SQUISHY TOYS: THE NEXT BIG TREND WHAT’S HOT IN GAMES, CONSTRUCTION TOYS, AND DOLLS
JULY/AUGUST 2017
®
Volume 33, No. 4 — Published by Adventure Publishing Group
Jonathan Samet Publisher jsamet@adventurepub.com Jackie Breyer Editor-in-Chief jbreyer@adventurepub.com
DEPARTMENTS 7
Editor’s Viewpoint
8
Industry Update
9
Sweet Suite 2017
27 Spotlight: Amloid
60 Compliance and Regulations
39 Spotlight: Toy State
62 Raising the Bar
10 Stat Shot
52 What’s New
11 Euromonitor
54 Property Profile: Spirit Riding Free
12 Toy Association Update 13 ASTRA’s Insights
56 Industry Perspectives
64 Industry Marketplace 65 What’s New at Specialty 66 Flashback: July/August 1997
58 Outside the Box
Marissa DiBartolo Senior Editor mdibartolo@adventurepub.com Ali Mierzejewski Senior Editor amierzejewski@adventurepub.com Maddie Michalik Associate Editor mmichalik@adventurepub.com Stephanie Grassullo Assistant Editor sgrassullo@adventurepub.com Kristen Nelson Editorial Assistant knelson@adventurepub.com Joe Ibraham Art Director jibraham@adventurepub.com Bill Reese Production Director breese@adventurepub.com Lori Rubin Controller/Office Manager lrubin@adventurepub.com
features 14 The Building Blocks of Construction Sales The category’s players remain optimistic despite a surprising decline in early 2017 sales.
16 Construction Showcase
A look at what’s new in the construction aisle this year.
28 Introducing New Faces to the Doll Aisle The doll category is more inclusive than ever before.
38 Love What You Do? Pass it On
Wendy Smolen talks about the importance of mentorship.
40 A Winning Category
Mary Couzin discusses what’s trending on the tabletop.
42 Games Showcase
A sneak peek at new board games, card games, and more.
50 The Squish Kids Can’t Resist
U.S. manufacturers jump on the squishies toy trend.
30 Dolls Showcase
What’s new in the doll aisle this year
Mattel’s Enchantimals Felicity Fox doll On the Cover: Soft‘n Slo Squishies by ORB
Kelly Corbett Editorial Intern U.S. Corporate Headquarters Laurie Schacht President thetoyinsidermom@gmail.com Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.® 307 7th Avenue, #1601, New York, NY 10001 Phone: (212) 575-4510 • Fax: (212) 575-4521 The Toy Book Volume 33, No. 4 THE TOY BOOK (ISSN-0885-3991) is published bimonthly 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 © 2017 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, 307 Seventh Ave., Room 1601, New York, NY 10001. 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.
Member, International Toy Magazine Association
EDITOR’S VIEWPOINT
GEARING UP FOR BACK-TO-SCHOOL by JACKIE BREYER, editor-in-chief I CAN’T BELIEVE WE’RE ALREADY HALFWAY through the summer. Kids in some parts of the country will be going back to school this month, and that’s a new opportunity for toy sales. Toward the end of the last school year, fidget spinners were a top priority for kids— and I imagine toys in the fidget category will get a spark of resurgence when kids get back to school—but the trend we’re really seeing take off is squishy toys. This trend is just getting started, but some retailers are already reportedly having a tough time keeping them in stock. Check out our coverage of these must-have items on page 50. Be sure to amp up your prominently located school supply display with backpack clips, squishies, fidget toys, and pencil toppers. Also consider keeping a variety of educational toys in this area, such as science and experiment kits, as well as other toys that cover the STEM categories, so parents have the option of beefing up their purchase with toys that help their kids get their brains back in gear. Whether they come in for toys and leave with school supplies or vice versa, you’ll have it covered. In this issue, we take a look at the redhot games category. According to The NPD Group, the games category grew 21 percent in 2016. This is attributable to many trends in games, including the silly games trend that was kicked off by Hasbro’s Pie Face and the Mouthpiece challenge games and YouTube videos. The popularity in these fun games influenced a number of manufacturers to amp up the silly and bring on the fun, and retailers are seeing the payoff. Games are the perfect gift for kids of all ages, and with all of the options available this year, I expect this category to continue performing well through the fourth quarter. Check out Mary Couzin’s overview of the trends in games on page 40. Also in this issue, we take a look at what’s happening in dolls. This year we saw several
© 2017 Jonny Hawkins
“Look Ma, my new doll has a man bun just like Uncle Mike!” manufacturers introduce boy dolls, designed to encourage boys to enter the category, a slew of fashion-forward Ken dolls—including Ken with a man bun—and a general feeling of broad inclusiveness across the category. Maddie Michalik gives us the scoop on a trend that’s finally catching up with the times on page 28. Our other main focus in this issue is the construction toy category. This category is currently experiencing a lull—or a normal part of the cyclical nature of toys—depending on whom you ask. Ali Mierzejewski takes a look at this category to decipher what’s happening, why the category might be down for the
first time in years, and what’s going to bring it back up. Check it out on page 14. There’s so much more inside! Be sure to let us know what you think! Tweet at @toybook or @jackiebreyer, or send me an email: jbreyer@adventurepub.com. » Jackie Breyer is editor-in-chief of The Toy Book and the Toy Insider, and editorial director at Adventure Publishing. She has been reporting on new products and toy industry trends for 15 years. Contact her at jbreyer@adventurepub.com.
toybook.com | JULY/AUGUST 2017 | THE TOY BOOK 7
INDUSTRY UPDATE
MATTEL LAUNCHES ENCHANTIMALS Mattel launched the Enchantimals franchise with 14 small dolls and three play sets. Enchantimals are characters that share a special bond with their accompanying animal bestie. Each doll shares a ritual with her animal friend, celebrating their unique traits and personalities. Core characters include Felicity Fox and Flick, Danessa Deer and Spirit, Sage Skunk and Caper, Bree Bunny and Twist, and Patter Peacock and Flap. Enchantimals products are meant to inspire stories of friendship, empathy, and compassion toward all living things. There will also be a variety of YouTube content and a 60-minute televised special this fall. »
JCPENNEY ADDS TOY SHOPS IN ALL LOCATIONS JCPenney will open toy shops in all brick-and-mortar locations with an expanded assortment available at JCPenney.com. The new toy shops are part of JCPenney’s expansion to new merchandise categories. Adjacent to the Disney Collection inside JCPenney, the shops will feature a selection of toys including dolls, action figures, racing cards, board games, and more from Hasbro, Mattel, Playmobil, and more. The store doubled its online assortment of toys over the last year with plans to expand further by the holiday shopping season. »
SPIN MASTER LAUNCHES RUSTY RIVETS TOY LINE Spin Master Corp. launched the new Rusty Rivets preschool toy line inspired by Spin Master Entertainment’s newest animated show. The toy line will be available exclusively at Toys “R” Us stores in North America and online on August 1. Kids can build vehicles and characters
Rusty Rivets Rivet Lab Playset
8 THE TOY BOOK | JULY/AUGUST 2017 | toybook.com
from the show, while inventing new builds inspired by Rusty and Ruby, the series’ lead characters. Designed for kids ages 3 and up, the line includes the Rusty Rivets Botasaur, Rivet Lab Playset, Mini Build Packs, and Core Build Packs. »
RADIO FLYER CELEBRATES 100 YEARS Radio Flyer, maker of the Little Red Wagon, is celebrating its 100th anniversary. To pay homage to its products, the brand created a video that showcases the 100th year theme of Time Flies, Enjoy the Ride. The video is a snapshot of everyday childhood moments during the past 100 years, and highlights the sense of imagination and adventure, joy of outdoor play, and nostalgia. The company will donate 2,000 wagons to Starlight Children’s Foundation partner hospitals nationwide to help transport children to and from tests and surgery. To celebrate this milestone in its hometown of Chicago, Radio Flyer rolled out the World’s Largest Wagon on Michigan Avenue to pay special tribute to its history and host a day of smile-worthy celebrations. The wagon, which holds the Guinness World Records title for the largest toy wagon, is nine times the size of
its classic red wagon, weighs 15,000 pounds, and is 27 feet long. »
MAGFORMERS OPENS FIRST SELF-OPERATED TOY STORE Magformers opened its first company-owned toy store next to its headquarters in Canton, Michigan. Customers can play with and purchase hundreds of products across all four Magformers-owned product lines, including newly acquired Clicformers, Tile Blox, and Dolce. The Magformers toy store will have items available for purchase before they hit mass retailers. »
NPD SAYS PRACTICALITY WILL DETERMINE BACK-TO-SCHOOL SHOPPING TRENDS Practical decisions related to factors such as price, convenience, and product quality are on the top of consumers’ minds when it comes to where and how they do their back-to-school shopping, whether in-store or online, according to a new Back-to-School Report from The NPD Group. More than 70 percent of last year’s backto-school purchases were made in stores. Looking across 14 industries included in the NPD study, in-store purchases varied from a low of 61 percent for sports equipment to a high of 78 percent for school supplies. » STAY CONNECTED!
@ToyBook
TIA PERSPECTIVES SWEET SUITE
SWEET SUITE 17: HAVING A BLAST THE TOY INSIDER’S EIGHTH ANNUAL SWEET SUITE EVENT took place on July 12 at Pier Sixty in New York City. Known as The Biggest Night of Play, the premiere toy party of the year welcomed more than 250 digital influencers and more than 150 members of traditional media to connect with dozens of toy companies in advance of the holiday shopping season. This year at Sweet Suite, guests enjoyed one-on-one time with representatives from more than 80 of the hottest kids’ brands and properties on the market, including VTech, LeapFrog, Just Play, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Spin Master, Mattel, Simplay3, MGA Entertainment, K’NEX, LEGO, and more. #SweetSuite17 generated more than 28 million Twitter impressions, more than 1,000 Instagram posts, and dozens of YouTube videos and blog posts. For the first time ever, Sweet Suite partnered with 20 top YouTube creators to livestream unboxing videos. Top sponsors created custom boxes for YouTubers to open live on camera in the special Sweet Suite lounge, while thousands of their followers watched the fun. Channels included Mommy and Gracie Show, That YouTube Family, Little
Lavignes, Kitties Mama, Kid Toy Testers, and more! Sweet Suite gave digital influencers and members of the press a chance to meet old and new friends while sipping on cocktails, feasting on scrumptious snacks, and—best of all—playing with the hottest toys of the holiday season before they hit the market. Enormous swag boxes were shipped directly to attendees’ homes after the event, sparking a resurgence in social media impressions and ensuring bloggers and journalists have products on-hand to review and share with their followers. Not to mention, the swag boxes yielded dozens of live and recorded unboxing videos on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. On September 19, 2017, the Toy Insider team will host its sixth annual HoliDAY of Play event in New York City, where 150 members of the media will be the first to see the Toy Insider’s Hot 20, Top Tech 12, and STEM 10 hot holiday toy picks, as well as meet with top manufacturers before the holiday season. » If you’re interested in learning more about these events, contact Laurie Schacht at thetoyinsidermom@gmail.com.
toybook.com | JULY/AUGUST 2017 | THE TOY BOOK 9
STAT SHOT
DOLL AR SALES
JAN-APRIL 2017 VS. 2016
The total U.S. toy industry grew 4 percent January-April 2017 versus January-April 2016. Both Dolls and Games/Puzzles grew faster than total toys, while Building Sets declined -10 percent.
$600 Jan-April 2016
Jan-April 2017
+6%
$500
+27%
$400
-10%
$300 $200 $100 $0
BUILDING SETS
DOLLS
GAMES/PUZZLES
DOLLAR SALES ($MM)
TOP 5 PROPERTIES BUILDING SETS
DOLLS
LEGO STAR 1 WARS
1
LEGO GROUP
GAMES/PUZZLES
1POKEMON
BARBIE
POKEMON
MATTEL
CITY 2 LEGO LEGO
2
SHOPKINS
2
YU-GI-OH
MOOSE TOYS
BATMAN 3 LEGO LEGO
3
DISNEY PRINCESS HASBRO, JAKKS PACIFIC
3
MAGIC: THE GATHERING
FRIENDS 4 LEGO LEGO
4
DISNEY MOANA HASBRO, JAKKS PACIFIC
4
MONOPOLY
SUPER HEROES 5 LEGO LEGO
5
TROLLS
5
UNO
HASBRO
KONAMI
HASBRO
HASBRO
MATTEL
Source: The NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service/January-April 2017 10 THE TOY BOOK | JULY/AUGUST 2017 | toybook.com
EUROMONITOR
THE NEW AGE OF VIDEO GAMES 2016 Marked the Tumultuous Beginning of a New Era for Video Games by MATTHEW HUDAK, toys and games analyst, Euromonitor International NEW EUROMONITOR INTERNATIONAL research on the toys and games industry revealed that video games continued to see strong retail value sales growth in 2016, with sales up 7 percent globally at fixed exchange rates. Last year saw a slew of new virtual reality (VR) headset launches, including the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR, promising to bring virtual reality to mainstream gamers. But the year saw its share of major exits as well, with Disney Interactive ceasing production of its toys-to-life line, Disney Infinity, as the popularity of the toys-tolife category has started to decline. While AR/ VR gaming remains a top prospect for video games on a long-term basis, mobile games remain the category’s bread and butter. Globally, mobile games revenue grew by 25 percent in 2016 to total $36.8 billion. TOYS-TO-LIFE RUNNING OUT OF STEAM Disney Infinity was discontinued in 2016, while Activision Blizzard announced that there would be no new major game for Skylanders this year. Combined with declining Nintendo
amiibo sales, Euromonitor International research points to declining consumer interest in the toys-to-life category. However, interactive toys with educational benefits continued to be a growing force in traditional toys and games in 2016. STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) toys have become increasingly important to parents over the years, and many STEAM toy makers added interactive features to their products, such as Spin Master’s Meccano Meccanoid G15. These toys can increasingly offer the interactive element children enjoyed with toys-to-life products, combined with real-world playability and educational features for which parents look. CONSOLES BREAK THE CYCLE Historically, consoles have had long replacement cycles, with several years between new console launches. But since the current console cycle started in 2014, manufacturers have adopted a new strategy of putting out new iterations of their consoles more frequently, similar to the product life cycles
of consumer electronics products, such as smartphones, TVs, and computers. These new iterations offer small improvements over older models and are used to keep pace with rapid technological advancements in consumer electronics, such as 4K TVs and AR/ VR headsets. This new model of introduction is expected to both stimulate install base growth, with more frequent major product launches, such as the Nintendo Switch, as well as shorten the replacement cycle for consoles as a whole. In the major U.S. static console market, install bases are expected to rise by 6 percent in constant terms over 2016 to 2021. AR/VR: SLOW START WITH LONG-TERM OPPORTUNITIES While high-end consumer VR has been viewed by game developers and hardware producers as having the potential to massively upend how we consume media content, initial sales of the three new high-end consumer VR headsets were relatively low due to their prohibitively high prices. In 2016, only roughly 1 million units were sold by Oculus, HTC, and Sony collectively, the clear majority coming from the PlayStation VR due to the high market penetration of the PlayStation 4. Despite the slow start, consumer adoption is expected to pick up as headset pricing begins to drop, and by 2021 major markets such as the U.S. and the UK are expected to see nearly 20 percent household penetration rates for AR/VR headsets. Increased exposure to licensed characters will lead to deeper connections with brands than ever before, making the multigenerational licenses in Western Europe and North America, or local licenses in Asia Pacific, even more impactful and further drive licensed toy demand. » Matthew Hudak is a toys and games analyst for Euromonitor International. In his role, he researches and writes on the global market for toys and video games, and drives analysis on the ever-evolving ways children and adults play.
