Toynews 187 September 2017

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HATCHIMALS™ & © Spin Master Ltd. All rights reserved.

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COVER STORY WONDER WOMEN P14

Contents September 2017 Features

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COVER STORY: WONDER WOMEN A look at how female screen heroes are inspiring a new generation of youngsters.

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INTERVIEW: ANNA KNIGHT As BLE 2017 approahces, we speak to the show's brand director about all things gaming.

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FEATURE: TOY VISION How kids’ viewing habits are starting to impact playtime and the sale of toys.

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Regulars Opinion 06 Timo Olkkola 07 Rachel Jones 08 Rebecca Deeming Market Data 24 Generation Media 25 Campaign of the Month 26 Euromonitor Product Guide 35 Games & puzzles 65 Pocket money toys Back pages 72 People 73 Team of the Month 74 Final word

FEATURE: DICE AGE Exploring the future of games and puzzles.

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No. 187 | September 2017

Fun and games

Editor Robert Hutchins rhutchins@nbmedia.com

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Deputy Editor Jade Burke jburke@nbmedia.com Staff Writer Jack Ridsdale jridsdale@nbmedia.com Sales Manager Jodie Holdway jholdway@nbmedia.com Production Executive James Marinos jmarinos@nbmedia.com Designer Nikki Hargreaves nhargreaves@nbmedia.com Managing Director Mark Burton mburton@nbmedia.com

Follow us @toynews online

he best thing about editing a magazine for an industry you adore is that the trivial matters, (or is that the trivial people who don’t matter?) are very few and far between.

The second best thing is that each month, we get to delve into the finer points of this industry to deliver you the content that really does, across optimum platforms, and produce the trade magazine that we believe this community deserves.

The third best thing, (and this list is starting to get long now), is that every once in a while I get the chance to present to you, the readers, what I like to call a ‘tentpole magazine’. Please don’t read too much into any euphemisms here. This is just publishing jargon for ‘one belter of a publication'.

I know, I know. How uncouth to blow your own trumpet like that.

Media should never be about the ego of one person and when it comes to putting a magazine together, that’s the first thing that should be left at the door. We can only do what we do because you do what you do. A magazine is about community, and the toys are second to none.

That said, I am very excited to present to you the September issue: a games and puzzles extravaganza, delving deep into this booming sector to bring you the latest developments from across the category.

Into your long-play campaign table top titles? Perhaps you prefer a quick blast of Pie Face before heading to the pub? Whatever your tipple, we’re covering it all in this issue.

While the fact its arrival coincides with news that board gaming has now become a super-category on Kickstarter, with successful projects bringing in a total of $70m for the first half of the year, is fortuitous, it’s not surprising.

It’s the fastest growing category in the UK for a reason and that is that the global board gaming and puzzler community is now bigger than ever. And that’s where the big bucks lie, in the global community.

All the rest is just trivial pursuit.

Robert Hutchins, Editor Rhutchins@nbmedia.com

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Opinion

Hybrid theory: What do you need to consider in a world of retailtainment?

by Timo Olkkola

In recent years, retail’s focus has shifted towards entertainment and emotional experience due to growing competition and changing consumer habits.

Successful promotions and point-of-sale campaigns aren’t just about cardboard boxes anymore. Rather, they require close partnership between the licensor and the retailer.

Experience is the secret to success in retail today.

One phenomenon of increasing the retail experience is retailtainment: a hybrid of retail and entertainment, bringing excitement to the consumer, encouraging their purchasing decisions and delivering them back to the moment they resonated with the brand the most. Establishing such emotional commitment often matters more to brands than customer satisfaction.

Heightening the brand’s value often stimulates a consumers’ willingness to pay more.

To succeed in retailtainment, brands should establish a match between the values of the brand and the quality of its products. It is key to achieve concurrence between values and quality to avoid damaging a consumers’ perception of the brand. Equally, the retail environment must remain on par with the campaign, matching – not disrupting – this harmony.

A well-resonating match between brand and retail campaign might create a special feeling of immersion and influence a positive change in consumers’ minds towards the brand. But it takes two to tango. The retail space and the brand must align to create that distinguishable experience and increase consumers' emotional connection to the brand and store alike.

An increased demand for unique experience among the consumers had made direct-to-retail deals more frequent, but deals of this type require a closer cooperation between the licensor and the retailer, shortening the supply chain and possibly making go-tomarket times and reaction to consumer trends faster.

To organise retail campaigns with licensing teams, companies should automate and streamline their manual licensing work in a way that allows them to meet the approval and retail deadlines for campaigns.

Whatever tactics a brand employs to strengthen consumer loyalty towards their merchandise, a well-planned brand licensing strategy is always indispensable. Working towards the creation of exciting experience at stores may help a brand get closer to their consumers and make them cherish even the smallest retail shelves.

Whether your brand has own branded stores, partner retail chains or even hypermarkets, it is the added value of unique experience that increases loyalty rates and takes the win in retail campaigns today.

"Experience is the secret to success in retail today."

Timo Olkkola is the CCO and co-founder of Flowhaven, a leading platform for managing licensing and merchandising programmes.

Olkkola can be contacted at timo.olkkola@flowhaven.com.

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Opinion

Counter strike: Spotting the fakes and bringing them to justice

By Rachel Jones

As counterfeit toy sales continue to rise, the importance of being able to firstly, identify and secondly, prevent the sale of infringing goods has never been greater.

The Office for the Harmonisation in the Internal Market estimates that our legitimate toy industry in Europe loses approximately €1.4 billion of revenue annually due to the presence of counterfeit games and toys in the EU marketplace, corresponding to 12.3 per cent of the sector’s sales.

In turn, these lost sales translate into direct employment losses of approximately 6,150 jobs.

The sad fact is that nowadays, any SME with the global footprint is at risk. Gone are the days when only the luxury brands or FMCG were the ones being ‘faked’. Lesser-known brands are being targeted because the infringers believe they are less likely to have the resources to take action.

As we all know, telling the counterfeit and the genuine apart can be truly difficult, particularly online where original images may be being illegally used and price differentials are small. Many bogus products have authentic looking packaging.

Worryingly, safety is often compromised.

Counterfeiters cut costs by using unregulated materials

and toxic chemicals in dyes. High levels of carcinogenic phthalates are often found, and fakes may have poorly made loose pieces and sharp edges.

But it’s not just our customers who are at risk.

Manufacturers of genuine toys also suffer the consequences. Counterfeits destroy brand reputations.

If a consumer purchases a substandard product they will likely assume the brand is at fault and take their custom elsewhere. Brands can identify the problem and respond appropriately, but the damage may already have been done. The threat of reputational damage must not be underestimated.

There are many proactive steps which can be taken to protect brands online. While it might seem like an overwhelming undertaking, there are ways you can protect your customers and your revenue streams that are straightforward and won’t break the bank.

Ensure your trademarks are registered not just at home, but wherever you are planning to trade. Include secret ingredients in your toys, wherever possible – which only you know are part of the toy’s identity.

Keep an up to date file of product images and marketing material for proof of originality. Register your product and brand with the Enforcement Database at EUIPO – it’s free and alerts customs authorities throughout Europe to any incoming fake goods. And choose and review your distributors and resellers very carefully.

"Telling the counterfeit and the genuine apart can be difficult."

Rachel Jones is CEO and founder at SnapDragon, the online brand protection solution for SMEs.

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BTHA Briefing

BTHA Briefing: Tackling Modern Slavery, toy safety and Toy Fair 2018

by Rebecca Deeming

It’s been a busy last month for the BTHA having held our second BTHA Training Hub seminar for members, taking on the topic of Tackling Modern Slavery.

We welcomed guest speakers from industry experts Stronger Together and ICTI Care who provided tips and advice to a mix of member companies on what they should be doing to meet the requirements of the Modern Slavery Act. New legislation means that the UK government is a lot more stringent on the steps required by UK toy companies to take in being complicit with the Act and has issued new guidance for companies affected by it.

Our seminar proved to be the perfect platform to field any questions until now that were left unanswered.

Meanwhile, Fidget Spinners have been a hot topic of conversation in the past few months, particularly regarding the risk to children’s safety. As ever, when there is a craze like this, companies that have no idea about toy safety import poor quality and unsafe product, and they ruin the market and the reputation of the responsible industry.

We were therefore pleased to see a crackdown by trading standards on unsafe products and the issue highlighted on Watchdog. The BTHA also highlighted

an incredibly unsafe product, the toothpick crossbow, to Trading Standards to try to ensure they would not make it onto the UK market.

The BTHA met with the Information Commissioner’s Office in July. It was a good meeting and appears the UK will be taking a pragmatic approach to regulations. The ICO were helpful in answering questions about the implementation of the GDPR on behalf of the toy industry. We will be updating members on those discussions.

When it comes to Brexit, the BTHA is continuing to meet with government officials and recently met with the Department for Exiting the EU. We are also planning ahead for an event in Westminster at the end of November.

There was cause for celebration last month as our Make Time 2 Play campaign hit 100,000 Facebook likes. The campaign is a great opportunity to promote toys and play in a positive light and we would love for more members to get involved with the campaign.

We have an exciting month coming up, with Toy Fair registration opening on September 5th, the build-up to Toy Fair 2018 is well and truly on the way.

With the return of regular exhibitors like Flair, Character Options, Playmobil, Spin Master and Orchard Toys, as well as a new extension of the Greenhouse Area making space for new companies, Toy Fair 2018 looks set to be another great show.

"Toy Fair 2018 looks set to be another great show."

Rebecca Deeming is the public relations manager at the BTHA, an association that represents British toy manufacturers to raise standards of practice in the industry.

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KNIGHT’S

WATCH

Anna Knight, brand director of BLE, has billed this year’s event as a ‘fantastic edition’. Jade Burke finds out how the revamped gaming focus and additional retail programmes will pave the way for a hit show

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art Simpson is handing out free donuts and Superman is on hand to meet and greet fans. Yep, you guessed it, it’s that time of year again where the licensing industry will descend upon London’s Olympia to get the lowdown on all manner of things licensing, from toys and food to gaming and sport.

Kicking off this October comes the annual Brand Licensing Europe show, which will pack over 40 new exhibitors into the London grounds, where key industry professionals including licensees, licensors, trade press, retailers and buyers will all join together to clap their eyes on some of the latest innovations within the bustling licensing industry.

It’s an exciting time for anyone involved, as LIMA recently revealed its Annual Global Licensing Industry Survey, citing that the global licensing industry is now worth $262.9 billion, a 4.4 per cent growth from the previous year, with character and entertainment continuing to be the top property type, accounting for $118.3 billion in retail sales, a 45 per cent share of the market.

Meanwhile, Western Europe including the UK, Germany and France

saw revenues total $52.4 billion, a 20 per cent share of the total market. It’s an industry that keeps getting bigger and everyone wants a slice.

“The future remains promising.

However, change is afoot,” Anna Knight, brand director of Brand Licensing Europe, tells ToyNews.

"We’ll see more consolidation in the traditional entertainment industry."

Anna Knight, BLE “I believe we’ll see more consolidation in the traditional entertainment industry but new brands will take their place – this happens time and time again and does breathe new life into the licensing world.”

Certainly the industry is evolving to meet consumers’ needs and with 2017’s show just around the corner, no doubt key execs will get the opportunity to witness the developments first hand, by meeting licensors, licensees, retailers and more throughout the three-day event.

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“It’s genuinely one of the best shows I’ve ever worked on because the people are some of the brightest and most creative, and the brands are diverse and interesting,” Knight continues.

“As always, I’m looking forward to seeing what our new exhibitors bring to the table and how our returning brands are showcasing new IPs or new merchandise from their evergreen properties.”

