Toys n Playthings by Lema Publishing

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2018 mber e t p e S 12 7 No. Vol. 3

Helping everyone sell more

2018’s must have interactive pet! ‘Pomsies’ Eyes will light up &

Change Colour

depending on their mood!

Tickle, cuddle & dance with me!

SERIES 1

New characters COMING SOON! Heavyweight TV Campaign Punchy PR Independently audited ABC circulation of 5,112

1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018

Entertaining Influencer Activity Dazzling Digital

For more information, contact Sales on 020 8324 6160 or sales@bandai.co.uk

CONTENTS Regular 2018 mber e t p e S 12 7 No. Vol. 3

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

Editor Rhys Thomas rhys@lemapublishing.co.uk

Editor Mairead Wilmot mairead@lemapublishing.co.uk

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

Publisher Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

Leader – with Mirella Anstey

News – the latest toy industry headlines

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13 M edia Charts – the latest kids’ TV viewing figures and toy TV advertising spend 16 R etail News – the latest round up of news from retailers 24 What’s New – new products that you need to get your hands on 66 Watch Out For… – a round up of toys you really don’t want to be without 84 Licensing News – the latest on licensed products 86 Spotlight on… Mattel – one new product, all the USPs explained 87 Don’t Miss – unmissable products for all buyers and retailers

Features 26 Games and Puzzles – the latest from one of the industry’s brightest categories

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57 TnP Ambassadors Outdoor Special – hear from real families why they love some top outdoor lines 68 Pre-Christmas Advertising – the top toys on the box in the run-up to Christmas 78 Bath toys – these lines are making a splash

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

Special Report 10 T oy Trust – an update on the important work of the industry’s charity 18 R etail Interview – Fun Learning MD Clea Ewing talks us through 26 years of educational toy retail

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23 Cover Story – Bandai gives us the lowdown on the ultra cute Pomsies 54 Spotlight – Character Options’ Sophie Beard reveals more about the brand-new Pokémon range

Columnists 6 Trend-spotting with The Toy Association The US industry association’s trend experts share their latest insights

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

14 T he Independent – Christmas showcases have our retailer scratching his head

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15 R etail Opinion – John Ryan chimes in on stocking up for Christmas 22 Media Analysis – Generation Media’s Kate Moncur looks at the bigger picture when it comes to cinema advertising 56 The Insights People – the market intelligence specialist looks at the opportunities around sports aimed at girls

Independently audited ABC circulation of 5,112 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018

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Helping everyone sell more

New to the A.B.Gee family!

Carefully selected Pre-School toys for creative imaginative play.

Fun

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tel: 01773 570444

email: sales@abgee.co.uk

LEADER

A member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation

Independently audited ABC circulation of 5,112 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018

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

ell, what a summer we had this year. I can’t remember the last time we had such gorgeous weather for such a prolonged period of time. It reminded me of my childhood, when the summers always seemed to be scorching and went on forever. I used to love heading out on my bike – although if I was a little one today my choices would have been even better. Our lucky TnP Ambassadors found that out this month in our Outdoor special. They had a whale of a time and told us all about the latest ranges from MV Sports, Wilton Bradley, Learning Resources and Simba Smoby UK. This is always one of our most popular features – and a unique one for us – giving you insights into why real families love the lines. It’s invaluable information for selling to consumers, and you can dig into that over on page 57. From something fun to another issue we took no pleasure at all in reporting on last month. The closure of Toy State will be a big loss for the industry, but the ever brilliant Michael Angel is busy ensuring that anyone with any outstanding matters can get it sorted. You can get in touch with him and the team on the usual contact details for the time being.

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Our cover star this month is the inimitable Bandai, who always come through with amazing products that sell. Pomsies are the in the spotlight on page 23, and they’re very cute. These fluffy, interactive pets are sure to be a winner – and are perfectly in line with the US Toy Association’s trend column this month, which focuses on Pet Play. There’s growing demand for these products. Parents love them because

Mirella Anstey they encourage nurturing and responsible behaviour, and Bandai’s efforts are sure to shine through. Another range we haven’t stopped hearing about from retailers since launch is Character Options’ brand-new Pokémon collection. TnP’s Rhys Thomas was down at the official launch in London last month, and this issue we bring you his findings and what he learned from brand manager Sophie Beard. It’s a great range that packs all the little details fans expect — and the mega devotees expect a lot! — and with a staggered launch and full marketing backing, don’t be surprised if there’s a major run on these for Christmas. Read about it for yourself over on page 54. I must also point you to a heartwarming story Our cover that puts the importance of the toy trade’s charity, star this month is the Toy Trust, into the inimitable perspective. Bandai’s Bandai, who always Sarah Stickland has been come through with able to give back to a school that helped her amazing products son better adjust to life. that sell It really is a wonderful reflection on all the good the industry does through its fundraising efforts, and it makes you proud to be part of it. Head to page 10 for that — and maybe consider whether you could help make a difference to a child’s life through getting involved in the future. So with that, it’s on to October — yes, really, already, I know — and with it the darker evenings. But it also means a trip to the wonderful Brand Licensing Europe. The organisers have put a lot of thought into this year’s show and how to best serve anyone in the business of licensing. Expect something special from us on the licensing front. Until next time!

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”

news New hires for Hasbro

Toy State ceases trading Toy State has ceased trading with immediate effect after 34 years. The news was announced by founder Simon Cheng in a statement, which said “unavoidable financial circumstances” sparked by dramatic shifts in the manufacturing and retail landscapes “combined devastatingly” and “ultimately had a terminal effect” on the business. “We profusely apologise for this terrible turn of events, and will work with customers, licensors and service providers in the coming weeks to finalise specific details,” said Mr Cheng. “The owners of Toy State have left no stone unturned in the search for a workable solution. We are in no doubt that this news will cause much frustration and disappointment, we will continue to do everything possible within our available means to assist and answer all questions.” Retailers can be assured that Country Manager Michael Angel and the UK team will continue to assist in anyway possible and can be reached on 020 8440 5060.

A number of recent hires has strengthened Hasbro’s retail and product teams. Former MGA and WWE executive Casey Collins has come on board to steer the toy company’s global “Casey brings consumer products business. He takes over as Senior Vice President and General Manager of decades of Global Consumer Products from Simon Waters, who experience and is taking on a new position to oversee development leadership in of the newly acquire Power Rangers brand. the licensing “Casey brings decades of experience and industry to the leadership in the licensing industry to the Hasbro Hasbro team” team,” said Hasbro President John Frascotti. “ We are excited to welcome him to the Hasbro family.” Making a move from Character World, Becky Langer has also joined Hasbro as Retail Development Manager in the UK. She is tasked with developing a portfolio of important retail partners where she will be building long term commercial brand plans. Becky will report to Sally Cornata, Senior Manager of Retail Development EMEA, who said: “Becky brings a wealth of industry and business development experience plus a drive and determination that will be a huge asset to our UK team.”

TRENDS - PET PLAY Pretend pets can teach kids how to be responsible, empathetic and nurturing. Kristin Morency Goldman of The Toy Association discovers how these caring elements are making them a winner with parents The magical world of pet play is taking the toy industry by storm, with a fantastic array of pet-themed toys hitting shelves through the end of this year. “Playing with pretend pets – whether they are furry stuffed animals or interactive digital pets – is growing in popularity among kids who are eager to care for their own animals, but not yet ready for the responsibility of a real one,” said Adrienne Appell, trend expert at the US Toy Association. “Parents

“

Parents love these playthings because they prepare kids for owning a real pet

”

love these playthings because they prepare kids for owning a real pet by teaching them how to be empathetic and nurturing.” Pet Play was named one of the hottest toy trends of 2018 by trend experts at The Toy Association during the 115th North American International Toy Fair in New York City. Pet toys run the gamut from fantastical creatures, like unicorns and dinosaurs, to cats, dogs, horses, and other pet toys that feature realistic details, grooming and food

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Zimpli tackles counterfeiters Zimpli Kids has been busy cracking down on patent infringing products listed on sites such as Alibaba and copycat products being sold at retail worldwide. The company behind the viral hit Gelli Baff and Slime Baff products says it is committed to supporting its retail partners. The number of fakes sold online has been reduced through stringent monitoring by Zimpli Kids. The firm has also successfully defended its rights with retailer’s own brand facsimilies overseas in Sweden, France and Australia.

“We take the safety of our products extremely seriously and we want to protect children from these potentially harmful and poor quality counterfeit items,” said Sales Director Eejay Enyi. “As a company, we will vigorously defend our patent, trademark and IP interests.”

Golden Graham Graham Hurell was the recipient of one of the industry’s most prestigious badges of honour, a Golden Teddy, at the BTHA golf day last month. Graham joined the industry in 1975 as a territory manager for the then new Fisher Price Toys. His career took him to many of the industry’s biggest and most influential companies over the years, including Peter Pan Playthings, Kiddicraft Acamas, Rubies and Matchbox, where he met and worked alongside Vivid co-founder Nick Austin, who he joined in the new venture. “I’m absolutely over the moon to receive this from the trade, and there were some great words spoken by Clive about the nomination,” Graham says. “I’ve made loads of friends in this industry. It is just so nice to be recognised by one’s peers after my 44 odd years in the trade.”

Premier donation A 65th birthday, 30-year business milestone and an OBE all paved the way for a special celebration for Premier Decorations founder John Athwal, who marked the occasion in style by raising £20,000 for the Fence Club charity. A party with 450 industry stalwarts, friends and family enjoyed an evening at the Dorchester in London – and instead of gifts, John requested donations to the children’s charity, of which he is treasurer. John said: “This has been an amazing year for myself and Premier Decorations which celebrates 30 successful business years, and I extend grateful thanks to all of my industry colleagues and peers, and family and friends for sharing this special occasion with me. “I would especially like to thank everyone for their incredibly generous donations to The Fence Club.”

Double hire for HTI HTI has strengthened its design and marketing teams with the promotion of Lee Glickman to Head of UK Design, and the hire of Lucy Warren, who joins the company as Licensing and Marketing Assistant. Lee will work alongside Marco Moroso, Head of Creative, who said: “Lee has proven to be a very creative and very passionate designer. His strive for innovation will be key to the development of HTI’s future line-ups and we look forward to continuing to work alongside him to develop and grow the business.”

supernatural chaos, like earthquakes accessories, and online worlds that and make chomping noises. Includes a and volcanoes. Some people have bring them to life. Included in this hairbrush and accessories to decorate tried to separate and tame them but trend are pets that interact with kids in his beautiful mane. be warned – messing with Grumblies a funny way by being grumpy or gross, Dolce Baby Aardvark (Magformers) could lead to an epic meltdown! and collectible or wearable pets that has soft textured parts that crinkle, a Disney’s Tangled: Maximus (Jakks are fun for kids to trade and display. squeaker, and beans in the feet. The Pacific) is Rapunzel’s loyal friend, Read on for some examples of adorable plush helps build sensory skills standing over 2-feet tall. The perfect terrific toys and games that are sure to and hand-eye coordination in infants. companion for any child, kids can sit appeal to animal-loving kids of all ages: SeeMeez Virtual Friends (Redwood on Maximus and play out adventures Wooden Sloth (Little Poland Gallery) Ventures) are interactive hologram pals with all his features, including his is an adorable pet sloth that kids can that fit in your pocket and respond to neighing and trotting sounds. He play with or hang from a bookshelf. your touch. Feed them when they’re can also hold an apple in his mouth The easy-to-move limbs allow kids to hungry, nurture them when they’re tired, imitate the real movements of the living endangered species. Mark your calendar now for the 116th North American International Toy Fair, taking place Grumblies (Skyrocket Toys) Saturday, February 16 to Tuesday, February 19 in New York City, and count yourself among the are secretive, short-tempered, 30,000 global guests who will preview the hottest new toys and games. and mischievous pets that create

Visit: www.ToyFairNY.com for more information.

September 2018

news Leap of faith Simon Riggs, Visual Display Manager for Epoch making toys, recently completed a 13,000ft tandem skydive with the Red Devils at Langar airfield. Simon raised over £1,400 for the charity jump, with Epoch doubling his fundraising efforts. The money will go to The Nystagmus Network, which supports people with an incurable eye condition. Simon said: “We’re so thankful for the kind donations from all our friends, family and colleagues who have generously donated and helped us raise over a whopping £1,400 for a cause that’s really close to our hearts. Thank you from the Riggs family.”

Dad’s the word! Just weeks remain until the window for entries to this year’s Dad’s Choice Awards closes. The unique awards are the only UK awards dedicated to dads and their children. David Ross, founder of the awards, said: “This unique opportunity for brands to get in front of dads and their kids and show off their fantastic products is not to be missed! Entering is easy: it’s all online and takes a couple of minutes to do. So I’d urge brands that have something to shout about to get in touch.” There are 20 categories for companies to enter, which are open to any toy, gadget or app available to purchase between 1 January and 31 December 2018. In each category there are three potential awards – Winner, Highly Commended and Commended – and successful winners will be able to include the logos in their marketing, box packaging and other promotional activities free of charge.

Good Toy Guide heads stateside

Toy sales grow 4%

US toy firms can now tap into the expertise of the Fundamentally Children team as its takes its Good Toy Guide across the Atlantic. Emily De Sousa, the newly appointed Business Development Manager in the US, will be driving the initiative in America, introducing the program to new brands and companies. Illinoisbased Teach Team has been appointed to carry out the evaluations in the US for the Good Toy Guide. “Expanding the Good Toy Guide into new territories is the logical next step for us,” said Fundamentally Children founder and CEO Dr Amanda Gummer.

Global toy industry sales grew four per cent to $18.4bn in the first half of the year according to the latest findings by The NPD Group. The market research specialist found collectables continuing to drive growth around the world. The category increased 26 per cent in the period. Top performing toy brands are L.O.L, Marvel, Star Wars, Nerf, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Pokémon, PAW Patrol, DC Comics and LEGO’s City brand.

A Toy Boy Remembers In a new regular feature, Toys n Playthings founder Malcolm Naish sits down with an industry legend to revisit their career before settling down into wellearned retirement Colin Rossiter spent most of his working life in the toy trade spanning 40 years with just three companies. Here Colin talks us through his toy career. “In December 1978, I joined Pedigree Dolls & Toys, having spent five years selling McVitie’s biscuits. Employed by my good friend Malcolm Evans, I was the sales rep in Wales along with other Welsh heroes such as Roger Dyson (Palitoy) and Roddy Bridges (Mattel), who also became firm friends. I was promoted in 1984 to Regional Manager and then into national accounts. Sindy was purchased by Hasbro at the end of 1986 and the toy element of the company was wound up. I joined Bluebird Toys in January 1987, with Stewart Gregory and Torquil Norman, as National Account Manager with Makro, Debenhams and Tesco – all strong in the toy trade at the time. I met one of my great mates, Mr Dave Cave (what a mega buyer!), for the first time at Makro, and stayed with them until 1998 working with Toys R Us, Argos and Woolworth’s at various stages. A highlight was launching Polly Pocket with great success – so much so that Mattel bought the company and I was made redundant for the second time! I joined Toy Options (which became Character Options many years later) in October 1998, handling Toys R Us and Argos. I moved to General Sales Manager 12 years ago and am now finishing off my 20th year with the business, having seen some very tough early years but considerable growth and success latterly. In 40 years, to have had only three jobs in toys, I consider myself very fortunate. I retire at the end of September and have enjoyed the comradery, the cut and thrust of the job and the numerous tours home and abroad linked to the business. I have been very fortunate to be part of such a great team at Character where we have worked hard and played hard. I will miss them all greatly.”

toysnplaythings.co.uk

NEWS

Toy Trust update Bandai’s Sarah Stickland gives a personal thanks to the Toy Trust

£5000 the amount Meath School received from the Toy Trust

was born with a unique chromosome deletion which affects his development. Currently Daniel struggles with low growth, fine and gross motor skills delays, hypermobility and, most significantly, a severe speech production disorder. Due to a structural issue, Daniel is only able to produce vowel sounds and 4 consonants. He is due an operation to help improve this but may always find speech a challenge. The first years have been difficult but a turning point for our family came when he was accepted at Meath School last October. This school is one of very few for primary aged children with speech, language and communication needs. On starting, Daniel was able to loosely produce 2 words together, mostly unclear if you In bringing didn’t know him well. Daniel the school to the has an average cognitive attention of the ability and life was incredibly frustrating for him, frequently Toy Trust and unable to put across his views helping attain the or wishes. funds for this I Since starting at Meath, feel that in some Daniel has progressed small way I am astoundingly. He benefits from the support of a repaying them for specialist teacher and all the help they speech therapist based in his have given us classroom delivering therapy individually and in groups every day. He is around children with similar challenges to him and for the first time has developed close friendships on his own level. The children learn sign supported English, as well as using tablet technology as talkers, and support each other using alternative forms of communication. Play is an incredibly important part of the learning as well as