Source: Euromonitor International 2017
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TOY ASSOCIATION UPDATE
SPREADING THE WORD ABOUT TOY SAFETY by ADRIENNE APPELL, director of strategic communications, The Toy Association IF YOU’RE A MEMBER OF THE TOY community, it’s more than likely that toy safety is on your mind 365 days a year. After all, every toy and game sold in the U.S. must comply with tough federal safety laws before being placed on store shelves. In doing our part to make sure that every play date is both fun and safe, it’s equally important for the industry to educate parents and caregivers about keeping kids safe at play. “Parents will always read through the instructions before installing a car seat, but when it comes to toys, they often ignore instructions because they just assume that their kids ‘know’ how to play,” says Joan Lawrence, The Toy Association’s Toy Safety Mom and senior vice president of standards and regulatory affairs. “It’s alarming because while playing does come quite naturally to kids and parents alike, a toy’s age grading and instructions should never be ignored. Likewise, parental supervision during playtime is crucial. This is something we need to communicate clearly—
and frequently—to keep preventable accidents and injuries at bay,” adds Lawrence. SAFETY 101 The Toy Association has established itself as a trusted safety resource for families. We hear from parents, grandparents, and other caregivers often. They want to know how to choose appropriate toys and how to facilitate safe play for the children in their lives. Playsafe.org, our consumer-facing safety site, has many tips, including guidance for choosing age-appropriate toys, outdoor play safety tips, advice for new parents, recent toy recalls, and more for parents or caregivers to know to make sure that their kids are having fun and staying safe during playtime. One of our biggest pieces of advice for parents is that age-grading has nothing to do with how smart a child is; it’s based on the physical and developmental abilities of children at a given age and a toy’s specific features. We tell families that if their child is too young for a toy they get from a well-meaning family member, it’s a good idea to set it aside until they’re old enough to play with it safely. We encourage everyone in the toy industry—from manufacturers to retailers—to share playsafe.org and its many tips with social media followers and consumers. A LONG-STANDING MISSION Keeping parents in-the-know about toy safety is one of The Toy Association’s long-standing missions. We continue to do our part in actively sharing key safety information with families on social media and in broadcast and print media communications. With summer vacation kicking into gear, we have been mainly focused on sharing tips for safe outdoor play: • In May, our Safe Summertime Play campaign was promoted to online influencers and garnered more than 58 million impressions.
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It included an infographic that featured outdoor toy safety tips. • From selecting age-appropriate toys to exercising caution at garage sales, some of The Toy Association’s top safety tips were highlighted in two recent columns by Laurie Schacht, The Toy Insider Mom, on HuffPost. • Earlier this spring, Joan Lawrence kicked off a media tour with TV segments in Hartford, Conn. and Baltimore to talk about safe outdoor play. • Our outdoor safety tips will continue to run in community newspapers across the country throughout the summer, and will be shared in-person with online influencers and families attending two major events: The Toy Insider’s Sweet Suite in New York City and Big City Moms’ Biggest Family Shower Ever in Los Angeles. “It’s extremely important for families to know the facts, and we are making a concerted effort to get them out there,” says Ken Seiter, vice president of marketing communications at The Toy Association. “There’s so much noise when it comes to toy safety. We want families to feel confident in the safety of toys, and empowered to ensure their kids are playing safely at home.” As fall approaches, our public education efforts will hone in on evergreen safety tips, toy safety facts vs. toy safety myths perpetuated by non-governmental organizations, and safe toy selection for the holidays. For more information about toy safety and safe play, visit playsafe.org or contact Joan Lawrence (jlawrence@toyassociation.org). » Adrienne Appell serves as director, strategic communications at The Toy Association. She maintains close communication with representatives of the Association’s member toy companies to stay abreast of what’s new, next and cutting-edge in the toy industry. Adrienne is interviewed frequently by national and local consumer and business media on toy trends and related topics. She has more than a decade of experience in the toy/youth industry.
ASTRA’S INSIGHTS
KEEPING UP WITH SPECIALTY TOYS: Tapping the Expertise of Sales Representatives by KIMBERLY MOSLEY, president, American Specialty Toy Retailing Association SPECIALTY TOY RETAILERS KNOW THE toys they sell inside and out. They selected them carefully and played with most of them. The parents and grandparents who make up their customer base depend on them to be knowledgeable about both classic toys and the latest, greatest new products that they cannot get anywhere else. But how do retailers keep up with what’s on the market? One time-tested way is to tap into the expertise of sales representatives. All successful products have an effective distribution channel, and that’s where sales representatives are essential. The U.S. Department of Labor defines the role this way: “Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses, government agencies, and other organizations. They contact customers, explain product features, answer any questions that their customers may have, and negotiate prices.” That covers part of the story, says Sue Warfield, director of member services at the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) and an experienced sales representative. In the toy industry, most sales representatives handle at least two or three dozen lines. What all the good representatives share is a deep knowledge base about specialty toys, so they are experts on what is selling where and how different types of stores— main street stores vs. suburban stores—may
see different sales patterns. ASTRA includes manufacturers, sales representatives, and retailers in its membership and works to promote their shared business interests. Sales representatives can help store owners grow their store by bringing them the best products and the latest deals. Here are a few ways sales representatives can add value: UNDERSTANDING BUSINESS Reprsentatives are invested in building a long-term relationship with store owners and providing service that helps to grow the owner’s business, as well as their own. The more sales representatives know about a store’s plans and challenges, the more they can respond with products that fit its brand, pricing packages that maximize the value of orders, and industry information.
SOLVING PROBLEMS Whether it’s a matter of an incorrect order, damaged goods, or product availability, a sales rep can generally expedite a solution.
OPTIMIZING ORDERS When store owners place an order, it’s important they remember that their price will be the same whether the sales representative places it for them, or whether they do it directly with the manufacturer. When they involve the sales representative, it will ensure that they have the latest information about specials or terms. SUPPORTING EVENTS If store owners want to plan a special event, they should make sure their representative knows about it so that he or she can offer support—possibly through free products or helping with in-store demonstrations. Be sure to ask about what’s available for Neighborhood Toy Store Day, which will take place on November 11 this year. TRAINING STAFF One of the best ways to get staff members excited about promoting a product is to get them to experience the toy. Sales representatives can be a quick and easy training resource. They can help grow the product expertise offered to customers, and all it takes is to get staff together to take advantage of free training.
MAXIMIZING TIME AT INDUSTRY EVENTS Representatives can help make trade show attendance more efficient. Before heading out to ASTRA’s Marketplace & Academy or Toy Fair, store owners should ask for a list of booth locations and the show specials that manufacturers will offer, plus hot new products the sales representative recommends. For manufacturers, sales representatives are both hunters finding new business and farmers cultivating the accounts they already have. Warfield explains that retailers are part of the “full circle of service” that manufacturers want to offer, but don’t always have the reach to deliver. “Manufacturers make great new products, but they cannot have feet on the ground in every market. Reps show products, train your staff, place your orders, solve problems, and get you the best deal on reorders. It’s a win-win role because everyone in the channel—manufacturers, sales reps, and retailers—all want the same thing: more business and more profit.” »
Kimberly Mosley, president of the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association, is an experienced, award-winning, results-oriented association executive with a long track record of success in managing association operations, developing innovative programs, and growing revenue.
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THE
OF CONSTRUCTION SALES
Although early 2017 data shows a slight decline in construction sales, the category feels as strong as ever. by ALI MIERZEJEWSKI, senior editor THE CONSTRUCTION CATEGORY consistently produces sales that are either growing, or strong and steady. Over the past few years, The NPD Group has reported stats on the construction category that prove that this classic play category is one of the most reliable in terms of growth. LEGO is named as one of the top three overall toy companies year after year—and it only specializes in one play pattern: construction. So what is it about this category that keeps it building up? Many things, actually. “There’s a perceived educational benefit [with construction toys],” says Gerrick Johnson, equity research analyst, BMO Capital Markets. “Parents like to do LEGO, too, so it fits the family theme as well.” In addition to being nostalgic, building toys reinforce STEM skills, which are
built right into the core play pattern. Combined with trusted brands, that’s a recipe for success. This year, however, the construction category isn’t experiencing the steady climb we’ve seen in previous years. As of April, The NPD Group reports that construction toys are down 6 percent over 12 months, and down 10 percent year-to-date. While this is the first time that construction sales have experienced a slowdown in years, both veterans and newcomers to the category don’t seem to be too concerned.
THE CONSTRUCTION KING LEGO is one of the only consistent top toy companies that focuses on a single play pattern. The toy giant has built itself on leveraging the heritage of the brand, and including things in its products that both kids and parents love. It’s easy to recognize that LEGO is a name that gives parents and gift givers comfort. And the proof is in the fact that this company stands strong when up against companies such as Hasbro and Mattel, whose product ranges span most of the categories in the toy industry. LEGO Disney Moana’s Ocean Voyage “Construction is one of the rare
14 THE TOY BOOK | JULY/AUGUST 2017 | toybook.com
categories in toys where any kind of hot play pattern can be adapted in a relevant way to create a new kind of play experience, which is really beneficial to a brand like ours where we are constantly reinventing a play material to meet the needs of any kind of consumer to draw them in,” says Skip Kodak, senior vice president, LEGO. In addition to offering a product line that older generations already know and love, LEGO has the added benefit of high-powered brands behind them, whether they’re licensed or proprietary. With everything from Disney to Marvel and DC Comics to Star Wars, LEGO’s licensed products are huge hits. Combining these big properties with LEGO’s own LEGO Friends, Ninjago, LEGO Movie brands, and more, it’s not hard for kids—or gift givers—to find a LEGO set that matches their interests. In fact, the top five selling building sets year-to-date are a mix of LEGO licensed and non-licensed sets. But in addition to classic building sets, the leading construction company is expanding into the tech and coding world, bringing even more STEM skills into its line. LEGO Boost, which allows kids to bulid up different robots and gadgets that interact directly with a companion app, teaches kids skills that are integral for their futures. “Straddling the line between evergreen and trendy is tough,” says Kodak, “and we’re very fortunate to have a brand and play material that can do both at the same time.” Even in a year of overall declining numbers in the category, LEGO still stands strong with its core beliefs and mission. “Living in a fashionable industry like toys,
where things can come and go quickly, is daunting, but we believe there is something to be said for staying true to what consumers and shoppers know and love about our brand to drive sustainable growth,” says Kodak. NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK(S) WowWee is a toy company mostly known for its programmable robots and cool tech. However, this year, the company is innovating in a new way—right into a new category. WowWee joins the construction category with its new Magnaflex building sets. Magnaflex features flexible, colorful construction pieces that let kids bend and build whatever they can imagine. “It’s a very innovative product,” says Davin Sufer, CTO, WowWee. “It might not have a circuit board in it, or a sound chip, electronics, or robotics, but its still pretty innovative and still a challenge from a technical point of view to make it a safe product, to make it click, connect, and snap together in different ways.” Magnaflex lets kids bend the pieces to make different shapes—allowing them to build in arches, spheres, and other shapes that they can’t with other building sets. But the obvious question seems to be: Why jump into the category now, when it’s showing to be the weakest that its been in years? “We’re very careful and we’re very stringent about what we actually get into,” says Sufer. “The reason we got into this was because we have some unique and different ideas that we thought were bringing something new to the table with flexibility and magnets and being able to connect in different ways and being able to make organic shapes. For us, it’s a very strong position.” STANDING OUT AT RETAIL While manufacturers have no worries about the early numbers on construction for this year—and retailers maintain it’s a strong category—it may be time for a makeover. Christine Osbourne, CEO and founder of Wonder Works toy stores, knows that consumers will always buy construction toys because of the huge benefits that the play
pattern has for kids. “Both [genders] end up gravitating toward the blocks and toward anything building and it’s very interesting because studies have shown that the children who love building with any type of construction toy usually end up, when they get older, [being able to] visualize things not flat, but in 2-D and in 3-D,” she says. “And that is exactly what is needed in the future for architects and engineers.” Besides the obvious educational benefits, Osbourne finds that parents are looking for toys that are easy to pack up and take on the go—and companies that are responding to that need are succeeding. For example, Plus Plus are tiny LEGO-like pieces that are packaged in tubes so they are easy to take along. Other parents find themselves concerned with safety, especially in a construction scene that is becoming saturated with products involving magnets. Geotrix, from California Creation, uses a patented glue bond that allows the building pieces to withstand breakage, and therefore eliminates the possibility of exposed magnets. But Osbourne sees a bigger hole in the market for construction toys that can bring kids’ desire for a social community into the building play pattern. Osbourne refers to the work of Krissa Watry and Dynepic. Watry developed a platform for toy manufacturers that will allow kids to use their construction toys to safely engage in a social sharing community. Using this platform, kids will be able to talk to each other about what they’re creating, share ideas and builds, and brainstorm. “[Watry] has taken a special interest in the toy industry and the compliance for socialization for kids under age 13,” says Osbourne. “It has never been as [important] to a category or subcategory in the toy industry as it is in construction right now.” Overall, it’s safe to say the true strength
Magnaflex, from WowWee
of the construction category is its foundation in classic, unplugged play. The play pattern provides a stealthy educational benefit that parents look for, and kids love it because it’s just plain fun. “You don’t feel guilty as a parent buying them something that’s, frankly, just license-based or just some fad,” says Sufer. “You feel like you’re actually buying something that they could learn and benefit from.” Even by adding social community capabilities, or straight up tech and coding, such as with the likes of LEGO’s new LEGO Boost, nothing can really take away the foundation on which the category is built. What does this all mean for the future of construction, and what are we to make of the current YTD numbers? “The toy industry is cyclical,” says BMO’s Johnson. “Trends don’t last forever. [It’s] probably more of exhaustion right now. I’d assume the market might be softer than it had been, but still, on an absolute level, pretty good.” » Ali Mierzejewski is a senior editor at Adventure Publishing Group, contributing to leading trade magazines The Toy Book and The Licensing Book. She is the co-director of digital media content for The Toy Insider.
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The R.M.S. Titantic, from COBI, is a 500-piece model of the legendary liner that sank on its maiden voyage in 1912. The ship has four chimneys, ship diffusers, and numerous decks, lifeboats, masts, and rotating propellers. Additionally, builders can install wheels so kids can play with the ship on the floor. After it’s built, the model measures more than 22 inches long and 6 inches high.
Kids are in control of the 4 in 1 Build ‘N Fly drone kit, from FLYBOCKS. Designed for kids ages 14 and up, this kit includes a pre-programmed ciruit board, a remote control, and 72 snap-on pieces so kids can build and fly their own drone. There are four different models that can be built with four or six axes, letting kids build up their STEM skills while having fun. All components are durable so the drone can endure flight tests, and kids can take off, crash, and fly again.
This fall, DGL TOYS will launch Flex Tech, a new line of construction-based toys. The line consists of flexible parts that kids can twist, turn, and easily secure with plastic nuts and bolts. Flex Tech sets will be introduced under the Discovery brand name. Each Flex Tech piece is interchangeable, which allows kids to create their own vehicles and robots.
ANKER PLAY PRODUCTS introduces its Blokko Gadget line. Kids can build accessories, such as the Blokko Candy Machine, Coin Bank, Picture Frame, and Desk Organizer all with construction blocks that are compatible with other major construction brands. Anker Play will also introduce the Blokko 8 Pack Superhero Set, which lets kids build eight unique superheroes.
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With THAMES & KOSMOS’ Mechanical Engineering: Robotic Arms, kids can build six mechanical models of the types of arms, grabber claws, and legs found on robotic machines, and explore mechanical engineering principles firsthand as they assemble and play with these working models. Using a pneumatic system, kids can pump up the air reservoir with the hand pump, then flick the switch to operate the model, enabling the grabber claws to open and close and to grip objects to lift them. The piston can also move the arms and legs on models back and forth. Designed for kids ages 7 and up, this set also lets kids construct a pivoting robotic laboratory arm with a gripper claw and assemble an extra long grabber claw to pick up things that are just out of reach. They can build a vertical three-fingered claw that can lift a cup up off the table while keeping it level, experiment with models of robotic exoskeleton arms and legs, or make a compact grabber claw that can act as a robotic hand.
With Oyo Sports NFL Playmaker Sets, from THE BRIDGE DIRECT, kids can build the red zone and create exciting NFL moments. The set includes approximately 80 pieces, including Tom Brady and Antonio Brown mini-figures, the buildable red zone, and accessories. Designed for kids ages 6 and up, there are three different Playmaker Sets to collect. Oyo Sports is compatible with all major building set brands and has licensed product for MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA, and Euro Soccer.
The Machine Maker Cat Junior Operator Multi-Machines, from TOY STATE, features everything young engineers need to build three unique Cat machines: a dump truck, a wheel loader, and a bulldozer. When they’re looking for a special machine to get the job done, kids can mix and match the different parts to create their very own custom Cat machine. Designed for kids ages 3 and up, the set is equipped with a machine operator figure, a chunky screwdriver for easy take-apart play, and a reusable carrying case for storage.