Game on Changes in this industry are already upon us, with this year’s show ramping up its gaming content, with new exhibitors and the introduction of a dedicated Gaming Activation Area.

According to LIMA’s survey, global retail sales of licensed merchandise within software, video games and apps spiked by eight per cent from 2015 to 2016 and are predicted to continue growing over the next five years.

A creative and lucrative market, gaming has much to offer the licensing scene with named franchises such as Call of Duty, Dark Souls and Overwatch all lending themselves to licensed merchandise from

apparel to stationery – it’s a growing space that cannot be ignored.

“It’s BLE’s responsibility to support all parts of the industry and shine a spotlight on the ones that are showing growth,” reveals Knight.

"Gaming remains one of the most creative, exciting and lucrative entertainment markets."

Anna Knight, BLE “It remains largely untapped when it comes to licensing thanks in part to a lack of understanding about the end user, the products and the potential. We want to educate around the possibilities for licensees and retailers as gaming remains one of the most creative, exciting, forwardlooking and lucrative entertainment markets in the world.”

Gaming will also be a central focus within this year’s seminars, as GfK will put an emphasis on the trends and opportunities in video games, while a

gaming keynote panel featuring experts from Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe and Paladone will be on hand to dismiss some of the myths that currently exist around gaming licensing.

Knight continues: “We’re hosting over 30 sessions across two seminar theatres and the themes covered will range from trend updates on subjects like fashion, lifestyle, toys, gaming and sport, to European focused sessions around the impact of Brexit and how to launch a pan European licensing programme.”

Plus, with the likes of Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe, Ubisoft, Capcom, SEGA, King, Rovio and many more influential gaming brands set to exhibit, BLE 2017 is on hand to deliver a unique gaming experience for everyone in attendance this year.

Despite increasing its gaming offering, BLE is also welcoming a raft of new exhibitors to the show floor, as well as welcoming other brands back after a few years away, including Emoji, Juventus, Multera Ltd, Nudinits, The Point 1888, Those Licensing People, Traditional Japan, Tulipop and more.

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Retail innovation Licensed goods are now making an impact on a whole host of retailers, from toy stores and apparel outlets to cinemas, which BLE is tapping into through its Retail Mentoring Programme. A CPD accredited course that runs from May to October, retailers can take part in a series of modules and seminars, to equip them with the tools they need to build a diverse and engaging licensed offering.

Retail is at the forefront of the industry, taking product directly to fans, and with over 45 delegates from a swathe of retailers, including Toymaster, M&Co, Morrisons and Odeon, already signed up it’s clear that the retail scene, from independents to grocers, are taking licensing seriously and are recognising the opportunities this industry can offer.

“It’s important because it shows that the programme can add value to all types of retailer and it also shows that these retailers are taking licensing seriously and want to ensure that those new to licensing are equipped with all the information they need to take advantage of the opportunity,” enthuses Knight.

“Each year, we aim to diversify, yet further, the types of retailers we have on board to try and spread the licensing message as far as possible.”

"Each year, we aim to diversify, yet further, the types of retailers we have on board to try and spread the licensing message as far as possible."

Anna Knight, BLE Of course toys are an integral function to licensing as a whole, with TV shows, films, games and more all inspiring toy launches. For example, this year alone we have witnessed Nitro Circus join forces with Hexbug for a roll out of toys while The Pokémon Company International has gained a new master toy licensee in Wicked Cool Toys, which is sure to mean new and creative products to tie-in with the franchise's resurgance in popularity.

To cement this continued growth, BLE has joined forces with body for toy and game designers, Mojo Nation, who will host The Toy & Game Innovation Zone during the show. Guests will get to see some of the most successful examples of licensed toys and games launched within the last 12 months, as well as previewing some of the upcoming new titles for Christmas 2017 and beyond.

And now that Toymaster has joined the Retail Mentoring Programme, a host of new independents can now expand their licensed toy portfolio, embracing the opportunities these toys can bring to any retailers’ store.

It certainly looks like 2017 has a lot to offer, but it doesn’t stop there for Knight and the team who are already working on 2018’s much anticipated show.

“From the new exhibitors and new experiences at the show, to the great licensees and retailers already registered to attend, I think 2017 will be a fantastic edition of BLE," concludes Knight.

“It doesn’t stop at 2017 though – we’re already hard at work on figuring out what to launch in 2018.”

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WONDER

WOMEN With Wonder Woman standing tall as the highest grossing movie of the summer, female heroes are flying the flag for girl power in the typical male-dominated world of superheroes. Here, Jack Ridsdale takes a look at how super powered ladies are taking over the hero space

“I

f no one else will defend the world, then I must,” declares Gal Godot’s inspiring Wonder Woman in the female-led blockbuster that snatched the top spot from Spider-Man and the Guardians of the Galaxy this summer. Patty Jenkins’ rip-roaring WWII adventure represents a milestone not only in the world of comic book heroes but also film-making in general. The film was named the highest grossing blockbuster ever to be directed by a woman, as the film’s total gross nears a whopping $800m, marking an incredible achievement for the picture.

Meanwhile on television, one of the most iconic sci-fi heroes of all-time is set to be portrayed by a woman for the first time in Doctor Who’s 11th season, allowing girls everywhere to put themselves in the shoes of the time-travelling, interstellar adventurer for the first time.

“It’s really an exciting time for the Doctor Who brand in terms of licensing,” Rikesh Desai, licensing director at BBC Worldwide, told ToyNews. “We’re very much looking forward to seeing Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor and are

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having productive conversations with our existing licensees and potential new partners.”

Despite these progressive icons making a positive impact in the media, with issues of gender, especially when it comes to well-established franchises in typically male-dominated genres, fan reaction is never straightforward. As with the reveal of Rey being the protagonist of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, opinions were split between forward thinking fans that praised the change and those closed-minded curmudgeons that were all too bang the worn out drum of “political correctness gone mad.”

However, toy firms have historically lagged behind on issues of representation, especially when it comes to the pantheon of heroes. In 2015 Hasbro courted controversy when the firm released a play-set depicting a thrilling scene from Avengers: Age of Ultron, in which Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow races to the team’s rescue, dropping from a jet on her

Playing catch-up This renewed focus on inclusiveness is an encouraging development in the world of entertainment, especially in media focussed towards the youngest viewers.

With licensed products being arguably the biggest drivers of profit in the world of toys, it's fair to suggest that this new age of representation will be reflected in the toys that the young generation will get their hands on as well.

Rikesh Desai, BBC Worldwide

"It’s really an exciting time for the Doctor Who brand in terms of licensing." motorcycle. All the detail of the scene was in tact apart from one crucial detail – the presence of Black Widow herself. Yes, fearing that the play-set’s target audience, boys, would not want a female figure at the centre of the action, Black Widow was replaced with the Captain America character, much to the disappointment of fans everywhere.

Later, play-sets featuring the same scene emerged from Hot Wheels and LEGO both featuring the same omission. Whether this decision came directly from Disney is speculation, but one thing was for sure: the gatekeepers of the toy industry didn’t have confidence in the appeal of female heroes.

A couple of years on and things are changing. Perhaps spurred on by criticisms of the past and the changing tide of public opinion towards gender equality, Disney’s Star Wars features not one but three female main characters across its main-line movie titles, spin-offs and television series.

These icons of female empowerment are represented in the toy space by the Forces of Destiny, which are being brought to store shelves by Hasbro.

Being one of the leaders in the toy space, this international firm are recognising the demand for female heroes that are just as powerful and proactive as their male counterparts. Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of consumer products at Disney highlighted this focus on inclusivity, saying: “From Princess Leia to Sabine Wren, Star Wars heroines are unique, and we wanted to

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represent that in the product line for Star Wars Forces of Destiny.

“Our new Adventure Figures celebrate the power and stories of these incredible characters and allow kids to recreate their most heroic moments at home.”

But the true woman of the hour is DC’s Amazonian princess, who has brought ladies to the forefront of the superhero space with the rollicking Wonder Woman.

“For 75 years, Wonder Woman has served as a global symbol of empowerment, justice, equality and peace, recognised for her power and strength as one of the world’s most iconic super heroes of all time,” enthuses Paul Bufton, VP of

"For 75 years, Wonder Woman has served as a global symbol of empowerment, justice, equality and peace."

Paul Bufton, WBCP

licensing and business development at Warner Bros. Consumer Products EMEA. “WBCP has brought a fleet of licensees from the EMEA region and around the world to deliver a global-reaching licensing and merchandising program in support of the film reaching fans far and wide.”

Super squad With female empowerment in the spotlight, WBCP’s dedicated line of female superhero toys, DC Super Hero Girls, is poised to make an even bigger impact leading into AW 2017, bolstered by its multimedia, multi-platform approach.

“Continuing to grow and expand globally, DC Super Hero Girls continues to engage young fans with original content and a wide range of product, including toys, costumes, apparel, accessories, publishing, digital games and more,” continues Bufton.

“With DC Super Hero Girls, we’ve created a unique world for girls and kids to immerse themselves with their

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favourite DC characters as they engage with and explore the world of superheroes – as we know it’s not just boys that like superheroes – and we know girls everywhere are very much just as excited to imagine, explore and discover themselves and their favourite superhero characters.”

The toys, manufactured by Mattel, have enjoyed healthy sales since their launch in 2015, bolstered by DC’s strong female characters including the likes of Harley Quinn and Supergirl. Wendy Hill, brand activation director at Mattel UK, highlighted the line's success as a huge step forward for female heroes in toys.

“In the fashion dolls subclass July NPD, Mattel is pleased to say that DC Super Hero Girls are the number three fashion doll, as well as the number one fastest growth of the top 10 fashion doll properties, and the number one item YTD in fashion doll,” explains Hill.

“The DC Super Hero Girls range has been an important launch to show girls and boys a universe and storylines that have strong female characters in the thick of the action, and to create products that allow them to play out female superhero stories.”

Small screen queens Elsewhere, Cartoon Network’s own wonder women have returned to screens in a spectacular fashion with a rebooted Powerpuff Girls cartoon, which is engaging a whole new generation of potential new fans with its timeless themes of friendship, loyalty and morality.

"The duality of the characters offers a very compelling creative arena to explore."

Johanne Broadfield, Cartoon Network “When The Powerpuff Girls first launched back in 1998, Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup became true ambassadors of girl power,” comments Johanne Broadfield, VP of Cartoon Network Enterprises EMEA. “Underneath their cute exteriors, each of the girls had a strong, original personality and that made them heroic as individuals and, as a team, they formed a nearunstoppable force.”

The unique appeal is what has allowed Cartoon Network to develop a robust consumer products line-up for the brand from plush to collectables, spearheaded by a toy range from Spin Master.

“An element which is absolutely core to The Powerpuff Girls brand is the duality of the characters: they are super cute, and super fierce,” adds Broadfield. “They go to school, but save the world. They are little girls with big powers. This juxtaposition offers us and of course our licensees a very compelling creative arena to explore when it comes to consumer products.”

With the toy industry cautiously beginning to throw its weight behind female heroes, all that remains is for Hollywood and the world of entertainment to push this potential to the next level and introduce even more powerful and iconic female heroes for girls around the world to admire and aspire to.

With Wonder Woman now confirmed for a sequel and female-led action flicks like Atomic Blonde and Tomb Raider hitting cinemas, the ladies are getting a fair shot at the limelight and with their success you can bet on the toy industry to follow suit.

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TV & toys

TOY VISION

Children’s TV plays a vital role in how kids select their toys, inspiring playtime on all levels. But how are kids’ viewing habits starting to impact sales? Jade Burke explores

K

ids are consuming TV content at a rapid pace, and with an abundance of children’s channels from Nickelodeon to Cartoon Network all churning out new episodes on a daily basis, it’s no wonder that these children’s series are having a fundamental impact on how young ones enjoy playtime.

