Toy World August 2018 by TOYWORLD MAGAZINE

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The Team...

CONTENTS August 2018 Volume 7 Issue 11

John Baulch

Publisher and Managing Editor john@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 408 07932 651 207

40 Feature: Plush Toys

56 Feature: Autumn Fair Preview

Mark Austin

Sales Director mark@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 405

Anita Baulch

Circulation and Financial Director anita@toyworldmag.co.uk 01923 711 439

News

Opinion

Features

05 From the Publisher 06 News 14 Industry Moves 16 Marketing World 18 Licensing World 66 Fresh 102 Allegedly

26 Q&A: BLE move to Excel 28 Special Feature: Tesco 35 Talking Shop 32 NPD column 35 Talking Shop 80 Viewpoint

22 Special Feature: L.O.L Surprise 40 Feature: Plush Toys 56 Feature: Autumn Fair Preview 70 Feature: Wooden Toys 84 Feature: STEM Toys 94 Feature: Role Play - Pretend Play

Rachael Simpson

Editor rachael@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 406

84 Feature: STEM Toys

70 Feature: Wooden Toys

Casey Goodman

Editorial Assistant casey@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 406

toyworld The business magazine with a passion for toys

Mark Crowford

Design and Production Manager markc@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 405

Alakat Published by

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www.toyworldmag.co.uk @toyworldmag @baulchtweet

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Toy World Magazine

peaking to a senior toy retail figure recently, he pointed out a rather interesting dichotomy – namely that toy retailers are viewing 2018 as a year of opportunity, while suppliers are seeing it as more of a year of challenge and consolidation. In fairness, being part of the toy trade has always been something of a rollercoaster ride – although the ride has been more akin to Space Mountain than the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad coaster in recent months (hopefully enough of you have been to Disney theme parks to appreciate the analogy). The consumer media seems to revel in focusing on all the bad news from the retail world (and let’s be honest, there has been no shortage of that in recent months). However, it’s worth remembering that there are plenty of highs to balance the lows.

from the publisher

John Baulch - @Baulchtweet

Brian McLaughlin has recently joined Toymaster as retail manager, with a remit to support Toymaster members and help them to trade more profitably. His extensive toy knowledge and retail experience will stand him in good stead, and it’s another positive step for Toymaster. Having started the year exceptionally well - group purchases are up 4.4% in the first half of the year, bucking the industry trend – it’s nice to see Toymaster in upbeat mood for the second half of the year. Long may it continue. Another toy chain that benefits from vast toy trade experience and knowledge is Toytown; Alan Simpson recently told me that the retailer has just opened its third new outlet this year in the former TRU branch in Glasgow. With new stores in Lisburn and Newport already open, and two further stores to follow in Dundee and Wakefield in the second half of the year, Toytown is another toy specialist which is clearly on the up. Indeed, four new locations have already been lined up for 2019; Alan tells me that he is being offered more new store opportunities than ever before, allowing him to pick the best options, both in terms of location and the suitability of the outlet itself. B&M is another retailer posting strong revenue growth, with UK sales increasing by 8% to £648m between April and the end of June. Impressive numbers, and with another 45 stores set to open by the end of the year, B&M’s progress looks all set to continue. We have an exclusive piece lined up with the retailer this autumn, as part of a series of articles that aim to illustrate that the UK retail scene is in far healthier shape than some might think. The series kicks off this month with an exclusive interview with John Hext, head of buying for toys and nursery at

Tesco - another retailer which unveiled a healthy set of results recently. Of course, the toy retail channel remains volatile, with surges of demand at short notice very much the order of things. One major outdoor toy supplier recently told me that he received his first request for markdown money from a retailer in the middle of June! I wonder how that buyer felt if he had to phone up a few weeks later to ask if there was any additional stock available – a distinct possibility given how long the wonderful hot spell has lasted. The truth is that while nerves of steel are sometimes required in the toy industry, more experienced buyers are perhaps better positioned to anticipate - and ride out - the ups and downs than their less experienced counterparts, who may panic at the level of stock being held (or equally likely, find it difficult to push back on a finance director panicking at the level of stock being held). More than one supplier has suggested to me in recent months that the success of specialist retailers like Smyths, The Entertainer and the independent channel is very much a reflection of the quality, longevity and stability of their buying and management teams, not to mention their commitment and passion for toys. Elsewhere in this edition, we have an exclusive interview with BLE organiser Anna Knight. BLE has confirmed that the 2019 show will be moving from its current location at Olympia to Excel. The reaction to the announcement was largely as I anticipated – especially from people who were in the toy trade a decade ago to witness the Toy Fair’s ill-fated dalliance with the venue. I’m not sure the phrase ‘a hint of scepticism’ quite covers it. Anna came to Toy World HQ to explain the rationale behind the move, admitting that it was a decision the team had thought long and hard about. We are very happy to share the changes that have taken place which - in theory, at least - make Excel a rather different proposition to the rather sad venue the toy community inhabited all those years ago. Here at Toy World, we love challenging preconceptions – it’s an integral part of what a good trade magazine should be doing. Just as we shouldn’t shy away from expressing forthright opinions; if you read my recent Blog about the latest Amazon debacle (reprinted in this month’s Viewpoint section), you’ll know that we are not afraid to call a spade a spade. Like those successful retailers, we have a passion for toys that informs everything we do, and a desire to see the toy trade thrive. Sometimes, you just need to look behind the headlines to see a different picture beneath.

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News Which? research reveals Amazon selling unsafe slime Online retailer Amazon is facing criticism yet again after research carried out by the consumer watchdog Which? revealed that it is selling slime that exceeds the limits for boron specified in the EU safety standard. Eight out of 11 slimes tested – all from Amazon – failed to meet permitted boron levels, while slime from Smyths and The Works was deemed completely safe. Exposure to excessive levels of the element can cause irritation, diarrhoea, vomiting and cramps in the short term, while exposure to very high levels of boron may also impair fertility and could cause harm to an unborn child in pregnant women. Which? said that the eight products that failed the tests, out of 11 tested overall, were purchased on Amazon. The products which did not meet the standard have now been removed from the website. It is unknown how many unsafe slime products Amazon had already sold before taking the listings down. An Amazon spokesman said: “All Marketplace sellers must follow our selling guidelines and those who don’t will be subject to action including potential removal of their account. The products in question are no longer available.” Only one slime bought from Amazon met the limits for boron. Unsurprisingly, Slime from high street retailers The Works and Smyths passed the tests and were deemed safe by Which?, reinforcing the high standards of product safety and testing standards adhered to by Britain’s independent and high-street toy retailers. The slime purchased from The Works was Goopy Slime from H. Grossman. The company’s managing director Martin Grossman commented: “I am not at all surprised by these results – there are lots of unsafe products out there. We make sure that our slime and putty is of a high standard, good quality and good play value.” It’s not the first time Amazon has been found to be selling unsafe or unsuitable products. In January, the online platform removed several magnetic putty products after tests showed they contained dangerously high levels of arsenic. Nikki Stopford, director of research and publishing at Which?, commented: “Parents buying slime for their children should have peace of mind that these toys are safe, so they will be shocked to find that the health of their children could be put at risk by these slimes. There must be fundamental changes to the product safety system. Manufacturers must stop making unsafe products and the Government and retailers simply have to do a far better job of getting anything identified as a risk off the shelves and out of people’s homes.” BTHA spokeswoman Natasha Crookes added: “There are a large number of substances that are restricted from being used in toys for safety reasons. Borax is one of those and it is worrying to see so many failing safety tests. Our advice would be to look for reputable toy makers and retailers. Members of the BTHA can be found on our website and when looking for toy retailers, try to visit retailers you recognise or look for the name behind the online brand – look at the reviews of sellers, do they have a track record in selling toys and if something looks too good to be true (particularly on price), it probably is.”

Toymaster releases trading update The results indicate that a successful Christmas period could be on the cards for the group and its members. The update reads: “For Toymaster, the first half of the year has seen group purchases +4.4% on 2017. When compared to NPD at the end of May showing the toy market down 9% YTD, it shows the importance to suppliers, and the resilience, of the Toymaster membership. In addition, in this post TRU world, I am confident that both the group and our members will have a most successful run into Christmas. Regards, Ian Edmunds.”

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News Rubie’s Howie Beige receives Disney lifetime achievement award

Mothercare to make more cuts than expected under rescue plans Mothercare is to close 60 stores, putting 900 jobs at risk – 100 more than previously announced – after it placed its Children’s World subsidiary into administration. The move comes after landlords rejected the company’s proposals for rent reductions for Children’s World stores last month. Mothercare will now close a total of 60 out of its 137 stores, 10 more than it said in May. It expects to make annual savings of about £10m following the closures, and also plans to raise £32.5m from existing shareholders through a rights issue. Clive Whiley, the group’s interim executive chairman, commented: “Whilst the lack of full approval for the Children’s World CVA was disappointing, we have now found a solution which allows us to go further and faster with the right-sizing of our store portfolio. We have also identified significant areas for further efficiencies and cost savings, which will underpin our return to a sustainable future. Notwithstanding the unavoidable impact the measures will have upon some of the group’s employees, we have to act with urgency to mitigate the headwinds being experienced by the UK retail sector as a whole.”

The executive vice president of Rubie’s Masquerade received the award at the Disney UK Retail Showcase. The event took place at Kings Palace London, where Simon Phillips, The Walt Disney Company’s executive vice president and general manager of consumer products, presented Howard Beige – commonly known as Howie to those within the industry – with the prestigious award. As he prepared to present the award, Simon commented: “At Disney we don’t always give out a lifetime achievement award because when we do, we take it very seriously. The individual who receives the award has to have contributed something – not just to Disney, but to the industry – that is so monumental that they can be an inductee into the Disney Hall of Fame.” He continued: “This individual always produces the very best product for us; their company is synonymous with Disney. Every franchise that we produce, they produce. And they produce it with a smile on their face and bring smiles to the faces of people around the world every day. Especially on Halloween.” Rubie’s European relationship with Disney began with High School Musical in 2006 and has now extended to the entire Disney and Marvel portfolio as well as Lucas Films. Howard was “extremely honoured” by the award, stating: “Disney has been a tremendous partner for Rubie’s throughout the world. It’s always a pleasure working with such a collaborative and professional team. We look forward to building the Disney brands and working together in the years to come.”

DreamToys announces Search for a Star campaign The DreamToys selection committee is running a competition to find a talented retailer to join its team of media spokespeople. Every year in November, the media spotlight is firmly placed on the toy industry as the DreamToys selection committee announces the DreamToys Top Toys for Christmas list. More than 300 journalists from national television, radio and newspapers along with bloggers, vloggers and online journalists descend on St. Mary’s Church in central London to find out which toys are likely to be the hottest that Christmas. For 2018, the DreamToys selection committee is running a competition to find a talented retailer to join the team of spokespeople working with the media on the day of the launch of the list. Natasha Crookes commented: “We are looking for someone who is passionate about toys, can speak knowledgeably about the toys on the list and has a broad understanding of the toy market. This competition is a fantastic opportunity for someone looking to be more involved in the inner workings of the toy industry and the new face of the industry. The winner will be invited to DreamToys selection, where the final list is decided, as well as being media trained prior to being an official spokesperson at DreamToys on Wednesday 14th November.” Applicants should send video of themselves, no longer than three minutes long, including the following details: – Name, age, company, job title – Why you think you’d be a great spokesperson for DreamToys – What is your favourite toy on the market currently and why? Videos should be sent to dreamtoys@bastion.co.uk by Tuesday 28th August. Any questions regarding DreamToys participation should be emailed to n.crookes@toyretailersassociation.co.uk.

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News Tesco and Carrefour announce strategic alliance French retailer Carrefour and Tesco have announced plans to form a global long-term purchasing alliance, as they seek to cut costs. The alliance will cover strategic relations with global suppliers, the joint purchasing of own-brand products and goods not for re-sale, said Carrefour in a statement. Last year, Tesco – which employs 440,000 people – reported profits of £1.3b with sales of £57.5b. Carrefour operates 12,300 stores across more than 30 countries, employing about 375,000 people worldwide. Last year, it had sales of €88.2b (£78b). The two companies have been talking for two years and, although no formal agreement has yet been signed, they said they were hoping to confirm a deal in the next two months. Under the alliance, Tesco and Carrefour could also reduce their costs by clubbing together to buy petrol for delivery vans, as well as services such as legal services and accounting. Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis said: “By working together and making the most of our collective product expertise and sourcing capability, we will be able to serve our customers even better, further improving choice, quality and value.” In addition, a Tesco spokeswoman said a “clean team” would be established between the two companies, to ensure they did not see each other’s pricing or other commercially sensitive information. However, at the time of going to press, Tesco was facing an investigation into the impact the tie-up with Carrefour would have on competition. France’s anti-trust authority said it will probe the chain as part of a review into a number of deals struck between French and European firms. The concern is that the partnership could put pressure on suppliers who are already under demands to lower costs. A Tesco spokesperson said: “We will co-operate fully with the French competition authority investigation.”