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With the Mega Construx Lea’s 2-in-1 Rainforest Sanctuary, from MATTEL, kids can choose to build Lea’s Rainforest Sanctuary or her Animal Rescue. Designed for kids ages 8 and up, this set includes more than nine pets to take care of at the Sanctuary, which includes a haven where they can rest. Lea can check on all the animals at the pet vet, and Camilla can greet new patients at the entrance. If there are no animal friends in need, kids can rebuild the Sanctuary into the Animal Rescue, which includes a watchtower with a telescope. Lea can hop onto her ATV and take care of her animal friends at the mobile pet care tent, which includes a buildable pond.
The VEX Robotics BattleBots Tombstone, from HEXBUG, lets kids construct their own version of the champion robot from the BattleBots TV series. Designed for kids ages 8 and up, this set of snap-together pieces challenges kids to use STEM-based problem-solving skills to build up the bot, complete with realistic detail and a fully functioning spinning blade. This set teaches kids about advanced gearing techniques through hands-on building.
With the 8-in-1 Race Car kit from LASER PEGS’ Builder line, kids can build all eight of the models in this kit, including the Rally Car, F1 Racer, Modified Racer, the Land Speed, and more. Then, they can light up their creations to amp up the building experience. This set features 11 LEDs, 111 pieces, the new 2by4 Light Brick, and the new 6by10 Power Block.
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The K’NEX Imagine: Power & Play Motorized Building Set comes with a motor, 50 unique building ideas, and a reuseable storage box. Kids can use the included full-color instructions to construct models that move such as cars, planes, robots, and more, or use their imagination to create their own models. Designed for kids ages 7 and up, this set includes more than 530 classic made-in-the-U.S. pieces. Most models can be built one at a time.
Designed for kids ages 4 and up, the BRACKITZ Pulleys Set features pulleys, string, and a bucket so that kids can design and create zip lines, cranes, elevators, draw-bridges, and more. The set includes 77 pieces. Kids can go on a forest adventure with MAGFORMERS’ Log Cabin 87-piece Set as they create cabins, treehouses, and more. Designed for kids ages 3 and up, this set lets kids decorate the cabins by clipping in balconies and walls, adding windows and ladders, laying turf, building fences, and planting trees. Magformers will introduce Clicformers, which uses four different connection methods to click, stack, fold, and roll. Designed for kids ages 4 and up, the Basic 150-piece Set lets kids build vehicles, airplanes, animals, and more. Tile Blox Rainbow 104-piece Set features pieces in six different shapes and various colors and a magnetic play board so kids can build houses, rockets, animals, and more.Tile Blox Rainbow is designed for kids ages 3 and up.
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LITE POPPERS are sphere-shaped construction toys that are powered by a rechargeable USB base. Kids can light up their creations by touching the base, which will make it turn on, flash, and turn off. The car-themed 4-in-1 Lite Poppers kit includes four model builds with three characters from Popperville. Designed for kids ages 3 and up, all Lite Poppers kits are compatible with one another. Each kit has a comic book included with an adventurous storyline. Kids can build cars and spaceships to explore and can participate in activities such as theme model building, abstract modeling, 3-D puzzle building, and more. Kids’ cognitive development, math by grouping, and hand-eye coordination will improve through STEM education.
PLAY VISIONS introduces Liqui Fuze, which lets kids build by bonding the play pieces together with a little bit of water. The pieces can then be separated to use over again. In just three steps, kids can build tall towers, cars, or a mini playground. ARCKIT Cityscape lets builders create their own dream city. From developing suburban neighborhoods to downtown skyscrapers, and city parks to piazzas, designers can experience what it’s like to be an architect or a city planner. This set allows kids to create their own miniature model worlds complete with colorful components, inspired by iconic styles of world architecture.
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Designed for kids ages 5 and up, SMART TOYS & GAMES’ GeoSmart Moon Lander allows kids to construct the 31 pieces into a moon vehicle that can roll across surfaces via remote control. The set encourages kids to build and then see how their creation moves, developing their confidence and STEM skills.
PLAYMOBIL’s Pharaoh’s Pyramid features five chambers that hide precious treasures that are protected by tricky puzzles and sneaky traps. Kids can discover the room filled with jewels and golden riches or climb the stairs to enter the tomb chamber, complete with a mummy. They can remove the pyramid walls to discover even more ways to play, sneak through the revolving door, and watch out for hidden spiders and skeletons. Designed for kids ages 6 and up, this set includes three figures, a tomb, a mummy, two skeletons, treasures, spiders, fire pots, hieroglyphics, and other accessories.
Designed for kids ages 3 and up, Popoids, from KAHOOTZ TOYS, are the classic bend and pop building toy. The Popoids Deluxe 60-piece Set lets kids make wacky contraptions and crazy creatures. They can pop together the colorful tubes and connecters, then bend, twist, stretch, and squish to change their creation over and over again. With a fun popping sound, Popoids is the latest addition to the Romper Room collection of imaginative toys that stimulate and enrich creative play for young minds.
The Bamboo Builder Marble Runs line, from FAT BRAIN TOYS, is an eco-friendly marble run that kids can design and build. Each set features hand-crafted, carbonized tracks, colorful bamboo cylinders, and sustainable wood powder spirals that have a multi-functional variety of designs. The line includes 78- or 119-piece sets that feature basic towers, tracks, and a spiraling vortex. The 127-piece set features chimes that are activated as the marble rolls along. The 168-piece set comes with additional track and a second vortex. All the sets can be combined for the ultimate bamboo marble run metropolis. An included instruction book provides ideas for kids, or they can design their own tracks.
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SPOTLIGHT
AMLOID PREPARES FOR ITS SECOND CENTURY OF TOYS Amloid CEO MICHAEL ALBARELLI Chats with The Toy Book Amloid was founded in 1916. How does a company with a 100-year-old legacy keep its offerings modern and fresh? My great-grandfather started Amloid more than 100 years ago with the vision to create innovative, quality, affordable, and fun toys for children globally. He was a true pioneer in play and, with his foresight, Amloid was one of the first U.S. toy companies to use injection molding to manufacture its plastic toys in the 1940s, including the first plastic beach pails and netted beach play sets. Amloid still leads sand toys today with 1 billion beach shovels and pails sold to date. While our company may be more than a century old, the Amloid of today has the energy of a start-up. My brother Joseph and I have that same entrepreneurial spirit as our great-grandfather, and, under our leadership, Amloid will continue to push the limits of toy innovation and product development. We stay fresh by embracing current toy trends, working with cutting-edge designers, investing in the newest technologies from software to manufacturing infrastructure, licensing with innovation, and always keeping an eye out for the next “big thing.” Amloid is a key player in junior construction. What are your plans in this category? We introduced our Kids@Work brand in 2012 and are proud to say that within just five years, we have quickly become the third largest manufacturer of junior construction toys (NPD Insights 2016). Our building blocks are proudly stamped Kids@Work and are made with sturdier construction, brighter colors, and an impressive clutch factor. We’ve also partnered with iconic brands such as Crayola and Tonka to create co-branded, category-busting lines in this
Crayola brand or any entertainment property gives us differentiation and increases our value to consumers within the junior construction aisle. Crayola is a 132-yearold, parent-trusted brand that not only adds strength, but also allows us to merge classic Crayola Crayola Building Blocks activity play with clas80-piece Crayon Tubes sic construction build and play (e.g. including crayons, markers), for even more creativity. For this holiday, we’re excited to expand upon our line with Crayola and introduce our new Tonka Mighty Builders line, which combines construction build and play with role play and vehicle play. We are actively speaking with licensors to secure top-tier properties for construction and beyond.
space. We’ve had such tremendous success in junior construction that we’re also exploring other brick configurations for the junior age grade on up.
Amloid owns its own factories in Mexico. How does this offer you a competitive advantage in the marketplace? We are a vertically integrated supplier, which means we own our state-of-the-art factories and distribution centers, and our process is completely streamlined. This enables us to dependably deliver the best-quality products to the consumer at the most affordable price points, while still delivering the best
Crayola Building Blocks 2-in-1 Activity Table
margins to our retail partners. It also allows us to be nimble and more adaptable to the ever-changing retail landscape. We work with all mass-market retailers, value retailers, supermarkets, pharmacies, and warehouse clubs in more than 45 countries across six continents. How important is licensing to your overall product line? In construction, we are excited about our co-branded licensing strategy. Our Kids@Work Crayola Building Blocks line was introduced in fall 2015 with overwhelming market reception and success. Licensing the
What are your plans for the future? Amloid has become a full-fledged toy company, enjoying double-digit top-line growth year-over-year for the past eight years, with our most significant growth in 2017. Beyond sand and construction toys, we make outdoor, ride-on and role-play toys, and play sets—and we’re seriously investing in expansion. Joe and I come to work every day with that same passion that sparked our great-grandfather to make that very first plastic beach pail. We are honored to carry on the Amloid family toy tradition. There has truly never been a more exciting time for us and Tonka Mighty Builders 25-piece Amloid! » Tow ‘N Go Tuff Truck
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to the
Doll Category Becomes More Inclusive Than Ever Before by MADDIE MICHALIK, associate editor TOY MANUFACTURERS ARE TAKING THE first steps in what could be a great leap for the toy industry. Traditional dolls are now more relatable, diverse, and accessible than ever before. The doll category grew 6 percent from January to April 2017, outperforming growth of the same period last year, according to The NPD Group. Dolls, reaching total sales of nearly $600 million dollars for that period this year, grew faster than the total U.S. toy industry (4 percent) during the same time. The category is thriving thanks to an increase in options, from boy dolls to multicultural dolls. Today it’s more likely that kids can find a doll that resembles themselves in the toy aisles. It’s all about giving all kids more choices in their toys—which is exactly what consumers have been asking for. Doll manufacturers are recognizing that both girls and boys are enjoying their products, and are making steps to accommodate the needs of both genders. It’s certainly not the first time that we’re seeing boy dolls or ones that represent different ethnicities. But, this year, some of the major players in the toy industry, such as Mattel and Hasbro, are creating new dolls and adapting their current lines to give consumers more options.
STARTING OUT STRONG In February, Mattel’s American Girl brand introduced a new series of contemporary characters and stories for the year—including Logan Everett, the brand’s first 18-inch boy doll—in response to fan requests for more options. While Logan was launched as a supporting character and bandmate to the female Tenney Grant doll, the reveal solidified that 2017 was going to be a big year for the doll category. American Girl’s 2017 contemporary collection is made up of an all-star cast of aspirational characters for all kids, but the introduction of Logan sparked a pivotal conversation about providing kids with a more well-rounded world, allowing for more storytelling within their imaginative play. Logan was a welcome addition for girls and made a classic brand less intimidating for boys. And Logan is in good company. Additional boy dolls include PlayMonster’s Wonder Crew line. These dolls were designed specifically to develop emotional and social skills in boys. The diverse action dolls are dressed like superheroes and kids can wear matching capes and superhero accessories to embody the powers of their Wonder Crew friends. And now, American Girl is launching a new way for kids to customize their own dolls.
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The create-your-own experience will let kids design and create their own Truly Me doll from head to toe, including choosing unique face molds, skin tones, freckles, eye and hair colors, and extras such as earrings, hearing aids, glasses, braces, and more. Kids will have more than 1 million design combinations and can create their dolls at one of American Girl’s flagship stores or online. KEN GETS A MAKEOVER A familiar face helped further shape the doll category this year. Barbie was the No. 1 doll property from January to April, according to The NPD Group. “As with anything 58 years old, reinvention and progression is important,” says Michelle Chidoni, vice president, global communications at Mattel. “Barbie continues to be the No. 1 fashion doll brand in the world and we continue to work tirelessly to maintain her relevance and highlight the purpose she serves to those who play with her, as when a child plays with Barbie they imagine everything they can become.” This year, Mattel grew the Fashionistas brand with 15 new Ken dolls featuring three body types—slim, broad, and original—in a variety of skin tones, eye colors, and hairstyles, all sporting modern fashion looks.
Barbie Fashionistas
DOLLS every child needs—not only to build social connections, but also to feel empathy for others.” The company also offers dolls in various skin tones and sculpts, including boy dolls. “Adora is rebranding for 2018, where we will continue to be less gender specific and introduce new colors and patterns,” says Hazel.
Twenty-five new Barbie dolls also join the line this year, bringing more than 100 diverse looks and styles from which kids can choose. Last year, Mattel revolutionized the Fashionistas line with three new body types—tall, curvy, and petite—as well as a variety of skin tones, hairstyles, and outfits. The Fashionistas also feature seven skin tones, 22 eye colors, 24 hairstyles, and on-trend fashions and accessories. “The evolution of Fashionistas was well received by consumers, so evolving Ken was a natural next step in the brand’s evolution,” Chidoni says. Ken is now more accessible and relatable than ever before, and a lot of good came out of this huge reveal—including teaching body positivity for boys, expanding storytelling opportunities, and providing more play options for all kids. After all, at the end of the day, it’s all about play. Ken dolls now look like everyday people that you see on the street, from your trendy coworker to the person you follow on Instagram that has a man bun. “The Barbie design team is a group of talented designers who look to the fashion industry, pop culture, streetwear, and more to determine what styles and looks are of the moment. Each Barbie and Ken doll are designed to be a reflection of the times—10 years from now you can look at man bun Ken and know exactly what era he reflects,” says Chidoni.
In 2017, we are building on this and introducing several new dolls with unique personality traits, an expanded variety of skin tones and hair styles, and are even launching an adorable boy doll to the lineup,” says Harrington. Hasbro’s Baby Alive speaking dolls now have a “daddy” integrated play mode. The switch on each doll’s back lets kids change its interactive responses from “mommy” to “daddy.” For example, when Baby Alive Sweet Tears doesn’t feel well, the doll prompts kids to make her feel better. In the past, this nurturing play pattern has always been directed toward girls, but Hasbro recognizes that the industry—and consumers—are leaning away from this type of limited thinking. Toy companies are developing dolls to be more gender inclusive, which shows that there really don’t have to be “boy” aisles and “girl” aisles, just toys that are fun for all kids.
REFRESHING WHAT’S FAMILIAR Hasbro’s Baby Alive brand got a new look this year, featuring more gender-neutral packaging and less in-your-face pink and purple. The new look emphasizes the product’s play pattern more so than the gender of the child that “should” be playing with it. “With the exciting addition of the Sweet Tears Baby doll and the Snackin’ Luke doll, we wanted to modernize the brand by introducing a refreshed logo and new packaging better reflecting the inclusiveness of the brand by featuring both girls and boys,” says Kathleen Harrington, vice president, global brand strategy and marketing at Hasbro. Not only did the brand get a revamp, but the product lineup this year includes a more diverse range of dolls reflecting today’s kids and the world around them, according to Harrington. “Each doll is available in three ethnicities and all speaking dolls are bilingual.
GENDER NEUTRAL ACCESSORIES It’s not just the dolls themselves that are becoming more appealing to all kids. What the dolls wear, the different styles they represent, and accessories that are offered are just as crucial. This year also brings an exciting change not only to dolls, but also to doll accessories. Adora Doll launched gender-neutral accessories this year in a teal and grey zig zag pattern. The Zig Zag Accessories line includes a Medium Shade Umbrella Stroller, Diaper Bag, and Feeding Seat. “There was a huge consumer demand for accessories and toys that were a different color than pink. So, we explored the trends of today’s parents and designed accessories with a fun contemporary pattern,” says Saya Hazel, associate marketing manager at Adora. “To us, it doesn’t matter if your child is a boy or a girl. Nurturing skills are life skills that
Baby Alive My Snackin’ Luke
WHY NOW? Dolls have typically been geared toward a specific gender, but we’re seeing that change in a big way as the industry as a whole breaks down gender boundaries. Manufacturers are developing toys to be more inclusive. From Tonner Doll’s Jazz Jennings, the first doll based on a transgender teen, to Lottie Doll’s Wildlife Photographer Mia Doll, a doll with a cochlear implant, it’s imperative for kids to see themselves reflected in their dolls. Take Tree House Kids’ Backpets line, for example, a new doll line that teaches kids about diversity. Each doll in the line is from a different city around the world, and carries an animal best friend in a backpack wherever she goes. Every detail—from the dolls’ pets to what they wear—was carefully chosen to reflect their cultures, which will prompt kids to look up where the dolls come from and learn more about their different backgrounds. “Dolls are very influential things for kids and having a doll that can empower you to be something, to go places, and to see the world—I think that is inspiring,” says Johanna López-Falero, vice president of Tree House Kids. Diverse and innovative dolls will likely continue to contribute to rising doll sales throughout the rest of the year. Companies are making a conscious effort to show boys and girls that they can all play with the same toys—especially dolls. Kids want to play with toys that are just like them, and there’s no better time than now to give them that opportunity. » Maddie Michalik is an associate editor at Adventure Publishing Group, where she contributes to The Toy Book and The Licensing Book. She also reports on trends and news, and writes weekly product reviews for The Toy Insider.
