Progressive Party Halloween 2021

A Progressive Party Publication A Progressive Party Publication

FC_PPE_October 2021.indd 1

04/10/2021 12:44

is finally here...

 sales@palmeragencies.com  +44 (0) 28 9064 7119  palmeragencies.com IFC-05_Party Halloween 2021.indd 1

04/10/2021 12:48

facebook.com/PalmerAgencies IFC-05_Party Halloween 2021.indd 2

@palmeragencies

instagram.com/palmeragencies 04/10/2021 13:01

Happy Halloween!

 sales@palmeragencies.com  +44 (0) 28 9064 7119  palmeragencies.com

WHERE HALLOWEEN is in STOCK

facebook.com/PalmerAgencies

@palmeragencies

instagram.com/palmeragencies

00_Party Halloween 2021.indd 1

04/10/2021 12:34

WELCOME The home of market leading trade magazines

The home of market leading trade magazines max-publishing.co.uk The home of market leading trade magazines The home of market leading trade magazines March/April 2013

Halloween Special A monster party

The home of exhibitions The home of exhibitions The home of exhibitions The home of exhibitions

The home of market leading trade awards The home of market leading trade awards The home of market leading trade awards The home of market leading trade awards

Max Publishing Ltd, United House, North Road, London N7 9DP T: 020 7700 6740 F: 020 7607 6411 www.max-publishing.co.uk hello@max-publishing.co.uk

It’s finally here – the big party with no lockdowns on the horizon to hamper anyone’s plans – Halloween 2021 is set to be the industry’s ‘big recovery party’.

We may have only just stepped into October, but the world has officially gone Halloween mad.

Suppliers have smashed through freight and supply hurdles to bring impressive ranges to retail; Retailers have launched their ranges early and with a bang; the events industry is promoting spooky parties and days out everywhere; even consumers are getting excited with pumpkin related décor already filling our social feeds.

It’s been a long time coming, and after our hopes for a big reunion were dashed with a second wave Above: Progressive Party Europe’s of COVID last year, at Halloween we all did the best Katie Roberts-Mason. we could and socially distanced trick or treating, family parties and lots of ghostly decorations took place. But it wasn’t the big party we’d all hoped for to bring us out of the unprecedented 2020 situation.

However, the good news is that the coast is looking clear for Halloween 2021, to bring everyone back together to finally celebrate and party.

In the UK, the Government’s COVID Winter Plan has a plan A and plan B in place, neither of which currently features another lockdown, but takes in measures such as vaccinations, isolating, and extra support for the NHS, with possible reintroduction of face coverings and mandatory vaccine certification in certain settings if cases continue to rise. Boris Johnson has even publicly said that he doesn’t think we will need another lockdown.

Elsewhere, remaining restrictions are continuing to ease, with travel bans lifting for fully vaccinated passengers in the US, social distancing reducing throughout Europe and lockdowns beginning to lift in Australia too.

It’s looking very likely that the world will be fully ready to party at the end of this month.

And to make things even more exciting, Halloween falls on a Sunday this year, so there is an entire weekend to dedicate to all things freaky. With a world full of people who are desperate to get together and make Halloween 2021 the party to end all parties.

So of course, we’ve joined the excitement, gone all out and dedicated this whole issue of Progressive Party to Halloween hysteria. We’ve even changed our name in honour.

Turn to page 36 for a round up of the terrifyingly good products on offer from the world of party this year, and an overview of this year’s event from key suppliers.

Over on page 34, we chat to The Party People about the rise in popularity of Halloween down under. The indies have their say on 2021’s Halloween season on page 25. Home retailer, The Range chats about its brilliant Halloween offering over on Page 28, and Europe’s largest Halloween retailer, Halloween House tells us all about this year’s scare-fest on page 20.

The scene is set, you guys are ready, we hope it’s everything you wished for and more.

Katie Roberts-Mason - Editor @Prog_Party_Eu Rob Willis - Publishing Director

ISSN 2058 797X

OCTOBER 2021 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

07_Leader.indd 3

07

04/10/2021 14:15

00_Party Halloween 2021.indd 1

04/10/2021 12:35

CONTENTS

What’s inside: OCTOBER 2021 NEWS

The latest happenings from the party trade

ENTER IF YOU DARE

Europe’s largest Halloween retailer, Halloween House

SUPERNATURAL STORES

How Halloween is going down with the indies

A WEIRD AND WACKY RANGE The Range launches Halloween early

HAUNTED DOWN UNDER

The Party People on how Halloween is growing in Australia

LIFT YOUR SPIRITS

Halloween sector update

12 20 25 28 34 37

NEWS

The latest happenings from the party trade .

LETTER FROM AMERICA Ed Avis

TOP OF THE TABLE Sector Update

NABAS

28

20

34 37

25

37 OCTOBER 2021 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

09_Contents.indd 9

09

04/10/2021 15:06

G N I K &J WALLOONS INFLATED M WITH HELIU

BAL

STEGOSAURUS

E L B A T I M I N I THE UNICORN

FRENCH BULLDOG

N! O O S G N I M O SC N O O L L A B W NE DUCTS O R P L A IN IG R O UCTS D O R P L A IN IG R O AL PRODUCTS -

ORIGIN

10-11_Party Halloween 2021.indd.indd 1

04/10/2021 13:27

D E T N I O J & S L A M I

TS

4D

N A S N O O L L A B D E AIR INFLAT

EUROPEAN EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR

READY TO

MONKEY

E MBL E S AS

PTERODACTYLUS

T-REX PLESIOSAURUS

HUSKY

FAWN

CAMEL

PARASAUROLOPHUS RABBIT

TRICERATOPS SPINOSAURUS DALMATIAN DIPLODOCUS ANKYLOSAURUS

buy on www.bwstore.eu BWS - Balloons World Store srl via San Leonardo, 41- Località Squadra - 03034 Casalvieri (FR) Italy Tel. (0039) 0776 617197 - (0039) 0776 617283 - Fax (0039) 0776 617165

10-11_Party Halloween 2021.indd.indd 2

watch the video of the jointed animals balloons info@bwstore.it www.bwstore.eu

04/10/2021 13:27

NEWS PAGE

NEWS UPDATE Amscan International acquires Ginger Ray Worldwide designer, manufacturer, distributor and omnichannel retailer of party products and supplies, Amscan International, has acquired leading celebrations brand, Ginger Ray. Amscan says the move marks an important step in the group's ambitious strategic growth plans.

Gary Panons, ceo, Amscan International, commented: "We are delighted to complete the acquisition of Ginger Ray. Ben Spence and the Ginger Ray team have developed an industry leading brand and we believe that with a combination of our mutual strengths we can help the brand develop further."

Joe Hennigan, cfo/coo of Amscan International, added: "Developing our

brand proposition is the cornerstone of our strategic plan and we are delighted to be partnering with the market leading brand in our category. We have known Ben and the team for a number of years and believe that combining our efforts will accelerate the growth of Ginger Ray." Ginger Ray has created an innovative, aspirational product range over the last eight years, which is stocked by over 600 retailers worldwide.

Partnering with Amscan International will enable Ginger Ray to benefit from an extensive global network and access to Amscan’s International capabilities in e-commerce and supply chain.

Ginger Ray will continue to operate under its own trading name and the existing Ginger

Ray team, including md, Ben Spence, will continue in their current roles.

Ben Spence, md, Ginger Ray, said: "We are thrilled to be partnering with Amscan International. We believe that access to the global network and capabilities of Amscan International will enable us to fully focus on what we do best: crating beautiful products for our customers."

Matthew Jubb, Endless LLP, commented: "We are delighted to provide further support to the Amscan International management team and we warmly welcome Ben and his colleagues to the group. We believe that their new partnership will allow both Amscan International and Ginger Ray to each accelerate their already ambitious growth plans."

Rubies unveils Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings costumes depicting his classic costume as seen in the film, with a red shine jersey tunic top with foam padding and shiny black trousers.

Tracey Devine-Tyley, head of portfolio and licensing EMEA, commented: “As our strong partnership with Marvel continues to grow, we are delighted to be bringing the character of Shang-Chi to life with our costumes.

“As we are an industry leader, we understand how important Marvel’s first Asian led superhero film is, especially to younger viewers. It is imperative children can look at the characters they see in the media and see themselves in them, thereby growing and exploring their budding personalities using these positive roles as inspiration.

Therefore, we are thrilled to be able to create these costumes and know that we are positively influencing our youngest audience.”

Rubies has announced the next chapter in its ongoing partnership with Marvel as it brings the officially licensed costumes for explosive superhero film, Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings.

The film, which hit screens in September, is the first Marvel film to feature an American Asian lead and the first to feature a predominantly Asian cast.

The storyline follows Shang-Chi, a master of unarmed weaponrybased Kung Fu, as he is drawn into the mysterious Ten Rings organisation. Highly anticipated by fans, the film has outperformed every expectation at the box office, having earned $94 million domestically over its opening weekend and breaking the box office record for a Labour Day release in the US. Rubies’ officially licensed costumes are available in the style worn by the protagonist, Shang-Chi,

Obituary: Smiffys’

Left: Rubies is bringing the character of Shang-Chi to life with its new costume as part of its ongoing partnership with Marvel

Craig Walker

Smiffys is enormously sad to announce the tragic news that Craig Walker, head of finance, has passed away following a short and unexpected medical condition.

In a statement, Smiffys said: ‘Craig was a highly valued senior member of the Smiffys family and was fiercely loyal to the Peckett family and the Smiffys business.

‘His knowledge, presence, constant smile and good humour will be greatly missed by all of us and our thoughts are with his family in Above: Smiffys Craig] Craig Walker. these incredibly difficult circumstances.’

Elliott Peckett, director, commented: “Craig was not only an employee, but a great friend of the family and all who worked with him. He was as much a supporter of our family, as he was of the business. He served some 14 years for the company and was incredibly highly regarded by all who worked with him, both internal and external. Craig always had a friendly smile and a willingness to help and he will be sorely missed.”