Asian Toys & Games Show set for Hong Kong this October Presented and managed by Comasia Limited, the sourcing bonanza features four concurrent shows during 20-23 October at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre every year and is one of most important marketplaces in Asia for toys, gifts, premiums, housewares, kitchen/dining and lifestyle. This annual show date has now become a regular fixture in autumn Southern China sourcing for global buyers. Among the four concurrent events, Asian Toys & Games Show has been a major showcase and sourcing hub for Asian-made toys and games in Hong Kong every October. In 2017 this industry trade show featured top-shelf products from over 390 exhibitors from 15 countries and regions. The 2018 edition is expected to gather a strong line-up of some 400 exhibitors to present their best offers in 600+ booths. As technology and consumer preferences continually evolve, Asian Toys & Games Show has been keeping up with the latest market trends to offer the latest innovation and newest designs to buyers worldwide. This year, the show will again feature a wide array of innovative and creative playthings presented by leading manufacturers and suppliers mostly from Asia, including emerging STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths skills) educational toys, grown-ups’ favourite action figures and collectibles, smart toys with app-connected features and VR/AR technologies, electronic toys, soft toys & dolls, baby and nursery items, outdoor and sporting items. To visit this one-stop toys and games sourcing platform in Hong Kong this October, online pre-registration for free admission badges is now open at www.asiantng.com. Pre-registered buyers can also apply for the Special Buyer Sponsorship Program to enjoy up to HKD2,800 towards their expenses during their visit to the show.

Founder of Sequin Art announces retirement Stuart Marcus retired from Sequin Art on 6th July together with his wife Patricia, 50 years after first moving his business to Swaffham in Norfolk, The business Stuart originally started in 1962 was first known as Kitfix Hobbies and produced many different arts and crafts in Swaffham, until 25 years later, in 1987, he acquired the rights to Sequin Art. From an original six products, Sequin Art has expanded to more than 100 SKUs and is sold in over 25 countries worldwide. Stephen Ducker of Sequin Art commented: “After working with Stuart for 43 years, it is sad to see one of the truly great characters of the toy trade finally hang up his briefcase. I wish him a long and happy retirement. I am sure he will be popping in from time to time to make sure his Sequin Art ‘baby’ is being well looked after.” Robert Hookway added: “After 50 years of Sequin Art I also wish Stuart and Patricia a long and happy retirement.” Nik Necati of Crafty Art observed: “Stuart would visit with a smile on his face and jokes in his back pocket. In 1995 he took over from the previous rep, and it was not until three years later that I realised that he owned the business. That is his character, a modest man with a big dream and a big heart.” The Toy World team would also like to wish Stuart and Patricia all the best for a long and happy retirement together.

Kind + Jugend 2018: strong field of participants and a marketoriented event programme The upcoming Kind + Jugend show will take place from 20 to 23 September 2018 in Cologne. Nearly all stand space has been allocated, but new enquiries will be processed as quickly as possible. With around 1,200 exhibitors, including top companies and leading brands from the baby and children's outfitting industry, Kind + Jugend once again offers the ideal destination for information, inspiration and ordering. The Kind + Jugend Innovation Award and the Kids Design Award are important anchors of the event programme. They highlight what the industry can expect in the coming season and which themes are of interest to the trade and consumers. The Innovation Award honours excellent and innovative products in eight categories. The jury is composed of international trade journalists, as well as experts. The show also includes a high-quality event programme, which gathers innovations, trend lectures and theme presentations under the heading Support Circle.

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Hands on Fun! Toomies love to have fun! In a world dominated by learning and developmental messages, Toomies stands for ‘sheer joy of play’. So, get ready to play…beep, bop, squirt and splash!

Over 1500 TVRs planned Pic & Pop

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• New TV & demo videos for 2018 • Key PR partnerships including key influencer activations • Good Toy Guide stamp of approval & developmental endorsement • High profile TV sponsorship for the first time ever

News Mojo Nation unveils speakers for Toy and Game Design Conference Kicking off Mojo Nation’s inaugural Play Creators Festival, the Toy and Game Design Conference takes place on Monday 10th September at London’s Emirates Stadium, and is a day set to inspire and enlighten the industry’s creative backbone. Heather Delaney – founder of consumer technology marketing and PR firm Gallium Ventures – will chair the Play Innovation Panel. Joining Heather at the session will be: • Davin Sufer: chief technical officer at WowWee, a leading robotics company specialising in tech toys and consumer robotics, and the firm behind Fingerlings. • Bruno Schillinger: lead designer at Kano Computing, which is working to create electronics that challenge the way that the new creative generation interacts with the digital world. • Emily Tuteur: director of product design at littleBits, the award winning platform of electronic blocks that empowers everyone to create inventions, large and small. • Ben Callicott: head of product at Primo Toys, Ben has over 10 years experience in product design and development. Having been through two crowdfunding campaigns, Ben is responsible for turning the original digital fabricated Cubetto to the mass produced version seen on the market today. Heather Delaney commented: “I’m excited to be speaking with such a knowledgeable group of people within the toy industry as their insight and experiences make up a different piece of the industry puzzle. Each of these companies represent the growing areas in an ever-evolving field, and I look forward to us discussing the intricacies involved in the creative process, manufacturing and looking towards the future.” Davin Sufer added: “Our bread and butter is creating new interactive experiences with our products, and finding new technologies that we can adapt for our industry which deliver affordable, deep play. As such, we love engaging with new and unique perspectives and ideas and look forward to discussing these at the Toy and Game Design Conference.” The Toy and Game Design Conference is sponsored by Hasbro, Alpha Group and Wynne-Jones IP.

Keycraft unveils new HQ as part of global expansion

The new headquarters in Peterhead, Scotland, has allowed Keycraft’s entire warehouse to be mapped, streamlining picking and packing operations to speed up deliveries for customers. The development has increased the company’s overall capacity by 336%. Stepping through the main door into the entrance hall, visitors enter the central hub. Called The Playground, some of Keycraft’s bestselling impulse brands are on display around the staircase, named The Climbing Frame. This platformed area shows off Keycraft’s bespoke, impulse designed solutions. The Keycraft website states: “This environment will allow the whole team from warehouse, to sales, customer service, marketing and finance, the room to grow and space to come up with innovative ideas to help retailers around the world increase their profits with the Science of Impulse. Having been settled into our new home for a short while now, we look forward to visits from global staff members and clients from around the globe to see our new HQ.”

Jeff Taylor honoured with Toy Trust Outstanding Contribution award Arena Azure’s Jeff Taylor was awarded for his efforts in mediating the annual media auction and fundraising efforts. Through his involvement over the past nine years, £407,000 has been raised through the industry via the media airtime Jeff has sourced. His efforts were officially recognised with an award presentation at the BTHA & TRA Industry Day, which took place at Great Fosters Hotel in Surrey. Foye Pascoe, chair of the Toy Trust, commented: “Jeff has been a fantastic support to the Toy Trust over many years. His has been a contribution that the Charity Committee have always valued but has not been as well known by the wider industry at large until today. Jeff has been instrumental in generating and sourcing free air time from many media companies for the annual Toy Trust media auction that generates significant funds each year for disadvantaged children. The media companies themselves have been hugely generous and the toy companies participating have been tremendous. Without Jeff’s pivotal role, however, in connecting these key partners, this vital venture would simply not have happened. Jeff has truly made an outstanding contribution to the Toy Trust and our thanks go to him today.” The Industry Day welcomed more than 100 people from across the toy trade who gathered together to listen to inspiring presentations from Dame Stella Rimington DCB MA, former director general of the Security Service (MI5), and Don Williams from KPMG, who provided an update on current retail trends. Elsewhere during the day, Hasbro’s Foye Pascoe was named the new chair of the BTHA, taking over from Character Options’ Jon Diver. This is the first time in BTHA history that there will be both a female president (Christine Nicholls, Golden Bear) and a female chair at the same time.

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Industry Moves Sally Fielding joins Posh Paws as sales director From past positions in the gifting and housewares industry, including time at Hallmark, Sally has worked with leading brands and retailers and brings with her years of experience and a wealth of knowledge. Alan Smith, managing director of Posh Paws, commented: “We are thrilled to welcome Sally to the team. Sally’s strong understanding and connections in gifting and retail will be invaluable to the growth of the Posh Paws business. We couldn’t think of anyone better for the job.”

Further senior hires for HTI The company has appointed Marc Eyer as vice president of international sales. Marc joins the team having spent 14 years at Smoby as sales director, and a number of years as international sales director at Giochi Preziosi. Colin Houlihan, executive director for HTI Group, commented: “We’re delighted to welcome Marc Eyer to the team here at HTI. Marc will be bringing his extensive sales and industry experience to the team to help drive HTI’s overseas sales and support the businesses’ ambitious growth plans for 2018 and beyond.”

Mark Foster joins Playmobil as managing director, UK and North America Mark Foster has been named managing director, Playmobil UK and North America, as the company continues to transform and strengthen its international management team. Mark previously worked at Hasbro in various senior marketing, licensing and strategic planning roles, before moving from his most recent position as executive vice president of Tomy Europe. In his new role, Mark will oversee Playmobil in the UK and also its North American operations in US, Canada and Mexico. Speaking of his move, Mark Foster commented: “Playmobil is already one of the most iconic toy brands globally, yet still has enormous potential outside its traditional European heartland countries. Alongside the ongoing development and support for the classic ranges, the Playmobil brand is innovating through licensing partnerships, broadcast and theatrical entertainment, and digital engagement with families and fans – these are exciting directions to leverage and take the brand to new heights.”

RESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Brian-McLaughlin appointed Toymaster ointment Brian McLaughlin retail manager Brian brings with him many years’ experience of the toy trade from his time with both Toys R Us and E.L.C. Toymaster’s operations manager, Yogi Parmer, commented: “I hope you will join me in wishing him every success. The timing of this appointment shows that the board believes in both the future of independent toy retailers and the opportunities for both member expansion and to gain new members. The retail landscape continues to change and the removal of Toys R Us from the market place will allow space for specialist toy retailers to open stores in locations now devoid of a destination toy shop. Additionally, it has been noted that those independents closing their doors in recent months have, mainly, not been members of buying groups, and it is the belief of the board that, if independents are to flourish, being a member of a group is key. Once ‘up to speed’, a key part of Brian’s role is to also assist our membership in ‘Helping Members Trade More Profitably’ by ensuring they make the most of all the benefits membership of Toymaster offers.” To get in contact with Brian, email brian.mclaughlin@toymaster.co.uk , or phone 01604 662 922.

Board of Toymaster, I am pleased to announce the

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MGA welcomes new senior brand manager for Little Tikes Simone Inskip has joined the UK team, bringing a wealth of experience in both digital and retail focused roles. With almost 10 years marketing experience under her belt, Simone initially joined the world of marketing through the fashion industry, working for leading brands such as Fossil Group and New Era Cap Company. Michelle Lilley, head of marketing at Little Tikes, commented: “Simone has impressive knowledge of the marketing sphere, with nearly 10 years of experience. Like toys, fashion is a booming marketplace and we’re looking forward to implementing Simone’s valuable learnings into the Little Tikes strategy."

Kids@Play recruits for growth James Southworth will be joining the team as business development manager. Since attending London and Nuremberg toy fairs, James has led a major warehouse reorganisation project on a consultancy basis. As James’ interest in the business has evolved, Kids@Play has worked with Vance Withers of 496 Partnership to broaden James’ experience of the toy industry. Nathaniel Southworth, Kids@Play managing director, commented: “I am absolutely delighted that James has agreed to join us, as his “can do” attitude lifts everyone he works with. Recruiting from outside the toy industry always has some challenges but putting a development plan in place with Vance has alleviated this, and we are confident this rapid induction can be supported by mentoring within our team.” James will now begin to pick up account management responsibilities and continue to oversee ongoing process improvements within the Kids@Play operations function.

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Marketing World PMS International hits the road with Elves Behavin’ Badly lorry campaign The first stage in a substantial 2018 Elves Behavin’ Badly marketing campaign, On the Road with Elves Behavin’ Badly has seen PMS International produce over 40 eye-catching images which have been applied across its entire lorry fleet. Distinctive and immediately recognisable, the liveried lorries will clock up several million road miles between them, as they travel across the United Kingdom, making deliveries between now and Christmas. The humorous images capture the mischievous nature of the Elves Behavin’ Badly brand, with the hero image showing elves in a schoolroom, being taught how to behave badly by chief elf Elvie. The consumer marketing campaign starts on the 1st November, and will be overseen by creative marketing agency Taylor Herring. Consumers can expect to see a viral video series, Facebook and Twitter promotions, and a national fan photography competition. A number of high profile publicity stunts will also be rolled out nationwide, with a focus on London. The lorries are already garnering plenty of attention and to further engage consumers, a social media campaign will be launched, to encourage fans of the brand to share their snaps of the lorries and where in the UK they were spotted. Paul Beverly, managing director at PMS International, commented: “With its distinctive visual appearance, the new Elves Behavin’ Badly livery will make PMS' lorries some of the most recognisable on the roads. We hope that the images of our elves will make people smile and become instantly memorable to all those who see them out and about.”