Tuning in to the TV and watching the latest episode of PAW Patrol is part of a child’s routine, just as it is playing with the latest play-set starring Chase and Skye, but are kids’ viewing habits starting to have a key impact on toy sales?

“The performance of shows on-air directly impact the sales of products related to the show,” reveals Nickelodeon’s VP of commercial partnerships, consumer products and experiences, Marianne James.

Certainly if a show is trumping viewing rates it is likely that toy sales will follow suit. However, research is intrinsic to ensuring a toy launch is successful, for example, James warns that children’s shows must boast a loyal following before a toy line can even be considered.

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“We try to monitor the popularity of shows before we consider products. This includes doing research into the consumer products potential of the shows, through to ratings once the show has launched,” James enthuses.

Not only that, timely releases can also help to continue momentum, such as with the PAW Patrol Air Patroller vehicle, which hit retailers’ shelves after the vehicle was showcased during an episode at Easter 2016, which resulted in a sell-out product.

From this no doubt children continued to engage with the series and buy new toys.

“PAW Patrol is an example of a property that has now become an essential part of a pre-schooler’s daily viewing and as such, products, especially toys and softlines, are timed to launch at the same time as particular episodes, such as the Air Patroller vehicle toy launching at the same time as the episode was shown at Easter 2016 and the product sold out.”

Similarly, WWE supported the release of a Steel Cage play-set for fans to enjoy by locking Chris Jericho inside a cage during a match, to help ramp up toy sales.

"Kids are consuming more content than ever before because of different platforms and second screens."

Marianne James, Nickelodeon Screen success In a society that is now screen heavy, with households having as many as six screens in the form of TVs, smartphones and tablets, the impact TV is having on a child’s choice in toys cannot be ignored, with streaming services and adverts all altering how a child is playing.

“I think standard TV is not having as much of an impact. My children prefer on demand TV like Netflix and YouTube and I think YouTube has a far bigger impact,” recalls Matt Booker, owner of Automattic Comics and Toys.

“The problem is that distribution in the UK is way behind keeping up with the current trends and needs a kick up the bum. It's evolving into a very different market place for the next hot trend.”

In contrast, Nickelodeon has witnessed a recurring trend in children choosing to watch TV, which has also helped to propel toy sales with various properties including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which has secured over $2 billion in retail sales across various categories since 2012.

James adds: “Kids are consuming more content than ever before because of availability on different platforms and second screens, but we know through our research that their preferred way to watch

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Marianne James, Nickelodeon

TV content is through the main set and that live TV still accounts for the majority of their viewing.”

There’s no denying the impact an advert may have on children too, with most children’s shows filled up with advertisement slots for the latest toy, showcasing new heroes and villains for kids to play with. With all of this content engulfing viewers, children are able to gain inspiration for playtime, taking on the role of the ‘baddie’ or ‘goodie’ character to mimic poignant scenes from their favourite

Matt Booker, Automattic Comics and Toys

TV show, which of course leads to even more sales for the manufacturer.

Mitch Brown, owner of Darths Hutt, concurs: “The majority of advertising is now on the children's channels rather than normal terrestrial channels. Kids can pester the parents for a product they have seen on TV, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the parent has seen the advert themselves.”

"It is important to know what children are watching and a great excuse to tune in."

Peter Allinson, Whirligig

Mitch Brown, Darths Hutt

Binging boom With all this consumption comes a cause for concern; are children now starting to binge on their favourite shows through different platforms?

Ofcom detailed its annual Communications Market Report during August 2017, which found that 79 per cent of UK adults are now watching multiple episodes of their favourite shows in a single viewing session. Of course, this figure doesn’t include children, however, the fact that the UK is enjoying binge watching proves that this behaviour could be transferred to kids.

“This generation of kids tend to want content on tap to suit their mood, our research has shown, and VOD viewing allows for this,” James explains.

“Binging on one property for example can mean watching the show, buying the products, playing the game online and interacting with the channel on social media for example.”

Despite this, toy manufacturers cannot discount the fact that TV content is a major part of children’s lives and has a huge impact on how children play and choose their toys, making it even more crucial to track their viewing habits.

“It is really important to know what children are watching and a great excuse to tune in,” concludes Peter Allinson, owner of Whirligig Chichester.

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Generation Media

PRIME TIME Lauren Coombs As digital platforms become more prevelent in family homes, the concept of 'prime time' is changing. Lauren Coombs, acting MD of Generation Media, finds out why

Source: YOUTH TGI 2017r1 SPRING (Mar-May 16,Oct-Dec 16) - 07 to 19.

Base: children seven to 10 sample size 2,068 (2,983,000)

I

t's no secret that children of different ages are viewing numerous advertisements per day and not all are through the same media channel. But as marketeers and media buyers it is important to understand what channels are most likely to reach your consumers at one point of the day versus another, and the differences between how children of varying ages view content from a weekday to weekend.

By using Youth TGI, a survey with a sample size of 6,265 children between the ages of seven and 19, (therefore representing over 9.4m children across the UK), we can start to understand the variations between girls and boys and different age groups. It is important to break down your insights by age and gender as we know media habits for a boy aged seven will be vastly different from a 15 year old.

Here, we will hone in on children aged seven to 10 and analyse how girls and boys are accessing each media channel by time and day of the week.

It will not come as a surprise to see TV and digital online are key focuses for both girls and boys aged seven to 10 years old, however it is surprising that even though at a lower percentage of uptake, magazines are favoured more by boys. Boys are 27 per cent more likely to be reading a magazine during a weekday morning and four per cent more likely on a Saturday morning.

This supports the fact that ABC circulations continue to show that children’s press is more stable than other categories like parenting and women’s weeklies.

As we go into a weekday evening, digital online becomes more prominent for girls overtaking TV viewing. However, for boys TV remains the most preferred channel, which may contradict certain reports in national and trade press stating that TV is becoming a dying media channel.

Again when focusing on the weekend, TV holds the most attention for both girls and boys with approximatley 73 to 74 per cent of each audience respectively stating that they watch TV on a Saturday evening. Gaming is becoming increasingly important for both audiences, overtaking internet usage for boys during a weekday afternoon; presumably a result of lunch time activities with friends or when coming home from school. Whether its on mobiles, tablets or games consoles, this ever increasing focus on video games is becoming one of the biggest competitors for the attention of youngsters.

As a contrast to this, gaming peaked for girls in the evening. Conversely when focusing on the weekend, both audiences are spending more time gaming in the afternoon than any other time of day.

So while it is important to note that children are utilising a variety of different media channels, specifically the rise of online channels including gaming, (not to mention cinema that is not included in this question on the Youth TGI survey), it is clear to see that TV remains one of the most cost effective channels to gain mass awareness quickly.

ToyNews PlayTime is provided by Generation Media 0207 307 7900 | www.generationmedia.co.uk

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Campaign of the month

AIR HOGS

In July, Spin Master orchestrated an exciting launch for its Hogs DR1 Micro and FPV Race Drones, which set in motion the brand’s highly anticipated Christmas campaign

O

n July 12th, celebrities, world champions, media and influencers were invited to KidZania for a fun evening of Pro Pilot demos and drone testing, as guests got to be first in the UK to try out the Air Hogs DR1 Race Drones.

The event was MC’d by gadget guru Jason Bradbury and saw an engaging array of experiential activities to showcase the Air Hogs range. NEXXblades set up a fun Micro Drone racing course around the ‘shopping streets’ for the drones to fly around, while World Drone Racing champion Luke Bannister and his teammates hosted a first person view live stream using the drones’ 150-degree wideangled camera view.

The launch was boosted by the product’s appearance on a major retailer’s top toys for Christmas list, further propelling the product line into the spotlight.

The launch also enjoyed a healthy amount of media attention, including coverage by Sky News Swipe, who also ran a Facebook Live Post, and BBC’s Click.

Top influencers signal boosting the event included Amazing Arabella, DJ Kid, Tekkerz Kid, It’s Romello, Beau’s Toy Farm, Ashnap Toys, Barbster360 and gaming champ Ryan Hart plus a host of others – who tweeted and posted Instagram videos throughout the event.

The marketing line-up for the DR1 Race Drone line, is set to elevate the brand even further into the mainstream consciousness with a heavyweight TV campaign starting from September and running through until

"We've had a brilliant start with this first stage of the launch."

Ranjit Dhutti, Spin Master

the end of November. The TV commercial will feature both Luke Bannister and US Pilot Jonny Shaer adding another element of the 360-degree marketing campaign.

On the digital side Spin Master will be partnering up with some key kidfluencers, as well as engaging the brand’s target audience through key social media channels and kids' gaming sites throughout the peak season.

With this successful launch in the bag, further PR activity is now being planned

around a DR1 Race event in Ireland this month, along with highly targeted preChristmas media targeting will aim to maximise opportunities in the press and on TV. The team at Fosbury PR, who managed the launch event at KidZania, will also continue to reach out and engage with target influencers to help generate further excitement for drone racing and show youngsters how they too can race like a true pro.

Commenting on the activities to date, senior brand manager, Ranjit Dhutti, said: “We’ve had a brilliant start with this first stage of our Air Hogs DR1 Race Drone launch campaign and look forward to maintaining the momentum of this impressive new introduction as we speed toward Christmas.”

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Euromonitor Research

THE WILD WEST It’s been a turbulent few years for the Western European toy market, but thanks to the strength of licensed products, the traditional toy and games market is climbing.

Matthew Hudak, Euromonitor’s senior toys and games analyst explores the region

F

ollowing a period of annual declines, brought on by continued economic malaise plaguing various countries within the region, Western Europe once again has a growing traditional toys and games market.

That growth is mainly benefiting licensed products as, thanks to high smartphone proliferation and internet access, kids are constantly exposed to new intellectual properties, driving demand for them.

The Western European region is currently facing a period of low birth rates. This will create limited opportunities for toys and games growth in the region

and retailers will have to adapt their portfolio to meet consumers’ fast changing tastes to remain competitive.

Putting Western Europe on the map According to the latest Euromonitor International toys and games research, Western Europe ranks third in regional per capita spending on traditional toys and games, and the second lowest in terms of growth over 2011 to 2016, ahead only of Australasia.

The region also ranks third in terms of total traditional toys and games market size, having been overtaken by Asia Pacific in 2014.

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Euromonitor Research

Declining children population limits growth The size of the child population aged 0 to 14 years old saw a small decline in Western Europe in 2016, the only decline registered for the region over 2011 to 2016.

This decline in the child population, while detrimental to the Western European toys and games market as a whole, also means the opportunities within toys and games in the region are shifting, and toy makers and retailers are having to adapt their product portfolio more rapidly to meet the tastes of parents and children in order to grow.

For example, fewer children overall has also meant fewer children per household in the region, meaning parents have more to spend on their kids, opening up additional opportunities for new product types.

One new opportunity would be science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) toys, which increase their presence in most Western

"Technological toys are enjoying strong demand, making R/C products a growth category in every market."

Matthew Hudak, Euromonitor Like other low-growth regions Australasia and North America, Western Europe mainly comprises developed countries with mature toys and games markets. This has been limiting overall growth compared to regions such as Asia Pacific and the Middle East and Africa that have a large number of emerging markets in which households are reaching income levels where traditional toys and games become affordable.

Moderate growth after rebound Western Europe was one of the lowest growth markets globally from 2011 to 2013 as some countries in the region had very slow recoveries following the financial downturn in 2008 to 2009, such as Italy or Greece.

This slow recovery negatively impacted disposable incomes and ultimately led to multiple years of traditional toys and games declines in the region.