12

OCTOBER 2021 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

News_PPE_Halloween October.indd 12

Above: The fill-your-own cracker range is big business for Club Green this year.

Club Green launches sustainable fillyour-own crackers for Christmas A completely eco-friendly line has been added to Club Green’s popular DIY cracker collection.

The new products have no foiling or plastic, so are fully recyclable and ready to be filled with anything from sweet treats to games, and mini shots to keepsakes.

The new Santa Paws design joins the Rose Gold, Gold and Nutcracker ranges. Also available in the Santa Paws range is a collection of fully recyclable paper cups, plates and napkins.

For more information on this and the rest of Club Green’s Christmas ranges, visit www.clubgreen. com or call 01483 281313.

For the latest news visit PartyWorldwide.net

04/10/2021 18:24

PARTY NEWS

New WandaVision costume range launches in time for Halloween Following the success of Marvel’s pop culture phenomenon, WandaVision on Disney+, Rubies has announced the launch of officially licensed costumes based on the show.

WandaVision kicked off phase four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), captivating casual viewers, as well as its devoted fans with its combination of sitcom nostalgia, action sequences and exploration of more serious themes.

The series gathered 4.8 billion minutes, watched over its nineepisode, eight-week run, with a weekly average of 600 million minutes watched. The success

was unmatched at times by other streaming shows in terms of viewership and popularity. The series has since been nominated for 23 Primetime Emmy Awards.

With Rubies’ officially licensed costumes, fans of the show will be able to have a ‘Wanda-ful’ Halloween becoming the two main characters, Wanda and Vision. The ‘All-new Halloween Spook-tacular’ episode sees the two don their own costumes from the original comic books, which are outlandish in comparison to their modernised costumes of the MCU. Fans will look a Vision in these costumes, which come in a range of adult sizes.

Below: Rubies’ new WandaVision costumes are ideal for Halloween parties.

Tracey Devine-Tyley, head of portfolio and licensing EMEA, said: “We are incredibly proud of our strong, ongoing partnership with Marvel and these WandaVision costumes are a testament to this.

“By bringing the characters of Wanda and Vision to life in their latest, rather kooky, incarnation, we hope we can bring joy to everyone who enjoyed the series and help create a spooktacular Halloween for them as they celebrate with family and friends, making the most of the first big occasion where people can celebrate together in years.”

Disguise expands adaptive costume collection Disguise Inc has added new adaptive costumes to its licensed Disney portfolio, with two costumes and two wheelchair covers based on Toy Story 4 and Cinderella..

The Buzz Lightyear jumpsuit features a sublimated foam overlay with button art on top and character art on the sleeves.

The arm sleeve, abdominal and pant inseam openings are

built into the costume to make it easy to get in and out of, or to access any needed areas. Also included is a purple hood.

Alternatively the Cinderella Adaptive Costume is a blue satin dress with a velour bodice, silver metallic trim neckline and ruffle sleeves with satin bows. Similarly the costume has built in openings for access and ease of use. Both costumes are available in ages three to eight To complete the character experiences, the Spaceship Adaptive Wheelchair Cover and Cinderella’s Coach Wheelchair Cover Set are created from stiff felt and come with supportive plastic piping pieces for added stability, and fit most wheelchairs.

Left: The adaptive costumes are more accessible for children of differing abilities.

Pioneer launches Balloon Wonderland A new Qualatex event will be held from 10 to 16 July, 2022 at the Hyatt Grand Cypress in Orlando, Florida, USA. For over 100 hundred years, Pioneer Balloon Company has offered innovative products and education to the balloon industry. Now the company has announced another original, affordable and exciting Qualatex event – Balloon Wonderland.

The build takes place over several days, during which time over 300 artisans will refine their skills and learn new techniques while constructing an enormous walk-through wonderland. At the end of the build, it will be handed over to the charity Give Kids the World Village for several days of fundraising activities.

The event is designed to educate participants while also giving them a chance to network while creating a huge charitable gift to a deserving organisation.

Stuart Davies, owner of Beyond Balloons, UK, originator of the Big Balloon Build, and producer of Balloon Wonderland, said: “Working together as a close-knit team over several days developing this unique balloon wonderland is rewarding but also demanding.”

Susan Dhillon, marketing communications director, Pioneer Balloon Company, added: “From the education and experience for balloon artists, to the financial impact on the local community, and ultimately the benefiting charity, it’s a win, win, win.”

Below: Qualatex] Balloon Wonderland will be the first worldwide, Pioneer-hosted event since the pandemic outbreak.

For the latest news visit PartyWorldwide.net

News_PPE_Halloween October.indd 13

Europe’s largest Halloween store opens in Birmingham Halloween House has returned to the Merry Hill location for the third consecutive year, with additional retail space.

The pop-up retailer has enjoyed a successful two years in the shopping centre and has been reinstated in to a larger space for the 2021 season. The store stocks dress-up, accessories and decorations, including large, animated props.

Sandra Vucak, co-manager at Halloween House said: “We are so excited to mark our third year at Merry Hill by opening our biggest ever store. At Halloween House it’s all about spreading Halloween joy to everyone who enters our doors.

“We have already welcomed customers who have travelled from all over the UK to visit us, which we’re really proud of as the store becomes a leading seasonal destination shop.”

Jon Poole, centre manager at Merry Hill, said: “We are thrilled to welcome back Halloween House, which has become an annual highlight for our regular shoppers and visitors who travel from all over the West Midlands and beyond.”

Halloween House will once again transform into Christmas House in November ahead of the festive season.

To read our interview with Halloween House owner, Tom Cheema, turn to page 20 Above: Instore experience is key at Halloween House.

OCTOBER 2021 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

13

04/10/2021 18:24

14_Party Halloween 2021.indd.indd 1

04/10/2021 13:27

PARTY NEWS

GoDan signs two new distribution deals The Polish supplier is set to distribute foil balloons for Takarakosan, along with a range of products for Disguise.

GoDan has strengthened its partnership with Japanese company, Takarosan, to become a distributor for its range of foil balloons. The products are available in a range of shapes, colours and designs and also features the innovative chain balloons.

Disguise has also partnered with GoDan for distribution of a wide range of its costumes and accessories, including the licensed Lego, Transformers, Super Mario, My Little Pony, Minecraft, Power Rangers and

“The cooperation with Disguise has just started but we have already had great feedback from our customers.

We are very excited about the partnership.”

Halo ranges, among others.

Owner and ceo of GoDan, Janusz Kraszek, commented: “We have been working with Takarakosan for some time already and this a great success. Our customers are very happy because we can offer them many more colours, shapes and balloon decoration options.

Left and below: GoDan has signed deals with Disguise and Takarakosan for distribution.

Card Factory to ‘substantially increase focus on the party market’ In its recent financial report for the first half of 2021, Card Factory has said that while cards will remain the largest part of the business, the retailer will increase focus on the complementary gifting and party markets.

The six months ended 31 July 2021 saw Card Factory reach £116.9 million in revenue. Pre-tax losses were also cut and came in at £6.5 million compared to a loss of £22.2 million at the same time last year.

Sales during the period were 50.2% higher than the same period in 2019, before the effects of the pandemic.

Following her appointment in March 2021, the company’s

“The delivery of the growth strategy set out in July 2020 – and the broader retail environment itself – has obviously been impacted

by Covid-19. However, it is clear that the right way forward is to transition Card Factory from being a store led card retailer into a market leading, omni-channel retailer of cards and gifts.

“Whilst cards will remain the largest part of our business in terms of total contribution, we will substantially increase our focus on the complementary gifting and party markets, enhancing our customer offer and significantly increasing the size of our addressable market.

Above: Card Factory is planning to enhance its consumer offer and the size of its addressable market with an increased focus on party and gifting markets.

new chief executive, Darcy Willson-Rymer, has led a full review of the business.

She commented: “I remain extremely excited about the opportunities available to Card Factory.

Amscan bolsters product and marketing teams Three new employees have joined the Amscan team across various roles.

Amscan has welcomed Beth Tippite to its creative design team as both product and marketing designer. Following her recent graduation in Product Design, Beth joined the team back in April and has already contributed to the product and marketing offering greatly.

Sam Ingle has joined the Amscan party product team as party product executive. Sam’s previous experience allows him to focus on product from a 360-degree vantage point, which is beneficial to the team.

Mike Hurst joins the educational marketing team as training and education executive. Along with Chris Horne and Jacob Megram, Mike forms part of the expert balloon

education team, holding seminars and training both virtually and in person.

Jen Wilson, head of product, design and marketing, commented: “We are really excited to be able to welcome the new members of the team and expand the Amscan family further. They are already proving to enhance an already fantastic team and we’re really excited for the future of our category.”

Below (l to r): Amscan Beth Tippite, Amscan Sam Ingle, Amscan Mike Hurst.

For the latest news visit PartyWorldwide.net

News_PPE_Halloween October.indd 15

Disguise signs Cobra Kai Jakks Pacific has entered into an agreement with Sony Pictures Consumer Products for its costume Above: The costumes will division, initially launch exclusively in Walmart before rolling out to Disguise other retailers next year.

Inc, to produce costumes based on hit series, Cobra Kai. Disguise will design, market, manufacture and distribute a full range of Cobra Kai costumes and accessories commencing in 2021. The highly acclaimed comedy series has 30 episodes available and an upcoming fourth season this December on Netflix.

The new costumes will be available in the US this year exclusively at Walmart, with an expansion of the line and retail partners planned for 2022.

Tara Hefter, president and gm of Disguise Inc, commented: “The rise of Cobra Kai has been so fun to watch, beginning with its Karate Kid roots, and Disguise is ecstatic to be working with Sony Pictures Consumer Products on a new global costume range to support the massively successful show.

“We anticipate that there will be many karate dojo couples and group costumes planned for Halloween 2021 and beyond, as the iconic Cobra Kai outfits are both fun and comfortable to wear, and will be sure to be a hit with fans of all ages.”