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he Toy Trust strives to Give the Gift of Play to Childrcn both across the UK and overseas, but one particular donation of the summer has a personal story behind it that will resonate with many an industry colleague who has done his or her bit for the cause in recent years This year around 200 industry colleagues swim walk, run and cycle, walked, ran or cycled around the Chilterns as they participated in the Toy Trusts Big Challenge. Often the causes that benefit do not have such a personal industry story behind them, which is why Sarah Stickland and the children from Meath School in Surrey would like to give a heartfelt thanks for the wonderful donation of £5000 that came their way this summer. Sarah has worked in the toy industry for a variety of toy companies including Flair, latterly returning in a freelance marketing capacity after two brief sojourns to grow her family with her husband Richard. Having joined the toy industry back in 2000 she has seen, donated to and taken part in various Toy Trust fundraising activities. Here Sarah takes up the story of how industry colleagues and The Toy Trust have helped provide playthings for Meath School - a place that has helped transform the life of her son and her family. “My 5.5 year old son Daniel

speech and occupational therapies within Meath School. The staff regularly encourage the children to carry out activities that are difficult for them to help overcome their wide range of challenges. Providing engaging and fun activities in which to do so is key and they regularly use a range of mainstream toys. We are fortunate to live within a commutable distance of Meath. However, some children live so far away that they attend school as weekly boarders so as to access a school that meets their needs. The staff within the residential team aim to provide a home from home environment to help support children separate from their families. Again, providing a range of engaging and appropriate toys, games and play equipment forms a huge part of this process. In July this year, Meath School received a donation from the Toy trust for £5000 this funding will allowed them to buy toys and playthings for the children at the school. In bringing the school to the attention of the Toy Trust and helping attain the funds for this I feel that in some small way I am repaying them for all the help they have given us in the past 10 months. To everybody, I would like to say thank you!”

toysnplaythings.co.uk

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Girls 4-9 TVRs July 17 vs July 18

elcome to the Media Report for July 2018. We are reporting on Girls 4-9 years, Boys 4-9 years and Housewives with Children. As the chart shows the Girls viewing levels overall are down by 37.1 per cent â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a massive decrease in viewing. The only stations showing increases are Cartoon Network, Cartoontio, Disney, Disney XD, ITVB and CiTVB. There appears to be a general downturn in viewing. We must put this down to the unusual weather conditions that we experienced in July. Looking at the data for the Boys, the overall viewing is down by 42.7 per cent. Only Nicktoons and Cartoonito are showing increases on July 2017. Again, we must mention the r fabulous weather eathe o w e s e t we had in July and d Th ns ten the effect this has o i t i d con had on this target e the s market's viewing chang g pattern on n levels. viewi he kids are The Housewives and t l holidays with Children schoo viewing levels are down, but only by 16.2 per cent, which is acceptable at this period of the year. As the chart shows, there are many ups and downs in the viewing. One of the biggest drops is Nick Junior, with 53.6 per cent fewer housewives watching compared to July 2017. ITVB held its Monday-Friday market share with only a drop of four per cent. There are many changes in the top 10 spenders for July. This group is down in reported expenditure by 65.6 per cent when compared to July 2017. For July 2018, we see a few newcomers entering the top 10 for this period. We believe that the viewing levels for August will be very much the same as July 2018. These weather conditions tend to change the viewing patterns and the kids are on school holidays. The next issue we will continue to look at these target markets.

Jul-17

Jul-18

July 2017 Toy Company TV Expenditure

July 2018 Toy Company TV Expenditure

Company Name

TV Expenditure

Company Name

TV Expenditure

Vivid Imaginations Ltd Mattel UK Ltd Thinkway Toys LEGO UK Ltd Character Options Ltd Golden Bear Products Ltd IMC Toys UK Ltd Zuru Toys Inc Flair Leisure Prod Ltd Hasbro (UK) Ltd

208,098 228,125 261,526 307,391 352,100 383,980 400,929 438,109 1,203,346 1,561,776

Flair Leisure Prod Ltd Mookie Toys Spin Master Toys Ltd John Adams Leisure Ltd Vivid Imaginations Ltd Zuru Toys Inc Zapf Creations UK Character Options Ltd MGA Entertainment Bandai UK Ltd

215,207 232,451 272,372 290,273 300,344 312,646 317,241 343,058 418,657 565,707

For more information on viewing levels please contact Mike Penfold. mike@globalmedia.me.uk Tel: 07774 713182. All graphs and information supplied by Global Media Services

toysnplaythings.co.uk

the independent

opinion

Spoilt for choice The Independent has been busy with previews this month, and digs into the tricky topic of cutting ranges back and picking just the right lines for your customers

have now been lucky enough to attend a number of spring/ summer 2019 previews in some of the larger toy suppliers’ showrooms. I always appreciate the time that they take to have a bit of a general review of how our working relationship is going for this year, while hosting me for the day and showing me what they have on offer for the start of next year. I mention this regularly, but I am a small independent retailer and I know my overall spend with some of these suppliers is relatively miniscule. But all the same, I have been lucky enough to get this treatment for many years and I hope that in turn they get good feedback to take into consideration before launching products to market… Sorry, I got a bit carried away. What I should have said is, “I hope that in turn, the lunch is tasty,” because in all my years of retailing, I can’t recall any changes being implemented, even when I am told that everyone who has been through the doors has mentioned the same issue. Anyway, seeing what is coming up in the near future is an important part of working in this industry. The major issue that I find is trying to wear two different hats at the same time: discussing the things that are going on currently and my aims for this year, while being walked around a showroom and being told in great detail about what is coming out six months from now. This has led me to a small but very important brainwave during the course of this year’s previews, and it is really quite simple. When I am walking around the showrooms I now choose my main range of products and do not change my decision unless there are exceptional circumstances, such as a particular product not being available to see at the preview. This may sound really daft, but let me explain. I have a wall of products from a certain range of toys that are being presented to me, right in front of my eyes, for the first time

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I now choose my main range of products and do not change my decision

”

and a rough guide to pricing on the document in my hand. At this exact point in time, I am in as close a position as possible to what any consumer is when they come into one of my stores. Ok, so usually the products are merchandised in an enticing way, out of the packaging and looking lovely, but the reality is that I can sit and highlight the lines I like, which might take a range of say 12 products down to maybe six or seven, but the reality is that only three or four of these will actually grab the consumers’ attention enough to sell. I saw this for the first time with the Incredibles 2 range from Jakks Pacific. I believe they did a good job on this range, and covered all bases. But as soon as I saw the Pre-cool brand lines I knew this was where

Best sellers VOLUME: 1) LOL Glitter Surprise Dolls - MGA 2) Hot Wheels Singles – Mattel 3) LOL Surprise Pets – MGA VALUE: 1) LOL Glitter Surprise Dolls – MGA 2) LOL Surprise Pets – MGA 3) Squish Dee-Lish Jumbo – Jakks Pacific

the sales would be, especially the Family Figure Pack, which was a no-brainer to run. However, I saw the range, ticked all of the lines from the larger scale and Pre-cool ranges that I liked and hey-ho, I end up with eight products, only a couple of which have really flown for me. I did the same job for Jurassic World, but got bogged down on making sure I had a good depth of range to fill up a bay, only to end up being over-ranged. If I was just a little bit smarter, I would have known they were not worth the shelf space. The previews have been exciting enough, with my major favourite being Toy Story 4 – I have a history of enjoying all of these movies, even at my age. I have seen the toy line up from Mattel, and it is very impressive, but still covers too many bases for what I will sell. I love to support these guys as they have always supported me, but I have now chosen a range of six lines out of roughly 20 that were shown to me, and I know it will be more than enough for my customers. Now I wouldn’t suggest that someone follow in my footsteps, but the reality is that when I look at my shelves I always end up selling a lot of some lines, but my overall orders were too broad, leaving me to reduce the RRPs and suffer lower margins on ranges. I love the new set-up that I have with my ranging during previews. I would urge anyone to try it this way, take a snapshot of the range, check your current range sales and stick to the winners. It keeps your shelves cleaner, your EPOS a little bit freer from data overload and your focus on what is working.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

retail

opinion

Buying for Christmas? Hold on Y

ou know those people you don’t like? The that it has distinct seasons; it does not have midones in the wrapping paper department buying season sales and, most of all, the Next Sale has a cheap stuff (it must be cheap, it’s in ‘the sale’) specific start and end date. This is about demand just after New Year’s Day? These are the rainy day creation, and its shoppers know the order of things shoppers, saving money and making do. because that’s the way Next orchestrates it. Yet this is just an extreme version of what a lot of toy Practically, this means that whether it’s the date retailers would regard as thrifty common sense. Buying at which new stock arrives, or the point at which ahead of when you need something it is cleared, Next is unwavering, and makes sense because when everybody shoppers respond in consequence. else wants something, the price goes of which means that if there are It may just be All up. There’s only one problem with this: a couple of weeks that are tough, it that there are fewer doesn’t bring in the stock early because toys are not wrapping paper. outlets demanding it’s sitting in the warehouse, it waits — Paper with prints of bells, stars or sprigs of holly will be just as relevant and so do its customers. this year’s mustto Christmas yet to come as it has By contrast, most retailers are haves than in been this year. Some things just don’t notoriously short-term in their thinking previous seasons, change. Now fast forward to June/July. and react as soon as things look even This is the moment when an awful lot and flexibility may vaguely tricky. This is quite possibly of publicity starts appearing in various the most seasonal area of retail, with a be a mite more ‘specialist’ magazines about what is vast percentage of the annual turnover available going to be in vogue as far as toys are coming in just the last few weeks of any concerned — and this year has been year. This means the pressure to get it no exception. right in toys is even more telling than it At this point it’s worth noting that there will be toys is for others. for Christmas stockings in the shops from November, So what is to be done? Are you an early wrapping if not even earlier, and orders have to be placed or you paper buyer or are you prepared to take a chance? will miss out. This year, however, many retailers beyond Well, the number of doors on which suppliers the toy sector seem to be folding. This is a time for can knock is likely to be diminished this year. And nerves to be held and orders to be placed late. That the other point is that of working capital. If your way you have a better chance of having the right thing money is tied up in stock ordered (very) early, on the shelves. your ability to react to something that appears Some will still be inclined to say that a best-seller from nowhere is pretty constricted. Last minute is a best-seller and, irrespective of the economic and ordering will mean the right thing in the right political climate, when it comes to buying toys for place. Easy to say perhaps, but given all that’s children, it’s a fair bet that shoppers will still spend. been happening lately, probably the right Well, maybe, but the balance of supply may be shifting. thing to do. It may just be that there are fewer outlets demanding And here’s the kicker: buying early means this year’s must-haves than in previous seasons, and you have to hedge your bets — a bit of flexibility may be a mite more available. everything, rather than a particular line that Also, consider Next and the way in which it behaves. works, which in turn means more markdowns It may not be a toy retailer, but when it comes to the and… Well, you know the rest. business of holding its nerve, it is the uncrowned king. Hold your nerve in 2018. Don’t fill the order Anybody who is a regular Next shopper will be aware book before you absolutely have to.

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Already finished your Christmas ordering? Well, there could be a few deals to be had and surprise hits to snap up if you can hold your nerve, says John Ryan

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.

September 2018

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Retail

news

House of Fraser saved by Ashley The Entertainer recently opened in Kazakhstan

The Entertainer heads to Kosovo Gary Grant is adding Kosovo to the growing list of countries to feature The Entertainer as a fixture in its shopping centres. It is the seventh country the UK’s fastest growing independent toy retailer has expanded into. The new location will open in partnership with retail start-up Axiom in the Albi Mall, already home to a host of premium international retailers such as Nike and jeweller Pandora. “The Entertainer is delighted to welcome the Axiom team as new partners,” said Gary, founder and Chairman of the toy retailer. “Having recently announced a franchise partnership in Egypt we’re delighted to reveal we’re soon to be opening in Kosovo.” The retailer’s founder and Chairman also made clear plans to push further into the region, eyeing neighbouring countries such as Albania and Macedonia. “2018 is all about growing our business in Europe and the Far East and we are excited to see what the rest of the year brings,” he added.

Warm autumn could leave retail cold An Indian summer could leave non-food retailers £80m out of pocket per week, a joint study conducted by the Met Office and the British Retail Consortium has found. The findings showed a “clear relationship” between the temperature and sales, with this time of year the worst hit thanks to consumers holding off seasonal autumn spend if the temperature stays high. “The fact that this study reveals that its impact can be large and changeable only serves to highlight some of the complexity retailers have to navigate in serving consumers,” said BRC head of insight and analytics Rachel Lund.

Toy Shop UK winners revealed Independent toy retailers listed on Toy Shop UK have chosen their top toys for the website’s 10th annual Toy Awards. Toy Shop UK asks the 900-plus independent retailers that list their businesses on the directory what they think are the best toys in each category, with winners revealed rather than selected as votes flood in. From action games to dolls, licensed lines to wooden toys, a full list of this year’s winners, the runners up and highly commended can be found at toyshopuk.co.uk/ita.

Retail magnate Mike Ashley came to the rescue of beleaguered retailer House of Fraser last month, pulling it back from the edge of administration in a £90m acquisition. The Sports Direct owner, who already owned an 11 per cent stake in the 169-year-old business, has revealed intentions to keep 80 per cent of the department store’s remaining 59 locations open for business. Prior to the purchase, 31 stores and 6,000 jobs were on the block. He told The Sun of his ambitions to transform House of Fraser into a “Harrods of the high street” by attracting luxury brands. The new owner has since struggled with revolts at distribution centres around the country over money owned to XPO Logistics.

Catch ‘em all at Harrods A Pokémon branded wall unit is bringing all the excitement of Pikachu and pals to Harrods’ flagship store on Oxford Street. Speaking of the partnership, Mathieu Galante, Senior Market Development Manager EMEA at The Pokémon Company International, said: “ As two stylish brands constantly seeking to innovate while mindful of our rich heritage, it makes a perfect fit, and we are sure that customers young and old will be delighted with our standout collaboration.” Character Options’ brand-new toy range is front and centre, alongside the official Trading Card Game and a number of licensed fashion lines and accessories. The display was launched with fans on 4 August with a DJ, photo booth and Pokémon goodies.

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Toymaster welcomes new member Scottish toy retailer Toys Galore has joined Toymaster as the latest member of the buying group.Toys Galore can be found at 193 Morningside Road in Edunburgh, EH10 4QP. To get in touch with the store, contact Donald Nairn on 0131 4471006 or email toysgaloremorningside@gmail.com In other Toymaster news, fellow member Rocklands Retail, which trades as Hallmark, opened a new branch in Dublin’s popular Omni Park Shopping Centre.

Chat beats clicks A recent YouGov poll on parents’ shopping habits found that mums and dads with young children want knowledgeable staff, efficiency and convenience when they shop. The majority of parents find a smooth experience to be the most important of shopping, but knowledgeable shop staff are still high on the agenda. Parents often make complex purchases, especially first-time parents, and 24 per cent said their main

incentive to visit a store is for expertise and face-to-face customer service from staff. Ian Tomlinson, founder and CEO of retail technology firm Cybertill, which commissioned the study, said: “Smyths Toys are really on the money with click and collect. With a wait time of just one hour, this can only be a good thing for parents who have limited time as it is.”

All smooth for WHSmith WHSmith’s forthcoming year-to-date financial report is set to meet expectations, the retailer revealed in a trading update. Despite a dip in sales in recent months, the gift, book, stationery and toy retailer said its growing business at travel hubs is performing “strongly” while its high street business is ticking over “in line with expectations”. The full results are to be published on 11 October. The group said its cost savings and margin improvements programme “have been delivered in line with our profit-focused strategy”, and that it will continue to invest in new store formats.

BIRA appoints new CEO Andrew Goodacre has been appointed by the British Independent Retailers Association as its new CEO to replace Alan Hawkins, who is retiring after 33 years. He begins his role formally in October, after a month as CEO-designate working alongside Alan. “BIRA have a strong history of supporting independent retailers and these retailers need our help and support more than ever,” said Andrew.

September 2018

John jumps for charity Toymaster member John Testori skydived for charity at the end of August, smashing his £1,250 target. The owner of Bambola Toymaster in Jersey was raising funds for Variety the Children’s Charity of Jersey, and has so far raised amazing £1,815. You can still donate to this worthy cause: simply search John’s name on justgiving.com.

retail

Fun Learning

Lessons to live by Offering parents the toys and tools to teach their kids while having fun has been at the heart of the Fun Learning ethos for more than 25 years. TnP caught up with the specialist toy retailer’s MD, Clea Ewing, to learn more about the store Clea, you’ve been going for more than a quarter of a century, but how did it all begin?

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I’m

Fun Learning opened in enough of a 1993 in The Bentall Centre in retail romantic Kingston. It was conceived to believe that for “the graduates of the Early Learning Centre” and if you create sold computer software, something books and educational toys interesting, for children over the age of people will five. From the start, the aim come was to provide an interactive environment with computers to demonstrate software and a play area for toddlers. Over the years, the business has expanded and contracted, trading in five high street locations between 2012 and 2016 and now down to two, Kingston, Northcote Road with an online shop.

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When the Early Learning Centre closed their shops, we responded to customer demand and began stocking products for younger children. We no longer sell computer software but the demo tables are loaded with games and puzzles and the staff spend a lot of their time showing people how the product works. We try to take as many staff as possible to the Toy Fair because that is similar to what we do: getting the product out of the box and into the customers’ hands. We are currently working out how we can translate the in-store experience to our online offering. I’m confident that parents want to have a resource where they can get good advice and purposeful products to inspire a smarter way to play. The challenge is to create a sustainable

Clea on.. trading this year “It’s been bumpy. The first half of the year has been up and down with the overall picture about the same as last year. We spend most of the year lining up our ranges for Christmas and I think we’ll have a really good selection for the fourth quarter. I’m hoping that we’ll finish off with a bang!” 18

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competition. We are small enough to be fast and flexible so we can have a new product into our shops within a few weeks of seeing it. And with the transparency of letting the customer see inside the box, we get a lot of feedback immediately. I am concerned about the future of the high street but I’m enough of a retail romantic to believe that if you create We are something interesting, people will come. currently working

With more parents looking to give their kids a legup early in life, has the popularity and demand for educational toys grown over the years?

business that is accessible for more customers.