As economies began to stabilise and incomes began to grow, the region returned to traditional toy and games sales growth in 2014 and managed to see its highest growth in 2015 to 2016 in large part supported by the demand for licensed toys created by major films such as Frozen and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

European markets in 2016. Many parents in the region are having fewer children and are having them later in life, and many of these parents increasingly believe it is important to take an active role in their child’s educational development.

As such, parents are increasingly looking for toys that not only entertain, but also offer some educational component that contributes to STEAM development.

The importance of STEAM skill development has helped to fuel growth for scientific/educational, arts and crafts, construction, and games and puzzles in numerous markets in Western Europe.

Technological toys, such as robots and drones are also enjoying strong demand, making R/C products a growth category in every major market in the region.

Young children in the region are increasingly tech savvy, with many owning their own smartphone.

As such, they are beginning to demand technological elements, including toys that can be controlled via mobile devices. In addition, these toys are capable of enhancing the technological portion of STEAM skills, as these toys can teach the basics of coding.

Euromonitor International is the world’s leading independent provider of strategic market research. The firm creates data and analysis on thousands of products and services around the world. Euromonitor’s Passport database provides insight on industries, economies and consumers worldwide, helping clients analyse market context and identify future trends impacting businesses globally. For more on Euromonitor and Passport, head to http://www.euromonitor.com/

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Games & puzzles

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Games & puzzles

DICE AGE It’s a booming sector that accounted for $9.45bn in global sales last year and saw a 24 per cent growth in the UK market. Robert Hutchins explores boardgaming’s monopoly on the toy industry

T

here is a wolf baying at the door of the global entertainment market, and for a change, it doesn’t require digital downloads or Wi-Fi connection.

This creature is of a far more modest construct; carving new milestones in a traditional market as old as the toy industry itself. This creature is board gaming. And, generating some big money across the market, it appears ready to blow down the foundations of the current technological zeitgeist.

Let’s put it into perspective. According to market analysts Euromonitor, the sector totalled $9.45 billion in sales in 2016. On a more localised scale, games and puzzles has just become the fastest growing category yearto-date ending June 2017. The NPD Group has also revealed that the sector is up 24 per cent versus the same period last year, indicative of the swell in its popularity.

Whether you paint this as a renaissance or a rebellion, the board games and puzzles sector has been seeing a global growth for quite some time now.

In 2011, it was worth $7.6bn. Over the course of five years that value has grown by 17 per cent, fuelled in large by 2015’s gaming revival.

We all remember Pie Face, of course, and the home video that helped propel the game to global fame. It proved to be quite the pivotal moment not just for the brand but family gaming in general.

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Games & puzzles

Since then, not only has Hasbro rebranded its games portfolio under the Hasbro Gaming arm and launched numerous concepts within the field, including subscription boxes to deliver curated content to fans, but more and more, we have witnessed a widespread of toy companies express a growing interest in the sector.

This year alone, Character Options introduced its first slew of family games, Thames and Kosmos’ UK division detailed its renewed focus on the tabletop sector and all the while, smaller businesses – Big Potato, Bananagrams and Accentuate – have each reported enviable sales figures.

Of course it will come as no surprise that, according to 2016 results, Hasbro remains the dominant force in the family gaming sector with a 22.6 per cent share of the total global market. Behind it sits the likes of Mattel, Ravensburger, Asmodee and in the Eastern market, Shanghai Yaoji Playing Cards.

But between them, this leader board of the ‘big five’ totals only 40 per cent of the market. So who is taking the lion’s share of this global phenomenon?

Indie rock and roll Board gaming; whether it’s quick-fire family games or the more intense tabletop variety, is arguably one of the most accessible areas of the contemporary toy industry.

Increasingly, indie board game publishers are finding shelf space here in the UK, while smaller companies and distributors such as Coiledspring Games are recognising the potential gains to be made by introducing them and the plethora of titles to already dominate the European market into their offering.

According to the most recent ICO Partners analysis, the total amount generated by Kickstarter’s database of successfully funded board game projects exceeded $70m in the first half of this year.

That’s seven times the amount generated by its former leading sector, video games.

It would seem then, that the independent board game publishing scene is awash with more talent than ever before.

But more so than that, the sector is equally complemented with a global community of fans ready to invest both time and money into it.

“The best bit is, the awareness of games is not yet saturated,” Ben Hogg, marketing manager at Esdevium Games tells ToyNews. “We can see this in the growth of sales, the rising attendance at conventions and the emergence of Kickstarters and Board Game Cafes.”

"I think there is still considerably more to come from adding technology into games."

Ben Hogg, Esdevium Games If there’s one thing to highlight about the rise and rise of the board game market, it’s community; between players, publishers, investors and more.

It wasn’t just Hasbro that spotted this dynamic when it partnered with Indiegogo two years ago in a campaign to find its next board game designer. Big brands have been infiltrating the crowdfunding community for quite some time now, helping to bring popular licensed properties to the space while allowing indie publishers to maintain their individualism among a fan base that just loves an auteur.

IDW Games found success with its Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles title while Space Goat Productions scored with Terminator, but perhaps the best example is Dark Souls: The Board Game. A physical spin-off of the hit video game franchise published by Bandai-Namco, it was the seemingly unknown games publisher Steamforged that launched the project to Kickstarter in April 2016. By the end of

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Games & puzzles

May, the board game had cleared £3 million in funding.

Did it ride the crest of a wave of recent successes within the tabletop gaming spectrum? Undeniably, yes. But more than that, it presented the perfect melee of licence to medium and medium to platform to its global fan community.

Culture club Pop culture and board gaming has gone hand in hand for a fair few years. Look at Winning Moves’ varied collection of licensed titles, from The Walking Dead Monopoly and Game of Thrones Risk to Big Bang Theory Cluedo and Harry Potter Trivial Pursuit.

It’s thanks to the likes of Waterstones and the few retailers that took the chance on the sector early on, that geek culture

has been rehomed from the shadows and brought onto the High Street where mainstream audiences are not only privy to, but indulging in a market that for far too long had remained one of the continent’s best kept secrets.

"It is not surprising that retailers are reacting to the growing trend of board game cafés."

Roger Martin, Coiledspring Games “It seems as though the UK is catching up with Europe in realising that table top gaming is a great way for families and friends to have fun together,” says Roger Martin, owner of Coiledspring Games.

“With the noticeable rise in board game cafés, finding more and more titles in local pubs and libraries combined with ambassadors for titles across social media, it is not surprising that many of the mainstream retailers are reacting to the growing trend.”

Such is the rise in demand for international titles that Thames & Kosmos recently detailed that its renewed focus was on bringing its German owner Kosmos’ array of titles in to the UK market.

“Many board gamers have expressed their delight that they can finally buy the games in English and not have to translate from German,” explains Thames & Kosmos UK’s sales director, Jo Drage.

“But with so many good titles to choose from, our main problem is to decide which are the right ones to translate first.”

It’s not a solitary problem. Owing to the vast quantity of board game titles available, (the online directory Board Game Geek estimates this at around 89,000, not including the thousands of titles from amateur publishers), the concept of purchasing for first time buyers is understandably a daunting one.

The multi-million pound ‘gateway gaming’ market – a breed of table top games designed to ease players into the hobby – does help, of course, and many popular titles from Coiledspring and Esdevium Games, (such as Talisman and Pandemic), offer the ideal launch pad into the market. But, perhaps nothing has done more for geek culture-mainstream relations than the explosion of the licensed board gaming market.

Winning Moves is the UK distributor of a great number of popular and pop-culture licensed titles and has cited a stark rise in demand for licensed board games from both children and adults in the last couple of years.

In fact, Q4 2016 saw the firm’s unit sales numbers increase from four to five figures driven by the likes of Game of Thrones, Harry Potter and Pokémon and helping the company to its 28 per cent overall growth last year. This year, it expects much of the same with new licenses on board, including Rick and Morty and Super Mario.

Interestingly, two of the five big hitters for Winning Moves are based on IP to have emerged from the video games market. Add September 2017 | toy news | 31

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to this the success it is seeing for its Skyrim licensed games via online gaming retailers, the flurry of video game licensed board games to have hit the market in recent years overall, and the success of the likes of Dark Souls: The Board Game, and you can start to see the beginnings of a new subculture forming.

Of course, the same could be said of comic book IP or movies making the transition to board games – the Batman themed Rory’s Story Cubes, for instance.

There are plenty out there. But how many can lay claim to setting the foundations of an entire sub-category of board gaming, one that quite wonderfully crosses into the live experiential market?

Are you experienced?

The escape room phenomenon really took off in the UK towards the end of 2015.

Following a flurry of new experiences popping up across the capital, the trend soon went nationwide, mirroring the success it had seen internationally.

The concept was simple, if somewhat maniacal: lock a group of friends or strangers (or strange friends) in a room for one hour and challenge them to break free by solving a network of intricate and convoluted puzzles.

Its popularity has not only been welldocumented but successfully translated into the board gaming sphere, with titles such as Escape the Room, Mystery at the Stargazer’s Manor among Paul Lamond’s raft of bestsellers in the last year.

However, the escape room phenomenon actually emerged from the video gaming culture; a direct translation from the vastly popular The Crimson Room, a Japanese title that gained vast success from an underground culture. Around it, an entire sub-culture of gaming now appears to have emerged, one that transports the game’s algorithms into the physical space.

The relationship between video games and board games doesn’t end there, and the potential for bringing in technology closely aligned with the video gaming market – augmented and virtual reality – is slowly being recognised.

“I think there is still considerably more to come from adding technology into games, such as companion apps that we have seen in a number of games,”

continues Esdevium’s Hogg. “A great example of this being our own escape room style game, Unlock.”

While many traditionalists will rebuff this addition of tech in the sector, others argue that its inclusion only goes to

"We are certain that the board game trend will continue to grow globally."

Rena Nathanson, Bananagrams heighten the experiential element of board gaming. This is, after all, a market that thrives on the collective experience of its players and community.

According to fan website, The Board Game Cupboard, the UK’s first official board game café – The Games Hub in Edingburgh – opened its doors in 2012.

Inspired by the Toronto-based outfit Snakes and Lattes, the café kickstarted a new trend that has spread across the UK,

totalling 15 destinations from North to South, and counting.

Of course, that’s not taking into account the numerous pubs and libraries throughout the UK that have chosen to increase their board gaming offering, as well as the hobby and toy shops that offer their own unique board gaming events.

Such is the rise, it has infiltrated the manufacturer’s mindset and indie outfit, Big Potato has even hinted at a desire to open its very own café for the community to enjoy.

As for the future of the market, the industry appears to be in unanimous agreement that it will only grow stronger as larger and wider spread audiences are exposed to its many benefits.

“We are certain that the board game trend will continue to grow globally,” says Rena Nathanson, CEO of Bananagrams.

“With this renewed interest in the sector come new initiatives and fan activities, Casual gamer conventions are growing in popularity, with exposure to new products renewing the return to grassroots marketing efforts,” she concludes.

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GAMES & PUZZLES | POCKET MONEY

NAME OF THE GAME

Games and puzzles are an integral part to any retailers' in-store offering. Robert Hutchins rounds up some of the latest titles

Hasbro Gaming 01633 278 770

Location: Gwent

Despite unstable economic conditions, it's been a banner year for the toy giant with its portfolio showing strong growth from classic games to new digital titles, reporting an overall figure of 15 per cent growth in 2017.

Pie Face has proven to be one of the firm’s most successful games since its launch in 2015 and even scooped the BTHA’s Game of the Year award this year, securing its place as a mainstay in the children’s games category. Hasbro built upon that success this year with the launch of Pie Face Sky High.

Hasbro continues to innovate with products like tech toy Simon Optix, Bop It Maker and Monopoly Ultimate Banking, a title that brings a new twist to an old classic.