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New from JAY@PLAY is Flip Zee Girls, a line that lets kids flip their plush from a baby to a big girl. Each Flip Zee Girl is two dolls in one and features colorful hair and wears a dress. The dolls come in six styles to collect, including Zara Flower, Zabrina Ballerina, Zandy Candy, Zoey Bear, Zana Strawberry, and Zuri Cat.
Shibajuku Girls, from HUNTER PRODUCTS, are trendy fashion dolls inspired by Japanese culture, Harajuku style, and some of Japan’s most fashion-forward districts. The dolls have soft, delicate details and innocent features, with a unique design and creative edge. The dolls feature vibrant hair colors, wear funky, on-trend outfits, and come styled with quirky hair accessories. Each doll has its own style from head to toe, including matching accessories that kids can wear to rock the Shibajuku look themselves. They have fully poseable bodies and stand 13 inches tall. Their glass eyes are surrounded by full and luscious eyelashes, giving them a realistic look. Suitable for kids ages 3 and up, the first wave of dolls includes Shizuka, Koe, Yoko, Suki, and Namika. Wave Two includes some of the dolls featured in Wave One, but with all new looks.
My Sibling doll
Each 18-inch My Sibling Doll, from LORETTAROSE LLC, represents a typically developing child who shares the story of what his or her life is like growing up with a sibling who has a developmental disability. Since there are many disabilities that can affect children and their siblings, each My Sibling doll introduces another situation from which kids can begin to understand their peers who learn and grow differently than they do. The dolls can be used for families and caregivers to help kids understand and deal with the challenges they face when a sibling is diagnosed with a disability, such as autism or Down Syndrome. Professionals in schools, daycare facilities, and religious or recreation organizations that work with typically and developmentally different children in the same environment can use the dolls to teach through play; as well as anyone who wants to facilitate kindness, understanding, and acceptance among children. My Pal Dolls and plush toys can be a companion for a special occasion, holidays, love of sports, civic interests, patriotism, school spirit, or everyday fun. They can also represent a child’s favorite causes, such as the environment or caring for people with developmental disabilities.
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Sea Iris, from AURORA WORLD, is an 18-inch Sea Sparkles mermaid with a Sea Shimmers design. The soft doll has pink and purple hair, a rainbow tail, and a bright silver crown. The Sirena soft doll, from the Sea Sparkles Sea Fairies line, is an 18-inch sea fairy mermaid that features fairy wings, purple hair, a shimmery pink and silver tail, and a silver dress. Kids can comb the soft hair of both mermaids. Sea Iris
DOLLS
JAKKS PACIFIC’s DC Dolls introduce toddlers to the world of DC Comics with adorable superhero dolls. Kids can enjoy superhero action and crime-fighting adventures with Batgirl, Supergirl, and Wonder Woman. Each doll is dressed in her iconic DC outfit with accessories and rooted hair for hair play. The dolls are designed for kids ages 3 and up.
HASBRO introduces two new dolls based on the new Descendants 2 movie. The Isle Style Switch Mal Doll lets kids turn Mal into a proper Lady of the Court in her Auradon look, or revert her back to her wicked ways with a twist of her hair back to Isle style. The Mal doll rocks two outfits and features movie-inspired fashion accessories. The Evie’s 4 Hearts Doll is named after the character’s fashion line in the Descendants 2 movie. Kids can use the gem applicator to add gems to the doll’s hair and clothes, and the gems are reusable so kids can design again. There are eight fashion pieces to customize looks for the Evie doll.
TECH 4 KIDS/THE BRIDGE DIRECT introduces a new doll line inspired by desserts. Popcakes Surprise dolls open to reveal a surprise character. There are 36 scented characters to collect, and the popping surprise is half the fun.
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New Cabbage Patch Kids and Adoptimals join WICKED COOL TOYS’ Cabbage Patch Kids line this year. Each new kid comes with a name, birth date, and its own birth certificate and adoption paper from BabyLand General Hospital. There are nine new fashion themes for kids to choose from. These new Cabbage Patch Kids feature a bracelet with a heart-shaped key that interacts with the new Adoptimals Pets. Four new styles join Adoptimals this year, including a French Bulldog, Dalmation, Bengal Kitty, and Siamese Kitty. The key unlocks the pets’ magical locket for lights and a heartbeat.
DOLLS Bottle Squad Dolls, from JAZWARES, are baby dolls that come with five-piece superhero costumes, drinking bottles, and matching masks. With original content launched this summer on Jaztoons and Kids TV YouTube channels, kids can get to know the characters and their unique super powers. The Bottle Squad doesn’t believe that you have to grow up to be a superhero.
SOPHIA’s offers two new pieces of convertible furniture and a compact table and chair set for 18-inch dolls and plush. The Pull Out Chair has white polka dots on pink fabric that unfolds to make a single bed. The Pull Out Sofa is a white lattice pattern on pink fabric that, when unfolded, creates a bed that will fit a doll and her dog. Both pieces have an oversized profile with rolled arms and a sculpted back, are very light weight due to the foam construction, and can be used for a variety of sized dolls and plush. A new table and chair set for 18-inch dolls is also available. This three-piece set has a small footprint making it easy to store. Pink chair seats add a bit of color against the white table and the scrolled feet and scalloped chair backs are details that complement the simplicity of the design.
MATTEL launched Enchantimals, a new line of dolls that share a special bond with their accompanying animal bestie. The Doll and Animal Friend Assortment features dolls and animal friends themed as a bunny, fox, skunk, peacock, koala, and lamb. Each of the 6-inch dolls wears a colorful outfit with floral prints, furry touches, and matching shoes, and has rooted hair, animal-inspired ears, and themed headpieces. Additional whimsical features include brightly colored hair, animal facial features, and unique accents, while the animal friends have cute touches of their own, such as a flower detail in their hair or a soft bit of furry texture. The line also includes the Playhouse Panda Set with Prue Panda Doll and Panda Friend, Built for Two, and Fruit Card play sets.
Pull Out Sofa ToddlerTime Bubba Bear
ADORA DOLL’s new ToddlerTime Babies are made of fresh baby powder-scented vinyl with a moveable head, arms, and legs. The dolls have weighted bodies and come with a diaper for realistic play to develop social skills while engaging in nurturing play. TodderTime Babies have hand-painted faces and hand-applied eyelashes. The dolls joining the line this year include Babies Macaraccoon, Hearts Aflutter, Sweet Cheeks, Bubba Bear, and Jolie. Adora’s PlayTime Baby Gift Set includes the 13-inch PlayTime Baby doll and 11 accessories— including a diaper bag, a pink ruffle dress, white pantaloons, and more—kids can use to properly care for their dolls. The exclusive GentleTouch vinyl has a fresh baby powder scent, and the body is cuddly and smooth. The doll can sit up and has eyes that open and close.
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Treexies, from GAIA TREE TOYS, are all-natural, rubber dolls made by sustainably harvesting the sap from the Hevea Brasiliensis tree. Suitable for all ages, the dolls are 100-percent nontoxic, PVC and BPS free, and don’t contain any BPA or phthalates. The dolls wear cotton clothes and are biodegradable.
Cupcake Surprise dolls, from SUNNY DAYS ENTERTAINMENT, are two-in-one princesses that feature sweet scents. The princess dolls each don a sparkly gown and a decorative bonnet, which transform into a sugary treat with a flip. Designed for kids ages 3 and up, Cupcake Surprise dolls come in 12 styles and six scents for kids to collect. Each doll also comes with a hairbrush.
JC TOYS’ Berenguer Boutique line features 15-inch, softbody dolls with vinyl limbs and eyes that open and close. Each doll is dressed in a one-piece outfit. New for this year, a blue version of the Pink Boutique gift set is available. The set includes a Boutique Soft Body doll and accessories such as a realistic bottle, a pacifier, a rattle, feeding accessories, and an extra outfit.
The You Are a Princess doll line, from PAMSON ENTERPRISES, allows kids to dive into their imaginations and create a unique character, identity, and backstory for their doll. Designed for kids ages 3 and up, each doll features a “create and design” your own story and coloring book, providing a place for kids to be creative. The dolls are available in small and large sizes, and each comes with a patented doll stand.
SNAPTOYS presents its line of plush dolls, Party-Jammies. Every day is a slumber party with this line of four 12-inch soft dolls: Penny, Bonnie, Terry, and Bree. Each doll comes with stylish hair, a matching comb with hair clips, and trendy, animal-themed onesies with removable hoods. For kids ages 3 and up, these huggable plush dolls make perfect slumber party companions. The line also includes a pop-up tent.
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ALPHA GROUP U.S. launched a line of fashion dolls based on the series Regal Academy. The dolls are designed for kids ages 5 and up and are dressed in stylish outfits with a fashion bag accessory. Rose, the granddaughter of Cinderella is dressed in her signature shoe-inspired top and skirt; Astoria, granddaughter of Rapunzel, has long hair to help her perform magical spells; and Joy, the granddaughter of the Frog Prince, wears her favorite outfit with frog-green accents.
JUST PLAY’s Disney Descendants 2: 28-inch Isle Dolls let kids mix and match their dolls’ looks. Sold separately as Uma, Mal, and Evie, each doll has poseable arms, comes dressed in her outfit from the new movie, and includes wear-and-share accessories and sticker tattoos. Mal wears her signature purple jacket, Evie has her iconic red gloves; and Uma comes with her scally-wag pirate hat. Sporting her signature oversized yellow bow, the 10-inch JoJo Siwa Singing Doll sings her song, “Boomerang.” The doll features poseable arms and legs and comes with a pink microphone and a hairbrush.
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Luvabella, from SPIN MASTER, is a lifelike baby doll that shows affection with facial expressions. Her beautiful expressive face shows authentic movement and emotions. The doll can laugh, blink, purse her lips, and more. Kids can care, nurture, and play with Luvabella using her three interactive accessories and pacifier. From feeding time with her spoon, play time with her Lamby, to nap time with her bottle, Luvabella will respond with natural reactions. The more kids play and care for the doll, the more she learns.
To mark the Kenya doll brand’s 25th anniversary this year, SMART ZONE presents the Gold-N-Glitzy line. The dolls include Kenya and her baby sister Keyara. Each of the dolls in the line features golden fashions and gold-plated accessories to match. All of the Kenya brand dolls come in three skin tones—light brown, medium brown, and dark brown—three styles, and three hair colors. Kids can put braids, twists, and golden beads in their dolls’ hair.
DOLLS
DOUGLAS CO.’s Mermaids line expands with a 30-inch version of Ciara the Aqua Mermaid, formerly available in a 15-inch size. The doll’s plush body has a textured tail with translucent blue organza fins. She wears an organza ruffle at her mid-section and an aqua plush bikini top, a seashell crown embellished with an aqua jewel, and hair in shades of platinum blonde and aqua. The Mermaid Assortment includes three styles of 12-inch mermaids in aqua blue, pink, and rainbow. Each has a seashell crown and two-toned brushable hair pulled to the side in ponytails.
Backpets bring together kids from all over the world from differing backgrounds with a universal theme: their love of animals. This new line from TREE HOUSE KIDS introduces kids to authentic characters from a number of cultures from around the world. The doll’s outfit, hair, and customs, as well as their animal friends, represent where they’re from. Each doll carries her pet in a backpack wherever she goes, and each pet has its own personality and characteristics, making it as unique as its “human.” Each pet also has a home that reflects its taste, species, and culture. The homes can be connected and interchanged to create an entire pet community. Featuring fashion, hair play, plush, and more, Backpets are designed to positively reflect foreign cultures and traits while reinforcing and promoting their own unique identities. Mermaid Assortment
PLAYMONSTER’s Wonder Crew Buddies are designed to empower boys to connect, nurture, and build empathy through friendship, imagination, and adventure. Wonder Crew fills a hole in the market by offering a toy that helps boys develop their emotional maturity, including compassion and kindness. Combining the adventure of an action figure with the emotional connection of a stuffed animal, 15-inch Wonder Crew Buddies include Will, Marco, James, and Erik. Each comes dressed in superhero gear, complete with a matching mask and cape for kids to wear. Wonder Crew also offers three Adventure Packs: Builder includes a construction outfit and hard hat for the buddy and a matching vest for kids; Explorer features a safari-themed outfit with a hat and a matching hat for the buddy; and Snuggler includes a set of pajamas for the buddy and a blanket for kids. Each is sold separately.
Peggy Ann
GREAT PRETENDERS’ Bonikka line this year includes the Lulu Collection, a huggable collection of big sister and little sis dolls in two separate sizes, and sporting matching outfits and hairstyles. Their dresses are removable and machine washable. The line also includes the Peggy Ann doll, which sports a pink and grey machine-washable outfit.
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LOVE WHAT YOU DO? PASS IT ON The Importance of Mentorship
by WENDY SMOLEN, founder, wendysmolen.com THE RECENTLY CELEBRATED TAKE Your Child to Work Day reminded me how important it is for adults to share what they do for a living with kids. (It also reminded me of the days when it was called Take Your Daughter to Work Day, but that’s another article!) We are part of an industry in which five generations are working at the same time— sometimes even at the same company. There are boomers (ages 53 to 71), Gen Xers (ages 37 to 52), millennials (ages 20 to 36), plus the revered silent generation (ages 72 to 89), and ambitious Gen Zs (age 20 and younger). I’ve written before about how much the older and wiser generation can benefit from the younger, but the inverse is also true. In the same way that a parent’s role is to teach his or her children, we also need to teach incoming generations. Mentoring a less experienced worker can impart invaluable lessons, pass on coveted traditions, encourage innovation, keep the toy industry vital, and make both the mentor and mentee feel good. A few months ago, I caught up with Danielle Gillis, my very first assistant at Nick Jr. in the ‘90s, who told me, “You brought me with you to Toy Fair and taught me how to evaluate products. You gave me the freedom to produce shoots, book celebrities, and work on articles in a high-level way. Your support gave me a sense of fearlessness that I’ve carried with me all the way through to today.” Danielle recently started her own animation company, Take the Cake Productions. Her first client was the Boston Red Sox—and I couldn’t be prouder! Author, speaker, and leadership coach Dennis C. Miller, who overcame childhood adversity and rose to the top of corporate ranks, concurs. “No one succeeds in business completely by themselves. My mentors were extremely important. Mentoring others is now my opportunity to give back. It’s the right thing to do. And, it makes me appreciate
myself,” she says. “One of the simplest tips I give mentees,“ says Miller, “is to ask for advice, not a job. People (including me) love to be flattered. It gives the mentor a chance to shine, and hopefully, the mentee will listen.” Last year, I mentored a college intern who was so passionate about the toy industry, I couldn’t wait to take her to Toy Fair, where she sponged up the people, the products, and the vibe. She’s now working for a toy public relations agency. In February, she sent me an email thanking me for guiding her through her first Toy Fair, saying, ”It’s because of that experience that I am so looking forward to the show this weekend.” When I ran into her on the Javits floor, it was my turn to thank her for making me feel so good. Great mentoring is a two-way street. It’s also prudent to seek mentors at every point in one’s career. Experience, contacts, and context—the key assets a mentor can provide—are valuable at all times. “Mentors can be important in helping with early learning and growth throughout your career, “ advises George Bradt, chairman of PrimeGenesis and author of The New Leader’s 100-Day Action Plan and FirstTime Leader. “Don’t ever ‘settle’ in a position. Seek mentors that keep you moving forward.” But, even at the top, Bradt recommends finding a mentor, albeit it could be someone you think of
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as a kid. (Or even a real kid!) “Leaders’ mentors should be people with complementary perspective and experience,” he says. “If your mentor is just like you, you’ll hear things you already know. If your mentor is different, you’ll hear different things. This is where ‘reverse mentoring’ comes in. Some of the people with valuable complementary perspectives and experience may be younger than the people they are mentoring. That’s beyond fine to wonderful.” Both Bradt and Miller agree that attitude is a key factor in successful mentoring. The mentor has to truly find happiness in helping others succeed; the mentee has to have an open mind and desire to learn. If you’re like me, and wish that 20 years ago you knew what you know today, share it! Let’s not let youth be wasted on the young. » Wendy Smolen has spent more than 20 years playing in the toy industry. She cofounded Sandbox Summit, an idea forum focused on the intersection of play, learning, and technology. Currently, she works with companies and organizations to create playful solutions that engage kids and families in innovative and impactful ways.