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our online, to make it feel more like our shops. How do you do it without eye contact and a smile?

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I would say that it remains fairly consistent. Every generation of parents wants to help their children succeed. What has changed is the type of products people buy. We now sell a lot less clearly educational products that teach maths or English. Parents are looking for activities that boost problem solving, logic and reasoning skills.

What are your current bestselling toys, lines or ranges? Logic Puzzles from Smart Games, STEM Kits from Learning Resources and Magnetic toys from Smart Max and Magformers are always popular. Silicone toys for babies like the Oombee Cube and Bolli Gamewright Games also do very well for us.

How has your business changed since Fun Learning began? We have always been more gender neutral and less influenced by fads than a traditional toyshop. Still, I would say that we have had to evolve a clear distinction in what we offer so we sell less of the trivial or seasonal ranges and try to stay focused on creative, educational play. We do have to work a lot harder to get the sale now than we did a decade ago. The most significant recent shift is away from technology and towards unplugged play. We are experiencing a real groundswell of interest from parents that want screen-free activities to do as a family. They don’t want a hybrid product that uses an app, they want to put the tech away for a bit and have some fun as a family. We have now had enough time with the smartphone as a major influence in our lives to realise that we need to build skills and habits outside of that miraculous, super absorbing tool. Every retailer will know the pressure product reviews and instant price comparisons bring to the job of staying ahead of the

September 2018

and problem solving. STEM is something we have been doing for years, just without the nifty acronym. However, the customer awareness of the value is higher than it’s ever been and the demand is for younger children and both sexes. So we are often asked for an engineering toy for a three year old or a logic game that involves more of a story. This is such a positive development and there is so many great products available at the moment that it’s really satisfying to have the solutions. We are also seeing resurgence in family games. Whether it’s for a holiday or an evening in, parents want to spend a little time with an activity that gets everyone participating. We sell brain boosting strategy games as well as zany, active games. The co-operative and team games are also very popular as the main object is to get everyone playing.

Guidance and the expertise of your staff must be a big draw for customers. How do you prepare the team to help shoppers?

Fun Learning’s top suppliers What play patterns or trends are currently most popular? Coding is definitely an up and coming area. A little like science as a subject, many parents are unsure about how coding is taught in schools. By seeing how games work to teach how to think like a coder, they can understand the process and feel more positive about it. The building blocks for creating digital confidence are skills we want our children to have: planning, logic

"We are always really appreciative when a supplier supports us with demonstration product and great service." Key suppliers are: ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■

Learning Resources Smart Games Green Board Games Juratoys

retail

Fun Learning

Games — what does the sort of recognition mean to you? Like most small businesses, it never occurred to me that we would be considered for an award. Green Board Games is a great example of quirky, unusual products and perseverance making good as a business. For that reason, I am really thrilled - I consider Green Board a great judge of character. We have only ever won Customer Service Awards, never an acknowledgement from the industry.

You offer a discount to teachers. When did you star offering that, is it popular, and does it help with sales outside the classroom?

We have a four-week training program which focuses on really practical product knowledge, our experience of customer feedback and age guidelines. The most powerful tool is to get them demonstrating the product so that they can see for themselves how real children react to it. We also train our staff to recommend other retailers for products that we don’t sell and services in the area.

Do you find having a niche helps you succeed in the face of Amazon and the bigger national retailers? Absolutely, having a niche gives you an area of expertise and a sense of purpose. It can be limiting when you know a certain product may sell but you can’t stock it because it’s ‘not us’. However, customers have so many ways to buy these days, you have to give them a reason for choosing your business. We want people to drop in, every time they’re in the area, to try out something new and have some fun. It’s critical that every experience reinforces the message that we are experts in educational play.

Have you had any surprise bestsellers this year?

We decided to offer a school discount in the early days of the business. While we have kept the policy in place, it is more of a goodwill gesture than a way to build sales. Very few teachers shop on the high street today but we do want to keep a connection to the local schools.

We have recently launched some of the Fat Brain Toys and Peaceable Kingdom Games and both have been surprisingly successful.

Tell us about your online store. Do certain things sell particularly well online but not in-store, or vice versa? Our shops are really good at getting new products out and creating a buzz about trying them out with the customers. They will often have an immediate success, with lower ticket price points. Online, the sales build more slowly but over time, they sell a lot more of the higher price points and sophisticated products. Last Christmas, I had several customers in the shops comparing what they had seen on our website the night before to what I was showing them in-store. I was amazed that people would take the time to do the research online and then make a trip to the shop as well. It is really important that our brand message and ranges are consistent in all three locations. We are currently working our online, to make it feel more like our shops. How do you do it without eye contact and a smile? Watch this space….

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Having a niche gives you an area of expertise and a sense of purpose

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What’s next for Fun Learning? We are prioritising our website at the moment, trying to expand our customer base online. We’ll re-evaluate expanding the retail business in the new year. We would love to have more high street locations like Northcote Road but the current climate dictates a wait-and-see position for us.

You were recently named Independent of the Month by Green Board

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Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s on the playground? Stay on the ball and experience the multifaceted world of play in one place: the right products for your business model, inspiring special areas, interesting presentations and an exciting festival specially for visitors to celebrate our 70th anniversary.

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03.08.18 08:04

media

Analysis

Blockbuster year In a year jampacked with highly anticipated family movies, Generation Media’s Kate Moncur looks at the whopping ROI toy brands are seeing at the cinema

018 was set to be 'The Year of the Family Film', and as we enter into Q3 the year has definitely not disappointed. Families have been hopping to the cinema this year, and how could they not with the incredible line up that’s on offer! From Coco kicking off in January, the year has seen a quick succession of hit after hit as we move on through. In fact, outside of Coco, two family titles have already made it in to the top 10 films of the year. The Incredibles 2, after only being released for a short time, has already blasted through its predicted box office

Source: January – July 2018, DCM Aug 2018

takings and is sitting just shy of £45m. To put this into perspective, this is higher than both Finding Dory and Toy Story 2. The long awaited sequel took £9.7m in its opening weekend alone, which was the second highest opening for any Pixar film, behind only Toy Story 3's £11.5m opener. Not far behind, James Corden’s Peter Rabbit is happily hopping along, taking £40.8m at the box office so far this year. With its opening weekend taking £7.2m, the film’s total earnings this year don’t show any signs of slowing down. Typically with box office hits there is a 50 per cent drop off in admissions after the first week of release. However, a trend seen quite commonly across family films is a consistent level of admissions week on week. This is no surprise, with 92 per cent of families saying they are cinemagoers, which is a 23 per cent increase over the past decade (Pearl and Dean, 2018). Taking this into account, we can understand that toy advertising

revenue in cinema is increasing, with the main expected spenders such as Bandai, LEGO, Mattel and Hasbro all heavily investing year on year. Share of voice in cinema is much higher for toy brands compared to all other advertising in Q4 of 2017, with toy brands deploying three times as many campaigns as non-toy advertising (DCM Campaign management, 2018). As main licensees, their continued investment makes sense as part of their total media investment in order to reach kids in the most effective way. Of kids between the ages of seven to 10, those who are heavy cinemagoers, visiting one or more times a month, are more likely to have licensed toys at home, compared to the average seven to 10 year old (Youth TGI 2017, Base: 7-10 Kids). However, there are plenty of other reasons brands should invest in the big screen. Firstly, DCM and Kantar’s Milward Brown study reveals that adding cinema to the mix makes TV campaigns more effective, with campaigns deploying only TV and cinema activity being the most effective. Secondly, Benchmarketing Results Vault (2011-2016 data, based on 19 UK cases) shows that toys, games and console brands see an average ROI of £6.24 on every £1 spent in cinemas. Although it cannot be drawn as the direct cause for this, the placement of cinemas in key retail locations is very likely a contributing factor. In most cinemas across the UK, you’re more often than not likely to be within 10 minutes of a key toy retail site such as The Entertainer (97 per cent), Argos (91 per cent), Tesco (93 per ent), Smyths (100 per cent) and Asda (90 per cent). Later this year, the family film slate is only going to encourage more admissions as the UK prepares itself for the release of Christopher Robin, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Wreck-It Ralph 2 and last but definitely not least, Mary Poppins Returns. We can only expect success for Q4, as DCM predicts more than three times as many admissions during the Christmas period than they do in September. For monthly updates on cinema advertising or for more information about how we can help you split your media investment by channel, please contact us on the listed details.

Generation Media is the UK and Ireland’s largest independent media buyer of toys and games advertising. Visit generationmedia.co.uk or call 0207 307 7900 to learn more. 1

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cover Feature Bandai

Pom pom pets Bandai’s Pomsies are kids’ new BPFs (best Pomsie friends) and boys and girls across the country are fully wrapped up in the excitement of their cuddly interactive pets. Already a smash hit, Marketing Manager Kirsty MacKenzie gives TnP the lowdown on the brand’s exciting future

andai UK’s awesome new brand Pomsies, the adorable pets with a difference, is taking the market by storm! Pomsies launched in the UK in early July with six cute kittens for kids to wear, pet and interact with. These collectable pompom pets, with their soft, cuddly fur faces and tails, can wrap around kids’ wrists, hair, backpack, clothing and more. Much more than an accessory, Pomsies are highly interactive too. Their eyes will light up in different colours and they will make sounds

to tell kids when they are happy, sleepy, or even hungry. From the outset, Bandai formed a close partnership with the brand’s manufacturer Sky Rocket across UK, France, Mexico and Japan, and soon put in place exciting marketing plans to ensure awareness was at its height for the launch. The impending arrival of Pomsies was eagerly awaited as sales figures from the US and Australian launches were definitely something to write home about. Kirsty MacKenzie, Marketing Manager at Bandai UK says: “From the moment the Bandai team saw Pomsies it was apparent that this was a special brand that would fit perfectly with the wishes of today’s young girls! There’s an exceptionally exciting future ahead for our lovely little friends. “Our reaction was echoed by our retail partners during previews and from there it has been a race to get them into store in time for the summer holidays.”

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There is no doubt that a Pomsies is the accessory to be seen with and the perfect child version of the ever-popular handbag pompom… the difference is ours are interactive! Kirsty MacKenzie, Marketing Manager

Sydney is part of Pomsies Season 2

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Did you know... A marketing drive including a heavyweight TV schedule will drive awareness and excitement for Pomsies Season 2 September 2018

Fact! Pomsies was the number 4 new property and the number 13 toy for July in the US, according to NPD When the brand launched in summer with influencer partnerships, digital, print and TV campaigns, sales proved that popularity out, and Pomsies has been fully substantiated as the interactive pet of the summer. As the festive season approaches, Q4 will see new generations of product arrive in store with new furry friends for girls and boys to get to know. Season 2 launches later this year with a heightened marketing drive including a heavyweight TV schedule — and even new species added to the mix, as Sydney, Lulu and Zoey join the gang! “Now we are looking forward to Season 2 which is very exciting,” Kirsty adds. “What’s more, the development coming through for future waves is incredible. “There is no doubt that Pomsies is the accessory to be seen with and is the perfect child version of the ever-popular handbag pompom that the fashion conscious have already embraced. The difference is our Pom Pom Pets are more than just that — they are highly interactive, cute and will become every girl’s best friend. Everyone should have one!” Contact 0208 324 6160 or visit www.bandai.co.uk for more information.

what’s n Brand spanking new launches from top toy companies to help you sell more!

Sing it Sammy! A.B.Gee

01773 570 444 www.abgee.co.uk

With the pre-school market flying high, A.B.Gee has launched a new range called Chuckles. Sammy the Musical Snail is one of 16 classically designed toys packed with functions that will have little ones playing for hours. Kids can use Sammy mallet on the xylophone to play different musical notes or beat the snail’s blue side drum. This pull along Snail will take them on a musical journey! The full range includes: Build & Play, Bath Time, Peg Basher, Musical and Pull Along toys that develop a child’s dexterity, problem solving and concentration, while encouraging creative and imaginative play.

Christmas creations Craft Buddy Ltd 0203 417 6565 www.craftbuddyltd.co.uk Craft Buddy’s Christmas Crystal Art Motifs are essentially stickers that craft fans can make themselves using the popular Crystal Art technique. Each project takes between 15-20 minutes to make, and each design contains between one to four colours, making them lovely introductory projects for beginners to the craft. Once they’ve completed the motif, they can simply peel it off and stick it onto any craft project, such as a card, a candleholder, a scrapbook, a photo frame, or a gift box to add a healthy dose of sparkle! These versatile projects have become a favourite of crystal crafters who already enjoy Craft Buddy’s Crystal Art and Card products. 24

Blown away! Funrise

01908 555640 www.funrise.com Say hello to Gazillion Bubble Pong! Kids can experience the first game of its kind that blasts their opponent with bubbles. Gazillion Bubble Pong delivers fun and excitement as they bounce ping pong balls into their opponent’s side to score points and blast them with Gazillion premium bubbles. When the Bubble Pong game is over, turn on bubble machine mode for a non-stop bubble party! This is a must have for any games night or bbq.

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new

Compact cuties GP Flair 0208 643 0320 www.flairplc.co.uk

Autumn will also see the launch of a whole new pocket-sized collection for girls called Shopkins Lil’ Secrets. Kids have to crack the code on the Lil’ Secrets map to unlock a world containing the littlest Shoppies and Shopkins yet! Thanks to TV promotion, the Shopkins Lil’ Secrets Locks won’t be a secret for long. Once open they reveal one of nine themed miniature worlds inside, each including one teeny Shoppie and one tiny Shopkin.

September 2018

Walking with dinosaurs Tobar 01603 397 105 www.tobar.co.uk Time travel back to the Jurassic period with the walking, roaring Robo Alive Dino from Tobar. Available in Jungle Green and Wild Amber colours, its realistic features and reflective life-like eyes will make kids think they’re in the presence of the legendary beast again. With a flick of the switch, the T-Rex charges forwards, roaring and biting all lesser beings within its path. Better watch out for the dinosaur king!

Feature

Games & Puzzles

All aboard! As the games and puzzles category continues to beat the odds and see sales growth, TnP looks at some of the highlights for this coming Christmas – and why betting big on the category can pay off at any time of year

n an industry full of ups and downs – and what industry isn’t? – consistency is a rare and coveted commodity. In the toy trade, games and puzzles hold that crown, rising to renewed prominence over the past five years to become one of the most valuable and surefire categories for both retailers and suppliers. With no age restrictions, a low barrier to entry and, in recent times, a focus on shareable moments between friends and families, the social aspect of games and puzzles gives retailers an audience like no other. Asmodee UK’s diverse range spans everything from quick-play family games to iconic classics that enthusiasts can happily lose an evening to, giving the team

a good vantage point on the year’s performance so far. Riding high on another sterling year for its ever-popular Dobble, tracking as the number one game in the UK (NPD, Games Items by sales value, YTD Jul 18), it seems to be going well. “We have certainly found games to be a robust area of the toy industry, even during tough periods of trading,” says Ben Hogg, Marketing Manager, Asmodee UK. “It’s no secret 2018 has so far been an incredibly testing year for the industry, but our games sales have not only stood up to, but have actually grown since 2017.” Unsurprisingly this is an industry-wide trend, with games and puzzles beating expectations. IMC is enjoying

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Our games sales have not only stood up to, but have actually grown since 2017 Ben Hogg, Asmodee

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a “really promising start” to the A/W season, reveals Julie Ball, Head of Marketing UK. Recent sales for the company’s actionpacked Boom Ball game were 160 per cent up on 2017. “It is still very early in the year to judge fully, but early indications are telling us we are in for a good Christmas with our Play Fun games,” adds Julie. In the adult sector, market leading Jumbo Games is already seeing NPD growth of 6.7 per cent, “and we’ve every confidence that this number will hit doubledigits in the Christmas period,”

Did you know… 19 per cent of all games and puzzles sales were by adults for adults, according to NPD – a big chunk of the UK’s burgeoning £383m ‘kidult’ market.

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We asked... If retailers could stock just one of your games or puzzles for Christmas, what should it be?

“Our range of Fun Fast Games is a key sales and marketing focus and full of those quick party games we expect to sell in huge numbers over Christmas.” Ben Hogg, Asmodee UK

“It’s all about the Christmas puzzle and this year’s brand new Falcon de luxe Christmas Shopping 1,000-piece puzzle that also includes a free 1,000-piece Christmas-themed puzzle. It’s the third year we’re giving away a free puzzle inside the box as an added treat for consumers – and the only ones to do so!” Steven Russell, Jumbo Games

“That’s a tough one! Boom Ball for kids’ games or Truth Detector for family games.” Julie Ball, IMC

says Marketing Manager Steven Russell. “This growth in the adult puzzle market is exactly why we have continued to invest more resources into releasing more new titles throughout the year and strengthening our leading position,” he adds.

Seasonal sales As with all categories, games and puzzles enjoy a natural boost over the Christmas buying period. But what was until recently a one-off purchase for the family festivities has stretched throughout the year. “Overall the games category is very much back-ended and IMC’s Play Fun games are no exception to this as we sit in the core children and family games categories,” explains Julie. “However we are seeing increasing year round opportunities for Boom Ball as it is a fun active game that can also

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be played outside. We also have some exciting games We are in development that are activity based to break the seeing seasonality trend.” increasing year Breaking away from round that seasonal dependency opportunities has been a mission for Asmodee, too, and Julie Ball, IMC although sales experience that seasonal surge, the effort has paid off as consumers look to fill their year with new gaming experiences. “We are not as dependent on this period as many other toy companies,” says Ben. “Our wide range of consistently selling games, in addition to a steady stream of new

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releases throughout the year, helps us to be less reliant on the Christmas period than you might think. That said, it is still an incredibly important time for us, but we are fully signed up advocates of the idea that games should be played all year round!”