OCTOBER 2021 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

15

04/10/2021 15:43

Progressive Party September 2021 Ad.indd 1 00_Party Halloween 2021.indd 1

24/08/2021 15:58 04/10/2021 12:37

PARTY NEWS

DEFRA announces consultation on banning single use plastic products This autumn, the Government will consult on banning a range of polluting products in a bid to tackle plastic waste in the UK. Single-use plastic plates, cutlery and polystyrene cups are among items that could be banned in England as part of the new public consultation. It is hoped that such proposals will lead to industry using more sustainable alternatives and prevent plastic litter pollution.

DEFRA reported that businesses are already taking action to tackle plastic waste, such as through the UK Plastics Pact, a collaboration between businesses supported by the government and coordinated by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP).

“Now we are looking to go a step further as we build back greener. These plans will help us stamp out the unnecessary use of plastics that wreak havoc with our natural environment.”

There have also been a range of steps by the UK government to tackle plastic pollution, including reducing the use of plastic bags and restricting the supply of single-use plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds.

The new plans will build on the success of those measures and form part of the Government’s commitment to prevent all avoidable plastic waste by the end of 2042.

Environment Secretary, George Eustice said: “We’ve all seen the damage that plastic does to our environment. It is right that we put in place measures that will tackle the plastic carelessly strewn across our parks and green spaces and washed up on beaches.

Further details of the consultation, including the full list of single-use items under review, will be announced in the upcoming weeks.

Below: Single-use plastic plates, cutlery and polystyrene cups are among items that could be banned.

Co-op’s new Original Factory Shop concessions to include party shop service

Rubies scoops prestigious Licensing Award some of the industry’s most talented people every day, who together all deserve recognition for this achievement. It was a fantastic night and a pleasure to finally be able to see familiar faces once again.”

Below: The winning Madalorian Costume for TU Sainsbury’s.

Rubies has won the Licensing Award for the Best Licensed Dress Up or Partyware Range, for its Star Wars, The Mandalorian Costume for TU Sainsbury’s.

The winners of this year’s Licensing Awards were crowned in a glittering ceremony last month, with the licensing industry returning to the Grosvenor House Hotel, London for the first in-person awards event for 18 months.

And Rubies’ Star Wars, The Mandalorian Costume for TU Sainsbury’s was the deserving winner of the much soughtafter Best Licensed Dress Up or Partyware Range this year.

Mike O’Connell, managing director, Rubies, commented: “We are thrilled to have won the award for best licensed dress-up or partyware. To be honoured by your peers is incredibly gratifying.

I’m fortunate to work with

For the latest news visit PartyWorldwide.net

News_PPE_Halloween October.indd 17

Above: The new in-store concessions will open over the next 15 months in 30 stores.

A new partnership between Co-op and The Original Factory Shop will see concessions open in 30 stores, featuring a party offering.

The in-store concessions are set to open over the next 15 months and will sell The Original Factory Shop’s offering of budget clothing, pet products and homewares, and will also feature a party shop service.

Forming part of Co-op’s work with partners to create additional services in store, the collaboration is designed to create a compelling offer for its communities, while also supporting The Original Factory Shop’s expansion plans.

Mark Matthews, Co-op’s director of innovation and format, said: “Co-op is committed to operating at the heart of local life and creating value in our communities – we are working to develop new ways to provide added services and choice, conveniently.”

Phil Briggs, managing director for The Original Factory Shop, added: “We’re really excited to be working with the Coop. It marks the coming together of two great community retailers and is testament to the importance of convenience stores and the role that these shops play in local life.”

OCTOBER 2021 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

17

04/10/2021 15:44

MEDFORD HOUSE, EAST COMMON LANE SCUNTHORPE NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE ENGLAND DN16 1DE FREEPHONE: 0800-052-4977 | TELEPHONE: 01724-281113 | FAX: 01724-281119 | OUTSIDE UK TELEPHONE: 0044-1724-281113 FAX: 0044-1724-281119 | E-MAIL: UKSALES@FAVORS.COM

FAVORS.COM/UK

2022 Oct Halloween Progressive2021.indd Party_FullPg.indd 1 18_Party 1

10/4/21 1:42 PM 04/10/2021 19:57

PARTY NEWS

Party City unveils Boo-Loon Land in New York to kick off Halloween Boo-Loon Land is a first-ofits-kind immersive pop-up balloon installation opening for a three-day, Halloweenthemed experience.

The new event which is located on Fifth Avenue in New York is designed for all ages and will run from Friday, 15 October to Sunday, 17 October.

The walk-through spooktacular experience will display Party City’s most creative balloon installations as guests tour six Halloween-inspired rooms including Dia de los Muertos; fall harvest; black

& bones; iridescent glam; Halloween friends and more.

Some of the most influential balloon artists around the country will be creating the displays, including Jam Evangelista, Katie Balloons, Jesus Tejada and Karly Turner.

Julie Roehm, chief marketing officer at Party City, commented: “We’re admittedly Halloween

obsessed at Party City and are always innovating new ways for our customers to celebrate alongside us.

“We recently conducted a survey of decision-making moms and found that 80% consider Halloween a full season versus just a single day to celebrate, and we couldn’t agree more. Boo-Loon

Obituary: The Party People founder, Peter John Nikolas We would like to pay tribute to Peter John Nikolas who passed away on Thursday the 19th August 2021.

In a statement from Peter’s family, his grandson, and chief party dude at The Party People, Dean Salakas, said: “35 years ago, Peter Nikolas founded The Party People with his daughter (our mother) Mala Salakas. When Mala wanted to start a party shop, her father Peter thought she was crazy. However, as father’s do, he lent her the money to start the business. As the business grew he even left his property maintenance job to help run the business full time.

“In 1998, Mala wanted to launch an online party store but Peter was hesitant. Despite this he supported his daughter and it went on to be the first online party store in Australia.

“Over this time Peter became more interested in balloons and the party industry.

In Australia the balloon industry was gaining momentum, Peter was instrumental in helping start up BASA (Balloon Artists and Suppliers Association) of NSW and the National Body of BASA A. Not able to say no to a job he put his hand up for many roles and over the years including treasurer and committee member.

“As a committee member this allowed Peter to attend many a balloon convention in Australia and often took on the role of Sheriff. This role allowed him to meet and help many people within the industry and was always willing to share his knowledge. It also allowed him to take control of stock and equipment. Peter’s pet hate was waste and he was always in control of never allowing people to waste supplier’s products.

“Early in 2000, at the age of 65, Peter decided to earn accreditation in the balloon industry and gained his CBA (Certified Balloon Artist) where he was examined in all aspects of the industry from inflating balloons, balloon design and business acumen.

“In 2007 Peter and Mala sold the business

to us (his grandsons) so they could retire.

This didn’t stop Peter and he continued to help in the business by transferring stock between stores with his dog Jack and upon delivery was known for telling terrible jokes. Peter kept an enthusiastic interest in the business asking many questions and was always there to offer advice or help when it was needed.

“Peter was larger than life, was proud of what he started and proud of what is now the largest and most awarded party store in Australia. As BASA NSW stated in a Facebook page, “Peter was a pioneer in the Australian Balloon and party industry” So Peter, it’s time to take a well-deserved break, you will always inspire us even though you may be gone. Rest in peace.”

Above: Party City has also teamed up with venues across the US to create opportunities to experience the fun.

Smiffys expands warehousing facilities Smiffys has secured a longterm warehousing position in Gainsborough, completing the consolidation of its picking and storage facilities.

As part of Smiffys ambition to continually improve its service to all customers, the firm has moved to an expanded warehouse facility which will encompass its picking and storage. The move will see Smiffys leave Peckett Plaza, where it has been for over 20 years, when the lease expires at the end of December.

The team at Smiffys has been planning and preparing for the move for a period of time, and all warehousing relocation will be complete before Halloween. The office facilities for the company will continue in Peckett Plaza until the year end, and transfer in January.

Elliott Peckett, director, commented: “We are excited with this move and the benefits that it will bring as we embark on what will be a very busy season of Halloween and partying.

“For our customers, this will be a seamless, invisible piece of work, but we wanted to share this with you first, rather than let you hear it through industry grapevine. For any more details, please speak to your customer services advisor or territory manager. Here’s to a successful Halloween and end to the year.”

Below: All warehousing relocation will be complete before Halloween.

Above: Peter John Nikolas.

For the latest news visit PartyWorldwide.net

News_PPE_Halloween October.indd 19

land is a totally immersive way to celebrate Halloween and engage with us and we can’t wait to kick it off.”

Boo-Loon Land guests will also have the opportunity to trick-or-treat on site, learn how to design a balloon garland from Party City DIY experts, shop exclusive Boo-Loon Land products, and connect with Party City’s celebration specialists for expert tips and tricks to plan their own Halloween parties.

OCTOBER 2021 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

19

04/10/2021 15:44

IN FOCUS WITH: HALLOWEEN HOUSE

Outside of the US, Halloween products are mainly stocked within party retailers and grocers throughout October, but West Midlands entrepreneur, Tom Cheema, has changed that by launching a pop-up store entirely dedicated to all things spooky, and it’s growing every year.

Progressive Party talked to him to find out all about the business…

Left: Creating in-store experience for customers has been the USP for Halloween House Below: After Halloween, Tom and his team will turn the store into Christmas House for the remainder of the year

T

he very first book that Tom Cheema bought at the age of eight, after badgering his mother for some time, was The History of Horror Movies. The book is still on his bedside today and is testament to his lifelong interest in all things horror and Halloween.

It was this passion that fuelled his desire to start up his own Halloween store. He tells us: “I travelled to America with my wife and saw the Halloween stores over there, and we were just wowed by them because obviously America is the home of Halloween. Some of the stores over there are absolutely incredible and we just thought to ourselves, Halloween is obviously getting bigger and bigger by the year in the UK, but there’s not really anything similar here, so let’s try and bring some of that magic from America to the UK.” And that’s how Halloween House was born. Tom started with a small store in Wolverhampton. He remembers: “Compared to what we have now, it was tiny. We thought we’d done a great job, we were getting a lot of praise from the industry but it was probably a tenth of the size of the store we’ve got now.