SPOTLIGHT
TOY STATE PLANS FOR GROWTH AND EXPANSION BEYOND VEHICLES Toy State President ANDY FRIESS Chats with The Toy Book Toy State is well known as an industry leader in the lights and sounds and R/C toy categories. How are you planning to expand your portfolio? We’re proud Toy State has become the industry leader in toy vehicles, and we look forward to leading in that category for years to come. With that said, Toy State sees opportunities in non-vehicle categories where our expertise would be a perfect fit. I’m excited to bring the Toy State “magic” to additional retail aisles! Why is now the right time for Toy State to invest in new growth areas? It’s been discussed internally for the past couple of years, but after the addition of newly expanded marketing and development teams with a broad range of multi-category expertise, we know the time to take action is now! Toy State remains passionate about toy vehicles, and will work to fortify our leadership in the lights and sound and R/C categories. We are building resources and developing a team that positions us to achieve the success and growth levels that Toy State ownership and executive leadership has charted. The acquisition of Nikko in 2014 and our entry into the more techbased drone segment and partnership with DRL were major steps in this plan. Toy State is excited to discover the right opportunities that showcase everything we have to offer.
How will Toy State’s current strength areas translate to success in new categories? We work every day to justify being called “the state of imagination.” This view embodies the innovation and creativity that goes into all aspects of our business: marketing, design, development, manufacturing, and sales. I truly feel that Toy State possesses as strong of a team as you’ll find in the toy industry and, when given the opportunity, will excel in any category we enter. Additionally, our ownership of the manufacturing process through Toy State-owned facilities creates efficiencies and development advantages that truly set Toy State apart as a partner. We are a driven, proactive company with aggressive ownership that’s willing to invest in our continued success and growth. Based on conversations during the past several months, I’m confident we will soon earn the opportunity to secure rights in new categories and develop lines that show the full breadth of what Toy State can bring to the table. Toy State is a licensee for major toy brands, including Caterpillar and The Walt Disney Co. How will your plans for expansion allow you to develop new partnerships? Strong licensing partnerships drive growth and success for many consumer products companies and retailers globally, and Toy State’s business is no different.
We are fortunate to have successful relationships with major entertainment and lifestyle properties, including global icons such as Caterpillar, Hot Wheels, Marvel, Barbie, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, to name a few. As we demonstrate our capabilities outside of vehicles, I’m confident that we will work even more deeply with these valued partners, and develop new partnerships worldwide. What does the future hold for Toy State? Where do you expect the company to be in five years? Our goal is to be a major player in multiple toy categories within the next two to three years, and I truly believe that is Toy State’s future. Dolls, figures, role play, accessories, etc.—we have the team and resources in place to successfully concept, develop, market, and manufacture lines in these and other key toy categories. Toy State wants to be leading the discussions for master toy partner rights on key licensed properties. We’re focused on being seen as a company that serves multi-category needs to licensors, retailers, and consumers. We’ve already taken many important steps toward realizing that goal and are extremely excited about what the future holds! »
Clockwise from top left: Rolling Activity Toy, Machine Maker Apprentice Dump Truck, Web Wheelie R/C, and Race Vision 220 FPV Pro.
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A WINNING CATEGORY A Look at What’s Trending on the Tabletop
by MARY COUZIN, CEO and Founder, Chicago Toy & Game Group THE GAMES CATEGORY CONTINUES TO grow year after year, with an increase of 21 percent in 2016 according to The NPD Group. That percentage would probably be even higher if crowdfunded and hobby games were included, as both of those segments also continue to rise. Although in past articles I’ve included crowdfunding, gamification, and game cafés as trends in the games category, they’ve grown to the point where they are now stable, vital parts of this category. These segments continue to bring more adults—especially millennials—“to the table” and they are here to stay. In addition to these now evergreen trends, there are some new reasons why gaming is so hot. So pop the popcorn— here we go!
STREAM
Science, technology, robotics, engineering, arts, and math (STREAM) is still a rising trend in the games industry, with lots of
new titles teaching kids the basics of these subjects. Some people put the physi-digital games (digital integration or app-enabled games) into a separate category, but it makes sense to include them under the “T” for technology here. And, as strategy games make their way into schools, they fall into this category as well. Coding games are obviously part of this “T” category. Ten-year-old Samaira Monica, developer of Coder BunnyzToys and media sensation, says, “Board games that teach code are a means of empowering boys and girls.” A few examples of other games that fall under the other letters of the STREAM acronym include: Sapphiro (Mindware), Oregon Trail (Pressman), Wiggle Waggle Whiskers and Kanoodle Jr. (Educational Insights), Slide Blast (Foxmind), Go Nuts for Donuts (Gamewright), Codenames (Czech Games), Beasts of Balance (Sensible Objects), Rocket Lander (Griddly
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Games), Kingdomino (Blue Orange), Maze (Seedling), Terraforming Mars (Stronghold Games), and Word Slam (Thames & Kosmos). According to game inventor Peggy Brown, STEM, STEAM, and STREAM would elongate even further if STREAMISG were an actual word. The “I” stands for “innovation,” and is apparent in games like Steampunk Rally (Roxley), which tap players’ problem-solving and creative skills. “S” is for “storytelling,” which is more diverse and stronger than ever with far too many deep and interesting narratives in new games to list here. The “G” is for “girls.“ Watch for the availability of games with female heroines and main characters to increase—perhaps more of a prediction than a trend, but either way, it’s about dang time.
Portable Games
Parents and millennials alike frequently toss smaller games in a bag to play on the road or in public spaces. Some retailers believe the increase in sales for these types of games is partly a reflection of price pressure on bigger ticket items from online discounters. Microgames and portable games include lots of re-releases and popular card games from multiple manufacturers, such as PDQ (Gamewright re-release), Link ‘Em (Getta1Games), Happy Salmon (North Star), Top Trumps Presidents (Winning Moves UK), Not Parent Approved (Not Parent Approved), Anaxi Word Game (Funnybone Toys), Fidgitz (ThinkFun), 7 Ate 9 (PlayMonster), and Word-a-Melon (Bananagrams).
Skill and Action Games
sparking big laughs with kids, parents, and even grandparents. The internet often drives the popularity of many of these games. After all, who hasn’t seen a Pie Face video of someone getting pelted in the face with whipped cream? This year, look out for Watch Ya’ Mouth Throwdown (Buffalo Games), Toilet Trouble (Hasbro), Who’s the Dude? (Identity Games), Blast Box (Zing), and Utter Nonsense (Utter Nonsense).
Cooperative and Escape Room Games
Adult Party Games
The best thing about skill and action games is that they are not just for kids. Games that are easy enough for kids to engage with, yet challenging and exciting enough for adults to enjoy, spark multi-generational play, bringing the whole family together. Skill and action games that everyone can get in on include Catch the Fox (Goliath), Mr. Bucket (Pressman), Tricky Trunks (Blue Orange), Klask (Buffalo Games), Nibbled (Winning Moves), Soggy Doggy (Spin Master), Ice Cool (Brain Games), Yeti in My Spaghetti (PlayMonster), and Split Second (Ideal).
Cooperative games take competition out of the mix, and instead challenge players to work together. Peaceable Kingdom is known for its high-quality, highly adorable cooperative games, including some newer titles, such as Blue Plate Scramble, Monkey Around, and Bunny Bedtime. Some other suggestions for children’s cooperative games include Hamster Clan (Haba), Powerpuff Girls: Saving Townsville Before Bedtime (Pressman), The Mysterious Forest (Iello Games), and Outfoxed! (Gamewright). Escape room board games are a new type of cooperative game that emerged from the experiential, theater-like gaming experiences sweeping the nation. Now, there’s even a gaming and escape room conference, though no one can figure out how to escape it—just kidding! Game manufacturers are cranking out new escape room titles to bring this fun experience right to consumers’ homes. New to the category is Kosmos with a line of games called Exit. There are three games in the Exit series thus far: The Abandoned Cabin, The Secret Lab, and The Pharaoh’s Tomb.
Make an Ass of Yourself
Check your pride at the door, because the trend of making an ass of yourself for the sake of the laughs is big in games this year! From trying to speak with dental retractors in your mouth to cracking eggs full of water over your head, there are so many games in this silly category. And, I love that these games are often inter-generational,
Not happy-go-lucky party games for adults, but games that should be rated “Adult” are hot and heavy: This genre rose 138 percent last year. Cards Against Humanity may have kicked it off, but now there are almost as many titles available as there are Kama Sutra positions. Just to name a few that are doing well: Shit Happens (Goliath Games), 5 Second Rule Uncensored and Game of Nasty Things (PlayMonster), Midnight Taboo (Hasbro), Spaceteam (Timber & Bolt), That Was Awkward (Endless Games) and Would You Rather…? Filthy Edition (Spin Master).
Blogs, Podcasts, and Interviews
Not only do people love to play games, they love to talk about them, read about them, and listen to other people talk about them. There is no shortage of blogs, podcasts, or interviews about board games and their inventors, which are great for generating more consumer interest. And more pop up every day as more people play and want to share their experiences. One of the best is The Game Aisle by Kim Vandenbroucke, which you can find at thegameaisle.com. She’s an inventor, too, so she often gives inside scoops.
In-Store Events
Yes, in-store events are trending in the games world. Linda Schmidt, owner of Cat & Mouse Game Store in Chicago, says that publishers are promoting organized play for board games. They’re creating kits for
their top games that can be used to run in-store events and include goodies such as special promo items. They are also generally making demo copies of games easier for brick-and-mortar stores to get their hands on. I’ve been saying this for years, and I’ll never tire of saying it: board games are HOT! Companies are being more innovative, which is a rising trend in and of itself. More retailers are carrying games, more companies are taking innovation risks, and those risks appear to be paying off in spades. The variety is wide in terms of level of difficulty, theme, shape, mechanics, and age range of players, and showcases incredibly creative innovation across the board (pun intended)! And as I firmly believe, anything that brings people of all types to the table together makes this world a friendlier, better place. Score! »
Mary Couzin is CEO and founder of the Chicago Toy & Game Group, with a mission of promoting the importance of play through hosting consumer, fashion, inventor, and media events. Events include Chicago Toy & Game Fair, Inventor and Innovation Conferences, Toy & Game Innovation Awards, PlayCHIC Fashion Show, Young Inventor Challenge, and more.
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ALEX BRANDS expands the Ideal line of games with 4-Way Spelldown. Designed for two to four players ages 6 and up, the game challenges kids to pop it, flip it, and spell it. The game includes a wooden board, flipping letter tiles, and a center dice popper. One player rolls the dice and flips his or her letters to try to make words with the dice letters. The first player to flip all of his or her letter tiles is the winner.
“What Letter Do I Start With?” is a new addition to EPOCH EVERLASTING PLAY’s Game Zone brand. The educational game is designed for two to four players ages 6 and up, and includes four double-sided game boards, 40 playing chips, and 26 playing cards. The objective of the game is to be the first player to place all 10 of his or her color pieces on the board. Players are encouraged to think creatively; for example, a picture of an airplane can be used with the letter “A” for airplane, the letter “P” for propeller, or the letter “W” for wing.
Designed for players ages 9 and up, EDGE INNOVATIONS’ Bottle Flip The Game brings the art of bottle flipping into a high-energy board game. Players earn points and move along the board by completing individual challenges, face-to-face “Flip Offs,” and group “All Out Flip Outs.” Players can even come up with their own custom challenges. The game features 120 challenges, a starter bottle, and more. Bottle Flip The Game is made in the U.S.
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In Say It... Don’t Spray It!, from ANKER PLAY PRODUCTS, players must try to read the tongue-twisting phrases with a mouth piece in and see how many phrases their team can correctly guess before the timer runs out. The team with the most correct phrases after the final round wins the game. The game includes 200 game cards (including some “create your own” cards), eight mouth pieces, a sand timer, and a score card.
Despicable Me 3 Linked Up Game, from WONDER FORGE, is a game of making connections, featuring Gru, Dru, the Minions, and more. Players ages 6 and up start with four links and play them on the board to connect the dots. For each connection players make, they earn cards. Kids can collect more links, play skillfully, and thwart their opponents to get ahead. The first player to complete a set of cards is the winner.
Boom Blast Stix, from MOOSE GAMES, is an explosive, high-stakes stacking game for kids ages 6 and up. The game features sensitive, interlocking springs that, when stacked together, can go off at any time, testing players’ mental and physical skills and ultimately, their nerves. In this suspense-filled family game, each player takes a turn by locking their Stix piece, and carefully setting it down, one-by-one, to build a stack. The player who places his or her Stix piece down and causes the stack to explode, loses.
PLAYMONSTER’s Ultra Dash challenges players to race to match the color of the flashing light on their tagger to the color of the targets, which they can place all around any room. The game is new each time kids play because the order of color flashes randomizes, plus kids can rearrange their target course however they want. Ultra Dash has three game modes: Beat the Clock is a race to hit all five targets and see which player is the fastest; Target Tally allows players to choose their time and then race to see how many targets they can hit in that time; and Relay Race pits two teams against each other, with each player racing to hit five targets and then passing their tagger to the next player. Ultra Dash is designed for kids ages 6 and up.
Designed for players ages 7 and up, RAVENSBURGER’s Pictopia: Harry Potter Edition is the ultimate picture-trivia family game. Players can showcase their knowledge of J.K Rowling’s Wizarding World when they encounter 1,000 picture trivia questions featuring the iconic characters, extraordinary places, magical creatures, and enchanted objects from the epic Harry Potter movies. It’s a game of teamwork, but with a competitive twist. Players work together or alone to wager points and answer questions. How many points players wager depends on how well they think they know the pictures on the card before they hear the question. The game also features guess-my-answer questions that reveal how much players know about each other, bringing a new social element to the game.
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GAMES
Designed by Matt Leacock, Mole Rats in Space, from PEACEABLE KINGDOM, takes place in a space station far from Earth. In the game, a team of Mole Rats are busy at work when a band of snakes infiltrates their station. Two to four players ages 7 and up work together to help the Mole Rats gather their equipment and make it to their escape pod before time runs out. Players can climb the ladders and slip down air shafts, but they must be careful not to get bitten by the snakes.
Anyone can get soaked in Wacky Waterworks, from THE BRIDGE DIRECT. Players ages 4 and up roll the die, pump the hydrant, and press the button. If the player manages to stay dry, he or she moves ahead one space. If the player gets sprayed, he or she must move back one space. The first player to reach the finish line wins.
SMARTGAMES’ Snow White is a logic game featuring the classic tale with a few twists and turns. Players use logic to place the game characters in a vertical 3-D house according to increasingly challenging rules. The game features familiar characters, including dwarves, a witch, and Snow White, all huddled around a forest cottage. The puzzle challenge also includes a family-friendly picture book.
In THAMES & KOSMOS’ Word Slam, two teams of players ages 12 and up each select a storyteller. The two storytellers are given the same answer term. Playing at the same time, they must give word-based clues to help their respective teams correctly guess the answer—but it’s not that easy. Speaking and acting is absolutely forbidden for the storytellers. They must tell their stories using only 105 cards, each with one word on it: a noun, a verb, an adjective, or a preposition. The storyteller must be creative in using this limited vocabulary to tell the story, and the team members must think quickly and nimbly to interpret the story cards. The team that correctly guesses the answer first gets a point, and the team with the most points at the end of the game wins.
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Codenames: Disney Family Edition, from USAOPOLY, combines the hit social word game with some of Disney’s most beloved properties from the past 90 years. Two Cluemasters give one-word clues to help their teammates identify the Disney characters, locations, and items from a grid of Disney Treasure cards. Designed for two to eight players ages 8 and up, the game includes both pictures and words to challenge Disney fans.
Monopoly Advance to Boardwalk, from WINNING MOVES GAMES, was originally introduced in 1985 as the first-ever Monopoly spin-off. Players compete to build multi-level, high-rise hotels along the historic seaside boardwalk. The player with the most valuable property portfolio wins. Designed for two to four players ages 8 and up, the game includes a bi-fold gameboard, 80 hotel units, three dice, 20 property cards, 28 fortune cards, and four plastic tokens.