Year-round sales So what is the key to keeping this year-long momentum going? Making games more accessible is one approach. Instead of obtuse manuals filled rules and sub-rules – the major draw for many hardcore games enthusiasts – making games more open and social has had a great impact on drawing more consumers to the hobby. For Asmodee,

Asmodee

September 2018

Feature

Games & Puzzles

Big Potato

1.2 million people saw IMC’s Boom Ball in a summer outdoor games must-haves feature on ITV’s hit show This Morning

this means party games, just one of the modern access points into games for casual players who might enjoy a roll of the dice at a friend’s house, but wouldn’t necessarily be heading to Kickstarter for the latest niche release. “There are now more party games available than ever before and we are lucky to have a number of successfully selling titles in this category, including Dobble, Bananagrams and Cobra Paw,” says Ben. “These are included within our Fun Fast Games range to celebrate those games that are easy to play and to show new players but still have a strong competitive spirit to them.” When asked whether virtual or augmented reality have a place

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in the games space, Ben thinks there are great opportunities. But it’s a different story for Growth Jumbo’s Steven. in the adult “I think it can offer puzzle market something different for is exactly why children’s puzzles,” he says, “but not adults, and we have I can’t see it proactively continued to contributing to the future invest more growth of this market.” It’s all about understanding Steven Russell, the consumer and why they Jumbo Games the love the products. For adult puzzles, Steven says, the simplicity is the purity is the appeal. “People like puzzles for what they are,” he says. “Adding technology to ‘enhance the experience’ takes it too far away from their simplicity, and there are other toys that can benefit far more from the use of AR/VR.” With so many companies competing for the store

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games and puzzles spend, IMC’s Julie admits that the choice can be somewhat overwhelming for consumers. “To stand out within this crowded market, manufacturers have to be innovative with their marketing campaigns. This year IMC are investing heavily in TV with over 1000 TVRs planned from Oct to Dec. In addition, we are supporting with digital campaigns on VOD and social media channels, as well as significant activity with relevant influencers to set us apart from competitors.” So with the golden quarter approaching and the gloomy nights settling in, now is the time to back games and puzzles in a big way. Strike the right balance, and be a part of the category’s continuing upward trajectory.

Retailers say…

A1 Toys’ specialist games Static Games has been at the forefront of the games and puzzles explosion. Area Manager James Neil says: “Gaming in general is now something that people take very seriously. In the past two years, our Static Games store has seen a crazy amount of growth — we’ve at least doubled our turnover in that time.”

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Chalk it up to fun! Eduk8 Worldwide Ltd

A very Peppa Christmas Ravensburger 01869 363 800 www.ravensburger.com Puzzlers are already getting into the Christmas spirit with Ravensburger’s Limited Edition for 2018. Let’s Visit Santa! is Ravensburger’s 22nd Limited Edition Christmas 1000-piece puzzle, and is set to be one of the biggest selling 1000-piece puzzles this year. Available for one year only, the cosy and traditionalstyle illustration shows a family sharing their Christmas wishes with Santa in his winter wonderland grotto. This year Ravensburger is also proudly supporting Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day in partnership with Entertainment One with a special Peppa Pig Christmas Shaped Giant Floor Puzzle. The 32-piece shaped jigsaw puzzle features a very colourful Peppa Pig Christmas scene, created specifically to help raise money and awareness for the children’s charity. Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day is on Friday 14 December and £1 from the sale of every jigsaw puzzle will go towards creating a better future for children in the all over the world. Amont the 31 new children’s licensed puzzle launches for this season, is the new Thomas & Friends 24-piece Giant Floor Puzzle, featuring Rebecca from Big World Adventures. The jigsaw image is unique foe. Also launching this season are 15 adult jigsaw puzzles and eight new 3D puzzles including the hugely anticipated Porsche 108-piece, a complete Planetary Solar System comprising of eight 3D puzzles in different sizes to represent the solar system, as well as the new Arc De Triomphe Night Edition 3D Puzzl®, Buckingham Palace 3D Puzzl and Notre Dame 3D Puzzl®. The full Ravensburger 3D Puzzl® range is supported with two huge TV campaigns running from October right up till Christmas.

01661 831 080 www.eduk8worldwide.co Eduk8 Worldwide has a great range of games, puzzles and toys, under the new Eduk8 ‘n’ Play brand. These include, the new Chalk & Chuckles range of high quality, tabletop board games which are hand crafted from recycled cardboard. Designed with children’s development in mind, there are 19 new games that cover a wide range of topics and subjects. Eduk8 has also launched the Mini Dice Dome Games this year.

Memorise, match and move Little Tikes 0845 0533 333 www.littletikes.co.uk The new Little Tikes range of games and puzzles are a fun and unique way to get little ones memorising, matching and moving, inspiring both active and imaginative play. From following instructions to whip up the perfect smoothie in Crazy Blender to catching flying toast in Crazy Toaster and aiming at mini basketball hoops in Hot Hoops, these games for two to four players are the perfect way to test and challenge children – and great fun for the whole family.

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Fast fun Asmodee UK 01420 593593 www.asmodee.co.uk

Bring character to games night Character Options 0161 633 9800 www.character-online.com Character Options has games and puzzles for all tastes. Name It! is a pop culture trivia game with over 400 audio questions to draw on each player’s knowledge on anything from pop music to cult films, sports or even animal sounds. If Pokémon is a specialist subject, then the already successful Pokémon Trainer Guess is now available in the Johto Edition. In addition to the 151 Kanto Pokémon featured in series 1 the new Quick style Poké Ball has an additional 100 Pokémon from the Johto Region. The hugely addictive FlipSlide is a clever game of memory, speed and skill inspired by classic games such as Tetris and Rubik’s cube. Also highly addictive, whether playing solo or challenging fellow spinners, is iTop - the pocket-sized electronic spinning top that counts the number of revolutions and keeps track of high scores. There are three main play modes: Top Score, 99 Spin Challenge and a Compass mode. Added to the line-up are two magical games that will have girls and boys waving their wands in excitement. Catching Stars is a whimsical Fairy moon projector that emits a pretty star show onto the ceiling and children must wave their magic light-up wand to catch the brightest shining star. Or for budding warlocks, there’s the Wizard Battle game. Armed with magic wands, the first wizard to correctly complete the selected magic spell and turn off of their opponent’s amulet lights wins. The entire Character Options games portfolio will be supported with a wide variety of marketing activity.

Asmodee UK is gearing up for a successful Christmas period with a host of exciting titles set to make a big impact – led by Dobble, the biggest-selling game in the UK this year. The card game of speedy observation has gone from strength to strength since winning Game of the Year at the Toy Industry Awards and is a star attraction in Asmodee’s new Fun Fast Games range. Comprising the best of the company’s easy-to-learn titles that reward in-store demonstrations with sales, the range also includes Rory’s Story Cubes, the storytelling game where only your imagination is the limit, and Bananagrams, the wordbuilding game that’s a-peeling to all ages. The Fun Fast Games range is completed by the game of catlike ninja reactions, Cobra Paw, the brand-new Who Did It, in which players establish whose pet made the mess on the floor, and Set, the picture-matching game which is taking America by storm. Joining them will be the new kid on the block, D-lerium. This quick-thinking, fast-paced party game will leave players stamped! It’s a dice-rolling game in which players must race to be the first to perform the actions indicated. Asmodee’s Modern Classics range is also not to be missed. This new initiative champions the key products that have driven the worldwide growth of tabletop games in recent years that are perfect for new and established gamers alike. The brand boasts Pandemic, the pioneering cooperative board game in which players are tasked with saving humanity from four deadly diseases, Carcassonne, a tile-laying game where players build up the area around the medieval French town, and Dixit, the game of storytelling and communication. The Modern Classics range is completed by Splendor, where players develop the best strategy to acquire expensive gems, Ticket to Ride Europe, which takes five minutes to learn but gives hours of fun building railway networks across Europe, and Catan, the multi-million-selling game of building and trading that spawned a new generation of board games. Both the Modern Classics and Fun Fast Games ranges are being strongly supported with eye-catching POS materials that will encourage consumers to check out these fantastic, family-friendly games.

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Puzzle people Jumbo Games 01707 289289 www.jumbo.eu From its number one puzzle brand Wasgij, Jumbo has launched its 10th new release this year, with the Original 30 Strictly Can’t Dance! 1,000-piece puzzle, inspired by the hit BBC dancing content. This final release complements the other key AW Retailers on the lookout for arts releases, Christmas 14 Santa’s Little Helpers! and Original 29 Catching Wedding Fever! and crafts toys will love Jumbo’s 1,000-piece puzzles. new additions to its award-winning Having already released over 30 new Dessineo range. Having launched puzzles in their Falcon de Luxe range, Jumbo has just released a further the Learn to Draw item last year nine brand new puzzles, including The and won several popular consumer Whitesmith’s Cottage in Winter, Playing awards, Jumbo has released five in the Show, and Winter Birds, all across 1,000-piece formats and perfectly suited for new Learn to Paint items, across the coming months. With the festive season Painting by Numbers, Painting by just around the corner, don’t forget Jumbo’s Stencils and the must-see Artists new Christmas puzzle, Christmas Shopping, which is a 1,000-piece puzzle that comes Painting Easel. with a free 1,000-piece puzzle. Jumbo will be introducing five new puzzles to its popular Jan Van Haasteren range, including Food Festival 2x1000-piece puzzle box set that includes a free gift in-pack, The Toy Shop and The TV Studios 1,000-piece puzzles and the Cattle Market in both a 1,000 and 2,000-piece format. An exciting addition is the launch of Jumbo’s brand-new adult Disney Collection. Kicking off the range is the commemorative Mickey Mouse 90 Years 1,000-piece montage puzzle that shows the magic of Mickey throughout the decades. Jumbo have also released some true Disney classic lines, with the Snow White and Bambi 1,000-piece movie posters. The classic Beatrix Potter inspired Peter Rabbit has proved very popular since launching in June and the 1,000-piece and 500-piece puzzles will no doubt be make for great gifting ideas this Autumn.

Major draw

Jumbo game offering Jumbo has expanded its games portfolio with the launch of four new Strategy Games, having seen the growing demand and popularity in this category over the past couple of years. Partnering with some of the most popular game developers and illustrators in the market, Jumbo’s new titles include the semi-cooperative How to Rob a Bank Game, that is already a strong seller in the US. The tactical tile placement Forbidden City Game, a collect and dominate game titled Okavango and Isidore – School of Magic. If you’re not hashtagging things these days, then you’re just not in with the crowd! So Jumbo has developed a brand new Hashtag Game that’s suitable for all the family. The aim of the game is to see who can amass the biggest following, by identifying the most popular trending hashtag, and answering either a Subject or Image based card.

Coming on leaps and bounds Green Board Games 01494 538999 www.greenboardgames.com Green Board Games has invested heavily into product development this year. Pre-school buyers will be well supported with the new, beautifully illustrated ranges to promote fun learning. Foot Steps has been created for children up to three years of age and Leaps & Bounds for children between the ages of three and seven. Coming soon to the Foot Steps range, Stacking Cubes offers five ways to stack and learn. Soon to launch in the Leaps and Bounds range are: Miximals, Match-a-Rhyme, Mucky Pups, and Story Scenes. Retailers can also expect new introductions from the award-winning, robustselling BrainBox range. Sure to be a best-seller is BrainBox Christmas, a game, a decoration and an advent calendar in one. BrainBox Opposites will also be available soon, helping children learn about opposites with their friends and families.

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Games & Puzzles

Having a (boom) ball! IMC Toys UK 01904 720 908 www.imc.com

Strictly come gaming John Adams 01480 414361 www.johnadams.co.uk John Adams Leisure is expanding its established games portfolio for 2018 with a host of new fun lines for the whole family. Joining the range for autumn 2018 is Mr Pop. Players pick a card and race to quickly build Mr Pop’s face, matching the card before the time runs out and he pops up, sending all his pieces flying. Also joining the John Adams family this year is Hamster Race - the hilarious cheese-chasing, hamster-racing game. Players line up their hamsters on the starting grid, roll the dice and they’re off. Race around the track filling the hamster’s pouch with cheese, then make a dash for the wheel. The last hamster to hang on and stay on the wheel wins. Test your nerves with Tumbling Monkeys. Pull out the sticks from the tree but don’t let the monkeys fall. Different colour monkeys score different penalty points! When all the monkeys are down, the player with the lowest score wins. The Rubik’s range is also boosted with a smooth-twisting 4x4 Cube and two new games. Rubik’s Flip is the new head-to-head strategy game with only eight moves per player. Place a tile into the grid then flip one of your opponent’s. It sounds simple but is a challenge to master! Win by being the first to place three tiles of the same colour in a row which cannot be flipped. Rubik’s Battle is a quick-thinking, fast-action card game. Deal out the cards and each player flips over their top card. The fastest person to spot unique colour matches wins, with the objective being to collect all of the Rubik’s Battle cards. Get ready to grab your glitter ball and prepare to be dazzled, with the official Strictly Come Dancing board game. It doesn’t matter if you’re a dance disaster or a ballroom beauty, with cheeky challenges and Strictly trivia, there’s something for all the family to enjoy. Don’t miss an array of other games to keep minds ticking, reactions fast and the laughter flowing, with Pointz, Grabolo, Slam It!, Sneak Peek and 5 Gold Rings. All key launches are TV advertised and have a full PR, social media and digital plan.

IMC is planning to add an exciting new game, Truth Detector, to its own Play Fun brand portfolio. The range can be enjoyable for the whole family, with gameplay designed to inspire laughter and create memorable family moments. In Truth Detector, players put their friends and families to the test. Pick a question card from the pile and select another player to interrogate. Watch them sweat as they put their fingers on the detector! If they’re lying the machine will let you know. If you get caught telling a lie, the siren sounds and red light flashes - you lose a life! The winner is the last person remaining with life cards. The latest launch joins the hugely successful Boom Ball, which launched in 2017. Players are tasked with catching the balls in their head net as they fire randomly from the cannon. Catch the most and they win the game! Boom Ball was supported with intensive marketing including TV advertising, prime time kids sponsorship, and influencer marketing campaigns. IMC is planning heavyweight marketing to support its key games in AW 2018, focusing on TV and digital media, as well as targeted cinema advertising. Strategic PR will focus on targeted influencer campaigns, celebrity engagement and experiential events.

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17/07/2018 09:45:13

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In the spot light Spin Master 01628 535000 www.spinmaster.com Spin Master is expanding its games and puzzles portfolio with a whole host of new introductions this autumn. Kicking off the new line up is The Sock Game. Created by two entreprenerial (and competitive) brothers, Nick and Jono, it’s the hilarious fast-paced game where your fingers do the seeing. Included in each set are two socks and a crazy assortment of random items. A player turns the spinner on the board to choose an object, then players race to reach into the sock and feel their way to the chosen object. The first player to find their object wins a point. Players can even customise the game by adding items from around the house. The Cat Game is a hair-raising drawing game with cats. Pick a card from a CATegory, draw the clue and see if players can guess the answer! Face off individually or break into teams and battle it out for meow-velous fun! This drawing game is great for small and large groups alike. Players can fire up their competitive side with Otrio, the head-to-head strategy game. To win, get three pieces of your colour in a row based upon similar size; lined up in ascending or descending order; or within the same space as three concentric pieces. The rules are simple but, as twith all teh best games, it becomes very complex. Combining a little yuck factor with a lot of fun factor, Pimple Pete is the pressure-packed, pimple popping game perfect for some gross-out fun on family game night. Pimple

Pete’s face is covered with pimples and he needs players’ help popping them. Turn the spinner and the arrow will land on his forehead, left cheek, right cheek or chin. Choose a squishy pimple from that area and ever so carefully twist and wiggle the pimple out to score points. But don’t yank too hard or players might set off the Mega-Zit filled with water on his nose. The Unicorn trend has continued to reign supreme in 2018, and Spin Master is letting kids experience a little bit of the magic with the new Unicorn Ring Toss game.

Dig in! Big Potato 07472 824 526 www.bigpotato.co.uk The Big Potato gang are back with a whole host of new party games, including their first ever board game sequel. Clickbait is a family party game all about writing attentiongrabbing slogans for some of the most ridiculous products advertised on the internet. Examples include Unicorn Jerky, Giant Family Slippers, and Flamethrowing For Kids: A Step-By-Step Guide. Don’t Get Got is a party game about tricking each other and not getting caught. The first player to successfully complete their missions wins the game. Whether that means convincing

someone to open a jar of jam or hiding a card in their bag of crisps, one thing’s for sure: you’ll have to be at your absolute sneakiest to win. And finally, there’s a second edition of Obama Llama – and it’s not just about celebrities anymore. There’s Severus Snape choking on a grape, T-Rex mixing on the decks and The Eiffel Tower taking a shower. With three hundred brand new rhymes for players to discover, it’s time to roll that dice and get ready to describe, mime and rhyme your way to victory once again.

