Vol. 27, No. 3
Licensing Show 2011
ASTRA’s Marketplace
page S22
The Best Licenses Are Toyetic!
D
uring Licensing Show, toy industry professionals are on the hunt for licenses that will move their businesses forward. But successful entertainment does not always translate into a successful toy license. There are many shows airing on multiple children’s channels, but at retail there are only a handful of entertainment licenses on the shelf. The same goes for movies. Some movies are franchises with sequel upon sequel, but they don’t translate into huge toy sales. continued on page 94
page 21
May/June 2011
Chatting with the Industry
page S6
Science Toys
page S14
table of contents Published by Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.®
May/June 2011
Volume 27, Number 3 www.toybook.com
International Toy News
P UBLISHER
Features
Jonathan Samet jsamet@adventurepub.com
Under the Umbrella
Japan: Page 114 Middle East: Page 116 China: Page 117
E DITOR
Techno Source Joins the Li & Fung Family Page 18
The Search for Growth Drives Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions Page 20
Licensing International Expo Page 95
Departments
Winning the Online Game How to Create Websites That Convert Visitors into Customers Page 118
No Excuses Marketing
Publisher’s Viewpoint Page 6
Stat Shot
IN
C HIEF
Jackie Breyer jbreyer@toybook.com A SSOCIATE E DITOR Elizabeth A. Reid ereid@toybook.com C ONTRIBUTING W RITERS /E DITORS Pablo Garrahan, Dawn Herrschaft, Kris Hiiemaa, Bryan Joiner, Andy Marken, Jeff McKenna, Mark Price, Khalid Saleh, Christopher Sciortino, Atsuko Tatsumi, Melissa
How Any Retailer Can Collect and Use Data to Keep Customers Coming Back
Tinklepaugh, Nancy Zwiers
Page 122
P RODUCTION D IRECTOR Anthony K. Guardiola
Page 10
Smartphones, Parents, and the Impulse Buy
TIA Perspectives
Retail 2.0: Your Brick-and-Mortar Toy Store—In the Cloud
C ONTROLLER /O FFICE M ANAGER
Page 125
rforde@adventurepub.com
Page 12
Industry Update
Page 124
aguardiola@adventurepub.com
Robert Forde
Creating Sizzles That Sell Your Brand
Page 14
Page 126
O FFICE A SSISTANT Erica Malinowski emalinowski@adventurepub.com
Marketing Memo Page 94
Talking Social Media Page 112
What’s New Page 120
Industry Marketplace Page 128
Specialty Toys & Gifts: Page 21 Editor’s Page Page S3
nter Media eCSe73
ecklist ST&GPaCghe S3
May/June 1991
Page 130
5
Science Toys
Pag
Page S14
Insights ASTRAP’asge S4 Third-Party Toy Testing Page S6
l SEO
ImprovinPagge LS7o0 ca
Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.® 307 Seventh Ave., #1601 New York, NY 10001 Phone: (212) 575-4510 Fax: (212) 575-4521
Page S72
Chatting with the Indust
ry
Flashback:
New Page s S
U.S. Corporate Headquarters Laurie Schacht, President laurieschacht@aol.com
AST Marke RA tplace P age S2
2
Member, International Toy Magazine Association
Publisher’s
Viewpoint
The Places to Be in June
H
angover 2 was recently released in theaters, and though I may be one of the few Americans who did not see it, I am told it was a déjà vu of the original, except that instead of taking place in Las Vegas, the sequel takes place in Bangkok. I am getting ready for my own personal “June déjà vu,” which takes me to two key trade shows: ASTRA Marketplace and Licensing Show. And while Licensing Show does take me to Las Vegas (I often wake up in a hazy state, but never with a tiger in my bathroom), ASTRA this year will take me to Anaheim, Calif. And while in Hangover they live through a two-day nightmare, these shows are always a great experience for me. Each year in this column I rave about the ASTRA show as it gets better year after year. The ASTRA Marketplace & Academy will take place from June 18-22, and once again the show floor is sold out, and will host its largest number of exhibitors showcasing products for the upcoming holiday season. Kathleen McHugh and her team at ASTRA do a great job of hosting informative seminars on relevant topics for the industry, along with wonderful networking and informationsharing opportunities for all in attendance. The atmosphere at the show is always upbeat, and I marvel annually at the camaraderie between both the toy manufacturers and retailers. There is plenty of time to meet and mix over lunch or ice cream sandwiches, or at Game Night. In this issue, we have presented our strongest coverage of the ASTRA show and the specialty toy market to date. We offer the broadest coverage of toy manufacturers of any toy publication to help retailers during this
6 • THE TOY BOOK
Jonathan Samet publisher
crucial time when they are finalizing their holiday 2011 selections. In addition, we have expanded our annual Q&A with retailers to include select toy manufacturers to offer a broader viewpoint on topics facing the toy industry. I am confident that after reading this issue you will support my ongoing claim that The Toy Book is the leading publication for the entire toy industry. The week prior to the ASTRA show is the annual International Licensing Expo, which showcases many of the entertainment and corporate/brand properties that are currently or will become available for licensing in the near future. Licensing certainly plays an important role in the toy business and offers significant potential for all toy manufacturers to take advantage of, as it not only provides them with a proprietary point of difference from their competition, but also built-in awareness with both retailers and consumers. Due to our expanded ASTRA show coverage, herein is a limited coverage of Licensing Show. Visit our sister publication, The Licensing Book, for more in-depth coverage. If you don’t receive The Licensing Book, you should. Email subscribe@adventurepub.com and request to receive the digital versions of both The Licensing Book and The Toy Book, as well as our weekly e-newsletters, The Toy Report and Total Licensing Report. If your schedule allows it, you should consider attending these shows in Las Vegas (watch out for those tigers!) and Anaheim (Disneyland is just down the road). If not, then you certainly need to read this month’s issues (as well as each issue of our magazines, weekly enewsletters, and blogs) to stay on top of all that is taking place within the toy and licensing industries. ■
MAY/JUNE 2011
S TAT S HOT TOP 10 FAMILY E NTERTAINMENT & CASUAL GAMES TITLES R ANKED BY T OTAL U.S. U NITS , A PRIL 2011
RANK TITLE
PLATFORM
1 JUST DANCE 2
WII
2 MICHAEL JACKSON: THE EXPERIENCE
360
4 MICHAEL JACKSON: THE EXPERIENCE
WII
3 DANCE CENTRAL
5 COUNTRY DANCE
6 WIPEOUT: THE GAME 7 JUST DANCE
360 WII WII WII
8 PLANTS VS. ZOMBIES
NDS
10 SUPER SCIBBLENAUTS
NDS
9 JUST DANCE KIDS
WII
Source: The NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service
RANK
TOP LICENSES : FUTURE THREE-MONTH PURCHASE INTENT AMONG KIDS 0-14
1 2 3 4 5
TITLE
SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS JUSTIN BIEBER
LICENSOR
NICKELODEON BRAVADO
HANNAH MONTANA STAR WARS
DISNEY
LUCASFILM
DORA THE EXPLORER
NICKELODEON
7
ICARLY
NICKELODEON
9
TRANSFORMERS
6 8 10
DISNEY PRINCESS TOY STORY
DISNEY DISNEY
HASBRO
NFL
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
The NPD Group/Kids Industry Data Service (KIDS)
Licensing Impacts Toy Categories Differently Dollar Share of Licensed Toy Sales by Category 12 Months Ending March 2011
“Licensed properties are a vital part of the toy industry, but not all categories of toys are impacted the same way when it comes to share of sales from licensed toys. The Action Figures & Accessories category is clearly the most reliant on licensed properties for success, and the performance of that category ebbs and flows year‐to‐year based on the slate of movies set for theatrical release. Not surprisingly, Arts & Crafts is the least reliant upon licensed properties but it might surprise some to learn that Building Sets is the category with the second largest share of sales from licensed toys behind Action Figures & Accessories. Lego has been very successful with licenses from Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Toy Story, to name a few.”
Licensed
Source: NPD Group/Consumer Tracking Service
10 • THE TOY BOOK
—Anita Frazier,
industry analyst, NPD Group
MAY/JUNE 2011
Toy Industry Association Perspectives
TIF’s Active Summer
The Foundation’s Summertime Events Deliver Toys and Joy to Kids in Need by Dawn Herrschaft, coordinator, Toy Industry Foundation
T
he Toy Industry Foundation (TIF) is distributing toys and games to children in need this summer, bringing joy to kids of all ages from coast to coast. In celebration of National Foster Care Month, TIF hosted the Third Annual “Do Good Stuff-a-Thon,” in partnership with My Stuff Bags Foundation, on May 13. More than 150 executives and employees from across the toy industry came together with California legislators and local volunteers at the My Stuff Bags Volunteer Headquarters outside Los Angeles to fill 5,000 duffel bags with toys, toiletries, handmade blankets, and other items, to be distributed to more than 50 foster care agencies across the nation. Recipient agencies included California’s Bienvenidos; Florida’s Kids Central, Inc.; and Texas’ Lifeline Children and Family Services. On the “Do Good Stuff” assembly line, California State Senator Tony Strickland and California Assembly Member Felipe Fuentes worked alongside representatives of toy and youth entertainment companies, including Educational Insights, Funrise, Jakks Pacific, Mattel, Pacific Play Tents, The Piggy Story, Razor, Spin Master, Warner Bros., and World of EPI, as well as professional organizations such as Women in Toys. “This is a day when members of the toy industry roll up their sleeves and work together to ensure toys get to kids in need,” says Jean Butler, TIF executive director and vice president of membership at the Toy Industry Association (TIA). “We are grateful to all of our volunteers, toy companies, and My Stuff Bag partners for their generous support in helping spread the joy of play to kids in stressful situations.” TIF will be back on the East Coast for a Play Heals event on June 22, when a “fiesta” will take place in celebration of the longest day of the year. Venturing to put smiles on the faces of 80 pediatric cancer patients who stay at the Ronald McDonald House of New York, toys and games will be distributed as patients, their families, and Foundation volunteers craft piñatas and paper flowers, make musical instruments, and play “pin the tail on the burro.” Rounding out its summertime activities, the Foundation will continue its mission to comfort the sons and daughters of
12 • THE TOY BOOK
Alex Pantoja from Funrise Toy Foundation (left) and Kelly Gilmore from Warner Bros. (right) at the Third Annual Do Good Stuff-a-Thon.
the nation’s active duty National Guard and reserve personnel through its ongoing Play Comforts partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) Military Services. On June 28, new toys and games will be distributed to 250 families stationed at Otis Air National Guard Base in Cape Cod, Mass.; and on August 5, Play Comforts will join forces with the Commander, Naval Installations Command (CNIC) Child and Youth Program to hand out 5,000 new toys and games at the Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. Launched in 2009, Play Comforts is the first-ever national toy distribution program to canvas every branch of the military. This year, the initiative will deliver toys to 30 U.S. military installations with high deployment rates throughout the U.S. and Germany. TIF gathers toys year-round via the Toy Bank, which receives $5 million worth of donations from toy manufacturers, retailers, and distributors each year. The Toy Bank is the Foundation’s signature program, also distributing toys to children affected by natural disasters, living in poverty, and rescued from crisis situations. To learn more about TIF’s activities, or for information about how to donate toys or financial contributions, visit ToyIndustryFoundation.org. ■
MAY/JUNE 2011
Industry Update FanTOYstic Fact
Below are the top 10 brands and licenses for kids ages 0 to 14, according to The NPD Group, ranked by dollar sales from September 2010 to March 2011:
1. Nintendo 2. Nike 3. Sony 4. Disney 5. Disney Princess 6. Microsoft 7. Carter’s 8. Toy Story 9. Dora the Exporer 10. Fisher-Price
TOY INDUSTRY HALL OF FAME The Toy Industry Association (TIA) is inviting TIA members and toy industry stakeholders to submit candidate nominations for the 2012 Toy Industry Hall of Fame ceremony, to be held in February. The nomination period is now open and will close June 30. Hall of Fame inductees are not limited to toy company leaders, but may also include influential retailers, inventors, and marketers. For more information, visit TIA’s website at www.toyassociation.org.
14 • THE TOY BOOK
SPIN MASTER SIGNS LICENSING DEALS FOR CARS 2, NASCAR Spin Master has signed on as Disney’s North American partner to release a Cars 2 toy range for kids ages 4 and older. The initial products are currently on shelves in preparation for the theatrical release on June 24. Additional assortment and characters will premiere in stores August 1. Spin Master’s collection of more than a dozen toys includes R/C vehicles featuring Zero Gravity technology. The Cars 2 toys reflect the movie’s storyline with an array of important characters and themes of racing, humor, and friendship. Spin Master has also partnered with NASCAR for Spin Master’s biggest licensing partnership. As part of the new deal, NASCAR toys will debut on store shelves early next year. Together, the companies will develop innovative new toys to reach NASCAR fans at an early age. Spin Master’s Air Hogs
SKECHERS PARTNERS WITH STREET FLYERS
McQueen with Moving Eyes
Skechers USA, Inc. has signed a licensing agreement with Street Flyers, LLC to produce sporting goods and safety gear collections for children and young adults. Both collections are scheduled to launch in toy and mass-market retailers throughout the U.S. and Canada next spring. Under the agreement, Street Flyers will design, produce, and distribute Skechers-branded bicycles, skateboards, scooters, skates, and safety gear. The children’s collection will incorporate designs and images from Skechers’ Zevo-3 animated television series and Skechers Kids characters. Each character will represent a uniquely branded Skechers Kids footwear collection, such as Twinkle Toes by Skechers and Sporty Shorty by Skechers. In addition, Skechers footwear branding will be used for the young adult collections. Skechers has also partnered with numerous licensees to produce a wide range of products including children’s apparel, bags, sunglasses, legwear, medical scrubs, and leather accessories. The company is currently negotiating with additional licensees and continues to seek partnerships and opportunities.
Get the latest toy industry news delivered straight to your inbox each week for free! Subscribe to The Toy Book’s Toy Report. Just send an email to subscribe@adventurepub.com, and add that address to your address book to ensure delivery. For up-to-the-minute news, follow The Toy Book on Twitter: twitter.com/ToyBook, and “like” us on Facebook: facebook.com/TheToyBook. Visit our blog at www.toybook.com.
MAY/JUNE 2011
Industry Update PDQ PARTNERS FOR HEXBUG Innovation First International (IFI), creators of Hexbug Micro Robotic Creatures, has partnered with PDQ, the sister company of Building Q, a marketing consulting company that specializes in licensing. PDQ will license the Hexbug brand and seek appropriate and strategic licenses to apply to the toy line. Woody Browne, managing partner of PDQ, and Brandemonium’s Scott Shahmanesh, a youth and family marketing expert, are working together to develop a strategic, long-term brand licensed program of core partners and products. PDQ is currently discussing opportunities for 2012 and beyond.
CLASSIC MEDIA TO LAUNCH TV NETWORK WITH LUKEN COMM Luken Communications, owner and operator of television broadcast stations in the U.S., including the Retro TV Network (RTV) and Tuff TV, has teamed up with Classic Media to create an all-new network, PBJ. PBJ will bring iconic characters and shows from the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s to televisions nationwide, 24 hours a day. PBJ is set to launch this summer with well-known titles from Classic Media’s portfolio, including The Archie’s, Mr. Magoo, The Lone Ranger, Gumby, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, and more. Luken will make PBJ available to broadcasters, cable, and satellite.
16 • THE TOY BOOK
MEGA BRANDS’ DEALS FOR THOMAS, POWER RANGERS Mega Brands, Inc. and Hit Entertainment have extended their global licensing agreement to develop construction sets based on the preschool property Thomas & Friends. Under the expanded contract, Mega Brands is granted the global rights to create all-new construction toy sets based on the world of Thomas & Friends, including new iconic characters and Island of Sodor destinations straight from the television series. With new sets launching this fall for the holiday season, the Mega Bloks Thomas & Friends collection allows children to build their very own adventures by entering a world of imagination. Mega Brands has also entered into a multi-year global licensing agreement, excluding Asia, with Saban Brands to develop construction toys based on Power Rangers Samurai, the newest television installment in the Power Rangers franchise. The Mega Bloks Power Rangers Samurai construction toy sets will match the style of the new series airing on Nickelodeon. Launching next spring, the Mega Bloks Power Rangers Samurai construction toy line will include popular characters, vehicles, and play sets.
NEW EXCLUSIVE U.S. AGENT FOR POPPY CAT, LAZYTOWN The Joester Loria Group will be the sole U.S. licensing agent for Poppy Cat and LazyTown as the brands expand into the American television market this fall. Both Poppy Cat and LazyTown will air on Sprout. The licensing program for PoppyCat will focus on toys, games, and apparel, while LazyTown licensed products will include healthy food, beverages, games, apparel, and more.
RUBIE’S COSTUME CO. SIGNS ON FOR KISS COSTUMES KISS and Rubie’s Costume Company have announced a worldwide licensing deal to re-create the iconic style of the blazing band that is always “Dressed to Kill.” KISS costumes, masks, wigs, and accessories for adults and children will ensure that the notorious Starchild, Demon, Spaceman, and Catman slay the scariest night of the year. “I’ve always said you may not be able to look like KISS, but you can always feel like KISS. We’ve finally changed that, and I’m jazzed to see all the Starchilds and other KISS members in full uniform this year!” says Paul Stanley of KISS. Retailers can preview KISS costumes and accessories at www.Rubies.com. Orders will be accepted this summer. Merchandise will be available at retail and at www.KISSonline.com in time for Halloween. Live Nation Merchandise, KISS’ exclusive worldwide merchandise and licensing agent, brokered the deal. ■
MAY/JUNE 2011
Under the Umbrella:
Techno Source Joins the Li & Fung Family Techno Source USA has joined the family of Li & Fung Limited, following the March 14 agreement under which LF Products acquired the business assets of Techno Source USA, Inc. LF Products is part of Li & Fung Limited, the Hong Kong-headquartered multinational consumer goods export and logistics group, which is recognized as a world leader in consumer goods design, development, sourcing, and distribution. Techno Source offers a portfolio of electronic and non-electronic games, under brands that include 20Q, Tetris, Rubik’s, and Disney. Recently, The Toy Book sat down with Henry Chan, president of LF Products, and Eric Levin, president of Techno Source, to talk about the acquisition that has the industry talking.
Laurie Schacht: How did this merger come about? Henry Chan: We’re very impressed with this group of individuals. They’re very entrepreneurial. We thought, “Why don’t you come establish a closer relationship with the Li & Fung group?” Finally, they’re joining us, and we see them as a very important platform for LF Products. L.S.: What is LF Products’ interest in the toy business? H.C.: Li & Fung has a long heritage in the toy business as an agent to retailers and manufacturers, as well as owning companies like Toy Island. We’re an important part of the mosaic. Eric Levin: Henry has a big vision. He loves the toy business. He’s been in it a long time. The opportunity to help him make this vision a reality is exciting for us.
Henry Chan
Eric Levin
L.S.: How will Techno Source be represented now? H.C.: Techno Source will stay as a brand operating within the LF family. L.S.: Will this change the way Techno Source does business? HC: Yes, they are now part of a larger, very well-established framework. We’re providing them with all of our resources to develop and grow their business. Other than that, how will they change? They will be more powerful. L.S.: What will happen to Toy Island? H.C.: Toy Island has always been an important unit of LF Products. It will continue as a brand. However, Toy Island, the company, will be merged into the Techno Source group. E.L.: Our trade name is still Techno Source. Techno Source will now have Techno Source-branded products and the Toy Island-branded products. L.S.: How does licensing fit into your strategy?
18 • THE TOY BOOK
MAY/JUNE 2011
L.S.: How has this changed Techno Source’s day-to-day operations? E.L.: With the great operational support provided by Li & Fung, we are able to put more of our focus on the things we love to do: create, sell, and market toys. Freeing up [Co-Founders] Wayne’s, Rich’s, Amelia Herdrich, director of marketing, Techno Source, and my time to focus on driving the and Lisa Linnenkohl, head of licensing and business development at Blue Planet Software, demonstrate linking business is one of the biggest benand blocking with oversized Tetriminos from Tetris Link efits of being part of the LF family. at NY Toy Fair 2011. We finally have the combination of H.C.: Toy Island has been in the li- time and resources to pursue growth censing business since the early areas for the company. H.C.: They can now focus on what 1990s, and Li & Fung is one of the most active licensees in the world. The they are the best at. They no longer licensing business is not new to us. It need to get entrenched in a variety of has also been a big part of Techno operational details. We want our peoSource’s success, and that synergy will ple doing what they’re best at, so we can get the best of everything. continue going forward.
MAY/JUNE 2011
L.S.: With Techno Source’s rich technological history, do apps fit into your business? E.L.: Our first app was done for Rubik’s Slide. Apps are a huge challenge to certain elements of our business, but also a huge opportunity. We have made the strategic decision that we are in the physical products business first, but that apps are a very important part of the marketing mix that drives people’s interest in a game or brand. That is how we will fit them into our world. We are focused now on continuing to build on our success in the electronics category as well as expanding our line of tabletop and games. From Rubik’s to Tetris to Disney to U.S. Playing Cards to 20Q, our licensed product business also continues to grow. ■
Techno Source Co-Founders Wayne Nathan and Rich Migatz, along with Eric Levin, accept Techno Source’s first Toy Of The Year Award, 2008 “Game of the Year” for Rubik’s Revolution.
THE TOY BOOK • 19
The Search for Growth Drives Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions by Christopher J. Sciortino
T
his spring, Japan-based Tomy Company, maker of Transformers and Pokémon toys, among others, finalized its $644 million, all-cash acquisition of U.S.based RC2 Corporation, a designer, manufacturer, and marketer of toys and juvenile products under brands including Chuggington, Thomas & Friends, The First Years, and JJ Cole, to name a few. On the surface, the marriage of these two companies appears relatively straightforward. But peel back the layers and it’s clear that the merger illustrates a larger trend in today’s global economy—namely, increasing interest from overseas strategic buyers in targeted acquisitions of U.S.based companies. Consider the environment. Corporate confidence is increasing, though organic growth is still challenging for most companies in developed markets. Lending, while not as freeflowing as it was pre-crisis, has markedly improved. Additionally, many companies slashed costs in reaction to the economic crisis and emerged with stronger profitability and growing cash stockpiles that need to be invested. And while not a primary driver, the continually weakening dollar gives international buyers a bit more motivation to take a hard look at U.S.-based assets. All of these factors favor the “buy” option in the “buy vs. build” decision, leading many wouldbe acquirers to the conclusion that the time is right to use cross-border mergers and acquisitions to fuel growth. Tomy’s acquisition of RC2 highlights this trend. Before the deal, Tomy faced key challenges in Japan: a mature toy market with intense competition, stagnant personal consumption, and lower birth rates. But Tomy had a strong balance sheet and a vision of becoming a truly global toy company with a deeper presence in North America, the No. 1 toy market in the world. With that, Tomy made its play for RC2.
20 • THE TOY BOOK
With RC2, Tomy gained a broad, global distribution platform, a portfolio of strong brands, a diversified product offering, and an outstanding management team. This package immediately expands Tomy’s North American presence and substantially enhances Tomy’s ability to accelerate growth in a number of geographies including Europe, China, Southeast Asia, and Australia. Tomy is not alone in strategically using cross-border deal activity to spur growth. Just last year, Japan-based Shiseido acquired U.S.-based Bare Escentuals in a $1.7 billion deal that catapulted Shiseido to the No. 4 position in the cosmetics market behind L’Oreal, Procter & Gamble, and Unilver. According to Dealogic, there were 998 acquisitions of U.S.-based companies by overseas acquirers in 2010 compared to 776 in 2009, and that trend continues in 2011 with a 22 percent increase year-to-date. Ultimately, no matter what the numbers say, the success of any cross-border acquisition hinges on meshing firm cultures that can be strikingly different. Throughout its months-long diligence investigation, Tomy developed confidence that this will occur. To facilitate the integration, Tomy retained RC2 management. Tomy and RC2 both believe there should be a meaningful payoff on this strategy as the new organization solidifies and realizes the benefits of crossmarketing products through the combined distribution network, further accelerating top-line growth. Tomy is well on the path to full-scale globalization. ■
Christopher J. Sciortino is a managing director in the Consumer Investment Banking team at Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc., in Chicago. Baird served as the exclusive financial advisorto RC2 in its acquisition by Tomy. Contact him at CSciortino@rwbaird.com or (312) 609-4923.
MAY/JUNE 2011
MAY/JUNE 2011
T HE D EFINITIVE I NFORMATION S OURCE
FOR THE
T OY
AND
G IFT M ERCHANT
Editor’s Letter
This is my favorite issue of the year. I might say this for every issue we put out, but it’s really true this time. In this issue we are given the opportunity to focus on what’s happening in the specialty toy industry. This year we have expanded our Chatting with Independent Retailers Q&A to include specialty manufacturers for the first time. We talk about marketing, merchandising, and distribution strategies, as well as how to bring in customers and how to keep them coming back for more. We also discuss how online retail discounting is affecting specialty toy retailing, and how social media is being used to drive consumer interest and loyalty. Check out the Q&A on page S6. We also take a look at ASTRA’s Marketplace, held in Anaheim, Calif. June 19-22, and many of the great new toys being introduced at the show. Our coverage begins on page S22. With each issue The Toy Book puts out, we are finding ourselves more and more wrapped up in the online world and how it is affecting toy retail. We’ve seen the impact of online toy retailing, the advent of web-interactive toys, the importance of social media, and now the app explosion. In this issue, we have articles to help you improve your local search engine optimization (so that when people do a Google search, your name is more likely to pop up!), on page S70; we continue our series on social media on page
112; we look at ways to convert visitors to your retail website into customers on page 118; and we talk about how parents are relying on smartphones to simplify the shopping experience, and what retailers can do to take advantage, on page 124. We also have an article that discusses the benefits of moving your point-of retail system into the cloud. Yes, it may be time for you, the specialty retailer, to make some moves into the technological world we are quickly becoming enveloped in. Don’t worry, our expert contributors will help guide you along. ●
ON
Jackie Breyer, editor in chief
COVER: BEAD BAZAAR INTRODUCES THE BRIGHT, COLLOVABELLIEZ. EACH HAS ITS OWN UNIQUE PERSONALITY AND HOPES FOR KIDS. MADE WITH SUPER SOFT VELOUR AND SHIMMERY SATIN, EACH COMES WITH ITS OWN MINI STORYBOOK. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CHECK OUT PAGE S50. VISIT BEAD BAZAAR AT ASTRA MARKETPLACE BOOTH 426 FOR SHOW SPECIALS. THE
ORFUL, AND HUGGABLE
The ST&G Checklist Presented here are some of the hottest items in the specialty marketplace.
