are par for the course. Advancement in the category means products are fresh, exciting and compelling. TnP takes a look at what is out there in youth electronics

nce upon a time children’s toys were quite static. There might have been a lever to depress or a button to push, but if there was any real movement it was created by the players. Step forward electronic games which are now enriching playtime for children, adding magic and novelty, while being more affordable and advanced than ever. We asked Gemma Lewington, Marketing Manager at Mookie Toys, how she feels they enhance playtime. “Electronic toys can offer an alternative play pattern to that of traditional toys. With the use of interactive features, they are able to help engage and educate children,” she tells us. “However traditional toys are still vital to a child’s play, helping to develop their imagination and creativity. It’s all about creating a

balance through different forms of play.” Chicco also have an interest in the electronic ﬁeld. MD Mitch Levene says: “Electronic toys can really help to bring playtime to life, exciting the imagination of the child with enhancements such as lights and music.” Technology and electronics are the norm for children these days and many electronic toys take their lead from the adult market. “Technology and electronics are the norm for kids in some respects,” agrees Mary Wood, Marketing Director at Vivid. “But traditional types of items as popular as ever too.”

“

Products in this category provide a generally high value transaction for retailers. Sell through for products in the Youth Electronic category (according to NPD) are a massive 50 per cent in November and December

Mary Wood, Marketing Director, Vivid

Value for retailers While the software can be downloaded, the consoles, the kit, the hardware still needs to be bought and that is where the retailers beneﬁt. As Gemma says: “Electronic toys, by their very nature, have a higher price point to traditional toys, as a result of this they perform better in the build up to Christmas when they are purchased as presents. This key period for electronic toys means that manufacturers support them with heavyweight TV campaigns to encourage consumers to purchase. We will be supporting Story

”

Stars with a comprehensive marketing campaign all the way up to Christmas.” Mary is in agreement with Gemma, although she has a caveat. She tells us: “Products in this category provide a generally high value transaction for retailers. Sell through for products in the Youth Electronic category (according to NPD) are a massive 50 per cent in November and December so while they can provide a high cash injection for retailers, it can be somewhat nerve-wracking buying in stock early ready for relatively late consumer demand.” Chicco’s Mitch adds: “Electronic toys are great for retailers in the lead up to Christmas as they can very quickly capture the interest of a child — particularly if retailers have toys that can be demoed in store. If displayed effectively, a fun and exciting electronic toy is sure to be top of any little one’s Christmas list.” Retailers are usually spot on when it comes to predicting trends and this year both Amazon and Argos are predicting that there will be a big presence of electronic and technology-based toys in many Christmas 2016 wish-lists. Mary adds: “There is a lot of innovation in this category whether it is Hatchimals from Spin Master, the new Furby from Hasbro or Nocto — the bat with battitude — from Vivid. Technology does seem to excite the imagination of consumers and journalists alike and as a result high demand is created.” We’re sold!

VTech

toysnplaythings.co.uk

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Camera comes with included selfie stick Includes a Make Up Studio and a Music Slideshow

For more details please contact 01235 555545 trade_sales@vtech.com

your Photos and Videos

Includes 3 Built-in Games to Play!

FEATURE

YOUTH ELECTRONICS

What’s the story? MOOKIE 01525 722 722 www.mookie.co.uk Mookie Toys launched their nighttime companion and story telling super hero; Story Stars this year. Since hitting the shelves Story Stars have proven popular with children and parents as the colourful characters receive rave reviews online. These cuddly creatures can read stories of their exciting adventures, sing calming relaxing melodies, playback your own personalised recorded messages and project a colourful night sky onto the ceiling. Story Stars are the perfect nighttime pal, sleep over friend and travelling companion.

Fit is always fun

On guard

CHICCO

0208 643 0320 www.ﬂairplc.co.uk

02089 536 627 www.chicco.co.uk Chicco’s Fit ‘n Fun combines motor development and new skills with social play allowing children to not only improve balance and coordination, but also enhance their self-esteem and self-conﬁdence too. New to the Fit ‘n Fun range is the Jungle Rugby; a 3-in-1 toy which encourages motor and socialising skills through three different play modes. The rugby match format, training mode session and stacker toy function work together to create a fun ﬁlled toy that any budding rugby fans will love.