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Now that’s what I call fun Paul Lamond Games 020 7254 0100 www.paul-lamond.com There are now even more new and exciting products available from games and puzzles specialist Paul Lamond, ideal for the festive season. Now in stock is the exciting new trivia-style board game Reveal, the game with no questions, only answers, and Stupid Deaths, a family board game of grave humour, which is packaged in a tomb-shaped box. In celebration of the release of the 100th edition of Now That’s What I Call Music, there is a new Music Trivia Now Card Game available, plus the Now That’s What I Call Music Board Game. For the children and families market is the exciting new fun-packed game Kersplatt! – the hilarious, fast-paced, family board game of modelling mayhem. The high energy, tactile but strategic board game that will see players Kersplatting opponents’ masterpieces in an attempt to be the first to get two pieces home. For fans of Roald Dahl’s most famous characters, there is an imaginative series of 250-piece jigsaw puzzles available starring The BFG, Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach. There is also the Matilda card game. Adding to Paul Lamond’s successful Football portfolio this autumn are two new licensed 3D Football Stadium Puzzles; The Olympic Stadium, the home of West Ham United and St James’ Park, Newcastle United’s home ground. Football lovers will also love the new licensed football club Rubik’s Cubes featuring Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, West Ham and Newcastle United.

Jungle boogie! Orchard Toys 01953 859525 www.orchardtoys.com Giraffes in Scarves is a fun counting and colourmatching game for ages four to seven, featuring giraffes in wacky patterned scarves. Players must roll the dice, match the cards and build their giraffe. The winner is the player with the most scarves. The quirky giraffe characters in this simple game help to make learning fun and engaging for children. Giraffes in Scarves is set to last play after play with sturdy, wipe clean cards and the ability to play with up to six players – perfect for family fun! Following the success of Orchard’s now third best seller, Farmyard Heads and Tails, the company has launched a jungle version. Jungle Heads and Tails features a variety of wild animals for children to match and pair, from a crocodile to a flamingo. As they grow in confidence and ability, children can play a more advanced memory game by turning the cards over. The game offers children as young as 18 months the perfect introduction to first gameplay and turn taking. The large, wipe clean cards are designed to last and perfect for little hands to hold. Both games are key examples of Orchard Toys’ ethos of learning made fun, combining fun characters, engaging gameplay and educational benefits.

Baffling! Cheatwell Games 02392 524098 www.cheatwell.com Cheatwell has launched a classic for Christmas this year. Baffled is the memory game with a difference where everything swaps and changes position throughout the game! Winner of the Imagination Gaming Gold Award, Baffled is designed so that kids and adults can play together, on a level playing field. Other great family games from Cheatwell include Charades, Tension, Re:Play and Pass The Pen – all great sellers.

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TOP SELLING GAME!

New for AW

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Edge of seat stuff Trefl

07850 779797 sales@sjr-associates.co.uk Mistakos is the craziest stacking game of all time. All players have to do is put a chair of their colour onto the top of the whole construction, and this simplicity has won it hundreds of thousands of fans all over Europe. This funny and enjoyable dexterity game is perfectly designed for players at any age. Every play gives players the opportunity to create a unique construction, making the game absolutely different every time. First player who gets rid of his or her chairs wins the game. It may look easy, but when the chairs grow up higher it’s more and more difficult to stack another one on top. Different shapes and colours can sometimes be a help - but more often these are the toughest to solve!

On the money Binca Games 07442 664277 sahil@bincainc.com Binca Games is set to strengthen its games portfolio for 2018 with the launch of two new titles. Joining Binca’s popular word game for all the family Fletter, is Fletter Fuse, an advanced version which builds on the original card game by adding slightly trickier gameplay. The second new title joining the Binca portfolio is money-laundering card game Whitewashers.

Element of fun Accentuate Games 07748 184 525 www.accentuategames.com Frenetic is a new word game that uses element symbols of the periodic table. Players race against the clock to form as many words as possible using the element symbol tiles, and score points equivalent to the atomic numbers of each tile used to create the word.

Did you know… More than 200,000 copies of Mistakos have been sold to date — so why not join the millions of players worldwide?

Sculpted to perfection Learning Resources 01553 819 380 www.learning-resources.co.uk Kids can squish and squash their way into sculpting superstardom with Sculptapalooza, the fastpaced, hands-on party game that gets teams racing against the clock to sculpt their way through hilarious challenges for laugh-out-loud family fun! Incorporating best-selling squishy squashy Playfoam, two teams battle it out to mould the Playfoam into specified models, with teammates having to guess what the sculpture is. The first team rolls the dice to determine its sculpting category, flips the timer, and sculpts what’s shown on the card on the special sculpting mat. Sculpting battles combine the creativity of Playfoam with engaging, imaginative play, with players facing a variety of challenges as they make their creations. Hours of fun can be had by children and adults alike as the game contains 200 challenge cards plus a further 20 blank challenge cards for custom clues, and as Playfoam is mess-free and never dries out, Sculptapalooza can be played time and time again. The game comes in eye catching window box packaging.

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Family favourites Vivid Imaginations 01483 449944 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk Autumn/winter 2018 sees a selection of fun family games joining the Drumond Park portfolio. Foxy Pants sees a greedy fox snapping up the chickens and stuffing them into his pockets. But when there are too many chickens, his pants will fall down and the chickens will escape! Players must rescue the chickens and return them to their chicken coop. Ideal for up to four players aged four-plus. Players watch Wally spin and fill their washing line to win in the fun Wally the Washer. Take it in turns to press the button and watch Wally throw out the clothes, which players need to hang on their line. But watch out… if they get the smelly sock then all the clothes go back in and they go again! Players need to collect all their clothes to win the game. Word Bandit is the head-spinning word-spotting game where teams take it in turns to take on the onearmed bandit to find words, names, celebrities and more. More answers mean more points, so players need to be quick and race round the board to win the game. Super Ski Jump is the ultimate trick challenge! Earn points by jumping the farthest, doing tricks and sticking the landing as you tackle the toughest slope of them all! Pick your player, take to the ramp and get ready to go. It’s all in the timing, get it just right to nail the jump and win the game!

Baby love

Alexa, let’s play

Tomy

Sensible Object

01392 281928 www.tomy.com

sensibleobject.com hello@sensibleobject.com

Tomy’s games collection brings diversity and enjoyment to the children’s games category with quirky products featuring lots of surprises through pure and simple fun. The collection will expand this year with three new releases that feature different play patterns and encourage quality family time. New releases for A/W include Run-Around Hamster. Suitable for two to four players, the aim of the game is to help Hammy store the most food. Also new to the collection is Burp the Baby, a hilarious game that sees players take turns trying to burp the baby. But watch out burp him too much and they’ll be in for a surprise. Puzzlers will love brainteaser Puzzle Wars. Suitable for ages eight-plus, players can go head to head against a friend or challenge themselves using the pieces to match the shapes and colours shown on the card. The first to finish and hit the buzzer wins.

Sensible Object continues to innovate in 2018 with an expansion to its debut title Beasts of Balance, as well as the world’s first ever Alexa-connected board game. When In Rome is a travel trivia game where Amazon’s Alexa is game show host and real people ask the questions, it is the first launch in Sensible Object’s Voice Originals series of social board games, and the first to work with Amazon’s voice recognition technology.

Full circle Chicco 020 8953 6627 www.chicco.co.uk Mr. Ring gives the traditional hoopla toy a modern new look. With a rotating base that can move at two different speeds, the adorable hedgehog features five colourful spikes that children can try to hook one of eight plastic rings on to. With six different melodies, Mr. Ring plays out music as he spins. Stimulating manual coordination and precision skills, Mr. Ring will keep children (and parents!) entertained for hours on end.

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Games galore Thames and Kosmos 01580 212 000 www.thamesandkosmos.com

Pud stuff! Gibsons

020 8661 8866 www.gibsonsgames.co.uk Gibsons has been busy this year creating an assortment of new puzzles for the upcoming season. There are 12 new puzzles in a variety of piece counts, and the collection features a range of images, from traditional nostalgic scenes to quirky cartoons. Sitting alongside Gibsons’ puzzles is an exciting collection of games that will make great gifts in the run up to Christmas. Among the jigsaw puzzles are several Christmas images, including A Winter Stroll, a picturesque country scene featuring a dusting of snow; Christmas Treats, a heart-warming scene in two piece counts by one of Gibsons’ most popular artists, Steve Crisp; and Seventy-Six Santas, a chaotic Christmas cartoon showing 76 santas getting up to mischief! It wouldn’t be Christmas without a family game, and Gibsons’ Pass the Pud is great entertainment for the whole family. Players take it in turns to draw a card from four mouth-watering categories. They must come up with an answer before quickly passing the pud on to the next player who must also come up with a suitable answer – and so it goes on until the dreaded burp! The player who is holding the Pud when it burps is the loser and the rival team receives a sixpence. The team with the most sixpences once all the cards have been used is the winner. Packaged in a clear box, this quirky product has strong shelf appeal and is a popular gift choice during the festive season.

Building further on its strongest performing category, the Kosmos board games portfolio is further boosted with an array of new arrivals. Continuing a hugely successful run, the next two editions in the EXIT: The Game series are The Mysterious Museum and The Sinister Mansion. Replicating an escape room experience, players unlock codes, solve puzzles, collect objects and earn their freedom bit by bit. Building on the success of the original hit game Word Slam, new version Word Slam Family contains all the same fast-paced fun but now in a streamlined, compact format. Without speaking or using any actions, competing team captains must simultaneously describe the same word to their teams,using only the word cards provided. The first team to guess the word correctly, wins the round. Mercado puts two to four players into a marketplace environment with die-cut market stalls as a backdrop. Players take turns to blindly grab three coins from their bag then place them on the market stalls of their choice. If they have enough coins they receive the goods from the stall. The excitement of the game lies in the unknown. To further broaden and strengthen its games offering, Kosmos has formed a strategic partnership with Devir, whose popular games include that such as Check Point Charlie – a card game of observation, deduction and mental agility. Players are tasked to watch all the suspects carefully and try to find out which of them is the chief of spies. Other titles include Dragons and Chickens, Dungeon Raiders, Holmes: Sherlock & Mycroft, Fast Food Fear, Picnic (RRP and 1,2,3.

Classic characters Rainbow Designs 01329 227300 www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk Rainbow Designs has a beautiful range of high quality wooden games and puzzles available in some of its most renowned classic ranges. New to The Very Hungry Caterpillar Nursery Collection this spring are two My First-style wooden puzzles. The four-piece puzzles, which star Eric Carle’s Very Hungry Caterpillar and the beautiful Butterfly, aid the development of fine motor skills. Rainbow Designs’ fun and educational wooden Peg Puzzles and Picture Domino Sets are available in both the Peter Rabbit and The Very Hungry Caterpillar collections. The Wooden Peg Puzzles and Domino Sets feature beautiful illustrations from the classic properties, encourage number and shape recognition as well as helping to hone fine motor skills.

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Feature

Games & Puzzles

Word play Mattel

01628 500000 www.mattel.com

Get smart Smart Games 01903 885669 www.smartgames.eu SmartGames is launching three new games this autumn to add to its enviable portfolio of award-winning puzzles and games for all ages. Introducing Sleeping Beauty Deluxe, where young players aged three to five years must help rescue princess Sleeping Beauty by navigating through a maze to the magical castle. While older children, five to seven years, can opt to play as the fiery dragon, hindering the knight from reaching the castle and destroying his rescue mission. With 60 challenges, this multi-level logic, one player game will have young minds entertained for hours – and with a picture book included too it makes a great gift for Christmas. This autumn also sees the launch of the truly eye-catching Smart Games Cube Puzzler Go (2D), featuring up to 80 challenges! A must-have for every family, the Cube Puzzler Go will test all ages, from eight years, through to 90 years, with the task of building a cube from seven colourful puzzle pieces. Testing planning, problem solving skills, as well as spatial insight, families will be pleased to see the brand new Smart Games Cube Puzzler Pro (3D) also hit the shelves. Players 10 years-plus will be tested by this portable, yet visually stunning game. Its unique and innovative game mechanic tests players to build a cube from six ball-shaped, colourful, puzzle pieces and with up to 80 challenges will continue testing minds for years to come!.

In 2018 Mattel continues to strengthen its first-class games portfolio with an extensive offering introducing exciting new games and family favourites. Iconic board game Scrabble celebrates its 70th Anniversary in 2018! Exciting Anniversary celebrations will kick off in October with a campaign inviting consumers to reappraise the brand with an amazing experiential activation, PR and a new social film. Fans can also follow the world’s most skilled Scrabble aficionados as they take on the Mindsports World Scrabble Championship in Torquay with a thrilling final in London. To commemorate the amazing milestone, the brand launches a Scrabble 70th Anniversary Edition, which reimagines the board with a modern luxury aesthetic that features special black and gold foil-stamped spaces. Mattel also introduces brand new game Flushin’ Frenzy for AW18, a game the requires fast reflexes! Roll the dice, and when a number comes up, players have to plunge the toilet the amount of times shown. If the poop comes flying up and they catch it in midair, they earn two chips. The player with the most chips wins. Adding excitement to the games portfolio is Handimonium - a hilarious game that allows kids and adults to challenge their friends to simple tasks that suddenly become outrageously difficult when players must perform them wearing tiny plastic hands. Classic card game Uno expands play with a modern takeover with Uno Baby Animals and special licensed ranges including Uno Junior Fireman Sam, Uno Jurassic World, Jurassic Attack and Minecraft. All ranges offer the classic matching card game with new themes.

No question about it GP Flair 020 8643 0320 www.flairplc.co.uk GP Flair is to reintroduce to the market one of the smartest and most popular handheld tech games when 20Q relaunches for its 30th anniversary this autumn! The ultimate tech toy and game, 20Q always knows what players are thinking through its in-built algorithms. The concept is simple, think of something and then let 20Q guess what it is; it’s practically guaranteed to succeed in fewer than its allotted 20 questions. For those that loved the original, fear not – 2018’s 20Q is smarter than ever and comes with a new ergonomic design that makes playing it even easier. Players can use it solo, testing it against whatever object they can think of, or amaze their friends with 20Qs help to read their minds.

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Feature

Games & Puzzles

In for a surprise! Winning Moves 0207 298 9515 www.winningmoves.co.u

LOL Surprise is a perfect fit with Top Trumps characters games. This cute LOL Surprise Top Trumps pack is filled to the brim with fun stats and phrases from favourite characters. Find out how rare Surfer Babe is compared to Roller Sk8er, and who has the highest Top Trumps rating! Kids can even find two surprise cards. Little ones can discover 30 of their favourite LOL Surprise characters in this educational and fun card game in their very own LOL Surprise Collector’s Tin. Kids can be the envy of all their friends and look cool carrying it everywhere. A new Top Trumps pack is exclusive to this tin, and that’s not all – look out for the five special surprise cards! This take-anywhere tin means there are no limits on gameplay, and fans can play Top Trumps anytime, anywhere, with as many people as they like to find out who really is the cutest of them all. The Crazy Cube Game gets the cutest makeover yet in this new edition of LOL Surprise Top Trumps Match. Be the first to match five cute LOL Surprise characters to win this game. But the game’s not over yet – opponents can super Top Trump players in the final moment. If they match their Top Trump card with the winning character, they can snatch the match. Fantastic for memory development, it’s jam-packed with adorable characters from The Glitterati Club. LOL Surprise Match is the perfect travel companion and can be played anywhere with its all-in-one carry case design.

Family favourites Hasbro

020 8569 1234 www.hasbro.com This autumn, get ready for hilarious fun with Hasbro’s latest games, Monopoly Cheaters, Pie Face Cannon, Speech Breaker and Chow Crown. Monopoly Cheaters is the updated version of the classic Monopoly game, where players are permitted to bend the rules and cheat to win as they travel across the game board in an effort to own it all. For the first time, borrowing money from the bank, skipping spaces, and avoiding rent are welcomed in this hilarious version of the iconic Monopoly game. Complete the “cheats” as assigned by the game and get a reward, but get caught and you’ll pay the consequences! Pretend handcuffs will leave offenders chained to the board until they are released. Have a blast and take aim as players pie their opponent with the Pie Face Cannon game! To start, one player will step up and put their face in the face mask, while the other player aims the cannon and tries to launch whipped cream onto their opponent’s face. The player behind the mask can try to avoid getting pie-faced by using the included blocking hand. Players can earn points by either blocking themselves or by successfully “pie-ing” their opponent. The first player to get five points wins. With Speech Breaker, players are reporting live from the

scene and are tasked with overcoming the voice-jamming challenge? Players put on the game headset, talk into the game microphone, and get their teammates to guess who/ what/where without saying any of the words on the cards. What’s the catch? The microphone jams speech with a builtin delay, and as players talk, they’ll hear their delayed voice through the game headset, making it harder to speak clearly. The hilarious Chow Crown game puts a fun twist on viral food eating challenges. To play, players load the six hanging forks with various food items, place the spinning crown on their head, and eat as many snacks as possible before the music stops to keep the crown. The Chow Crown game can be played solo or in a head-to-head tournament.

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This September we’re going to be at Top Drawer, London for the first time, laden with the fruits of our summer labours. We’ve got three brand new games to show off. There’s Don’t Get Got, our secret missions party game, Clickbait, a game all about selling pointless products, and Obama Llama II – the sequel to our classic rhyming charades game with the ridiculous sounding name. Contact Emily Polglase to arrange a meeting or just pop by and see us at stand H35. 07472 824 526 emily@bigpotato.co.uk bigpotato.com

@bigpotatogames

BiG

PoTaTo gAmEs

Feature

Games & Puzzles

Go bananas!