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Beasts of Balance, from SENSIBLE OBJECTS, is a new interactive game that tests players’ stacking abilities. Kids will build the tower, connect each piece to the play plinth, and watch the creatures come to life on screen through a connected app that uses innovative augmented reality (AR) technology. Beasts of Balance is designed for kids ages 8 and up.
Blast Box, from ZING, is a balloon explosion game that combines both suspense and strategy. Players begin by blowing up one balloon for each player using the included inflator. Next, they tuck the balloons under the Blast Box. Players then use the spinner (or the free Blast Box app, available on iOS and Andriod) to determine how many pins to hammer into the box. Players must choose their pin placement carefully or else one of the balloons will pop and they’ll be blasted out of the game. The player to successfully avoid popping a balloon is the winner.
Talking Crap, from THE HAYWIRE GROUP, is a new adult party game in which players create raunchy, hilarious sentences using the game’s suggestive cards. Players vote for their favorite outrageous sentence by awarding the creator “Give a Crap” tokens. The game is designed for players ages 17 and up.
In Soggy Doggy, from SPIN MASTER, players race around the board washing Soggy Doggy, but watch out—if he shakes, a player gets a little wet and must return to the start. The first to make it around the board to the doggy basket wins the game. Soggy Doggy is designed for two to four players ages 4 and up.
Break Free, from YULU, is a new, challenging action skill game full of suspense. First, players ages 6 and up handcuff themselves together and insert a maze into each handcuff. The game includes three maze colors, each of which represents a different level of difficulty. Using the lock pick, players must try to pick the lock on their handcuffs as quickly as possible. The first player to break free from his or her handcuff receives a token that corresponds with the maze color. There are points on the back of each token, and the player with the most points after playing all three rounds wins the game.
Watch Ya' Mouth Throwdown, from BUFFALO GAMES, is a mouthguard party game that pits players against one another in a head-to-head competition of skill and audacity. A companion to the Watch Ya Mouth game, which originally launched on Kickstarter, Throwdown goes beyond simply attempting to read and interpret phrases, and encourages players to compete in more than 100 unique challenges while hampered by cheek retractors. Players ages 8 up can roll the challenger dice to determine who their opponent will be, draw a challenge card from the deck, and follow the instructions. The game includes four large and two small dishwasher-safe mouthpieces, as well as straws, noisemakers, balls, and more for the challenges.
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GAMES Smart Toys
Squawk, from MATTEL, is designed for kids ages 4 and up. This light-hearted game challenges kids to take turns pressing the chicken and listening for the “Squawk.” If the hen house opens, the chicken will lay an egg that the player can crack open. If the token inside lands chick side up, that player keeps the token. The player with the most chick tokens wins.
MINDWARE’s Twangled challenges kids to stretch, laugh, think, and communicate. To play, kids grab the bands and stand in a circle. Players take turns kicking the spinner and following the instructions, stepping over or under a specified band color. With each spin, the group becomes more and more tangled up. Then, players work together to untangle themselves and return to their starting positions. Designed for kids ages 6 and up, this team-building game develops problem-solving skills.
Who’s The Dude, from IDENTITY GAMES, is a 30-minute timed game that challenges players to divide into two (or more) teams and try not to laugh out loud as they pick a card and then act out the charade using the included Dude blow-up doll. For example, players can pose the life-sized Dude as the Statue of Liberty, or slap some imaginary handcuffs on his hands behind his back to get teammates to guess “police officer.” Designed for players ages 16 and up, each boxed game includes an inflatable Dude, 440 charades, and 50 score sheets.
HASBRO’s line of Pie Face games expands with Pie Face Sky High. Inspired by the strong man carnival games, the game features a 3-foot-tall face mask and “pie slammer hammer” for silly, competitive pie-in-the-face fun. To start, one player stands behind the life-sized mask as the other player winds up, swings the hammer, and hits the target. If the player hits the target hard enough the arm will trigger, sending whipped cream into his or her opponent’s face. The game is designed for players ages 5 and up.
KD GAMES’ Farty Franny is an interactive game that’s silly and suspenseful. The game comes with a Franny the cow figurine that sits in the center of the spinner. Each player takes a turn spinning the spinner and following the command on which it lands. If a player lands on the tail icon, he or she must lift Franny’s tail—she might just moo, but she might fart, too. If she farts, the player takes a fly. The player with the least number of flies at the end of the game is the winner. Designed for two to four players ages 4 and up, Farty Franny takes about 15 minutes to play.
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The
T S I S E R T ’ KIDS CAN U.S. Manufacturers Jump on the Squishies Toy Trend
by KELLY CORBETT, editorial contributor SOMETIMES, BIGGER ISN’T ALWAYS better. This year’s hottest toys haven’t revolved around high-tech gizmos or gadgets that excited the masses, but rather tactile, pocket-sized playthings kids can buy with allowance money. We saw slime, we saw fidget spinners, and now we have a new contender that’s destined to squeeze its way to the top of kids’ holiday wish lists this year: squishies.
Squishies are soft, handheld toys that look like desserts or whimsical animal friends, and, as the name notes, they’re meant for squishing. Get a hold of one of these smooshy toys and you’ll feel the ultra soft material, witness the slow-rising action after being compressed, and fancy the fun themes and colors. Similar to the fidget spinner craze, lots
of international companies are cranking out squishies. But now, U.S. retailers and manufacturers are rising to the squishy occasion. ORB unveiled its Soft’n Slo Squishies line to the public on July 15,
Squish Dee-Lish, by JAKKS PACIFIC, combines animals and sweet treats into one squishy. Think: panda on top of pancakes, a sherbet bird, and a pear bear. Jakks will also unveil a licensed Squish Dee-Lish line featuring Shopkins characters. Squish Dee-Lish are designed for kids ages 6 and up.
Emzo’s Kawaii Squeezies, from NEW DIMENSIONS, are sold in five different series, and include a keepsake-style box. Series include: Classic (a line of characters unique just to Emzo’s), Food, Pets, Woman’s Accessories, and Mythical Creatures. Emzo’s Kawaii Squeezies are designed for kids ages 4 and up.
reaching the shelves of smaller toy chains first, which are now having trouble keeping them in stock. “Our quantities went quickly from ordering 120 [squishies] to 1,000,” said Christine Osbourne, owner of Wonder Works Toys, a toy store chain in South Carolina. Currently, she’s having squishies delivered via air freight to keep up with consumer demand. “They’re addicting,” says Osbourne. “There’s no downfall to it —it’s like holding a stress ball,” she says. Yet this squishy phenomenon didn’t just skyrocket overnight. Squishies have been making a name for themselves online for years. Videos of these squishy, slow-rising toys popped up on YouTube a few years ago, and have since generated millions of views. SoooKawaiii, a Youtuber based in Canada, spotted the trend on YouTube and decided to launch her own channel around squishies in 2015. She started making videos with mini squishies, and, as the trend ballooned, her following did the same with
now nearly 400,000 subscribers—all captivated by the squish. While she has since branched off to feature other toys, such as handmade slime, SoooKawaii says squishies still rank first with her audience. “I believe it’s just the excitement different types of squishies bring, and how I react to them,” she says. “They are fun to collect, stress-relievers, and great toys to keep your mind off of your everyday tasks.” With videos like SoooKawaii’s gaining traction, American toy manufacturers are now cued in on the squish they can’t miss. “Kids were sharing their collections and comparing different designs [on Youtube], but were having a hard time finding them in stores, says Stephanie Carver, marketing manager of ORB. That prompted ORB to craft its own line of squishies and bring this trend home. While the concept of squishies seems simple, ORB had to stand out among international competitors and attract its own crop of squishy lovers, prompting
heavy research into selecting themes for squishies. “We wanted our squishies to be unique, so [we] created versions that were a little more North American than ones we’d been seeing online,” says Carver. These versions include: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, s’mores, and pancakes, which according to Carver, have all been incredibly popular. Additional manufacturers creating squishy lines to release this fall include Jakks Pacific, Top Trenz, RedwoodVentures, and more. Check out all the squishy goodness below. » Kelly Corbett is an editorial intern at Adventure Publishing Group. When she’s not writing/playing/ thinking about toys, she’s probably spilling coffee on herself, laughing at her own jokes, or doing something awkward somewhere.
Squish Nation, from TOP TRENZ, is a squishy toy kids can touch, as well as smell. These scented, slow-rise squishies come in multiple sizes ranging from 2 inches to 7 inches, and model trending pop culture items, such as emojis.
Smooshy Mooshy Pets, by REDWOODVENTURES, are adorable miniature, scented, slow-rising collectibles that come with a plus one. Each Smooshy Mooshy pet has a bestie they can’t live without (Bunny can’t live without donut). Each pet and pal are wrapped randomly so kids won’t know which one they’re getting until they unwrap it. Smooshy Mooshy Pets also come with collectible stickers, a “what’s your squishy name?” game, a poster, and a nametag. These squishies are designed for kids ages 5 and up.
Soft’n Slo Squishies, from ORB, is a collection of non-edible baked goods that are made to squish. Available in three sizes, these squishies are designed to slowly rise after being squished, similar to the baked goods they mimic. They are like smooth stress balls, in the form of pie, cookies, and cupcakes—to name a few. They also have a realistic texture (without the stickiness factor) and adorable accents. toybook.com | JULY/AUGUST 2017 | THE TOY BOOK 51
The Oonies Starter Pack, from MOOSE TOYS, gives kids a unique way to tap into their creativity. Kids take an Oonies pellet, place it in the inflator, and watch it grow into an Oonie. Not quite a bubble, not quite a balloon, Oonies stick together so kids can make their own creatures and designs. Oonies don’t require glue or water, making them a mess-free creative activity. The Oonies Starter pack includes enough materials to make six Oonie designs.
The Little Tikes 2-in-1 Food Truck, from MGA ENTERTAINMENT, is a play kitchen that allows kids to cook and serve their favorite foods out of their own food truck. This two-inone food truck enhances kid’s culinary imaginations by allowing them to join the food truck trend. It comes equipped with a cash register, a steering wheel with a working horn, a flip out serving counter, a pretend soda fountain, and other pretend features, including 40 food and utensil accessories.
Kids can bring home their own baby tiger with FurReal Roarin’ Tyler, The Playful Tiger, from HASBRO. Kids can enjoy playtime with him as he crouches or responds to his play toy. Make a noise or give a loud jungle roar and Roarin’ Tyler will roar back in response. Roarin’ Tyler features more than 100 sound and motion combinations with sensors on his forehead, back, and muzzle, which allow him to respond to kids’ touch. When kids nuzzle his cheek, he’ll respond with expressive eyes, sounds, and tail movements. Lightseekers, from TOMY, is an adventure role-play game built for mobile devices that fuses fantasy with reality. Lightseekers integrates video games and smart action figures with the latest in artificial intelligence, augmented reality, interactive trading cards, and more. A mini-computer is embedded within each action figure and is the “brains” behind the smart-connected toys, allowing two-way communication between TOMY’s 7-inch action figures and the mobile game. To customize their game play, players can add physical accessories to their figures by scanning trading cards with the Lightseekers game app.
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BLIP TOYS’ Beat Bugs line will let kids play with their favorite characters from the children’s animated Netflix series, Beat Bugs. Highlighting songs made famous by the Beatles, the line includes different singing figures and plush, as well as play sets and musical instruments. The interactive Singing Figures sing along with episodes from season one and the Beat Bugs Alive app.
PROPERTY PROFILE
vv DreamWorks’ Spirit Riding Free centers on a group of three friends, who together experience coming of age and the power of friendship. Lucky, a gutsy 12-year-old girl, befriends a wild Mustang she names Spirit. With her two best friends, Abigail and Pru, and their horses by her side, they explore a world filled with endless rides and never-ending fun. Together they’ll push their own limits and discover what it truly means to be free. The series currently streams on Netflix. Abigail is optimistic, energetic, and upbeat— she’s basically the human equivalent of a golden retriever. She’s a bit of a girly girl and can talk a mile a minute, especially if you get her talking about something she loves—like crafting new tack for her horse.
Lucky is a natural-born leader. She’s not really afraid of anything, always willing to take a shot in the dark, or risk a new challenge. Her courage and confidence are contagious, and she pushes her friends to new heights of adventure, excitement, and fun.
Pru is a true horsewoman and knows almost everything there is to know about horses and the country where she grew up. If Lucky is the heart of the trio, Pru is definitely the brains. She can be a little stubborn, but once someone earns her friendship, they earn it for life.
vv DreamWorks’ Spirit Riding Free is inspired by DreamWorks’ Oscar-nominated film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. vv The new Spirit is actually the son of Spirit and Rain from the feature film. The show’s artists gave this new horse a blaze to show similar coloring and markings to his parents. vv Lucky’s full name is Fortuna Esperanza Navarro Prescott.
Boomerang is a Pinto Gelding who is friendly, well-meaning, and loyal. He’s also a total goofball, whose unintentional pratfalls and slapsticky bumbling add comic relief to even the most dire of misadventures.
Spirit is noble, powerful, smart, and unbreakable, keeping his heard of wild Mustangs safe and free in their home. While Spirit would never be anything but gentle and affectionate with Lucky and her friends, he is proud, stubborn, and aloof with everyone else.
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Chica Linda is Pru’s prize Palomino, who takes pride in her skills and mastery. Chica Linda is a vain, haughty, and pampered show horse who doesn’t like to get her hooves dirty. She may prefer her beloved show ring, but she can definitely hold her own on the open frontier.
vv Each of the main characters has her own horse. vv Boomerang knows how to dance. vv The buildings of Miradero were inspired by buildings from every continent. The art director of the series wanted the town to have a diverse and international feel to it.
The DreamWorks Spirit Riding Free Barn Playset, from JUST PLAY, comes with a Lucky doll and Spirit horse. Lucky has poseable arms and legs that kids can move in different action poses. The play set features an upstairs hideaway and a lower level with a sliding door that leads to three horse stalls. The barn comes with extra fences for kids to extend the play space and more than 24 additional pieces. The set is made for kids ages 3 and up.
JUST PLAY’s DreamWorks Spirit Riding Free Blind Boxes are barn-shaped boxes that contain surprise figures inside. Designed for kids ages 3 and up, each barn comes with a signature horse from the show and a horse stall for display. Horses include Boomerang, Chica Linda, Draft, Spirit, Equuleus, Junipero, and more.
LITTLE, BROWN BOOKS will publish a line of original novels based on the series. The first title, Spirit Riding Free: The Adventure Begins, was written by Suzanne Selfors and will debut in paper-over-board and e-book formats. The book tells the story of Lucky Prescott leaving her neat-and-tidy city life and traveling to her new home in the Wild West, where she meets Spirit.
PROPERTY PROFILE
BREYER’s Spirit and Lucky Musical Treasure Box is a place for kids to store their treasures. The box features artwork of the main characters from Spirit Riding Free and plays “Home on the Range.” The exterior has three drawers to store mementos and treasures, while the interior has a storage compartment, mirror, and twirling Spirit figurine.
For on-the-go play, Spirit Riding Free Small Sets, from BREYER, feature pairs Lucky and Spirit, Abigail and Boomerang, and Pru and Chica Linda. Lucky rides Spirit bareback and bridleless, just like on the show, while Boomerang and Chica Linda come with a saddle, a saddle pad, a bridle, and a brush. The girl figures are poseable and measure 3 inches tall, while the horses are 4 inches tall.
Pru and Chica Linda Small Set
JUST PLAY offers the DreamWorks Spirit Riding Free Spirit & Lucky Deluxe Feeding Set, which features a horse and doll play experience for kids ages 3 and up. The set comes with an 11.5-inch Lucky doll featuring poseable arms and legs and dressed in her signature outfit from the show, and a 14-inch Spirit horse featuring lifelike movement and realistic horse sounds. Kids can make Lucky feed Spirit carrots, and Spirit can dip his head down when it’s time to eat or drink. This set also comes with a canteen, a bucket, four play carrots, a blanket, and a chapter book.