20

“We did really well and realised there was potential there for growth, so what we’ve tried to do for the three years after that, was to make it bigger and better year by year. And although last year was a bit different because of COVID,

we still took a bit of a risk by opening a bigger store. And even with COVID, we did really well. Like for like, we still managed to do more than the previous year, so we were quite surprised.”

This year, the store in the Intu Merry Hill centre is double the size of last year’s outlet, with around 8,500 - 9,000 sq ft dedicated entirely to scary stuff. The store opened on 20 August and is currently employing around 15 staff, but that team will grow significantly in the run-up to the 31st. So far, things are going well.

Tom says: “We’re really busy, the clock is ticking and we’re getting closer and closer to the big day. So far so good, business is pretty buoyant at the moment and I’m optimistic that we are going to have the best ever Halloween as far as sales are concerned. We’ve been a lot busier than we were anticipating and I think as long as we don’t have any problems with COVID, which I don’t think we will, then it’s going to be a good year.

“You can just tell from people who are coming into the store, there are so many people saying they are going to have parties this year, it’s staggering. Everybody seems to be having a big party and the decorations are selling so well, sales are off the scale at the moment.”

Interaction with customers is a key part of the retailer’s business and despite not selling online, the team are regularly connecting with customers through the screen. Tom explains: “Retail has changed over the last few years, and it’s been difficult for bricks and mortar retailers, so you have to engage with your potential customers and the way you engage has changed. We do that through

OCTOBER 2021 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

20-21_Halloween House.indd 20

04/10/2021 14:16

IN FOCUS WITH: HALLOWEEN HOUSE

Right: Located in the Intu Merry Hill centre, the store has doubled in size this year with 9.000 sq ft of floor space.

social media and it’s a fantastic tool to get your message across.

We are very active on social media and it pays.”

Online sales are on the cards for the future too, as Tom tells us: “In today’s retail environment, you have to have an online presence and that’s something we will look to do next year. For us, what we do in the shop is the most important thing and if we can have an online presence to go alongside, that’s great, but if it came to the crunch, we’d always choose the store over online. Because online, what can you do differently to make you stand out from other online players?”

What makes Halloween House really stand out in-store is the customer experience. Tom furthers: “We don’t just offer the opportunity to come in and buy your costume and accessories, we offer an experience. Anything that we sell, you can buy online, so what do you have to do to get that customer to not buy online and to come to your store?

“What we’ve done is to create an experience and this is something that the online retailers can’t replicate, so it’s our point of advantage. We’ve created themed areas in the shop, we use a lot of props and animatronics and people love it.

They’ll come in and take selfies. We get customers who spend hours in the store.”

And the West Midlands store certainly

WITCHCRAFT WEDDINGS

As well as planning Halloween parties, the Halloween House team has seen an interesting development this year: “We’ve had a lot of people coming in and saying they are having Halloween weddings, and obviously they want to create a Halloween look to the whole thing, so they are buying decorations and props.

It’s not just the odd person, we’ve had quite a few people coming in saying that. We’ve had the odd person in the past, but this year it seems to have really taken off.

It’ll be really interesting to see, because we like to interact with our customers and we always say if they’re doing something special, to put photos on our social media, so it’ll be interesting to see those.”

attracts shoppers from outside its local area.

This year the shop has welcomed customers from all over the UK who have made the trip especially.

This year, there is a real buzz from the shop floor about Halloween. Tom says: “Local to us, we have the Black Country Museum, who have a massive Halloween event every year and you get hundreds of people there, who all dress up. I’m sure that’s being replicated across the country and people are already planning to go and are starting to buy costumes.

That’s something that has surprised me, we’re selling a lot of costumes already, which is unusual, because costume sales tend to happen in the last two weeks.

There is a huge pent-up demand.”

That excitement for Halloween is also reflected in the size of purchases being made per visit this year. Tom tells us: “There is a big demand for animatronics

Above: Costumes have been selling earlier than usual this year, as consumers plan for Halloween events and parties.

Left: Large props and animatronics have been selling very well this year.

and big props. We are selling a load of them and these things aren’t cheap, they’re £200 - £400 a pop and people are just snapping them up left, right and centre.

“When people are buying for house parties, they’re not just buying the odd cobweb, they are buying a lot of product. This year the average size of purchase is much bigger than I’ve experienced previously.”

Looking ahead, Tom sees the popularity of Halloween continuing to grow in the UK over coming years. He concludes: “We’re never going to get to the stage they are at in America where virtually every house is decorated for Halloween, but more and more people are doing that.”

Let’s hope we see an even bigger and better Halloween House store opening its doors next year.

OCTOBER 2021 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

20-21_Halloween House.indd 21

21

04/10/2021 14:16

PEPPA PIG and all related trademarks and characters TM & © 2003 Astley Baker Davies Ltd and/or Entertainment One UK Limited. HASBRO and all related logos and trademarks TM & © 2021 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved. Used with Permission.

Peppa Pig created by Mark Baker and Neville Astley.

Have a Spooktacular Halloween with our Peppa Pig costumes!

©Amscan 2021, ©Anagram 2021. All Rights Reserved.

22-23_Party Halloween 2021.indd 1

04/10/2021 12:38

We've got you covered this Halloween with our spooktacular range of Warner Bros. costumes!

There's something for everyone! View online.

Bring the party to life with Amscan’s collection of some of the world’s most loved and in demand licenses.

Our ranges of party products, balloons and costumes create great excitement for all ages!

22-23_Party Halloween 2021.indd 2

04/10/2021 12:38

Partnered with

Toys The Dedicated Marketplace For all things fun!

Costumes

Partyware

The ultimate online destination for all your Toy, Party and Fun needs. We aim to carry the largest portfolio of costumes, partyware, Toys, Games and Merch from leading brands all over Europe.

Cazaar© The Dedicated for all things fun!

Sign upMarketplace Now https://seller.cazaar.co.uk/

Sign up now to become a seller at www.cazaar.co.uk/become-a-seller 24_Party Halloween 2021.indd 1

05/10/2021 14:59

HALLOWEEN: LOWDOWN 2021

FEEDBACK Progressive Party Europe invites four independent party retailers to give us the lowdown on Halloween 2021 - how they are managing stock, what consumer demand and sales have been like so far, new trends, and how they expect the spooky season to play out this year.

SUPERNATURAL STORES

Inset: Sharon McCarthy of Celebration Party Shop is expecting Halloween to go ‘absolutely mental’

SHARON MCCARTHY owner, Celebration Party Shop, Chorlton-cum-Hardy “Last year, we got lots of stock ready for Halloween because it was going to be on a Saturday, which we’ve waited for a long time, and then they put us back into lockdown. So when I went to get stock out this year, I’ve got lots already, so I haven’t had to buy as much as I normally would.

“With it being on a Sunday this year, really that’s like it being on a Saturday because everything is open now, so all the pubs and clubs will be open, people are allowed to have house parties. So I think what we are expecting is for it to go absolutely mental, because everyone will have their parties on a Saturday.

So that’s the hope that we’ve got.

“It’s still really difficult stock wise with the uncertainty of ‘will they put us into lockdown again?’

I mean I can’t see it, but we don’t know, do we? So you don’t want to buy too much stock because we are actually in a minus at the moment. So my hope is that Halloween will bring me back up to level and a little bit more, so it will be like starting again from where I was 16 years ago when I first opened.

“Stock is quite difficult to get as well. Certain things like white face paint is really hard to get hold of. So there are certain things I know people will ask for that we can’t get hold of, but then people will have what you’ve got.

“It’s been difficult the last few years with fancy dress and things as the supermarkets are getting more in and it’s hard for shops like me to compete with a B&M or a Quality Save. But then our quality of certain things is better than the supermarkets, so it’s down to the consumer.

“Last weekend was the first time that people started asking when our Halloween stuff would be in, so there has been a little bit of interest now, which has got me a little bit excited, because that doesn’t usually start until the beginning of October. I think people are ready to have a party. I’ve had a couple of the clubs already contact me because they’re having Halloween parties.

I’m just hoping more will come in.”

IAN ASHFORD owner, Castle Costumes, Kings Lynn

“I left Halloween stock until quite late this year, because obviously we got a small Halloween offering in last year, but I left things as late as I could this year, purely because we didn’t know what was going to happen, until Boris gave us the all clear that there would be no lockdowns.

“Business is still slow, it’s picking up every month from a standstill, because obviously we did close over lockdown, we weren’t trading at all. And then we opened the doors when lockdown was over and every month it’s slowly moving forward. It’s not giant leaps, but it is improving every month, so I’m hoping that the Halloween will kick-start the industry again.

“I’ve had people coming in to have a look around at Halloween stock, but I have to say, here, it’s nearly always last minute. I think a lot of people are having an event for Halloween. We have a lot of other events nearby too, we have the adult weekenders up in Skegness, and various other parties as well, so things are moving in the right direction, but it’s just generally slow.

“We’ve had a hit from the online traders as well, because people are now spending more time buying online in all industries. The dynamic has changed a bit in that respect, but they are still coming in to buy their bits and bobs.

“Halloween will be the catalyst that kicks things off, I think and brings back confidence in parties.

I have been doing other parties, hen nights have started to come back, which obviously didn’t happen last year. So I think generally speaking people are starting to get back out there.

“I did manage to get a Halloween in last year.

There was talk about there being a circuit breaker over half term, which would have gone straight over Halloween, so when they didn’t do that, it was a big relief. Sales were well down on the year before, probably about 70% down, but then I only had a small amount of stock in. I can’t afford to have surplus stock as a small shop. I’ve also spent a little bit less this year because you’ve got to be careful. I’ve got enough to get me through I think and I can always get more if I need to.”

OCTOBER 2021 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

25_27_Feedback_v2.indd 25

25

04/10/2021 15:46

2021

ollection

Christmas & New Year C

Find New Year on Products 20 pages 18-

FEATUR ING

Christmas Treats for Everyone!