Mega fun

Worlds Apart 0845 602 2119 ww.worldsapart.com

Trends UK

01295 768078 01353 724140 (Independents, Wind Design) www.trendsuk.co.uk Trends UK and Wind Designs have launched two exciting new games from Megableu, supported by TV and major social media. The official Guinness World Record Challenges Game is a major launch. As the world’s best-selling copyright book with 138 million copies sold in more than 100 countries, 2 million YouTube subscribers, 12 million Facebook followers and more than 21 million annual visits to the GWR website, there is an enormous potential fan base for the game. The Guinness World Record Challenges game puts players’ knowledge about Guinness World Records to the test and challenges opponents to demonstrate some nifty record- breaking skills using everyday household items. Players compete to answer some of the 600 Guinness World Record question cards, but the crux of the game is to complete the challenges quicker or more successfully than their opponents. Cross the finish line with three challenge cards to win. In Evil Eye, each player faces one candle and must blow hard on the candle when it glows yellow to score points. Hide when the Grim Reaper looks round though, because if he catches players he’ll turn their candle red and for five seconds they can no longer score points.

Families will be going bananas for Worlds Apart’s newest active game, Monkey Mania. Taking traditional board games away from the table-top, Monkey Mania is the cheeky chimp challenge where the fastest wriggler wins! This hilarious, highenergy game combines laugh out loud moments with active family fun. Featuring a cheeky plush monkey with an electronic sound unit, players must take it in turns to spin the spinner to see where to place the monkey’s hands. Once attached, simply pull the monkey’s tail to start the timer. Players must wriggle and shake to escape the ape, while he makes crazy monkey sounds and clings on for dear life. Once the monkey has been shaken off, the player must run to where he lands and pull his tail to stop the timer. The player with the fastest time wins.

Play through the nose WowWee

020 3598 0272 (Jazwares) www.jazwares.com What’s That Smell is the unique new game from WowWee, where taking a sniff makes you a winner. The new the scratch and sniff party game is eagerly anticipated and already gaining fans. What’s that Smell is the first-ever hilarious fragrant-guessing party game that opens up to a world of interesting whiffs. Guess the scents correctly to win or suffer the stinky consequences. Download the companion App to capture it all on the CamReekorder! Includes 50+ Smells including 4 Stank Cards, tokens, cardholders, and score pad. WowWee toys are distributed in the UK by Jazwares.

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Property Spotlight Character Options

Poké mania Character Options is putting fans at the centre of the action with its new Pokémon toy range. TnP caught up with Brand Manager Sophie Beard to learn more about one of the biggest launches of the year — and why fans are raving about it

ew brands come close to the levels of success and recognition Pokémon has cultivated over the past two decades. From swapping their first cards in the TCG to chasing legendary Pokémon around the local park on Pokémon Go, and following the adventures of Ash Ketchum and Pikachu on TV, Pokémon has penetrated every facet of fans’ lives. Now the property has returned to the toy aisle with a refreshed collection of plush, action figures and role-play items, all designed with fans in mind. Putting fans at the centre of the experience, the new range from Character Options gives Poké-maniacs an exciting new way to interact with their favourite characters. There are four scales of action figures to collect, each intricately detailed and true to their scale in the fiction, from smaller Pokémon in two-inch static figures to the impressive legendary Pokémon in articulated, 12-inch scale. “The passion of the fans makes working on the range all the more rewarding,” says Brand Manager Sophie Beard. “The key to the success of our range is detail. Realistic detailing and quality of build throughout the whole range has been happily received and noted by core Pokémon fans which shows the hard work has been worth it!”

“

The passion of the fans makes working on the range all the more rewarding

This attention to detail continues through a full range of plush — historically a favourite category with fans — from pocket money Clip-ons and soft Poké Balls through to the irresistible talking Power Action Pikachu with realistic lights and sound effects. A choice of fun role-play items round out the range, including the Clip ’n’ Go Poké Ball Belt set for fans to proudly wear their Poké Balls. Pokémon’s audience is as unique as the property itself and, as Sophie explains, there’s something special for each of them. “Now more than 20 years old, the Pokémon brand is a global and truly unique property celebrating innovation and adventure and appealing to both young adults and a new generation of young fans,” he says. “Character is thrilled to be in partnership at such an exciting time for the brand and we are all looking forward with great anticipation to bringing this innovation and excitement through to the toy range.” The toy range launches at an exciting and busy time for the brand. Character will of course be supporting the “Our close working relationship with the Pokémon brand has launch with a massive marketing campaign, been pivotal to the successful launch of the range and working including extensive closely with the team at Pokémon has enabled us to link in TV activity, targeted with all licensing partners and brought us closer to the trading

”

Sophie Beard on working with The Pokémon Company International

TnP’s Rhys Thomas with Brand Manager Sophie Beard at the official launch event

press coverage in key gaming and boys’ magazines, influencer partnerships linked in with The Pokémon Company International, and more. Beyond this activity, Pokémon will be everywhere, from cinema screens to games consoles and handhelds. “This side of Christmas we’re looking forward to the launch of the wave two figures range hitting shelves around the same time as the exciting Nintendo Switch titles Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!” explains Sophie. “These events are sure to encourage fans to stores and will bring newness to the collection before the peak Christmas trading period.” After Christmas, the brand will be refreshed with new packaging and characters to tie-in with the blockbuster movie ahead of its launch in May. And that’s not all. “There’s loads more in the plan for the second half of 2019 from both a brand and toy perspective view,” Sophie reveals. “But as is often the case, it’s still under wraps so you’ll have to watch this space!”

card and video game brand pillars.”

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Consumer

insight

Be a sport The role of sports in the girls’ ecosystem is poised for change and there are ample opportunities for brands to get involved, as Nick Richardson, CEO of The Insights People, finds

s we emerge from the other side of the World Cup fever which swept the nation, sport is still a hot topic. For the first time in their lives, those under the age of 18 witnessed England’s senior men’s team play in the World Cup Semi Final. The impact of this is reflected in our data, with the top career choice for boys being footballer. Our data also shows football to be the sport most participated in by boys, with 53 per cent of all boys taking part. However, that’s compared to just 15 per cent of girls. In addition to this, 21 per cent of girls say they don’t currently play any sport at all, compared to just 14 per cent of boys.

Which sports do you participate in?

their inaugural match against Liverpool in early August, and Barcelona will be taking both men’s and women’s football on a joint pre-season tour for the first time. This increase in commercial exposure, alongside government-led support, makes the women’s game well equipped to continue its growth. This doesn’t mean there’s not still work to be done to close the gaps, as it’s not just participation in sport where we see a vast gender divide. Twice as many boys say they watch football than girls. And twice as many girls say they watch no sport at all than boys. This year, 20-year-old Jamie Chadwick (pictured above) hit the headlines for becoming the first female driver to win a British Formula 3 race. The BBC’s Vicki Sparks recently became the first woman to commentate live on a televised World Cup match in the UK. With the Women’s Hockey World Cup currently taking place in London, the Netball World Cup coming to Liverpool in July 2019 and the Women’s Football World Cup next year, will we see our stats change as girls see more prevalent role models in sport? If work can be done to attract the 21 per cent of girls who don’t watch any sport at all, it could prove to be a previously untapped market. There are many opportunities on the horizon for brands to get involved with women’s sport, inspiring the next generation of girls in the process.

Sports watched

A number of factors could be contributing to this disparity between genders. It’s interesting to note that non-participation in sport increases among girls as they leave secondary school, rising from 19 per cent among 13 to 15 year olds to 34 per cent of 16 to 18 year olds. In comparison, non-participation in sport among boys only increases from 13 per cent to 19 per cent. When it comes to attending extra-curricular sports clubs, boys are again more likely to attend clubs than girls at all age groups. Despite this, it seems we could be on the cusp of change. There are on-going initiatives in place to increase participation among girls, including a women’s football initiative entitled #WhatIf, which has cultivated some exposure. Manchester United, the team that scores highest among girls, recently announced that they would be creating a women’s team. The team played

Kids Insights is the most comprehensive and dynamic market intelligence resource on all things kids, tweens and teens in the UK. They survey 400 kids aged four to 18 every single week, making everything you need to know about what is going on in the kids’ ecosystem available in real-time, with expert insights into ‘flash’ and’ global’ trends every quarter.

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ambas

t a e r G

s r o o d t ou

A special edition of of TnP’s ever popular TnP Ambassadors feature this month focuses on the world of outdoor toys. From scooters to bug collectors, our toy testers have put some of the most popular products on the market through their paces to give you a sense of why they love them and how best to sell them in-store. The TnP Ambassadors took to their gardens, local parks and cul-de-sacs to bring you their thoughts. Who would have thought Learning Resource’s Critter Habitat would bring a family a new appreciation of snails, or that three-year-old Esme would drive her dad mad wanting to take her Range Rover ride-on for a spin at all hours of the day? Read over the next eight pages the stories and experiences of real families – and hear exactly what they think.

“My favourite part is the glittery wheels, a detail true L.O.L fans will love”

Number one L.O.L fan Ella on MV Sport’s L.O.L Surprise! In-line Scooter

“It is fun to go on rides in the garden. I like it, it is fast and it is really fun. It is my best garden toy and I am going to drive it to work when I am big” Esme, three, on Wilton Bradley’s Range Roger SVR Electric Ride On

Four-year-old Daisy loved Learning Resources’ GeoSafari Jr. Critter Habitat

“I think this is actually a clever replacement for a traditional paddling pool, with all the fun of mucking around in the water, just with more play value. We had a great afternoon in the scorching sun, and my sister says it was in and out for the rest of the summer”

Uncle Simon on Simba SMoby UK’s Aquaplay Mega Lock Box

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ys To r Outdoo sadors

ambas

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se, a l i ce n t e g to o u g h sto p t h r e e n e d l n ew n’t o g to S h e i s t i s n ’ t g o i n t a k i n g h e r n ce a ha om but th ve r y c h e y me fr e s E n i d p l t s y e a r - o o ve r f o r a e l l s u s h o w s o m e e R t R a n g e s . D a d S a m ra d l ey ’ s a w n B et ide O l to n she g tric R th Wi i c e w l E n VR g ot o oger S R e g Ran

Esme says…

go on " It is f u n to rides in t h e ik e it, it g a rde n . I l it is is fast a n d . My re a l ly f u n cie l ik es f rie n d Gra had a go it a n d s h e a me f or when she c best t e a . It is m y n d I a g a rde n toy drive o t a m g oi n g when I it to m y j ob a m bi g ."

My little girl Esme loves coming out for a ride in the car with daddy – what threeyear-old doesn’t? At least, she used to. Now, thanks to Wilton Bradley and their brilliant Range Rover ride-on, she likes to get behind the wheel of her own motor. I must say, I think this looks absolutely bang on the money – unmistakably it’s a Range Rover and the details are brilliant. It comes boxed up in a few different parts, so there is some light assembly, but if you have even the most rudimentary tool kit and five minutes, the job’s a good’un. The build quality is really great: it’s sturdy, it’s slick, and I can already tell from the few bumps and scrapes Esme has got into with it in the garden that the ride-on can handle a bit of rough play – and that’s obviously what any kid wants to do with their very own off-roader. For a toy, I’m actually really impressed. Esme has just about every outdoor toy going, from scooters to a little trike and a few other animal-shaped ride-ons, but they haven’t even had a look in since we got the Range Rover. That’s fine by me – I’m really happy with it. I do have to admit I was a little apprehensive about the fact it’s

battery powered. I thought it might be a bit wild and too fast for her, but it goes at a nice pace that isn’t going to get her in trouble and won’t make her bored, either. It has a back rest too, so there’s no chance of Esme toppling off the back. Little design choices like this make it well worth the money for me. A big bonus – and this is a mum and dad thing more than anything – is that it takes no time at all to charge and the battery lasts absolutely ages – seriously, most of the afternoon. I remember having things like this when I was a kid and waiting all afternoon for it to charge, all for two whole minutes of action. If only my phone manufacturer could take a leaf out of Wilton Bradley’s book in this regard! All in all, I give this two thumbs up, so does mummy, and Esme has been blown away by it. We wanted a quality toy that would provide lots of afternoons (and mornings it turns out) of fun for Esme, and we more than got that.

Contact

Wilton Bradley 01626 835400 www.wiltonbradley.com

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Learn More / Request a Catalogue • Tel: 01626 835400 www.wiltonbradley.co.uk • Email: sales@wiltonbradley.co.uk

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ambas

e r u t a e r C e r u t fea s y a s y Dais and I love Sid I love se. It’s my u his ho y ever! o best t

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Key features ■■ Includes 2x, 3x, and 4.5x magnification ■■ Chunky design, ideal for little hands ■■ Encourages hands-on science for young explorers 60

Four-year-old Daisy has a new best pal called Sid the snail who lives in her Learning Resources GeoSafari Jr. Critter Habitat. Dad Ryan tells us how the toy opened Daisy’s eyes to a whole new world of possibilities I returned home from work recently and was greeted by Sid, the newest addition to our family. He isn’t a dog, a cat, or one of my daughter Daisy’s friends. He’s a snail – or at least, we’re calling him a he. I’ve no idea how to gender a mollusc. Sid became part of our lives thanks to Learning Resources’ brilliant GeoSafari Jr. Critter Habitat. Part bug hotel, part scientific observation tool, the basic idea is to root around the garden, find a critter and give it a new home in the Critter Habitat where kids can peer in and ask a million different questions even the most qualified entomologist would struggle to answer. Just where exactly are a snail’s eyelashes? Like any four-year-old girl, Daisy loves her glittery crafts and girly rainbow unicorns, but she’s most at home down the bottom of the garden, digging through the dirt with her two older brothers. And that’s exactly where they took the Critter Habitat and met Sid. They all loved playing together – a minor miracle – and after a few failed attempts to enmesh a leaping grasshopper, the snail’s relative treacle-pace made him the ideal new companion. Snail in tow, it was back to the house for a closer look. After a quick question to Alexa, the kids discovered that snails eat leaves. So back out they went into the garden picking the greenest and lushest sprouts they could find – only the best for Sid. A rotating feeder feature means the kids can keep critters well fed without them escaping the Critter Habitat, although I imagine this feature is more critical with faster moving bugs. The kids had a great time using the magnified sections to take turns looking at Sid, and they spent the whole afternoon doing paintings inspired by the swirls of his tiger’s eye shell. Sid was a welcome guest at our house for two days, and then mum and I decided it was time to put him back. Since then we’ve had a so many ants, beetles, and spiders enjoying a sojourn in the Critter Habitat that I’ve considered setting up an Airbnb account and packing in the day job. But it’s seriously sparked the imaginations of Daisy and her brothers. They’ve learned lots of new things – one being that snails don’t actually have eyelashes – and have been on a crusade to recycle and keep the earth healthy for their new friends. Quite the action-packed and thought-provoking summer holiday for £20. I can see us adding many more Learning Resources products to the lab in the near future.

Contact

Learning Resources 01553 819 380 www.learningresources.co.uk

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Great ranges for the great outdoors

Our award winning GeoSafari and GeoSafari Jr range of outdoor toys has been designed using bright colours and chunky pieces, perfect for little explorers. ®

ys To r Outdoo sadors

ambas

Simon says…

Mega fun What Simba Smoby says The Mega Lock Box is the ultimate Aquaplay water adventure set. With 62 pieces, children can gather together and have countless hours of fun. The Mega Lock Box has a cool water canal system that is huge! Aquaplay is a playful way of educating children on how the water moves and how water levels rise. The Mega Lock Box also offers the possibility to detach the playset, which makes it perfect to pack and bring along on travels with the children.

Four-year-old Evie and her Uncle Simon love nothing more than an excuse to get out in the garden and soak the patio. They tested out the Aquaplay Mega Lock Box – and it’s safe to say they had a whale of a time Even though I have a little one of my own, I’m not one to shirk my uncle responsibilities when it comes to my niece Evie – and everybody knows that means turning up, unannounced, with a big box of toys and mischievous grin. Now this toy has Mega right in the name, so I know we were on to a winner from the outset – and let me tell you, this is not hyperbole. The Mega Lock Box is a mammoth toy, giving it the wow factor instantly. It says there are 62 pieces, but as soon as you start unboxing it, you could tell me there were 10,000 parts and I’d believe you – and what child doesn’t love a big box filled with lots of bits to get stuck into. Despite the seeming immensity of the project, it’s very simple to piece everything together and we had a real laugh connecting it all up. Once the water is in, it’s time to play. We had a whale of a time ferrying the little figures about, raising and lowering the cargo, crossing the bridge and, of course, having a good splash around.

ck Box The Mega Lo h toy, is a mammot e wow giving it th ntly… factor insta Despite the nsity seeming imme , ect of the proj ple to it’s very sim ing th piece every nd we together a laugh had a real it co n n ec t in g all u p.

I think this is actually a clever replacement for a traditional paddling pool, with all the fun of mucking around in the water, just with more play value. We had a great afternoon in the scorching sun, and my sister says it was in and out for the rest of the summer too. Luckily, it all folds up neatly – clearly parents and uncles were accounted for in the design – which for me is a big selling point. All too often you buy a big toy and it takes forever to set-up and then twice that again to pack it all away. A small thing, perhaps, but it’s this kind of attention to detail that makes a big difference for time-poor parents. I will definitely be seeking out Simba toys again based on that convenience alone. All in all, I think this would work great not just for the summer, but as a big Christmas pressie, too. And for my fellow uncles out there looking to get your big sis rolling her eyes and little niece jumping for joy, the Aquaplay Mega Lock Box ticks all the right boxes.

Contact

Simba Smoby Toys UK 01274 765030 www.simba-dickie.com

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NEWCOMER LICENSE 2018 Strong ratings continue to increase, number 1 animated program on CBBC and is constantly a top ten viewed property on the channel. Simba product line offering attractive profit margins and price points. Intensive 360° marketing support.