Cluedo and Monopoly Classic continue to be immensely popular, with the Monopoly brand bolstered by a historic, worldwide vote asking fans to pick all eight Monopoly tokens in the game, which ultimately ended with the Boot, Thimble and Wheelbarrow leaving the game,

replaced with the Rubber Ducky, T-Rex and Penguin tokens. The firm also introduced new games featuring some of the most anticipated movies and entertainment properties of the year including My Little Pony, Star Wars and Despicable Me 3.

Elsewhere, the firm is also expanding into live experiences and events with the launch of the experiential My Little Pony Bus Tour and Play-Doh Imagination Tour, which display Hasbro Gaming’s dedication to finding new ways to engage fans with its stable of brands.

“Our goal is to provide families with gaming experiences that are fun to play, fun to watch and fun to share. In talking with consumers, we know they are looking for fun face-to-face experiences with their family and friends," Hasbro’s marketing director, Craig Wilkins, told ToyNews.

Wilkins also highlighted the company’s dedication to staying ahead of the curve in the games market and delivering experiences consumers can’t find anywhere else.

Wilkins explained: “It’s important to us here at Hasbro to keep on top of the challenge games proving popular on social media. We’ve released successful games in Speak Out and Pie Face, with two recent hits including Egged On and Fantastic Gymnastics based on the popular viral egg roulette challenge and flip challenge, respectively.”

Featured product

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September 2017 | toy news | 35

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Product Guide

JUMBO GAMES The puzzle sector is growing and with it, Jumbo Games is continuing to dominate the space. Managing director, Stewart Middleton, talks to ToyNews about the burgeoning market The Millennial has a lot to answer for.

Cafés selling bowls of cereal for a tenner, Pikachu Snapchat filters and, in part, the rise in sales figures among Jumbo Games’ adult puzzle portfolio.

In fact, while Jumbo has indicated that 2017 has been a ‘challenging year’ for much of its children’s licensed product thanks to a drop in demand for the likes of Peppa Pig and Ben and Holly, the adult puzzle sector has been booming.

Jumbo Games is now on the cusp of a ten per cent growth on last year, according to June NPD figures and despite the dip in its children’s games roll out, the firm’s adult puzzle focus has driven its growth over the course of the first half of the year.

“Puzzle growth for us is all about adult puzzles,” Stewart Middleton, MD at Jumbo Games tells ToyNews.

“Falcon de Luxe is showing over 100 per cent growth with a number of retailers, including Amazon. Jan van Haasteren is almost 20 per cent up and Wasgij is also performing very strongly.

"The Jumbo Premium Collection of Puzzles, featuring images from around the world is new this year and is already selling 50 per cent of our existing ranges such as the Jan van Haasteren volume.”

The reason for this surge in sales of Jumbo’s puzzles collection can be attributed to the firm’s renewed focus on the sector, delivering better imagery and themes, as well as a bigger collection and wider distribution.

But equal to this is the revival that puzzling is currently undergoing, particularly among a younger generation of avid hobbyists.

“We have noticed the puzzle audience is becoming much younger with consumers from around 20 and upwards getting into puzzles, as well as more of the traditional 40 and over audience continuing to grow,” continues Middleton.

“This is a key driver in our own sales and definitely has even further growth potential.”

It’s off-setting the slight decline Jumbo has seen among its games line-up this year, one that has been attributed to a dip in interest in children’s licenses among it. However, it’s far from finished and Jumbo anticipates that with its new Disney Cars Piston Cup Game and Disney Guess the Film game, that these sales figures will pull back as it approaches Q4.

Couple this with the emergence of some breakthrough new properties in the children’s space and Jumbo is confident its younger years offering will return to full-strength in the coming months.

“Our strategy stays consistent with new children’s licenses that we truly believe in, such as Moon & Me. We recently signed this property and are developing products to fit the style and ethos of the hit series,” says Middleton.

“For Jumbo, we know we have more share to gain and we have a number of new, different themed puzzle ranges launching next year that will give us significant additional growth.".

Featured product

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Product Guide

PAUL LAMOND 0207 254 0100 Games and puzzles specialist, Paul Lamond, has an array of exciting new children’s lines based on characters from the books of comedian and actor, David Walliams and English writer, Julia Donaldson.

This autumn, Paul Lamond will bring four 250-piece puzzles featuring entertaining scenes from four of Walliams’ most famous books to market. Characters from across his best-selling titles Gangsta Granny, The Boy in the Dress, Billionaire Boy and Mr Stink will each make an appearance.

Meanwhile, the pre-school line-up will be bolstered with two new puzzles featuring the Highway Rat from Julia Donaldson’s children’s book of the same title. The new four-in-one Puzzle Set and 24-piece Floor Puzzle feature scenes from the rhyming classic.

Richard Wells MD, Paul Lamond Games

What are the biggest trends in games and puzzles currently?

In the children’s games sector, action games are all the rage. Games that require participation such as our Silly Spaghetti and Roller Coaster Challenge are going to be very popular with young ones this year.

Licensed games and puzzles continue to be very popular and we have new additions that will be hot properties this Christmas.

Highway Rat will be a key focus this Christmas as a specially adapted version of the storybook is scheduled to be the BBC’s main animation over the upcoming festive period.

Paul Lamond has welcomed two new additions to its family games range: The Now That’s What I Call Music board game and the Who Dares Wins board game.

Based on one of the most successful music compilations and hit TV shows respectively, the pair are predicted to do big business this Q4.

Silly Spaghetti, Colour Cube Sudoku, Lunar Landing and Roller Coaster Challenge are just a few of the new titles that are now available in Paul Lamond’s extensive children’s games portfolio and are destined to keep kids entertained this winter.

Featured product

The Highway Rat Floor Puzzle Manufacturer: Paul Lamond

What growth have you seen in the market?

We have had a great first half of the year. We brought magic in to our portfolio with the new Jamie Raven Magic range and had a brilliant response to our preschool games and puzzles.

What does the future look like for the games and puzzle sector?

The festive period is traditionally games and puzzles season and it will probably continue to be so for many businesses. However, over the last few years we have witnessed more of a continued spend across the whole year and that can only bode well for this category.

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PR STUNT

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Fizzy Dizzy Hippo

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Product Guide

TIM HALL MD

RAVENSBURGER 01869 363 800 Ravensburger is ploughing some serious investment into TV advertising this year. And by serious, we mean to the tune of £1 million.

It’s been cited as one of the largest the toy sector has seen this year and it carries with it a very concise message: Ravensburger has one thing on its mind and that’s growth.

Starting mid September, six separate TV advertisements will be screened across the UK and Ireland, introducing audiences to a striking new portfolio of games and 3D puzzles, including the likes of Funny Bunny, Penguin Pile-Up, Disney Eye Found It and more.

“Ravensburger will continue to innovate and support its 3D puzzle range as we introduce new formats and reinvent existing favourites," Tim Hall, MD of Ravensburger told ToyNews.

The campaign has been launched in order to ramp up the consumer interest and support the firm’s vast collection of retail partners throughout what is typically known as the games and puzzles season. It’s a cunning plan.

"Ravensburger will continue to innovate and support its 3D puzzles."

Tim Hall, Ravensburger

To secure its biggest TV spend to date centring on the UK toy industry’s fastest growing market in a season earmarked for games and puzzles. The maths pretty much does itself.

First to screen this autumn/winter is a TV spot starring two of Ravensburger’s 3D action games, Funny Bunny and Penguin Pile-Up, with both titles set to be supported by a 650 TVR campaign.

Leading Ravensburger’s licensed line this season will be Disney Eye Found It, a hidden picture game that will appear in its own 480 TVR campaign.

Recent data from Euromonitor has revealed that Ravensburger sits within the top five largest games and puzzles companies across the globe, falling in rank with the likes of Hasbro and Mattel. It’s a position that can be attributed to the firm’s breadth of imagination, from the Euro gamer space, all the way through to its child-friendly action game line up.

Bugs in the Kitchen, for instance, is a title developed in partnership with Hexbug and features a collection of Hexbug NanoV2s as they scuttle up and down 3D loops.

"This will be our third consecutive year of high growth in the games market and we see a lot of potential to grow," concluded Hall.

Featured product

Buggaloop Manufacturer: Ravensburger Cost: £23.99

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TOMY 020 8722 7300 Now placed within the top three manufacturers in the childen’s games market, TOMY is continuing to drive the category with new products like Tickle Me Feet and Phil the Fridge.

It’s with an expanded collection of titles within its children’s games portfolio that the firm is looking to continue its success in the space well into autumn/ winter this year.

Tickle Me Feet is a pirate-themed game that challenges players to win treasure by completing tasks during the allotted time, all while having their feet tickled. Meanwhile, Phil the Fridge is a fast-paced game that challenges players to get their coloured food shapes into Phil’s fridge.

Despite only being released last August, TOMY’s Greedy Granny has already gained a place as one of the top six new children’s games. The toy giant aims

Pedro Sousa UK brand manager, TOMY

Why is the current children's games market seeing such strong growth at the moment?

If you can come up with a simple game, easy to play, with some surprises and hidden elements that will bring laughs to children, it will succeed. Nowadays, parents don’t have a lot of time to spend with children, so if they can find a way to connect with them through simplicity, I think that is key to success with a new game.

to follow on its success with the launch of Fizzy Dizzy Hippo this month.

The firm has also expanded its collection of pop-up games with the addition of two new licensed products, including the likes of Pop-Up Minions in July and PopUp BB8 in September.

“We really want to continue to build on momentum to reach our goal of ranking at the top of the children’s games category,” explained Pedro Sousa, UK brand manager at TOMY. “Innovation is hugely important to us and we are working on some exciting concepts to broaden our range even further. In addition to new releases, we’re also supporting our core collection to ensure strong sales over the Christmas period.”

Featured product

Tickle Me Feet Manufacturer: TOMY Cost: £19.99

Many of the new games coming out now understand this and that is certainly the focus of TOMY. What does the future of the games market look like?

There is room for everybody in the market. The hightech and traditional games will continue to exist as parents and families like to enjoy quality time together and while we have the concept of family, we will have the concept of games, as these two things are connected.

TOMY will continue to reinforce its position in children’s games. A few years ago we were not ranking nearly as high and our ambition is to be the next big player in this category.

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Product Guide

Moose Toys info@moosetoys.com Location: Melbourne, Australia

After having already conquered the collectables space with its popular Shopkins, Little Live Pets and Grossery Gang brands, Moose Toys is set to further extend its presence in the fastest growing category of 2017 – family board games – with its latest launch, Boom Blast Stix.

The game of wits sees players stacking interlocking springs, trying not to be the unwitting player to trigger the explosion. It’s a game for those with a gentle touch, and nerves of steel, because if the stack moves, it could cause the whole pile to explode and the stix will fly everywhere.

As well as families, the game has also proved a hit with adults and students, who are leveraging the might of social media to share their hilariously genuine reaction videos on YouTube, Facebook and more.

This mid-level priced item boasts attractive packaging with the lid forming the perfect stacking surface for games. The curved shape of the red lid is designed to put pressure on the Stix when loaded on top, to produce the biggest

explosion. There are 32 interlocking springs included, the challenge is to stack them all.

“We see Boom Blast Stix as being the real first foray into the competitive games category, which we know is experiencing strong growth year on year,” said Paul Solomon, co-CEO of Moose Toys. “These days families are looking for ways to have more quality time together, away from screens. We’ve seen how the surprise element of Boom Blast Stix gets genuine reactions out of everyone who plays it – and those funny sharable moments will be entertaining for the entire family.”

Boom Blast Stix is one of three games launching for Moose over the next six to 12 months, leading this key growth area for the firm. With a strong line-up of innovative products, Moose looks set to lead the games pack throughout this holiday season and on into the new year.