Give the gift that keeps on giving with Qualatex balloons.

With a collection featuring everything from adorable Gnomes to huggable Snowmen, there’s something for everyone!

Check out the full range, interactive catalogue and marketing assets at www.qualatexeurope.com. Or contact our Christmas elves on pelorder@qualatex.com or by calling +44 (0) 1279 501090.

PBC ©2021 SB-PP2108021

00_Party Halloween 2021.indd 1

04/10/2021 12:41

HALLOWEEN: LOWDOWN 2021

MARK WHEELER owner, Party Time, Exeter “In light of what’s been happening, I think everyone is going bigger and better at home, or because venues are now hiring out their halls, people are having more of a social gathering, especially with families and stuff. So they are spending a bit more and going a bit bigger on the decoration side of things. For example, the sales of pinatas has gone up massively compared to other years we have been trading.

“I think people are going a bit more on the fun side, rather than just going to a pub, they are trying to enjoy each other’s company too. I think people have realised from all of that time at home, that time with family and those silly conversations with family members are where memories are made. So there’s been quite a nice change in atmosphere this year.

“We offer soft play and bouncy castles as well, and we’re booked up right up until December now. We’ve got stuff in the diary for balloon setups for December as well. We’ve had people coming in for Christmas ideas.

“We’re only getting a little bit of Halloween stock in so far, but we are finding this year that people are getting more creative with things like garlands and they’re trying to do it themselves more this year. The bigger pieces like Halloween garlands for people’s homes are definitely starting to sell more as well.

“I don’t know what will happen this year as it feels a bit too early to comprehend trick or treating, but last year nobody did trick or treating. We’re a family run shop, I’ve got four children and my wife here as well and the year before last we dressed up as The Addams Family, we had the lights on and the music and we had people trick or treating from the shop door. But I just don’t know if that will happen this year. I still think people will be staying at home until they are less reluctant to go outdoors.”

NICHOLA ANDERSON, balloon specialist, Messages, Hertford “We’ve always stocked Halloween product. The shop has been here 37 years and we’ve always dabbled in it, but I would say the last ten years, it’s got bigger and bigger. We do more of the accessories and the bits and bobs.

We did try costumes for a while, but people didn’t want to pay the money that we had to charge for them.

“Halloween is normally quite a last minute thing for people. Once we’ve got the summer wall off, the next season is Halloween and we do have a lot of people coming in early to have a look and get ideas of what themes to do and what they want to dress up as. Then they’ll come back at a later date and get it nearer the time. Normally the week before is manic.

“It’s a bit early for us to say what consumer demand will be yet. We’ve had people stop and look at the Halloween range, but I think with COVID, people are still a little unsure as to whether they will be going trick or treating or have

parties. So I think this year it will be might be more of a last minute decision.

“I think even if it’s just a trick or treating Halloween this year, it will happen for people. The kids love it.

Three or four years ago, Halloween was becoming more for the adults, because it was more adult parties, but I think with what’s happened with COVID, people are focussing more on the kids again.

And socially distanced trick or treating is quite easy. Now the kids are back at school, they are used to being back with their friends, so they are going to want to do things like that together again.

“There is an issue with stock this year, and we are still waiting for stock to come in for Halloween. We’ve got some of it, but there’s still some that’s stuck in shipping. We’re not suffering from it, but we’ve maybe not got as big a choice as we normally would have.

I think that’s the main issue that we are struggling with, to be honest.”

Inset: Messages in Hertford is ready for the Halloween shoppers.

OCTOBER 2021 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

25_27_Feedback_v2.indd 27

27

04/10/2021 15:46

FOCUS ON: THE RANGE

With Halloween growing in the UK, many retailers are offering bigger and better ranges each year and launching their collections earlier in the season. This has certainly been seen at The Range, so Progressive Party Europe caught up with head of marketing, Alice Duxbury, to find out what’s happening this year.

A WEIRD AND WACKY RANGE T raditionally, Halloween happens at retail in the final week or two of October, with people popping in for their costume and decorations in the days leading up to the 31st. But having seen spikes for specific search terms online this year, multi-channel retailer, The Range, listened to its customers, embraced the early interest, and unveiled its extensive Halloween collection to the public in August.

Head of marketing, Alice Duxbury, explains: “This year, we saw people search for Christmas trees on our website in early September and so that’s why you can find Christmas, Halloween and even a summer patio set all at once in our stores.”

The unusually early start on the season is a reflection of the times, as Alice outlines: “This year has been unprecedented in so many ways and it’s certainly changed people’s buying 28

patterns. Consumers don’t expect to have to wait for products, they want to be able to prepare for Halloween and Christmas at their own pace.

This can be for multiple reasons, whether that be a better way to budget or because they don’t want to miss out on trending items.

Top: The online offering at The Range has increased this year, with hundreds of new lines added.

Inset: The 7.5 foot Inflatable Pumpkin arch will welcome trick or treaters in style.

“Consumers also get a sense of FOMO when it comes to being inspired by celebrity homes and seasonal set ups. We have a host of famous faces as fans of our brand and customers often shop the look when they see it appear on social media.”

Although somewhat earlier this year, Halloween has always been a key date in The Range’s calendar. Alice tells us: “People trust that they will be greeted with a huge selection of weird and wacky Halloween decorations at The Range. We don’t hold back and each year see our store staff produce the best installations and displays that always prompt reaction.”

Perhaps also partly due to the change in consumer habits during the pandemic, the retailer’s focus has widened to include more products online in 2021. Alice continues: “Our offering online is bigger than ever this year with hundreds of new lines added. We have a few differing demographics of customers. Those who go big on home displays on the exterior of their properties, those who love novelty items and those who love an excuse to host a party and so are always on the hunt for tableware and treat bowls.”

Reflecting those different ways of celebrating the Halloween season, The Range is seeing

OCTOBER 2021 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

28-29_The Range.indd 28

04/10/2021 14:20

FOCUS ON: THE RANGE

Far left: Coming together and celebrating again this year means hosts will want to create the wow factor for their guests.

Left: Making an impact with home décor is a key focus for some of The Range’s customers.

Below: DIY Terror Trains and Haunted Hallows Houses take in this year’s trend for Halloween crafts.

some key trends emerging, and it seems the main aim for consumers is making a statement, by dressing doorways and windows. The Range has a 7.5ft inflatable pumpkin arch to welcome trick or treaters in style. Designed with gravestones and pumpkins with white LEDs, the arch looks spectacularly creepy in the dark - £129.99 Below: Novelty glasses are among the fun items to create the perfect Halloween table.

ATTENTION TO DEVILISH DETAILS There’s a host of Halloween bunting to suit all ghastly tastes which start at just 89p, allowing hosts to layer up for high impact. For the ultimate Halloween party tablescape, The Range offers table covers in spooky designs, treat bowls, skull and bone platter plates, spider web baskets, novelty plastic glasses, skull goblets and matching napkins and plates.

There’s a set of inflatable pumpkins too to help set the scene perfectly. Easy to inflate, the set of six pumpkins offers a big pop of colour and each has its own unique expression for added character - £69.99. The pack of six Halloween tombstones are ideal for smaller spaces and stand up with ease to give an eerie look to any garden - £7.99. Or families can opt for a fun scream sensor for their doormat for a little trick for visitors.

Outdoor décor offerings also include a variety of fun and freaky Halloween stakes for the garden or driveway, including hollowed out pumpkins, spiders or ghosts with room for a candle or LED lights - £14.99 How people are celebrating Halloween this year also seems to be reflecting new pastimes that have been popular during lockdowns.

Alice comments: “This year we are also seeing more in the way of seasonal crafts. Our Halloween collection boasts an array of crafting and autumnal decor DIY products. It’s fair to say that the period of Halloween has gone from a night in the annual calendar to months of seasonal activity.”

For families The Range is offering a new selection of Halloweeninspired tabletop crafts, paint your own skull canvas, DIY Halloween lantern kits, sticker books, face paints, crochet pumpkins and eyeballs and much more. Shoppers can also make their own terror train or haunted hallows house.

Alice says: “Not only does this appeal to little ones and offers plenty of colouring in space, it

encourages imaginative play and doubles up as an extra decoration.”

Making the house suitably scary is perhaps driven by the importance of coming together after so long without our family and friends. Alice explains: “In addition to big, bold decor, our trend forecasters are also predicting that the finer details will be just as important. Many more of us will be making the most of the fun season and hosting parties. Family, friends and neighbours gathering together and celebrating means you’ll want to create a wow factor for your guests.”

OCTOBER 2021 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

28-29_The Range.indd 29

00

04/10/2021 14:20

30_Party Halloween 2021.indd.indd 1

04/10/2021 13:31

COLUMNIST

Back in the day, not too long ago, Halloween was a very dependable time of year for bricks-and-mortar costume businesses. Every kid wanted a costume, and parents were happy to shell out a few bucks at the local costume shop.

Above: Ed Avis is the executive director of the National Costumers Association. Contact Today so much has him at executivedirector@costumers.org. changed – the internet, COVID, big box stores – that it’s no surprise that shops and vendors are wondering how Halloween will play out this year.

Mixed expectations for Halloween 2021

T

he National Costumers Association has held several virtual events lately that have put me in touch with members, including our regular members who own stores and our vendor members. What I hear from them is a mixture of suprise, anticipation and exhaustion when it comes to Halloween.

On the good side of things, one member who participated in a virtual roundtable in mid-September told the group that her store is packed and customers are buying their Halloween costumes early. Furthermore, she said she’s been fairly successful in getting stock – though one of her strategies is to buy stock from other costume retailers going out of business. Another strategy was to buy close-out costumes from the big box stores, since sometimes those prices are actually below wholesale.

Other members on the same virtual roundtable reported different results.

One said that his store is rather empty at the moment, with small bursts of customers instead of a steady flow. He said he expects to be busier as Halloween approaches, but for the moment he’s wary. And he is repeatedly nagging his suppliers to deliver product.