Z WINDUPS California Creations
STOMP ROCKET Marky Sparky/D&L Co.
JUMPZ Zing
TWILIGHT TURTLE Cloud B
IWAKO ERASERS Iwako
MAGNA-TILES Valtech
MAY/JUNE 2011
STICKY MOSAICS The Orb Factory
Z Windup
WINKEL Manhattan Toy
S3
SPECIALTY TOYS & GIFTS
Learning from the Best
ASTRA’S INSIGHTS
T
Sharing Information in the ASTRA Community
by Kathleen McHugh, president, American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) rade groups like the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) serve many functions: convening the industry at annual events; providing education about the industry to public officials; leading national industry events (for example, ASTRA’s Neighborhood Toy Store Day); creating tools and publications to make members’ businesses more profitable; and much more. But one of the most valuable resources an association can give its members is access to other members, especially experienced professionals who can help one another solve business challenges. “No matter the question, our ASTRA friends always answer freely from their own experience,” says Mary Sisson, owner of Kazoodle Toys in Vancouver, Wash. “ASTRA friends have shared valuable information we have used to build our own toy store.”
GETTING ACCESS TO THE ASTRA COMMUNITY
When toy retailers like Mary Sisson call ASTRA their “toy store university,” it reflects ASTRA’s commitment to attracting the most successful, most creative, and most promising independent toy retailers as members. It also reflects ASTRA’s goal to offer multiple avenues for retailers to share information with one another. This is especially important for local store owners who are “the boss” and therefore have no peers at work with whom they can talk freely about problems and ideas.
ASTRA members can connect with one another in several ways: Online discussions. ASTRA’s confidential listserv (soon to be upgraded to a private online discussion group) is open only to member retailers, so it provides a space to share information about a wide range of topics introduced by participants. While some content is related to industry news and events, it also serves as a forum for getting opinions on how to handle retail challenges and for asking specific how-to business questions. ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. ASTRA’s Marketplace & Academy, held every year in June, is the largest annual gathering of the specialty toy industry. This means that the best independent toy retailers in the business, along with up-and-coming new retailers, are all in one place, and they are spending a lot of time during the four-day event talking with one another. This builds relationships, facilitates the sharing of informa-
SPECIALTY TOYS & GIFTS
S4
tion, and is just plain fun. “The relationships are the best part of the entire ASTRA Marketplace & Academy experience,” reports Gwen Ottenberg, owner of Imagine That Toys in Wichita, Kans. ASTRA member directory. One of the best ways to learn from colleagues is to pick up the phone and call another ASTRA member. (Email is another good option.) ASTRA makes this easy by providing a print member directory, updated annually, and a convenient, up-to-date directory that members can access online.
TIPS FOR LEARNING FROM OTHER RETAILERS
Whatever process a retailer uses to get to know her fellow ASTRA members, it’s important to approach learning as a two-way exchange. Here are a few tips for effective information sharing: Be clear about what you want to know. If you ask a fellow retailer for help or information, make sure you know what you want to know. It will waste everyone’s time if you are not able to articulate what you need. Make yourself a resource for others. If you expect others to share, be ready to do so yourself. When you have received helpful advice from a colleague, always ask if there is anything you can do to help him. When you come across information that might be useful to those in your ASTRA circle—such as an article or a web link—send it to them. Thank your ASTRA friends and acquaintances often. If someone helps you, he or she can never be thanked enough—even if the person is an ASTRA friend you have known for years. Be sure to acknowledge everyone who lends you a hand, and then thank them again when you have a chance.
The ASTRA community can be powerful. “Over the years, I have increased my bottom line by thousands of dollars thanks to ASTRA and friends I have met through ASTRA,” says Jonny Girson, owner of The Learning Tree in Prairie Village, Kans. Whether you have been in the business for years, or are just getting started, look to your ASTRA colleagues to have the piece of information or advice you need to get you through the tough spots. ●
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NEWS SMART GAMES FORMS U.S. SUBSIDIARY
Smart, the Belgian manufacturer of SmartGames, has entered into a strategic partnership with San Francisco’s Rex Games, creators of the Tangoes product line, to establish its own U.S. operations and to form Smart/Tangoes USA. The expansion will bring the maker’s line of single-player brain games to the U.S. in time for the summer travel and holiday seasons. Smart previously sold to U.S. retailers through distributors in the past, but wanted to establish its own U.S. operations in order to deliver maximum margins and marketing support to U.S. retailers. The upcoming SmartGames include Trucky 3, Penguins on Ice, Troy, and IQ Twist. For more information, turn to page S24.
YOU’VE BEEN SENTENCED! MAKER GETS DISTRIBUTOR
Toy and game manufacturer McNeill Designs for Brighter Minds, creator of the You’ve Been Sentenced! word game, has signed a representation agreement with NH Contract Management, LLC (NHCM). The agreement covers all international distribution for McNeill Designs’ roster of toys and games. Richard Gill, president of NHCM, has developed, distributed, and licensed games and toys for the global toy market on his own behalf, as well as for third-party inventors and companies. Gill is also a former co-owner of the Pictionary game and former executive vice president of Horn Abbot International, the former international owner of Trivial Pursuit. ●
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KIDS PREFERRED INKS DEAL
FOR
THE GRUFFALO
The Sharpe Company, licensing agent for the children’s picture book The Gruffalo, has signed Kids Preferred as the plush licensee for North America. The Gruffalo, written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, has sold more than five million copies worldwide. An animated television special based on the book was nominated for a 2010 Academy Award in the short film (animated) category. The movie will be released on DVD in the U.S. by NCircle Entertainment in August and in Canada by Phase 4 Films, Inc. in September.
SPECIALTY TOYS & GIFTS
Chatting with the Industry Specialty Toys & Gifts spoke with specialty manufacturers and retailers from around the country to get their take on marketing, merchandising, and distribution strategies; finding inspiration for new products; and how they keep their customers happy. Allen Brafman owner, Little Things Toy Store Brooklyn, NY
Mark Carson co-founder, Fat Brain Toys
Lea Culliton president, Haba USA
Beau James head of North American operations, Corolle
SPECIALTY TOYS & GIFTS
How often do you update your merchandising strategies? Brafman: Our merchandising is generally keyed to our seven “selling periods” or “selling seasons.” Our primary selling seasons are: fourth quarter; Christmas/Chanukah; winter/Valentine’s; spring/Easter; summer; backto-school; fall/Halloween. We principally buy and merchandise for these seasons. In addition, one of the strengths of small, independent retailers is our ability to act immediately when opportunities arise or when conditions change. This means that if market/economic conditions change, or if exciting new items or categories come on the scene, we can instantly change our strategy, adjust our plans, and incorporate these new items into our overall strategy. McHenry: Because we are getting shipments every day, we are always looking to make sure merchandising is optimal. That said, major changes happen maybe once a month. Our windows ideally get changed every three weeks.
How do you differentiate your store to attract and keep customers? MacDougall: We’ve been a hybrid teacher/toy store for years, but many of our toy customers came to us first for educational resources. A teacher sends them in for flashcards or workbooks and they’re thrilled to discover we’re a toy store, too. The recent demise of a big national book retailer allowed us to upgrade our store look; we look a little more upscale, which
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I think helps set us apart from the big-box stores that want to pretend to be specialty toy stores. What is your distribution strategy when it comes to specialty? McGuire: Because of the nature of our product, high-end educational science kits, we only sell to specialty. We distribute directly to our retailers, and also through a few key distributors. Despite the fact that our science kits are not exactly toys, our strategy is to work with fine specialty toy stores to get the kits in front of the right audiences: the parents who are looking for in-depth educational materials that are also fun. Klein: Manhattan Toy’s primary channel of distribution has always been the specialty market, and we provide a wide range of unique products to specialty toy, gift, and juvenile stores throughout the world. When we design new products or lines, we always keep the specialty store in mind when it comes to the type of consumer who shops there, what the product attributes will be, and what type of package it will come in—if any. Part of our strategy is also considering the multitude of categories that we exist in—dolls, infant, role-play, boys, construction, etc., and what the needs/voids of the category are. We listen carefully to both the consumer and retailer regarding product requests and consider those comments/solutions/suggestions as we design new products. Carson: We are all about specialty distribu-
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tion. The mass market may be good for simply moving product, but specialty retailers embrace good products, learn the best tactics to sell them, and generally represent your brand in a more positive way.
Culliton: Since our introduction into the marketplace in 2003 we have always been committed to the specialty marketplace. Since our wooden products are still produced in Germany at our wholly owned facility with an immense amount of handmade labor involved, we simply can’t produce the volume that the mass markets would require. Instead, Haba has taken the position of offering a broader selection of goods to a more succinct audience. The specialty market has supported us and in turn we have supported them and been able to stay away from the lure of the number of doors the mass market has to offer. How are you using social media to drive consumer interest? James: We have created a truly wonderful community on both Facebook and Twitter, full of dedicated fans and loyal brand users. They interact with us every day, send us photos of their children playing with their Corolle dolls, request information on where to find a specific product, and participate in any contests we have going on. It’s been an amazing adventure online for us as we get to communicate with our consumers in a way we haven’t been able to in the past. We share the latest news with them and do daily product updates to keep them informed in a quick and fun way.
Klein: We have been using social media to connect with moms, who are the primary purchaser of our products. It’s really an extension of our PR efforts. We typically team with mommy bloggers to grow to be brand advocates for Manhattan Toy and help announce new product launches
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through reviews and giveaways. We also provide specials exclusives to Facebook members and try to engage consumers by asking for their opinions on products and other issues through Facebook, Twitter, and through our website. Social media is also a good place to showcase awards our products receive, editorial coverage, and any events or happenings with our retailers. This helps provide validity to our products when someone else talks about them instead of just us. Carson: Social media enables everyone to be an “influencer.” Give customers a reason to brag about you, and they will. Give them a reason to drag you through the mud, and they’ll do that too!
What marketing channels are most successful to you? How do you use them? James: We have been very successful working with various marketing and media channels including online parenting sites, publications, and newspapers. Our most successful way of communicating with our target markets has been through mom and parenting blogs. It’s incredible to see the amount of influence bloggers have on purchasing. We have been very fortunate to have developed strong relationships with top bloggers over the years, and we continue to expand our reach. From a toy industry perspective, we work directly with trade publications as a way to communicate with our retailers and buyers and are also active in sending retailers information directly on any new products, gift-with-purchase programs, and events crucial to helping them promote our brand. Klein: Since we are a company that focuses on the specialty market, we do not spend money or effort on mass marketing like TV or print advertising, national promotions, or na-
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Mike Klein president and CEO, Manhattan Toy
John MacDougall owner, Golden Apple Learning Store Pleasanton, CA
Ted McGuire president, Thames & Kosmos
Katherine O. McHenry owner, Building Blocks Toy Store Chicago, IL
SPECIALTY TOYS & GIFTS
Chatting with the Industry tional PR events. With a small marketing budget, we focus on social media, PR, direct email campaigns, and other grassroots programs, like store contests or in-store events, such as a Groovy Girls dress-up contest. The majority of our marketing budget goes to support the trade, which includes sales catalogs and brochures, trade shows, trade advertising, and point-of-purchase displays. We primarily use Facebook to speak to our consumer audience and approach it with a sales/marketing tone. Our goal is to engage our customer into learning more about who we are and get them excited about our unique products. We use Twitter for quick announcements that would be more pertinent to industry followers. We join in the conversation by sharing information through retweeting specials our retailers are having on our products, media announcements/mentions that we receive, and call outs from fans. We also use both channels to follow industry news, retailers, entertainment media, and mommy bloggers. This has helped to give us an insight into what people are looking for and talking about. What is your strategy for helping specialty stores compete against online retailing? Culliton: There simply is no replacement for actually picking up and touching one of our wooden rattles to see how it feels, to see how it moves, to hear how it sounds. This sensation of the senses cannot be achieved by online marketers. Haba has had a Minimum Advertised Pricing (MAP) policy and has enforced it to our best ability while simultaneously monitoring the sales channels of our online retailers. Several years ago we raised our minimum for online
SPECIALTY TOYS & GIFTS
stores’ opening orders to a very high threshold. This threshold has proven to be a strong tool in determining whether or not an online retailer is able and/or willing to truly partner with Haba. We do not set up drop shipping for online-only retailers, and we offer our brick-and-mortar specialty stores a list of drop shippable items for their consumers. In addition, we make a consumer flier available to all the retailers. Once a year this consumer flier is made available to retailers to have custom imprinted with their store name and address. This has proven to be a great selling tool for specialty.
Building Blocks Toy Store
Klein: The word “compete” perhaps is not the best choice of wording, since many of our specialty retailers have their own independent retail sites, as well as their own sites hosted on other online support marketplaces. With that being said, Manhattan Toy’s strategy in “managing” and “supporting” specialty stores starts with a prudent and thorough review of all new potential accounts and managing existing bricks-and-clicks accounts. As a company, we reasonably police and enforce our policies, which have been finetuned over the last few years. We can certainly conclude that as the online retail community has
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exploded in the last two years it has become more of a challenge and an expense to manage all aspects of online retailing.
Carson: I don’t necessarily differentiate between specialty and online. The key point is being particular about who you’re selling your product to. It requires effort and the courage to turn away business, but if you’re choosy about who you’re selling to and how it’s being sold (regardless of channel), you shouldn’t run into many issues.
McGuire: This is a top area of concern for us this year. First, I feel I should clarify that many specialty retailers have online retailing departments, or are entirely online retailers. “Specialty” and “online” are not mutually exclusive terms. The threat to specialty brick-andmortar retail is not online retailing in itself, but some specific online retailing practices, such as intense price-cutting competition in order to “earn” the buy button in a shared marketplace. While we want to give each individual reseller the latitude and flexibility they need to sell our product effectively, we have to balance that with our own judgement on how much an item should sell for at retail. When we see merchants reselling items with unsustainable prices, such that, in our estimation, they could not be making a profit margin sufficient for sustained business, we are likely to invoke our MAP policy. We are in business with our resellers, and we all need to have sustainable business. Plus, although we have a MAP policy in place and enforce it, it is not 100 percent effective. We closely control the flow of inventory going to online retailers to reduce the impact of discounting. We are also thinking about other
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Chatting with the Industry more drastic measures, including different price lists or different product lines for verified brickand-mortar stores and online stores, but the feasibility of this is still in question. What loyalty programs do you feel are most effective? MacDougall: We have more hooks than a bait and tackle store! From the day we got our first POS in 1986 we’ve been capturing customer names. We have reward points, and special reward points that we use for behavior modification. We have an Iwako Eraser Club that has been a big hit—kids get a punch when they buy an eraser, 10 punches earns an “exclusive” eraser. That’s been a good viral marketing tool for us for almost two years now. We also have a group for summer rewards— prizes for kids who do summer workbooks. We also started a birthday club last month and we’re getting a huge response. How are you competing against online discounting? McHenry: I try not to worry too much about what the Internet is doing, but that doesn’t mean that I am not aware. I keep informed as much as possible about what is being offered and am very conscientious about pricing my products competitively. If a certain product is so readily available at “crazy” prices, I’d probably revisit whether to even carry the product. Additionally, I train my staff on how to interact with customers when the Internet is brought up as a competitor (lag time for shipping, brick-andmortar operating expenses versus online, the service we provide, our great exchange/returns policy—especially if it’s a gift.).
Brafman: I don’t think that “compete” is the
SPECIALTY TOYS & GIFTS
right word to describe this situation. Online retail is a distinct retail channel. Straight-up brickand-mortar is also a distinct retail channel. Each of these channels services different customers at some times and the same customers at other times. Right now, there is a need in the marketplace for both of these channels. We work to keep our presence relevant by maintaining strong inventory in our core product lines, cou-
pled with the usual medley of services that are emblematic of “specialty.” This works for customers who—for whatever reason—prefer us or choose us. It works also to win a certain number of new customers. And, when we are a given customer’s last choice, it sometimes works to turn that customer into a regular customer. Most people, I think, buy in many channels, and for many reasons. I don’t think this will change. What will change will be the ratio that holds among the various channels of distribution. In the long term, I am confident we will have to develop strategies and skills that are not currently part of our stock in trade. We are currently trying to figure this out, but we certainly do not think that it is an emergency. Are rising manufacturing costs resulting in higher prices at retail? Carson: We’re seeing some increases, but ex-
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pecting a lot more. We’re holding the line on several products, but we’ll have to see where things go through the end of the year.
MacDougall: That’s just the start; now the freight charges are hitting. We’ve been hurt by several very popular items jumping in price by 30 percent or more. So far our margins on the mid-priced items are holding, and that’s where the bulk of our sales come from.
Brafman: In order to continue to remain effective, we need to generate sufficient cash flow and profitability. So, naturally, when our cost increases, we generally must increase the shelf price. But not in every instance. Sometimes we do not want to exceed a given price point, either, because we think our rate of sale will go down, or we think the value is not there, or we are concerned that our customers might suffer sticker shock. In these instances, we either hold the price or we discontinue, and if possible, replace the item. Where do you find inspiration for new products? McGuire: Most of our concepts for new science kits come from new technologies that people want to learn more about, or scientific topics that are prominent in popular culture and the media. A lot of inspiration actually comes from old products, too; we want to innovate and make an old product better, or we want to pull ideas from old science kits and revive them with the latest scientific discoveries. Kosmos has been making science kits for almost 100 years now, and so we can draw a great wealth of inspiration from this long history. James: Everywhere—our faces are often in-
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Chatting with the Industry are about design inspiration. From home design to the fashion marketplace, inspiration can come from a lot of different sources, and then we bring that inspiration back to what we know about kids and moms and what they respond to in a product.
Golden Apple Learning Store
spired by real children, our fashions reflect trends in clothing for real children, and we look at the way children play and the skills they are developing as they grow. Our aim is to create worlds of play for every age and stage in a young child’s life.
Culliton: We are fortunate to have our own employed design department at our corporate offices in Germany. Their inspiration is driven from their environment, experience, and exposure to so many different markets. Our parent company in Germany operates a few direct to consumer retail divisions: Jako-O for families, Qiero for maternity, Fitz for teens, and a school division called Wehfritz. The exposure to so many different markets allows for a synergy amongst the inventors, designers, and buyers. We also recently opened our own Haba office in China where we’ll own and operate our own fabric warehouses, which allows for our designers to really have fun with the combination of materials.
Klein: We find inspiration in many ways, but mostly through observation and research. We take different trend trips, reviewing the market and competition as well as attending shows that
SPECIALTY TOYS & GIFTS
How do you ensure a high level of customer service in your store? McHenry: It starts with me. I open the door for customers, carry customers’ bags to their cars, smile, exude a good attitude, know my products, remember customers’ names and their kids’ info as well, gift wrap quickly so customers don’t have to wait, and follow up with customers when they have requests. I do not tolerate any employee who does not reflect my values in service. I train them by example and praise them when their performance is as I expect. I also take good care of my staff, because ultimately, their job satisfaction will affect the level of service our customers get.
Brafman: We have an ongoing program for employee education in customer service. We view employees not only as partners, but also as a category of client called “employee.” This obligates us to make available to them high-quality customer service—the kind of customer service that will help them realize their potential and allow them to feel fulfilled in their accomplishments in our business. One of the ways we supply this kind of customer service to our employees is by providing ongoing training in customer service (as well as product knowledge, etc.) as these pertain to our retail customers. The net result, when we do this, is that our employ-
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ees feel good, our customers feel good, and our business feels good. What trade shows do you attend? How do you prepare and what do you hope to accomplish? McGuire: We go to NY Toy Fair and ASTRA Marketplace every year. We do book, hobby, museum, and educational supply shows on a rotating schedule, rarely all in the same year. Each show requires different preparation, and we expect different things out of each show. Our primary concern at NY Toy Fair is showing our customers our new product line for the coming year, while at other shows, it may be more about getting in front of new customers who have never carried the line before or getting to know our retailers a little better.
Culliton: We participate in the New York International Gift Fairs, ASTRA Marketplace, West Coast Toy and Hobby Retailers Association show (WTHRA), Toy Fair, and ABC Kids Expo. At each show we participate in the normal directories and online directories, which have become useful for exposure to buyers who attend the shows. We market to our audience that we’ll be exhibiting new items and specials at the shows. The most important aspect of the show is the exposure, the networking, learning from oneto-one discussions directly with our retailers as to what is atop of their minds. “What do they need?” is the question I always like to ask. It’s not always about just showing what I have, but asking what the buyers are not finding. For me, the shows also offer a great opportunity to network with other vendors, press, bloggers, etc.
McHenry: Toy Fair and ASTRA are my two large ones. I also attend the local gift shows in January and July at the Merchandise Mart. For Toy Fair, I hope to bring buzz and excitement back to my staff and customers about new products for the year. My customers love to hear
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about Toy Fair. It’s like I’m the ambassador of toys when I go to that show. It’s hard to develop relationships at Toy Fair, however, because the show is so big and there are so many constituents. At ASTRA, relationship building is a main goal I have with vendors. I like to write enough at both shows, partaking in specials and such to feel like it paid for my trip.
MacDougall: I go to Toy Fair, ASTRA Marketplace, and WTHRA. In the past I have gone to the NSSEA show for educational dealers. We run through our sales between NY and the June ASTRA show looking for trends. We also have the benefit of the Best Toys for Kids nominees to help us catch the gems we might not have noticed. We’ll spend most of the ASTRA show running these items down, along with the toys that will be in our holiday catalog. What industry and product trends are you noticing this year? James: All specialty manufacturers are encountering challenges presented by the economy along with age and price compression.
Klein: There are some real standout elements happening in color and form right now, with
Building Blocks Toy Store
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new, really bright, almost neon colors; 70s-inspired animals and simple shapes, like owls, deer, and birch trees, that are not as literal as they have been over the past few years. We are seeing more and more one-dimensional, single color renderings of these themes. “Green” has been a buzzword for the last five or so years, but recently there seems to be a regrouping on what “green” actually means. The people that made products that really were green have had some staying power in the specialty arena, but the “green” pretenders have faded and made savvy consumers wary of “green” claims in products. Heirloom-quality toys with traditional play patterns are making a stand as parents look for extended value from their purchases. Active play continues to be a strong trend, and toys that help promote family activity and togetherness are more and more prevalent. Outdoor activities, as well as arts and crafts and construction play are all strong categories and innovation is being brought to these categories in specialty with innovative materials and design lead products. Culliton: The focus of the industry seems to be on offering “value” priced items; providing the consumer with innovative children’s products at cost-conscious prices. Haba’s designers stay on top of fabric and color trends in apparel and home décor. However, they do this while still remaining true to the character of the Haba brand. Creative building kits, craft kits, and building sets that challenge the children’s minds are categories that obviously have been growing over the past year and are continuing to expand. Haba will be introducing some very creative wooden craft kits at the NYIGF in August.
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McHenry: It used to be Spanish, French, and then Chinese became popular. This year, I find even more languages added to the mix. Perhaps it’s because we are an urban store, but it’s so exciting to see how global we’ve become. Local schools/language programs are teaching Arabic, Polish, Greek, etc. I’ve seen an increase in demand for the Uncle Goose Blocks in more diverse languages. Low-priced collectibles stole the spotlight in 2010. Is this trend continuing in 2011? McHenry: Yes. It’s so much easier on a parent’s wallet to buy an eraser or stickers for a buck here and there than a $25 electronic pet. Parents also really enjoy experiencing the social aspect of trading with their kids. These collectibles also don’t take up a lot of room, which parents can appreciate.
Brafman: We are keeping our eyes and ears open to notice when low-priced collectibles become fully commoditized and begin losing steam as a category. At the same time, there has always been a category of “shadow-collectibles” or “silentcollectibles.” These, I think, will never disappear. The brands will change but the satisfaction that collecting offers is not likely to disappear. Some silent-collectible brands today are Automoblox, Lego, and Groovy Girl. Some silent-collectible categories are animal figures, including plush animals; hero figures, whether knights, soldiers, imaginary heroes such as superheroes or mythical heroes; stickers; puzzles; books in a series; etc.
MacDougall: Japanese erasers are still strong for us. The other fads, like rubber band bracelets and squishies faded out—teachers hated the rubber bands. I didn’t come back from New York with anything that I thought would catch fire, but I’m looking forward to digging something up in Anaheim! ●
SPECIALTY TOYS & GIFTS
Spotlight on
Scienc e
Some topics never fail to intrigue even the littlest of scientists. Hot on the science toy shelf this year are classic categories such as dinosaurs, bugs, and gardening, plus more complex topics like circuits, polymers, decomposition, and much more.
From UNCLE MILTON INDUSTRIES’ new Dinosaur Train line of science toys, the Old Smoky Volcano has the same look as Old Smoky from Buddy’s world. Fans, ages 4 and older, can re-create Old Smoky’s eruption over and over again by using household ingredients. The volcano includes easy-to-read recipes, and kids can hypothesize about which recipe will create the best eruption.
Fossils may take millions of years to form, but kids can discover a wide assortment of marine and animal fossils now, plus some rare specimens, with DISCOVER WITH DR. COOL’S Ultimate Fossil Kit. The kit allows kids to travel back in time and start a fossil collection. It includes 15 real fossil specimens, such as shark teeth, a sliced and polished ammonite, a dinosaur bone, polished orthoceras, a trilobite, a mosasaur tooth from Morocco, iridescent ammonite from Madagascar, and petrified dinosaur dung. The kit also includes a 16-page, full-color fossil adventure guide with information about each of the included creatures.
Future meteorologists can track and monitor rain, sleet, hail, snow, and wind with SUMMIT TOYS’ Storm Chaser Portable Weather Pod. The Pod can expertly collect data in almost any kind of weather. Use the weather vane to find out from which direction the wind is blowing, then use the anemometer gauge to measure the wind’s speed. The water gauge collects and measures rainfall, while the temperature gauge shows the current air temperature. Three extendable legs are attached for support.
