GAMES & PUZZLES

Hippychick

Brand new for 2023 from Hippychick is Crocodile Creek, the latest introduction to its toy and gift portfolio. The range from Crocodile Creek includes floor puzzles, holographic puzzles and ‘almost impossible’ puzzles with themes that include planets, dinosaurs and wildlife.

Tel: 01278 434440 www.hippychick.com

Smartgames

Safari Park Jr is the new preschooler game from SmartGames. Suitable for ages three years and upwards the game challenges littles ones to move the animals into the picture-perfect position for a photo, but players must not forget that the lion doesn’t like water, the elephant can’t climb over the rocks and the giraffes are too tall to fit underneath the trees. It’s a 2-in-1 learning game for toddlers; puzzle or play. The fun factor is guaranteed as little ones can safely play with the figurines for added play value, and utilise the game board as a shape sorter / path finder to let their imaginations run wild.

Tel: 01903 885669 www.smarttoysandgames.co.uk

Learning Resources

Children will have lots of fun finding and pairing with this engaging Numberblocks game inspired by the hit CBeebies TV series. There are four ways to matchby Numberblocks One to Ten, Numberblobs, Number Fun, and Numberlings. The sturdy, full colour cards are designed for little hands and have colour-coded borders for easy game set-up. The game includes 80 cards and is suitable for one or more players.

Tel: 01553 762276 www.learning-resources.co.uk

Orchard Toys

Orchard Toys has an extensive portfolio of award-winning educational games, jigsaws and activity books, offering retailers a wide choice of product. Highlights for 2023 include Dinosaur Dig, the hero game, and Nutty Numbers headlining the brand’s new educational games. The new collection is ideal for preschoolers and beyond, with Farmyard Families and Bug Hunters leading the line-up for younger children.

Tel: 01953 859539 www.orchardtoys.com

Happy Little Doers

The Dinosaur Memory Match + Snap game from Happy Little Doers is a portable pack of 44 jumbo playing cards for all little dino lovers. Youngsters can play fun games with the beautifully illustrated cards and learn how to pronounce each dinosaur name at the same time. The game offers many key benefits including boosting memory, encouraging recognition and concentration and helping to develop speech and vocabulary.

Tel: 07884 186804 www.happylittledoers.com

Paul says that the company has “something for everyone” in its portfolio – from lower priced Disney collection puzzles through to Giant Floor Puzzles. Gabby’s Dollhouse has started well, with Clementoni expecting strong growth this year, while a new compact box format is launching to offer less wasteful packaging.

“Our preschool range covers the key licences children love including Peppa Pig, PAW Patrol and Baby Shark and we offer different formats which makes our range interesting and exciting,” Paul says. “For example, Giant Floor Puzzles with extra large size pieces, providing great fun for little ones which are easy to put together. We also ensure we offer varying quantities of pieces within our preschool range to appeal to all levels of puzzler.

“There are pivotal points throughout the year which can help keep the appeal and demand for puzzles going and for retailers, looking at ways to promote puzzles through price and display could work in their favour, especially around school breaks, religious holidays and even ‘back to school’, when children need an increased level of ‘calm’.

“Puzzles are wonderful to do on holiday and with more people choosing to stay in the UK now more than ever, this is a great opportunity for retailers to really tap into the travel market by offering bundle deals and price promotions around key travel periods.”

Smart Toys and Games UK has been enjoying a strong performance for its SmartGames Fairytale collection – in particular Little Red Riding Hood and Three Little Piggies –as well as the SmartMax My First collection and the mix and match Safari Animal sets.

The company has a host of new launches coming up, too including new SmartMax sets – ‘My First’ People and ‘My First’ Pirates will be arriving in May, followed by ‘My First’ Build & Drive towards the end of the summer.

“With so many different brands and options on the market, parents are looking for toys that stand out and withstand the test of time,” comments Karen Clarke, brand director at Smart Toys and Games UK. “They are looking for well made, durable, cleverly designed toys that are engaging and are easy to set up. Younger children like toys that are colourful and creative and demonstrate engaging

Trend Watch

“There has been a significant shift in puzzles since Covid where lockdown saw sales soar,” says Clementoni’s Paul. “Momentum has continued, despite the world returning to a somewhat normal state. People developed a new love for puzzles in that time and the benefits of jigsaw puzzles came to the forefront. For children in particular, puzzles offer a calm, relaxing point in time which can be particularly helpful to little ones who find sensory overload challenging.”

For Smart’s Karen, it’s being more mindful of how plastic is used in products and packaging. “In 2016, Smart made the company-wide decision to remove the outer plastic wrap from every product packaging and replace it with a small sticker to seal,” she explains. “In 2021, Smart launched the award-winning Go Genius themes. It’s also important that toys help develop key skills, have an educational element, are good value for money and most importantly are safe.”