Ravensburger appoints Norton PR for GraviTrax launch GraviTrax launched into the UK market last month, and will benefit from a fully integrated marketing campaign. GraviTrax enables children to devise and build their own track layout, release the gravity spheres and watch how the forces of nature work to create an action-filled adventure. With seven products in the GraviTrax range available from launch, the range is to be supported by a fully integrated marketing programme included a targeted TV and digital campaign plus PR-led events, experiential and partnership initiatives. Track design concepts can be shared and developed via a free downloadable app which is packed with track ideas, virtual track simulations and even a track building section to experiment with the ideal track, before actually building it. Benn Bramwell, marketing manager at Ravensburger, commented: “As the popularity of STEM toys grows, GraviTrax teams innovation with a unique play concept to encourage children to improve skills across these core subjects whilst also introducing elements of gravity, magnetism and kinetic energy into a construction based design. The Norton PR team developed a creative and impactful campaign to support the GraviTrax launch into the UK, including brand partnerships, Influencer outreach and events to showcase the key elements of the product line.”

Playtime PR named as Asmodee UK’s retained agency Asmodee UK has hired specialist toys and games PR agency, Playtime PR, to handle consumer PR and media relations on an ongoing basis. The agency has previously worked with Asmodee UK on a number of ad hoc projects, including the successful Blogger Board Game Club initiative which is soon entering its second year. Working closely with Playtime PR will be Annie Taljaard, who has joined Asmodee UK as the company’s new PR and marketing assistant. As well as being in close daily contact with Playtime, Annie’s role will involve seeking out new opportunities to generate coverage for Asmodee’s range of games across the media landscape. She will also be the first point of contact internally for new media contacts looking to work with Asmodee. Asmodee UK’s marketing manager, Ben Hogg, commented: “We’ve enjoyed a great relationship with Playtime since the agency’s inception four years ago, getting involved with Board Game Club and a number of PR projects last year. The growth of Asmodee UK over the last couple of years has highlighted the need for additional help and expertise with our mainstream consumer PR and media relations. Having previously collaborated with Playtime on several successful projects, we are confident Playtime can provide the service we needed. We are looking forward to working with them.” Playtime PR’s founder & managing director, Lesley Singleton, added: “It’s no secret that we’re big tabletop gamers here at Playtime PR, so naturally we’re thrilled to be working with Asmodee UK even more in 2018. Being engaged on a retained basis means our team can really get under the skin of the ever-expanding portfolio, seeking out the very best opportunities for the incredible titles on their board game shelves. We’re particularly focused on seeing quality, accessible board games crossover even more into the mainstream and are excited about Asmodee’s future.”

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Opinion

Targeting with precision This month, Jonathan looks at how consumer behaviours have adapted to new technological advances, how the media landscape has responded and what developments are still to take place.

ever before have advertisers had such a rich ability to reach and understand their consumers as individuals. Whereas traditional media strives to reach audience demographics as a whole, brands’ focus has switched to targeting consumers with precision, based on the online behaviour of their users/viewers. The phrase ‘digital first’ is one that has become increasingly prominent within the marketing planning sphere, with a larger slice of media spend going toward this channel every year since its inception. In 2017, the IAB reported £11.55bn was spent on digital advertising and according to a separate report by WARC this accounted for 52% of all advertising spend in the UK in 2017. But what does “digital first” mean to the Toys & Games market? Is the market even ready for this type of approach? Whilst many studies indicate that children’s attention is increasingly being focused online, the inability to report accurately on children’s online behaviours (owing to data capture restrictions) means that TV still remains an essential medium for advertisers’ to get their messaging across. In fact, estimates still predict that TV will account for over 75% of all UK Toys & Games advertising revenue in 2018 - and for good reason too. TV investment is built on the foundations of the medium not only offering the lowest cost reach for children’s audiences in the UK, but also on a long history of providing tangible ROI for advertisers. This isn’t necessarily the case for our counterparts in the US however, where TV entry costs can be prohibitive. With many global marketing strategies being led from the US, it is therefore understandable that there is pressure on UK marketers to move away from TV as the lead medium.

This time will come, as did it for the wider ad market in the UK some years ago now, but stepping stones need to be put in place before this can happen. So beyond advertising costs, what will it take to make this next generational shift? In recent years, traditional media channels have adapted with the progression of digital, in order to remain as advertising staples a digital world. As such, TV channels now offer BVOD and online catch-up services while OOH has evolved to include thousands of interactive, digital sites across the UK. And while press titles offer digital versions of their content, radio is now streamed online in addition to being beamed to household aerials. The line between digital and traditional media is becoming ever more blurred with digital marketing being usurped by marketing in a digital world. However, in this information-rich world, the wealth of information leads to a scarcity of the thing that information consumes; attention. Accelerated by the age of short-form media, the ever-shrinking attention span of the consumer has become the most precious commodity to advertisers – the golden snitch flitting between webpages, only settling for fleeting moments before rushing back off into the ether. With parents spending so much time online, they have become critically attuned to their digital environment. Users have come to expect high quality interactions and so it has become vital to streamline the online experience, at least to keep users around long enough to purchase. If an advertiser is successful by securing the flash of attention that they have set out to capture, it makes the most sense to send them directly to the point of purchase – the retailer site. Adding the extra layer of an advertiser landing page can often be a step too far in the user journey, incurring significant drop off rates.

Toy World 17

Jonathan Chambers

Director of AV Investment, Generation Media. Tel: 0207 307 7906 Jonathan.Chambers@generationmedia.co.uk

However, this leads to one of the largest obstacles that advertisers face; the reluctance of the online retail giants to share conversion data in real time. Not allowing advertisers visibility into which of their digital strategies are working breaks the data-chain and renders accurate, action-driven advertising near impossible online. This needs to change before the major transition to online strategies driving toy sales with consistent and proven ROI can truly occur. So “digital first” in the context of the Toys & Games market is still someway off in terms of investment, but it certainly shouldn’t be when it comes to mindset. As an industry, we need to ensure that the foundations are in place to make the transition over the next 3-5 years, as media costs align, and sales effectiveness is proven. This may take some resistance to US led strategies (where they potentially overstep the mark), but this will ultimately lead to “digital first” strategies which work for our local market, in a global context.

Licensing World Bandai named UK toy distributor for Robozuna Bandai UK has added an extensive Robozuna range to its portfolio, including collectibles, vehicles, figurines and playsets. ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE) has appointed Hengxin Shambala Kids (Guangzhou) Cultural Industry Development (HSK) as master toy partner in China, along with Bandai as UK distributor for the upcoming action TV series Robozuna. HSK, based in China, will develop and manufacture the Robozuna toy line, and distribution will be managed by Bandai in the UK. A Netflix Original animated series, Robozuna follows 14 year old Ariston and his homemade robot Mangle as they join a team of robot gladiators known as Combatabots, whilst fighting to free their oppressed nation from the evil Corvus Imperium. This original IP will launch across multiple platforms simultaneously in autumn 2018, including linear broadcast in the UK, SVOD around the globe through Netflix, YouTube Kids with short-form content, and in apps and gaming in partnership with award-winning UK-based Kuato Studios. Global social media influencers Ethan Gamer and Ali-A both star in the series and will be involved on an ongoing basis in promotion, as well as creating unique online content to supplement the series. An extensive toy range has been developed, including Collectible 2.5” Battle ‘n Stack Combatabots, 5” Battling Feature Robots, a Transporter Vehicle Playset, Role Play and 12” Mega Mangle Figurine. The toy line is planned for spring/summer 2019 following the series launch in autumn 2018. Additional consumer products will roll out from autumn/winter 2019. Nic Aldridge, managing director, Bandai UK, commented: “We are delighted to be working with ITV and HSK on this exciting project. Robozuna will be a great addition to our 2019 portfolio. Having seen the series content and supporting online material we feel that it will translate perfectly into a strong toy line. We know that the robot battling play pattern will resonate with our target audience of boys aged 4-9. We believe that Robozuna is the breath of fresh air that the boys action figure market is looking for.”

Rainbow celebrates 40th anniversary of The Snowman with new Collector’s Edition Rainbow is launching The Snowman Collector’s Edition, which comes presented in an illustrated keepsake gift box. The brand new Snowman Collector’s Edition is made from premium quality plush; his face features delicate embroidery detail and he wears a soft green knitted hat and scarf, which features The Snowman wording embroidered in white. The illustrated keepsake gift box with silver foiling features many of the illustrations from The Snowman picture book. Little ones can also embrace the magic of The Snowman this year thanks to Rainbow’s The Snowman and The Snowdog nursery toy and gift range. These baby soft plush gifts include everything from bean toys and booties to comfort blankets and ring rattles. Anthony Temple, Rainbow Designs’ managing director, commented: “The Snowman has always been a traditional part of Christmas but this year, its 40th anniversary, it will play an even bigger role. As we head towards the festive season we’d encourage retailers, particularly independents, to embrace the hype, excitement and the huge anniversary campaign. There is a short seasonal window for this classic festive brand, so we want to make sure retailers don’t miss the boat. With our new Collector’s Edition and our plush nursery gift range, we have The Snowman gifts covered for fans of all ages.” As part of the extensive anniversary celebrations, acclaimed children’s author Michael Morpurgo will be writing a new novel, a reimagining of the classic story by Raymond Briggs, which is due to be published in October.

Kids@Play joins forces with gardening guru Huw Richards The company has confirmed an agreement to produce Huw’s Nursery branded gardening kits. Huw Richards created his own YouTube channel, Huw’s Nursery, in 2011, and since then has amassed over 80,000 subscribers and had over 20m views online. His YouTube success has been picked up by the national media and he has featured in every major newspaper and online news platform. This May he was featured on the BBC’s The One Show. Nathaniel Southworth, MD, Kids@Play, commented: “The minute I read his story and then watched a video I knew Huw was a star. The media have dubbed him ‘the new Alan Titchmarsh’, but he is more than that because he has created the media channel as well. His social media figures are akin to the like of Gardener’s World, which has 2.7m weekly viewers on BBC2. I think he is more the ‘Golden Balls of Gardening’. His message is absolutely on trend, and Huw has bridged a generational gap with the work he has already done. His key demographic of 25-44 years old is ideal for families who want to experiment with growing their own vegetables together.” Huw Richards added: “When I spoke to Nat, he just got what I was trying to do and said Kids@Play would love to work with me on some products. 2018 has been an amazing year for Huw’s Nursery and I am now in discussions about my own TV series and a book deal. I am thrilled Kids@Play will create products that will encourage kids to give growing food a go.” Product development is well under way, with the aim to have the first kit available at retail before spring 2019.

Toy World 18

ADVENTURE BAY’S BRAVEST! ALL NEW

EPISODES ON FROM SEPTEMBER!

70CM LONG!

Licensing World Spin Master introduces Paw Patrol Ultimate Rescue theme Paw Patrol is preparing for this autumn’s new adventures - Ultimate Rescue. The No. 1 pre-school property and award-winning Spin Master brand continues to enjoy success, with the top pre-school show on Nickelodeon broadcasting in over 160 countries and territories.

Swizzels partners with Sambro International for multi category deal Sambro International will develop a range of Swizzels products across multiple categories, launching spring/summer 2019. Blonde Sheep Licensing brokered the agreement, which includes kitchen storage, melamine, backpacks, purses, bags and squishy toys for children and teens. Products will feature Love Hearts, Drumsticks, Refreshers and other brands from Swizzels, the UK’s largest family owned sugar confectionery manufacturer. Nikki Samuels, licensing director at Sambro, commented: “We are delighted to be creating a Swizzels range across multiple categories. We love that the Swizzels brands are instantly recognisable and have a broad appeal.” Natasha Dyson, managing director at Blonde Sheep Licensing, commented: “Sambro is a great partner for Swizzels with its vast experience with licences, breadth of categories and retail connections.

The new Ultimate Rescue theme will be supported by an extensive toy line up from Spin Master, with a new, highly anticipated hero vehicle set to lead the range - the Ultimate Rescue Fire Truck. Equipped with flashing lights and sounds, the truck comes with an extendable ladder. Easy to activate, the ladder lifts up, extends as high as two feet, and rotates. All six Paw Patrol pups fit aboard the Ultimate Fire Truck and stored inside the Ultimate Rescue Fire Truck is a mini fire cart for extensive play opportunities. Marketing Manager Charlotte Yates commented: “PAW Patrol 2018 is on a roll which has already seen us launch the Mission range of toys along with our inaugural PAW Patrol Little Heroes Awards which has given us a fantastic platform to engage with mums. The latest range of toys includes the Ultimate Rescue Fire Truck Playset, yet another amazing vehicle that will allow pre-schoolers to get truly absorbed in missions from Adventure Bay. With top Christmas toy accolades already awarded, we are confident it will be on a roll straight out of the box.”