On the vendor side, two that I recently spoke with report outstanding sales this year.

“We think it’s going to be absolutely nuts – everyone wants to do Halloween this year,” said Franco Pacini, marketing director of Zagone Studios, an NCA vendor member and a manufacturer of high quality masks. “Last year was actually

quite decent, even with everything going on. We think this year will be even better.”

When I asked Franco what products were selling well, he said the best sellers at the moment are funny masks that make for a quick costume. For example, a hot new product is Snot Your Problem, a mask that depicts an old man with serious nasal mucus discharge.

“Our character masks are doing very well, anything fun and easy,” added Zagone Studios marketing manager Jenelle ‘Nel’ Wittmann. “I think people want fun and easy this year.”

I also recently spoke with Leslie Wandell, director of sales for Ellie Shoes, another NCA vendor member. Leslie said Ellie is also seeing good sales, but she knows COVID could still present problems.

“Our hopes are that after a year of uncertainty, it will be safe enough for people to get out and celebrate in person,” she said. “It’s great to see that stores are starting to get very busy and crowded again – and we’re very busy – but we also know that we still need to be careful.

We’re being cautiously optimistic.”

At the NCA, we decided to run our Help Halloween Happen campaign again this year. We initiated the campaign last year because trick-or-treating seemed so unlikely, and we wanted to help our members as much as we could. We thought we might not need to run the campaign this year, but the virus has not departed yet. We’re doing basically the same thing as last year – we’re offering free stickers that members can hand out to kids in store, and we’re designing and printing posters for retailers which are holding special holiday events. Demand is good for the campaign so far – I already have a long list of members asking to participate.

Let’s all hope that next year we won’t need this special campaign – that Halloween will resume its rightful place as the most dependable costume sales event of the year.

Below: Halloween retailers and suppliers in the US have reported a mixed bag for holiday sales so far this year.

OCTOBER 2021 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

31_Letter From America.indd 23

31

04/10/2021 14:24

Leading world-wide balloon printing technology Best quality printing machines.

Versatile and technologically advanced.

Balloons printing machines for large and small quantities.

automatic feeder

for balloons printing machines

NEW

RF350 automatic feeder

New machine very fast to load latex balloons to printing machines. Production speed 1000-1300 pcs.

It can load latex balloons from 9” to 14”. It can be combined with: RA-01A, RA-01DUPLEX, RA-01F, RA-01G, RA-01HPP

32-33_Party Halloween 2021.indd.indd 2

04/10/2021 13:35

n y counter

T-02

RA-01A

RA-01 DuPlEx

RA-01G

OFFSET printing

one color printing

one color printing

one color printing

This machine can print latex balloons in more colors 4 sides in one time.

It can print from 9” to 14” and punchballs. Production speed 2000 pcs per hour. The machine is available in 2 or 3 colors printing model.

This machine can print latex balloons one color two sides simultaneously.

It can print from 9” to 14” and hearts.

With some accessories it can print also punchballs and 5” . It is available in 3 models according the production speed. According the model it can print 1000,1500,1800 pcs per hour.

It can print 1 color on 2 sides simultaneously + different prints on 2 different latex balloons (duplex printing process). It can print from 9” to 14” and hearts. With some accessories it can print also punchballs and 5” .

It can print 2500-3000 pcs per hour.

This machine can print latex balloons one color all around from 9” to 14” and hearts. With some accessories it can print also 5” and punchballs.

Production speed 1500 pcs per hour.

automatic

balloons printing machines

NEW

RA-01B

two colors printing

RA-01F

RA-01D

four colors printing

CMYK printing

RA-01HPP

This machine can print latex balloons one or two colors first side and one color second side with a very good print log. It can print from 10” to 14”.

Production speed 1200-1500 pcs per hour.

This machine can print latex balloons one color two sides or two colors two sides simultaneously with a very good print log. It can print from 10” to 14” and hearts. With special accessories it can print also punchballs and 5”. Production speed 1200-1500 pcs per hour.

This machine can print from 1 to 4 colors one side latex balloons with a very good print log. Good to print on latex balloons color photos.

It can print from 10” to 14”.

Production speed 1100-1200 pcs per hour.

This machine can print latex balloons from 1 to 6 colors one side with a perfect print log. It can print form 9” to 16”. Ideal to print on latex balloons color photos. It is available in 4-5-6 colors printing model. Production speed 800-900 pcs per hour.

NEW

RS-00SP one color printing

R-04

RS-00 one color printing

With this machine you can print semiautomatically latex balloons deflated up to 4 colors with a perfect register! You can print also foil and PVC balloons and other objects!

It can print 1 colour from 1 to 4 sides and all around the balloon, also giant balloons and foil balloons.

Adding some accessories to this machine, will make it possible to print other objects like pens, t-shirts and mylar balloons.

CMYK printing

This machine is well-appreciated for its handiness.

It’s small and manageable, easy to carry, easy to use and offers very good print performances. It’s cheap and versatile: it can print on latex and foil balloons in one color, and also on other objects.

semiautomatic

two colors printing

RIFCO World Group srl via Fallena, 5 - 03034 Casalvieri (FR) Italy Tel. (0039) 0776 617197 - info@rifco.it

32-33_Party Halloween 2021.indd.indd 3

www.rifcomachines.com

04/10/2021 13:35

IN FOCUS WITH: THE PARTY PEOPLE

down under

Trick or treating started life in the US in the early 1900s and the holiday is a huge part of modern American culture to this day. While Hallows Eve is a massive celebration in the US, and a prominent part of UK culture, its popularity is also starting to spread to other countries, as Progressive Party Europe found out when chatting to Dean Salakas, chief party dude at Australia’s The Party People….

W

hen Dean’s parents opened The Party People 35 years ago, Halloween was non-existent in Australia, but the family-run retailer has seen the holiday grow over that time, and to this day, it becomes more popular each year.

Dean puts the growing Halloween party down to the increase of US citizens in Australia: “We have a huge amount of immigration from the USA. My wife is from the USA actually. So I think initially, Halloween is being seeded by Americans living here that want to keep up the tradition.

“With that you add that it’s a super fun event for kids and social media and you get virality. It’s just a great concept that people love and the 34

PATCHES THE CLOWN 35 years ago, Mala Salakas was Patches the Clown, an entertainer for children’s parties.

Her passion for parties led her to open The Party People with her father, Peter Nikolas. In 2007, Mala’s sons, Dean and Peter, took over the business which had two employees at the time.

Today the retailer has over 40 employees, is the market leader for party supplies online in Australia, and has two bricks and mortar stores, one of which is the largest physical party store in Australia. Dean comments: “We used to get teased at school because our mum was a clown.

Now we wear it as a badge of honour.”

Above: Dean Salakas and his brother, Peter, took over The Party People in 2007 so that their parents could retire

word is spreading. Halloween will eventually be a mainstream holiday in Australia as well. It’s now hard to get around in October without you being aware Halloween is an event.”

Halloween falling on a weekend causes spikes in Halloween sales at the retailer, but there is a continual trajectory of growth. Dean explains: “I would say there is a difference between Friday, Saturday and Sunday Halloweens to Monday – Thursday Halloweens. Each year, Halloween is one day later and each year Halloween grows, the Saturday is the peak, then Sunday is comparable, and the Monday is a drop from the previous year. That said, the Monday is always bigger than six years prior to that by a long way. So it’s definitely growing.”

While Halloween is gaining in popularity in the territory, the trends are particular to Australia, says Dean: “Halloween in Australia is different to the USA. It’s centred around spooky dress up like ghosts, witches, devils, zombies, etc.

“Zombies have been big in recent times, taking over from vampires. I think with the pandemic being related to many zombie stories, we might see zombies’ popularity grow this year.”

OCTOBER 2021 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

34-35_The Party People_v2.indd 34

04/10/2021 14:25

IN FOCUS WITH: THE PARTY PEOPLE

Tech is also playing a part in the evolution of Halloween dress up: “Costumes are getting more interesting with technology so that is also trending.

There are more ‘illusion’ costumes or costumes that integrate phones or tech, so I think that’s also a developing trend.”

Despite the pandemic, Halloween 2020 was a huge success for The Party People.

Dean says: “2020 was the biggest year ever. We were on restrictions and there was COVID fears with many organisers opting not to do anything, however the public had their first taste of freedom at that time (albeit a little restricted) so they took to the streets to trick or treat in family groups, or had something at home with only a few people.

“Many people who were staying indoors and working from home, took the opportunity to decorate their houses and we saw innovative socially distanced trick or treating.

Like my mum who had a skeleton holding a candy bowl on a zip line to her front gate that she retrieved with a fishing rod.”

With borders still closed and many in Australia currently in their sixth lockdown, retail is set to start opening around a week or two before Halloween this year, and The Party People is gearing up for a busy period:

Above: Australian retailers are set to reopen mid-October and The Party People staff are ready for a busy few weeks in the lead up to Halloween.

Left: The Party People now has two stores, one of which is the largest bricks and mortar party store in Australia, and is planning to open a chain of retail outlets.

“Last year Halloween was the biggest yet with restrictions lifting just before Halloween. This year we are forecasted to come out of lockdown just before Halloween and I think given people are really looking forward to

celebrations, I think Halloween will be massive again.

“For Sydney, the Government has closed our retail stores and we would therefore open one to two weeks before Halloween.

I think it’s going to be a massive two weeks for our stores trying to service a demand that normally comes over an eight to ten week lead up to Halloween.”

And so it looks as though Aussie spooky celebrations are set to explode in 2021 as consumers get the party restarted.

AWARDS AND INVESTMENTS The Party People appeared on Shark Tank Australia and received a $400,000 offer from Janine Allis, which they decided to turn down.

Today the retailer is preparing to create a chain of party stores in Australia so that every Australian can create their dream party.

Dean says: “We have also focused on building a great store experience which is why the Australian Retail

Association recently named us as the Independent Retailer of The Year and the Online Retailer of the year. I was also personally named Retail Leader of the Year.” Recently The Party People has won a host of other retail industry awards including Retail Leader Of The Year, Store Manager Of The Year, Innovative Retailer Of The Year, Pop Up Of the Year and more.

