State of the Nation: Nursery & Preschool

With a wave of toy and gift fairs planned for the next few months, the nursery and preschool category is set to enjoy a raft of new product launches and deals. LSB takes a look at some of the latest news.

All the Right: Baby Shark’s Big Show Mix & Match Bath Swimmer is among the new ToyTopic spring launches. small things

ToyTopic ready for Toy Fair

Ambitious ToyTopic is planning a number of new launches in the preschool space at Toy Fair (25-27 January). The company’s strategic partnership with WowWee is continuing to flourish, expanding product ranges and introducing new brands for 2022. Meeting the increasing demand for the popular Pinkfong Baby Shark brand, ToyTopic’s portfolio of plush, preschool, learning and bath toys includes the new Baby Shark’s Big Show Mix & Match Bath Swimmer, launching in the spring. In addition, ToyTopic will be launching a new PAW Patrol toy range, while it will also be expanding its relationship with Hasbro, with new licensed toys based on a selection of the company’s preschool licences including Peppa Pig. Further high profile announcements are also due to be revealed at Toy Fair, where ToyTopic can be found on stand G94.

Brave Bunnies hops in with new deals

Glowberry and its UK and Eire licensing agent and master agent for EMEA & APAC, Big Picture Licensing, have Above: The licensing confirmed a number of new deals programme for Brave for preschool brand, Brave Bunnies. Bunnies is steadily building. These include Spin Master as global master toy licensee with products due to launch this year including play-sets, figures, plush, games and puzzles. Penguin Random House is on board as a multi-territory licensee, joining DeA Planeta Libri in the publishing category. The first products to hit the shelves will be picture books, board books and little libraries which will launch Easter 2022 around the world. In addition, PMI will create homeware, BTS/stationery and collectables for a worldwide launch, while Roy Lowe & Sons has signed in the UK for socks. In Australia and New Zealand – which is handled by Centa IP – Caprice is on board for apparel, footwear, bags and home décor, while Five Mile Press will create a range of books.

Learn with Peppa extension unveiled

Hasbro has taken the wraps off Learn with Peppa, a major new brand extension to help promote early years learning. Towards the end of 2022, the programme will kick off with Hasbro’s in-house developed learning app. The offering will expand in January 2023 with an extensive publishing programme with Ladybird in English speaking markets outside of North America, with the publisher managing rights for most other languages as well. Learn with Peppa will also offer a new range of play experiences which will aim to deliver educational benefits. The roll out will be supported with content and marketing plans. “Themes of early years learning feature regularly in the show’s storylines, so the Learn with Peppa programme feels a natural expansion for the brand,” said Esra Cafer, svp global brand management at Hasbro. “We are excited to bring this initiative to life to help kids have fun and learn alongside their favourite animated characters.”

Blade & Rose welcomes Peter Rabbit

Penguin Ventures has secured a new Peter Rabbit apparel collaboration with Blade & Rose. The children’s clothing brand specialises in trend-setting leggings featuring stylish and quirky designs on the bottom, with matching accessories. The Blade & Rose x Peter Rabbit collection features five distinct designs – Veg Patch, Playtime, Floral, Classic and Festive which all take inspiration from Beatrix Potter’s Lake District, where Blade & Rose is based. Each set includes a long-sleeved top, matching leggings and socks for babies and preschool children aged 0-4 years. “Blade and Rose have done a fantastic job of bringing Peter Rabbit to life in their bold and colourful trademark style,” commented Jen Greenway, softlines category manager at Penguin Ventures.

Above: The Blade & Rose collection features five distinct designs.

Retail Monster adds Cry Babies Magic Tears

IMC Toys has appointed Retail Monster as its licensing agent as it looks to significantly expand the popular Cry Babies Magic Tears brand in the UK. Above: Licensing for Cry Babies Magic Tears in the The new partnership is testament UK will begin with apparel and publishing. to the performance of the Cry Babies Magic Tears brand in the UK, which has seen strong growth and success over the last 18 months. Licensing is a major part of IMC’s business in Spain and other territories worldwide. In less than two years the company has entered into agreements with more than 65 licensees in 40 regions, launching more than 500 licensed products across publishing, apparel, educational games, personal care and confectionery categories. IMC Toys hopes its the deal with Retail Monster will translate into a similar success story for Cry Babies Magic Tears in the UK market, where the licensing roll-out will launch with apparel and publishing.

Love Monster in for Comic Relief

Preschool brand Love Monster (licensed by Boat Rocker) is teaming up with Comic Relief to help raise money for Red Nose Day 2022. The collaboration will see the character feature on the Red Nose Day early years fundraising packs. Red Nose Day takes place on Friday 18 March, 2022. Tying in with Love Monster’s love of DJing and partying with the residents of Fluffytown, the pack has a festival theme and contains everything young fundraisers need to giggle, raise money and help change lives. It explains the background to Red Nose Day, gives lots of ideas and tips for nursery fundraising activities and provides helpful information such as sponsorship forms and how to submit donations. Comic Relief is also producing a range of bespoke mental health learning resources for nurseries.

Abovet: Love Monster will be on the decks in aid of Comic Relief this March.

Growth for Numberblocks

Learning Resources has partnered with Alphablocks to bring the Numberblocks characters from the screen into classrooms and homes across a wide range of toy categories. The master licensing agreement was brokered by Larkshead Licensing. Learning Resources and its sister company, hand2mind, will expand the popular Numberblocks content into a complete line of toys including plush, figures, play-sets, vehicles and more. The companies are also launching curriculum and other classroom items featuring the Numberblocks characters in 2022. The Learning Resources and Alphablocks relationship started last year with the successful launch of two Numberblocks MathLink Cubes Activity Sets. Inspired by the show itself, the learning sets mirror the content of the actual episodes providing hands on experiences for children ages three and up.

Above: Learning Resources is ready to expand the popular Numberblocks brand.