moves into costume play Jazwares has announced the formation of the costume play division: a new department that will focus on the development of licensed costumes. Led by costume industry veteran Stephen Stanley, the division will produce costumes for all ages including dress-up trunks with outfits, masks, and roleplay accessories for kids’ everyday costume play; high-end cosplay outfits, masks, and accessories suitable for comic conventions; as well as pet costumes, seasonal Halloween decorations and treat carriers. Jazwares’ first lineup of dress-up trunks and everyday costume play products will be available in Spring 2022, with all-new styles launching across retail channels for Halloween 2022, including hundreds of costumes, masks and other accessories featuring characters from the Star Wars galaxy, the Marvel Multiverse, Spider-Man’s Spiderverse, and Squishmallows. Jazwares has hired costume industry veteran Stephen Stanley to oversee the costume play team as general manager. A co-founder of the Halloween & Costume Association, he has more than 20 years of costume business experience. He served previously as co-president of Disguise and was most recently managing director of the licensed costume business at Rubie’s Costume Company.
Obituary: Stuart Crawford By Phil Ratcliffe, joint MD of MV Sports & Leisure Stuart Crawford died on 19 August aged 69 after a prolonged and debilitating illness. Stuart retired from MV Sports & Leisure in 2019 after 22 years with the company, having worked in the toy industry for more than 40 years. After training at Nestlé, Stuart’s first role in toys was in 1976 with Burbank Toys, followed by Acamas Toys in 1981, Pikit Toys in 1987, PMS in 1992 and MV Sports & Leisure in 1997. Stuart worked with all the major and independent retailers both past and present, and in particular he was a champion of the independent retail trade He was perhaps best known for his role as national account controller at MV Sports & Leisure. Ever popular and widely respected, Stuart was an honourable, trustworthy ambassador for the company. A ‘larger than life’ character who wore his heart on his sleeve, nobody had a bad word to say about him. He was loyal to both the wider toy industry and MV, demonstrating unwavering support to customers, agents, directors, and staff. His contribution to the industry was recognised with a BTHA Golden Teddy Award in 2018. A family man through and through, Stuart was always there for his children and grandchildren. He always thought of others before thinking of himself. Our thoughts are with his wife Marie and family at this sad time. He will be greatly missed. There will be a private family funeral and cards should be sent to MV Sports & Leisure, 35 Tameside Drive Birmingham B35 7AG. Donations can be sent to children’s charity Barnado’s at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ stuartcrawfordinmemoriam.
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TRENDS: TOYS THAT ENCOURAGE KIDS TO MAKE MUSIC Social media platforms and video games have become incubators for musical content creation and viral dances, and today’s toymakers are looking here for inspiration – a top 2021 trend first identified by The U.S. Toy Association, says senior communications specialist Kirstin Morency Goldman From TikTok-inspired dance moves to popular nursery rhyme channels like CoComelon and Little Baby Bum, and video games such as Fortnite, digital platforms are spawning pop culture crazes as well as new ideas for toys and games, according to Adrienne Appell, senior vice president of marketing communications at The U.S. Toy Association. While classic music toys will always be a staple in the toy aisles, this trend highlights the influx of new toys with a musical twist across categories, including screen-free audio players, construction toys that let kids build their own music videos, as well as dance- and musicinspired games, she says. For families looking to mix music into their own playtime routines, here is just a small sampling of the many toys that fit right in to this hot trend: Smartivity Music Machine (Elenco): With this STEM/STEAM DIY music activity kit, kids can assemble their own music machine, learn about music notations, and even compose and play their own tunes. DJ Mix and Spin Studio (Hape): This hands-on interactive music toy encourages little ones to explore rhythm and sound recognition (piano, organ, bass, and drum) as they interact with the turntable, mixer unit, and other features. They can even add fun scratch effects as they work on their hand-eye co-ordination. Loog Mini Electric (Loog Guitars): The Loog Mini Electric comes with flashcards to learn how to form chords, and an app that will have kids playing songs by artists ranging from The Beatles to Taylor Swift and more. Rhyme Antics (Rhyme Antics): Take a turn at this vocabulary game inspired by hip hop music. Players must think to the beat while they freestyle rap in proper English, testing their vocabulary knowledge at rapid speeds. CoComelon Official Musical Bedtime JJ Doll (Jazwares): Inspired by JJ, a popular character from the CoComelon YouTube series, This plush character has seven sounds and phrases, kids can squeeze JJ’s tummy. Kids can listen as he talks and sings the ‘Yes Bedtime’ song. Founded in 1916, The U.S. Toy Association is a not-for-profit trade association representing businesses involved in creating and delivering toys and youth entertainment products for kids of all ages. The U.S. toy industry has an annual U.S. economic impact of $97.2 billion and its 1,000-plus members drive the annual $27 billion U.S. domestic toy market. The Association serves as the industry’s voice on the developmental benefits of play and promotes play’s positive impact on childhood development to consumers and the media. It has a long history of leadership in toy safety, and remains committed to working with medical experts, government, consumers, and industry on programmes to ensure safe and fun play. The organisation produces the world-renowned Toy Fair New York and Toy Fair Dallas; advocates on behalf of members around the world; and chairs the committee that reviews and revises America’s widely emulated ASTM F963 toy safety standard.
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