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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVES
CLASSIC PLAY REIGNS SUPREME IN 2017 by KRISTIN MORENCY GOLDMAN, communications specialist, The Toy Association IN A TECH-DRIVEN WORLD, IT’S HARD TO believe that classic toys and games—from dolls to puzzles—are experiencing a surge in popularity. But, experts in the toy space confirm that these playthings continue to grow in popularity, with millennial parents seeking traditional toys that empower kids to use their imaginations and limit screen time. “I expect classic toys will continue to be prominent,” says toy analyst Sean McGowan, managing director at Liolios Group. “The fact that so many of them are low-tech is appealing to older buyers of the toys, meaning parents and grandparents, who nostalgically yearn for the simpler days of their own childhoods and want their kids and grandkids to live simpler, less screen-intensive lives.” Low- or no-tech toys with retro and classic styling and materials are holding their own this year after a strong 2016. Last year,
games and puzzles and dolls were among the fastest growing toy categories tracked by The NPD Group, growing 18 percent and 10 percent, respectively. According to a report on the U.S. toy
“The beauty of classic toys and games lies in their ability to foster open-ended play.” - Adrienne Appell market conducted by research consultancy Kidz Global on behalf of The Toy Association, games, puzzles, and arts and crafts are the most popular types of toys among kids ages 3 to 14, with kids ages 3 to 5 playing with trucks, cars, track sets, games, puzzles,
Disney Licensed Classic Puppets, from Folkmanis
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and arts and crafts the most. “The beauty of classic toys and games lies in their ability to foster open-ended play,” says Adrienne Appell, trend expert at The Toy Association. “For many parents this is really important, because free play builds so many critical developmental skills that can’t be learned in a classroom environment.” The Toy Association named Oh So Classic! as one of the top toy trends of the year. The examples highlighted below were among the thousands of classic toys shown at the 114th North American International Toy Fair in New York City. Many will be hitting store shelves in the coming months: DOLLS AND PLUSH For generations, kids have played with dolls and stuffed toys, which stimulate young imaginations by allowing kids to act out their future roles as parents. Innovations and new licenses in dolls and plush are stimulating demand, but the enduring value of classic play is also having an impact on sales. Madame Alexander’s Newborn Nursery Twins feel just like real babies, allowing children to nurture, cuddle with, and care for the lifelike twins. Tapping into both the classic and collectibles trend, Wicked Cool Toys’ Cabbage Patch Kids Cuties will bring back fond memories for parents who grew up in the 1980s. These 9-inch dolls, which feature the traditional Cabbage Patch look, are soft, cuddly, and numbered for collectors. Folkmanis has launched a new line of Disney Licensed Classic Puppets that pair heirloom quality and design expertise with an iconic licensed global property. Disney fans can collect four character puppets: Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Pluto. Parents and kids alike will enjoy using the puppets to re-create scenes from old cartoons. The beautifully designed Oskar & Ellen’s
INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVES Fairy Cottage Fabric Playset, from Prodotto, is perfect for preschoolers. Complete with embroidered window shutters, flower boxes, and moss on the chimney, the Fairy Cottage play set includes a unicorn, a carriage, and two fairies with detachable wings and skirts, offering hours of imaginative play. The interior of the cottage features a mirror and Velcro hangers for the fairies’ wings. ROLE PLAY Role play allows kids to develop a sense of curiosity and learn how to respond to different situations, act out their wildest dreams, and prepare for all of life’s adventures. Roleplay toys that encourage “unplugged” play challenge little ones to tap into their own creativity as they play. Kids can pretend to be an ice cream server when they get behind the counter of American Plastic Toys’ My Very Own Ice Cream Cart. The colorful 24-piece ice cream cart set includes stackable scoops of ice cream, cones, bowls, scoopers, serving spoons, coins, and a credit card to ring up the orders. With two big anchoring wheels, it’s easy to move the cart indoors or out. The Il Etait une Fois Porcelain Tea Set, imported by Magicforest, includes four cups and saucers, a teapot with a lid, a sugar bowl with a lid, and creamer. Painted in a beautiful
rose hue and decorated with raised white polka dots and the tiniest hint of silver along the rim of each piece, this tea set comes in a carry case with partitions. Encouraging kids to imagine what it would be like to operate a food truck, Manhattan Toy’s MiO Food Truck + 1 Person features a mix of natural and neutral painted wood, functioning wheels, back doors that can be looped shut, and an open-roof design.
Puzzle Globe, from Learning Resources
GAMES AND PUZZLES Children of all ages benefit from face-to-face competitive and cooperative game and puzzle play with friends and family members. Language development, negotiation skills, teamwork, and learning how to self-regulate emotions are all a part of classic game play. Intex Entertainment’s line of Premier Wooden Games features 10 classic board games including Backgammon, Mah Jong, Deluxe Chess, Cribbage, Chinese Checkers, Dominoes, and more. Perfect for cozy nights around the kitchen table with family, these handcrafted games are made from European hardwood and include a protected rich dark finish. Blue Orange Games’ Tumble Tree is a card-flinging, tree-toppling game that challenges kids to build their own baobab tree (commonly found in the African Savanna and parts of Australia). Each animal card has its own way of being placed on the tree, with leopards leaping through the air, bats flying blindly, snakes slithering, and monkeys swinging—but if the branches are overburdened, the tree will collapse. Tree Top Hop from Befuddled Games challenges players in a race through the tree tops to collect all the letters needed to spell words before their opponents do. The first player to spell three words wins the game and gets the treasure. It’s an exciting board game for kids learning how to spell. Learning Resources’ Puzzle Globe teaches kids geography through tactile play. Each puzzle piece is a continent that fits into a My Very Own Ice Cream Cart, from American Plastic Toys
hole on the globe, making it easy for little ones to place. Dubbed “the world’s hardest threepiece puzzle,” the Three Men Puzzle, from Palmetto Puzzle Works, has a simple goal: to fit the three man-shaped pieces into the provided tray. But it’s a lot harder than it looks. It’s a high-quality toy that will provide endless challenging fun for older kids and adults. »
Count yourself among the first to see the hottest new toys and games of 2018. Save the date for the 115th North American International Toy Fair, taking place Feb. 17 to 20, 2018. Visit toyfairny.com to learn more. As senior communications specialist at The Toy Association, Kristin Morency Goldman stays abreast of the latest industry economic data, safety updates, and cutting-edge trends driving the business of toys and play.
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OUTSIDE THE BOX
USING PACKAGING TO ELEVATE THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE by TED MININNI, president and creative director, Design Force USER EXPERIENCE (UX) DESIGN IS A goal for many brands, but it’s about more than usability and accessibility—it’s about providing pleasure and enjoyment in interactions with the brand. Before consumers interact with products, they usually engage with packaging first. So, in the continuum of brand expressions, special attention should be given to package design and its unique power to elevate the customer experience, and it has to if we want today’s sophisticated consumers to embrace brands. PepsiCo’s Mauro Porcini summed it up in an insightful manner at FUSE 2016: “People don’t buy products or services any longer— it’s experiences and stories consumed at the speed of light” that matter. I would add to that: Millennials and younger generations are more discriminating as consumers than their parents. They don’t want to buy a lot of “stuff;” they want to engage with brands that deliver rich, memorable experiences. Packaging should deliver experiences and stories that are essentially consumable in seconds. How crucial does that make package design now? We all know that consumers are shopping online more and more, so when they do come into retail stores, it’s vitally important to deliver a compelling, tangible experience through products and packaging. When fully leveraged, packaging brings branded consumer products alive. It forms emotional connections between brand and consumer. Without that, brands will not survive. SURPRISE AND DELIGHT Brand owners have to understand that meeting consumers’ basic expectations only establishes a threshold. The stakes have been raised because consumers expect more than the bare minimum now. That’s why they become rabid fans of brands and licensed properties that go above and beyond. We really need to think in terms of surprising and delighting the consumer with the unexpected
to create a more memorable and elevated experience. Too expensive to create that via packaging? Hardly. Consider what can happen for a brand when consumers are so delighted by what they see on the retail shelf that they snap photos with their phones and send them to their friends or post them on social media. For example, we know that sites such as Pinterest are a favorite among brand influencers (15 billion pins and counting) who are scouring
social media for cool things to share. Think of the exponential effect of these influencers who spread their pleasure about branded products—solely because of packaging— worldwide. And remember: Great packaging invites consumers to enthusiastically share unboxing experiences on YouTube, too. Given this, licensed property owners and brand marketers need to stop thinking about package design as an expense and start seeing it as a potential marketing behemoth be-
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cause that’s what it is. It’s time to fully tap into its power because influencers are a major asset in the marketing of brands with far greater reach and persuasiveness than advertising. CRACKING THE CODE I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: Brand owners might want to take a page from the toy and entertainment industries for package design inspiration. They find ways in which to surprise and delight young consumers—as well as parents and grandparents— who are purchasing toys, games, and licensed products. Unique package design structure, architecture, color, typography, and imagery created in tandem with equitable verbal assets make brands stand out. Spin Master owns Hatchimals, one of the hottest brands in the toy business. A new line extension dubbed Hatchimals CollEGGtibles continues to play on the eggs and hatching theme in its package design. A large, speckled egg is bursting through the top of the packaging. It’s just beginning to hatch with widening cracks. Eyes peer out from within and it’s obvious that there’s a surprise Hatchimal just waiting to emerge. No child knows what their Hatchimal will look like, but there are visual clues as to which creature could be hiding in each egg. There’s no other package structure such as this in the toy aisles. It delivers the playful, emotional quality of the brand and kids are excitedly trying to collect them all as a result—and we all know the power of collectibles among kids! Spin Master has cracked the code on how to elevate UX design to a new level by delivering surprise and delight via its products and its packaging in a seamless manner. LICENSED CONSUMER PRODUCTS + PACKAGING = SUCCESS Who doesn’t love Girl Scout cookies? Wicked Cool Toys’ licensing agreement with the Girl Scouts led to the development of the Girl Scouts Cookie Oven. But this isn’t just a
OUTSIDE THE BOX toy branded with the Girl Scouts logo and iconography. This oven lets kids bake cookies that taste similar to Girl Scout cookies using five special mixes. The packaging features imagery of Girl Scout cookie favorites and includes the mix to whip up a batch of Thin Mint-inspired cookies. Wicked Cool Toys’ Cookie Oven logo features cookies in place of the “O”s in the word “Cookie.” And they aren’t representative of just any cookies; they’re clearly Girl Scout favorites. Smart. Even smarter, verbal brand communication on cookie refill mixes states: “For Use with the Girl Scouts Cookie Oven.” This is clearly intended to ensure that the cookies aren’t baked in any other toy ovens; only the Girl Scouts Cookie Oven. The Girl Scouts brand icon and the Girl Scouts Cookie Oven brand identity are seamlessly woven together on refill packaging. Mouth-watering imagery of the cookie variety appears in the center of the front panel and the image of the actual oven in the lower lefthand corner. I can just imagine how many kids (and adults) are snapping these products up so that there’s no need to wait until Girl Scout cookies go on sale once a year anymore. STRETCHING ENTERTAINMENT BRAND EQUITIES When licensing consumer products, it’s vitally important to leverage the most equitable visual and verbal assets associated with the brand. Sesame Street is one of the most beloved entertainment brands for toddlers. There are terrific Sesame Street-licensed toys in the marketplace. There are licensed products in myriad other categories, of course, but some are more emotive than others, depending upon the manner in which the licensee has deployed Sesame Street’s considerable brand assets. That’s why I love what Post has done with its Sesame Street cereals. It’s no secret that kids gravitate to breakfast cereals and foods in which their favorite characters appear on pack. They taste better, right? But besides featuring larger-than-life imagery of Big Bird, Elmo, and Cookie Monster smiling and waving at their young fans, Post effectively leveraged key visual and verbal brand communication strongly associated with the Sesame Street brand.
On the front panel of every variety, we see bright blue skies behind each character because we all know the theme song: Sunny day, sweepin’ the clouds away. On my way to where the air is sweet. Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street? The Sesame Street signpost breaks the blue sky. But here’s where the product delivers a higher level of surprise and delight. Below the famous Sesame Street brand identity, the product name proclaims that “C is for Cereal” with information about each variety below that. Simple language touts that the product is made from natural grains and flavors. Happy Sesame Street characters take center stage and beside each, more detailed nutritional information appears in a puffy white cloud. The last line reads: “Ideal food for little ones”—simple and highly effective. Behind Elmo and Cookie Monster, we see the rising sun, or in the case of Big Bird, a puffy white cloud. Cereal bits, in the form of Xs and Os (hugs and kisses) litter the sky. In the lower left-hand corner, the cereal variety is repeated in inimitable Sesame Street style: “A is for Apple,” “S is for Strawberry,” and “B is for Banana.” This is enthralling packaging for young children who feel the love of their favorite characters on the boxes, and reciprocate it back to them. There is reassurance for parents that these cereals are wholesome for their kids,
reinforcing every positive aspect of the Sesame Street brand. An arc appears at the top of the package and serves as the package design architecture. The Post logo appears in the upper lefthand corner within its signature red cartouche on a green ground. The phrase: “Provides 2/3 of Toddlers’ Daily Whole Grains” is positioned right next to the Post logo. Every aspect of this packaging is well-conceived because it has elevated customer experience with both brands: Sesame Street and Post. Post could have simply placed imagery of Sesame Street characters on cereal boxes, but it didn’t do that. Instead, the company chose to elevate customer experience with carefully planned and placed visual and verbal assets that deliver a much deeper level of engagement and enjoyment. THE LAST WORD Think about your packaging. Would it benefit from unique structure? Could it do a better job of leveraging key visual and verbal brand assets? How could those assets be incorporated into package design to be highly emotive? Remember, that’s our ultimate goal: to elevate customer experience with the core brand via packaging. So, how can we achieve that? »
Ted Mininni is president and creative director at Design Force Inc., a package and licensing program design consultancy to the consumer product and entertainment industries. The goal of Design Force is to establish strong emotional connections with consumers and create powerful visual brand experiences that engage, excite, entertain, inspire, and influence consumers’ decision to buy. Mininni can be reached at (856) 810-2277. Visit designforceinc.com for more information.
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COMPLIANCE & REGULATIONS
BRAND PROMISES AND RESPONSIBLE SOURCING PRACTICES How Toy Companies Can Close the Gap
by ÁINE MCCARTHY, assistant manager, marketing communications, ICTI CARE Foundation THE TOY INDUSTRY IS ALL ABOUT creating ways for kids to play, learn, and nurture their overall well-being. Toy brands and retailers are lucky enough to bring joy to kids each day, so it is important that responsible sourcing programs keep ethical supply chain conditions in line with these values. Toy brands and retailers must ensure that there aren’t any disconnects between what their brand promises and the working conditions at the factories where they produce. Responsible sourcing means that companies look at their production and purchasing beyond the traditional aspects of cost, quality, and consistent supply. A vigorous responsible sourcing program allows companies to meet their customers’ expectations, gives them greater trust in their procurement strategy, reduces the risk of incidents, and improves the lives of factory workers. GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT In the toy industry, the positive impact on happiness and well-being shouldn’t be limited to the end consumer. Given the labor-intensive nature of production, responsible sourcing programs in the toy industry need to focus on the human impact of their supply chain. Toy production is traditionally high volume and low cost, and this model usually means there is a high risk if production is not managed properly from a thorough, responsible sourcing program. Supply chain mapping is the first step for any toy brand to get to grips with their supply chain. Without first understanding where your product is coming from, it’s impossible to begin to manage and mitigate the risks. Once they understand who the suppliers are, companies can begin to look at the working conditions at the factories. Enforcing an internationally recognized code of conduct and certification program is a good start to ensure all the core areas are covered. MONITORING AND MANAGING RISK There are many potential risk areas that you should look out for and manage. These
include the usual considerations—such as wages, working hours, and health and safety—as well as problematic issues, including modern day slavery, child labor, and building safety. As the supply chains shift into new countries, so does the risk profile. There is a lot to be aware of, which may sometimes be daunting at first. ICTI CARE’s PLUS membership program is designed to give toy companies the tools needed to address these risks, placing them in a global community of brands and retailers working together to drive change. Companies can move beyond basic compliance and build commitment from suppliers with the support of capability building sessions to help address key risks and improve standards. Educating suppliers on the benefits of ethical manufacturing helps gain long-term commitment. Additionally, sharing sessions from other factory owners and managers can provide relatable examples for suppliers. ICTI CARE also provides regular training opportunities for factories. Setting a standard is one thing, but ensuring factories adhere to these standards is another. A supply chain monitoring program reduces the risk of sourcing from non-compliant factories. ICTI CARE has a platform for PLUS members that allows them to view their compliance status and download certificates for their suppliers. Users receive email alerts the minute anything changes at their supplier. LOOK BEYOND THE FACTORY FLOOR Once companies ensure that workers’ basic needs are met and fundamental rights are respected, they can look beyond the factory for ways to work with suppliers to improve worker well-being. The benefits of higher morale include increased worker satisfaction and productivity, and reduced staff turnover. Leading toy brands and retailers support programs that look beyond the factory floor. Many members achieve this when they work with ICTI CARE to help workers affected by China’s left-behind children problem. Due to historical issues with the country’s
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household registration system, millions of workers have to leave their kids behind when they move to find work. An estimated 62 million kids are affected, and many only get to see their parents for the Chinese New Year, and some may go even longer before they reunite. To help ease the burden of separation, ICTI CARE organizes summer camps to reunite workers with their kids. Organized with support from ICTI CARE’s Committed Brands PLUS members, it provides safe environments for kids to learn and play while their parents work. ICTI CARE also provides year-round migrant-parent training workshops to help workers build relationships with their kids. Besides the impact these projects have on the well-being of workers and their kids, they also provide business benefits for participating factories. The results from pilot programs last summer showed an 18-percent increase in employee retention rate, a 19-percent increase in employee satisfaction rate, and a 17-percent improvement in employee-management trust, confidence, and relationship. START WITH RESPONSIBLE SOURCING Reputation is critical in the toy industry. ICTI CARE works with thousands of toy companies that recognize that ethical manufacturing is critical to the success of the organization as a whole. We encourage more toy companies to join our growing community of committed brands and to help ensure that promises are matched in their supply chain. Find out more about how you can work with ICTI CARE to improve conditions and manage risks in the toy supply chain at icti-care.org. »
Áine McCarthy joined ICTI CARE more than a year ago. She is a passionate believer that businesses should, first and foremost, be a force for good in the world. McCarthy works with toy brands and retailers to help them improve the lives of the workers in their supply chains worldwide.