OCTOBER 2021 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

34-35_The Party People_v2.indd 35

35

04/10/2021 14:25

36_Party Halloween 2021.indd.indd 1

04/10/2021 13:47

HALLOWEEN SECTOR GUIDE

LIFT YOUR SPIRITS

With social distancing in full force last Halloween, it seems that consumers are planning to make up for lost celebrations at the end of this month. Suppliers have been seeing a big demand for costumes and decorations and are forecasting record sales this month. Progressive Party sat down with some key execs to get the lowdown on Halloween 2021…

A

s the first big party since we begin to emerge from lockdown, the industry has high hopes for Halloween this year. When talking to suppliers, there is a real air of excitement about the celebrations, with many expecting it to be the biggest Halloween ever and everyone pleased to see consumers returning to parties and celebrations.

“Halloween is here. There is no other way around it,” enthuses Sergio Battaner, sales and marketing director at Palmer Agencies. “As a matter of fact, early interest is stronger than ever – and that’s not a marketing plot. Early orders followed by reorders from quite a few customers indicate that this will be a Halloween to be remembered, for the right reasons.”

For many, Halloween will be the first big party this year. Teresa Whitfield, marketing manager at Club Green comments: “2021’s event is even more special as we emerge from an unprecedented time in our lives. We are optimistic that this year’s celebrations will be bigger and better than ever before. Here in the UK, we could be accused of being slightly reserved when it comes to Halloween, but we are very confident that ghostly parties are here to stay.”

The 31st fortuitously falling on a weekend this year is adding to the positivity in the industry. Alice Knight, marketing coordinator at Smiffys explains: Below: PartyDeco has everything you need for a Halloween party this year, from costumes to tableware and decorations.

“We are looking forward to a full weekend of parties and are already seeing the excitement build for the event as sales of Halloween products are rapidly rising.

“Halloween landing on a Sunday also allows ample opportunity for the return of trick or treating for children of all ages as they have the whole day to dress up, celebrate and make up for lost time.”

Anna Hickman, product manager at Pioneer Europe, agrees: “This year Halloween falls on a Sunday, so we are expecting a big Halloween weekend.

Judging by the pre-orders we’ve had for Halloween balloons, our customers think the same and want to be prepared.”

Those readying for their first Halloween are optimistic too. George Nesnas, owner of Cazaar, says: “The first Halloween after the lockdown is set to be the biggest Halloween yet, with Cazaar launched and already populated with thousands of listings from Cazaar and other companies selling through the marketplace, we’re ready to tackle it head on this year.”

Mark Brett, sole UK agent for Boland adds: “There is a lot of positivity about this year’s Halloween, especially as a complete lockdown looks unlikely. Our customer base has ordered in significant quantities, albeit very late, but that is to be expected in the current situation.”

Above: Cazaar’s new animatronic products are set to make you jump out of your skin.

The late surge on orders has also been experienced at Leg Avenue, as md, Trudy Pijnacker describes: “We have seen that our online and bricks and mortar customers are now busy with last minute purchases.

As service to our customers is just as important as selling, we make sure that we can fulfil these last minute orders by sending out all orders withing 24 hours.”

For the adult market, there are also high hopes, as Robert Berman, founder and ceo of Rasta Imposta explains: “We believe 2021 is the year for adult party craziness. House parties, college bashes, bar crawls and over-the-top Halloween costume parades taking place from Paris, London, Rome, to New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and everywhere in between, will be happening.

“The over-18 crowd missed out on 2020, but this age group has no plans on missing out this Halloween.

Rasta Imposta adult costume sales are breaking sales records and we know it will be bananas this Halloween.”

Suppliers throughout the rest of Europe are a little more prudent with their expectations, although still positive.

Andrea Guglielmo, co-owner and ceo of Ciao International says: “In 2021, Ciao’s Halloween seems to be back to the pre-COVID period for volumes and wideness of the ranges listed through Italian major customers.

“Our expectations for Halloween are positive as long as there’ll be no kind of restrictions that negatively impacted last year. In general, Halloween celebration is getting more and more popular every year and even the primary schools in Italy have begun to celebrate it.”

Magdalena Wojteczek, purchasing OCTOBER 2021 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

37_39_41_43_45_47_Halloween Sector Guide.indd 37

37

04/10/2021 14:01

CONTACT US NOW TO PLACE YOUR LAST MINUTE HALLOWEEN ORDER SALES@OPPOSUITS.COM • WHOLESALE.OPPOSUITS.COM • + 31 6 27 41 76 94

38_Party Halloween 2021.indd 1

04/10/2021 13:48

HALLOWEEN SECTOR GUIDE

Above: As we emerge from an unprecedented time, Club Green is offering designs filled with happiness and laughter.

Above right: The Northstar 16” Letters from Pioneer create some great Halloween door décor.

Right: Costumes based on new box office hits are set to be big this year, says Rubies.

specialist, Godan, is also erring on the side of caution with her projections: “We are actually very curious about what will go on with Halloween in Poland. In recent years, Halloween was less popular here. This is caused by the attitude of the church and government, but last year Halloween went pretty well for us.

I suppose the reason for this was the pandemic situation and the willingness to party even when staying at home.

“This is why we mainly focus on accessories, which can be easily attached and are perfect for house parties or online parties. We don’t expect Halloween costumes to be among the top selling items, but we have a few costumes that may be hot sellers.”

While early signs are looking good in the UK, there are some concerns around supply chains, as Palmer Agencies’ Sergio explains: “We believe the main problem for retailers this year will be securing stock. It is true that quite a few people are being cautious – and rightly so – but we do expect a lot more re-orders as October progresses into full blown Halloween mode.

“Palmer Agencies has made a great effort to have as much merchandise delivered to us in as timely fashion as possible, as we are very aware of the supremely complicated situation in the shipping world, with shipments taking up to three or four extra weeks to arrive to port and prices all over the place.”

On the consumer side of things, suppliers are already seeing some Halloween noise on social media, as Smiffys’ Alice points

out: “We’ve also noticed customers are already embracing the season on social media, with an increase in ‘spooky season’ content featuring Smiffys products since early September. It seems it’s not only the party industry welcoming back Halloween season with a bang after last year.”

Boland’s Mark points out the importance of social media in terms of trends: “Halloween is probably more unpredictable than COVID, if that’s possible. Over recent years it is virtually impossible to say what the trends are until they happen, then they don’t happen until about three to four weeks before Halloween, when the Kardashians and their like decide to do on Instagram.

In terms of trends this year though, there are some clear leaders. Fran Hales, head of content and marketing at Rubies comments: “We expect that group costume will be all the rage as everyone will be looking to make the most of their time with loved ones.

“Pop culture phenomenons like Flash Gordon, Marvel and Star Wars

will be the go-to costumes this year for adults and for the little ones, emulating their favourite characters on screen such as Oddbods and Sesame Street will be the go-to choice.”

Rick van de Giesen, creative director at OppoSuits, agrees: “We still see a big focus on licensed characters like the Joker, Riddler and Beetlejuice, next to the classic characters like a jack-olantern, a scary clown, or a skeleton.

“Another trend we see is materialisation as we see a big pick up on anything fauxfur, sequin, foil, neon, or glow in the dark, bringing the products to a new level.”

Sam Taylor, category manager dress up, Amscan, says the classics are popular this year: “In the costume world our first signs are the hero products of witches, spiders, ghouls and reapers being the best performers, so those established, classic characters.

“We are also seeing early signs our gaming Halloween costumes are a real hit, especially in the older children’s market.

We are also excited to see the continued development on our sustainable Halloween ranges, with more retailers stocking for 2021, with plans to extend ranges in 2022.”

A new design trend for this year is candy colours, according to Jonathan Grassi, md, Grabo: “The password is pink, the colour that will be the protagonist in this party.

Even Halloween takes on every aspect of this new trend. The candy theme will paradoxically be part of the darkest party of the year. Probably to the delight of the little ones. We took a risk and judging by our sales, we can say that we have reached and exceeded every expectation.”

With so many positive accounts of Halloween so far, it looks as though October will be the perfect time to kick-start the party industry back to its finest after a turbulent few years.

OCTOBER 2021 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

37_39_41_43_45_47_Halloween Sector Guide.indd 39

39

04/10/2021 14:02

ne!

ble o a s i l a n o s r e P The

The Rose gold one!

The Eco friendly one!

The Gold one!

W W W. H O O T Y B A L L O O. C O M | W W W. C L U B G R E E N . C O M EMAIL SALES@CLUBGREEN.COM | CALL US ON 01483 281313 40_Party Halloween 2021.indd 1

04/10/2021 13:49

HALLOWEEN SECTOR GUIDE

SPOOK-TACULAR NEW PRODUCTS

This year, PartyDeco’s costume collection has been extended with a witch costume comprising of a black cape and skirt and a hat, along with a pink counterpart for those who want to be Halloween princesses.

Whether you are pro or anti vax, make it a happy Halloween with Rasta Imposta’s Syringe and Vaccine Bottle unisex costumes.

Cazaar’s first Halloween will see the launch of a wide range of animatronic decorations with sound activation designed to scare. The Large Faceless Spectre has flashing eyes and moving arms.

With the launch of box office hits such as The Suicide Squad and Black Widow, fans can dress as the iconic superheroes seen on the big screen with Rubies’ officially licensed costumes.

PartyDeco has Halloween parties covered with its range of disposable tableware, candy bags and garlands including pumpkin shaped plates, accessories with a bat motif and removable tattoos.

Rubies exclusive Iconic Horror Collection brings together all the favourite fright stars from Freddy and Jason to Beetlejuice, you can’t go wrong with the classics.

The preschool Hey Duggee costume from Amscan has had a Halloween makeover. The Skeleton Hey Duggee design features printed trousers and top and a top with Duggee hood.

The Halloween balloon garland kit from Amscan contains everything needed to make a statement including balloons, tape and glue dots.