Perfect pets CHARACTER OPTIONS 0161 633 9800 www.character-online.com With the most interactive Little Live Pet yet, plus Teksta in its portfolio, Character Options is the obvious ﬁrst call when it comes to youth electronics. A new evolution of Teksta pets has arrived to add to the current portfolio. With multi-coloured LED eyes and realistic ear movements, the ﬁfth generation Teksta Robotic Puppy is the most advance yet. Topping retailers Christmas lists is the cutest Little Live Pet ever; Snuggles - My Dream Puppy! Snuggles is tugging on little ones’ heartstrings as he responds to touch, he moves, feels and sounds just like a real puppy.

GP FLAIR (JUST PLAY) The Lion Guard collection from GP Flair’s Just Play Division offers a tech twist with the Leap N Roar Kion Interactive Plush. Kion, a key character of the programme and central to the toy collection, is available as an interactive plush that offers many different features. The Leap N Roar Kion has 10 character sounds, including his trademark roar.

We’re trolling SAKAR 02476 518 500 www.sakar.com Sakar International is launching a fun new range of youth electronics featuring popular lar characters from DreamWorks Animation’s ’s latest and most awaited animated feature re ﬁlm, Trolls. Some of the highly anticipated ed products include CD+G and sing along karaokes, volume-limiting headphones, boom boxes, walkie talkies and digital cameras. The new Trolls CD+G karaoke comes packaged with two karaoke-versions of songs from the movie, giving kids that immediate ‘out of box’ experience that is so important to this play pattern. The new ew line of kids’ safe headphones includes a built-in volume limiter which completely y optimizes any child’s listening experience, ce, providing clear sound at a safe noise level. vel.

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FEATURE

YOUTH ELECTRONICS

Watch this space... KD UK 01727 827194 www.kdplanet.com/uk

What’s cookin’ in the kitchen? LITTLE TIKES 0845 0533 333 www.littletikes.co.uk

The Kurio Smart Watch is the ultimate adult technology for children that delivers gaming, education and social communication through a multi-functional touch screen. The state of the art device features a customisable interface, 256 MB of internal memory, a high quality camera and video recorder. Children can take part in multi-player gaming using the in-built Bluetooth technology and 20 pre-loaded apps. Kids can play built-in games, and send multimedia messages to friends. The watch is available in both pink and blue and with an SD card slot giving users the option to add up to 32GB of memory. The watch is equipped with basic smartwatch tools as well as an activity tracker, plus photo retouch, drawing and music player apps. The customisable interface means they can enjoy personalising their watch from a choice of 10 different designs. Selﬁes are also a key feature!

Curiosity satisﬁed

Adding to the electronic toys and role play portfolio, Little Tikes is excited to unveil the new and innovative Cook n’ Learn Kitchen. This brand new innovation is an engaging and unique play experience with interactive accessories and an integrated app which magically recognises the kitchen accessories. With four modes of play, including recipes, free play, games and song and music, there is endless amounts of fun to be had. What’s even better is the Cook n’ Learn Kitchen has realistic sounds such as sizzling and cutting when preparing the food, and an oven light which turns on when the oven door opens.

SAM LABS info@samlabs.com www.samlabs.com New from SAM Labs is the CURIO kit, an inventing experience where users build and programme their own cars and games. Equipped with ﬁve paperfold car bodies, a car base, and remote control, kids can build and programme with SAM, while gaining 21st century skills. A step-by-step tutorial booklet, and the informative SAM app, both ﬁlled with detailed instructions, guides kids and parents through an array of other smart projects and hacks.