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13.08.18 16:10

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f O s t o L e v o L Lots of love Self-proclaimed number one L.O.L Surprise! fan Ella, seven, took MV Sports’ L.O.L Surprise In-line Scooter with Plaque and Glitter Sticker Set for whirl — along with the L.O.L Surprise Ramp Helmet with Glitter Sticker Set. Both mum Hayley and Ella were surprised with the results — for all the right reasons Ella is the biggest L.O.L Surprise! fan out there – and just one look around her playground each morning tells you there are a lot of them. So it’s unsurprising she was completely delighted with this scooter from MV Sports. It’s the first scooter Ella has ever had.

“

The scooter itself is really good quality, and the grip on the handles and foot board means I know she won’t go tumbling off with every little bump

“

She’s had bikes and roller skates, but never really shown an interest in scooters before. My goodness did that change fast – she was laced into her shoes, out the door and flying down the cul-de-sac in the blink of an eye. “I’ve got to show everyone,” she squealed. “This is so, so cool.” Safety is always a concern with me when it comes to scooters, bikes, anything that Ella can whizz along on. No need worry with the complementary helmet, which not only looks “really cool” according to Ella (not often a helmet gets the style thumbs up) but it’s a sturdy piece of kit and the adjustable straps fit her perfectly, which gives me great peace of mind. Ella tells me it’s also very important to mention that it comes with a bundle of stickers to personalise it – and the rest of your bedroom! It doesn’t come bundled in with the scooter, but it looks great and does just the job, so I’d recommend anyone to pick one up. The scooter itself is really good quality, and the grip on the handles and foot board means I know she won’t go tumbling off with every little bump. Ideal for Ella with her first time out on a scooter, and it meant we could let our neighbours’ kids, who are a year younger, join in on the fun too. Yes, I know these are boring parent-y things, and not what Ella loves about it, but these are all the I look for with any ride on, and I know my friends do too. I must admit, I did put some of these snaps in our mummy group chat because I think Ella looks very cute, and they all agreed. Two of the mums have already bought these and squirreled them away in the loft for Christmas – so we may very well have a scooter squad racing their way up and down to the park over the festive break.

s y a s Ella e urit vo a f y M the part is y glitter , a wheelstrue detail ns a L.O.L f will love

Of course, Ella loved the scooter for completely different reasons. I’ll let her tell you in her own words: “I love the picture on the front of the scooter – I have all those dolls in my collection. Me and my friends all love L.O.L. and I have lots and lots of fun riding this scooter around. I’m going to ride it to school when we go back after the summer holidays if mummy lets me.” So it’s two thumbs up from Ella and I – and no surprise at all that the scooter is such high quality. We’ve bought MV Sports bikes before on word of mouth and have never been disappointed.

Contact

MV Sports 0121 748 8000 www.mvsports.co.uk

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Feature

Pre-Christmas advertising

Box clever It’s the time of the year when the jingle of bells and powder snow accompany every TV ad. The toy industry is one of the biggest marketing forces on the box in the run up to Christmas, and TnP learns what’s planned for 2018

hat’s on the box this Christmas? Well, probably re-runs of The Vicar of Dibley and a showdown in Albert Children Square come Christmas day. But in the run up to are the biggest the festive season it’s time for the toys to shine influencer for as the biggest toy brands our products so spotlight their latest and greatest ranges to attract the advert the millions of family needs to be members looking to give the little ones in their memorable, fun lives a Christmas to and engaging remember. For Alpha Toys and Kerry Tarrant, Alpha Animation, it’s full steam Animation and Toys ahead this year, as Marketing Manager Kerry Tarrant explains: “We have two brand new adverts for Super Wings which will air from September right the way through to Christmas. It is important to build early awareness, considering both the timing of when the retailer Christmas catalogues hit the shelves and when kids start making their Christmas wish lists.” Also airing from Alpha is the first ever influencer TV ad starring YouTube stars Tekkerz Kid and

“

”

Lonny for the new Screechers Wild! “We’ve had great feedback so far, which is always encouraging,” says Kerry. Playmobil is also gearing up for a busy festive season, with a heavyweight TV campaign airing from this month. “It will run all the way through until Christmas, with multiple themes focusing on the City Life Aquarium range, Country Horse Farm and Porsche 911 GT3 Cup,” reveals Adam Moore, Social Media and Marketing Co-ordinator at Playmobil. “TV remains a large part of our Christmas marketing as this is the time of the year when parents and children are looking for that all-important Christmas present.” But simply being on the box is no longer enough to guarantee success, particularly with the rise of influencers and growing trend for parents to look to their peers on social media for buying tips. “Our TV plans are always linked to 360-degree campaigns that cover a variety of media, including consumer magazines for both adults and children,” says Adam.

Similarly, Alpha is continuing with a mulit-pronged approach to its messaging, Kerry says. “TV still remains a very costeffective way to generate sales and to reach a mass audience,” she explains. “That said, TV needs to be one of a few different touch points when marketing to kids and parents. The expanding emergence of digital as a marketing platform cannot be ignored.” And the importance of great creative cannot be understated. “It is a competitive environment and we are all fighting to ensure our products are the ones on children’s Christmas lists. Creativity speaks volumes & doing something different will be the key to standing out,” Kerry says. And, ultimately, “children are the biggest influencer for our products so the advert needs to be memorable, fun and engaging,” says Kerry.

The experts say… Alex Taylor-Smith of Generation Media, the UK and Ireland’s largest independent media buyer of toys and games advertising, shares his insight.

“Despite the inflationary pressures on kids’ linear TV, pound for pound it still ranks as the most cost effective media channel for delivering audio visual media to kids’ audiences. It is the only medium which delivers significant unique coverage in a single hit, and should therefore still be the cornerstone of media strategies, where budgets allow.”

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Feature

Pre-Christmas advertising

Baby love IMC Toys UK 01904 720 908 www.imctoys.com IMC kicks starts it’s Christmas marketing drive with strong TV campaigns across its varied portfolio, including Club Petz, Play Fun, Bloopies, Baby Wee, Baby Wow, Cry Babies Magic Tears and Cry Babies. Best-selling feature plush range Club Petz TV campaigns commenced this August. TV investment will focus on the brand-new products to market – Mystery Mao, Betsy and Bowie – with a strategic TV campaign delivering nearly 3000 TVRs in total. Mystery Mao, the bewitched mind reading cat, launched in October 2018 and will deliver 500 TVRs, plus a comprehensive digital campaign, including work with popular YouTube influencers. TV support for Bowie the Kissing Puppy will deliver 500 TVRs, in addition to a targeted digital campaign. Interactive doll range Baby WOW enjoyed strong growth last year in the feature doll category. This year the brand will benefit from TV support, with activity planned across the range from September that’s set to deliver 1300 TVRs over the key Christmas period. The investment will support this year’s new Baby WOW sibling Megan and 500 of the TVRs will be dedicated a Baby WOW favourite, Chatty Emma. Top selling doll brand Cry Babies will showcase 800 TVRs across the range, featuring the brand new wave of dolls, Nala, Dotty and Lady. TV will span August to December in line with IMC’s ‘always on’ strategy. IMC will also be heavily investing to support its new launch of Cry Babies Magic Tears collectables.

TV treats Bandai

Talk of the town Epoch making toys 08435 574062 www.sylvanianfamilies.com Epoch making toys has secured 1,700 TVRs to ensure that best-selling items from Sylvanian Families Town, the brand’s biggest product launch in its 30-year history, end up under Christmas trees nationwide. The adverts concentrate on the most popular items from the new range including Grand Department Store, Ride Along Tram and Delicious Restaurant.

Trending on TV Trends UK

01295 768078 01353 724140 (Independents) www.trendsuk.co.uk Trends UK is supporting its fantastic portfolio of Peppa Pig ELA’s with TV, marketing and PR campaigns. New TV commercials have been developed for Peppa Pig ELAs to showcase the learning and skills development that children can learn along the way. Megableu games will also feature strongly on the small screen.

0208 324 6160 www.bandai.co.uk With high profile brands and strong TV and marketing support, retailers can rely on Bandai to deliver strong sales this Christmas! Wrapping themselves around girls’ hearts everywhere are Pomsies, the collectable Pom-Pom pets with soft, cuddly fur faces and tails kids can wrap around their wrist, hair, backpack, clothing and more. The launch in July has been a global success and Q4 will see the arrival of all-new series 2 characters. With them will come heightened marketing activity including a heavyweight TV schedule. Another sensation is Smooshy Mushy and this much-loved slow rise collection will be entering series 5 by the time the Christmas rush begins. This new collection will introduce the sweetest wave of characters of all called Sugar Fix, complete with their candy themed Besties. Retailers can be sure of huge awareness thanks to a brand new TVC. Rescue Runts will be another pre-Christmas launch that will be front of mind with kids. These lovable little pets have tears in their eyes, dirty paws and messy fur full of fleas, and need kids to clean them up and give them a forever home! TV, kids’ press and digital activity begin as these scruffy pups hit the shelves ensuring they are definitely the fourlegged friend of the festive season. Fans of Big Hero 6 will be sure to have the Flying and Flame Baymax on their Christmas lists thanks to a marketing drive that includes TV and unboxing videos. Finally, the popularity of Bandai’s Power Rangers range will reach new heights as the brand celebrates its 25th anniversary. TVCs for key lines for the Super Ninja Steel collection will include the Lion Fire Morpher and Deluxe Battle Gear.

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9478 Horse Box ‚Lucky & Spirit‘

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09.08.18 10:32

Feature

Pre-Christmas advertising

Big worlds, small screen Playmobil

Sky high Alpha Animation & Toys 01293 804599 In the run-up to Christmas, Alpha Animation & Toys will deliver a strong marketing plan with a comprehensive media strategy that includes branded TVCs, digital and social media initiatives. TV advertising for the hit pre-school animation Super Wings will begin in September with two different creatives. The first will showcase the popular Jett’s Takeoff Tower and the second Jett’s Super Robot Suit including Transforming Vehicles. TV will continue in October covering the key half-term period and then again throughout the majority of November for the seasonal period. The targeted TVC campaign will appear across a mix of core preschool channels reaching an impressive 700+ TVRs. Targeted Facebook and Instagram activity will accompany the TV campaign, alongside a number of exciting marketing initiatives, including a brand partnership with renowned travel company Flybe and influencer activity. Alpha recently announced the launch of a new TVC for its exciting transforming property, Screechers Wild! The unique advert features top kidfluencer talent Tekkerz Kid and Lonny Bone battling it out to be the ultimate Screechers champion. The Screechers Wild! advert first aired in August and will run throughout the AW18 period. The TVC will play out on top boys’ channels, such as Pop Max, Pop, Disney XD & Cartoon Network. An ongoing digital product and content promotion will accompany the TV advertising campaign, including long-form content, product reviews and influencer activity, launching weekly throughout the holiday season. Last, but not least, Alpha will also be adding to its advertising schedule with Terra-Sect. The advert will showcase the unique product as it it rolls, flips and crawls in any direction, making it unstoppable. The TVC will run throughout the festive buying period, with a focus on channels reaching boys aged 7 – 12 years old.

01268 548111 www.playmobil.co.uk Playmobil will be hitting the small screens in the lead-up to Christmas. The brand is launching a new advertising campaign that will focus on 14 key product ranges, including popular sets such as Children’s Hospital, City Action and Wedding Ceremony. In the run up to Christmas, sets such as the Porsche GT3 Cup, Aquarium, Police Global Launch, Horse Farm, Fairies, DreamWorks Dragons, Dino’s, Real Ghostbusters, and Top Agents, as well as the exciting Playmobil Advent Calendars, will also be appearing in the iconic brand’s new campaign. There have been multiple new products launched throughout 2018 such as the Spinning Spaceship Ride, along with the all-new cosy Ski Lodge, available from September.

Wowing audiences WowWee 020 3598 0272 (Jazwares) www.jazwares.com

The Spirit of Christmas GP Flair 020 8643 0320 www.flairplc.co.uk Flair is going all out to ensure its girls’ brands are front of mind this Christmas with an abundance of marketing initiatives across the portfolio. Spirit Riding Free joins the portfolio in late September and with it will come a major launch campaign that will continue through to Christmas.

Continuing to support the popular and best-selling WowWee brands, Jazwares will promote all the new product launches with high-level TV campaigns, social media activity, retail partnerships and PR campaigns from launch through to Christmas. Untamed are the new interactive dinos with new launches throughout A/W. WowWee toys are distributed by Jazwares in the UK.

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Horse Club Trade Ad - PRINT READY.pdf

CMY

23/08/2018

4:24 pm

Feature

Pre-Christmas advertising

Making magic

A vivid showcase

VTech

01483 449944 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk

01235 555 545 www.vtech.co.uk

Vivid’s TV campaigns will support its new AniMagic launches, as well as four animated shorts featuring these cute pups. Autumn 2018 will see the Science4You range TV advertised for the first time ever. Other supported launches include Shimmeez, Best Furry Friends (BFF), Nella the Princess Knight. Leading the way for the Crayola portfolio, the new Ultimelt Pen will benefit from strong TV advertising support from launch as part of a 360 campaign which includes digital marketing and social media support.

VTech plans on TV advertising 16 different product lines during A/W 2018, including Myla the Magical Make Up Unicorn, targeting both children and their mums. During the peak season, 88 per cent of Housewives with children under the age of three years old will see a VTech advert at least once. This equates to a unique audience of 2.2m housewives with children 0 to three! Similarly, the same size unique audience total of 2.2m children between the ages of four to six year olds will be reached, as approximately 90 per cent of kids that age will see a VTech advert at least once. With mums spending an increasingly large portion of their day browsing social media – 59 per cent of Pre-school mums check social networks five-plus times a day* – VTech will also have a consistent digital presence this A/W. The company will be targeting mums where they consume media from early September right up until the Christmas season with engaging adverts and video content. *source: GB TGI 2017 Q3 Audience Female Main Shopper with Child 0-5

Vivid Imaginations

Polly returns Mattel “From the end of July up until mid December there will be a VTech product on air every week. By having this strong presence across the most popular channels and relevant programme mix, it will be hard to miss a VTech advert in the run up to Christmas, for both children and parents alike.” Rebecca Lazarus, Senior Brand Manager

Street smarts Sambro 0845 8739380 www.sambro.co.uk This Christmas Sambro focuses its attention in its successful Sesame Street range with an extensive marketing campaign, supported by TV and digital. The campaign will feature classic Tickle Me Elmo and the new feature animated plush, Hungry Cookie Monster. TV will air throughout October and showcase the loveable characters Hungry Cookie Monster and the ever-popular Tickle Me Elmo, which proved to be a sell-out line at Christmas last year. A heavyweight digital campaign will ensure continued momentum through the peak period right up to Christmas.

01628 500000 www.mattel.com Mattel continues to heavily support key items for the festive period with extensive TV campaigns. Launching this autumn, Mattel brings back the much-loved retro icon Polly Pocket. The new range includes miniature compacts and larger scale compacts with the Polly Pocket Big Pocket World Assortment and Polly’s Go Tiny Room playset – each compact comes complete with a fun theme, and surprise secret reveals. Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher Price and more will also be heavily supported throughout the period.

“Our re-launch of Tickle Me Elmo last year proved to be a great success and demonstrates that Sesame Street still resonates strongly with children today. The addition of Hungry Cookie Monster to this year’s range has already been very well received and we go into the Christmas season with strong listings. This year’s campaign builds on the success of 2017 with the addition of an extensive digital campaign to really drive engagement with parents in the run up to Christmas.” Ellie Griffiths, Marketing Manager, Sambro

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Feature

Pre-Christmas advertising Pre-Christmas advertising

Telly the whole story Ravensburger 01869 363800 www.ravensburger.com

Family favourites Hasbro

020 8569 1234 www.hasbro.com Get ready for Christmas with Hasbro’s latest toys and games, Nerf Laser Ops, Baby Alive, Monopoly Cheaters, and PlayDoh Kitchen Creations Ultimate Swirl Ice Cream Maker. The Nerf Laser Ops Pro Alphapoint 2-Pack blaster gives players everything needed to face off in an epic head-to-head laser battle. Little ones will enjoy playing mummy or daddy with the Baby Alive Potty Dance Baby doll. Monopoly Cheaters is the updated version of the classic Monopoly game where players are permitted to bend the rules and cheat to win.

With three heavyweight TV campaigns kicking-off in September and six campaigns launching in October, Ravensburger is supporting retailers by TV advertising a large number of products from across the range this season. Campaigns launching in September include the new and innovative STEM construction range GraviTrax, the exciting family game Make ‘n’ Break and the modern classic game Labyrinth. The 20-second GraviTrax TV ad is aimed at a core audience aged seven to 12 and is designed to drive demand for the track-based STEM construction range.

Rein-ing champ Schleich 01279 870000 Schleich@Schleich-s.co.uk

Small screen heroes

Character Options 0161 633 9800 www.character-online.com Collectables and playsets are a key focus for Character Options as the firm ramps up its preChristmas marketing schedule. The company commits to having the strongest of TV and marketing campaigns across its entire brand line-up. Two new collectables have entered the portfolio this autumn and they are sure to be at the top of the stocking filler wish lists thanks to heightened TV advertising from launch right through to the weeks before the big day. The new Disney Doorables collection ticks all the boxes for fans of the most loved Disney franchises. With its Mini, Multi or Mega Stack Playsets, children will soon learn that’s it’s easy to Mix, Match, and Stack their way to a whole Doorable world thanks to the new 20” TVC that will highlight the range. Added to the high number of TVRs is supporting activity including YouTube, pre-roll, digital microsites and more. Other Character brands supported are Tresure X, Little Live Pets and more.