Jazwares and Epic Games to launch Fortnite toy range Jazwares has announced a new partnership with Epic Games to create a wide range of toys based on the online game, Fortnite. Jazwares’ new Fortnite branded collection will feature true-to-game figures, Domez, loot boxes, play sets, environments, game-replica weapons and tools, plush, vehicles and much more. Judd Zebersky, CEO, Jazwares commented: “We are thrilled to be part of the Fortnite experience. This is more than just an entertainment property with product; it’s a global movement. Our product line will push the boundaries of traditional toys, bringing the digital world to physical product unlike anything fans have ever seen. We are so excited to be going on this journey with Epic Games.” Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games, added: “Jazwares has been so awesome to work with, and from the start has shown that it really understands the Fortnite universe and what makes it unique. It’s working on stuff right now that I think our players are really going to love. I can’t wait for them to see all of it later this year.” Launching in December 2018, the collection will be available for purchase at retailers around the globe.

Toy World 20

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11.05.18 14:50

Special Feature

L.O.L. Surprise!

Unwrappers delight Toy World takes a look at the global phenomenon that is L.O.L. Surprise! and what the brand brings to the kids’ marketplace.

PD figures released in July reveal just how impressive L.O.L Surprise! is as a brand. The £19m in sales the collectible range netted for MGA Entertainment saw the company ranked No. 1 in the Top 10 Growth Manufacturers of 2018, simultaneously moving MGA to the No. 3 Manufacturer spot. L.O.L. Surprise! is currently the No. 1 toy property in the UK marketplace, and boasts six products in the Top 10 so far this year too. Retail feedback also gives a glimpse of the brand’s success in the marketplace, suggesting that some leading toy shops are seeing over 10% of their turnover stemming from L.O.L. sales alone. Created by Isaac Larian, CEO of MGA Entertainment, L.O.L. Surprise! combines a number of elements which together have captured the attention of kids the world over. Remember the excitement of playing Pass the Parcel at a birthday party when you were younger? L.O.L lets kids unwrap multiple layers of surprises such as stickers, accessories, fake tattoos, clothes for the doll and so on. The blind box nature of the toy means kids are kept guessing all the way through the unboxing, and – crucially – this also makes L.O.L. perfect for social media and online platforms like YouTube. Unboxing videos, which feature kids (or adults) unwrapping and revealing blind bag collectibles, have become something of a phenomenon in themselves, with some videos generating tens of millions of views. All this provides valuable advertising for the brand, driving purchases and fuelling the collectibility craze. The low price point of the basic ranges, at around £5 for a standard L.O.L. ball, also appeals to kids looking to spend their pocket money and to parents looking for small gifts and stocking fillers, while providing retailers with a particularly strong pocket money offering in-store. CDUs and FSDUs are brightly coloured and feature distinctive branding, while peekaboo windows, ‘wheel of fortune’ style spinners and drop-down presentation also drive engagement with kids instore. The toy line also includes bigger-box offerings including L.O.L. Surprise! Biggie Pets, which include 15 surprises including wearable accessories for kids, and last year’s Christmas best-seller, L.O.L. Surprise! Pearl Surprise, which comes in a glitter purse carrying case with six pearl surprise balls and a large seashell fizz which dissolves in

water. For 2018 MGA also added two male dolls to the assortment for the first time - Punk Boi can be found in the Confetti Pop range, while Lil Punk Boi is part of Lil Sisters, Series 3 collection. For a brand that most would think of as undeniably marketed at girls, the introduction of boy dolls was an interesting move. “MGAE has the unique ability to watch trends and track consumer interests like no other toy

company,” explained an MGA spokesperson. “L.O.L. Surprise! was the first toy brand based on the trend of unboxing videos and introducing Punk Boi and Lil Punk Boi is another example of our forward-thinking company taking the lead on a trend. We see kids, both girls and boys, asking to play with a toy regardless of its gender, and we are looking forward to introducing more boy characters in the future.”

RMS International 0161 7278182 | www.rmsint.com RMS International is readying itself for the launch of a collection of L.O.L Surprise! design and create, play and novelty items. The range launches for autumn/winter and covers a variety of price points. From sparkly jewellery charms to light-up glitz balls and design-your-own creations, the company is offering something to add value and surprise to every L.O.L. Surprise! collection. RMS has received positive feedback from retailers about the diversity and creativity of its L.O.L Surprise! range, with initial demand for product at unprecedented levels. From oversized giant crackers filled with goodies for birthday surprises, to seasonal favourites for Christmas gifts and customisable stationery items perfect for the autumn season, the collection features innovative new takes on the sell-out brand and combines all the elements of L.O.L Surprise! that make it so popular. Majoring on the collectible theme, the RMS offering includes a range of surprise bags full of secrets, stickers and jewellery accessories. The creative team at RMS has added extra value to all items in the range, ensuring each product has a hidden surprise or glittery extra. The L.O.L. Surprise! Sequin Switch Purse and Secret Keeper Sequin Switch Diary both come with a sparkling hidden message, while the Make Your Own Scrap Book includes an added extra surprise bag with a sparkly bling ring and stickers. The RMS International range also includes glow in the dark novelties, including a Glow Party dip bag and light up Glitz Balls in the value for money offering. Finally, bright L.O.L Surprise! Bags for Life are available in two sizes.

Toy World 22

Special Feature At Tesco’s recent Christmas in July event, MGA’s newest L.O.L Surprise! offering, L.O.L. Under Wraps was picked out by the retailer as one of its Top Toys for Christmas. Part of the new Eye Spy series (Series 4), the lozenge-shaped packaging opens to reveal 15 layers of surprises, while kids can use the included spyglass for decoding secret messages. Series 4 also includes Lil’ Sisters, Pets and Biggie Pets. “There’s so much newness in store this holiday season, we can only give you a taste,” enthuses the spokesperson. “Fans can expect a never before

L.O.L. Surprise!

seen imagining of L.O.L. Surprise! In our new Eye Spy series, we layer secret messages and hidden codes where kids can use a spy glass to unbox their favourite toy and unlock surprises. The L.O.L. Surprise! Eye Spy series includes Under Wraps (Dolls) and Biggie Pets, both with 15 surprises inside, new Pets and new Lil Sisters to collect. Fans will also be thrilled to get their hands on the new L.O.L. Surprise! Interactive Live Surprise Pets, which are just like real pets.” L.O.L. Surprise offers strong opportunities for

MV Sports 01217 488 000 | www.mvsports.co.uk

companies looking to tap into the success of the brand. With a huge and dedicated fanbase, plus the unboxing aspect, awareness of the brand continues to grow exponentially, in line with its success. The pastel pinks and blues synonymous with L.O.L., combined with cute illustrations, make it a perfect fit for homewares, publishing, apparel, gifts and electronics. Over these pages, Toy World takes a look at some of the licensed L.O.L Surprise! products currently available within the kids’ marketplace.

Dreamtex 0844 499 8465 |

MV Sports has added the successful property L.O.L Surprise! to its comprehensive range of licensed wheeled toys. Core to the range is the folding in-line scooter, featuring height-adjustable handlebars, an easy fold mechanism and folding handles for simple storage on-the-go, while the fixed in-line scooter has glitter wheels and a set of glitter stickers for customisation. The L.O.L Surprise! 12v electric scooter has an easy twist and go grip, foldable handlebars and becomes a free-wheeler when the power runs out; kids can simply flick a switch and carry on scooting. There are two bike sizes on offer within the range; the 14” bike includes removable stabilisers and the option to adjust the handlebars and seat height for progression and growth, and comes with stickers and a crash pad. The 16” bike has full printed wheel inserts plus a printed character chainguard. L.O.L glitter skates come with glitter socks, glitter wheels and a set of stickers allowing fans to customise their wheels. A ramp and safety helmet are also available, both with inclusive sticker sheets. The helmet features a ventilated shell, adjustable size dials and quick release buckles. After wheeling around, kids can pitch the L.O.L tepee. With an integrated floor, front tie backs and printed Glitterati club characters including Queen Bee, Cosmic Queen, Glitter Queen and Crystal Queen, this is an ideal hideaway for any L.O.L Surprise! fan.

www.dreamtexltd.com UK children’s home textile specialist Dreamtex is working with MGA and The Point.1888 on the L.O.L. Surprise! licence as it prepares to supply both the UK and Scandinavian territories. Since being awarded the contract, the company has experienced high demand for product, and is working hard to create new designs and products to meet the increasing requirements of its customers. Dreamtex has also said that it is already in airfreight negotiations with its customers on the L.O.L. Surprise! range. Exclusive designs featuring real glitter-printed duvet covers, shaped and reversible cushions, soft fleece blankets and bright summer towels and ponchos have all been included as part of the first phase launch of the range. Wall coverings, wall stickers and self-adhesive borders will be added during the autumn to provide kids with all the bedroom décor they need to enjoy the full L.O.L. Surprise! experience. Dreamtex has now started work on the 2019 spring/summer collection, which will feature a selection of new and innovative products and designs as it continues with its fresh approach to the children’s home textile market. The L.O.L. Surprise! home textiles collection is available in Smyths Toys, The Entertainer, Argos, Amazon, Asda and many other retailers.

Little Brother Books 01392 982 082 | www.littlebrotherbooks.co.uk Specialist annual publisher Little Brother Books continues to enjoy success with the L.O.L. Surprise! brand. Having signed the licence in July 2017, and brought the first annual to the market by October the same year, the company went on to sell 150,000 copies in its first year. LBB also produced the first licensed product on the market in the world for L.O.L. Surprise! with its 80-page L.O.L. Surprise! 2018 Edition annual. Various USPs were added to the first product launch, to recreate the surprises that fans expect from the toy line. These surprises included four different front covers to choose from, while each annual was also wrapped in a pink bag so fans could ‘unbox’ the annual, as they do when unwrapping the toys. Little Brother Books’ 48 page, softcover L.O.L. #My Totally Awesome L.O.L. Art, Fun & Play Annual has been a success for the company this spring/summer, following the positive reception received for the Christmas Annual. Key retailers such as Smyth Toys, Amazon, Asda, TJ Morris, The Range, HMV, TK Maxx and WHSmith have all supported the new title. This year, LBB is launching the all new L.O.L. 2019 Edition for Christmas, which is expected to be the No. 1 annual this year. Hitting the shelves on 1st September, the hardcover annual will feature 80 pages of doll, club and pet profiles, plus fun activities for kids to enjoy.

Toy World 24

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Q&A

BLE

Moving on up With the recently announced venue move for BLE causing consternation among exhibitors and attendees alike, Toy World spoke to Anna Knight, brand director of BLE, about why she believes moving the show to Excel will be a standout success.

BLE is an established, successful show – so why risk moving the event to a new location? The reason we are moving it is entirely because it’s an established, successful show, and we want it to continue being an established, successful show. Our customers’ BLE requirements have begun to change over the years; exhibitors want a more flexible space and to be able to do more from an exhibiting standpoint, while attendees expressed a desire for better services and amenities, plus a much more experiential event. When we started to match the needs of our customers to the venue options, it became clear that there was a potentially more suitable option in Excel.

As we went through the decision making process we had to consider three main areas: Firstly, we want European growth. It’s important for BLE that we continue to grow European attendees and exhibitors, to ensure that we are fully representative of the European licensing market. Over a third of BLE visitors and exhibitors come from continental Europe and beyond, and we want to expand upon that. The UK market is extremely important, and still the second biggest licensing market in the world, but we want to represent Europe in its entirety. Excel’s close proximity to City Airport combined with the imminent arrival of the Elizabeth Line offers people a direct and much faster connection to Heathrow Airport, and these things are catalysts for growing that part of our audience. Secondly, we had to consider space. We clearly need space to grow, but far more important to us is the flexibility of the space. Exhibitors want more flexible stand options, more meeting spaces, a better screening room; and this feedback comes from across all of our exhibitors, not just those taking larger stands. We are also getting a lot of demand from attendees in terms of their experience at the event. Their desire for meeting spaces, better catering and seating areas tells us that they want a more experiential BLE, which is the way the market is heading. At the moment we can’t cater to these needs at Olympia based on its layout and the fact the building is a bit older, whereas Excel gives us the ability to transform the space in exactly the way that we want.

Toy World 26

Lastly, we need to look at the experience. Excel is a modern, purpose built exhibition centre with excellent facilities - better catering, a better Wi-Fi connection, consistent air conditioning, better toilets. All in all, Excel lets us put on an amazing experience in every way.