SPECIALTY TOYS & GIFTS
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Science
In honor of 2011 as the International Year of Chemistry, THAMES & KOSMOS has completely redesigned and relaunched its flagship line of chemistry sets. CHEM C1000, C2000, and C3000 feature nearly twice the amount of new content, illustrations, and photos. The three kits are designed to become more advanced as users progress through the line, but do not necessarily need to be used sequentially. C1000, for ages 8 and older, includes 75 diverse experiments such as learning about indicators with litmus solution, experimenting with air pressure, and exploring iron and copper. Older audiences can enjoy C2000 and C3000, which include more tools, materials, and experiments.
EASTCOLIGHT, a company specializing in small telescopes and microscopes, introduces Dr. Tec. With a colored LCD and HD screen, Dr. Tec features instant view and storage of images and videos for astronomical and terrestrial observation. The telescope also features a tripod and builtin digital camera, and can easily connect to a TV or computer, allowing users to store their out-of-this-world footage.
Kids can grow fly traps without soil with DUNECRAFT’s Hydroponic Fly Traps. The complete kit comes with everything kids need to get started, including the hydro-pump that keeps water fresh and nutrients available to the roots of the growing plants. The company’s Hydroponic Fly Traps are safe for kids ages 12 and up.
PEACHTREE PLAYTHINGS has launched its new Miracle-Gro Kids gardening line, ideal for introducing kids to gardening. The Miracle-Gro Kids 3in1 Gardening Set is a convenient all-inone gardening system and tabletop display, keeping everything gardeners need in reach and in one spot. The kit, available in vegetable garden or flower garden themes, includes Gro-Pod containers with Miracle-Gro Gro-Mix, flower pots, seed packets, plant marking stakes, a planting stick, a display tray, a Gro-Chart, plant care instructions, and a watering can. Kids ages 5 and older can watch their seedlings sprout in as little as two weeks. In addition to being non-toxic, the Miracle-Gro Gro-Mix helps care for the plants with color-changing planting mix that indicates when it is time to water.
SPECIALTY TOYS & GIFTS
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Science
ELENCO’s Snap Circuits XP allows kids and adults, ages 8 and older, to make a hardware platform, introducing them to micro-controllers and how they are used. The Snap Circuits XP has more than 50 projects with more than 40 programs ready for download, thanks to software from Revolution Education, Ltd. Projects include Clap Light, Photon Counter, Dancing Motor, Launch Pad, Counting to the Stars, Flip-Flop, and Data Logger. The product also includes a 64-page manual with easy circuit assembly and programming instructions.
Seatbelts, everyone! Kids ages 5 and older can join Ms. Frizzle and her students as they explore the field of chemistry. The Magic School Bus Chemistry Lab by THE YOUNG SCIENTISTS CLUB, shaped like the famous bus, features the tools needed for the 51 included experiments, plus a data notebook to record observations. Young scientists can make sticky ice, use litmus paper, measure pH, perform chromatography, make bubble sculptures, wake up fungus, create slime, produce a milk rainbow, and much more.
WILD CREATIONS is debuting a brand new line of Dino Dan products this summer. In Geoworld’s Dino Dan DVD, Sound Device, and Figurine Combo Pack, Dino Dan teaches kids the difference between a Brachiosaurus and a Triceratops as children play with the realistic-looking creatures. Each dinosaur comes with a DVD episode of Dino Dan and a dino sound device that plays the voice of the included dino figurine. The combo pack is available in four varieties.
Some kids are naturally curious and notice things that other people don’t—and these kids might just have what it takes to become a crime-catcher. In SCIENTIFIC EXPLORER’s Crime Catchers Spy Science Kit, kids will find everything they need to become one. They’ll follow clues, gather evidence, and conduct experiments, such as matching fingerprints, testing powders and liquids, and decoding secret messages. While they are busy solving mysteries, kids will also learn the science behind how crime labs work.
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Science
The three aerated compartments of the Now You See It, Now You Don’t See-Through Compost Container, by EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS, allows kids, ages 4 and up, to view the decomposition process as it happens. The clear plastic box features a faux grass top, clear-view compartments with aeration holes and magnification spots, and thermometers. Kids can make side-by-side comparisons between different materials as they learn about decomposition, composting, life cycles, and other environmental topics. The included thermometers demonstrate temperature changes during the decomposition process.
Aspiring doctors and nurses as young as age 4 can learn about one of the body’s most important organs: the heart. LEARNING RESOURCES’ Smart Heart Pulse Monitor is an easy-to-use monitor—just place the device over a heart and press the button. Soon, the “doctor” will hear audio computation of heartbeats per minute.
Kids ages 8 and up can learn about their skin type with INTERNATIONAL PLAYTHINGS’ Wild! Science Glamology Purifying Pack—and then create skincare products that are specifically made for them. With the Clay Treatment and Cool Luxury Mask kits, kids can make clay masks with professional ingredients or create beautiful clay tablets that can be given as gifts. The kits help cleanse away impurities, leaving the skin clean and feeling fresh.
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Written by Pat Murphy and the Scientists of Klutz Labs, Make a Mummy, Shrink a Head, and Other Useful Skills enables kids to become a real-life Indiana Jones, learning how to unleash an ancient tomb curse to protect from bedroom intruders and more. The KLUTZ book teaches a variety of new skills, including ingesting unusual foods such as crickets, shrinking a “head” (apple), and making a “mummy” (hot dog) that will last for thousands of years. For kids ages 8 and up, the book has everything needed to conquer the jungles of the Amazon, or just a kid’s everyday concrete jungle.
MAY/JUNE 2011
OWI, INC. has added the Salt Water Fuel Cell Car to its line of robot-building kits. The car has 23 pieces, but only takes 10 minutes to assemble. Add saltwater and the car is off! After activating the fuel cell module with a saltwater mixture, the magnesium metal sheet (three sheets included) can operate the car for approximately five to seven hours continuously. If kids want to park the vehicle, simply take out the fuel cell module, rinse with tap water, and dry.
Founded in 2010, LEARNING ENCOUNTERS, LLC has launched its full line of educational science discovery products, including microscopes and telescopes. The MicroViewer 200x is both a 20x and 200x magnification digital microscope. Kids can focus on any object and capture the image as a photo or video that can be shared with family and friends. Plug the MicroViewer into a computer’s USB port, point, analyze, and share. The MicroViewer can be used outdoors with a laptop or indoors with a desktop computer.
Kids can concoct 20 glowin-the-dark experiments with SMARTLAB’s Glow in the Dark Lab. From lava lamps to glowing slime to super glow balls, everything that is needed is in the kit. Included is a handheld black light, six glow stick bracelets, glow-in-the dark powder, a mix-and-measure scoop, fluorescent ink, three packets of super ball polymer, polymer gel crystals, polymer snow, three creature molds, bubble test tubes, and more.
INSECT LORE is expanding its core product line with the new Live Bug Projector. Kids can cast giant moving bug shadows on their walls and ceilings by placing the bugs into the projector. As they cast shadows, kids can watch the bugs crawl across the ceiling clearly and with details.
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ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2011 TOP TRUMPS HAS A ROYAL CELEBRATION
Featured on The Today Show and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, one of TOP TRUMPS’ latest card decks, the Royal Wedding Pack, takes a glimpse into the lives of the royal family. Each card features a photograph of a prominent figure of the family or an important aspect of the wedding, a mini-biography, and a status ranking for the categories VIP, age, style icon, celebrity press, and big day ranking. The gameplay is the same for the other Top Trump packs: when it’s your turn choose your best attribute—for example, David and Victoria Beckham’s style icon ranking is 10—and the other players say the ranking they have on their card. The highest value wins the card and takes the next turn. On the American front, the company premieres the States & Presidents Pack, which includes U.S. Presidents and The United States. Players of both games will learn important facts about the history of America’s leaders and about the states that make up the country.
FAT BRAIN TOBBLES ITS WAY TO ASTRA FAT BRAIN TOYS’ Tobbles are six uniquely weighted spheres that nest inside one another and can be balanced in all sorts of clever and colorful combinations. Stack and topple a Tobbles tower. Spin and balance the vibrant spheres. Or, wobble, tilt, and wiggle the colorful pieces. The toy teaches balance, proportion, color, and structure while encouraging sensory exploration, hand-eye coordination, visual spatial awareness, balance. and more. While it appears to be a set of six solid cubes, Block Builders can suddenly be transformed into skyscrapers, modern art sculptures, vehicles from the future, or anything imagined. The set includes 50 challenge cards with three levels of difficulty that ask young builders to recreate the structure on the card using only the number of indicated blocks. The set is a great exercise in visual perception and spatial awareness. Colorful and heavy-duty Dado Bricks allow kids to construct a castle, fort, and more. The bricks can be stacked and piled into endless and towering combinations. Two sizes and two piece counts allow for even more building flexibility. Use the three Tridio Twist pieces to recreate the 52 cubical configurations. Twist the cubes to change the sequence of colors or alter the shape of the three pieces. Stack or connect the pieces together to solve each puzzle. The puzzle aims to increase players’ spatial awareness. Right hand, stop sign! Left hand, shamrock! Rapid Reflex challenges players to be the fastest to connect their brain to their hand and slap the correct card. This quick-playing game reinforces listening skills, hand-eye coordination, and visual discrimination. Tobbles
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ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2011 TWIST YOUR IQ WITH SMART/TANGOES
Perfectly sized for long car or plane rides, SMART/TANGOES USA’s IQ Twist can keep kids ages 6 and older entertained for hours with brain-building fun. Players attempt to place all the twisted, colorful playing pieces on the game board while following the game rules. The included booklet explains 100 different challenges. Trucky 3 includes three trucks made of durable wood and plastic. The trucks can be used for pretend play with real dumping beds, or children can use the 10 included puzzle pieces to complete logic challenges. In Penguins on Ice, five shape-shifting “pentomino” puzzle pieces must be manipulated to fit on the game board. Players must make sure that the pieces fit and that the penguins on top of each game piece are in the right place. The logic game includes 60 challenges. Troy’s game puzzle pieces offer 3-D challenges to players ages 7 and older. Players move castle walls to keep enemy knights out and friendly knights within the city. While it seems easy at first, the 60 included challenges test even the best puzzle solvers.
BRIARPATCH TAKES A TURN
THE ORB FACTORY IS A HOOT
Four-in-a-row used to be easy, but BRIARPATCH’s Tic Tac Turn puts a twist on the classic game. Players make their move on their choice of four levels, aiming to line up their pieces across, diagonally, or vertically to win. On a player’s turn the player can either play a piece or turn any of the top three transparent platforms. Just when players think victory has been won, a single move can turn the game around. The game is easy to learn and can develop strategic thinking skills as well as enhance 3-D visualization skills.
There are lots of owls in the forest waiting to meet their human friends. Kids can watch their own Owl Pal appear as they make mosaics with the projects in Sticky Mosaics Owl Pals. THE ORB FACTORY LIMITED kit comes with four owl designs and an assortment of sticky foam tiles and sparkling jewel pieces. Decorate scenes of owls perched under the moonlight, peeking out of trees, or checking out a good book. Boys and girls alike, ages 5 and up, can use the kit to liven up a bedroom or playroom wall.
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ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2011 SCRATCHIN’ FASHION WITH SCRATCH ART
Become a nail or tattoo artist with SCRATCH ART’s new Scratchin’ Fashion Sticker Books, Nail Art and Tattoo & Body Art. Simply scratch the designs on the magical nail or tattoo stickers and stick them on the fashion pages. Kids can create their own cool collection of trendy looks, whether it’s funky, sweet, preppy, or glam. With the Nail Art kit, kids can customize fashion pages with their own multicolor manicures and pedicures. Or, design cute tattoos with the Tattoo & Body Art kit. Nail Art includes 15 Scratchin’ Fashion nail art sticker pages, five bonus hairdo doodle pages, one wood drawing stylus, and more than 90 Scratchin’ Fashion stickers. Tattoo & Body Art includes 15 Scratchin’ Fashion Tattoo & Body Art sticker pages, five bonus henna design doodle pages, one wood drawing stylus, and more than 50 Scratchin’ Fashion stickers.
CLOUD B SOOTHES AND COOLS Soothing Puppets are new from CLOUD B. The hand puppets have a removable gel pack hidden inside. Heat the pack for a cuddle or cool the pack to help kids chill out on a hot summer night. Without the gel pack it can be used as a regular hand puppet, or with it the puppets can function as a hot or cold pack for boo-boos. The puppets are available in sheep, giraffe, turtle, and ladybug styles. The Sleep Sheep Pouf is a round, cuddly overstuffed plush that can be used as a pillow, decoration, or huggable friend for little ones. Made of a plush fabric that looks like real sheep skin, and stuffed with an inner fill, each is available in three sizes: seven, 10, and 12 inches.
Soothing Puppets
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MRS. PINKELMEYER TAKES MANHATTAN MRS. PINKELMEYER is back with her furry brown dog, Moopus McGlinden, for a second adventure. Mrs. Pinkelmeyer and Moopus McGlinden Prance into New York City teaches kids how to handle new experiences and separation calmly—with the humorous Pinkelmeyer touch. In the book, Mrs. Pinkelmeyer and Moopus face their fears and take their first flight to New York City. Together, they learn to navigate the Big Apple and remain unruffled when they become separated in the city. The ending includes a delightful reunion, involving hot dogs, of course. The company also plans to release a third book.
MAY/JUNE 2011
ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2011 NEAT-OH!’S GOT IT ALL ZIPPED UP Made to last, NEAT-OH!’s ZipBin cases are made of durable materials that are easy to wipe down, resist scratching, and are food safe. The bins are made to store, stack, and carry, and can easily convert from a play mat to a storage bin. New for the line is the Lego Ninjago ZipBin Battle Case, which doubles as both a storage case for the Ninjago masters to hide in as well as a supreme battle arena. Kids can store their Ninjago figures, spinners, weapons, and cards neatly in the battle case. The Lego Star Wars ZipBin Battle Bridge Storage Case makes a perfect storage bin for clone troopers, Sith Lords, and Jedi Knights. Kids can use the suspended battle bridge to gain the advantage over the enemy or sneak under them on the space station floor. After battle is done, pack the warriors away until another day of galactic battle inside Lego Star Wars ZipBin the toolbox-shaped case. Battle Bridge Storage Case Neat-Oh!’s Hot Wheels ZipBin Patch Racer BackPack is the best bet for making a quick getaway with a car collection. Unzip the graphic-adorned exterior into a two-lane drag strip that features a winding cityscape in the background. The car’s body is perfectly integrated into the shape of the backpack with a sewn on Hot Wheels patch on the hood. Also new is the Barbie ZipBin Clutch. With Barbie-pink woven designs on the front and a dressing room on the inside, the Barbie ZipBin Clutch is a perfect finishing touch for any outfit.
DAYDREAM TOY LIGHTS UP THE NIGHT
PLASMART GLIDES ALONG PLASMART, INC., distributor of the PlasmaCar, is introducing a new balance bike for kids ages 18 months and older. The PlasmaBike is a two-wheeled, no-pedal balance bike. Its design helps children build balance development by using a walking, running, and gliding motion while avoiding falls, bumps, and scrapes. Its wide-wheel shape gives kids a stable ride and helps avoid the need for training wheels when learning to ride a pedaled two-wheeled bicycle. Weighing less than six pounds, the PlasmaBike is lightweight, yet can support up to 110 pounds.
DAYDREAM TOY has been granted the rights to distribute Tosy Robotics’ patent-pending Flash Flyer and Alien Flyer to the U.S. market. The flexible round discs can fly far distances and then return exactly to where it came from. The flyers can also spin and hang on a ceiling or wall for indoor use. The Alien Flyer is just like the Flash Flyer, but has a bright LED light that automatically turns on when flying, creating a colorful rainbow in the dark.
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ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2011 HABA STACKS UP HABA’s Rainbow Whirls Pegging Game is a stacking game for kids ages 2 to 6. The colored rings can be piled onto the colored pegs in a variety of plug-in combinations. The stacking game is ideal for free play and is made from Beechwood. The game contains 32 parts and the pegging board. Habaland Play Blocks are for the youngest of children, ages 1 and up. Kids can take their time creating their first buildings, and in no time they can build little houses or even a tower. Also included are trees and a vehicle. A conductor and a load in the trailer are removable. The set includes 25 Beechwood pieces. Rainbow Whirls Pegging Game
PACIFIC PLAY TENTS GOES PREHISTORIC The Dinosaur Train Dino Bones Dome Tent Polyester Taffeta Tent, by PACIFIC PLAY TENTS, can be used indoors or outdoors. The tent comes with mesh ventilation panels at the top for airflow on hot days as well as for easy viewing. The durable, washable floor made of polyethylene keeps spills from ruining the carpet and keeps campers dry from the wet grass. Also new is the Dinosaur Train Dino Bones 5 Foot Tunnel. The product can be used alone or can be connected to other tunnels for a maze or connected to other tents by the company. The tunnel is half nylon and half mesh, acting as a “peek-aboo” tunnel for keeping an eye on kids. The tunnel incorporates the company’s new “padded interior” for comfort, and collapses down for easy storage and carrying. The tunnel wipes clean with a damp cloth.
Dinosaur Train Dino Bones Dome Tent Polyester Taffeta Tent
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FOLKMANIS GETS KIDS HOWLING FOLKMANIS’s Gray Wolf puppet is 22 inches long and has feathery plush fabric in grays, browns, and whites. Big ears and a pointy snout give the wolf its character and charm, while the movable mouth allows a child to give the puppet a voice—or howl.
DANDELION’S GOT SOFT RATTLES Unique and handmade rattles featuring lovable characters are set to premiere from RE-THINK IT’S DANDELION. The rattles have soft, huggable bodies crocheted from bamboo fibers and are brightly colored. Hoo Hoo is a perfect playmate for day and night, eager to explore the world beyond the nest. Piggy is pretty in pink, but always ready to get her snout dirty. Fishy is always smiling, eager to play, and is just a playful chap. Busy Bee has lots to do and is on the go. Froggy loves to move, perfect for babies who love to play. Moo Cow rolls, rattles, and nibbles, and is on countless adventures. The crocheted rattles are machine-washable and are 3.5 inches tall. The stuffing is made from corn fibers.
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ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2011 HAYWIRE CAUSES A KERFUFFLE THE HAYWIRE GROUP is beginning to ship Kerfuffle, the company’s first strategy game in the Dicecapades! line of games. In the game, players roll their dice and try to create a pair, three of a kind, four of a kind, etc., or a straight by lining up their dice with the dice already on the game grid. The catch is that players need to draw a qualifying card at the beginning of their turn and complete what the drawn card says while they are strategizing how to best lay their dice. A lucky player might only have to start their turn with a pair, but an unlucky player might have to whistle while they work or speak with a German accent. The first player to lay their dice on the game board wins. Haywire is also introducing three “no reading required” games for kids ages 3 and older: Where’s That Chipmunk?, French Toast Forgets His Lunch, and The Cat’s Pajamas Board Game. In Where’s That Chipmunk?, players take turns hiding the chipmunk and then pass out picture clue cards to the seekers. The seekers use the clue cards to find the chipmunk, but some clues are accurate and some are not. The first person to find the chipmunk wins an acorn and gets to hide the chipmunk next. French Toast forgot his lunch, but on his way to school he runs into friends that share with him. Players try to be the first to fill their lunchbox with a full meal to win the game. The French Toast storybook is included with the game. In The Cat’s Pajamas, the silly cats put on too many pairs of pajamas and are too hot. Players help the cats remove layers by going around the game board and landing on matching spaces. The game teaches colors, patterns, shapes, and matching.
SCIENTIFIC EXPLORER GETS ICKY SCIENTIFIC EXPLORER knows what makes scary movies so terrifying: makeup! The Disgusting Special Effect Make-Up Kit allows kids to make fake blood, oozing blisters, vampire bites, gashes, burns, and more. As kids practice the tricks that movie makeup artists use to make films frightening, they learn about the science behind what happens to bodies when the cuts and sores are real.
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GO ON A DINO SAFARI The Miragaia was an unusual plated dinosaur with a very long neck and a double row of spikes down its back. Authenticated by the paleontologists of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, SAFARI is releasing a licensed scale model, the Carnegie Collectibles Miragaia, designed to reflect the latest scientific research on the creature. Painted by hand, the 1:30 scale model is phthalate- and lead-free. The dinosaur comes with educational information in five languages.
MAY/JUNE 2011
ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2011 U.S. GAMES IS MYSTICAL
U.S. GAMES SYSTEMS’ Mystic Pyramid is an interactive electronic toy that speaks more than 100 insightful phrases. To activate its powers, focus your energy, ask your question, and then press down on the Pyramid to hear your answer. Responses include “You have every reason to be confident,” and “Everything points to success,” and answers are randomized for minimum repeats. Synchronized light effects enhance the magical pyramid experience. Added to the company’s lineup of Great Mind Games, the Flip Six Card Game includes colorful cards and graphics and is both educational and entertaining. In the game, players learn adding and subtracting strategies as they get rid of their high cards. Starting each round with six cards, players try to reduce their points by getting rid of cards and/or swapping them for lower cards. After 10 rounds, the player with the lowest cumulative score wins. The game includes 55 cards, including negative numbers.
WINNING MOVES GOES TO THE DOGS
FIGURE OUT HOW IT WORX
It’s time for the canines to take on the Game of Life. WINNING MOVES’ new game, The Game of Life It’s A Dog’s Life Edition, has players live it up from puppyhood to retirement at the Pooch Palace. Players can even customize their own token by using an online app and play as their own dog. The game includes a game board; plastic game board pieces (spinner, fire hydrant, doghouse, tree, and pooch palace); a bone money pad with pet insurance certificates; five plastic cars; cardboard dog tokens, including blanks for customizing; puppy pegs; and illustrated instructions. Two to five players can play the game, which is targeted to kids and adults ages 8 and older.
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Kids can discover how their favorite vehicles work with WORX TOYS. Kids can look through the transparent exterior to see the parts inside, and then learn all about them with the included interactive storybook adventure, narrated by tour guide Howie Works. Throughout each book are special codes that kids can use to see each part light up and come to life. Punch the codes directly on the toy or by using the patent-pending optional Worx Storybook Transmitter. Kids can also play with the toys on their own for imaginative play. New Worx Toys include Speedster Racecar, Apex Police Helicopter, and Torch Fire Truck.
MAY/JUNE 2011
ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2011 YBIKE KICKS AND GLIDES YBike, distributed by NATIONAL SPORTING GOODS, is rolling out two new scooters for toddlers: Kicker and Glider. The YBike Kicker, recommended for ages 2 to 5, has two wide, 10-inch rubber wheels that let kids take the Kicker on all possible surfaces, including smooth paveways, grass, dirt, and rocks. The handlebars are low to fit toddlers and the scooter base is mounted on a sturdy and light aluminum frame. Available in red and featuring sleek lines, the Kicker helps toddlers hone balance and coordination skills. The Glider, for kids ages 3 and up, looks like a big kid’s scooter but has two front wheels and a wide back wheel to promote balance for a more stable ride. The foot bed is wide and rubberized for comfortable and smooth gliding. The Glider is also lightweight, weighing only five pounds although it can hold up to 44 pounds. The product is available in green and pink. The Kicker and Glider join YBike’s new Pewi Hybrid Walker, which helps toddlers develop basic motor skills and balance. Available in red, blue, and pink, the Pewi is a walking buddy and ride-on for toddlers as young as 9 months and as old as 3 years old. National Sporting Goods is the exclusive U.S. distributor for YBike. The brand was created by CHROME CHERRY DESIGN STUDIOS of South Africa. YBike Kicker
For imaginative play, MAPLE LANDMARK releases Schoolhouse Naturals Animal Shapes, cut from locally harvested hardwood maple. Both sides of the aniSchoolhouse Naturals Animal mals feature engraved deShapes, Wild Animals tails, and the animals are sanded flat on the bottom so they can easily stand up. The animals are sold shrink-wrapped in a set of four: farm animals (cow, pig, dog, and duck) and wild animals (elephant, lion, gorilla, and zebra). For ages 6 months and older, the animals measure 0.75 inches thick and between 2.5 and 3.5 inches tall. Added to Maple Landmark’s animal and vehicle domino lineup is Standard Dominoes, a 28piece, double six set. The dominoes are crafted from locally harvested hardwood maple and the dot illustrations are done with a non-toxic ink, in six different colors. The dominoes come shrink-wrapped with a drawstring cloth pouch for storage and playing instructions.
SPECIALTY TOYS & GIFTS
MOGO DESIGN, INC. adds footwear to its 2010 creation of magnetic charms and charm bracelets. Click Flops are flip-flops that have a place for up to 14 charms on the shoe strap. The flip-flop is available in both girls’ and women’s sizes and comes in two color designs: pink/black or pink/white. There are more than 200 click-on magnetic charms that the shoes can be personalized with, including birthstones, letters, and themed collections for various interests. Along with the new footwear launch, the company has re-launched its website, www.mogocharm.com, with a new game, Mogo Mood Matcher, allowing girls to see what charm set would best fit their current mood. .