“We’re excited to be working with Character Options to bring Boom Blast Stix to market here in the UK,” added Solomon.

Featured product

Boom Blast Stix Manufacturer: Moose Toys Cost: £20.00

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Product Guide

ESDEVIUM 01420 593 593

ANIL BOODHO Sales director Location: Alton

Esdevium Games has enjoyed a prosperous 2017 with the continued success of the games and puzzles sector.

The firm has been able to grow some of its most successful and best-known brands, including Dobble, Rory’s Story Cubes, Ticket to Ride and Cortex Challenge. Moving into Q417, Esdevium will continue to focus on these key properties in addition to supporting some exciting new game launches.

This year, Esdevium is celebrating the Year of the Train, a wide-reaching campaign to raise awareness for its successful game of train travel adventure, Ticket to Ride.

This Q4, the campaign will steam ahead with the game’s mascot, Max, embarking on an inter-railing adventure across Europe.

Beginning in London and running exciting events in each country designed to promote and get people playing Ticket to Ride, Max will travel to Paris, Munich and finally Copenhagen. All stages of the journey will be filmed at out-of-the-box, quirky locations with interesting guests joining him at every stop. Esdevium will also release dedicated Year of the Train kits to allow for in-store events and competitions across the UK. In addition to the Year of the Train campaign, Esdevium will release three brand new Ticket to Ride games in the form of Ticket to Ride Germany, Ticket to Ride France and Ticket to Ride Europe First Journey.

Both Germany and France games feature new mechanics and adapted gameplay to make each a unique Ticket to Ride experience for fans of the franchise. Ticket to Ride First Journey Europe offers the same celebrated gameplay from Ticket to Ride Europe in simplified form, with a beautifully-illustrated and condensed European map, enabling the basics of Ticket to Ride to be enjoyed by children as young as six.

Esdevium will also release two new versions of brain-training card game, Cortex Challenge. Cortex 2 will include a host of new challenges, as well as developing the existing challenges to test different parts of the brain.

Cortex 2 will be available in both regular and kids’ editions.

Finally, after the successful launch of Unlock! Escape Adventures earlier in the year, new for Q4 will be Unlock! Mystery Adventures, which features the same puzzlesolving gameplay, but this time, instead of finding the way out, players work through a deck of cards (supported by a companion digital app) and are tasked with solving several intriguing mysteries.

Featured product

Ticket to Ride Manufacturer: Days of Wonder Cost: £29.99

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Product Guide

JOHN ADAMS 01480 414 361

BRUNO GALLONE Sales director Location: Huntingdon

John Adams Leisure is expanding its established games portfolio this year with a host of new lines, developed to encourage fun for the whole family.

Joining the range of kids’ action games is Mr Bucket, the original racing, chase the bucket game. Players aged four and upwards must pick a colour and race to be the first to scoop up all the balls of their colour as Mr Bucket moves around the floor.

Also joining the John Adams action games portfolio this year is Giggle Wiggle. Designed for children aged four and upwards, players press Giggle Wiggle’s button to watch him start dancing to the samba music. Then they must race to be the first to stack all of their coloured balls on Giggle Wiggle’s hands as he twists and turns around.

Designed with hilarity in mind, Don’t be a Donkey provides plenty of laugh-out-loud fun for the whole family. Players must wear their donkey headbands and pass the cards until they get a full house. At this point, they shout ‘Donkey’ and grab a carrot.

The last person to react must lift up one of the donkey’s ears on their

headband. If a player misses out three times they must wear the donkey mask and they lose the game.

A new take on the retro classic, Tetris Dual brings the iconic video game to the table top, meanwhile a new challenge for the youngest Rubik’s fans, Rubik’s Junior is Rubik’s in animal form. Available as bear, bunny, kitten and puppy characters, little ones can twist and turn the crazy animals to create wacky mixedup characters.

The award-winning Doggie Doo also has a brand-new look for 2017, now featuring a new dog and improved food.

Joining the Rummikub family of games, Rummikub Twist adds a new slant to the classic game. Three new jokers, Colour Change, Mirror and Double join the standard Joker to add more strategy, fun, challenge and pace to the gameplay. The new addition sits alongside Rummikub Classic, Travel and Prime and Word versions.

Featured product

Mr Bucket Manufacturer: John Adams Cost: £22.99

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Product Guide

BIG POTATO hello@bigpotato.co.uk

Location: East London

Independent board games company, Big Potato, is launching three new games for summer 2017: First Dates, The Chameleon and Colourbrain.

First Dates is the official board game of the cult Channel 4 reality dating show. It’s an adult party game that pairs players up on a fictional dinner date and gets them to answer some seriously awkward questions. Other players on their own dates earn points by predicting the answers. To fit the restaurant theme, the questions come in the form of a starter, main course and dessert.

As players progress from starter through to dessert, questions become more controversial and squirm-in-your-seat awkward. You don’t have to be in a couple to play First Dates; in fact, couples might find some questions too awkward to handle.

The Chameleon is an award-winning family party game devised by legendary board game designer, Rikki Tahta. Played in a group of people, one person is secretly appointed the role of Chameleon. The aim of the game is for the Chameleon to try and blend in by sneakily

working out the secret word without being caught by its teammates.

It involves a lot of bluffing, debate and deduction as players try to expose the elusive Chameleon without giving away the secret word. Games are short and sweet and Big Potato is sure fans will want to play it over and over again.

Colourbrain is a super-simple family trivia game. Players split into teams, and each team is given 11 different coloured cards. A colour-related question is called out and teams must answer by placing a colour (or colours) face down on the table. The first team to do so shouts out Colourbrain, which gives the other team ten seconds to answer before the time is up.

Questions in the gaming title range from ‘what colour is a baby swan?’ to ‘what colour is Charlie Brown’s shirt?’

Big Potato will be appearing at Autumn Fair this month, which takes place from September 3rd to 6th in Birmingham. Visit them at stand 5B19, Hall 5.

Featured product

The Chameleon Manufacturer: Big Potato

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Product Guide

CARTAMUNDI Location: Essex

01268 511 522 Shuffle GO, the popular card game range by card and board games manufacturer, Cartamundi, added a new addition to its collection, Shuffle Go Operation.

Do you remember Cavity Sam? The game challenges players to make Sam better by removing ailments on the operating table.

Shuffle Go Operation adds the take-anywhere flexibility of a card game in the iconic Shuffle packaging. Thanks to its compact size, players can enjoy the game anywhere, turning the world into a giant playground.

And that’s not all, Cartamundi has created an extra game dimension by adding an x-ray card. This magical iCard links the physical card game to an app. Shuffle Go Operation comes with a free app that offers an easy-towatch-and-learn video guide.

Hayley McAuley, sales manager at Cartamundi UK, said: “By making the bridge between the physical card and the digital experience we blend these two worlds into one. This makes the extra experience very

strong and offers an even higher value and fun factor to the game. It will make sure everybody feels the magic of the game. And that’s what it is all about.”

Combine the greatest licences with the strongest board games and you’re set to discover your favourite games. Shuffle exists in different variation, all fun, fast and easy.

Play it with classmates during a lunch break or play it with grandparents on a Sunday afternoon. Play it everywhere, with everyone.

Shuffle Go goes the extra mile and adds a special experience to the games.

What do you think about a clever x-ray card? Or an app holding extra features? Say goodbye to reading game rules – short videos in the app explain everything. Plus, thanks to the Shuffle Go packaging – a little plastic box – users can take it everywhere.

The arrival of Shuffle Go Operation follows the successful launch of a wide selection of Shuffle games: Subbuteo, Connect4, Game of Life, Twister, Monopoly Deal, Monopoly Junior, Cluedo, Trivial Pursuit, Guess Who? PAW Patrol, Play-Doh and Battleship – with more titles on the way.

Featured product

Shuffle Go Operation Manufacturer: Cartamundi

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Product Guide

Coiledspring Games 020 3301 1160

KERRIE CORRIGAN Sales manager Location: Twickenham

This year sees Coiledspring Games ramp up its gaming contribution, following a new partnership with IELLO and expanded offerings from Blue Orange and Gamewright.

The firm has also significantly increased its marketing budget with investment into digital marketing being a core part of the strategy to build on its gaming portfolio.

Known for its bestselling King of Tokyo title, IELLO is recongised for its varied portfolio of games, with new releases for autumn including Mountains of Madness and Bunny Kingdom. To mark the launch, Coiledspring will offer in-store demos, exclusive giveaways and game changing bonus cards.

Kingdomino from Blue Orange won Spiel des Jahres 2017 and can now claim its place alongside previous winners such as Qwirkle and Codenames. Players must connect their dominos tiles to build the most impressive realm, however players must be wary as other kings are also coveting these profitable lands to win the most prestige points.

Elsewhere, Photosynthesis, which was a hit at this year’s Gencon, will be ready for release in the UK after Essen, with pre-orders for the title already looking promising.

Gamewright continues to expand its line-up that features Forbidden Island and Sushi Go, with the brand new Go Nuts

For Donuts. A fast-paced card game that the whole family can enjoy, the aim is to outsmart opponents and collect donuts hot out of the oven to collect points.

Baobab received positive feedback from retailers during this year’s London Toy Fair, however attendees preferred the name Tumble Tree. To accommodate, the firm renamed the gaming title and are now stocking Tumble Tree. The game also won Best Children’s Game at UK Games Expo in June against some very solid competition.

Plus, Happy Salmon remains a best-seller for the gaming company.

Meanwhile, reaction on social media has rocketed following the news that Coiledspring is teaming up with Games Workshop to bring Talisman and six expansions to the market.

This classic title will be available for fans to purchase in November.

Featured product

Kingdomino Manufacturer: Coiledspring Games

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Product Guide

BANANAGRAMS 0207 298 9515 – Winning Moves

KAY THOMPSON Head of UK sales Location: London

The Re-Gifter, The Thief, Switcheroo, Pouch Head, these are just some of the 14 chaos-inducing Party Power tiles in the new Bananagrams Party edition.

Each tile gives the receiving player the power to unleash a special action on the opponent of their choice. Whether it's making them play without using their thumbs, or forcing them to do a lap around the table, each action is sure to cause mayhem, while players race to use all their letter tiles and complete their own word grids.

Also available is My First Bananagrams, a new title for the younger player. The iconic Bananagrams pouch is now a ripening green and, in response to customer requests, contains colourful lower-case letter tiles.

The collection of fun games within caters to a wide range of reading abilities. There are 10 curriculum-based mini games for early learners, and word game challenges that grow in difficulty as the child’s skill level advances.

My First Bananagrams boasts new doubletiles with vowel-teams, word families and digraphs. This makes it the perfect game for children as they learn to read and spell.

Featured product

Bananagrams Party Manufacturer: Bananagrams Cost: £15.99

ORCHARD TOYS 01953 859 525

Location: Norfolk

Orchard Toys has launched three new games for Q4, with prices starting from £7.50 reaching to £15.95 for a value pack.

Traditional favourites are given a magical twist in Fairy Snakes and Ladders and Ludo.

With a double-sided board featuring two classic board games in one, the game offers customers great value for money, as well as being fun for the whole family.

This is bound to be popular as children will love the colourful illustrations of friendly fairies and unicorns.

Animal Shapes is a simple first colour and shape matching activity for children aged 18 months and over. Young children will love the bright colours and friendly animals on the chunky cards, which can be used for a variety of activities to develop matching skills, improve hand-eye coordination and encourage discussion.

Orchard Games’ Games Compendium features four fun games in one box. These include Old Macdonald Game, Monster Dominoes, Red Dog Colour Game and Jungle Snakes and Ladders, all based on classic Orchard Toys gameplay. This compendium set offers variety, fun and great value for money – making it the perfect Christmas gift.