Other trade shows have tried to relocate to Excel, including Toy Fair and Book Fair, and the results were little short of disastrous – why do you believe it will be different this time around? Those two shows were at Excel a very long time ago, and a lot has changed since. The Olympics came to Excel in 2012, and as a result a huge amount of regeneration happened within Excel itself and also the area surrounding it. There are now 13 hotels on the Excel campus, whereas back then there were only six or seven, while the two onsite DLR stations offer plentiful and frequent trains. The venue itself has been modernised, with a huge amount of investment put into catering and facilities, and there are a number of bars and restaurants on site too. You can also get the cable car over to the O2. I think the most important thing for Excel is the arrival of the Elizabeth line (or Crossrail depending how people refer to it), which starts running in December of this year. The line will provide many more direct connections to Excel itself, with airconditioned trains running frequently between Excel and central London. At Olympia, people will travel around 15 minutes to go and have dinner

BLE somewhere, and you can do that at Excel now too. A Crossrail train will take you to Bond Street in 15 minutes, the O2 in five minutes, Olympic Park or the Westfield area in 10. There are far more areas accessible for people who want to experience the regenerated area around Excel. The other thing I would say is that UBM is an exhibition organiser – that’s what we do by trade. I absolutely love working in the licensing industry and talking to people about it. I’ve also loved listening to people’s views about how BLE needs to transform, bringing in our exhibition expertise and marrying the two together in the hopes of creating the best event possible. We have a lot of experience in moving shows from one venue to another, including from other venues to Excel, giving us a bank of experience on what to do and what not to do. We have spoken to a lot of people about what happened with Toy Fair and Book Fair, and have thought long and hard about how we’ll make sure BLE works in its new venue.

What tangible benefits does Excel offer over Olympia for BLE? There is definitely better accessibility for those travelling in from Europe, both in terms of airports and train stations, and there are 3,700 onsite car parking spaces too. There are 13 hotels spread across the whole site with over 2,500 rooms catering to all budgets and sizes. Logistics will be easier for exhibitors, with multiple access points and modern facilities in a single level layout, with no pillars to contend with. A major benefit will be our brand new floorplan, which will offer a more equal footing for all exhibitors whilst also improving navigation for attendees. We will have the opportunity to hold more events at Excel, and this minimises footfall being taken away from the show. At Olympia there aren’t enough meeting rooms or event spaces which forces people offsite, turning the area around Olympia into an event hub. That takes footfall away from the show. By having flexible spaces in which to hold those events on campus, we have a much better opportunity to keep that footfall in the show, where it belongs. There are multiple attendee entrances too, so we can move footfall around and balance it where necessary.

The studio screening experience will be improved, and a more flexible timetable put in place for those screenings so we can ensure that the people attending them can also attend the majority of the show. What’s more, there are now 25 catering outlets, which is a huge improvement. We’ll have lots more to tell people over the coming months about what we plan to put into the show and the initiatives we are going to launch; these are things we would be doing regardless, but we understand that they will be particularly important to people because of the move.

In the past, visitors felt that Excel was a bit soulless; it lacked atmosphere and was a difficult venue in which to create a buzz. Do you think that has changed? I do. There’s no denying that Olympia is a beautiful building with wonderful charm, but it only meets the needs of some of our customers. We believe that Excel can meet the needs of all of them. The onus is very much on us to create a good atmosphere at the show; not only do we have an amazing show in BLE, it also has an incredible atmosphere, whereas some shows outside of this industry find it very difficult to create that buzz. We actually have a plan called The Spirit of Licensing, which sets out how we plan to bring soul to BLE. We can do it, we believe we can do it, and we know how important it is to everyone. It’s a core part of our plans to put more experiential activations into the show, which is in line with where the industry is heading. Everything from gaming and e-sports to publishing and actual sports will see plenty of activations, and we’ll be putting on more evening events too. We really understand the need for soul and spirit at the show, and we’ll be bringing it.

The social side of BLE is an important factor in the success of the show – do you believe the location will be able to deliver on this front? I genuinely do, and I’ve discussed a fair bit already about what the area offers. It’s absolutely our responsibility as show organisers to help those attending BLE work out their out of hours programme. When you move a show you can’t just

Q&A

expect people to understand the area, to know where the best restaurants and bars are, so we’ll be putting this information out there for people to use. We’ll also be creating areas ourselves to bring communities together, with everything from an alternative to the Hand & Flower – which we’ve already found on campus – to other areas that will act as BLE hubs. Finding places to go won’t be an issue, we simply need to communicate the options well so people are comfortable with the location and what’s on offer.

How have exhibitors and visitors reacted to the announcement - do you feel you have some work to do to convince people who have had a bad experience at Excel in the past that things have changed? The majority of people that we’ve spoken to have been open to the idea of moving, and totally understand the reasons behind the decision. We’ve moved shows to Excel many times, and BLE is ideally placed to benefit from our experience in this. Its human nature to be wary of change, but change provides opportunities to do things differently and to improve the customer experience. We have an ongoing dialogue with our customers, and a lot of the ways in which we have improved BLE over the years have come from this dialogue. I would like to reach out to people and say please keep talking to us – hearing your views means we can deliver the best possible event.

And finally – how many years have you signed the contract for? This isn’t a short term plan for us. We are committed to the venue for three years, but more than that we are committed to making it work. It wouldn’t be right to move everyone to a new location one year and then straight back again the next. I don’t know what the world will be like in five or six years’ time, but for the foreseeable future BLE will be at Excel. It’s not easy to move an event, it requires investment and some serious work. The team and I wouldn’t be doing something like this if we didn’t believe it was a good move for the event.

Seven Kings

Delivering your visitors via the Elizabeth line*

Chadwell Heath

Manor Park Delivering your visitors Goodmayes via the Elizabeth line* Maryland Ilford Forest Gate Stratford

Ealing Broadway

Hayes & Harlington

Hanwell

Southall

West Ealing

Paddington Acton Main Line

Tottenham Court Road

Farringdon

*Locations listed are based on the top 20 areas from which visitors are travelling in from.

Hayes & Harlington

Canary Wharf

Southall

Your event at ExCeL London (Custom House) H

Hanwell

London City Airport

Liverpool Street

Bond Street

Heathrow Airport H

Ealing Broadway

Whitechapel F

Heathrow Airport

Paddington

Bond Street

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to ExCeL London in 43 minutes, saving people 23 minutes on their journey time

Buckinghamshire

Surrey

Hertfordshire

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Kent

Northamptonshire

Essex

Wiltshire

Hampshire

Hammersmith & Fulham

West Sussex

Norfolk

Devon

Wandsworth

to ExCeL London in 12 minutes, saving people 22 minutes on their journey time

Somerset

Dorset

Gloucestershire

to ExCeL London in 17 minutes, saving people 10 minutes on their journey time

to ExCeL London in 20 minutes, saving people 18 minutes on their journey time

Toy World 27

Farringdon H

Acton Main Line

Bon

Woolwich

Heathrow Airport

West Ealing Abbey Wood

Paddington

Liverpool Street

to ExCeL London in 10 minutes, saving people 10 minutes on their journey time

*Locations listed are based on the top 20 areas from which visitors are travelling in from.

Heathrow Airp

Bringing in visitors f across the globe:

to ExCeL London in 43 minutes, savin people 23 minutes their journey time

Special Feature

Tesco

Toys key to Tesco success

Following the retailer’s Christmas In July Showcase, Rachael Simpson spoke to John Hext, head of buying: Toys & Nursery at Tesco, to find out more about this year’s approach to collectibles, the expansion of Carousel into games and puzzles, and Tesco’s plans for autumn/winter. How has Q1/2 been so far for Tesco? Our financial year runs from March to February, so we’re still trading our Q2 but are very happy with our performance year to date. The popularity of collectibles plays very much to our strengths of footfall and distribution. This has driven amazing sales, as has the great weather we’ve been having recently. This weather coincided with the launch of the Carousel branded outdoor toys, which has been a huge success with parents and children alike. We have a lot of parents in the office whose children are really enjoying our outdoor lines. From a more commercial perspective, I’ve seen a lot of references to the profitability of toys, including a recent quote in Toy World Magazine – possibly even in one of John Baulch’s blogs - from a general manager suggesting that Tesco and others don’t see a profit in toys. This certainly isn’t the case from our perspective. What we did have to acknowledge some time ago, was that changes were required in order to ensure toys could positively contribute to our operating profit, and I’m happy to say we’re making progress on that front. This isn’t just us trying to get toys at lower costs (which, let’s face it, every retailer would like to

do); it’s also about plugging profit drains. A great example of this is the work we’ve been undertaking with a number of suppliers to address shrink – the level of theft of toys. It’s not the sort of thing we would usually have spent so much time focusing on in commercial before, but ultimately it will help us drive up the operating profit of toys for the business. For us it’s a case of looking at all scenarios; where the drains are, and where we can plug them.

What are the strongest ranges in toys for Tesco at the moment, both in terms of Carousel products and those from your suppliers? There aren’t many questions relating to toys at the moment that don’t call out L.O.L. Surprise! When you consider the performance of the brand over the past 12 months, and that it combines not only a collectible element but one of dolls and unboxing too, it’s been an absolute phenomenon. It’s great to see that MGA is continuing to develop the range and keep it fresh, and hopefully it will remain as popular as it is for some time yet. The collectibles trend itself looks to have a lot of life in it. In this role, I have the pleasure of seeing things really early on; I look back to being

Toy World 28

in the US in September, viewing all these amazing collectibles that were coming through from the likes of MGA and Spin Master, and it’s fantastic to now see them landing in stores. Looking at recent performance, and also forward to autumn/winter, Carousel has exceeded expectations for us. Our outdoor toys have been a great fit for the brand which is perhaps down to the age group, having launched in pre-school toys. And as you will have seen at our Christmas in July event, the Carousel brand continues to grow with the introduction of games, which are proving to be a massive hit with everyone that’s been playing with them. Emilia Falcone in the toy buying team did a great job developing the range with our sourcing and technical teams, including lots of time spent in Games Cafés, and a day has not gone by where she hasn’t been games testing in the office. My personal favourite is Donk a Dino, which got people very competitive at our Christmas in July event!

What do you think can be done to reinvigorate the boys’ collectibles market, seeing as the majority of products seem to be aimed at girls? We don’t define anything as girls or boys. L.O.L

Special Feature Surprise!, for example, is defined by us simply as a doll collectible, and Treasure X, from Character Options, would likewise not be classed by us as either a girls or boys collectible. I do think there is a lot more breadth coming within the category, and if you consider the wider markets you could argue that one of the biggest collectibles in the UK right now – football trading cards and stickers – doesn’t even sit within the toy category. Collectibility has such a broad definition that we don’t want to pigeonhole it into girls and boys. MGA’s Ready to Robot is offering something a little different to what’s out there at the moment, Character’s Treasure X is really exciting, and Party Popteenies from Spin Master is huge fun too; we’ve all thoroughly enjoyed popping those in the office. Anyone who attended Christmas in July would have noticed that Surprise, Slime and Squish are very much leading the way this year.

What are Tesco’s plans for the autumn/ winter period? As always, toys play a key role in our seasonal plans, which starts with us switching our focus out of outdoor toys as we launch into the autumn/ winter season. We have a fantastic toy range space, and we will take outdoor toys out of this, placing much more focus on the autumn/winter proposition with more space being dedicated to games. Our range space is key to our plans, but we’ll also see big events tailored to the various customer missions throughout the season, moving through from autumn/winter starting at the beginning of September right through to Christmas day. If anything, we are more prepared than ever for toys this Christmas.

Tesco

How is Tesco approaching this year’s catalogue and what the online strategy will be now tescodirect.com is closing? Tesco remains committed to bringing a compelling range of general merchandise to its customers, both in-store and online at Tesco. com. It is Tesco’s ambition to create a simpler online experience for customers, allowing them to purchase general merchandise, clothing and groceries all in one place. Tesco began this process a little while ago and customers shopping on Tesco. com can already buy products such as toys, home and cookware. Opportunities to selectively build on this offer will be made as investment is focused on a single online platform.

How many of your toy lines will be moving over to Tesco.com after the closure of Tesco Direct, and what impact might this have? The Tesco.com offering is fulfilled from our stores, so what that effectively means is that toys that are in our store ranges can feature on the Tesco.com site. When fulfilling from stores we will be looking closely at where the biggest opportunities to put our in-store ranges on Tesco. com are.

What are the Christmas lines to look out for? There’s so much to call out! I’ve already mentioned the new L.O.L. products as well as Ready to Robot, Treasure X and Party Popteenies. We continue to be the exclusive partner for Lego with Unikitty, who is

Toy World 30

currently making appearances in the Lego Movie 2 trailers, and with her cartoon series released for purchase in a couple of months, awareness of the character will only increase. It’s good to see some more positivity in the world of licensing too, what with Jurassic World doing so well, and we certainly hope that the sensational US Box Office for Incredibles 2 will bode well for Box Office and toy sales in the UK.

Tesco senior buying manager Claire Urquhart-Deane made a very interesting point regarding the popularity of Fortnite, and the impact the game might have on sales of laser or dart guns such as Laser X this Christmas – what are your thoughts on this? If you think of the play pattern featured in these games it’s a great synergy that Claire has called out. If parents can use these sorts of toys to encourage their kids to get out there and chase each other in real life, versus chasing each other on a screen, I think they’ll be all for it. Laser X is a great product; 30 years ago I had something similar but you pretty much had to be in complete darkness to play it, whereas the Character product has opened this type of play pattern right up and made it far more accessible to modern kids.