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ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2011 MARY MEYER’S GOT PIZZAZZ
MARY MEYER has added new ring rattles and WubbaNub pacifiers to its Sweet Chocolate Collection. The baby pink and baby blue plush animals are designed with delicious chocolate accents. Among the new Sweet Chocolate products are five-inch Puppy Ring Rattles, six-inch Giraffe Ring Rattles, and six-inch WubbaNub Puppy and WubbaNub Giraffe pacifiers. The pacifiers soothe babies with their texture, colors, designs, and Soothie pacifiers, made of latex-free, medical grade silicone. There are no cords or clips to get tangled in. Zazzy Legs is a new addition to the company’s Print Pizzazz product line. Print Pizzazz Zazzy Legs hang from shelves, tables, closet doors, mirrors, or anywhere a child wants to drape them. The 25-inch long, soft plush animals include Frog, Monkey, Dog, and Cat styles. Purse Switchables, for girls in preschool and up, can change in a flash by snapping on a new cover. The handles are easy to grasp and the covers are easy to snap on and off. There are 12 colorful covers to choose from with different textures, materials, and designs, such as Daisy (green with quilted petals), Rasta (shaggy and pink-and-green striped), Cuppy (pink with a quilted cupcake), Rosy (a lavender satin with a row of colorful roses), and more. The base purses, which are purse liners with handles, come in three color options: aqua, pink, and purple. Sweet Chocolate WubbaNub Puppy
Ella loves the ballet. In PADDYWHACK LANE’s Ella’s Ballerina Studio Playset, she is busy practicing her grand plié, while her puppy, Dog-Dog, barks in approval. Later, Ella will be the featured ballerina in an afternoon performance on Ella’s Ballerina Studio Playset the Blue Sky Stage. Ella has nine poseable joints, and the set also includes a poseable Dog-Dog the Puppy, a ballerina costume, hair ribbon, a glittery cape, a floral ballet bar, a fulllength swivel mirror, and a fold-out play scene. Also new is Anthony’s Treasure Hunt Playset. Anthony the pirate and his trusted companion, Patch, have set sail for Faraway Island to search for treasure. Anthony grabs the shovel to dig for riches, while Patch plays chase with butterflies in the brush. Anthony also has nine poseable joints, and the set includes a posable Patch the Kitty, a pirate costume, a pirate hat, a pirate eye patch, a telescope, a wooden sword, a gold-filled treasure chest, a large row boat, two oars, a shovel, and a fold-out play scene.
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Joining TOYMARKETING INTERNATIONAL INC.’s Gymnic lineup is the Racin’ Rody Horse. Made in Italy from heavyduty, latex-free vinyl, inflatable Rody allows children to learn balancing and coordination as they hop aboard. The product can be inflated by an adult to the perfect size for the child. Racin’ Rody can be used in “Rody Races” and has a base that can transform it into a rocking horse. Rody, which comes in 12 colors, is also used in therapy to help special needs children.
MAY/JUNE 2011
ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2011 THINKFUN IS ON THE SNACK ATTACK
Craving fun? THINKFUN is expanding its Jr. games with Snack Attack!, a game for kids ages 4 and up. In the game, players crank up the Spinner Platter and then race to match the Snack Tokens dispensed from it to the food on their plate. Plates fill up quickly, and the player with the most stacked food on his or her Snack Plate wins. PathWords combines the excitement of Tetris and a word search. Players try to place the puzzle pieces onto a selected challenge so that the letters under each piece spell a word. Words can be read forward or backward, but letters cannot be scrambled. The game also has 40 challenges from beginner to expert. Sharpen your memory and your drawing pencil with Cartoon It!. This memory game has an artistic twist; players have 30 seconds to memorize a cartoon character with the six specific features shown on the Character Card. When the time is up, players draw the cartoon character using hints from the Features Board. The player with the sharpest memory scores points to win. Players have to slide their way to success in Tilt. Choose one of the challenge cards and then set the pieces. The goal is to slide the green sliders through the center exit hole by using the tilting game board. The tricky part is that the blue sliders must stay on the grid at all times. Tilt has 40 challenges that range from beginner to expert.
SCHYLLING is introducing brand new Erector construction sets called Space Chaos, featuring sleek-looking space ships from the year 10110. In the future, peace reigns thanks to the energy of the Green Crystal, but the Dark Pirates want to ruin that. In order to stop the Dark Pirates, an elite fleet is created called the Silver Fleet. Kids can easily transform and combine their vessels. Each set comes with a trading card explaining the power of the ship’s ability to attack and defend, and the level of its speed and range. There is also a secret code to unlock surprises at erector-sets.com. Schylling’s Jumbo Sock Monkey will make its debut at ASTRA. In a 42-inch size, the monkey is soft, good for all ages, and is perfect for hugging, tea parties, and being a good friend.
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Little ones can pretend they are giants as they learn to walk on stilts with Ready, Set, Stilts!. The stilts, by ALEX TOYS, are fully adjustable for kids ages 5 and older with softgrip handles, which grow with the child. First, learn to balance with big foot trainers. When ready, replace the trainers with non-skid caps and step up to stilt-walking. The Fab Badge Maker allows kids to make 10 “fab” fabric badges with the button maker. Add sparkles with the included glitter stickers and gems. The badge maker comes with 10 badges, 12 fabric circles, 12 stickers and gems, and instructions. Ready, Set, Stilts!
MAY/JUNE 2011
ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2011 BANANAGRAMS ZIPS IT UP
Fruitominoes, from BANANAGRAMS, LLC, challenges players to connect fruit instead of dots. Players take turns matching six fruit patterns, making it a fresh and fruity twist to the classic game of dominoes. The company also releases Zip-It, a new super fast word game. Players take 12 cubes and race against their opponent to build a word grid. One hand can be played in as little as 20 seconds and everything needed is packaged in the bag. Zip-It also comes with the “Weord dictionary” of weird words that can win word games. These games join the company’s first anangram game, Bananagrams, which challenges players to race against each other to complete a crossword grid. Also from the company is Appletters, a word game originally designed with younger players in mind, and PairsinPears, a game that helps children develop memory and cognitive skills, while learning the alphabet, pattern recognition, vowels, vocabulary, rhyming, and more.
The Kid’Sleep My First Alarm Clock—from LIVE, LOVE, DREAM, INC.—teaches young children how to tell time and gives them the independence of their own alarm clock. The clock shows the time in both digital and analog, and the hour and minute hand colors match the hour and minute numbers. The inverted alarm arm allows kids to see how long they have until they need to wake up. Additionally, when the sleeping child is lit, kids know to stay in bed and when the awake child is lit, kids know it is time to wake up. Featuring three possible alarm sounds (chirping, a cuckoo, or a train sound), the alarm clock progressively becomes louder until the child turns the alarm off or pushes the top button to snooze for another two minutes. Pushing the top button also provides a short glowing light so the child can see the time during the night.
Arnold is a huge hippopotamus, from LILLIPUTIENS, that can also be used as a mini couch. Kids can hide all their secrets and little objects in the different openings of the Arnold Activity Hippo. Little bird Coco, Arnold’s faithful friend, never leaves his side. The hippo offers lots of activities, funny noises, colors, and materials that awaken senses. The lifebelt around Coco allows Arnold to be carried anywhere. The Théophile Cuddle Puppet is a crocodile that can come to life with a slip of a hand. Théophile can crawl toward children to give hugs and kisses and more. The puppet stimulates the imagination and can be used to role play. The Wolf Hand Puppet and the Three Little Pigs is another puppet release. The tale is a classic about courage and overcoming fears. Kids and adults can recreate the story with the three little finger puppet pigs and the big, bad hand puppet wolf. When the story is over, the three houses and matching piglets are easily stored inside the wolf. Arnold Activity Hippo
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Will you be the first to hike 100 miles? The new dice/card game from EDUCATION OUTDOORS, Hit the Trail, challenges players to do just that. Players are dealt seven cards, then each player picks a card and lays it face up. A chosen player rolls the three dice, aiming to match one of the die or a combination of dice to the card amount that is face up. Each time the die/dice combination matches the face-up card, the player gets to move the card into his or her “mile pile.” The first player to hike 100 miles wins. Beware of the “cooler cards,” such as the mother bear and cubs on the trail, because they make players lose 10 miles. Other twists include bonus rolls and triple/double rules. Hit the Trail is packaged in a mini-backpack and includes 72 cards, three dice, and two pencils.
Icosoku, a puzzle by RECENT TOYS, has been a hit with Sudoku fans, and now the company is releasing a version for kids. Icosuku Jr. is just like the original version; the goal is to make all of the dots that encircle a number add up to that number. In the junior version, the numbers only go up to four, so it’s easier for kids to solve. The puzzle uses 20 tiles and 12 number buttons, and regardless of how the tiles and numbers are arranged the puzzle can always be solved.
ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2011 MANHATTAN TOY IS BOYSTEROUS MANHATTAN TOY debuts Boysterous, a new line of action figures for boys. The action figures come in hockey, skateboarding, soccer, and football themes. Fun to pose, the figures go zipping and zooming around their adaptable Zip-Bin playing field. Each figure comes with its own sports equipment—either a hockey puck and stick, skateboard, snowboard, soccer ball, or football—and its magnetized feet and hands allow each action figure to grab its gear. For girls, PJ Tots make a great cuddly and collectible first doll. Each doll is small enought to fit into the hands of the smallest child and has its own colorful themed pajamas that match its personal sleeping bag. The dolls include Bonnie Bunny, Kylee Kitty, Bailey Beary, Lola Ladybug, and Franny Froggie. As part of the company’s new Parents-branded line, Manhattan Toy releases Jungle Stacking Puzzles. Each puzzle features five pieces that slot together to create four jungle creatures. Sets can be mixed and matched to create new animal breeds, and graphics suggest each animal’s natural markings. Also new in the line are the Perfect Peacock Puzzle, one of four new flat puzzles; and the Busy Bug Count & Match Dominoes, one of three new games, as well as Rock ’n Ring Toss; Bounce Around! Giraffe; Start Me Up! Car Keys; and My Little Mailbox. Boysterous
SQWISHLAND is debuting a new line of soft ’n squishy animals, Sqwishland Swamp. The 0.75-inch products will be found mixed in with existing animals in vending machines, as well as in retail packs. The Swamp animals include Sqwake (snake), Sqwalligator (alligator), Sqwotter (otter), Sqwalamander (salamander), and Sqwossum (opossum).
By arranging the colored tiles of ENI PUZZLES into patterns, kids can learn the fundamentals of math, such as sequencing and pattern recognition, without numbers. In the early stages of solving the puzzle, simple pattern recognition teaches how to manipulate the empty space. As the puzzle advances and the empty space is more easily accounted, the puzzle can become more of a creative drawing tool. The more tiles in the puzzle, the more opportunity to create complex designs with one empty space. The puzzle has no one solution, but a multitude of solutions. Versions include Braille, a puzzle designed for the visually impaired; the Mini, a version that is eight pieces by eight colors; the Mini With Numbers; and the Keychain, which can accessorize an iPhone or a backpack. The puzzles are available in two different color patterns: bold and pastel.
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The Mack Granite Liebherr Crane Truck, by BRUDER TOYS AMERICA, INC., offers children realistic and active playing fun. The boom on the Mack Crane Truck extends to 50 inches tall, with an extension piece that snaps on to the end of the boom. The telescopic and height-adjustable jib works with a patented adjusting cylinder, and there is a device for quick and noiseless lowering of the die-cast hook. Also featured are four outriggers (stabilizer legs) to ensure the highest degree of stability. A counterweight can be filled with sand to balance the load of the crane. The Mack Crane Truck has swing-out mirrors, soft rubber-like sculptured tires, and a view of the motor unit when the hood is unlatched. The operator’s cab has a sliding panel door for easy access, and the crane swivels 360 degrees. BOWWOWMEOW’s Design-Your-Own Window Birdfeeder lets bird lovers enjoy bird watching in their own backyard and allows them to create the home themselves. The kit includes the birdfeeder, a paintbrush, two strips of acrylic paint, and waterproof varnish to protect the feeder from the elements. Painters can design the birdfeeder any way they like, and attach it to the outside of a window with the feeder’s attached suction cups. Place bird seed or breadcrumbs in the bottom of the feeder and take a front-row seat inside your own house.
ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2011 RIDE THE RAILS WITH LEARNING CURVE
All aboard! LEARNING CURVE is releasing new train products featuring the world of Chuggington. The Chuggington Wooden Railway’s engines and sets are brightly colored, reflecting the television series. The product includes modular buildings and tunnels, encouraging kids to design and re-shape their Chuggington world with simple, reconfigurable designs. The Over & Under Starter Set is a 25-piece set that features a two-in-one clock tower. The tower can be constructed by stacking the pieces to create a two-level tower, or the pieces can be separated to create two stand-alone tunnels. The Starter Set also includes two wooden engines (Wilson and Koko), a Vee figure, and a figure-eight track layout. Also new is the Chuggington Wooden Railway Double-Decker Roundhouse, designed after the iconic Chuggington location. Stack each piece to create a three-level design, or separate them to create two side-by-side roundhouses, plus a stand-alone tunnel. The toy also features an elevating turntable that rises and spins, and a bonus switch track piece. Chuggington Wooden Railway Double-Decker Roundhouse
Giving preschoolers a head start in kindergarten is the mission of TEACH MY Preschooler. The all-in-one tote kit is divided into four sections: Ready to Read, Ready to Print, Ready for 1-100, and Ready for Math. Using coordinated books, flashcards, posters, a print guide, and a magic drawing board, the kit helps prepare preschoolers for kindergarten by working on fine motor, interaction, and school readiness skills. Education consultant Judith Rowlands helped develop the jump-start learning system for 3 to 6 year olds.
BLUE BOX TOYS is showcasing its new B KIDS line, which spans more than 60 products, including rattles, activity books, link-and-build blocks, play sets, and the Play with Me Gym. Specially designed to feature bebee and friends, the Play with Me Gym has a colorful, overhead canopy filled with a host of dangling toys and characters. Built with B Kids’ “Loop ’n Link” system, plush animals from the bebee and friends collection can be collected and connected to the overhead bars. The soft frame allows babies to rest and makes an ideal naptime companion. Each B Kids product is designed to harness and build key sensory, physical, learning, and creative skills as children develop. Together, the products form an integrated system—toys from each successive stage build on the skills developed through earlier toys.
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A new family of four, Natural Rubber Toys are premiering from RICH FROG INDUSTRIES. Characters include Lucy Goose, Sparky Rabbit, Peggy Pig, and Chill Polar Bear. The rubber toys for babies are made from genuine natural rubber harvested from renewable trees and are ideal for teething. The collection also comes with a squeak and the toys are hand-painted. Beastie Balls are terrycloth balls that come boxed and ready to go. Two sizes of the eight original characters are available, in a four-inch and five-inch diameter. Each character has a rattle inside. Squishy and made from soft cotton yarns, K’Nits Blocks have a gentle rattle inside. The products are being released after the successful launch of last year’s K’Nits soft toy and rattle collection. The four-inch blocks are available in eight animal characters that make up a family.
The ZOOBIES team is bringing Norman Bridwell’s storybook character, Clifford the Big Red Dog, to life. Not only is Clifford a plush toy with bright red fur and friendly eyes, the Zoobies character becomes a pillow with a printed, coral fleece blanket zipped inside. Clifford joins Zoobies’ other three-inone products of a plush, pillow, and blanket.
Natural Rubber Toys
CRAZY AARON'S PUTTYWORLD expands its collection of non-toxic Thinking Putty to include a new color, Super Magnetic. Quicksilver Super Magnetic Thinking Putty has more magnetic properties than the original, and is a silver color with dark streaks throughout. The Thinking Putty comes alive when it is placed near a super strong magnet (included). Strong enough to defy gravity, it can lift tacks and paperclips on its own after charging in a magnetic field. Additionally, Crazy Aaron is unleashing Thinking Putty Creatures at ASTRA. Each Creature tin comes with a handful of Creature Thinking Putty—complete with creature freckles. Once the putty is pulled out the tin, kids can start stretching, twisting, and molding their creature. A pair of eyes (included) completes the creation. Thinking Putty Creatures come in orange or green.
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ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2011 GAMEWRIGHT TAKES IT ON THE GO
Port-a-Party is a new line of portable and travel-friendly party games from GAMEWRIGHT. The company is initially launching two titles: Who Would Win and Joe Name It. Port-a-Party games are for players ages 12 and older. Who Would Win is a game of improbable celebrity matchups. Players draw cards and then convince the judge why their characters would win a randomly chosen event. For example, why would Albert Einstein trounce Donald Trump in a hot dog eating contest? The player with the most votes wins the game. Each Who Would Win game lasts approximately 15 minutes and is for three or more players. Joe Name It is a fast-paced trivia game in which players try to win the most cards by filling in the blanks with the number rolled on a die and then correctly naming something that fits the category. The game is played in 15 minutes and is for two or more players.
Made in Germany by GEOTOYS, GeoDice, for ages 6 and older, is an introduction to world geography. The goal is to name countries and capitals that start with the letters on the Letter Dice, and that are within the continent on the Continent Dice. The two-sided game board doubles as a world map. There’s nothing quite like a handmade greeting card. WIKKI STIX’ Create-a-Card Kit makes it easy for children to design exactly what they want on a greeting card without leaving any mess for mom and dad to clean up. The Stix are strips of yarn coated in wax, which stick to the blank cards with a bit of finger pressure. The kit includes 96 Wikki Stix, 16 blank cards, and design templates to help jumpstart creativity.
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CITIBLOCS introduces CitiTrees, 10 brightly colored assorted wooden trees for landscaping Citiblocks creations. Some trees look like evergreens, some are rounder and more decorative, and others are more abstract looking. Kids can pick a tree to match a building type.
BSW TOY adds new Shrinky Dinks to its line—in 3-D. The 3D Shrinky Dinks kits comes with 10 sheets of shrinking plastic, complete baking instructions, and a two-sided tracing sheet. The tracing sheets are filled with unique drawings for children to trace. Once traced, cut it out, bake, shrink, and then assemble into 3-D figures. Kits include zoo animals, princess fairies, trains and tracks, pirates, and robots.
TUNE A FISH RECORDS will be showcasing new Scholastic Storybook Treasures DVDs at ASTRA. The DVDs support reading, comprehension, and problem solving, among other skills. New for this year is the sign language versions of Goodnight Moon, A Pocket for Corduroy, and Five Little Monkeys. Other DVDs include Splat the Cat, Tikki Tikki Tembo, The Scrambled States of America, and Danny and the Dinosaur. Also new is the Young Artists Collection, perfect for aspiring young artists, musicians, or performers. Celebrity narrators include Zach Braff and James Earl Jones, plus a singing performance from Aretha Franklin. All stories include the read-along function, which highlights the words as they are read.
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ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2011 REEVES PUTS ON ITS BLUE SUEDE SHOES New from REEVES INTERNATIONAL’s Tolo line is the Tolo Pop Up Farm House for kids ages 1 and up. The Pop Up Farm House helps kids develop an understanding of cause and effect. When children push, pull, and twist chimneys, farm animals pop out, strengthening hand/eye coordination. Sounds accompany each movement, including rattles, squeakers, and the famous Tolo “clicking” sound. The Farm House joins the new Tolo Gardening set, a collection of durable tools made just for young gardeners. The BREYER line is expanding its collection that features the King of Rock ’n Roll’s beloved horses. New in the Elvis Presley Collection is Elvis Presley’s Bear, the second model horse in the series. Breyer’s model of this black horse includes Elvis’ signature and Bear’s name printed on the model’s belly. Also new is Elvis and His Horses Musical Treasure Box. The box combines two of Elvis’ favorite things: music and horses. Images of Elvis and his beloved horses are featured on the box. Open the hinged lid and his favorite horse Rising Sun spins to the Elvis melody “G.I. Blues.” The ENCHANTMINTS line expands with new music treasure boxes. New are Curious Kittens and Puppy Love, for keepsakes, small treasures, and more. Open the lid and a twirling kitty or puppy is revealed. Each box includes four drawers, a mirror and inside tray, and a hinged top. Elvis and His Horses Musical Treasure Box
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Designed for two to four players or groups ages 7 and up, RAVENSBURGER’s cooperative Whoowasit? game asks players to find the magical ring that was stolen from the wise king by the evil wizard. Playing against a running clock, players move their pieces through the various rooms on the game board to uncover clues to who stole the precious gem. Along the way, talking animals help players solve the mystery of the stolen item. All players must work together to find the stolen ring, and they win or lose as a group, depending on whether they can master an assigned task. The game helps reinforce memory, tactical, and team-building skills.
If kids keep them close and hold them tight, BEAD BAZAAR’s Lovabelliez just may be their best friend for life. Made with soft velour and shimmery satin, each plush character comes with its own special mini storybook. Dreamy Daja hopes you have sweet dreams; Silly Sam wants you to have fun; Sweet Sofie hopes you will always share with your friends; Happy Harper wants you to come outside and play; Huggable Hannah wants you to know that you are loved; and Loveable Lily hopes that you will reach for the stars.
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Spark creativity without noise or batteries. Squiggle On-The-Go creativity pads, from RANDOMLINE, allow kids to doodle out their imagination. Kids spin the dial and the create the animal landed on from the provided squiggly line. The pads are available in Pets, Barnyard, and Extreme Dinosaur themes.
GRANDCAMP ADVENTURES’ line of storybooks, music, games, and activities are specially created for grandparents and grandkids. The company is releasing a new card game, Shake It Up!, all about the fun and mystery of the secret handshake. Shake It Up! contains 24 cards with real handshake moves and gestures pictured on them. Grandparents, grandkids, and others can play three different ways: combine the handshake pictures to create a unique secret handshake; arrange the reverse side of the cards to create a large floor puzzle, featuring a scene from the company’s Here We Go! storybook; or use the cards to play a memory game. Additionally, players can make up their own games with the cards. Shake It Up! ties directly to the company’s Here We Go! storybook in which a pair of grandparents and three grandkids must demonstrate a secret handshake to get past the palace guard of an English castle. There is also a music CD of the same name. The company is also releasing a treasure hunt and plush animals for the adventure series. Shake it Up!
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HAPE is serving up Healthy Gourmet Pita Pockets to make pretend lunch fun and yummy. The set includes two soft pita pockets, Swiss cheese, and lettuce made of felt, plus tomatoes, cucumbers, onion slices, pepperoni, and green peppers with realistic graphics printed on the wood. The Pita Pockets encourage kids to eat healthy.
Inspired by the Tarsier, a small primate from Southeast Asia, Tandars Interactive Pets from YOHA TECHNOLOGY speak to one another and can detect movements with the infrared sensors located in their eyes. The pets have lifelike expressions, blink their eyes, and move their head, ears, and mouths. If the pets are hungry or low on energy they will let their owner know and feeding is easy—just connect their tail to any USB port. Their mood changes with different interactions, such as if they are picked up or patted on the head. If left alone for a period of time, Tandars can get bored and will start to snore as they sleep. Tandars are available in three different variations and do not require batteries.
CALIFORNIA CREATIONS, the company behind Z WindUps, introduces new products for this year. Wheelies are colorful, four-function racing cars that can drive forward, spin around, pop a wheelie, and drive in the other direction; Z Writers are new pens that transform into pull-back racers; and Side Walkers are three-function Wheelies monkeys with babies playing on their backs. As the Walkers saunter sideways, the baby taps the monkey’s shoulders side-to-side and their heads turn back and forth. These wind-ups, which don’t use batteries or electronics, join new Slider Trevor, who does the splits, and the Dashers Hank the Hippo and Emma the Elephant, which scamper forward while moving their heads, tails, back, and legs. Additionally, the company is debuting Z Games, challenging and fun handheld games with themes such as Baseball, Safari Race, Wild Animals, and Obstacle Course.
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Writing your name backwards may be a little difficult, but try it while wearing vision-altering glasses. Goggle Eyes by GOLIATH GAMES, challenges players to do just that and more—such as drawing and performing songs while wearing the special goggles. The game comes with a pair of oversized glasses, three sets of changeable lenses, a timer, a game board with six movers, colored dice, and 50 cards. Goggle Eyes was originally launched in Denmark and is now being introduced to the rest of the world. Building on the success of Pop the Pig and Mad Mouse, Goliath is introducing Doggie Doo. Players feed the doggie his special food, then roll the die to find out how many times they have to squeeze his leash. Each time the leash is squeezed, the dog makes a gassy sound, and the food is pushed toward the dog’s rear end until it lands. The player whose turn it lands on has to collect the poop and feed the dog again. The largest Domino Express kit ever has been introduced. The Maxi Power Plus combines the action of falling dominoes with even more stunts. It comes with a rocket tower, two straight and two curved speed tracks, a plane launcher, 36 speed dominoes, more than 100 regular dominoes to stack, and a dealer to set up the dominoes.
CHICCO introduces an array of new products for infants. The Fun Travel Nest is a multi-function gym that can be taken on the go. It functions as a play gym, activity mat, and baby nest in one. There are lights, melodies, and sound effects to keep babies entertained, but it can also be used to soothe infants from birth and up. The Fun Travel Safari Car is a two-in-one activity car panel for ages 1 and up. Little ones can play with the remote control to activate lights and animal sounds. Soft lights and soothing melodies help babies fall asleep. Designed to be used in the car and on the go, the soft play pad attaches easily to parents’ headrests. The Chicco Red Bullet Balance Bike, for ages 3 and up, helps children learn how to balance so they can ride a two-wheeled bike. It features an ergonomic seat and handles, an adjustable lightweight frame, and soft tires. The Hello Pups Talking Telephone, for ages 1 and up, features an interactive display that has bright animations. The item is designed to help children learn typical phone call phrases in both English and Spanish. The numbers appear on the display when the colored buttons are pressed. A dog, cat, and rabbit invite children to call them. It also features an easy-to-hold handset so kids can imitate their parents. Chicco Red Bullet Balance Bike
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SKULLDUGGERY, INC. adds four new designs to its line of Krazy Kars Light Up Marble Racers that lets kids build, test drive, and race. The new body styles include Mustang, Camaro, Corvette Stingray, and Ford GT, and are available in translucent blue, red, orange, and yellow plastic. The racers are available in various assortment packages.
It’s been two years since BOIKIDO WOODEN TOYS first launched its ecofriendly product range, and now the company is expanding its line at ASTRA. The Boikido Wooden Activity Table is a table that features exploration and educational elements such as shape sorting, stacking, hammering, a bead coaster, and a zigzag maze. The Activity Table helps kids develop problem solving and fine motor skills while learning their colors and shapes. Little chefs can create their make-believe masterpieces with the Boikido Wooden Kitchenette. The four-sided wooden kitchen is equipped with an oven, a stove with clicking knobs, a refrigerator with a working door, a blackboard to write out the “menu of the day,” and a clock for learning how to tell time. Accessories include a pan with lid, a pot with lid, three vegetable magnets, and a spoon. The Boikido Wooden Workbench gives kids endless opportunities to exercise their imagination. The easy-to-assemble workbench comes with 13 geometric shapes, four wheels, 14 screws, six nails, 12 nuts, four square nuts, one hammer, one screwdriver, and one wrench—everything needed to create DIY projects. Other new products include wooden puzzles, games, and the Boikido Wooden Ride-on Violette, which promotes children’s growth and development by improving balance and stimulating imaginations. Just like the other Boikido eco-friendly products, these new additions are made of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood; are painted with non-toxic, water-based paints; and are packaged with recycled cardboard packaging printed with soybean ink.