Whether it’s the new horses and riders from Horse Club, new monsters or creatures from Eldrador Creatures, or the figures and playsets from the pre-school collections, Schleich will be supporting its retailers with extensive marketing, including TV activation this autumn. One of the most celebrated collector’s themes within the Schleich portfolio is Horse Club, and both print and digital campaigns will ensure it is front of mind with the core audience. All eyes will be on the stunning collection which will star in its own microsite that also introduces the main characters of the property: Hannah, Sofia, Lisa and Sarah. Hosted on Pop Fun, the activity will include TV promotion driving to the campaign site where kids can interact with the brand and find out more. Added to this is the launch of its own website www.horseclub. com/en, and a girls’ magazine advertising and competitions schedule that will reach over one million readers in the pre-Christmas period. Individual campaigns are also in place for the launch of the Eldrador Creatures with print press and digital activity part of the plan. Retailer kits encouraging interaction with the brand have also been created and distributed in late summer. The Wild and Farm Life collections will have similar activation, but this time on Tiny Pop. Children will be able to explore the features of the Large Farm House and animals, whilst at the same time learning all about the impressive Wild Life 4x4 Vehicle with Winch playset. To enhance the campaign, TV drivers will highlight the key lines as well as encourage children to take part in the online fun.

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Feature

interactive Bath Time

VTech

Juratoys

Cleaning up Bath time isn’t always filled with joy for kids, but some good quality toys and time with mum and dad can make all the difference. It’s why this category continues to thrive, and there’s more to it than a simple rubber duck…

ath time can either be the most relaxing half an hour of the day, or the most raucous, depending upon whether you’re a parent of a flannel-phobic fouryear-old or not. But for many of today’s busy parents, bath time is one of the few moments in their busy schedule when they get to spend real, quality time with their kids – and bringing toys to the tub can make the whole process a true joy for all. It’s why bath toys remain so popular, says Juratoys’ Sales and Marketing Manager Michelle Probert. While some children don’t enjoy bath time or have a sensory problem with it, Michelle says toys “play a huge part in distracting them and helping them learn to love it.”

Grace Astin, Sales Account Manager at Zimpli Kids, agrees. “It can often be a struggle for parents to persuade children to have a bath,” she says. “So the concept of combining play time and bath time is not only desirable to the child, but also to the parent as it makes their life much easier!” Among Juratoys’ diverse product range, Michelle reveals that the bath time sector is a “growing business” for the company, with products ranging from a floating map of the world puzzle to a foam and fun-filled hair salon role-play set. “We have seen a big uplift in terms of sales across the

Did you know… Tomy is following up the bestselling Foam Cone Factory with two new lines under the Toomies brand for 2018, Yuri the Turtle and Peryn’s Shower and Scrub

“

We have seen a big uplift in terms of sales across the bath time lines Michelle Probert, Juratoys

”

bath time lines from Alex,” Michelle adds. “We have some great products in the range, all with a unique design and added play value to make bath time fun!” Taking a less-traditional twist to bath time fun – where the objective is actually to make a little mess rather than scrub behind the ears – is Zimpli Kids. The company’s Slime Baff and Gelli Baff have been circulating on YouTube for a number of years, proving out to be viral hits that have clocked up more than 4.5 billion views between them. But despite a different approach to bringing fun to bath time, the same principals of parents and kids bonding is still at the core of their appeal. “All of our products have fantastic play value, and allow children to learn new key skills, whilst having fun,” explains Zimpli’s Grace. “The fact that our products can be used in the bath means parents are often involved in helping children create the Gelli or Slime. The interaction between parent and child means they both get to enjoy a unique, multisensory experience and get creative.”

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Feature Bath Time

Making a splash Tomy 01392 281928 www.tomy.com Tomy continues to be at the forefront of the bath category with exciting new launches in Tomy Toomies this Christmas, as well as innovative bath products and extensions from Boon. Tomy Toomies will follow the success of its sell-out Foam Cone Factory with two new lines. Expected to take the baton from Foam Cone as Tomy’s best-selling bath line, Yuri the Turtle is another role-play toy that creates fun, foamy hair-styles for Yuri’s octopus pal. Fill the turtle up with bubble solution and pull the lever for a soapy hairdo. Adding a lower price point for other gifting opportunities is Peryn’s Shower and Scrub. Children simply pull the lever on the tub and watch the bath fill with foam, once its full, turn the knob on the side of the bath to see Peryn fall into the water. Stylish brand Boon offers cool, modern mums simple, affordable and timesaving products that are true to their purpose. The range offers a collection of bath toys that are designed to create lots of bath-time fun and make parents’ lives easier. Under its collection are legendary Pipes, which come in five shapes that can be used individually or put together to make a chain. They also stick to the wall so the water goes back into the bath and not on the floor. New for 2018 is Cogs Water Gears, which suction to the wall and spin when water is poured in. Better still, they connect to the Pipes system for even more water play and learning. Also from Boon is the popular Frog Pod which makes bath time fun and tidy-up time even better for parents. The Frog Pod comes with a wall mounted base that helps drain the toys to reduce mould and mildew build up.

Sticking with Fiesta! Fiesta Crafts 020 8804 0563 www.fiestacrafts.co.uk

Going swimmingly IMC Toys UK 01904 720 908 www.imctoys.com Bloopies launched with phenomenal sales in 2017, quickly becoming a top selling bath toy. These underwater friends squirt water out of their mouth and snorkel when you press their tummy – and if it’s a bubbly bath they will blow bubbles too. There are six different characters to collect, each with their own cute swimsuit, diving fins and snorkel. There is also an exciting new addition to Bloopies for AW 2018, with the launch of Bloopies Deluxe Swimming Mimi Doll. Mimi is the Bloopies’ older sister and loves to swim. Kids can place her in the water and watch her go as she moves her arms to swim through the water. Mimi also squirts water out of her mouth and snorkel for extra bath time fun. She comes with a cute rubber ring, snorkel and swim fins. *No.1 Bath Toy (NPD Aug-Nov 2017)

Fiesta’s new Stickabouts bath stickers are perfectly designed to keep children entertained during the soapiest and splashiest of bath times. With a large scene piece – an island in the Magical Island set and a pirate ship in the Pirate Ship set – children will love sticking the main piece on to the bath itself, or any flat surface around. There are also loads of matching character pieces including mermaids, pirates, treasure and a variety of sea creatures.

Animal fun Skip Hop 01582 434250 www.skiphop.com Skip Hop, the innovative lifestyle brand and creators of the award-winning and muchloved Zoo Collection, welcomes two new toys to the range to bring on the fun at bath-time. Joining the Zoo family of products are Skip Hop Zoo Paddle & Go Owl and Skip Hop Zoo Count & Play Bath Puzzle. The Paddle & Go Owl can be wound-up by its wings to paddle and float during bath times. Lightweight and easy for little hands to hold, this colorful bath toy is a fun way for little ones to learn cause and effect.

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PLAY DIFFERENT….. with Janod The No 1 French wooden toy brand

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Feature Bath Time

Scrubbing up Juratoys

020 8878 2133 www.juratoys.co.uk

Arrr, me hearties!

It’s time for a geography lesson at bath time with the World Map in the Tub. The foam puzzle pieces float and stick to the wall when wet, allowing kids to learn about the entire world, complete with animals and fun landmarks. The set includes 29 colourful foam pieces and a suction cup mesh bag for storage. For some role-play fun, look not further than the Barber in the Tub. Kids can wash, groom and pretend they’re in the barber’s chair while in the tub. The clipper winds up and buzzes, and kids can check out and perfect their new look with the mirror and comb. Both toys are recommended for children of three year of age and older.

Pieces of great

VTech

Playmobil

01235 555 545 www.vtech.co.uk

01268 548111 www.playmobil.co.uk

VTech knows that little ones love to play in the bath and by combining closed cell technology with VTech values it is bringing innovation to the bath time market. A Pirate Ship is the new addition to the popular Toot-Toot Splash range of existing boats and sea creatures. Launching to set sail this year, this cute pirate ship will entertain children with the light-up face button that triggers fun music, realistic sound effects, pirate phrases and sing-along songs. The pirate ship will float around the bath or can be pushed around on its wheels when playing on dry land. By using closed cell technology, VTech is able to include electronics in all its well-liked bath time toys, adding value while maintaining the fun elements associated with water play. Splashing, squirting, pouring and bubbles are just some of the features that make a bath time toy fun for little ones, while the bright colours and lights ensure there is visual stimulation and the many manipulative features develop fine motor skills. Early language skills and auditory senses are stimulated with the catchy songs, melodies, sounds and phrases.

The all-new 1.2.3 Pirate Ship from Playmobil, which has been shortlisted for multiple awards, floats among bubbles while the big cannon ‘shoots’ water and can be removed for cleaning and drying, making it perfect for bath time play. The Pirate Ship comes equipped with two figures, a parrot, water cannon and treasure chest. There is standing space for a 1.2.3 figure in the crow’s nest on the mast along with room for an additional 1.2.3 figure behind the turning wheel. The integrated air chamber in the interior of the ship prevents it from sinking, even if is completely filled up with water The playset is suitable for ages 18 months and above.

Slime time! Zimpli Kids 08454 591 818 www.zimplikids.com Creator of viral phenomena Gelli Baff and Slime Baff, Zimpli Kids is the ultimate bath time hero, transforming boring bath water into thick colourful goo or slime – and back again. Both products have over 4.5 billion views on YouTube from independent reviewers worldwide and counting. Due to the huge success of these products worldwide, Zimpli Kids has extended the unique bath time range with new colours, scents and even glitter! This year, the company has launched brand new Glitter Slime Baff Pink and Purple, Tutti Frutti Smelli Gelli and Mega Baff Packs – a multipack box filled with bath time best sellers. The entire Zimpli bath time range is 100 per cent safe, boron free and easily disposed down the drain.

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FOR W NE /W A 8 201

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Licensing

news

Waffling on! Golden Bear has been appointed master toy partner for new BBC children’s series Waffle the Wonder Dog, which tells the tale of the world’s most mischievous puppy. Barry Hughes, MD of Golden Bear, said: “We were immediately drawn to Waffle because the show just looks so much fun and knew instantly that it would delight the CBeebies audience. The kids in the show beg to keep waffle in the household and we think parents will be happy for their children to adopt a lovely replica Waffle toy as a practical alternative to the real thing!” The brand new BBC comedy drama achieved the number one spot in the top 10 shows for children aged four to 15 when it launched in February with 30 x 11min episodes. Golden Bear’s products will begin launching in October with a Talking Waffle Soft Toy that features the show’s theme tune Waffle Doggie.

Top dogs A 25-piece Snoopy apparel and accessories collection is now available at Mothercare stores across the UK. The range includes baby apparel from Paul Dennicci, children’s nightwear from Aykroyds, accessories including socks from Misirli, shoes, bags and umbrellas from William Lamb and plush from Aurora. “We are seeing huge traction on the Peanuts brand and we’re so excited to see this range launch,” said John Taylor, Commercial Director UK at CPLG. “Licensees have worked hard to get a consistent look across the range, which really shows in the final results.” The range features Snoopy and Woodstock and has been designed using a style guide created specifically for the infant category.

Super collab takes off Alpha Animation and Toys and Flybe joined forces over the summer to ring the fun of the Super Wings property to kids aboard the airline operator’s flights. The partnership sees Super Wings branded activity sheets on board Flybe flights across 200 routes as of 15 August 2018, and is expected to reach 30,000 kids throughout the tail end of summer. Mark Hyndman, General Country Manager at Alpha Animation and Toys UK, said the partnership was a “no brainer, adding: “Super Wings’ core values centre around travel, culture, friendship and families, all of which resonate with Flybe and their brand values.” The on-board activity will be supported by additional digital and social media content across both www.flybe.com and Super Wings channels.

“Super Wings’ core values centre around travel, culture, friendship and families, all of which resonate with Flybe and their brand values.”

First picks for Pikmi Pops Bulldog Licensing has announced the first licensing partners for collectable sensation Pikmi Pops. The new licensing deals are with Aykroyds/TDP for nightwear and swimwear, and Blues for a leisurewear range. “Pikmi Pops only debuted a short while ago but is already making major waves in the UK licensing market,” said Bulldog Licensing Director Vicky Hill. “These initial deals are just the start. The brand has all the hallmarks of a huge success story and more announcements will follow very soon.” Created by Moose Toys and distributed in the UK by GP Flair, Pikmi Pops is a range of sweet-scented miniature plushies that come with surprises, packaged inside an iconic lollipop vessel.

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Head for the game zone Rascals has launched a new board game based on cult-classic game show The Crystal Maze. The game taps into all the fiendish fun of the show, with players faced by a labyrinth of perplexing puzzles and tricky challenges. Just like in the series, players must collect precious crystals to build the time needed to scramble for gold tokens in the game’s furious Crystal Dome finale. To bring added tension and authenticity to the glittering denouement, Rascals has also developed a free accompanying mobile app that features music and sound effects from the show – and even doubles as a handy timer during the challenges.

PAW-some treat for little heroes The inaugural PAW Patrol Little Heroes PAW Awards ceremony took place at Gloworm Festival last month. The awards champion little ones who deserve to be recognised for the challenges they have faced in their lives and how they have touched the lives of others. Family and friends were asked to nominate their real-life little heroes and the eight finalists were chosen from hundreds of entries. The winners, ranging in age from three to 10, received special awards inspired by the personalities of characters from the show. They were treated to a weekend at Gloworm with a very special VIP glamping experience, as well as attending their exclusive awards ceremony. “There was not a dry eye in the house,” said Charlotte Yates, Marketing Manager at Spin Master UK.

Food for fort Rubie’s Masquerade has inked a new partnership with game developer Epic Games to create a range of Fortnite dress up for the European market. The deal was brokered by IMG. “We are absolutely thrilled to be part of the Fortnite phenomenon,” said Tania Hrycko, Licensing Manager EMEA, Rubie’s Masquerade. «We will be launching with some of the most sought-after character costumes and accessories for tweens and adults alike and will continue to strengthen our range alongside the ever-evolving skins from Epic. We are so excited to be part of this journey with Epic Games.” Launching this A/W, the new Fortnite branded collection will feature costumes, masks and accessories.

September 2018

Dress to impress Smiffys has unveiled a number of new licensed ranges for the pre-school market featuring CBeebies favourites Bing, Postman Pat and the classic Wind in the Willows. The range will be on sale in time for World Book day 2019, a firm fixture in the school calendar and growing in popularity throughout nurseries nationwide. Smiffys’ new pre-school and baby range has been crafted in soft fabrics and cute detailing. The collection also includes characters from popular children’s books and pre-school television programs such as Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit, Roald Dahl and Where’s Wally.

Power day Hasbro coined a new day of celebration with the creation of an official National Power Rangers Day on 28 August. The first occasion marked 25 years since the original show first hit TV screens. Fans were encouraged to share their most memorable moments and proudly display the colours of their favourite rangers on social media with #NationalPowerRangersDay. A special episode of Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel will also aired that day in the US.

Spotlight on... Polly Pocket Almost 30 years since Polly Pocket first hit stores, Mattel is relaunching the 90s phenomenon in the original one-inch micro-scale and compacts that made her a toy icon. Her new ‘Tiny is Mighty’ ethos shows kids that being little isn’t a limitation, it’s her biggest strength

oduces New toy range intr Tiny six Polly Pocket Polly Compacts, three pacts, Pocket Large Com and Playsets

Themes inclu de Polly’s Picn ic, Shani’s Camping Trip , L Closet, Poll ila’s Aquarium an y’s d more

Accompanied by an animated series that will air on Pop from September

Adult fashio collection P n Pocket x Mim olly i launches alo Wade ngsid the toy line e Contact: Mattel 01628 500000 www.pollypocket.co.uk

10 million Polly Pocket micro-do lls sold since launch ... and counting!

Each compa c includes thr t accessories ee and micro-figure a

don’t miss… We bring to the fore a selection of the hottest and newest products that will help you sell more. Buyers and retailers, get in touch with your sales contact now!

Product: Super Wings Jett’s Super Robot Suit Company: Alpha Animation & Toys Tel: 01293 804599 Email: customerservices@alpha-animation.com

Product: Miximals Company: Green Board Games Tel: 01494 538999 Web: www.greenboardgames.com

Product: L.O.L Surprise! Scooter with Plaque and Glitter Sticker Set Company: MV Sports Tel: 0121 748 8000 Web: www.mvsports.co.uk

Product: Mix Up Clay Company: Alphabet Pie Tel: 020 8803 1043 Web: www.alphabetpie.com

Product: RAM 2500 Power Wagon with Scramble Ducati Desert Sled and driver Company: Bruder Tel: 01491 412415 (The Sales Partnership) Web: www.bruder.de

Product: Collector Snowman Company: Rainbow Designs Tel: 01329 227300 Web: www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk

Product: Dyson Cord-free Vacuum Company: Casdon Tel: 01253 608248 Web: www.casdon.co.uk

Product: Ozbozz Unicorn Scooter Company: H. Grossman Tel: 0141 613 2525 Web: www.ozbozz.co.uk

Product: Nighthawk Company: Rollplay Tel: 07986 971 902 Email: kingsley.li@goodbabyint.com

PLAY DIFFERENT….. With Janod

32 High Park Road, Kew Gardens, Richmond TW9 4BH • United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)20 8878 2133