NPD Insight

Toys are not just for children! This month, Melissa looks at how those kids that never want to grow up account for a considerable percentage of the total toy market.

he largest proportion of toy sales is are hoping to repeat the recent success of Speak Out. purchased for 0-4 year old recipients, Vehicles is another strong area for kidults with 18+ accounting for 35% of annual toy sales year olds making up 22% of sales, driven by the (source: NPD Consumer Panel, Full powered vehicles subclasses. The Radio/Remote Year 2017). However, this has declined Control Air subclass is up +35% YTD June 2018, significantly over the last ten years when the 0-4 driven by Sky Viper from Vivid Imaginations and Air years age group accounted for 45% of sales in 2008. Hogs from Spin Master growing this year. Electric strongly, with Batman the number two licence and Over the same time, there has been a remarkable Train Sets & Accessories is also up +8% YTD, with Avengers another top licence for kidults. Film and increase in toys purchased for adults (18+) with value the Flying Scotsman Express from Hornby the top Movie influence is 57% stronger for 18+ year olds, increasing +68% since 2008 and now contributing selling item. with TV Programmes 63% higher than the market 11% of total toy sales, or £1 in every £9. In fact, this Action Figures & Accessories owe more than £1 average. Other licences such as Disney Princess and trend of toys being purchased for adults, or “kidults”, in every £5 spent to kidult purchases. As well as WWE are also popular for 18+ year olds. is the fastest growing age group for toys, with sales high-end collector Action Figures, Funko, the fourth While only 15% of Building Sets purchases are for doubling in the last five years alone to £383M in 2017. fastest growing manufacturer across total toys Yearkidults in value, the category is the third largest in While children are still the core of the toy market, to-date June 2018, sits here. The Funko POP! range terms of value for this age group, with Lego the single these kidults are also looking for ways to enjoy is one of the most recognisable and fastest growing largest property purchased for kidults. Purchases themselves and distract themselves from the brands over the last two years, covering licences range from Lego Technic to various Lego Ideas items everyday adult life. Millennials (18-34 year olds) from cult hits like Five Nights at Freddies and Rick to collectibles like Lego MiniFigures. account for nearly half of these kidult purchases and Morty, to blockbusters like Avengers and Justice The collectible attraction for kidults shouldn’t be (48%), as they experience a second childhood with League, and has huge appeal across teens and older underestimated either. The last few months has their own money and before starting their own consumers. seen the Panini World Cup Stickers consistently families. These purchases are also more likely to be Kidult licences are dominated by the big movie one of the top three items across total toys, not just made online, accounting for 56% of sales compared franchises, with Star Wars number one by some with children, but with adults also wanting to fill to 39% across total market. margin. Since the first film release in 1977, Star Wars their sticker books. In fact, Panini is now the second So what type of toys appeal to these adult has managed to attract at least three new generations fastest growing manufacturer YTD and World Soccer consumers? Kidults s strongly over-index on certain into its galaxy far, far away - and into the related International the fastest growing licence. areas of the toy market. Games & Puzzles is the toy purchases. However, superheroes also feature While spending on toys for children is slowing, largest supercategory the kidult market has purchased, accounting seen some of the fastest for nearly £1 in every growth over the last £5 spent for adults five years, albeit from a in 2017. Within total smaller base. Some of 18+ Yrs recipients account for £1 in every £9 spent on toys Games and Puzzles, the biggest successes of 18+ year old recipients the last 18 months have Total Toys 11% account for 23% managed to combine Games/Puzzles 23% of all sales. Games both children and kidult Vehicles 22% aimed at adults has appeal. Thinking that Action Figures & Acc 22% a healthy mix of new toys are just for children All Other Toys 17% and heritage brands Building Sets could be limiting the 15% driving the category, Youth Electronics 12% potential of new ranges, with items like Plush 11% as well as marketing Dolls Articulate and The 9% campaigns. Widening the Infant/Toddler/Preschool… Logo Game continuing 5% net to include big kids, Outdoor & Sports Toys 3% to grow YTD 2018, there is an opportunity to Arts & Crafts 2% while newer launches be gained with a share of such as Hearing the fastest growth area of 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% Things from Hasbro Source: The NPD Group | NPD Consumer UK | Full Year 2017 the market. Value £%

Melissa Symonds

Director UK Toys, EuroToys NPD

Kidults Share of Supercategories

The NPD Group, Inc. | Proprietary and confidential

Toy World 32

The NPD Group provides global information and advisory services to drive better business decisions. By combining unique data assets with unmatched industry expertise, we help our clients track their markets, understand consumers and drive profitable growth. Sectors covered include automotive, beauty, entertainment, fashion, food/food service, home, office supplies, sports, technology, toys, video games, and wireless. To monitor what’s happening in the ever-changing toy market, NPD collects point-of-sale information from all major toy retailers. This information, combined with our analysts’ industry perspectives, delivers a comprehensive view of what’s selling and where. We also field over 12m consumer surveys annually to help industry leaders understand why consumers shop where they shop and why they buy what they buy. For more information visit www.npd.com. Follow NPD on Twitter @npdgroup.

Property Progression Total Property (Brand + Licence)

Rank May 2018

Rank June 2018

Jurassic Park/World

#44

#12

Fastest Growing Licences in Toys

Top 10 Fastest Growing Licences across total Toys Ranked by value gained – YTD June 2018 vs. 17 World Soccer International PJ Masks Cars The Movie Jurassic Park/World Black Panther Avengers Other Roblox Justice League JoJo Siwa Ben 10

Sales Gained £M Source: NPD EPoS Retail Tracking | YTD June 2018 vs. 17 DocumentThe classification: Client/Third Party Confidential NPD Group, Inc. | Proprietary and confidential

The sequel to Jurassic World, Fallen Kingdom was released in UK cinemas on 6th June and the toy licence has shot up the property rankings with sales of £1.5M for the month. Jurassic World was the number two licence in Building Sets (behind Star Wars) and number two in Action Figures & Accessories (behind Avengers) and has helped drive sales of all dinosaur themed products over the last few weeks, with dinosaur toys now accounting for 2.1% of the market, up from 0.8% in June 2017. Standard Building Sets accounts for 50% of Jurassic World sales, with Action Figures 27% and PS Figures & Playset 5%.

While the last 18 months has been a challenging time for the licensed toy market, there are still some licences which have grown this year. The fastest growing licence is World Cup Soccer International, driven by Panini World Cup Stickers which has sold £9.4M YTD June 2018, up from £7.4M sold during the Euro Championship in 2016. PJ Masks continues to be a strong pre-school challenger to Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig and Thomas and Friends, with sales double what they were this time last year. The latest Jurassic World movie was only released at the beginning of June, and already the toy licence is the fourth fastest growing this year, only just behind Cars the Movie, where Cars 3 was released in summer 2017. Marvel does well with both film releases from earlier in the year; with Black Panther and Avengers licences both in the fast growers. Roblox shows how online games can create new avenues for toy licences, while JoJo Siwa and Ben 10 demonstrate that TV shows can still drive toy sales.

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Sue Carter - Rikki Tikki Toy Shop, The Cotswolds Business has been very successful so far this year. Because we are located in the Cotswolds, we find that there are always people around, as visitors and tourists constantly come to the area. It is generally quieter in January, but business picked up in March, and from then onwards we have been busy. We have recently carried out a re-vamp of the shop, so are now looking for new ranges to fill it. We have started to place orders already for Christmas, but when we go to Autumn Fair at the NEC we will be looking for more new products to order for the festive season. Most of the products which we stock are aimed at the 0-8 years age range, so this year we would like to try and find a few new products which are suitable for slightly older children. Lego remains popular with the older age group, but otherwise this is an area we need to expand. Hape toys sell really well for us, because not many companies offer wooden ranges which are suitable for infants. Orange Tree Toys, which is based just down the road from us, is another of our most successful ranges. Many of the toys which we stock are wooden, and these are really popular with our customers. We stock a selection of the large puzzles from Orchard Toys, which are always in high demand. We carry a range of STEM products, in particular the Geosmart range from Smart Toys and Games, which customers seems to like. Plush is a very popular category for us, and we have seen great sales from Chunky Chilli, which offers a range of finger puppets which are also all organic and a particular favourite of mine. We have a range of role-play and pretend play items which we bring out around Christmas, due to the space they take up. We like to get at least one of the kitchens or workbenches out so that children can see their full size and are able to play with them in-store. This works much better than having them in boxes, and it’s always nice to see children playing with and enjoying the toys. We get certain other toys out too and let them play; it’s fantastic when little ones come into the shop and say “wow”! One of the products which we get this with a lot is Kinetic Sand from Spin Master. Tobar marbles sell very well, and our customers collect them. We like to stock ranges which are a bit different to those you might find in other toy stores, especially in the larger retailers, and this is one of the reasons why we focus on wooden and traditional ranges.

Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes Toy Barnhaus

Making a splash

s we write this, we are still sweltering in the longest heatwave for several years. Looking at the current forecast, by the time you read this it will still be going on. The hot weather has come at a great time for us and has been a real boost to sales. We don’t like to let people down and run out of pools when the weather arrives and make a great effort not to do so - so far, this hasn’t happened. We have also done great trade on pool inflatables. It is amazing what you can sell even when you are not a seaside store. By putting out display models, we have sold inflatable unicorns, popsicles, donuts, whales and dolphins, to name but a few. This has helped offset a lull during England’s run in the World Cup; although we have sold record numbers of the World Cup stickers this year. We are hoping that, come the school holidays, some rain arrives to drive customers into our shops in malls. It is a quieter time for new products at the moment, but several are about to arrive for the summer. We have seen good early sales on Orbeez Wowser Surprise from Character, and have high hopes for Treasure X, as the boys’ collectible market could do with a boost. Plush is a big area for us in all our stores. The category is a good margin driver that pulls footfall into our shops, and hence is always featured as near to the front as possible. When well merchandised, a plush display can be really eye-catching and attracts customers to come and have a closer look – and feel. Some collect plush ranges, and some just want a cute companion, so we see sales of all kinds of animals; it’s a very personal choice whether a customer is drawn to a dog, cat, or a unicorn. It’s a category that sells all year round. Pretend Play is an important area for us, once again being a safe, steady seller all year round. It is a competitive area in the marketplace, as most national retailers have their own brand products in this sector. Our key range is Casdon, which has a great selection of products, and the licence tie-ins they have across the ranges really help add realism to the toys. The Henry Vacuum Cleaner is one of our bestsellers overall. Our Wooden toy ranges in store are mainly based around railway products. We stock a good range of trains sets, track, and accessories, and it is a great way to drive repeat store visits as regulars add something else to their wooden railway. Our customers are looking for good quality at a great price. Last year we started stocking Brio in some of our stores, and have been pleased with the results. It is a premium product, but the quality of the packaging reflects this, and there are lots of customers who know it from their childhood and want to get it for their kids. The final fair of the year for us will be Autumn Fair. While not as comprehensive as Spring Fair, we like the fact that it is more focused in fewer halls, which reflects the buying we do there. For us, the show is about final top ups to our ranges ahead of Christmas, and every year, we have not been disappointed and found something interesting we haven’t seen before. There are always some late new products from suppliers, along with good deals. We find that Sunday is the best day to go, as the traffic is far clearer, and you can be there and back in a day. Maybe see you there!

Toy World 37

Feature

Plush Toys

Need a hug?