Boikido Wooden Workbench
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1-2-3! TEXTURED PRODUCTS’s new Deluxe Textured Craft Kits allow kids to learn through their senses. Each kit features a supply of three different textural materials that kids use to develop their sense of touch and create a unique craft. The kits can be taken on the go with no advance preparation or additional shopping. The line includes 60 different kits.
Kids can put on a play with the INNOVATIVEKIDS’S Soft Shapes Puppet Theater, a two-sided foam stage that floats in water or stands on a table. The puppets slide into the theater base, so they stay upright. The theater comes with two play puppets and a double-sided marquee. Kids can choose from Pretty Kitty, Enchanted Kingdom, Superheroes, or Pirate Adventure themes. Green Start Stacking & Nesting Blocks are now made with earthfriendly, recycled materials. The included 10 sturdy boxes stack, build, and nest and feature illustrations and other content for hours of fun and learning. Each side of the block features different early learning concepts, including letters, shapes, numbers, colors, and baby animals. Green Start Stacking & Nesting Blocks
ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2011 ENTER SMART GEAR’S WONDERWORLD SMART GEAR’s Wonderworld Flexi Butterfly Rattle and Teether features one bright yellow side and one pink side. Grasp and shake the Flexi Butterfly to create sound and movement as the multi-colored rings and beads move around. The Flexi Butterfly helps stimulate fine motor skills and develop hand/eye coordination. The Wonderworld 50 Four Creativity Blocks are designed to stimulate children’s creativity and imagination. Including four specially designed V-shaped blocks, the 54 blocks allow kids to sort, stack, and create buildings with their imagination. Also new are the Wonderworld Wonder Sensory Blocks, aiming to develop the senses. Wonderworld is going back to nature with the Color From Nature Series of toys. The colors are made from natural botanical extracts, such as flowers and leaves. The Wonderworld Rolling Tik Tok has a little stick inside that makes a “tick-tock” sound while rolling along. Also new in the series is the Endless Pounder, which allows kids to pound pegs with the sturdy wooden hammer. Wonderworld Flexi Butterfly Rattle and Teether
Say Anything Family Edition is a game that takes only two minutes to learn and lasts for 20 to 30 minutes. New from NORTH STAR GAMES, the light-hearted family version of the party game gives players the chance to answer questions that have been hotly debated for centuries. For instance, “Which celebrity would make the worst babysitter?” and “What magical power would be the coolest to have?” Players then try to choose which answer the judge will like best. The game is for three to six players.
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ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2011 IT’S A WILD PLANET Premiering soon from WILD PLANET is Spy Gear Ultimate Night Vision. The binoculars use real infrared night vision technology to allow kids to see in pitch-black darkness, up to 50 feet. Speed Slider is an active game of color, number, and math challenges that requires players to think and move quickly. The game is centered around a sturdy half-dome component that features a slick, flat underside; four big, colored buttons around the perimeter; and one button on top. The speaker calls out commands about colors, numbers, math problems, double digits, and sequences. If the halfdome calls out “9 minus 7,” the player kicks button No. 2 . If “dribble” is commanded, a player kicks the left button, then the right button, then the left button again. There are different challenge levels for different players, and the Slider tracks each player’s time and score. Muscle strength, coordination, flexibility, and motor skills are all worked in the company’s new Balance Bender game. The game comes with 10 colored and numbered pods that serve as safe bases—the only places where players are allowed to stand. Players step through a course, picking up the scattered pods in numerical order until the player is left balancing on one foot Spy Gear Ultimate Night Vision on the final base. The game can be played several different ways: solo, in pairs, or in groups. Freeze Ball involves matching colors and numbers and sharpening reflexes. The player in possession of the squishy foam ball (included) yells freeze as the other players running around stop in their tracks. Players plant their feet, and the player with the foam ball throws it at another player. If a player catches the ball, the one who threw it gives the catcher a wristband; if a player is hit by the ball, the one who threw it receives a wristband. Once a player gives up all their bands, they’re eliminated. The game continues until one player obtains all six bands. The game can be modified for indoor playtime or for kids of different ages. Capucine is COROLLE’s latest introduction in its popular Les Cheries line. Measuring 13 inches, Capucine has gorgeous features, long-rooted hair that can be styled, and a chic French ensemble. The doll is targeted to children ages 4 and older.
SPECIALTY TOYS & GIFTS
Premiering this fall from IMAGABILITY is Switchbotz, a line of robotic-styled boys’ construction toys that are built from unique block geometric shapes using graduated rhombus shapes, octahedrons, and multi-angled extension parts. Each Switchbotz character can transform to build multiple characters, giving the product an extended play value. Each product comes with a construction guide that provides stepby-step assembly instructions on how to build all of the characters that are pictured on the retail package. Additionally, a series of downloadable assembly “tips and techniques” PDFs will be available at Switchbotz.com, and video demonstrations are posted on YouTube. The initial line will launch with eight products.
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ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2011 NOTHING WRONG WITH BEING A KLUTZ Each of the art projects in Klutz’s Chalk the Block, written by Michael Sherman, features the classic product as the art tool of choice. The book comes with four big pieces of chalk and many bold ideas for adding temporary humor to sidewalks, curbs, walls, rocks, or bricks. The easyto-execute and simple-to-draw caricatures and more will tickle the funny bones of friends and strangers that pass by. The Klutz Guide to the Galaxy, by Pat Murphy and the Scientists of Klutz Labs, allows kids to explore the universe without leaving the comfort of their backyard. Assemble the included telescope to see the moon’s top attractions. Flick on the red-lens flashlight (specially designed to keep night vision intact) to consult the Tourist Map of the Moon and star charts. Tell time with a star using the book’s built-in sundial, or use the astrolab to figure out your latitude anywhere on Earth. Bend some wire to form a body, wrap it with colorful raffia clothing, and add sparkly yarn hair and you’ve just made a friendship pixie. Friendship Pixies, by Karen Phillips, includes all of these tools and background information on the magical creatures. Each pixie gets a sparkly charm that shows the exact wish she delivers. The fantasy world of Bayala, by SCHLEis expanding with Bayala Wedding accessories. The Elf Pavilion is made of flower stems and is the perfect place for the happy elf couple to have their ceremony. Elves will crowd around the outside of the pavilion for a chance to get a glimpse of the traditional Bayala wedding. After the ceremony and wedding party, the Sunny Blossom tree house is a charming setting Sunny Blossom for the bride and groom to relax in. The pink moveable petals keep the nighttime winds and the early morning sunshine out. Also new in the World of Nature line is the speedy Quad with Driver bike. Farmers can use the bike to survey the fields, checking that all the animals are okay. The bike can also be used for fun—racing around dirt tracks and flying over jumps. ICH,
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Talkatoo products, by ANN WILLIAMS GROUP, are voice-recordable charms created for kids and parents to share messages when they are apart from one another. Easy to use, the charms offer 30 seconds of recordings and have a lockout switch to protect messages. The charms come with a necklace or a clip for backpacks and lunchboxes.
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BEKA’s Modular Doll House is a flexible play space made of natural wood. The house comes with a solid base and four “rooms” that can be arranged and pivoted as desired. While the house may be flexible, it is also stable, made from regional hardwoods. Beka’s Walker is designed for people looking for a solid, all-wood play product. No bells and whistles necessary, the walker is made from natural, hard maple and made in the U.S.
Modular Doll House
In addition to being fun to play, Perfect Stride, by FUNLEAGUE, encourages children to read, do addition and subtraction, and engage in problem solving through logical thinking. The fast-paced, horse-themed card game takes players over a hidden course of jumps as they gallop toward the finish line. As players navigate each challenge, lucky or unlucky events can occur that will either help or hinder their efforts. Players combine their riding skills with their horse’s abilities as they attempt each obstacle and earn ribbons with every cleared jump. At the end of the game, the rider with the most ribbon points wins the game. Perfect Stride is for two to four players, ages 8 and up.
ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2011 WILD CREATIONS FLIPS OUT Featured on ABC’s Shark Tank, Flipoutz, manufactured and distributed by WILD CREATIONS, is a kid-invented interactive fashion accessory, consisting of a bracelet, tradable coins, and an interactive online community. School-aged kids wear their Flipoutz band, which is loaded with colorful themed coins, then trade the coins with friends. Each Flipoutz coin has a unique serial number that kids can register on Flipoutz.com, creating their own Owner Profile Page and a distinctive Coin Profile page. Then they can watch their coins travel the world with each successive trade or “flip.” Wild Creations is also premiering new Dino Dan-licensed science toys. The Dino Dan Field Adventure Kit with Stegopack includes a stego backpack that stows a flashlight, compass, and stickers for an adventure under a bed or in the backyard. The field kit also comes with three dino filters for the included flashlight to ensure a few dino sightings. Kids can pretend to be a real paleontologist and create three dinosaur likenesses with the Dino Mold & Paint kit. All kids need to do is add water to the plastic powder, pour it into the molds, make sure they dry, and then paint them with up to six different colors. Fact cards about dinosaurs are enclosed. Also to release in the Dino Dan line is the Dino Paint Kit, Field Adventure Kit with Vest, Dino Dan Marble Collectibles, Dino Crayon & Sketch Book, Dino Dan play sets, and Dino Dan dinosaurs.
A BEARY BALANCED BELLY helps young children, ages 3 to 6, learn and think about nutrition on a daily basis. With three bear characters to choose from, kids can place the magnetic nutrition cards over the magnetic bear, which can be displayed on a refrigerator or other magnetic surface. Kids are encouraged to eat the variety of foods listed on the cards, and remove the card every time one is devoured. At the end of the day, when all the cards have been removed, parents can give the child an Award Card for eating healthy.
Start your environmentally responsible engines. The GREEN TOYS Flatbed Truck with Race Car is a sturdy blue truck hauling a sleek and red hot rod on its back. Its flatbed tilts up to allow the car to roll off. The My First Green Toys Stacking Cups includes six graduated cups for dozens of possibilities during bath and playtime. Children ages 6 months and older can scoop and pour water, build towers by turning the cups upside down, or sort the sizes to nest. The colorful Stacking Cups teach basic counting and math concepts. Each cup is numbered on the bottom from one to six and is volumetrically accurate—fill cups one and two and it will equal the volume of cup three. Green Toys’ products are made in the U.S. from 100 percent recycled plastic milk containers that save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The products contain no BPA, PVC, phthalates, or external coatings.
Flatbed Truck with Race Car
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ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2011 PEACEABLE KINGDOM IS A REAL HOOT PEACEABLE KINGDOM introduces five new cooperative games that encourage preschoolers to play together. The games are earth-friendly—printed with soy-based inks on FSC paper—and include parts that are made out of recycled plastic. Count Your Chickens! is a spin-and-move counting game. Players work together to help Mother Hen collect her chicks before she gets back to the coop. Hoot Owl Hoot! is a color-coded matching game that can be played at different levels. Players band together to help the owls get safely back to their nest before the sun comes up. A game of simple strategy, Lost Puppies challenges players to uncover the tools to rescue the puppies. In Stone Soup, based on the classic folk tale, players must use their memory to find the hidden ingredients before the soup gets cold. Mermaid Island is a spin-andmove adventure game. Players collaborate to reach Mermaid Island before the Sea Witch gets there and takes it for herself. While memory is best known as a preschool game, USAOPOLY’s Memory Challenge card games have more cards and matches than preschool versions, as well as new game directives and expanded game play. One of five new Memory Challenge games to launch this year, Memory Challenge: Civil War 150th Anniversary Edition is designed for families, adult collectors, and Civil War buffs. Players can assume the role of either a Confederate or Union soldier while uncovering depictions of Civil War figures and battlefields. New directive game cards are themed as military actions and allow more strategic play and interaction. New for fall is Trivial Pursuit: Classic Rock Edition. The trivia game tests players’ knowledge of all things rock ’n roll, including songs and artists, venues, album covers, and legendary personal stories. Yahtzee: Glee Collector’s Edition allows players to Gleek out. Shake up the dice in the custom “slushie” dice cup and watch the characters fly. The dice are character-themed, featuring Rachel, Finn, Kurt, Puck, Quinn, and Mercedes. Play traditional Yahtzee the pirate way. Yahtzee: Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides Collector’s Edition is the only game that allows movie fans and collectors to roll custom skull-and-crossbones dice from a collectible silver chalice dice cup, replicated from the movie.
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Children ages 18 months and up can learn about shapes and colors with the P’KOLINO Shape Sorting Robot. Rotate the gears, line up the shapes, and then slide the blocks through. Blocks drop inside the jetpack back with a funny clunky sound, then slide out the side to keep the play going. The funky shape sorter helps to improve fine motor skills and develop shape and color recognition.
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CREATIVITY FOR KIDS has new kits, perfect for a girls’ sleepover activity. Girls can create their own colorful body art with the company’s Color-In Glitter Tattoos. The tattoo markers can be used again and again to create hundreds of temporary tattoo designs that wash off easily. Each kit, for kids ages 6 and up, includes more than 60 tattoo transfers, four skin-safe tattoo markers (orange, pink, blue, green), four sparkly rhinestone tattoos, an application sponge, cosmetic glitter, and more. The Shrinky Dinks Princess Castle allows girls to create the perfect princess palace with the dozens of included pre-cut Shrinky Dinks. Just color in the characters with Faber-Castell EcoPencils, bake, and watch them shrink... and shrink... and shrink! When done, kids can arrange the pieces around the popup princess castle playscape. The kit also includes rhinestones, glitter glue, character stands, ribbons, yarn, and a sharpener.
Super Sorting Pie
Consisting of five realistic muffins, the Smart Snacks PeekA-Boo Color Muffins, by LEARNING RESOURCES, can help kids learn their colors. Match the colorful muffin cups to the fruit fillings of the same color. Muffin tops pop on and off to help strengthen little fingers, and the rotating stand keeps things organized. The set, for kids ages 2 and up, includes five plastic two-piece muffins and five fruit fillings that store in a rotating stand. The Super Sorting Pie is fat-free and teaches early math skills. Slip the activity cards into the bottom of the pan to focus on sorting, counting, colors, and number recognition. Jumbo tweezers help children practice fine motor skills. The plastic pie stores 60 counters (seven fruits in different colors), three double-sided sorting cards, a removable divided insert, and two jumbo tweezers. The product also includes an activity guide.
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ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2011 PLAN TOYS BUILDS A ROBOT Initially designed for autistic children, PLAN TOYS’ Build-A-Robot has four interchangeable heads. The heads allow children to learn about different emotions, helping children with autism as many of them have trouble expressing emotions. Unlike many gyms, the company’s Activity Baby Gym has a tripod design instead of four legs. The design allows for stability and structure even if the surface or floor is not completely flat. Plan Toys also debuts the Activity Cart with back wheels that feature resistance knobs, assisting kids during the early walking stages. The tighter resistance helps prevent the cart from falling out from under the child. As the child gets older, the knobs can be loosened for a smoother glide. There are different areas on the cart that can engage the child, including knobs that make a sound when turned and a “click-clack” noise when the cart is pushed. Build-A-Robot
DESTINA, INC. is premiering a new, interactive way to teach children about personal finance. Wi$eMoney, The Town of Financial Literacy is a board game for players ages 13 and older that teaches about financing and credit, banking and investing, budgeting and payday, identity protection, financial responsibility, and “real-life situations.” Players compete by answering the finance-related questions, such as “What is a grace period?,” as they learn about money management. Players must successfully answer one question from each of the six categories to win, and those who reach the finish line prove that they are wise about money. Two to 12 players can play the game, and teams can be formed when there are four or more players. The game includes the 20inch playing board, four player pieces, dice, a spinner, a timer, eight sets of cards, and rules. The game is also available in a spin-off classroom version for students.
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A new kind of play-building compound is taking shape with the WABA FUN debut of Bubber. Bubber is a lightweight and easy-touse building material. The cloud-like material floats on water and can be carved into various shapes, leaving clean and sharp lines and imprints. The Bubber Box includes 15 ounces of the product in either white, yellow, red, purple, blue, or green.
SHAINS, LLC, a company that uses recycled and recyclable parts to personalize accessories, introduces the Shains Notebook. The notebook contains 50 sheets of unlined paper and 30, 60, or 100 elements. The spiralbound notebooks are available in black, grass, and “no bully� violet colors. Shains also makes jewelry, pet collars, key chains, and more, which along with the notebooks, can work with all of the interchangeable icons available. .
Mini Camo Marshmallow Popper
The latest shooters from MARSHMALLOW FUN are pocket-friendly, onethird of the size of the regular shooters. The new shooters include the Mini Straight Shooter and the Mini Marshmallow Blower, two mouth-powered weapons that hold one mini marshmallow each; the Mini Bow and Mallow that is used by pulling the string back and holds 15 mini marshmallows; the Mini Menace Keychain, a portable version that shoots one marshmallow at a time; and the Mini Marshmallow Popper and Mini Camo Marshmallow Popper, each activated by pulling the trigger to shoot one mini marshmallow.
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ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2011 INTERNATIONAL PLAYTHINGS IS CHARMING For ages 5 and up, INTERNATIONAL PLAYTHINGS, LLC is releasing new Whirl ’n Wear Charms, to be used with the line’s Spectacular Spinner. The line allows kids to be creative in designing their own jewelry. Just use the spinner to string the charms, spin it, and style it. The Flower Assortment of charms includes three different sets, Totally Tulips, Radiant Roses, and Beautiful Bouquets, and allows children to create new double-strand key chains. Each set includes eight large charms, 26 small charms, three flower-shaped end fasteners, two key chain attachments, and six feet of clear elastic string. The Locket Assortment also includes three sets: Super Stars, Cool Crowns, and Happy Hearts. Each set includes three locket charms, four large charms, 14 small charms, three end fasteners, eight decorated locket inserts, two key chain attachments, and six feet of clear elastic string. Kids can decorate their lockets with the included graphic cut-outs or personalize their lockets with their own pictures. Also new is Cheerful Charms. The set allows children to create unique key chains, necklaces, anklets, bracelets, and more. Cheerful Charms includes 20 large charms, 24 small charms, six end fasteners, three key chain attachments, and more than nine feet of clear elastic string. Cheerful Charms
EzyRoller combines the control of a bike and the fun of a scooter. The ride moves like a snake, without chains or pedals, by using right-left leg movements. Thanks to EZYROLLER, LLC’s patented design, it moves and turns silently. The product is available in assorted colors and does not need batteries.
Earlier this year, CEACO nabbed the Lalaloopsy license, and the company is set to premiere the licensed puzzles this summer. The CeacoKids line of Lalaloopsy puzzles includes three 60-piece Glitter Puzzles and three 24-piece Fuzzy Puzzles. The Fuzzy Puzzles are made out of felt with a rubber back so little hands can easily grab the pieces. The new puzzles feature MGA Entertainment’s popular Lalaloopsy characters.
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A versatile ride with an attractive design, ASA PRODUCTS’s Mobo Mini 3-Wheeled Cruiser keeps kids active and having fun. The cruiser’s steering system can help key hand/eye coordination and muscle strength development.
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Want to Reach Millions of Consumers During the Holiday Season?
• Holiday Gift Guide in the November
issue of Womanʼs Day magazine, read by 20 Million* Consumers (*MRI Fall 2010).
• Extensive Online Presence
a comprehensive companion website, thetoyinsider.com, features links to participating advertisersʼ and retailersʼ websites.
• Participation in National
Sweepstakes and Guerilla Marketing
Programs to showcase participantʼs products.
• Extensive Media Coverage across
TV, Print, Radio and Online News Sources.
To participate in the 6th Annual The Toy Insider™ contact: Jonathan Samet — 212.575.4510 x 2321, jsamet@adventurepub.com Laurie Schacht — 212.575.4510 x 2320, Laurieschacht@aol.com www.thetoyinsider.com
Digital Trends Raise the Stakes for Local Search
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by Mark Smith, principal and co-founder, KeywordFirst ne of the main complaints that I hear about search engine optimization (SEO), from retail business owners, is that it’s tough to obtain a ranking above the “big guys” on Google. When I inquire about what they have been doing to optimize locally, I usually receive a blank stare. As the conversation continues, and the subject turns toward how to take advantage of the emerging mobile trend, I find that most owners haven’t thought about that opportunity, either. All their attention has been focused on bringing people into their storefront and/or onto their website, while trying to differentiate themselves from their competitors. So what can the average toy store owner do? First, I think that it’s good to know about what’s going on in the search space, because it changes all the time. Secondly, being aware of current trends actually gives you the leverage needed, so that it is possible to compete with the big guys. As a brick-and-mortar business, you already know the value of obtaining good positions in Google’s local search listings, and hopefully, you’ve done your homework on how to best influence those rankings (more on some concrete tactics later). This year, local search has increased in importance, due to two hot digital trends. Specifically, the explosion of social media and the use of smartphones have given local search greater weight. Understanding these trends and how to use them to your advantage will help you stay in front of the curve and drive customers to your business. You can give credit, or blame, to Apple for forcing you into creating a mobile strategy. For years, we’ve heard that mobile would be the next big thing in online marketing, but it took the iPhone (and Android-based clones) to deliver a device with the innovations to make it a reality. Now
The Mobile Market Finally Takes Hold
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your customers have a large, user-friendly screen along with an easier way to type, and they are using their phones to help them shop. According to some industry analysts, by 2013, more people will access the Internet via phones than with their PCs—it’s just common sense. The likelihood of someone searching on a mobile phone, looking to find a local business, is much greater than someone sitting on their couch with a laptop. As more customers flock to these devices, you’ll need to know how to reach and connect with them—and direct them to your door. As social media grows and evolves, you can be sure Google and other engines are placing an even greater emphasis on the content that these sites contain. One thing Google has always strived for is an evaluation of the relevance of a site’s content and using that relevancy as a means to rank one site versus another. The more reviews, posts, and tweets that a site has, the better chance that it will rank higher than its competitors.
Being Social
Let’s take a quick look at the basics to make sure your site is optimized for a local search. The important thing to note is that engines use a different algorithm for local than they do for the main search results. The key to being listed favorably is in knowing what information search engines consider relevant. Here’s a brief listing of suggestions that will help improve your local SEO results: 1) In addition to providing your business listing on Google and Bing, be sure that you’re submitting to other major providers such as Localeze, infoUSA, and the online yellow page services. Once you’ve submitted your company and categorized yourself properly, confirm that
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your contact information on your website is in a format that these search engines recognize and prefer. An SEO expert should be able to help you with this, but using certain formats (like QR Code) will make your business name, address, and phone number very visible to Google, Bing, and other engines. 2) When you make these submissions, it is very important to be consistent with the usage of your name, phone number, and address. If the data is not entered consistently, the search engines will think that you’re different companies. 3) You should also make certain that your business name, city, and state are found in the title tag of your Contact Us or Location Page. While this sounds like a no-brainer, you’d be surprised at how many companies are missing this information. 4) Increase your social media “signals.” Create a company Facebook fan page and then promote it. Encourage customers to post reviews on your site, or on sites such as Google’s business reviews and Yelp. Don’t worry about receiving a negative review now and then—this won’t hurt your rankings and it will give credibility to the reviews. Be sure to tweet about specials, promotions, or awards that you’ve received, or even share customer testimonials. The search engine algorithms will find this
content and use it as a “signal” to help determine the relevancy of your business relative to a search query. Remember that once you commit to a social media plan, it means that you need to manage it. If people are going to post positive (or negative) reviews on your Facebook page, someone needs to monitor this process. Interacting with your customers online is not only good customer service, but it keeps the content and the signals growing. In the long run, it will help your local search. Don’t forget about paid search, it’s still an effective tool. As you build or rebuild your local presence, you can always throw some of your marketing dollars toward paid search, focusing on just mobile users, if you choose. This can be a great way to address those searches where you don’t come up yet, or where you want to dominate the page. You have the ability to target by device (iPhone, iPad, and Android), which will further allow you to be “smart” about reaching your customers.
Next Steps
Think twice about building an app. While it’s tempting, consider the relatively high costs involved and the relatively low chance that your customers will find and use it. Think about the apps that you, your family, and your friends use. I’d bet that many are games, or some sort of entertainment; “Look, my phone is also a flashlight!” Use your time and resources, instead, to develop a meaningful relationship and valuable content that will help your business thrive while riding on this new wave of interest in local search. ●
Be Cautious
Mark Smith is a principal and co-founder of KeywordFirst, a digital marketing firm. In addition to serving many retail clients, Smith is a former marketing executive with W.W. Grainger and was instrumental in creating its first Search Engine Marketing group. Contact Mark at Mark@Keywordfirst.com or visit www.Keywordfirst.com.
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Getting the Most out of Third-Party Toy Testing
by Ashlee Breitner, senior project manager, NSF International’s Consumer Product Safety Program
oy recalls due to hazardous levels of lead and cadmium in recent years have prompted Washington to take a stronger stance on regulating the toy industry, including setting lead and substrate levels in toys and clearly defining what is considered a children’s toy. Most recently, regulators have considered requiring third-party testing for all toys—a decision that has sparked discussion and debate amongst the toy industry. The challenge, especially for small-to-mid-sized manufacturers, is balancing the costs of third-party testing with the long-term benefits of reducing exposure to risks and protecting the brand’s image. This balance can be achieved by striking the right partnership with a third-party testing organization that not only understands the business of small to mid-sized toy manufacturers, but also provides the guidance that will help them understand the changing regulatory landscape. Some of the factors to consider before choosing a testing lab are:
Accreditation by the Consumer Product Safety Commission
One might argue that the most important factor to consider before choosing a toy-testing facility is whether or not the lab is accredited by the Consumer Safety Product Commission (CPSC). These testing facilities are the only labs that can provide toy-testing services that are recognized by the CPSC as compliant with current toy safety laws. Accredited labs have gone through a rigorous testing process and have been audited in regard to their toy testing procedures and employee training to ensure that the lab is “walking the talk” and is compliant with industry standards. Such facilities have ISO 17025 accreditation, which means that the lab has been audited, its employees have been trained properly, and its testing equipment is correctly calibrated. Such facilities can conduct tests for lead in surface coatings compliance, as well as small parts testing, and a variety of other CPSC-accredited procedures.