Happy Little Doers, meanwhile, has been busy showcasing its product range at a number of events so far this year including Top Drawer, Toy Fair, Spring Fair and the Childcare & Education Expo. One of its most popular new launches has been the Sensory Flashcards for Newborn Babies - designed to help new parents give their child a head start at the very beginning of their learning journey by helping stimulate both visual and physical development – while the Space Activity Flashcards launched in March, aimed at 4-8s to help them learn about the solar system, moon phases, the technology used in space and how it works.

“We are aiming to have at least three new theme packs launching in the coming months that will be designed for children as young as six months to five years, designed to learn a variety of skills and knowledge,” explains Ollie Stott, co-founder and creative director at Happy Little Doers. “There is a clear trend that both buyers and parents are looking for products that primarily have an educational aspect to them.

“Everything that we do at Happy Little Doers is designed and made to inspire children to reach their full potential by helping them find their favourite way of learning through play.” collection of educational board games – we will soon be launching a Go Genius collection for the preschool market, so watch this space. The range has been designed with sustainability in mind, with all materials 100% recyclable (including the shrink-wrap). With proactive educational hubs such as Products of Change leading the way, we will continue our assessments and improvements will be made.”

Happy Little Doers’ Ollie says that over the past 12 months, he has certainly seen more sustainable and paper-based products coming into play. “Whether these are 3D card or wooden puzzle structures or toys; it’s great to see some of the creations that are coming out at the moment for kids,” he adds.

P r e s c h o o l N e w s . n e t is the new online resource for the preschool product and retail sector. From the publishers of Progressive Preschool Magazine and the organisers of the Progressive Preschool Awards, this new website and e-newsflash portal will provide the very latest news, views, and analysis across the preschool product and retail sector.

P r e s c h o o l N e w s . n e t is the new online resource for the preschool product and retail sector. From the publishers of Progressive Preschool Magazine and the organisers of the Progressive Preschool Awards, this new website and e-newsflash portal will provide the very latest news, views, and analysis across the preschool product and retail sector.

Launching with an unrivalled email subscriber base of 12,087 readers, a twice weekly newsflash will land directly in the inboxes of everyone in this fast-paced industry. A modern, easy to navigate website will provide a central resource for the trade too, offering news, in-depth articles, an industry jobs board, retail analysis, digital issues of Progressive Preschool, and much much more.

Launching with an unrivalled email subscriber base of 12,087 readers, a twice weekly newsflash will land directly in the inboxes of everyone in this fast-paced industry. A modern, easy to navigate website will provide a central resource for the trade too, offering news, in-depth articles, an industry jobs board, retail analysis, digital issues of Progressive Preschool, and much much more.

PreschoolNews.net is the online resource for the preschool product and retail sector. From the publishers of Progressive Preschool magazine and the organisers of the Progressive Preschool Awards, this website and e-newsflash portal provides the very latest news, views, and analysis across the preschool product and retail sector.

With an unrivalled email subscriber base of 12,087 readers, a twice weekly newsflash lands directly in the inboxes of everyone in this fast-paced industry.

The magazine and awards do a great job in joining the dots between toy, nursery, gift, apparel, publishing, and of course licensingand this digital offering will further enhance our position as a trade media partner that offers a tangible response to advertising investment.

The magazine and awards do a great job in joining the dots between toy, nursery, gift, apparel, publishing, and of course licensingand this digital offering will further enhance our position as a trade media partner that offers a tangible response to advertising investment.

All advertising on the website is duplicated to each and every newsflash, giving advertisers huge visibility and direct impact to retail buyers.

All advertising on the website is duplicated to each and every newsflash, giving advertisers huge visibility and direct impact to retail buyers.

A modern, easy to navigate website provides a central resource for the trade too, offering news, in-depth articles, an industry jobs board, retail analysis, digital issues of Progressive Preschool, and much much more.

P r e s c h o o l N e w s . n e t is published by preschool sector experts, for preschool trade experts.

P r e s c h o o l N e w s . n e t is published by preschool sector experts, for preschool trade experts.

PreschoolNews.net is published by preschool sector experts, for preschool trade experts.

ADVERTISING AND COMMERCIAL:

ADVERTISING AND COMMERCIAL:

Jo Pilcher jop@max-publishing.co.uk

Jo Pilcher jop@max-publishing.co.uk

Rob Willis robw@max-publishing.co.uk

EDITORIAL AND CONTENT:

EDITORIAL AND CONTENT:

Jacqui Parr jacquip@max-publishing.co.uk

Jacqui Parr jacquip@max-publishing.co.uk

Sam Loveday saml@max-publishing.co.uk

Rob Willis robw@max-publishing.co.uk

ADVERTISING AND COMMERCIAL

Jo Pilcher jop@max-publishing.co.uk

Rob Willis robw@max-publishing.co.uk

Sam Loveday saml@max-publishing.co.uk

Sam Loveday saml@max-publishing.co.uk

Katie Roberts-Mason katierm@max-publishing.co.uk by preschool sector experts…