RAISING THE BAR
PROTECTING FREEDOM TO EXPRESS “THE THOUGHT THAT WE HATE”
U.S. Supreme Court Rules Trademarks Can’t Be Blocked from Registration as Disparaging by HOWARD N. ARONSON, managing director, Lackenbach Siegel LLC THE WASHINGTON REDSKINS HAVE dodged a bullet. The team seems to have emerged from years of legal battles with its trademark registrations—threatened with cancellation on the grounds of “disparagement”—unharmed. The Redskins always insisted that its trademark “Redskins” and several related trademarks, including logos depicting a Native American individual in profile, were originally adopted to suggest strength and dignity. However, those trademarks were attacked as disparaging and racist. THE SLANTS RULE In Matal v. Tam, a case not involving the Redskins, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that the “disparagement” clause of the Trademark Act violates the free speech clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Under that now-invalidated part of the law, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) of the Patent and Trademark Office decided to cancel the Redskins’ trademark registrations. When the Redskins appealed to a U.S. district court, the court decided in favor of Amanda Blackhorse and others who had petitioned the TTAB to cancel the Redskins’ trademark registrations, finding that the trademarks were disparaging. The Supreme Court had refused to hear an appeal of the Redskins case, instead forcing the Redskins owner, Pro-Football Inc., to allow a U.S. Court of Appeals to hear their case. The Matal v. Tam case decision means Pro-Football scores a win for its trademarks.
The Matal v. Tam case considered whether a trademark registration may be denied on the grounds that the trademark––in this case for a rock group, The Slants—is disparaging to an ethnic group—Asian Americans. The Court had to decide whether the “disparagement” provision of the Trademark Act violates the free speech clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, or whether the law furthers legislative policy to protect minorities from racial and ethnic slurs, and doesn’t hinder speech. Striking down the disparagement clause in the Trademark Act, The Supreme Court said: “We now hold that this provision violates the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment. It offends a bedrock First Amendment principle: Speech may not be banned on the ground that it expresses ideas that offend… We have said time and again that ‘the public expression of ideas may not be prohibited merely because the ideas are themselves offensive to some of their hearers’… that idea strikes at the heart of the First Amendment. Speech that demeans on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, disability, or any other similar ground is hateful; but the proudest boast of our free speech jurisprudence is that we protect the freedom to express ‘the thought that we hate.’”
So the Trademark Office may no longer refuse registration to marks on disparagement grounds. Based on the outcome of the
THE SLANTS SING “FROM THE HEART” The Slants didn’t wait silently for the Supreme Court’s decision on whether or not they’ll be allowed to register their trademark Slants in the Trademark Office. They made their case to the public in the language they know best: music. In their song “From the Heart,” the band sings: “Sorry if our notes are too sharp/Sorry if our voice is too raw/Don’t make the pen a weapon/And censor our intelligence/Until our thoughts mean nothing at all.” As journalist Tony Mauro reported in the National Law Journal, the band sought crowd funding to help pay for its Supreme Court case and, for the band, the case “has always been about civil rights.” With a unanimous decision in the band’s favor, it looks as if the Supreme Court may have been listening.
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Supreme Court case, Pro-Football asked the U.S. Court of Appeals hearing the Redskins case to reverse the lower court’s decision canceling its trademark registrations. HOW IT ALL STARTED In 1932, the team owner bought the new Boston Braves football team and changed the team’s name the following year to distinguish it from the Boston Braves baseball team. According to the current Redskins owners, the team name was adopted in 1933 to honor the head coach at that time, Lone Star Dietz, and perhaps also the several Native American players Dietz recruited for the team during his time as coach. The first Redskins mark was registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 1967. In 1992, a group of Native Americans petitioned to cancel the Redskins’ trademarks on the grounds that they may disparage Native Americans and bring them into contempt or disrepute. So in 1999, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) canceled the registrations for the Redskins marks on those grounds. But, a federal court later reversed that decision, finding—among other things—that the TTAB had insufficient evidence for its decision. TIMES CHANGED Fast forward to 2015, when Amanda Blackhorse and four others successfully petitioned the TTAB for cancellation of the Redskins’ trademark registrations, providing evidence that the marks disparaged Native Americans. To challenge that decision, Pro-Football sued Amanda Blackhorse and the other petitioners in federal court. It argued not only that the Redskins name is not disparaging, but also that if “the latest ruling isn’t overturned, it threatens the team’s First Amendment rights.” Redskins owner Dan Snyder was adamant in saying that he won’t change the name. The federal district court rejected the free speech arguments, which held that the Trademark Office’s purpose is word ownership and thus exempt from free speech chal-
RAISING THE BAR lenge. The court also ruled that the Redskins’ trademarks were disparaging and offensive during the time period 1967 through 1990, based on research in dictionaries, literature, media, and the statements of individual Native Americans. The court said it doesn’t matter whether or not Pro-Football actually intended to disparage Native Americans. But, under the Supreme Court’s Slants decision, none of that matters because no trademark can be blocked from registration as disparaging. THEY’RE STILL THE REDSKINS Even without federal registrations, the team owners could continue to use the trademarks to identify the team and related products based on long-term use, because the Trademark Office doesn’t control use of a trademark, only federal trademark registration—and U.S. trademark rights are based on use, not registration. But if the registrations are eventually canceled, the owners would lose the advantages of registration, such as the U.S. Customs service barring infringing products from entering the U.S. and prima facie rights in court. Further, the owners could not win treble damages in an infringement action. FREE TO DISPARAGE? It was after Pro-Football filed its appeal to the Court of Appeals in 2015 that the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Tam case in 2016. The Court of Appeals agreed to postpone hearing the Redskins case until the Supreme Court issued its decision in the Tam case, which logically meant that the Appeals Court would be guided by the Supreme Court’s decision. Now it is settled that trademark owners can choose their trademarks without considering whether or not the marks may be considered disparaging—at least by the Trademark Office. »
Howard N. Aronson has provided legal counsel to toy industry companies for the past 30 years. He is the managing partner of Lackenbach Siegel LLP, an intellectual property law firm recognized for its nine decades of handling toy company issues. Grateful acknowledgement is extended to Eileen DeVries, counsel at Lackenbach Siegel. Contact Aronson at HAronson@LSLLP.com or (914)-723-4300.
DISPARAGING? SCANDALOUS? IMMORAL? When did a slur go beyond offensive to violate Trademark Law? When “a substantial composite” of the referenced group (although not necessarily a majority) thought so—in the context of contemporary attitudes. As a federal district court judge told the Redskins, “The Redskins marks consisted of matter that ‘may disparage’ a substantial composite of Native Americans.” The section of U.S. trademark law invalidated by the Supreme Court in the Slants case provides that the Trademark Office may refuse registration if a trademark contains “matter which may disparage …persons, living or dead, institutions, beliefs, or national symbols, or bring them into contempt, or disrepute.” As the TTAB has stated, “Disparagement is essentially a violation of one’s right of privacy—the right to be ‘let alone’ from contempt or ridicule.” In order for a trademark to be disparaging under federal law, the mark had to be reasonably understood as referring to the side claiming disparagement and also had to be considered offensive or objectionable by a reasonable person of ordinary sensibilities. SOPHOMORIC AND DISPARAGING In another disparagement case, the Boston Red Sox v. Brad Francis Sherman (2008), the Red Sox opposed an application for registration of the mark “Sex Rod” (for clothing) on several grounds, including that the mark was disparaging to their Red Sox mark, used since 1901. The applicant admitted to using the same stylization as the Red Sox, described the mark as “an elegant and symmetrical transposition” of the baseball team’s logo, and said that the mark “represents the at once clever yet sophomoric sense of humor that prevails in those venues in which apparel bearing the Sex Rod mark would be worn.” The applicant also argued that the mark was not sexually explicit, but merely just “sexually suggestive.” The TTAB did not agree. PROUD TO BE FREE The TTAB also reversed the Trademark Office’s refusal to register the trademark “China Free” (a word mark and design) for vitamins and mineral
supplements. In the 2012 case, the TTAB held that while the mark might disparage goods made in China, the trademark was not disparaging to the People’s Republic of China. The TTAB said that “the touchstone of disparagement is the meaning of the mark to the referenced group.” TRANSLATE “MAFIA” When the University of Alabama opposed the registration of the mark “Houndstooth Mafia” for merchandise on grounds of disparagement, the TTAB found that “mafia” could mean not only organized crime, but also “a tightly knit group of trusted associates” and dismissed the school’s opposition. The University of Alabama appealed to a U.S. District Court, and the parties then agreed to settle the dispute, allowing the university to officially register the mark. THEY LIKE BEING EVIL The New York Yankees also lost when the TTAB found in 2013 that the mark “Baseball’s Evil Empire” was not disparaging to the team. As the TTAB explained, Yankee fans had “adopted the Evil Empire moniker as a ‘badge of honor’ so that it now has a ‘positive connotation’” for the fans. The Yankees also played the “dark side” theme from the Star Wars movies at games. So, the TTAB concluded that the mark was not disparaging to the Yankees: “Having succumbed to the lure of the dark side, [the Yankees] will not now be heard to complain about the judgment of those who prefer the comfort of the light.” Although the Yankees lost on the issue of disparagement, they won the case when the TTAB found likelihood of confusion and false association. GOING TOO FAR The TTAB did find in 2010, however, that the mark “Khoran” for wines is disparaging to followers of Islam—first, because the mark gives the impression Muslims find drinking alcohol acceptable, and also because Khoran gives the commercial impression that it is the word “Koran,” so both Muslims and the general public would see the trademark as referring to the Islamic holy text. »
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INDUSTRY MARKETPLACE
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 carolleeman@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, Benny’s and TJ Maxx, • NY METRO NY City and New Jersey. Accounts...Toys R Us and their DOTCOM and aGlobal divisions, TRU Express, dd’s Stores, Macy’s Backstage, Cititrends, Burlington Stores, Quidsi’s, Xmas Tree Shops, Shepher Distributors, Buy Buy Baby, Party City, National Whle., Bed Bath and Beyond, Stevens Intl., and NY area Supermarket chains. • MID-LANTIC…Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Northern Virginia and Western Ohio. Accounts…Rite Aid Drug, Group Sales, Boscov’s, Omni Global, 5 Below, Dollar Tree, Variety Wholesale and Big Lots. • K mart USA // JC Penney Catalog // Universal Studios Orlando // Gordman’s // Target and Walmart • CANADA…Walmart, Toys R Us, Canadian Tire and Costco • CHINA…We maintain a full time Hong Kong sourcing Office We employ a staff of 5 toy sales specialists. Our contact information is listed on our above shown letterhead. We welcome your inquiries. ®
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To place a classified ad, please contact Bill Reese at 212-575-4510 x2322 or breese@adventurepub.com
SPECIALTY TOYS & GIFTS
NORTH STAR GAMES introduces the new Happy Salmon Blue Edition. With six new card colors in the Happy Salmon blue fish, up to 12 players can now join in the fun. Players flip their cards to match mini celebrations in the group, do the celebration if they get a match, and then discard. The first player to run out of cards wins.
ALEX BRANDS introduces the Scientific Explorer Disgusting Zombie Parasites Kit, which lets young entomologists learn about nature’s real-life zombies. With the bug-shaped supplies, kids can conduct four different types of experiments and learn the life cycle of parasites. The kit lets kids mix and make lifelike fungus parasites, replicate gelatinous nematode larvae, and watch the movement of a cockroach under the neurotoxin of a jade wasp. Designed for kids ages 6 and up, all the materials and mixes are nontoxic and hypo-allergenic.
FAT BRAIN TOYS brings a twist to classic construction toys with the new OffBits system. The character and vehicle kits come in four styles and include the SuperTool, which is custom-designed to match the standard hardware sizes in every kit. Each kit lets kids create at least three different models. Designed for kids ages 6 and up, the kits come with a registration code so that kids can share their creations online.
HIGH INTENCITY adds to its CHARM IT! range with two new lines. Designed for kids ages 4 and up, the Gold Collection features gold charm jewelry available in dangles, glitter, and moving parts. The line will be available for a limited time this holiday season. The Emoji Necklace Collection features the Spin the Heart Necklace Spinner, the Double Sided Emoji Necklace, and the Emoji Necklace Set.
The Hypno Gizmo Make-Your-Own Twirly Toy, from KAHOOTZ TOYS, lets kids create their own spinning fidget toy. The kit includes different colors, beads, and patterns so kids can customize their creations. Once kids build and string their fidget spinner, they can place it on the included display stand. Designed for kids ages 6 and up, the kit will be available this fall.
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JULY/AUGUST 1997
FLASHBAC 1
The activities of the Mars Rover, the recent pass over by comet Halle Bop, and the cloning of sheep have all helped fuel the general perception that we are living in exciting times—times that require a strong knowledge of science and scientific principles in children as they grow up. While the category is currently small, manufacturers only see it growing given public interest.
NOODLE KIDOODLE CEO SPEAKS ON ISSUES FACING HIS SPECIALTY CHAIN Stanley Greeman, CEO of Noodle Kidoodle, talks about his specialty store and the challenges he faces in the specialty market. “We have the unique challenge of not only being a start-up retailer, but a new concept start up. What we are doing at this end of the toy business is really something that has never been done before... We really are a larger niche retailer. So you have the challenge of finding out exactly what the right formula is, what our consumers are looking for, what the pricing strategy should be, as well as the typical issues that a startup retailer faces, such as developing systems and keeping control of rapid expansion.”
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The Grateful Dead is one of several licensees, along with Hot Wheels and Pink Panther, to print its graphics on Mattel’s Frisbee Vision line of discs. Sports toy manufacturers rely on various creative methods of keeping their products on store shelves beyond the spring and summer months.
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WITH INCREASED PUBLIC APPEAL, SCIENCE TOYS REMAIN STRONG
Tamagotchi the Game, new » from Cardinal Industries, is an interactive board game that can be played with or without Bandai’s electronic virtual pet. To win the game, players must either be the first to raise a Tamagotchi to full size or the only player to raise a Tamagotchi to full size.
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The Britt All» croft Co. announced that production will begin in the fall for Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends episodes. In addition, new Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends product in the areas of video, toy, and apparel are scheduled for availability later this year, and the company will also increase its Friends of Thomas event day activities. A full-size replica of Thomas the Tank Engine was unveiled at the first Friends of Thomas event in the U.S., which took place at the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
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PJ Masks ©Frog
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THE VOICE
REACHING CONSUMERS, INFLUENCERS, & TRADE HoliDAY of Play
September 19, 2017 • Manhattan Penthouse
CONTACT: Jonathan Samet or Laurie Schacht Tel: 212-575-4510 toybook.com licensingbook.com sweetsuiteevent.com toyinsider.com