Knowledge of the Regulatory Environment
It is important to choose a lab that understands the nuances of the latest toy safety legislation to help reduce costs during the toy testing process. For example, in 2010, the CPSC issued guidance on component-part testing. This requires that certain components of toys comply with the chemical requirements set by the legislation and, once approved, that the material type is safe for use throughout a product line. To better put this in context, if a manufacturer produces four different toys that contain the same component material, such as a type of paint or plastic, that material only needs to be tested once and the test results can be applied to all four toys. This not only reduces the
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time needed to test materials, but it also provides a more cost-effective solution for small and medium-sized manufacturers. The testing lab should also actively monitor pending legislation in order to best prepare manufacturers for regulations on the horizon. For example, by mid-2011 new guidelines for a reasonable testing program, including the necessary frequency of product retesting and proof of compliance required, are expected to be introduced by the CPSC.
Expertise in the Spectrum of Testing Requirements
Because the testing process can be challenging for manufacturers, finding a lab that thoroughly explains the testing regulations, requirements, and procedures is key. A good lab will guide its clients through the entire testing process. Toy safety experts should ask the manufacturer questions such as in what countries the product will be sold and if the company is selling to specific retailers. Different countries and retailers may have different testing requirements than simply what is mandated by U.S. regulations. For example, products sold internationally to Europe need to meet a different set of safety standard requirements than toys only being sold in the U.S. Working with a lab that seeks to understand your entire business may uncover hidden risks to a manufacturer. The information surrounding toy safety and testing requirements may seem overwhelming at times, as regulations and requirements are constantly changing, but it doesn’t have to be. Working with a third-party lab should be viewed as a partnership; the lab is there to act as counselor and educator, and the client must comply with regulations explained by the lab. After all, in the end, companies and third-party labs have the same goal: to ensure that any toy a child touches is a safe one. ●
Ashlee Breitner is senior project manager for the toy testing division of NSF International’s Consumer Product Safety Program. Her technical expertise in toy safety and testing includes in-depth knowledge of international and U.S. toy testing protocols and regulatory requirements. Breitner helped lead the development of the NSSEA/NSF Standard 380, a comprehensive standard to certify health, safety, and environmental aspects of products and equipment used in an educational setting. She also serves as the leading technical expert on international and U.S. toy regulations, including the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008.
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MEDIA CENTER Star Rock for Kids!
Very Well-Traveled Dogs
Star Search winner Lisa Damiani is debuting Star Rock for Kids!, a CD series that showcases young performers and new voices, thanks to a new deal between STAR ROCK, LLC and ENTERTAINMENT ONE DISTRIBUTION. The sing-along CD has 18 well-known, chart-topping hits that span five decades, all sung by kids. From Frank Sinatra to Rihanna, the mix can appeal to all aspiring singers and music lovers. Each CD also invites youngsters, ages 6 to 17, to send in a two-minute demo for an opportunity to be featured in the next Star Rock For Kids! title. New titles are slated to be released every four months.
With the help of sibling Chihuahuas Bella and Harry, kids can travel to two of the world’s most iconic cities, Venice and Paris, with the book series written by Lisa Manzione and illustrated by Kristine Lucco. The second title in the series Let’s Visit Venice!, published by TRIMARK PRESS, has the doggie duo take a tour of the “city of water.” The siblings’ adventures started in Let’s Visit Paris!, which included famous icons of the city and a more general glimpse of French culture and cuisine. Manzione is an advocate of geography education and started the series as a way to expose kids to the world while also exploring a specific historical, cultural, and foreign city.
Serving Laughs with Lunch
Math Combined with Moves
It’s easy for parents to ensure a laugh will accompany their child’s meal at lunch thanks to a new book by comedy writer Dan Signer and illustrator Robert Shadbolt. Lunch Lines, published by CHRONICLE BOOKS, is filled with tear-out jokes that parents can slip into a child’s lunch bag even after a hectic morning rush. Jokes featured in the book include: “What doll likes to grill meat?” (Barbie-que) and “Where do fish buy their groceries?” (At the grouper-market). Signer has written for numerous television shows, including Disney Channel’s The Suite Life on Deck.
The Exploracise Gymathtics DVD is leading the fight against two big issues facing children today: obesity and a lack of math skills. Created by EXPLORAMANIA’S Carrie Scheiner, the DVD is a just-under-30-minutes workout routine for kids’ bodies and minds. The workout is geared to all ages, while the math facts on screen are targeted to kids ages 6 to 9. Adults can show their support by printing out The Learning Movement Pledge Certificate. Through the Buy One, Share One, Give One program, the purchase of just one DVD can change up to three lives. In addition to having a DVD in their home, parents receive a second DVD to share with a friend. Exploracise also donates an additional DVD to a child at risk.
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Marketing
Memo
The Best Licenses Are Toyetic! by Nancy Zwiers
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uring Licensing Show, toy industry professionals are on the hunt for licenses that will move their businesses forward. But successful entertainment does not always translate into a successful toy license. There are many shows airing on multiple children’s channels, but at retail there are only a handful of entertainment licenses on the shelf. The same goes for movies. Some movies are franchises with sequel upon sequel, but they don’t translate into huge toy sales. Entertainment is either “toyetic,” meaning it taps into natural play patterns, or not. After about age 3, entertainment franchises tend to skew to either males or females depending on the type of play patterns it spurs. The movie or TV series might boast cross-gender appeal, but franchises tend to be gender-specific. Some skew toward boys because of characters and themes related to power, and some skew toward girls because of fashion and beauty. Superhero movies tend to be toy drivers because they embody good versus evil and lend themselves to action play—Spider-Man, Batman, Iron Man, etc. Boys’ favorite fantasy is becoming a superhero, and these entertainment properties deliver, some better than others. Dr. Renee Weber, of The Marketing Store, spoke at the recent PlayCon industry conference in Phoenix, pointing out why Batman was more toyetic than Superman. Batman has vehicles, lots of gadgets, colorful villains, and a Bat Cave (!), argued Weber. Superman, however, has super powers that are not easy to replicate in toys. Vehicle-based property Cars, from Disney•Pixar, is one example of a boy-targeted toyetic property, boasting a variety of vehicles and racing in interesting locales. Star Wars is another powerful vehicle-centric property with plenty of “good versus evil” thrown in. Girls, on the other hand, respond to characters they find pretty and glamorous. Disney’s recent Tangled spawned Rapunzel dolls with super long hair. The movie may have had cross-gender appeal, but undoubtedly Disney didn’t plan for boys’ toys even as they courted the gender at theaters. Another toyetic girls’ property is Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana, a perfect storm for girls: Hannah was a highly inspi-
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rational figure in the glamorous world of pop stardom—and she had an incredible wig! Boys enjoy watching Hannah Montana on TV, but don’t buy the products. Although a license that spawns a meaningful toy business is a key factor for success, many entertainment developers are so busy trying to court dual-gender audiences that they typically do not try to maximize a property’s toyetic appeal—shooting themselves in the foot unwittingly. They forget that kids respond to hyper-versions of male and female characters. If you have a lead female character that is not pretty, tread carefully. Several anthropomorphic, animal-based girls’ properties fall into this category. They are not pretty enough to be inspirational to most girls, regardless of whether they have inspirational traits. With animals, a safer bet is the nurturing route. The Lion King was one of Disney’s biggest theatrical liCars 2
censes, and even though Simba was king of the Serengeti, his character as a baby spawned huge amounts of nurturing plush. Occasionally, exceptions to the rule appear and can sometimes be the biggest hits of all. SpongeBob SquarePants is on an amazing run as a top-licensed property. It taps into kids’ silly bone and doesn’t have the traditional inspirational characters and themes. Its appeal as a property crosses genders and spans a very wide age range. Examples like SpongeBob remind us that choosing licenses is not a pure science. Appealing to kids is still an art. ■
Nancy Zwiers is CEO of Funosophy, Inc., a leading consulting and girls’ brand invention firm. For more information on company services and/or Funosophy’s collaborative invention services, call (562) 436-5251 or email nancy@funosophy.com.
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Licensing Show 2011 Universal Partnerships & Licensing
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niversal Partnerships & Licensing (UP&L) offers a portfolio of entertainment properties available for licensing, retail, and promotional partnerships. Leading the lineup is 2013’s Despicable Me 2 from Chris Meledandri’s Illumination Entertainment. In addition, opportunities with several 2012 tentpole films are available, including Snow White and the Huntsman (June 1, 2012), a new vision of the legendary tale from Joe Roth, producer of Alice in Wonderland, that stars Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth, and Sam Claflin. On the promotions side, Universal will focus on several key titles, including Illumination Entertainment’s Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax (March 2, 2012), an adaptation of the classic tale of a forest creature who shares the enduring power of hope, with the voice talents of Danny DeVito, Zac Efron, and Taylor Swift; and the first film in development through Universal’s Hasbro partnership, Battleship (May 18, 2012), an epic actionadventure that unfolds across the seas, in the skies, and over land as humans fight for survival against a superior force. UP&L will also continue to offer partnership opportunities around its evergreen properties including Curious George, Scarface, The Big Lebowski, and Woody Woodpecker.
Sesame Workshop
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n January, Hasbro was appointed global master toy licensee for the Sesame Street brand. With Hasbro, Sesame Workshop is taking a new approach to developing the toy brand. The company is expanding its offering of characters to showcase the ensemble cast. Consumers will also see a year-round Once Upon a Monster business with products that are even more interactive and educational. With Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Sesame Workshop has introduced Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster, a heartwarming, humorous, and activity-inspiring video game developed by Double Fine Productions, available this fall. Players join Cookie Monster, Elmo, and other Sesame Street characters as they explore a living storybook titled Once Upon a Monster. In the book, they make new monster friends and share their adventures, solving problems, forging friendships, and learning key life skills along the way. Sesame Workshop has also introduced new apps featuring the beloved furry friends, encouraging children to explore the alphabet and numbers, and to read books on an array of digital devices. Internationally, Sesame’s business is thriving in Australia and China, and has had renewed success in Canada and the UK. Watch for promotions around the brand’s 40th anniversary in Germany and 35th anniversary in the Netherlands.
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Licensing Show 2011 The Joester Loria Group
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he Joester Loria Group represents a number of properties, including kids’ properties Pinkalicious and Baby Genius. The Pinkalicious consumer products program continues to expand, bolstered by growing Pinkalicious book sales, now totaling 7.7 million copies in the series to date. Pinkalicious has come off the pages and into the lives of millions of Pinkerellas ages 3 to 6 with dress-up, dolls, apparel, bikes, games, puzzles, and more, available in more than 2,000 stores nationwide. New products include paper party goods, fashion accessories, bedding, and room décor from Franco Manufacturing, and interactive games from Game Mill. Baby Genius has announced a global master toy partnership with Jakks Pacific’s Tollytots division to develop and market preschool music-based electronic and classic toys. The line, slated to launch in fall 2012, will be introduced at Dallas Fall Toy Preview. Other new licensed products include mobile apps and e-books. Pinkalicious
Warner Bros. Consumer Products
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ith more than 3,700 active licensees, Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP) continues to offer a rich portfolio of entertainment properties. Leading the lineup is feature film The Dark Knight Rises, slated for a summer 2012 release. WBCP, DC Entertainment, and Nick Grace of Water Lane Productions, Ltd. are teaming up to bring the world of Batman to life in a live stage show for audiences of all ages. Batman Live will tour arenas around the world. The roster is also highlighted by Green Lantern, lighting up theaters on June 17 and supported by master toy licensee Mattel. The new Green Lantern: The Animated Series, which will be part of Cartoon Network’s new multiplatform, branded block of original programming and exclusive content, “DC Nation,” featuring DC Comics’s library of legendary character properties, will debut in 2012. WBCP’s all-star DC lineup also includes Superman in an upcoming feature film and Batman in a new animated series, along with Wonder Woman, The Flash, and many other DC superheroes. WBCP also represents DC Entertainment’s licensed publishing business. Looney Tunes continues as a cornerstone of the WBCP portfolio, with multiplatform worldwide support and numerous initiatives for the characters, including the all-new animated series, The Looney Tunes Show, on Cartoon Network. Also set to air on Cartoon Network this year is the all-new animated television series, ThunderCats, a 21st century re-imagining of the 1980s action classic, with global master toy licensee Bandai America Incorporated. Scooby-Doo and Hanna-Barbera continue to remain core properties, and Harry Potter continues to be a perennial franchise with the finale, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, in theaters July 15, along with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort, and WBCP’s partnership with Global Experience Specialists, Inc., which brings fans the experiential “Harry Potter: The Exhibition.” Green Lantern: The Animated Series
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Licensing Show 2011 CBS Consumer Products
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BS Consumer Products continues to translate its diverse portfolio of film and television properties into new, interactive platforms and integrated product programs. CBS Consumer Products will celebrate the 60th anniversary of I Love Lucy under its Television City banner this year, as well as milestone anniversaries for Cheers and Mighty Mouse in 2012. Star Trek expands its interactive gaming platforms with last year’s launch of the Star Trek MMO, IGT’s new online casino slots, and an upcoming free-to-play browser game from Gameforge, all leading up to the J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek sequel, which will hit theaters in summer 2012. CBS Consumer Products is warping into 2011 with a new slate of Star Trek products hitting retail during the next year. PPW Toys will introduce the first Mr. Potato Head toy line based on the most popular characters from The Original Series and The Next Generation. Titan Merchandise will create busts based on characters from all eras of Star Trek’s existence. Bandai will offer deck-building games based on The Original Series and The Next Generation. USAopoly will warp the classic Monopoly board game series into the Star Trek universe with Klingon Monopoly. Pez Candy will release a Pez collector’s set in 2012 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Next Generation in the U.S.
Sony Pictures Consumer Products
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he Smurfs make their first 3-D trip to the big screen in Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Animation’s hybrid live-action and animated family comedy, The Smurfs, due out July 29. When the evil wizard Gargamel chases the Smurfs out of their village, they’re forced through a portal, out of their world and into ours, landing in the middle of New York’s Central Park. The 3-D, CG-animated family comedy Arthur Christmas, an Aardman production for Sony Pictures Animation, at last reveals the answer to every child’s question: “How does Santa deliver all those presents in one night?” The answer: Santa’s exhilarating, ultra-high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole. The film is due out November 23. The Pirates! A Band of Misfits The Pirates! A Band of Misfits, due out March 30, 2012, tells the story of the luxuriantly bearded Pirate Captain—a boundlessly enthusiastic, if somewhat less-than-successful, terror of the High Seas, voiced by Hugh Grant. He is seemingly blind to the impossible odds stacked against him, and has only one dream: to win the coveted Pirate of the Year Award. With his ragtag crew in tow, he’ll go on a quest from the exotic shores of Blood Island to the foggy streets of pirate-hating Victorian London. In Hotel T, due out September 21, 2012, viewers learn that Dracula is not only the prince of darkness; he’s also the owner of Hotel Transylvania, a luxurious resort where the world’s monsters—Frankenstein and his bride, the Mummy, werewolves, zombies, and more—can get away from it all and just “be themselves” in a safe, human-free environment. There’s one more twist: Dracula is an overprotective father, and he does his best to keep humans away from his teenage daughter, Mavis.
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Licensing Show 2011 Hasbro
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he Global Brand Licensing and Publishing division of Hasbro will arrive at the International Licensing Expo this year with its expansive brand portfolio from Transformers to My Little Pony and Nerf showcasing lifestyle licensing merchandise for kids, adults, and families. The lineup will span categories including apparel, home, food, and publishing. Additionally, the company will spotlight ongoing momentum in the entertainment sector from film to television and digital gaming.
Cut the Rope
The Wildflower Group
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he Wildflower Group will “feed” fans’ hunger for Cut the Rope, the physics-based game published by Chillingo and developed by ZeptoLab. Wildflower is currently in discussions with potential licensees for games and puzzles, back-to-school, publishing, accessories, and more. Commonwealth Toy & Novelty Co. is already on board, producing soft/plush toys, PVC toys, activity sets, room décor, and balls. The Girls Scouts of the USA will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2012. The organization is looking to increase awareness of its mission to build girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. The expanded licensing program will include bags and backpacks, toys and games, electronics, stationery and school supplies, room décor, and new media. Also launching is a collection of five 18-inch Girl Scouts dolls from Charisma, under its Adora brand, and Girl Scouts craft sets from Colorbök, including mini crafts, beads, and scrapbooking kits. The Wildflower Group has also announced several new licensees for Pillow Pets, including a Nintendo DS video game from Game Mill Entertainment. Beanbags, clip-ons, and plush throws from Commonwealth Toy & Novelty Co. recently made their debut. A second wave of Pillow Pets products from Commonwealth, including plastic figures, key chains, and soft toys, will arrive at retail this fall. The Wildflower Group is currently in discussions with potential Pillow Pets partners in additional categories.
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FremantleMedia Enterprises
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ree Fu Tom, from FremantleMedia Enterprises, follows the adventures of a boy with magical powers as he takes viewers to an enchanted world in a tree and encourages them to help him cast magic spells with gentle, fun physical movements. With animation by Blue Zoo Animation, Tree Fu Tom is a co-production between CBeebies’ In-House Production and FremantleMedia Enterprises. It will air on CBeebies in early 2012. Tree Fu Tom was created and is being produced by Daniel Bays. The Monsuno animated TV series is an epic boys’ action-adventure where kids are imbued with the power to command and battle creatures with amazing destructive potential. Targeted to boys 611, the TV series will be supported by a demonstrable, innovative, feature-driven Jakks Pacific toy line of action figures, gadgets, collectibles, and integrated role play.
Tree Fu Tom
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Licensing Show 2011 Spin Master
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uilding on last year’s strategic partnership announcement with Spin Master, Ltd., Cartoon Network Enterprises (CNE) highlights the toy maker’s portfolio of brands, led by the new Redakai trading card game and last year’s collectible toy for girls, Zoobles. Spin Master’s innovative 3-D trading card game, Redakai, was unveiled at Toy Fair in February. With the game’s recent launch and the animated series set to launch on Cartoon Network later this year, CNE is meeting with partners to discuss the strategy and timing behind the consumer product rollout of Spin Master’s newest brand. Additionally, CNE will announce partners for apparel and back-to-school. Spin Master’s breakaway collectible hit for girls for holiday 2010, Zoobles is being featured at this year’s Licensing Show, with CNE actively meeting with partners to extend that brand into a range of consumer products categories. CNE is also the licensing agent for other Spin Master brands, including Air Hogs, Bakugan, and Tech Deck.
Marvel Entertainment
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arvel Entertainment continues to assemble a major worldwide licensing and merchandising campaign to support Paramount Pictures and Marvel Studios’s upcoming theatrical slate, led by the blockbuster release of Thor on May 6 and the upcoming release of The First Avenger: Captain America on July 22. In doing so, Marvel is paving the way for the multi-character movie event Marvel’s The Avengers on May 4, 2012, which will feature Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye. Marvel is positioning “Avengers Assemble” as an umbrella theme that will provide licensees and retailers the opportunity to develop integrated, long-term consumer products programs based on the individual films and the overall story arc. The portfolio-wide approach will enable partners to build standout programs with unique merchandise, retail, and product promotions that can have a continuous presence in the marketplace through 2012 and beyond. Partners for the franchise include master toy licensee Hasbro, Hallmark for social expressions, Franklin for sporting goods, and Maisto for die-cast toy vehicles, among others. Marvel is looking to assemble a roster of top-tier licensees across all core categories to build comprehensive licensing and merchandising programs, as well innovative retail and co-branded programs, surrounding its upcoming feature film releases. Marvel is building a comprehensive licensing and merchandising program to support its slate of TV animation as a vehicle to drive awareness for key brands outside of the film window. Leading the way is The Super Hero Squad Show, an engaging introduction into the Marvel Universe featuring a look at the greatest superheroes, including Iron Man, Hulk, Wolverine, Thor, the Fantastic Four, and Captain America. Gazillion Entertainment has developed a massive multiplayer online (MMO) game based on the Super Hero Squad franchise, which is scheduled to launch shortly.
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Mattel Brands
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attel strives to deliver a branded experience, which includes licensing and providing consumers with products that further the play experience. Titan Magazines is now the publisher of Barbie Magazine. The allnew magazine includes stories, puzzles, posters, do-it-yourself crafts, and free stickers in every issue. Blip Toys is introducing Barbie and Hot Wheels Squinkies. Barbie and Rawlings have teamed up this season to bring real, stylish tee-ball bats to the field. Building on the success of its book series, Monster High explores new publishing formats with its first editorial journal from Little, Brown Book for Young Readers, due out this fall. Throughout the journal, the freaky fab students of Monster High reveal their secrets and prompt girls to capture their creative inspiration while offering beauty tips, inspirations, fashion tips, and DIY projects. Amscan expands its partnership with Mattel to offer Monster Highbranded party goods, available this fall. Franco Manufacturing’s Monster High room décor collection will launch this fall. The line will include decorative pillows, slumber bags, throws, and bath products.
Saban Brands
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ega Brands, Inc., has entered into a multi-year global licensing agreement, excluding Asia, with Saban Brands to develop construction toys based on the all-new kids’ action series Power Rangers Samurai. The Mega Bloks Power Rangers Samurai construction toy sets will match the action-packed style of the new series airing on Nickelodeon. Launching next spring, the Mega Bloks Power Rangers Samurai construction toy line will include popular characters, vehicles, and play sets. Fans can now bring Samurai Power to their iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch with the all-new interactive adventure game Power Rangers Samurai Smash, now available on Apple’s iTunes. With 15 unlockable levels of adventure, players will get their chance to defeat evil bosses from the Netherworld and save the planet from evil Master Xandred and his army of dangerous Nighloks. Gamers will be able to play as five unlockable Rangers, each with their own special powers, and master each of the Rangers’ ancient Samurai symbols before their skills are put to the test in combat. Saban has also introduced Power Rangers emPOWER, inspiring kids to get fit and healthy. Power Rangers emPOWER provides families with the tools they need to work together to grow healthy kids and support healthy communities. Resources for families available online include tips from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a non-profit organization founded by the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity. Young fans of the Power Rangers can learn fun ways to get fit with “Train Like A Ranger” videos, recipes, downloadable coloring sheets with fun nutritional facts, blogs, the chance to be featured as “Ranger Of The Week,” and more.
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Licensing Show 2011 Sqwishland
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n June 24, 2.2 million soft ’n squishy collectibles will be loaded onto a ship bound for the U.S., marking the 100 million milestone for Sqwishland. There have been 600,000 monthly users on Sqwishland.com since August. Now, Sqwishland is expanding its presence via licensing, making unique online codes available for licensed products to give licensees access to the franchise. Licensing for the brand is being handled by Tamra Knepfer, president of TK Brand Group. Sqwishland originally launched in vending machines, expanding to more than 600,000 machines across the country, and has since transitioned into retail across specialty stores, as well as drug and grocery accounts. With the inclusion of a unique online code for free game play on Sqwishland.com inside every toy capsule, Sqwishland draws kids to the web and onto mobile devices. Sqwishland.com is a virtual world for kids themed around the characters portrayed in the toys. Sqwishland’s mobile strategy centers around SqwishConnect, a mobile app that lets kids connect with their Sqwishland account, locate products in stores, and check in when they get there to earn points and badges which transfer to their online account. This, along with the porting of many of the games to mobile platforms, provides kids with an additional level of engagement with the brand.
Hit Entertainment
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it Entertainment’s properties connect with fans on TV and online, as well as through live events and attractions, publishing, digital media, and consumer products. In 2011, Thomas & Friends will explore rivalries and friendships in the CG-animated featurelength movie, Day of the Diesels, set for release on DVD (U.S.—Lionsgate Home Entertainment) this fall. Thomas & Friends licensees, including Fisher-Price, Random House, Egmont, Mega Bloks, and Learning Curve, will create more than 75 tie-in products, including books, games, engines, play sets, apparel, bedding, and accessories. Day of the Diesels-related mobile and tablet applications, as well as e-books launching from Random House, will also be available. For Angelina Ballerina, Angelina Ballerina: The Shining Star Trophy debuts in August. New Thomas games and puzzles are launching from I Can Do That! Games. In the UK, Hit Entertainment and Mattel have partnered with retailer John Lewis for the launch of a new Angelina Ballerina toy line. Master toy licensee Character Options has launched a new range of toys for Hit’s Fireman Sam property internationally. The Fireman Sam TV series is now in CG animation and is being carried by 23 broadcasters around the world with new episodes slated for delivery next spring. Chapman Entertainment’s Roary the Racing Car revs up with new toys, episodes, and DVDs this year. Following a U.S. broadcast launch on preschool television channel Sprout, the new Roary line, featuring toys from Bandai America and K’nex, is exclusively available at Toys “R” Us. Hit Entertainment is now launching the first Roary home entertainment release in the U.S. with Lionsgate Home Entertainment. Aardman Animations’ first preschool series, Timmy Time, airs on Disney Junior. Hit Entertainment is working with Jakks Pacific to introduce plush, novelty items, and DVDs based on the new TV show. With diverse animal characters, Timmy and his friends learn life lessons that every preschooler needs to know.
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Licensing Show 2011 Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.
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ikorsky Aircraft Corp. will expand its licensing program by offering an array of new helicopter trademarks and artwork. Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp., is the manufacturer and designer of the world’s most advanced helicopters for commercial and military use. The most notable addition to the program is the S-97 Raider, a helicopter design based on the X2 technology demonstrator that recently surpassed the current helicopter speed record. Sikorsky also will license original artwork that illustrates its role in the history of rotary flight. The photo collection includes images of Igor Sikorsky, outfitted in his legendary fedora and overcoat, while at the controls of an early helicopter. New images of the Black Hawk helicopter in some of its most heroic rescue operations are also represented in the collection. LA Communications is the exclusive consumer licensing agency for Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation and will consider a multitude of manufacturing categories, including giftware, publishing, toys, and video games. Sikorsky retains rights Black Hawk Sunset to market its trademarks as well.