A staunchly traditional category offering consumers a strong purchase option for kids of all ages, Rachael Simpson takes a look at the plush sector.

rguably one of the plush category’s biggest assets is its versatility and flexibility, and this allows companies to stay abreast of emerging trends and developments within the toy trade. Kathy Lesser, trade marketing manager at Golden Bear, notes that scented toys are proving popular at the moment, with the company tapping into the trend with its range of Bush Baby World scented Blossoms. The company is preparing for the launch of several complementary lines to further expand the play opportunities of the range, as well as its options for in-store ranging. Kathy explains: “There is always innovation within the plush category and Bush Baby World is a prime example of this. With its patented wiggle waggle mechanism, and plastic accessories such as the Sleepy Pods plus the new Royal Pod Carriage and Bush Baby World Shimmer Palace, our plush based range commands space in other areas of toy stores, pages and websites.” At Wilberry Toys and its parent The Puppet Company, developments in plush are often guided by the popularity of certain animals. “This year it seems to be pugs, llamas, sloths and unicorns,” says Peter Lockey, director. “The demand for good quality items at a competitive price has not diminished. This is particularly noticeable with our new Wilberry Soft Toy collections, which are selling strongly in a highly competitive market.” Peter also notes that the company has enjoyed a strong 12 months despite the loss of some major accounts, including Toys R Us. “The continued fluctuation of the pound has impacted on our margins, but we have been doing more and more

business outside the UK,” he adds. The animal theme has proved particularly popular for Worlds Apart’s successful new plush range Scruffa-Luvs, with Logan Stone, head of brand & marketing, telling Toy World that initial sales are “far exceeding expectations”. The range features six dog, cat and rabbit characters, which children transform from balls of matted fur to groomed and lovable pets with a bit of TLC, an innovative twist on another strong trend – the reveal. “It is still very early days but since launching in June, the global order book has doubled,” enthuses Logan. “Our US distributor, Moose Toys, has seen staggering sell-through, with Target selling four times the weekly volume they had expected. Early reads in the UK and elsewhere are suggesting a similar pattern, so we have high hopes for a great autumn/winter season.” Logan continues: “I think the connection between the child and their rescue pet is such a strong bond. The fact that the child has an active role as a hero in rescuing and transforming a matted ball of fur into a happy plush animal is pretty special. Social media advertising and digital marketing have worked particularly well in engaging children and parents alike, with well over 6m views within a month of launching contributing to consumer demand. We have a new addition to the range coming for spring/summer 2019, as well as four new lines coming for autumn/ winter 2019, so there’s a lot to look forward to.” IMC Toys likewise has seen success with its interactive feature plush range Club Petz. Last Christmas, the company launched Lucy Sing & Dance - an adaptation of best-selling toy Lucy the Dog - and

Toy World 40

Bianca the cat, with Betsy the bunny joining the range in spring/summer. New additions for autumn/winter will include Mystery Mao the bewitched cat, PeeWee the dancing Penguin and Bowie, Your Real Kissing Pup. “Within a challenging retail landscape, our Club Petz products remain firm family favourites,” comments Fredrik Wolff, IMC Toys’ UK managing director. “Sales of Betsy continue to grow and we are confident the new additions we have lined up for autumn/winter will perform even better. Our product development team works hard to get the right balance between technology and the nurturing appeal of plush. Our new launch, Bowie, Your Real Kissing Pup, demonstrates this in the best way, giving kids real wet kisses and jumping up with a wagging tail, just like a real dog.” The new IMC products will be supported this autumn/winter with over 3500 TVRs, plus investment in digital, influencer marketing and PR. Peter Lockey also notes that material costs have risen by over 60% in the last five years, making the retention of traditional RRPs increasingly challenging. “There are always new companies coming into the sector with innovative designs and ideas, so we have found that a rolling programme of new designs is the best way to keep ahead of the pack,” he notes. “The puppet and plush toy sector might not be thought of as being as ‘funky’ as the latest computer games, gadgets and electric toys but plush has been around for generations and shows no sign of disappearing just yet.”

Plush Toys

Enesco

01228 404022 | www.enesco.co.uk American soft toy company, Gund - a sub-brand of Enesco - has unveiled a number of new additions to its plush range. Standing tall at 32cm, the new Swan Soft Toy depicts the regal white bird in a cream-toned fabric. With soft and fluffy fur on the back end to represent its feathers, this tactile toy also features a gold beak and a gilt crown atop its head. Boo the Pomeranian dog has become something of an internet sensation with his cute looks and hairdo, and fans can now add to their Boo collections with new plush from Gund. The new Boo Surprise Soft Toy Mystery Box Series 2 features the dog playing dress-up as eight different safari animals including a zebra and lion, and a mystery style is also included. Each soft toy within the Mystery Box series features a secure keychain, so Boo can be brought on-the-go as an on-trend keyring or bag chain. Individual products within the Boo Surprise Soft Toy Mystery Box 2 measure 7cm tall and are sealed in a foil bag inside a Boo-branded box. The latest addition to Gund’s animated plush range, Flora the Animated Bunny is a soft rabbit presented in a white fabric. Her features are highlighted using softs tones of pink and black. Flora the Animated Bunny features the same voice and sayings as Flappy the Animated Elephant. Flora plays peek-a-boo, moving her large bunny ears to cover her eyes and reveal them again, and, like Flappy, she also sings the popular childhood song, Do Your Ears Hang Low.

Bandai 0208 324 6160 | www.bandai.co.uk Bandai has taken two of the biggest current trends and combined them into one plush collection - Poo-nicorns. These impulse purchase characters come in a variety of affordable plush, from 9cm Plushies Palz, which come with a carabiner clip so kids can add them to bags or keyrings, to 40cm Puffiez Pillows. All the quirky characters in the range feature bold, bright colours and big eyes for standout appeal. Droplingz are the smallest characters in the range and come hidden in colourful speckled eggs. Each egg contains a Poo-nicorns character, and there are five different characters for kids to collect. The 9cm Hanging Plushi Palz come complete with a clip, so kids can accessorise and carry them everywhere they go. There are also two larger sized Poo-nicorns Plushiez in the collection; at 15cm and 25.5cm both offer the same neon colours with multi-coloured hair and are also available in the five different characters. Webisodes featuring each character can be found on a dedicated YouTube channel, allowing children to discover more about the world of Poonicornicopia.

Golden Bear 01952 608 308 | www.goldenbeartoys.com Golden Bear’s Bush Baby World collection is further expanding, as the new Sleepy Pods with Shimmies are launching this month. Each character includes a patented mechanism that provides the ‘wiggle waggle’ feature. The fluffy characters come with their own plastic Sleepy Pod accessory, offering plenty of play value. Children can find new places to hang their Bush Babies, or display them on the Dream Tree play set. There are four characters to collect; Monti, Maddi, Teena and Pearl, and an additional four Shimmies are available in a CDU Assortment; Pepper, Christie, Coral and Lavender. The Royal Pod Carriage is the first Bush Baby World push and play vehicle and launches this month. The design has regal touches, making it ideal for Princess Melina. The carriage includes exclusive Bush Baby Starlena, with a special seat on the back for taking her on Bush Baby adventures. The carriage also includes a rotating Sleepy Pod which can be detached and displayed using the hanging stalk, plus a luggage compartment for the picnic basket which comes with two goblets and plates. The hero line for autumn/winter is the Bush Baby World Shimmer Palace, which launches in September. Home to Princess Melina, this play set is 80cm high and 80cm wide, providing room to hang up to seven Sleepy Pods plus generous space among the turrets and balconies for kids to display their Bush Baby collection. Shimmer Palace features include a lightshow turret with multi-coloured LED lights which plays three Bush Baby World tunes. Kids can turn on the lights and see the room transform into a royal party with an array of colours or switch the sparkling turret to lightshow mode to project a soft, colourful pattern onto the ceiling for 10 minutes while they drift off to sleep. The palace also includes a dressing room, rotating tower, throne, banquet table with accessories and a dance floor. Exclusive Bush Baby Starlett, Moonblush the palace cat, is also included along with a with hanging pod basket, two hidden shimmer stars and stickers to decorate and personalise the palace.

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Plush Toys

Character Options 01616 339 800 | www.character-online.com Character Options has taken over as master UK toy distributor for the Pokémon brand, and is bringing to market the highly interactive hero plush; Power Action Pikachu. Featuring Action Sensor Technology, this iconic character now comes to life with increasingly dynamic reactions the more he is played with, based upon movement, impact and direction. Pikachu speaks, has movement sensors and a light-up tail and cheeks, and is soft and cuddly. Plush has always been a popular choice for Pokémon fans, with a range that offers pocket money Clippies and soft 4" Poké Balls through to a collection of 12” plush Pokémon. Power Action Pikachu now offers fans even more Pokémon plush to collect and treasure. The large feature plush collection of Little Live Pets includes a new pup to meet; Rollie the Kissing Puppy. Rollie can give kisses, open and close his eyes, and wag his tail when he’s happy. There are six play modes and 35+ puppy sounds for kids to enjoy. Rollie comes with an adoption certificate for his new owner to display. October will see another plush added to the Little Live line-up. ‘Take anywhere’ buddies with a snap on feature, Wrapples can be worn on a wrist or school backback for kids who want to make a style statement. Each soft character is totally interactive with lightup eyes and mouth movements, plus interactive giggle or purring sounds. Both Pokémon and Little Live Pets launches will be accompanied by a major marketing drive, including digital campaigns, PopJam, kids press, product placement and TVRs.

Posh Paws 01268 567317 | www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk Being a property that lends itself perfectly to plush, The Posh Paws Winnie the Pooh offering is a major focus for the company this year. In line with the upcoming film, Christopher Robin, due for release this August, the Posh Paws’ official movie range includes Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger in a range of sizes, each styled just like the characters on the big screen. The My Teddy Bear Pooh range includes Pooh in his classic red jumper, along with Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger, available in 7”, 10” and XL sizes. Also available as part of the Winnie Pooh collection is Winnie the Pooh Vintage, Winnie the Pooh Tonal and the award winning Winnie the Pooh Snuggletime, all of which are aesthetically pleasing and make ideal gifts. Launched earlier this year, Posh Paws’ highly collectible Disney Collection has proven popular with Disney fans of all ages. These glittery plush toys feature fan favourites from both Disney’s classic back catalogue and more recent films. Released in ‘squads’ of six, each character has attention grabbing, large, glittery eyes. POS stands are available for retailers to fill and refresh with new characters as they are continually launched throughout the year. For fans of Jurassic World: A Fallen Kingdom, Posh Paws’ JW2 collection offers the 8” Jurassic dinosaur assortment in a CDU, plus larger 10” plush presented in a gift box. For impactful displays at retail, and to satisfy the most ardent Jurassic World fans, large 14” and 21” options will also be available. Finally, the Battersea Charity collection launches this month. Featured in the range is a selection of plush dogs and cats based on real-life case studies from some of the thousands of animals that pass through the charity’s doors each year. They are available in 8” and 10” versions and on top of royalties, Posh Paws will also be donating funds to the charity for each product sold.

Chicco 020 8953 6627 | www.chicco.co.uk Chicco First Dreams Baby Bear is designed to comfort and reassure babies as they drift off to sleep. It features a soft tummy with a projection to serve as a soothing night light, as well as a goodnight message that can be activated with the touch of a button. There is also the option to play soothing melodies or a light show as babies fall to sleep, all of which can be controlled by parents to suit individual needs. First Dreams Baby Bear is available in light blue, light pink and neutral beige. Also designed to help little ones drift off, First Dreams Lullaby Sheep comes complete with lights and 30 minutes of soothing nature sounds and white noise. The voice recorder function allows parents to create a recording of their voice, which will be played back when certain sounds – such as a baby crying – trigger the special sound sensor. First Dreams Lullaby Sheep is machine washable and available in both pink and blue.

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www.lumostars.com

www.lumostars.com, www.molkky.com Tel: 01483 332070 Email: info@tacticgames.co.uk

Plush Toys

IMC Toys UK 01904 720 908 | www.imctoys.com IMC has announced it will be expanding the popular Club Petz collection, an innovative plush brand incorporating highly interactive features, with a selection of new product launches in 2018. Betsy makes bunny sounds and moves her ears as she hops around. When kids call her name softly she will hop towards them but will get scared if they shout. The interactive pet enjoys being given attention and having her back stroked. Bowie Your Real Kissing Puppy jumps up and gives kisses when he is picked up, and his tail wags when he and his owner play together. He comes with his own bone shaped water bottle, to make sure he gives soggy kisses. If left alone for too long, he will become lonely and call for attention. Dancing Peewee, the latest addition to Club Petz Funny, is a penguin that will dance with just a squeeze of his wing. Peewee will sing and dance along to three songs but will sometimes fall over. He will complain if his tuft of hair is pulled.

GP Flair 020 8643 0320 | www.flairplc.co.uk A colourful part of the Just Play/Flair portfolio, the Care Bears are back for autumn. Cuddly bears with a special mission to teach the importance of caring for others, this iconic heritage brand has lost none of its appeal with age. With a strong marketing and social media campaign in place, the new collection of high quality Medium and Jumbo Plush characters will appeal to children, parents and collectors alike. Featuring cheerful colours and soft fabrics, the Flair/Just Play bears are suitable for ages two years and over. Plush meets collectibles with the successful Pikmi Pops brand, which is soon to launch Season 3. Having achieved a No. 1 new property ranking just a few months after launch, Pikmi Pops is already considered a resounding success by the company. The sweet-scented mini plushies come packaged inside iconic lollipop vessels. In September, Season 3 will introduce all-new scents and more surprises to discover, as part of a brand new ‘style’ series. Late autumn will also see the new FlipMi collection; extra fluffy Pikmis that have to be flipped inside out to reveal which character they are. There are 12 characters to collect in a new cotton candy style vessel, along with three giant Super Pop characters, which come with exclusive scented plushies and eight surprise items in each pack.