Grabo has launched a pink and candy theme for this year’s Halloween and says sales have exceeded all expectations.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider collection from PartyDeco features foil balloons in pumpkin and giant black spider designs.

Rubies brand new preschool ranges now include Oddbods and Sesame Street characters which are sure to be popular social posting material for parents this Halloween.

OCTOBER 2021 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

37_39_41_43_45_47_Halloween Sector Guide.indd 41

41

04/10/2021 14:02

42_Party Halloween 2021.indd 1

04/10/2021 13:49

HALLOWEEN SECTOR GUIDE

SPOOK-TACULAR NEW PRODUCTS

OppoSuits has launched a new Scarlet Joker suit for men and boys, and a Jack-o-Lantern suit for men for this year’s celebrations.

The Jack in the Box animated prop, Moving Candelabra and the Hanging Cocoon are all part of Palmer Agencies’ spooky décor line-up for 2021.

There are three new Halloween Airloonz in Amscan’s collection this year – Ghost and Pumpkin, Pumpkin Head, and Day of the Dead. The air-filled solutions are perfect for larger balloon displays and can be deflated and used again and again.

The air-fill and link balloons from Grabo can create a real Halloween spectacle.

A new Scream movie is coming to our screens soon and Palmer Agencies have stock. Not to mention the new Halloween film being released right away.

All Michael Myers and Ghost Face products are part of the extensive range from the company.

Club Green has listened to its customers who wanted products that weren’t too scary for little ones, and come up with cute bat balloons, ghostly goodie bags, fully recyclable paper plates, cups and napkins, along with paper treat bags for trick or treaters.

The new Pumpkin Pinata from Club Green has a range of accessories that children can use to decorate the pumpkin themselves.

Scream green this Halloween with Amscan’s range of licensed and classic character sustainable costumes. Made from recycled materials and packaged in a sustainable box with secondary usage.

Leg Avenue’s design team have added loads of rhinestones, glitters, prints and outstanding fabrics to this year’s collection.

The Halloween Icons shirt and Zombie Characters shirt are both part of OppoSuits’ new Halloween Shirt collection.

OCTOBER 2021 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

37_39_41_43_45_47_Halloween Sector Guide.indd 43

43

04/10/2021 14:03

44_Party Halloween 2021.indd 1

04/10/2021 13:51

HALLOWEEN SECTOR GUIDE

SPOOK-TACULAR NEW PRODUCTS

New for 2021, the leopard print pumpkin has been super popular for Amscan and combines two key trends – animal print and iridescent finishes.

The Disney Infant official licensed Halloween rompers from Ciao feature velcro openings and a bonnet in sizes 0-24 months.

Godan is expecting the new Plague Doctor costume to be a hot seller for Halloween 2021.

Door designs created with Northstar 16” Letters from Pioneer Europe are super scary.

There is always a range of standard and classic Halloween items such as pumpkin baskets, drop-out eye glasses, witch hats and noses and more on offer at Godan for Halloween.

Smiffys range of Manic Panic wigs are the ideal Halloween accessory for the fashion conscious customer. As the trend for creative make up artistry remains strong, the colourful wigs are the ideal addition to any Halloween look.

The 44 Cats jumpsuit from Ciao features paws, gloves, and hat with a cat face and is available in sizes three to six years old.

With sizes from XS to 4XL, Leg Avenue has a great look for every body shape this Halloween and the collection includes all the classic spookies, sinners, villains, dark angels and much more.

Eat, sleep, game, repeat this Halloween with Amscan’s Halloween gaming costumes in four designs from sizes four to 12.

New for 2021 is the Qualatex Microfoil Spider collection including 39” large shape, matching mini 14” shape and a coordinating Happy Halloween Spider & Stars 18” balloon.

Qualatex Golden Skull collection is aimed more at social media trend setters than toddlers and will add a touch of Halloween glam to any grown up party.

OCTOBER 2021 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

37_39_41_43_45_47_Halloween Sector Guide.indd 45

45

04/10/2021 14:04

Having a party this Halloween?

Make a statement with our new tableware and decorations!

©Amscan 2021, ©Anagram 2021. All Rights Reserved.

46_Party Halloween 2021.indd 1

04/10/2021 17:25

HALLOWEEN SECTOR GUIDE

SPOOK-TACULAR NEW PRODUCTS

Social distancing has never been so easy with Boland’s scary Halloween make-up kits, as nobody will want to be around you when you look this frightening. Including kits for zombies, black widows and horror clowns, as well as gruesome wounds, larvae and blood.

Disney Junior Vampirina Bubble and latex balloons are now available from Qualatex. Vampirina loves to celebrate all things spooky, and Halloween is her favourite. Perfect for lovers of a pink Halloween.

Gemar has everything needed to create a spooktacular Halloween display, with intense bright colours from the deepest black to pumpkin orange and a witch’s brew of green and purple. Paired with creepy spider’s webs and ghoulish ghosts, eyeballs and skulls, there’s lots to choose from.

The toddler Slimer costume from Smiffys is a new addition to the existing Ghostbusters family range for Halloween. The plush costume is a cosy take on the classic character.

The classic Jack Face Microfoil from Qualatex is a top-selling design. Available in 9” and 18” to create impactful Halloween décor.

The Ghostbusters range from Disguise features a Proton Pack with Wand Inflatable which looks exactly like it does in the movie and features adjustable straps. The children and adult costumes feature jumpsuits with a range of designs, nametags and logos, while the Muncher Inflatable costume features self inflating fan and shoe covers with a clear vinyl window with printed eyes.

Halloween party-goers can become Funko figures with the new range of masks. Available in Batman Classic, Harley Quinn, Stay Puft and Pennywise, the masks feature adjustable elastic straps and foam at the forehead and chin making them easy and comfortable to wear, and a hang tag to display them next to the Funko collection.

As the Addams Family 2 movie hits cinemas this month, Smiffys has added to its licensed range with the new adult Wednesday Addams costume with plaited wig.

Ciao is offering a range of costumes based on classic licence, The Smurfs, for ages 2-3 and 4-5.

The new paper décor kits from Amscan use FSC paper and feature reusable decorations including fans, honeycomb and strings in a variety of classic Halloween designs.

OCTOBER 2021 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

37_39_41_43_45_47_Halloween Sector Guide.indd 47

47

04/10/2021 14:04

PartyWorldwide.net

is the online news website for the global party and costume industry. Launched by the leading publisher to the worldwide party sector, Progressive Party Europe, the website serves as an essential online resource for the global costume, party and balloon market.

«T wice-weekly newsletter landing in over 8,000 inboxes « I ndustry jobs / agents board « Resource section with industry analysis «D igital editions of Progressive Party Europe « F ully supported by industry associations and key trade shows

Brought to you by the publishers of

For sponsorship and commercial enquiries please contact Rob Willis on robw@max-publishing.co.uk For news submissions and content enquiries, please contact Katie Roberts-Mason on katierm@max-publishing.co.uk

Party Worldwide.net_Full Page.indd 1

06/10/2021 12:14

300142 - HARRY POTTER ROBE DELUXE

300693 - HARRY POTTER QUIDDITCH ROBE

300574 - HERMIONE BLISTER SET

300106 - HARRY POTTER ADULT

300930 - ADULT MANDALORIAN

702474 - THE CHILD

702659 - GHOSTBUSTERS ADULT

16529 - GHOSTBUSTERS

840036 - STAY PUFT MARSHMALLOW

3

4

702702 - HARLEY QUINN RED DRESS

702703 - HARLEY QUINN ADULT JUMPSUIT

32943 - HARLEY QUINN’S BAT

33608 - HARLEY QUINN WIG

300002 - BATMAN BLACK CORE

880671 - DELUXE BATMAN

880631 - SECRET WISHES CATWOMAN

883106 - DELUXE THE JOKER

702873 - RIDDLER

702874 - JOKER

810109 - DELUXE FIBER FILLED DEADPOOL

702065 - BLACK WIDOW DELUXE

700021 - PENNYWISE COSTUME TOP

700732 - FEMALE PENNYWISE

888735 - BEETELJUICE

880617 - SECRET WISHES BEETLEJUICE

821137 - DELUXE ANNABELLE

889844 - MISS SCISSORHANDS

300430 - JACK SKELLINGTON

702721 - WANDA HALLOWEEN COSTUME

702761 - VENOM BOYS DELUXE

640874 - VAMPIRINA

300432 - EVIL QUEEN

888838 - MALEFICENT CHRISTENING

5

6

BM574 - TERROR CLOWN MASK

BM576 - DEAD, WHITE AND BLUE MASK

PM182 - ENTITY MASK

BM577 - CIRCUS CREEP MASK

BM589 - ANARCHY REBELLION MASK

BM573 - DEADLY SHAKESFEAR

BM578 - TOP HAT HORROR CLOWN MASK

BM601 - SKELETON GRIN WHITE MASK

BM600 - SLASHER LIGHT UP MASK

BM575 - LOST LIBERTY MASK

X79189 - EVIL GRIN MALE MASK

PM183 - DILATE MASK

CA0015 - ZOMBIE SLAYER SAW

BA1756 - BLOODY CLOWN MACHETE

BA1095 - AXE SMALL

CA0020 - BASEBALL BAT

R18116 - VAMPIRE BLOOD

R19607 - GREY HORROR FLESH

R68916 - SLIT THROAT

R68729 - TORN UP HAND

M37242 - QUARANTINE SIGN

M38059 - SOLD TO CIRCUS SIGN

M37861 - ON DUTY SIGN

M37862 - NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH SIGN

AF131 - CLASSIC WITCH

CF245 - CARNIVAL CLOWN GIRL

AF175 - GHOSTED

641127 - FREAKY CLOWN

AF151 / AF152 - BRUMMIE GANGSTER

AF185 - MULTICOLOUR MISCHIEF

CF251 - SCHOOL GIRL ZOMBIE CHILD

CF247 - FRIGHTFEST CONTROLLER CHILD

7