Games, Playthings and Plush

usually can’t keep our bobbleheads in stock, they are such a popular item with our customers,” she reported.

To sell more plush figures and toy merchandise, Hunt relies on a variety of methods. “We use social media extensively to promote them, and we put new items up on Facebook and on our website just as soon as they come into the store. We also cross merchandise them throughout the store, and we group like-items together as well, so our customers can see everything we have. We position some of it near the register, so they’ll see it when they check out, too.”

Jeff Lemieux , owner of Jeff’s Sports, Inc. in Brookfield, Wis., does not sell plush merchandise at all. But the store offers other toy category items. “We do very well with our bobbleheads, but the very hottest thing for us are sports card collections. They sell for any team at all, because it is based on any hot players for any given team. With bobbleheads, our best sales come from local team figures.” Lemieux said that he is considering adding plush items for local teams to his toy mix as well. His best-selling summer items depend on how individual teams perform. “Brewers merchandise should sell for us if they do well,” he asserted.

Selling more toy merchandise is based on a number of factors. “Social media definitely plays a part, and we position the items in the store close to the register or at the front of the store so people can see them easily. We will also cross merchandise the items when appropriate.”

At Sports Fanz in Hurricane, W.V., General Manager and Head Buyer Chad Rogers reported that the store has seen a new trend in toys. “There has been a huge trend to action figures. Funko Pops PVC figures have been huge for us. We also did an in-store promotion for the West Virginia Mountaineers bobblehead that was tremendous.” The bobblehead sales also raised money for a charitable fund and brought a lot of positive attention to the store, he said.

Rogers explained that the reason the Funko Pops figures are so popular is in part because there aren’t as many companies manufacturing sports action figures as there used to be. Their availability through Funko is very appealing to customers; however, Funko is not the only action figure style that does well for the store.

“We also brought in a brand new one from an Ohio

Shot Ballers. The figures are small and to scale, but their heads are oversized, with a look like bobbleheads.” Rogers said these figures include NBA, NFL, and MLB players.

“To supplement the individual Big Shot Ballers line, Party Animal also did gift packs of mini-figures with seven or eight individual figures shrunk to just a couple of inches high. That has done very well. They also do a product called Teenymates that follow along the same idea in gift packs; but they’re shrunk to just a couple of inches high.”

Rogers noted that these small mini figures have sold very well for the store, especially the mini figure NBA items. He finds that very few companies these days make action figures, so the PVC figures that Sports Fanz carried, including Teenymates, are somewhat unique, which is part of why they do so well for the store.

When it comes to plush, stores sales are strong as well. But the store doesn’t carry conventional plush figures. “We don’t sell stuffed animals. We sell plush throw blankets with team logos on them, and a prod-