Featured product

Fairy Snakes and Ladders & Ludo Manufacturer: Orchard Toys

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We’ve got a bumper crop for you this September. There’s The Chameleon, our social deduction game, First Dates, the official game of the hit Channel 4 show and Colourbrain, our latest super-simple quiz. Tuck in.

To preorder our three new games, please contact Emily Polglase on: 07472824526 or at emily@bigpotato.co.uk

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Product Guide

Winning Moves 0207 298 9515

KAY THOMPSON Head of UK sales Location: London

This London-based games firm is making big moves in the licensed space, with its line-up of hot licenses coming to the firm's everpopular Top Trumps range.

First up is animated hit of the summer, Despicable Me 3, which will have young fans discovering the goofiest characters in the minions wheelhouse, while Cars 3 will bring the thrill of the racetrack to the playground.

Kids can discover if Lightning McQueen or Chick Hicks is the most determined, or if the cool Cruz Ramirez or Danny Swervez is the fastest car on the track, in a pack that will immerse them in the colourful world created by the master animators at Pixar.

Rounding out this strong line-up of new sets is the all-new Spider-Verse set. Find out if Spider-Woman is more intelligent than Spider-Man and the Top Trump rating for Scarlet Spider in this special edition of SpiderMan Top Trumps.

Featured product

Spider-Verse Top Trumps Manufacturer: Winning Moves Cost: ÂŁ4.99

Thames & Kosmos Location: Kent

01580 212 000 Taking full advantage of the exit room trend in the UK and beyond, Thames & Kosmos is adding three new games to its EXIT: The Games range.

In each EXIT Game, the team starts out locked in a room and together players must solve a series of riddles and puzzles in order to unlock doors and reveal new conundrums.

Each correct solution brings players to another riddle and eventually to freedom.

The Forgotten Island brings a little adventure to any player's game, as teams find themselves stranded on a desert island. Figure out all the brainteasers to escape.

The Polar Station transports players to the arctic, where they become trapped in a frozen research station. Can you figure out the combination to every lock to escape?

Finally, fantasy and horror fans will feel right at home with The Forbidden Castle.

The castle is full of mysteries. Only if players can solve all of the puzzles together in time will they escape. If not, the creepy host will probably never let you leave again.

Featured product

EXIT: The Forgotten Island Manufacturer: Thames & Kosmos Cost: ÂŁ13

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HASBRO and its logo and OPERATION are trademarks of Hasbro and used with permission. © 2017 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

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Product Guide

Gibsons Games Location: Surrey

020 8661 8866 This year sees Gibsons expand its Iconics Brand collection with the 250-piece, double-sided Wall’s Ice Cream Twister puzzle.

Presented in a giant tin replica of the iconic green and white ice lolly, the latest puzzle is a welcome addition to the firm’s licensed range.

Gibsons has also teamed up with Enid Blyton with the release of five Famous Five puzzles, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of book one in the series. Inspired by the tongue-in-cheek nature of the books, the first puzzle is a 1,000-piece montage that features artwork from the classic novels.

The other four puzzles feature 250-pieces and have been designed to mimic the front covers of the famous books, which include Five on Brexit Island and Five Go Parenting.

Each jigsaw comes packaged in book-sized boxes with a price point of £6.99.

Elsewhere, following the positive response to the TFL licensed card game, Mind the Gap, the firm is bolstering its card game portfolio with Chicken Out. Set to make its debut this month, the game sees players take it in turns to play cards from their hand with the aim of reaching 21, but there are hidden obstacles in the form of 10 foxes that will either help or hinder players’ chances of winning.

Two to six players can take part in the game aged from seven and up.

Featured product

Chicken Out Manufacturer: Gibsons Games

Accentuate 07713 877 032

GRAEME FRASER-BELL CEO Location: Neston

After securing success on BBC’s Dragons’ Den with the help of dragon Peter Jones, Accentuate sees players read quotes in a randomly selected accent.

The game boasts over 90 quotes for players to choose from, while teammates have only 30 seconds to guess the accents. Players can also earn extra points if they are successful in identifying the movie the quote is from and what year the film was released.

Plus, there are 30 different accents from around the globe, a third of which are homegrown British accents.

Accentuate is compatible with the Film Quote Expansion Pack, which comes filled with a different set of 90 movie lines.

'I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti' or 'say hello to my little friend' could be coming out of players’ mouths in all manner of accents.

Quotes have been taken from a wide spread of movies spanning eight decades, including My Fair Lady, Jaws, Ghostbusters, The Graduate, The Devil Wears Prada and more.

Featured product

Accentuate game Manufacturer: Accentuate

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Product Guide

SEAN BYRNE MD Location: Bristol

Wild Card Games 07916 349 942 sean.byrne@wildcardgames.com Wild Card Games has had a banner year, celebrating £4 million in UK sales and 50 per cent annual sales increase and are showing no signs of slowing down, with four products set to take the market by storm this AW. Globerunner is the new family board game that sees players racing through every country of the world. There are multiple choice questions on every country, capital, flag and more and a levelling system that allows different abilities to play together.

6 Suits enables users to play all their favourite card games and more in a fun, new way. With six suits of nine cards - it’s a playing

cards revolution as the Royal Court has been thrown out. There are no new rules to learn as players spice up classic card games - Rummy, Poker, Brag, Crazy Eights, Cheat, President, Hearts, Trumps, Snap, Solitaire and more.

New hit game Ski Run continues to win over new audiences with three reprints in its first year. This quick, fun game brings the excitement of skiing to the tabletop with its simple yet engaging gameplay.

Finally, the award-winning Who Knows Where continues to delight with its world-spanning guessing game.

Featured product

Ski Run Manufacturer: Wild Card Games Cost: £24.99

Juratoys 07841 022 624

MICHELLE PROBERT Sales & marketing manager Location: Richmond

Juratoys is proud to present two fun new games for AW 2017 that will hook pre-schoolers with the ancient pastime of fishing.

The Janod Sardine Fishing game composed of 10 funny and colourful sardines, supplied with two fishing rods in wood also features a hook in the shape of fish. The game comes packaged in a tin that is perfect for travelling, so little ones can take the game wherever they please.

The Janod Star Fishing game presents a fun variation on the game with a star fish design that is sure to delight little boys and girls far and wide. This game is composed of 14 fish, supplied with two fishing rods in wood, with a hook in the shape of fish.

Featured product

The Janod Sardine Fishing Game Manufacturer: Juratoys Cost: £15.99

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Product Guide

Wentworth Wooden Puzzles 07545 413 440

ANDREW MICHALKOW Sales manager Location: Wiltshire

Last Christmas was the most successful year to date for Wentworth Wooden Puzzles, following the debut of seasonal brand advertising on ITV and UKTV stations targeted at avid puzzle fans.

Following the roll-out of adverts, the firm enjoyed unprecedented requests for details of local stockists.

This year sees the puzzle company investing even more in raising brand awareness with expectations for consumer interest set to rocket.

Wentworth’s National Jigsaw Day event, taking place on November 3rd, will be part of the company’s brand campaign again this year. This not only kicks off the puzzle-buying season but also helps to encourage shoppers to seek out more traditional gifts and pasttimes to enjoy.

To ensure there is something new to offer every puzzle fan this season, Wentworth has introduced 34 new puzzles into its line-up, from gifts for art and cat lovers to gifts for children – there is something for everyone this year.

Following on from the success of last years’ Partridge in a Pear Tree puzzle, comes the brand new Two Turtle Doves.

Illustrated exclusively for Wentworth by artist, Rachel Arbuckle, this design will be its main advertised puzzle in national newspapers.

Wentworth’s children’s puzzles are becoming increasing more popular as Christmas gifts, but none more so than the firm’s Advent Calendar puzzles. This year’s brand new design developed with UK artist, John Francis, includes a fun and colourful illustration that children will love. A perfect alternative to chocolate advent calendars that can be done year after year.

This wooden puzzle boasting 28 pieces also includes 24 stand-up character pieces, which have been designed to slot into the completed puzzle from December 1st to 24th.

For retailers looking to offer their customers a choice of good quality but sensibly priced stocking fillers; Wentworth has also developed its range of Christmas Cracker Puzzles. With clever re-usable packaging that twists open to reveal a small puzzle inside the cracker, this comes in six different puzzle designs.

Featured product

Two Turtle Doves Manufacturer: Wentworth Wooden Puzzles

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GAMES & PUZZLES | POCKET MONEY

SMALL BUT

MIGHTY Offering a collectable toy at a competitive price point keeps customers returning, whether that is in the form of a figure, car or a kite. Jade Burke finds out what’s on the market this month

Worldeez 0800 999 3390 DANIEL SMITH European Sales Location: UK

Blending fun, imagination and education into one toy, Worldeez is a new collectable for 2017 that’s already enjoying a high level of consumer engagement.

Season one boasts eight countries from around the world with 120 different characters available to collect, including limited edition Worldeez wows and 120 fact cards from Brazil, Egypt, France, India, Italy, Japan, UK and USA. Included in the line-up is a two-pack globe that opens with a collectable surprise key to reveal two Worldeez hidden inside.

Meanwhile, there are also Worldeez Words cards to collect in each globe, providing young ones with plenty of playground swapping opportunities.

Children can also get their hands on the five and ten packs, using their colourful keys to unlock their mega buildings to find their Worldeez treasures hidden inside. Keys can also be attached to a Worldeez charm bracelet, which can be collected in the range of blind bags that come in three different colours.

Since launching, the toy brand made its debut with YouTube’s Tiana Toys AndMe, with views of Tiana playing with the helicopter reaching over three million in one day.

Featured product

Worldeez collection Manufacturer: Worldeez

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Product Guide

H. Grossman 0141 613 2525

MARTIN GROSSMAN Owner Location: Glasgow

Traditional pocket money toys are having a moment in the limelight, with sales up by 1,000 per cent year-on-year.

This year sees Grossman double its pocket money toy offering, with the addition of licensed items including Power Rangers and new Hatch It Grow Alien Eggs for £2.99.

Meanwhile, Magic Fizz Pods are proving popular with kids, with Magic Mermaid a firm favourite with fans of the line. On the licensing front there are bubble wands from Power Rangers and Emoji.

The Emoji fun hopper comes under the pocket money umbrella too, at a retail price of around £5.99, as does the Emoji whoopee cushion priced at £4.99.

Elsewhere, current toy craze Fidget Spinners continue to make waves in the market, and this year sees Grossman add to its extensive collection with more designs.

Featured product

LEGO

Hatch It Grow Alien Eggs Manufacturer: H. Grossman

01753 495 000

Location: Slough

Celebrating the release of The LEGO Ninjago Movie, fans will be able to play out their favourite scenes with an exclusive limited edition of minifigures characters.

Included in the collection are two different versions of hero Lloyd and three versions of the villain Garmadon, plus new versions of Nya and Kai. The series also includes the likes of Kai Kendo, Spinjitzu Training Nya, Lloyd, Jay Walker, Cole, Zane, Lloyd Garmadon, Master Wu, Sushi Chef, N-POP Girl, GPL Tech, Shark Army Octopus and many more.

Packed inside a mystery bag, each minifigure, priced at £2.99, comes with one or more accessories, a display plate and a collector’s leaflet, to keep avid fans up to date with their collection.

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LEGO Ninjago Movie Minifigures Manufacturer: LEGO

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Product Guide

Jumbo Games 07766 737 092

STEVE WASHBOURNE National accounts controller Location: Hatfield

Giant Playing Cards based on children’s hit TV shows Peppa Pig, Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam and Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom make up Jumbo Games’ pocket money offering.

Each set comes with 36 super-sized playing cards featuring a variety of characters from the well-known TV shows, plus four traditional games are also included to help keep little ones entertained when playing with friends or family.