The Jim Henson Company
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he Jim Henson Company is looking to expand its current roster of licensees for its portfolio of brands. Re-launched in the Henson family brands library is the children’s series Pajanimals. The series is currently in production as a new half-hour series for the Sprout network to air this October. Based on the Pajanimals original musical interstitials, the series focuses on the four characters as they venture out on amazing journeys of discovery only to return to a calm bedtime each evening. A global licensing program for Pajanimals will continue to be developed with an aim to launch new merchandise in Q3 2012. The lineup will include toys, publishing, and bedding. New DVD titles, music, and Pajanimals digital applications are also in development. The Possibility Shop, a web series designed to inspire kids’ imaginations, is entering its third season on Disney.com. The Jim Henson Company is looking to develop a publishing program and a craft kit program around the brand. Sid the Science Kid is an educational television series that debuted on PBS Kids in 2008. It features a sketch-comedy format to promote science-readiness by encouraging kids’ instinctive curiosity about the world around them. New episodes are scheduled to air throughout 2011. The Jim Henson Company is actively seeking new toy, game, and puzzle licensees. The Jim Henson Company continues its licensing program outreach for Wilson & Ditch, two funny, energetic, and talkative gopher brothers who drive around America in an eco-powered van learning fun facts along the way Jim Henson’s Creature Shop has designed and built some of the world’s best known characters—including Elmo and Miss Piggy. The Jim Henson Company is developing a new consumer-friendly treatment for Jim Henson’s Creature Shop and is seeking to develop licensed products in activity categories and plush puppets.
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Licensing Show 2011 Bravado
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niversal Music Group’s Bravado division has licensed The Bridge to create dolls and play sets for Justin Bieber. For fall, the Rockin’ Tour Bus and Concert Stage play set lets fans recreate their favorite concert experience with Bieber, from rolling up to the show in the Tour Bus to performing on the Concert Stage. The bus opens and transforms into a stage complete with lights, a spinning floor, and an mp3 dock with speakers, so fans can play their favorite tunes through the sound system. There’s also a special backstage lounge that converts from a dressing table to a media room. The Justin Bieber Real Hairstyle Doll has soft and styled hair that replicates Justin’s signature hairstyle. Each Real Hairstyle Doll features fashions based on Justin’s lifestyle—from beachwear to performances to red carpets—and each doll comes with several accessories such as a skateboard, backpack, or sunglasses. Each Justin Bieber Performance Collection Singing Doll dons fashions inspired by Justin’s worldwide concert tour and “sings” a 30-second clip of one of Justin’s hit songs: “U Smile,” “Never Say Never,” and “Never Let You Go.”
Disney Consumer Products
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isney•Pixar’s Cars 2 will hit theaters June 24. Beyond the all-new merchandise assortment releasing with the film, DCP will continue to support the Cars franchise with new content across media platforms, via all new theme park attractions and new product lines. Jakks Pacific will offer a number of Cars 2-licensed products, including role-play walkie talkies and cell phones. Jakks Pacific’s Kids Only division will offer an array of Cars 2 furniture, including an Activity Patio Table and Chairs Sets and a Flip Open Table. In the girls’ category, Disney Princess and Disney Fairies continue to be favorites. Starting this summer, “The Story Begins with You” campaign will kick off a series of entertainment content and promotions. In the fall, Disney Fairies fans will enjoy a new TV special on Disney Channel with Disney Fairies and the Pixie Hollow Games. This fall, Jakks Pacific’s Tollytots division expands its line of My First Disney Princess Baby and Toddler dolls with new themed dolls and accessories for the youngest Disney Princess fans. Jakks Pacific’s CDI division will offer kids a variety of Disney Princess items, including the Disney Princess Ultimate Fairytale Kitchen, which features elements from each of the Disney Princess stories and allows for a range of role-play fun. Also available is a line of Disney Princess electronic toys. Winnie the Pooh will go back to its roots this year. With the release of the Winnie the Pooh film in July, an updated merchandise program, and a successful digital book application, the Winnie the Pooh franchise is poised to offer incremental licensing opportunities through the DVD window and new programming on Disney Junior. Similarly, the Mickey Mouse franchise will thrive from added focus through Disney Junior programming, serving up new licensing opportunities for Mickey and friends.
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The Voice Reaching Both Trade and Consumers
CONTACT: LAURIE SCHACHT OR JONATHAN SAMET ADVENTURE PUBLISHING GROUP 307 7TH AVENUE, SUITE 1601 NEW YORK, NY 10001 TEL: 212-575-4510 FAX: 212-575-4521 WWW.ADVENTUREPUB.COM
Licensing Show 2011 American Greetings Properties
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ast fall, American Greetings Properties’s entertainment found a new home on The Hub—a joint venture between Discovery Kids and Hasbro. Strawberry Shortcake, Twisted Whiskers, and Maryoku Yummy play a prominent role in the channel’s programming. This year, the fun and friendships continue for Strawberry Shortcake in the second season of Berry Bitty Adventures with Strawberry’s world growing even more harmonious when a new girl with musical talent comes to town. Copyright Promotions Licensing Group (CPLG), the licensing arm to Cookie Jar Entertainment, continues to work with AGP as the global licensing agent for Strawberry Shortcake. AGP recently announced that it will launch a special figurine series featuring the Care Bears with Play Imaginative. The “Share-A-Bear” series includes 34 collectible characters that can be customized and shared to celebrate any occasion. The gifts allow senders to write a brief personal message and include them as the start of someone’s collection. Maryoku Yummy is the star of the girls’ preschool television series. Maryoku and the other Yummys reside in the magical and whimsical world of Nozomu where they are wish-sitters who nurture and take care of wishes until they are granted. The upbeat themes, wish-granting abilities, and artistically rendered imagery provide positive and reassuring messages. First introduced as characters on a line of greeting cards, Twisted Whiskers is a wacky CGI-animated cartoon featuring dogs, cats, and other animals comically “twisted” in looks, action, and attitude. Finding themselves in situations ranging from the ridiculous to the absurd, Twisted Whiskers are always getting into mischief—but look out for the “twist” at the end of every episode.
Big Idea Entertainment
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ig Idea Entertainment will expand the licensing program for its VeggieTales brand by introducing a bushel full of new merchandise. Big Idea is teaming up with Box Creations, a manufacturer of corrugated play structures, to offer VeggieTales-themed floor and tabletop cardboard play sets this fall, including Sweetpea Beauty’s castle and The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything pirate ship. The company recently inked deals with several other new licensing partners across key categories, including “GigglePOD” interactive kids’ video booths from Primary Leisure Global and removable wall art from Brewster Home Fashions, in addition to deals with Golden Chair (children’s furniture) and DayWind (karaoke CDs). The new VeggieTales products will hit retail as early as this summer. These new licensees join recently added premium VeggieTales partners, including Strottman International (kid’s meal promotions with Chick-fil-A set for this August), American Puzzle Company (wooden puzzles and trains), Zoobies (plush pillow character and blanket combinations), Tabbies (index tabs, stickers, temporary tattoos, and wall clings), and Victory Designs (children’s guitars). Other industry leaders in the company’s current roster of licensees include Enesco—Gund/Gregg Gift (plush toys and gifts), Dynamic Displays (parade and event inflatables), Talicor (puzzles and games), Kids Stuff Marketing (regional and catalog QSR products offerings), Cranston (cotton fabrics), ConAgra (fruit snacks), and Northwest Company (bedding, blankets, and throws).
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Big Tent Entertainment
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ecently, Big Tent announced that a group of licensees will roll out new Domo-licensed product in 2011 and beyond. New licensees include Abrams (calendars, books), Advanced Graphics (cardboard standees, wall jammers), Classic Imports (home décor), Elope, Inc. (costumes), Hori (video game accessories), License2Play (plush, novelty items, and select games), and Music Skins (mobile accessories). In addition, the cave dweller continues to expand across the digital landscape with his first Facebook game, Planet Domo, and his first foray onto the iPhone. Big Tent will continue to expand the Domo licensing program into fashion, video games, casual games, electronics, and home décor. As part of Discovery Communications’s relaunch of Discoverykids.com, Discovery Kids will unveil an array of gaming initiatives that tie into the brand’s “explore the world around you” theme. This year, Big Tent is also expanding the Discovery Kids brand into the home textiles category with licensees Franco Manufacturing and Cosrich Group, Inc. Big Tent is looking to expand the licensing program for Discovery Kids in video game and MMO, electronics, home décor, outdoor sport, and more. Domo
Classic Media
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lassic Media’s Tinga Tinga Tales is an animated preschool series about how our favorite animals came to be. It made its broadcast debut in the UK on CBeebies in February 2010 and is currently rolling out to key territories worldwide, including the U.S., where it premiered with the launch of Disney Junior earlier this year. Inspired by traditional animal folktales from Africa and the Tingatinga art style of Tanzania, the series is produced entirely on location in Africa by local artists. The consumer products program has begun rolling out in the UK across more than a dozen categories. Consumer products partners are lining up for the launch of Tinga Tinga Tales in the U.S., including Ravensburger (puzzles), Pressman Toy Corporation (games), University Games (Colorforms activity products), and a line of DVDs, which will join Bandai and Grosset & Dunlap (a division of Penguin Group). Voltron, the 1980s TV series and pop-culture icon, will return to defend the universe with the all-new animated series, Voltron Force, set to debut in the U.S. on Nicktoons and with other key broadcasters worldwide, this summer. It will be Tinga Tinga Tales the first original franchise-related content in 10 years. Mattel will develop toy lines based on classic Voltron and the new Voltron Force, which are scheduled to launch in 2011 and 2012, respectively. THQ’s first game is scheduled for release this fall. Partners for the U.S. launch include Rubie’s Costume Company (costumes), Viz Media (kids’ graphic novels for Voltron Force), and Dynamic Forces (new comic books and graphic novels for classic Voltron). In addition, Classic Media will present the classic animated characters Mr. Peabody and Sherman, which DreamWorks Animation has announced it will bring to the big screen, with Robert Downey Jr. slated to headline the cast as the voice of Mr. Peabody, in 2014. It will also present the 1980s action brands He-Man, Masters of the Universe and She-Ra, for which Classic Media is signing partners for the classic consumer products program.
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Talking Social Media
Social Media:
Friends Help Friends Keep Friends by Andy Marken, Marken Communications
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ncreasingly, online experiences with companies and products are reinforcing the loyalty loop in the consumer decision cycle. In addition, with today’s online existence, these customers can be a strong extension of your marketing and sales efforts by recommending your products and services to others and defending you when issues or problems arise. Social media—blogs, social sites, chat rooms, discussion forums, YouTube, microblogs—have grown rapidly and have become popular for consumers and companies. The key reason is that people want to establish their identity and feel connected. Your organization can realize the power of social media by integrating online data with customer and marketing data. Much of online activity today is being done by communications or public relations people. Their information is seldom shared with others in the organization, so the long-range benefits are lost to the organization. Social marketing is a top-down activity that incorporates marketing, communications, product design/development, HR, customer service/support, and IT. It’s all about building a personal bond with your customers long-term.
COME ON IN According to an ORC (Opinion Research Corporation) study for Cone, Inc., companies are welcomed into social network communities as long as they follow the rules. The study found that: • 51 percent of consumers said companies should have a presence but should only interact with consumers as needed or by request • 34 percent feel companies should use social media and interact regularly • 15 percent say companies should be passively involved with social media or not involved at all According to a Razorfish study, 64 percent of connected
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consumers had made their first purchase because of their digital experience. In addition: • 60 percent consider the brand favorably when they are in the market for a product or service in that category • 40 percent recommend the brand to others Additionally, Cone Research found that: • 74 percent who interact with a company or brand online usually have a more positive impression of the company/brand • 72 percent feel a stronger connection with the company/brand • 70 percent are more willing to engage • 68 percent feel better served • 64 percent have an improved opinion when one of their friends interacts • 52 percent choose to follow/friend/fan because it helps showcase their personality online Constantly strengthen the relationship with your best customers online. Develop new and different ideas, share thoughts and concepts, and listen. People who go online to research a product or service will almost unanimously place customer care and customer service high in their decision-making process. IDC Research found: • 74 percent choose companies or brands based on others’ customer-care experience
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shared online • 72 percent research companies’ customer care online before purchasing at least some of the time • 84 percent consider the quality of customer care in their purchasing decision • 81 percent say blogs, online rating systems, and discussion forums give consumers a greater voice in customer care • 33 percent believe companies take customers’ opinions seriously • Search engines are their most valuable research tool, followed by social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and microblogs.
Social media includes everything the company does in reaching out, connecting, and working with people in the firm’s varied publics. But, it’s still so new that it’s an uncoordinated mess. Organizations struggle to develop a strategic policy program, and implement measurement tools and systems, even though the area continues to evolve and reinvent itself. Departments—marketing, advertising, sales, human resources, public relations—elbow one another to manage and control the new media turf, but it takes more than one department to manage, control, and change social media in your organization. As Nike says: Just do it! ■
BUSY LANDSCAPE While every company agrees they have to be involved in the social media landscape, most firms don’t have organization-wide policies and programs on what can be and should be done by staff members, how the efforts will be monitored and measured, and who is responsible for the social media activities.
This is Part 5 of a series. Andy Marken is a marketing and communications consultant with more than 30 years of experience and has written more than 400 articles. In addition to consulting with and being a spokesman for major clients, he also speaks on industry subjects including management, marketing, and consumer relations.
International Toy News
New Challenges for Japan’s Toy Market
by Atsuko Tatsumi, publisher, Weekly Toy News, Japan
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wo months have passed since Japan was struck by an earthquake and tsunami of unprecedented strength. The country is still in trouble because of the damage the tsunami brought to the nuclear power reactor at Fukushima. The supply of electric power to Tokyo and a large area around the capital has been reduced, and this is causing frequent blackouts. Everyone is invited to contribute to energy savings, and the urban lighting is off during the night. Due to radiation leaking from the power plant, there are restrictions imposed by the government on the food coming from the area near the reactor, an important area for fisheries and agriculture, affecting vegetables, fish, and even rice. The population is scared, feeling unsafe over the selection of food. The area hit by the March earthquake is the Northeastern part of the Honshu island: it comprises 12 percent of the country’s total population and 90 percent of it was badly damaged. Approximately 20,000 people died, and more than 20,000 are still missing. About 100,000 people are now homeless; they live in city halls, schools, hotels, or relatives’ or friends’ houses. The conditions are very hard, especially for children and older people, although the government plans to build small houses to host most of the survivors by summer’s end. The Japanese toy industry, soon after the disaster, has engaged itself in offering great quantities of its products and is carrying them to the earthquake area, hoping this will bring some relief to children. As concerns the toy business, one consequence of the earthquake and tsunami is the damage to specialty retailers. At least 60 toy shops have been destroyed in the affected area, and although some of them are being rebuilt and are returning to operation, survival is still difficult for most retailers. A great amount of money has been donated
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by the owner of a big toy company in order to assist local retailers; it will certainly be used to go back to work, but for people who have lost their houses and stores it will take time—months, even a year—to set up their activities again. As a whole, the Japanese people are suffering from what happened and are living through tough times. Since March 11, the consumer market has generally contracted. The toy business in April registered a 12 percent decrease compared to April 2010. Many other industry branches have been affected as well because of damage to their production sites. This is a serious problem for the future of the Japanese economy. Notwithstanding such difficulties, the Japan Toy Association has decided that the Tokyo Toy Fair will be held as already scheduled June 16-19, 2011. It is difficult to forecast the attendance for this edition of our Toy Fair, which is open to the general public on the last two days, usually attracting kids and families in the order of more than 100,000 units. Due to the situation, Japanese toy producers have reduced the announcements of new items, and no one expects the toy business will do well this year. For instance, at the moment it is very difficult to sell battery-operated toys. Instead, retailers are promoting toys and games that do not require batteries, such as trading card games, jigsaw puzzles, and board games. These categories are performing well. The toy industry is engaged in a promotional campaign about the importance of toys as tools for kids’ healthy growth. We are sure Japanese consumers will continue buying toys, probably looking for less expensive options with good play value, because parents will feel happy if their children spend some of their time joyfully. The summer holiday period is coming soon, but in Japan it cannot be enjoyed as before. We all hope we can get back to normal life soon. ■
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This is just a snapshot of the devastating effects of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in March. This is a photo of Ishinomaki City of Miyagi Prefecture. This used to be the middle of town.
International Toy News
Playworld: Toys Make Their Way in the Middle East
by the editorial staff of Juguetes B2B, Spain’s ITMA member magazine
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oy multinationals want a piece of the Middle East market, and they have plenty of reasons: the Arabic peninsula is a young market, with high spending power and a very important commercial sector. Epoc Messe Frankfurt organized the first edition of Playworld Middle East, a fair held March 7-9 in Dubai. The fair helped reinforce the commercial bonds between the region and the world’s toy manufacturers. The event was organized in cooperation with Paperworld, which is focused on stationery. Both fairs gathered 6,246 visitors, 45 percent of which were from outside the UAE, and 46 exhibitors from 20 different countries, most of them from Asia. One of the initiatives the fair promoted was the creation of the regional GCC Toy Trade Association, which embraced the new toy security rules issued by the Gulf Standardization Organization (GSO). These rules, which will be enforced beginning this month, mainly focus on toxic and dangerous materials. This event was a first step in strengthening the entry of the global industry into a region that “can be traditionally difficult to penetrate,” says Ahmed Pauwels, CEO of Epoc Messe Frankfurt. Besides these traditional difficulties, one also has to take into account the political and social instabilities that have taken place in North Africa and the Middle East since the beginning of this year. But these markets are also inviting. The United Arab Emirates GDP per capita is the third largest in the world, only behind Luxemburg and Macao, and in front of Norway (4th) and the USA (6th). Bahrain is 22nd, while Oman and Saudi Arabia are 35th and 37th. Toy demand follows the global trend of moderate growth
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expected for the next few years. In 2012, global toy sales should increase 5 percent, up to a total amount of $122.2 billion. After China and India, the Gulf countries are the third largest toy market in Asia, a continent that could become, in a handful of years, the first world market, displacing North America and Europe. Population is expected to rise 33 percent in the next 12 years, and 26 percent of people from these countries will be under age 14 in 2020. Another particularity of the regional market is the increase in sales of outdoor playground equipment. A large number of families are leaving cities and moving into self-contained communities, and there is a growing interest in the welfare of children and the promotion of exercise. This follows a global trend, as published in a study by the Association of Play Industries, that it is even more pronounced in the Middle East because of the better weather compared to other countries. This means more sales of equipment like slides, swings, and bicycles. The bicycle industry is expected to register revenues of $77.7 million worldwide in 2015, given its use not only by kids and sports lovers, but also because of its increasing utility as an alternative mode of transportation in cities. Another regional trend is that in spite of globalization and the presence of Western products and brands, “there is definitely a trend toward more regionally adapted toys,” says Monica Kubik, manager, Playworld Middle East. For example, the Lebanon-based company Edu Fun sells a board game that teaches Islamic rules. Also, Simba Toys Middle East manufactures Jamil and Jamila, dolls that wear traditional regional clothes. ■
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Ka Ku: A New Business Model for China’s Toy Market by the editorial staff of Toy & Hobby, China's ITMA member magazine
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a Ku’s business model, which contributes to raising Ka Ku as one of the most famous brands in China, contains four parts: animation production, a TV show, toy production, and licensing. Beijing Ka Ku Animation Satellite Television specializes in producing animation and has been striving constantly to provide quality cartoon programs to audiences of all ages, covering more than 100 cities and approximately 600 million viewers. Issued in 2008, the monthly magazine Ka Ku All Cartoon has became one of the most famous children’s animation magazines in China. Taking advantage of new media, such as mobile TV and the Children’s Community networks, Ka Ku makes it convenient for its audience to download animation videos.
Various Distribution Channels Ka Ku’s flagship store is the only children’s shopping mall operated by Media Corporation in China. There are 14 Ka Ku flagship stores, with locations including Beijing, Tianjin, Qingdao, Wuxi, and Nanjing. Besides their own products, the Ka Ku flagship stores also sell many wellknown brand products both locally and overseas, including products from Mattel, Hasbro, Disney, Lego, Takara Tomy, Goodbaby, Silverlit, XingHui, and Kurhn. In addition, Ka Ku provides customers with a broad selection of toys, stationery, and baby products in more than 1,500 categories, but also children's entertainment places with Cosplay show, a
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cartoon experience platform, and various games.
Ka Ku Cartoon Licensed Retail Store According to the international retail franchise mode, Ka Ku combined with the mid-tier retailers in second- and third-tier cities. Now Ka Ku owns more than 200 licensed stores located in areas including Beijing, Tianjin, Chongqing, Hebei, Shandong, and Jiangsu, fully covering the economic circles of Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and Bohai Rim area. Ka Ku expects to build the largest system of licensed retail stores in China.
Online Flagship Store and Mobile Phone Wap To further development, the online flagship store and the mobile phone Wap service were concurrently put into operation last August.
Diversified Development Taking advantage of the brand and its various distribution channels, Ka Ku has been devoted to producing quality animation and licensing. Now Ka Ku has forged alliances with many well-known companies and has decided to work side by side in the range of toy, stationery, publications, and video. ■
THE TOY BOOK • 117
Winning the Online Game How to Create Websites That Convert Visitors into Customers by Khalid Saleh, co-founder and president, Invesp
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elling online is challenging. While reaching customers in the Internet age is just one click away, merely doing so is not enough. Potential customers are bombarded with more than 3,000 advertising messages every day, making the competition for their attention fierce. They are also more savvy than they were 10 or 20 years ago. If you want to increase online sales, you must connect with your customers in new ways, capture their interest, give them control over the relationship, and gently guide them toward a conversion. Converting the casual website visitor into a customer is one of the toughest challenges online retailers face. Research conducted by Shop.org estimates that the average conversion rate for an e-commerce website is approximately 2.2 percent. That is approximately two orders for every 100 visitors. And while many sites struggle with low conversion rates, there are sites that have broken away from such low numbers to the world of double-digit conversion rates. In March 2010, Schwan’s reported an average conversion rate of 40.6 percent. Top converting websites for March 2010, according to the Nielson company, also include Woman Within (25.3 percent), Blair.com (20.4 percent), 1800petmeds.com (17.7 percent), vitacost.com (16.4 percent), QVC (16 percent), ProFlowers (15.8 percent), Office Depot (15.4 percent), Oriental Trading Company (14.9 percent), and Roamans (14.4 percent). So, how do you increase your website conversion rates? Admit you have a problem! There are many reasons why visitors do not convert on your website. Having a unique product, unique selling process, or unique approach is rarely one of the reasons for low conversion rates. Visitors interact with websites the same way. They are persuaded to place an order or decide to leave for the same reasons. And for every
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vertical that suffers from low average conversion rates, you can always find a few websites that break into the double digits. Conversion optimization starts with understanding your online visitors. It is them, after all, whom you are persuading to convert. Communicating with the online shopper can be challenging. Many marketers and business owners talk about understanding the visitor, but very few actually know what that entails. To truly understand your visitors, you need to analyze their desires, motivations, needs, and fears. This understanding should go beyond typical marketing segmentation and delve deep into the science and art of persona creation. Research shows that humans take on one of four primary personas: • Logical Persona: As the name suggests, these personas trust logic and are meticulous, methodical, and detail-oriented in nature. They make up as much as 40 to 45 percent of the population. • Impulsive Persona: Impulsive personas are focused on the here and now. They are spontaneous, optimistic, and unconventional. They make up as much as 30 to 35 percent of the population. • Caring Persona: Caring personas are concerned about other people; they are dependable and helpful to others. They make up approximately 15 to 20 percent of the population. • Aggressive Persona: These individuals are competitive, ambitious, and get things done. They trust their intuition and are looking for ways to get ahead. Aggressive personas are rare, making up as little as 5 to 7 percent of the population. Each persona requires careful consideration of the website copy, tone, layout, and the navigational structure of the
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site. The purpose and objective of persona creation is to relate to customers at an individualized level.
Trust & Confidence If you are able to successfully establish trust with your customers, you will be building their confidence with your company. The more confidence a customer has in your store, the more likely it is that they will purchase from you, often coming back for more. Getting a conversion from a first-time customer is important; however, repeat customers are more valuable. The conversion value is multiplied if you are able to gain customer loyalty. Our research last year indicates that visitors decide to trust a website in less than one second, compared to four seconds in 2006. Establishing trust involves fundamental concepts such as good and clean website design as well as clearly stated value propositions, to more sophisticated concepts such as continuity and congruency. To put things into perspective, a clearly stated value proposition that is supported through congruent design can increase conversion rates by as much as 12 percent.
Understanding the Buying Stage Not every prospect that enters the sales funnel is ready to buy. Many website visitors are browsing, looking for information, comparing products, or simply just killing time. Consumers go through five different stages before making a buying decision. These stages are: • Need recognition • Information search • Evaluation of alternatives • Purchase • Post-purchase evaluation Although only 15 to 20 percent of online visitors are in the purchase stage, most websites are designed specifically for that stage and that stage only. As a result, many websites ignore the needs of 80 percent of their visitors.
Building visitors’ confidence and trust reduces some of the FUDs he or she could experience early on in the purchase process. One of the considerations during the persona creation process is what would stop a persona from moving forward with a conversion? What concerns are the visitors fueled with upon entering the site? The FUDs a visitor experiences do not remain constant. A visitor’s initial concerns when entering a site can be either alleviated or aggravated as the buying process continues. Anything that causes the visitor unease, anger, frustration, annoyance, or confusion results in another lost conversion.
Incentives Incentives are by no means limited to offering discounts and promotions. They go beyond that to having a clear offer that contains a certain level of urgency to persuade a visitor to act NOW and not leave the site without converting. Ultimately, incentives are one of the greatest factors that impact store loyalty. Incentives not only break loyalty, especially in a recession, but they can overcome the FUDs on your website. Although you may have some glaring FUDs creating elements on your site, well-placed incentives can stimulate site visitors to ignore the mistakes on your site and move forward in the conversion funnel.
Don’t Sell Me, Engage Me
Deal with Visitors’ FUDs
Engagement refers to your ability to continue to capture visitors’ interest. Stores that have daily changes in their inventory continue to engage their customers because there is something different to look forward to. Companies that run frequent sales are also engaging customers and putting their store on the radar for things to look out for. An engaging website is one that makes visitors come back to it, link to it, and refer friends and colleagues to it. It is one that encourages loyalty. Creating an engaging website goes beyond social media involvement. I would argue that in many instances and for many businesses, it may not include a social media aspect. It is about creating a true community around your website. ■
• Fears—relates primarily to security and privacy concerns • Uncertainties—relates primarily to usability of the site, navigational errors, and site failures. • Doubts—relates to the questions and concerns users have about the product or service they are planning to purchase.