But first, let me take a selfie VTECH 01235 555 545 www.vtech.co.uk Plug in any external music player and sing along to your favourite tracks with Kidi Super Star, the new karaoke microphone and stand by VTech. Using the music magic mode, the main vocals are lowered from the song so you become the lead vocalist! Kidi Super Star can even change the sound of your voice with its built-in microphone effects! That’s not all, Kidi Super Star comes with loads of cool, interactive features; select different lighting styles for the colourful disco light, play fun rhythmic games and master tricky tongue twisters. You can even record yourself singing and add in different sound effects, such as the crowd going wild with cheers and applause. Forming part of the Kids Club cinema campaign that VTech are running, the Kidi Super Star commercial will be shown on the big screen at weekends and holidays when children are watching all the latest releases. The heavy weight TV campaign planned for Kidi Super Star began in August and will continue throughout the peak season, ensuring it’s the next big thing this year. Another new release for VTech in the Youth Electronic category is Kidizoom Selfie Cam. Using the included selfie stick and 180 degree rotating lens, the Kidizoom Selfie Cam takes great photos and videos to capture every moment perfectly. Just like the adult trend of adding fun filters to selfies, you can use the fantasy effects to add different back grounds, cool frames or create various collages of favourite pictures. The make-up studio allows you to add a variety of hair styles or different accessories such as hats, glasses or jewellery to your selfies. The extensive TV campaign for Kidizoom Selfie Cam will run throughout peak season but will also incorporate a series of blipverts on Disney. There will be five impactful, two second creatives running in an ad break with other adverts in between and finishing on the full commercial. These will be shown within six ad breaks a day, across three months making it hard to miss this Christmas.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Given top marks by teachers! The interactive system for school success 400+ replayable activities for school and life†

that grows with kids from Preschool to Primary School, with a library of interchangeable activity books.

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*Based on a survey conducted by iChild of 200 teachers. These teachers used LeapStart and the accompanying products with children aged between 4 and 7 in their schools over a two month period from June 2016 – August 2016. †400+ activities available with 16 activity books. Each sold separately.

Order now 01895 202 840 or visit leapfrog.co.uk

FEATURE

YOUTH ELECTRONIC ELECTRONICS

Path to success LEAPFROG 01895 202 840 www.leapfrog.co.uk The recently launched LeapStart is available as two devices, one for pre-school children and one for children in their ﬁrst years of primary school. Designed to help build key skills for school success and challenge kids to get ready for their next step in learning, the system works with a library of replayable activity books that grow with children. These teach over 50 school and life skills, making subjects such as mathematics, literacy and phonics, science and problem solving exciting to learn.

Magnify-cent! LEARNING RESOURCES 01553 818 062 www.LearningResources.co.uk

Wow, what a line up! WOWWEE 01295 768 078 (Trends UK) www.trendsuk.co.uk WowWee has a fantastic range of innovative and fun new tech products for 2016. The company is introducing CHiP a new robotic dog with an incredible AI personality, COJI, an EDU robot that teaches kids programming in a fun and imaginative way and LUMI, the unique gamified drone. The adorable CHiP dog is truly the latest and greatest in robotic pets. Featuring incredibly advanced Mechatronics technology, CHiP recognises its master and responds to commands using the included SmartBand, a sleek, rechargeable wearable controller. CHiP is an intelligent, affectionate robot pup. With advanced sensors and smart accessories, CHiP is always aware, and ready to play. How you respond uniquely shapes his behaviour, so there’s no CHiP like your CHiP.CHiP also plays fetch and fun games with the SmartBall, interacting in all the ways a real dog would... CHiP even plays football with you! COJI is the new coding robot pal where STEM comes together to teach children basic programming skills using the language of visual emojis. Kids will have fun testing their problem- solving skills and playing games the robot using the free app on any smart device to control COJI’s actions. LUMI is a unique dancing drone. It can literally fly itself, while performing in the air to sequences of flashing lights and music — challenging players beat the moves to win the game!

Zoom in on learning with Zoomy 2.0, a new all-in-one handheld digital microscope that is used with a computer or laptop. With up to 54x magniﬁcation, Zoomy 2.0 encourages hands-on investigation as familiar objects are analysed in greater detail than ever before! The microscope is compact to make it easy for young people to hold, doesn’t require batteries, and is packed with tech.

Alarmingly good VIVID 01702 200 660 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk Nocto Bat is the light-up teenage bat with battitude, boasting over 50 interactive features. Just like all typical teenagers he likes to hang around, sleep and listen to music but he’s also prone to some serious mood swings! Each of his six moods and modes have associated light colours, expressions, sounds and movements – but enemies beware as he will sound the alarm in protect mode when he detects intruders! Nocto also comes with four interactive games and a frame to hang him upside down, just like a real bat!

What’s in a code? THAMES AND KOSMOS 01580 212 000 www.thamesandkosmos.com Code Gamer is introducing the fun and simple way to learn how to code! Using a gamepad to assemble and an app to download, this brand new kit is not to be missed. With 15 levels of fun, kids can learn the basics of the Arduino programming language.

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