Family game classics such as Snap, Pairs, Happy Families and Chase the Ace are bought to life with customised cards, allowing kids to focus on each of the key characters from the licensed property.

Jumbo Games’ playing cards have been designed for children aged three years and up and are suitable for two to four players.

Spin Master CourtneyT@spinmaster.com

Featured product

Giant Playing Cards Manufacturer: Jumbo Games SARA TAYLOR Head of sales Location: Bourne End

Collectables in the UK are now worth 11.5 per cent of the total toy market, which Spin Master is tapping into with its launch of Hatchimals Colleggtibles this year.

Hatchimals hide inside small eggs, which need the touch of a child’s hand to hatch. For example, kids need only rub the heart on the egg and when it changes colour from purple to pink it’s ready to hatch.

Over 70 Hatchimals Colleggtibles are available to collect in season one and during the next few months fans will see further additions added to the portfolio.

Ultra rare versions are also up for grabs, plus a collector’s map introduces kids to their home with landmarks like the Giggle Grove, Lilac Lake, Fabula Forest and more.

The new One Dozen Egg Carton, which comes packed with 12 surprise Colleggtibles, is also now available.

Colleggtibles have a new place to stay in the form of the Hatchery Nursery, an enchanted forest where children can hatch and care for their toys. A Hatching Tree is included, where Koalabee, Kittycan and Penguala can swing off the tree hooks, grab a snack at the feeding station, take a nap in the spinning mobile or play under the streamer shower.

Featured product

One Dozen Egg Carton Manufacturer: Spin Master

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Product Guide

Trends UK Trends UK (national accounts) 01295 768 078 Wind Designs (independents) 01353 724 140 Zing Toys is expanding its fidget toy portfolio with the addition of Metal Chucks, new to the Thumb Chunks range.

Introducing Tumblstix, a new toy that challenges a users ability to catch the cylinder during 360-degree rolls and 180 degree flicks, all while carrying out tricks.

Elsewhere, the Zing Ring puts co-ordination to the test, inviting kids to capture a ball on a string with a catcher ring. Next comes Klixx, a chain link of coloured widgets that snaps together, which can be worn as a bracelet.

Lastly, Zing is bringing its two blade Spinzipz and three blade Spinbladez to market, boasting LED lights and stackable features.

Featured product

Tumblstix Manufacturer: Zing Toys

Character Options 0161 633 9800

Location: New Maiden

New licenses are set to join the Mash’ems and Fash’ems pocket money lines, with Disney Emoji, Cars 3, Spider-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy and Fash’ems DC SuperHero Girls.

As an extension of the Mash’ems brand, Hatch’ems sees fans cracking and hatching a squishy surprise. Kids need only pop the lid, tap the top and watch as a dinosaur hatches from the egg and grows. Six styles are available and come in a blind capsule.

Character has bolstered its Little Live Pets offering with the addition of Lil’ Ladybugs.

12 different ladybugs are available to collect including two rare styles, plus each comes with a baby ladybug who tags onto mum, following her around.

New pocket money toys are also available from the world of Minecraft. With the recent launch of series three, wave three, five fully articulated three-inch figures are up for grabs.

In addition, kids can look out for My Little Pony and Disney Cars characters in the Squishy Pops range.

Featured product

Hatch’ems Manufacturer: Character Options

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Product Guide

Eolo Sport 01604 401 719 Location: Northampton

Eolo is expanding its pocket money toy offering with parachute figures, foam planes, twisterz, stomp rockets, kites and much more.

Available in a range of licenses, from Disney, Marvel, Star Wars and Minions, as well as Eolo’s generic Air Monsters, the toy firm’s collection is ideal for parties with prices ranging from £1 to £5.

Foam Flyerz boast easy construction, while the Mini Foam Flyerz feature a catapult launcher. One of Eolo’s best known pocket money lines, Parachuterz, offer kids a variety of characters to collect, which all feature a 40cm quick fold parachute.

Elsewhere, kids can enjoy spinning and flying characters with Twisterz. Challenge friends and see how far your Twisterz can go. Plus, using Stomp Rocketz, children can watch rockets fly and stomp.

Lastly, Eolo prides itself on being kite experts, the foundation of the firm. Each of the company's Kites come ready to fly and feature pop-up technology, including easy fly line and handle.

Featured product

Parachuterz

Playmobil

Manufacturer: Eolo Sport

01268 548 111

Location: Essex

Following the release of 24 new figures to its popular Playmobil Figures line, the collectable series continues to be a hit with fans.

Available for a limited time, the new series features a fairy, baker, knight, wizard and more, which all come in a blind bag making the results a true surprise for little ones.

The latest range marks the 12th release in the toy firm’s Figures line, which first launched back in 2011, with each figure costing £1.99.

Each pack contains one figure that children can put together to help build on their existing collection, or kids can mix and match character parts to create their very own character, offering young ones endless possibilities for imaginative play.

Featured product

Playmobil Figures Manufacturer: Playmobil

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BRAND NEW COLLECTIBLE

FSDU, TV SUPPORT, INFLUENCER CAMPAIGN, DIGITAL MARKETING AND KIDS PRESS CAMPAIGN MARKETING FOR LAUNCH

DANIEL SMITH 0800 999 3390 DANIEL@THEWORLDEEZ.COM

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Appointments

Industry moves It’s been a big month for the industry as LEGO is taken under new leadership.

Meanwhile, Jazwares sees a raft of new talent and Vivid's chairman steps down Vivid

LEGO LEGO has seen its second CEO in eight months as NIELS CHRISTIANSEN steps in to replace BALI PADDA. Padda, the 61-year-old Briton who joined in January will be replaced on October 1st by Christiansen, a 51-yearold former chief executive of the Danish industrial group, Danfoss. “[Christiansen] is one of the strongest CEO’s of his generation and has made a remarkable turnaround in Danfoss, taking it from industrial technology to digital technology,” said LEGO chairman, JORGEN VIG KNUDSTROP. Padda will now stay on to help Christiansen settle in at The LEGO Group and will then join Knudstrop as an adviser as the company continues to look at opportunities away from toys.

PAUL WESTON has stepped down from his position as chairman of UK-based Vivid Toy Group.

Weston will continue to advise Vivid specifically on product and licensing opportunities while launching a new consultancy service for the toy industry, Press Play.

VARDHAN RAJKUMAR of Privet Capital, the private equity firm which invested in the business in March 2017 will now take on the role.

“I have been so fortunate in my career to have been involved in two majorly successful start up companies, working alongside some of the most talented people in the industry and on some of the biggest and most iconic global toy brands,” said Weston.

TOMY VINCENT D’ALLEVA is to join Tomy as chief brand officer, as the firm expands its team.

In his new position, D'Alleva will manage the brand, product and consumer marketing strategy for the company’s infant, toddler and pre-school business.

"We are thrilled to welcome Vinnie to our senior leadership team," said PETER HENSELER, president of TOMY International.

Toys R Us Toys R Us has announced its new EVP of US operations in the form of MARK JOHNSON, who has taken over the role with immediate effect, reporting directly to chairman and CEO, DAVE BRANDON. Johnson has served as interim EVP of store operations after joining the company in 2014 as regional director. Johnson will also aid the global leadership team, providing strategic direction and support for store operations.

“As we work to grow and build our brands across the globe, the customer experience is at the core of everything we do,” said Brandon.

Jazwares Jazwares is ramping up its licensing push with a series of key appointments.

Former Hasbro exec, CHRIS PARRISH has joined the company, in the role of senior director of licensing.

Meanwhile, AUDREY KNOTT has been named senior director of business with a focus on girls’ pre-school brands. Knott has held tenure at Hasbro and Aqua-Leisure.

Elsewhere, MONIKA SALAZAR is the newly appointed senior director and CHRIS COFONI has been named the vice president of specialty and mid-tier sales.

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Team of the month

KIDSCAST As phones are quickly becoming the prime delivery method for your kids' favourite shows, it's essential to have a centralised platform where kids can enjoy the content they love in a safe and controlled environment. That’s where Kidscast comes in! Here, we meet the team behind this must-have app, featuring our first ever Dog of the Month

Left to right: Beata, Gareth, Leah and Russell

Left to right: James, Sarah, Ali and Hobo

Who's in the team?

Russell Dever heads up the KidsCast team as our director and wise leader. With over 20 years experience within the children’s entertainment industry, there is nothing this man doesn’t know about creating engaging and inspiring content for kids.

James Dever is our content manager, delivering exciting new shows and games.

Gareth Nicholls and Alasdair Dewar make up the technical team, focusing on app and web development. Leah Dever has recently joined the team as operations manager, Beata Pejka is our great wizard in the graphics department and finally Sarah Camp our marketing manager drives KidsCast into the stratosphere.

What have been your biggest successes of the last 12 months?

App launch! This was the accumulation of all our hard work and to see our concept

go live and have such a great reception was just brilliant.

under wraps for now, so stay tuned for more information.

What has been the biggest challenge?

Packing all the things kids love into one space. We also didn’t want the app to be just about online shows and games but also provide an outlet to stretch the child’s imagination and encourage them to be interactive and creative with KidsCast. This is why we developed the Imagine Magazine which is our online magazine available in the app which includes quizzes and creative activities.

What’s your favourite part of working with/in the toy industry?

Having the opportunity to create products that exceed even a child’s imagination.

What are you working on at the moment?

We are looking to launch a VR aspect to KidsCast in 2018 which is currently in development and we are looking to increase the interactivity of the app further, plus a few more surprises we are keeping

What's the hardest part of working with/in the toy industry?

Being too old to play with toys!

What are you looking forward to for the rest of the year?

The unveiling of lots of new exciting shows and games we have recently acquired for KidsCast.

Who is the office heartthrob?

That would be our office dog Hobo, he gets more cuddles than anyone else!

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Final word

WHAT’S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT EBAY, ANYWAY? This month we took the electronic bay to clear out our cluttered attic, much to the anguish of the online community

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or the first time in my life I have taken the plunge into the online bartering platform and the process, if I am honest, has left me more aged than ten years in an oak barrel.

Inspired by a clear out of the loft, it’s been an ongoing process for what feels like decades. It has, in fact, been one month.

Other than that pound for pound, LEGO is worth more than its weight in gold, I am struggling to see the appeal. OK, the constantly watching over your posted items, counting the number of views, totting up the number of ‘watchers’, or, as I like to refer to them now, trolls, and seeing how many translate into bids, it’s exciting at first.

Then you slowly realise just how shrewd today’s consumers really are. I’ve been on the brink of becoming very ill over the whole thing.

What do you mean zero bids? That’s a bloody collector’s item! Right, I’ll drop the price a bit – you happy? Of course you are, even Dick Turpin

F

wore a mask, AngelDust39. I doubt that’s your name, but I do have your address and I shall be sending you your item with slightly less bubble wrap than I originally intended to. Oh, there’s a threat that I could be given a bad review is there?

My eBay reputation must be preserved.

No, my sincerest apologies, AngelDust39, of course I will make sure your item is fully protected, I am just adding the cotton wool now. Yes, AngelDust39, I will personally tell the postman to handle it with mittens. Why are you buying action figures anyway AngelDust39, is that your age? No, tell you what – I will pay for postage and packaging because I just want you to be happy, AngelDust.

It was delivered two days ago AngelDust… are you going to leave me feedback? Five stars? A++?

AngelDust? Angel?!

The whole thing has given me a brand new appreciation of retail. I only had to go through this for a month. You lot have to deal with AngelDust everyday…

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Featuring: Vivid Toy Group, K’Nex Character Options, Vtech, Jumbo Games, Orchard Toys John Adams, Ty UK & many more ...

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