Khalid Saleh is the co-founder and president of Invesp, a leading conversion optimization company. He is also the coauthor of Conversion Optimization: The Art and Science of Converting Prospects to Customers, by O’Reilly Publishing.
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THE TOY BOOK • 119
What’s
New Pocket-Sized Power
Horse Play
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idden City Entertainment, Inc. is introducing soft, squishy figures to its Bella Sara toy line. Chibis are collectible figures that come in a variety of horses and magical friend characters. The figures are small enough to wear and can be taken anywhere. The Chibis come with a stacking cube container for storage and display, as well as a bracelet, trading cards, and an online digital version of the character.
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edwood Ventures introduces Defiants, pockedsized motorized 4X4s. In more than 50 styles, Defiants have real gears for power, speed, and freewheeling action. The 4X4s instantly shift into freewheeling mode to perform jumping stunts and crazy downhill runs, and come complete with light-up headlights. Accessories and play sets are also available.
Creativity on a Clip
Little Workers
ega Brands is expanding its Color Blanks line with the introduction of Clip-a-Blanks. A miniature version of its customizable plastic figurine activity, the product can be clipped on anywhere. The blank figure set comes with clips, markers, and a sticker sheet with funny faces and designs to help jumpstart a child’s imagination. Clipa-Blanks are perfect for personalizing backpacks, belts, or hats.
oy State’s Cat Preschool line is designed for even the smallest hands to discover the brand’s iconic machines for role-playing fun. The line of toys, starting for kids ages 18 months and older, combines classic play with lights-and-sounds action. Styled after the well-known yellow and black Cat construction vehicles, the line includes shape sorters, a light-up driving wheel, one-button controlled cars, and more.
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T
Cat Shape Sorter, Cement Mixer
Old School Gaming
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yperkin’s new handheld video game console was inspired by a classic. The SupaBoy Handheld Video Game Console is designed for Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) game cartridges and looks like an original SNES controller. The console comes enabled with a 3.5-inch LCD screen, a port in the front for playing 16-bit SNES cartridges, and a lock feature that holds game cartridges safely in place. The console has elements of the old design such as a D-pad, buttons on the front, and shoulder buttons. SNES titles—including Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, and Zelda—can be played on SupaBoy.
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No Excuses Marketing
How Any Retailer Can Collect and Use Data to Keep Customers Coming Back by Mark Price, founder and CEO, M Squared Group
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onsidering the marketing power of national chain stores coupled with the revolution in online and mobile shopping, why would anyone want to be in the toy business today? Walmart and Target continue to make toys a priority. As a result, they are driving down margins for everyone in the industry on core toy items. If 80 percent of revenue comes from 20 percent of products, then you can be sure that Walmart and Target have them all. Additionally, e-commerce providers are now covering niche items with their “long-tail” approach—they only need to sell one of each unit to make money. They can stock thousands of items with little or no inventory cost, and make money on every order. And now consumers can check prices with their phones and order online at the same time, right from inside your store. Barcode scanning applications make it possible for consumers to click on an item and instantly see everywhere it is available online. Not only that, but they can buy directly from their smartphones as well. Kids are adopting the technology buying patterns of their parents; for example, in my religious school’s second grade class, many of the kids asked for iPhones for their birthdays. None of them got one, but their request is significant for a toy retailer. That trend suggests that purchasing dollars are leaving toy stores and heading over to technology providers. On top of all this, the recent recession and financial crisis left an imprint on consumer buying patterns, driving purchasers to the lower-priced items. Consumers are still nervous about long-term prospects for the U.S. economy, and are economizing whenever possible to build up some cushion in case of another economic dip.
Never been a better time to sell Given all those factors, it is easy to see why a person would abandon the toy business, right? After all, who tries to make money when the tide is going against you? But actually, times have never been better for toy retailers to build profitable cus-
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tomer relationships, particularly with great customers. One reason is that customer service is at an alltime low—consumers are dissatisfied with their experiences before, during, and after purchases, and they let retailers and “e-tailers” know it with a sharp decline in retention rates. In that environment, retailers who excel at service and support stand out dramatically. Also, you can reach your customers in more ways than ever. On the smartphone, in the store, on the website—practically everywhere you look there is an opportunity to connect with your customers and create a shopping experience many are crying out for. Given the rise of location-based marketing within recent years, you can expect that marketers will be able to provide offers to customers when they are physically close to your location as well. Thanks to this new extended reach, customer data is readily available. Prior to the past five years, only the largest retailers were able to make easy use of their customer data to personalize communications to customers based on their preferences and past purchase patterns. Now, almost anyone can gain higher response rates and customer retention by leveraging customer information.
Let technology work for you Technology is cheap. More and more, the capabilities that used to be found in only multi-million dollar software applications are migrating to cloud computing, and are usually free or available at a nominal cost. Marketing campaign management software, sales force automation, website analysis, and other tools are available to customers on Google Apps, as well as a host of other sites such as Zoho.com. These tools are not particularly customized, but they more than meet the needs of retailers to build newsletters, send email campaigns, and
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measure the results. So, is it the best of times or the worst of times? The answer to that question depends on you. Plenty of retailers will sit around bemoaning their plight and eventually will be gobbled up by larger players or just go out of business. If that is you, then feel free to stop reading now.
No Excuses But if you can change with the times and want to take control of your business, there is no better time to be alive than now. Using an approach I like to call “No Excuses Marketing,” clients have seen consistent growth in their business. In fact, some of our clients are acquiring companies right now, based on their success. The NEM approach does not require expensive tools or an extensive staff. Rather, the approach uses what you have on hand, or what you can obtain for low cost, to change the rules of the game. Most retailers can use this approach to see a difference in their business in as little as 60 days.
Rule 1: Focus on growth.
Too often, I have been in discussions with retailers that focus too much on the limitations of their current situation— too much to do, not enough headcount, slashed budgets. These marketers fail to see the opportunity; never before in history have so many resources been available to the resourceful for so little and so fast. The key is to understand what you have and what you can do with it, using down and dirty approaches to drive rate of investment (ROI), fast.
Rule 2: Data only has to be accurate enough.
Marketers often hesitate to conduct analysis, make conclusions, and act, when their data is not complete. They tend to wait until data is more accurate and until the data warehouse is built. During that time, the business loses incremental revenue and relationship opportunities. Remember, it is better to act on data that is 70 percent complete than to act with no data at all. If you download your customer transactions into a spreadsheet, you will have more than enough information to begin to market to those customers in a personalized way. Using some basic macros, you can identify customers who have purchased from you multiple times, and what they purchased. You can also tell how often they purchased and when was the last time. Build an email program targeted at those best customers, and use their purchase information to design offers that fit them, rather than standard ones.
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Rule 3: Use tools from friends.
As marketers, we are sometimes unaware of the resources that we have around us. If you print collateral with a printer, chances are that they have artists on staff to adjust artwork to fit print specs. You can ask the printer if they can do some design work for you, and the same goes for your email vendor— ask them what they can offer you as a part of their service. You can see if you can get paid interns from a local design college to work for you for minimum wage, or sometimes just for college credit. You can also use social media to “crowdsource” logos and design pieces for a fraction of the cost of hiring an agency. In addition, software vendors will frequently provide you with a free or heavily discounted trial of their tool or product in order to earn your business long-term. Always remain ethical but take advantage of these opportunities. Relationships, old and new, are often a way to expand your resources without significantly increasing your budget. Capitalize on those opportunities to grow your business quickly.
Rule 4: Work from the bottom up.
When companies hit crisis mode, they tend to revert to “command and control” or a top-down direction with little input from sales and operations. They usually get exactly what they deserve—a desperate, big-picture approach that does not consider store realities. In addition, management loses the most critical factor of all: the buy-in that comes from participation from the field team. Lacking both insight and buy-in, the effort usually results in failure. As a rule, make sure that the people who will put your growth plans in place are involved in developing them, ensuring success. Every period in history has had its challenges for retailers. The question is, are you going to be a leader? Staying focused on growth, using available data, leveraging free and cheap services, and involving the team on all your decisions will gain you revenue, market share, and career opportunities. ■ Mark Price is the managing partner and founder of M Squared Group, a consulting firm that specializes in customer analysis and relationship marketing. He is a frequent speaker at conferences as an expert on data-driven marketing, and also authors articles on the same topic. He is responsible for leading client engagements, e-commerce and database marketing, and talent acquisition at M Squared Group.
THE TOY BOOK • 123
Smartphones, Parents, and The Impulse Buy How parents are relying on smartphones to simplify the shopping experience, and what retailers can do to take advantage.
by Jeff McKenna, senior consultant at Chadwick Martin Bailey
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n March, as part of Chadwick Martin Bailey’s ongoing Consumer Pulse research program, we asked approximately 1,400 consumers to tell us how they use their smartphones in stores. The results were interesting: • More than half of smartphone owners use them while shopping, and usage is highest among owners under 35 years old (67 percent). • More than 70 percent of iPhone owners use their device while shopping—the highest among the smartphone manufacturers. • Nearly two-thirds of respondents who use their phone while shopping use it to compare prices in-store. • When it comes to the apps consumers use on their phones, 44 percent use a barcode scanning app, 38 percent use a discount app (e.g. LivingSocial), and 31 percent turn to review sites. • Women are more likely to use their smartphone to find discounts while men are more likely to check online reviews.
In April, we were asked to expand some of our research and zero in on consumer behaviors that may impact the toy industry. Although the sample was smaller (approximately 200 consumers), the results were no less compelling: • Of respondents with children at home and who have used a smartphone to make a purchase in the past month, nearly 25 percent of them have used the phone to buy toys, dolls, and games. Fifty-four percent of the same respondents used their phone to buy electronics. • More than 10 percent of parents use their smartphone to clip, store, or use coupons. • A higher share of dads use their phones to make purchases as compared to moms. Our data syncs nicely with a recent BabyCenter study that found that moms are 10 percent more likely to have a smartphone than other Internet users, and spend an average of 6.1 hours per day with their phone. Of all the advertising seen on their smartphones, 55 percent of them report that coupons are the most appealing. Nearly half of moms (46 percent) report taking an action after seeing an ad on their smartphone. The implication here is that the rising ubiquity of in-store
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smartphone usage will force retailers and product managers to revisit the concept of the “impulse buy” for two reasons: • Time-deprived parents are particularly receptive to messages that are quick and to the point, and that save them money. Smartphones have quickly become a new method for unique and tailored communications to shoppers while they’re in-store. Retailers used to rely exclusively on sales associates, signage, and packaging to deliver messages (strategic or otherwise) to consumers. Today, the smartphone opens up a range of possibilities for communicating when the impulse is high. Taking advantage of this might be the only way to make consumers favor impulse shopping instead of the due diligence of comparison shopping. • The smartphone is the new wallet—especially for younger shoppers. It allows consumers to effortlessly transfer and store offers. Parents aren’t clipping coupons, they’re showing a barcode on their phones at the register. It’s important to keep in mind that not everything is bought on impulse. For product categories requiring more research and education time (such as televisions and electronics), “traditional” web-connected personal computers will continue to play a significant role in the decision-making process. In the end, toy shopping for kids will always have an impulsive side. In a time-starved environment, the smartphone can be used to intensify what is already an impulsive experience. Retailers and product manufacturers who connect with toy shopping parents via smartphone have an opportunity to transform them into the much sought after “ready-now buyer.” And who better to be a “ready-now buyer” than a busy parent? After all, they’ve only got 30 minutes to get home to the babysitter before overtime pricing starts. ■ Jeff McKenna is a senior consultant at Chadwick Martin Bailey. His skills and knowledge include product development, promotions, advertising, and operations. He has been a consultant and project leader for B2B and B2C projects, and a leader of Voice of the Customer (Customer Satisfaction) engagements.
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Retail 2.0: Your Brick-andMortar Toy Store—In the Cloud by Kris Hiiemaa, founder & CEO, ERPLY
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echnology has changed the way small to mid-size businesses operate, market, and ultimately succeed (or fail) in the current economy. In the past few years, technology in the retail industry has advanced to the point where brick-and-mortar stores can take advantage of cloud computing to track inventory, process payments, and store vital customer information for secure retrieval. Only until recently this technology was prohibitively expensive and available solely to the biggest retail operators, but is now affordable for all businesses—and no business today can afford to ignore it. Cloud computing is getting a lot of attention from retail business owners lately, and for good reason. Until recently, the retail sector had been quite conservative when it came to taking advantage of the latest technology—not only due to software and hardware costs, but also due to the maintenance and support expenses that come along with them. Recent advances in cloud technologies result in huge benefits to retail operators, in the form of very significant time and money savings. Operating in the cloud means hardware requirements are nil, since all data processing backups are completed on safe and secure external servers, and not your store’s workstation (not to mention that updates and upgrades are done in the background, with no need for installations or a visit from your IT person). Web-based cloud applications also mean access is possible through essentially any system with browser capabilities: from desktops and laptops to the latest tablets such as Apple’s iPad. Here are just a few features you should look for if you are a small to mid-size business: • Sales and Operational Insights Real-time inventory tracking shows retailers what’s hot and what’s not, who’s buying what and where they are buying it. Retailers can generate custom sales reports, make price changes, add items, and set refill points. • Customer Insights and CRM Retailers can make their customers feel like a priority, using historical sales data to personalize and customize the
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service provided to them. • Relationship Building and Loyalty Retailers have the ability to run targeted campaigns and give special pricing to their most loyal customers. Products that provide a point of sale, inventory, and e-commerce solution were previously out of reach for small businesses. All retailers are now able to analyze, track, and manage data about their products and customers the same way larger retailers do. A cloud-based system is as mobile as you are, making it all happen right on a handheld tablet like the iPad (the system also runs on Android-based devices, on Windows, and on the Internet). A cloud-based, online point-of-sale system gives any retailer the freedom to aggregate their shops, and manage warehouses and purchases centrally. Stakeholders can access company information from anywhere an Internet connection can be established. This means access to your sales data, updating pricing, or any other administrative functionality you can imagine, can be done anywhere, at any time. Sales, inventory, and even employee time management and payroll reports can be accessed and utilized from anywhere with Internet connectivity. The latest cloud-based point-of-sale systems generally support all of your existing peripherals, so no additional hardware expenditures are necessary. On average, retailers can expect cost savings of up to 70 percent when switching from a traditional system. One piece of equipment you will not require any more: that tired old legacy—your cash register! ■
Kris Hiiemaa is the founder and CEO of ERPLY (www.erply.com). Hiiemaa is a business software (ERP) and retail point-of-sale expert with broad experience in all aspects of accounting, inventory, sales, and financial management. Prior to founding ERPLY, Kris ran a company that developed more than 200 advanced custom inventory and POS systems for companies such as General Motors and BMW.
THE TOY BOOK • 125
Creating Sizzles That Sell Your Brand by Pablo Garrahan, co-founder and managing director at WSR Creative
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or years, brand teams have presented next year’s product lineup via a deep deck of Powerpoint excellence. At times, they’ve chosen to show their sales teams and buyers the potential marketability of a specific product by showing an energizing sizzle to bring the point home. The sizzle dates back to at least the mid-’90s, a time when it would be shot on film and the cost could run up to $150,000. Fast forward to 2011. With advances in technology, and less lavish shows, costs have dropped dramatically, making the sizzle an affordable yet viable resource that generates excitement about a product or a trend in the marketplace. In today’s multimedia, multi-platform, and image-ondemand business world, the opportunity to outperform and outsell using video is booming. Toy companies including Mattel, Spin Master, and Jakks Pacific continue to add them to their non-media arsenal, which indicates that sizzles are doing exactly what they are designed to do; increase sales and profits for all. So much so that the sizzles themselves are being used as the creative direction for many commercials. “A well-executed sizzle provides our sales and marketing teams with a tool that is both exciting and informative when
selling-in future toy lines to customers,” says Jamieson Cochrane, senior manager, advertising and media production at Spin Master. “A struggling brand launch can be rescued by a dynamic, convincing sizzle. Spending a few thousand dollars to save an investment of many, many times that much makes good business sense.” So what does it take to produce an effective sizzle? Here are five points to consider as you utilize this powerful media tool.
Be Prepared Know your demographic and make your creative brief and as detailed as possible. Prepare digital assets that can be passed on to the production team. Assets include: b-sheets (preliminary design sketches), logos, and packaging art work. These will be used to give the creative team an idea of how the product works and may be integrated into the edit. Help create the tone and manner of the spot by knowing what type of music you’d like to use. Music libraries are easier to license than a Lady GaGa track and are far less expensive. Keep in mind that using music without permission could lead to a lawsuit down the road (yes, even in the case of a sizzle). Know your timetable. This has two parts: a) the delivery date it needs to be finished in order to present, and b) when your product or prototype will be back from the factory for shooting. A high-quality sizzle takes a good two weeks to complete from start to finish.
Be Realistic
For this Flick Trix sizzle, the director of photography was placed in the middle of the set to capture a 360 degree view of the product.
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The average sizzle will cost between $12,500 and $30,000 depending on the creative and production needs. This includes cameras, sets, on-camera talent, visual effects (in the event your prototype doesn’t work), voice-over, music, and usage. A sizzle is not a commercial and therefore has its creative and budget limitations. Make sure your expectations are in alignment with the budget. A typical sizzle runs between 35 seconds and a minute. Any sizzle over a minute runs the risk of losing its audience and sending costs upward.
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Be Part of the Process In the new economy, many companies are turning to an inhouse creative team that outsources its production work. That’s good news for many smaller toy companies trying to compete. The traditional agency model is in place mostly for large corporations. That means that brand teams and production companies are now working closely together. Be readily available to the production team during the process. Quick and definitive feedback ensures that you get what you want. Re-direction and late feedback often results in costly overages. Be smart and take the extra few minutes to plan out your vision.
Repurpose Repurposing your sizzle can prove beneficial in many ways. It can run at Toy Fair presentations, at sales reviews, and on the Internet. It can also be compressed and sent via email to sales affiliates and retailers who missed the event. Consider using the sizzle as part of a non-media campaign, showing it as an in-store loop at a retailer or on the Internet. Additional forms of media include slideshows, instructional videos, end caps, shelf-talkers, and commercials. Instructional media has proven to be successful for brands that need to clearly demonstrate the intricacies of their products. They also cut down on customer service call volume.
Shooting with the Canon 5D and using theatrical lighting allowed us to create a cinematic look for this Batman sizzle.
Think Evergreen Sizzles often become part of a brand’s success by creating sequels. Buyers and retailers alike look forward to the next evolution in the brand’s life. Consider how you can start building brand equity in your first sizzle and follow it up with others that continue to drive your positioning statement home. Here are a few other notes to keep in mind; Confusion kills: The most effective stories are simple and reiterate a core message over and over. Digital Services: Use your production company to maintain your media or create a central location within your company to keep both digital and hard copy files from the production company. Maintain Ownership: Ask for all your files back. Be sure to get generic forms, (edits without graphics so you can repurpose them in other languages), as well as master files. Creating content for your product should be innovative and effective. Sizzles are an affordable platform that can leverage your product in the marketplace while helping you to define and shape your brand’s positioning at an early stage. ■
When filming dolls, it’s good to have a stylist and hand model on set. This is a monitor for the director of photography for a Liv doll sizzle.
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As co-founder and managing director at WSR Creative, Pablo Garrahan manages the sizzle-making process and execution. His focus includes client relations, branding, creative execution, budget, and timelines. As a producer, Garrahan has helped create and execute hundreds of commercials, direct response ads, sizzles, instructional videos, PSAs, web videos, trailers, and educational and corporate pieces.
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Industry Marketplace
BUSINESS DIRECTORIES
2011 Trade Show Directory $39.95 Independent Sales Rep Directory $69.95 Toy Wholesalers & Manufacturers $29.95 We carry Salesman’s & Chain Store Guides 1-800-635-7654 www.forum123.com - Over 100 Titles avaliable OVERSEAS MANUFACTURING CONSULTANT (BASED IN NEW YORK) OVER 20 YEARS TOY AND CONSUMER PRODUCTS MANUFACTURING EXPERIENCE EXPERT IN PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT OVERSEAS SOURCING PRICE NEGOTIATIONS QA / QC ENFORCEMENT SPOT OVERSEAS PRODUCTION INSPECTIONS CONTACT direct at : 631-875-9719 or via email: manufconsulting@aol.com The Toy Book Volume 27, Number 3 THE TOY BOOK (ISSN-0885-3991) is published bi-monthly by Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.® Editorial and advertising offices are located at 307 Seventh Ave., Room 1601, New York, NY 10001, Phone (212) 575-4510. Periodicals Postage paid at New York and additional mailing offices. Copyright © 2011 Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.® All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. Printed in U.S.A. Subscription rates: $48 one year, foreign $200. The Toy Book is a trademark of Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.® Registered in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Postmaster: Send address changes to: The Toy Book, c/o Adventure Publishing Group, PO Box 47703 Plymouth, MN 55447. Opinions and comments expressed in this publication by editors, contributing writers, or solicited or unsolicited documents are not necessarily those of the management of The Toy Book.
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Classifieds Playtime Sales & Marketing Co. LLC A Toy Manufacturers Sales Representative Corporate Office
331 Piermont Road Norwood, New Jersey 07648 TEL: 201-784-7727 FAX: 201-784-1912 E Mail: murraybass@playtimesales.com // lensoyka@playtimesales.com The Playtime Sales & Marketing Company, LLC. is a Toy and Electronics Manufacturers sales representative organization. Our prime focus is to represent Toy and Electronics Manufacturers to the Mass Market Retailers. The principals of our Company are Len Soyka and Murray Bass. Our only vocation has been in the Toy Industry. We are dedicated toy professionals. Our geographical areas of sales coverage and accounts include: • NEW ENGLAND…Connecticut North to Maine and Upstate N.Y. Accounts… CVS Drug, BJ’s Whle. Club, Xmas Tree Shops, Benny’s and Ocean State. • N.Y. METRO…N.Y. City and New Jersey. Accounts… Toys R Us and their DOTCOM and Global Divisions, FAO Schwarz, Shepher Distributors and Supermarket Chains. •MID-LANTIC…Pennsylvania, Wash D.C., Northern Virginia and Western Ohio. Accounts…Rite Aid Drug, Group Sales and Lillian Vernon • K mart USA // JC Penney Catalog // Universal Studios Orlando // Gordman’s // Duckwall // Pamida // AAFES // Walmart // Variety Wholesalers • CANADA…Walmart, Toys R Us and Zellers’ We employ a staff of 5 toy sales specialists. Our contact information is listed on our above shown letterhead. We welcome your inquiries.
MARCH/APRIL 2011
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Advertiser Index Adventure Publishing Group.......................................................109 ABC Kids Expo ..........................................................................S57 Alphabeast ...................................................................................S11 Bananagrams ...............................................................................S29 Briarpatch......................................................................................S9 China Toy Association.................................................................113 Cloud B .......................................................................................S35 Dandelion for Baby.....................................................................S41 Daydream Toy .............................................................................S62 Delta Children’s Products .............................................................17 Dr. Cool Science .........................................................................S17 Eastcolight...................................................................................S19 Family Time Fun ................................................................S52, S53 Fan Stamp ...................................................................................S47 Fat Brain Toy Co.........................................................................S25 Folkmanis, Inc.............................................................................S27 Forum Publishing ........................................................................128 Gann Memorials..........................................................................S67 Giddy Up.......................................................................................S2 HABA USA...................................................................................S5 Hasbro .....................................................................................11, 97 Jada Toys .....................................................................................4, 7 Kids Wish Network .....................................................................121 Learning Curve Brands ...............................................................S23 LuvMPetz International LLC......................................................S65 Maisto..........................................................................................132 Mrs. Pinkelmeyer ........................................................................S66 Neat-Oh International .................................................................S45
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet..................................................................128 Pacific Play Tents........................................................................S37 Piggy Wiggies .............................................................................S48 PlaSmart ..................................................................................13, 15 Playtime Sales & Marketing .......................................................128 Pressman Toy ..............................................................................S31 Pretty Ugly Doll..........................................................................S56 Rubies Costume Co.....................................................................S59 Safari Ltd.....................................................................................S55 Sandstorm Productions ...............................................................S33 Scratch Art...................................................................................S51 Skechers.......................................................................................107 Smart/Tangoes.............................................................................S49 Thames & Kosmos......................................................................S15 The Bridge...................................................................................105 The Orb Factory..........................................................................S30 The Haywire Group ....................................................................S43 The Toy Insider ...........................................................................S69 Top Trumps .................................................................................1, 2 Toys r Us .....................................................................................8, 9 Transmonde Marketing Group LTD............................................128 Universal Studios ........................................................................101 US Games....................................................................................S39 Warner Bros. Consumer Products .................................................99 Winning Moves ...........................................................................S54 Worx toys ....................................................................................S61 Yoha Technology.........................................................................S63 Yomega Corp...............................................................................131
THE AD INDEX IS PUBLISHED AS A COURTESY. WHILE EVERY EFFORT IS MADE TO BE ACCURATE, LATE ADDITIONS AND CHANGES IN LAYOUT MAY RESULT IN ERRORS OR OMISSIONS.
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Flashback: May/June 1991 3.
2.
1.
1. Advantech releases IQ Unlimited, a child’s first computer, featuring 12 programs. 2. Mattel becomes the master licensee for Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. 3. In time for Star Trek’s 25th anniversary on television, Konami becomes the first to offer Super NES video games based on the franchise. 4. France-based Meccano forms a new U.S. subsidiary to bring the classic Erector sets back to America.
4.
NATIONAL BEST SELLERS TV PROMOTED TOYS 1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, by Playmates
6. Swamp Thing, by Kenner
2. WWF Action Figures, by Hasbro
7. Magna Doodles, by Tyco
3. Barbie, by Mattel
8. Game Boy, by Nintendo
4. Cup Cake Dolls, by Tonka
9. Scattegories, by Milton Bradley
5. G.I. Joe Figures, by Hasbro
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10.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II Software, by Ultra
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