Rainbow Designs 01329 227 300 | www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk Additions to Rainbow Designs’ extensive plush toy offering include the brand new Paddington Bear Classic collection, featuring Michael Bond’s best-selling storybook character. The plush toys are created from super soft fabrics and complemented by high quality detailing. The collection includes the premium Large Classic Paddington with Boots and Suitcase, Classic Cuddly Paddington, Classic Paddington in a Union flag bag and Classic Bean Toy Paddington. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Raymond Briggs’ picture book The Snowman. To celebrate, Rainbow is launching The Snowman Collector’s Edition, made from premium quality plush and presented in an illustrated keepsake gift box. The Snowman Collector’s Edition features delicate embroidery detail, with a green soft knitted hat and scarf which features The Snowman wording embroidered in white. Rainbow’s collection also includes The Snowman and The Snowdog nursery toy and gift range, featuring a host of baby-soft plush gifts. With 2018 being the year of the Peter Rabbit Movie, and the DVD on sale this summer, retailers can tap into the popularity of the film with Rainbow’s new Peter Rabbit Movie Collection. The range includes cuddly characters as well as feature plush toys styled on characters from the film. Rainbow Designs’ award-winning Classic Winnie-the-Pooh Hundred Acre Wood collection stars some of Disney’s most iconic characters in a range of high-quality nursery toys. The signature collection features Winnie-the-Pooh along with his loveable friends Eeyore, Tigger and Piglet.

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Goldfish Goldie

NEW

Plush Toys

Worlds Apart 0800 389 8591 | www.worldsapart.com Inspired by real animal rescue and adoption videos on YouTube, Worlds Apart has introduced its new plush range Scruff-A-Luvs. Having launched in June, Scruff-a-Luvs sold out within a week of launching in the US, and are now on stock allocation in the UK. Unloved and abandoned pets, Scruff-A-Luvs need children to rescue them and nurture them back to health and happiness. When kids adopt their pet it arrives as a sad ball of matted fur, but once they wash, dry and groom their Scruff-a-Luv, they reveal its inner beauty and whether it's a dog, cat or rabbit. The new plush line combines activity play, allowing children to play the role of a ‘hero’ by rescuing and transforming the Scruff-a-Luv through nurture. By going through the washing, drying, grooming and reveal process, children can create a bond with their new pet. Scruff-a-Luvs is also a supporter of the RSPCA; for each Scruff-a-Luv sold, Worlds Apart will make a donation to the RSPCA to help real animals find their ‘furever’ homes. The autumn/winter marketing campaign has got off to a strong start with influencer activity, YouTube advertising and social media marketing. The TV campaign started at the end of July, consisting of over 1000 TVRs which will run until mid-December, in addition to RSPCA campaign activity and celebrity endorsement in Q4.

The Desi Doll Company 07769 694 655 | www.desidollcompany.com Farzana Rahman, founder of The Desi Doll Company, has been creating toys for the last 10 years. The majority of her creations have been designed to help children of Muslim belief learn about their faith in an entertaining and engaging way. These include plush talking dolls and pillows, Arabic alphabet wooden sound puzzles, talking books, interactive pads and Fun Dough bucket sets with Arabic letter cutters. The toys have been welcomed across the globe, with the company currently shipping to the USA, South Africa, Australia and Europe, with one of its largest markets being within the UK. Farzana’s latest toy designs are launching in autumn - My Friend Amina and My Friend Yousuf, two mini plush talking dolls, are appropriate for all children irrespective of their faiths and beliefs. The dolls will appeal to those children of Muslim faith as Amina wears a headscarf and Yousuf wears a prayer cap, so young Muslim children may relate to their appearance. At the same time, children that are not of Muslim faith can press the hands and tummies of the dolls and learn that Muslim children are just like them; for example, that they also enjoy going to the park, riding their bikes, feeding the ducks, eating fish fingers and chips and love ice-cream. The company hopes that My Friend Amina and My Friend Yousuf will help to address diversity in a light-hearted way, while encouraging the respect and inclusion of different cultures. My Friend Amina and My Friend Yousuf are just the beginning of a growing family of faith-based dolls, as The Desi Doll Company is working on introducing other faiths to the range.

Dumel +48 2 428 21 90 | www.dumel.com.pl New baby plush brand Balibazoo has recently arrived in the European market and is set to expand with distribution to the whole of Europe and beyond. The line is characterised by unique colour diversity and vividness in both the product and the packaging, with the combination designed to attract immediate consumer attention in store. The numerous clip ring toys, hand and wrist rattles, travel spirals, teether and soothing blankets, as well as novelty plush animal stackers, have versatile crinkling and smooth fabrics, textures and materials. They include features such as vibrations, windbells and music boxes, to make Balibazoo a considered choice to aid baby’s behavioral and manual growth. The current assortment contains around 70 products, mostly based around the concept of animals and vehicles, with 60 new items introduced annually in other styles such as shapes, fruit and vegetables; all designed to contribute to babies’ play and developmental values. Dumel is looking forward to new distribution opportunities and will be showing the line at the Kind + Jugend 2018 Fair in Cologne.

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Plush Toys

Spin Master 01628 535 000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk Spin Master is preparing for the launch of its latest plush brand, Fugglers; funny-ugly monsters that will ‘ruin your life and warm your heart’ with their mischievous antics and strange appearance. Retailers should prepare for an entertaining and very different marketing campaign from Spin Master as the company aims to raise awareness of this distinctive plush line. The Medium Fuggler Assortment offers over 40 unique characters to collect. Each 9” Fuggler character features a toothy smile or grimace, eyes, patterns and a signature button hole. Kids can discover rare characters by checking for a golden buttonhole on the back, and each box also includes an adoption certificate for kids to display once they get their chosen Fuggler home.

Tactic Games 01483 332 070 | www.tactic.net Tactic Games has launched a second range of Lumo Stars, a collectible plush line inspired by Nordic nature and mythologies. The range includes mini, classic and big plush toys. Born from a successful storybook created by the co-owner of Tactic, Kati Heljakka, each cuddly animal character has deep, colourful eyes reminiscent of the Northern Lights, creating a look that appeals to children. Available from October, the new collection features a wide range of creatures including polar bears, deer and unicorns, as well as a tree and mushroom house, all made from soft plush. A free Lumo Stars app lets kids bring their Lumo buddy to life by scanning the QR code on the tag. They can then feed, play with and take care of their Lumo Star, watching their companion grow in the app world.

Wilberry Toys 01462 446 040 | www.wilberrytoys.com Having enjoyed continued success in the marketplace with its rolling programme of new designs and the benefit of competitive pricing, Wilberry Toys, the soft toy division of The Puppet Company, is launching over 60 new designs for autumn/ winter 2018. There are new ranges and additions to existing collections, including Dancers and Dolls – fresh products for this year include a ballerina sloth and a pig in a swimming costume. The Wilberry collection includes characters that are ideal for storytelling or taking on adventures, and kids can also visit the Wilberry website to download a birth certificate for their new companion. The latest ranges can be viewed online or at trade shows such as Autumn Fair, where the company is sharing a stand with its parent, The Puppet Company.

Kids@Play 01291 429007 | www.kids-at-play.com Kids@Play’s debut into the plush category brings a comprehensive range of Warner Bros. licensed products to the market. For the autumn/winter season, and available from this month, the company will be presenting a range of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts licensed items. Sizes range from 4” to 12.5”, across varied price points from entry level and up. The hero product is the Harry Potter Sorting Hat; featuring the official voice from the movie along with facial movement, kids can put the hat on to hear which of the four Hogwarts houses they are destined to join. Moving into 2019, the Kids@ Play range will be expanded to include DC Comics, Looney Tunes, Scooby Doo and Tom & Jerry. These products will be showcased at the Autumn Fair, with the company looking forward to developing a year-round plush offering that delivers a strong performance for retailers and consumers alike.

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Plush Toys

Sambro 08458 739 380 | www.sambro.co.uk Sambro has teamed up with Sanrio to launch a range of Hello Kitty plush collectibles aimed at the tween market. The high-quality plush all feature Hello Kitty’s signature bow, and show her iconic style and kawaii culture. The Sambro Hello Kitty collection is fashion-led, taking inspiration from current trends in fashion and lifestyle to bring together a range of plush characters that will attract all ages. The hero character plush toys feature Hello Kitty on her unicorn, Hello Kitty with an Avocado and a Selfie Hello Kitty. A range of backpacks will also launch later in the year to accompany the plush range. The licensed Hello Kitty range will be supported by marketing activity to boost the campaigns Sambro has in place throughout 2018 and beyond.

Zuru 01604 401 719 | sales@geemac.biz Zuru has launched Rainbocorns, a new range of collectibles that combines some of the year’s biggest trends, including unboxing, unicorns, and sequins. Each Rainbocorn comes in a bright pink mystery egg, with every egg containing one of 12 collectible animal characters; Unicorns, Puppycorns, Hamstercorns, Kittycorns, Monkeycorns, and Bunnycorns. Kids open the egg to reveal the mystery character and swipe the sequin heart to reveal the surprise hiding beneath. Each Rainbocorn also comes with a baby Boo-Boocorn; a tiny collectible baby hidden in a secret egg for another layer of surprise. There are over 20 Boo-Boocorns to collect, including the rare twin Boo-Boocorns. The launch of the range will be supported by a dynamic and integrated marketing campaign incorporating a new TVC, plus PR and digital content. The TVC launches in August and features YouTube influencers Naiah and Elli Toys Show and Tic Tac Toys, as they discover the sequin surprise of Rainbocorns. It will run across CITV, CITV Breakfast, ITV Breakfast, Disney XD, Disney Channel, Disney Jr, Nick, Nicktoons, Nick Junior, Nick Junior 2, Pop, Tiny Pop, Boomerang, Cartoonito and Cartoon Network. Digital content will support the TV ad, following the same YouTube influencers in the boardroom as they work with toy executives to bring together all the things they love sparkles, hearts and surprises - to create the Rainbocorns. The digital content will be launched on the influencers’ channels, which have over 4m subscribers. To round out the robust narrative of the Rainbocorns, Zuru will also create an animated web series that follows the Rainbocorns on their adventures in Rainboville. The episodes will follow the gang as they hatch new Rainbocorns, go on Halloween and holiday adventures, and enjoy various escapades around Rainboville with their friends.

Tomy 01271 336 155 | www.tomy.com Tomy will launch its latest plush brand in October. The new collection, called Stink Bomz, invites kids to #jointhefarty with a range of collectible toys featuring fart characters – Stinks – each boasting their own smell and fart noises. With toilet humour still very much on trend, the Stink Bomz collection of misbehaving characters will be targeted at kids aged three years and above. Stink Bomz will also appeal to consumers with its collectibility factor and affordable price point. Launching just in time for gifting season, the range includes eight main characters and two special ones, each featuring unique colours, dedicated scents and three fart sounds. At retail, shoppers can expect entertaining packaging as well as engaging merchandising solutions, including counter holders and freestanding display units. Tomy will support the brand with a strong 360º marketing campaign that combines TV and digital advertising, social media and influencer reviews.

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Presenting Animated Plush, featuring… the award winning Flappy™ and introducing Flora™ the Animated Bunny, they play Peek-A-Boo and sing.

“

HELLO BABY

“

DO YOUR EARS HANG LOW?

Gift Giving…all wrapped up Enesco Limited, Head Office & Customer Services, Brunthill Road, Kingstown, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA3 0EN. Tel: 01228 404022 email: trade@enesco.co.uk Overseas Customer Services: Tel: +44 1228 404066 email: eurosales@enesco.co.uk © GUND 2018. © 2018 Enesco Limited.

Plush Toys

Hasbro 0208 569 1234 | www.hasbro.co.uk This autumn, the DreamWorks Trolls range from Hasbro brings ‘hug time’ to the toy aisle in the form of plush dolls. Kids can cuddle their favourite characters, or act out scenes from the animated Netflix series, Trolls: The Beat Goes On. The DreamWorks Trolls Hug ‘n Plush assortment features 12” toys with colourful hair and soft plush bodies.

Juratoys 020 8878 2133 | www.kaloo.com

A.B.Gee of Ripley 01773 570 444 | www.abgee.co.uk

Suitable from birth, the Tendresse range from Kaloo offers dolls in a variety of colours, outfits and sizes. There is a choice of five different characters; Fleur, Pearl, Rose, Lise and Azur. Each doll wears a dress, hat, removable bloomers and a pretty ribbon in various pastel shades or patterns, from purple or polka dot to stripes and flowers. All five dolls are machine washable and measure 32cm high. Made of the softest materials and filled with generous padding, the smiling characters are both gentle enough for bedtime cuddles and robust enough for all kinds of play.

A.B.Gee of Ripley offers a keenly priced portfolio of plush toys. Enjoying strong sales, A.B.Gee’s plush Dragons have proved popular this year; with bright colours, cute faces and soft-touch fabrics, the toys stand out in any shop or retail display. These new lines complement the company’s range of plush including rag dolls, mermaids and dinosaurs, plus a varied assortment of traditional soft toys. With more than 40 years’ experience, A.B.Gee offers a quality range of retail-focused products, backed up by first-class customer service and low carriage paid charges.

Vivid 01483 449944 | www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk

Trends 01295 768 078 | www.trendsuk.co.uk Sweet Pups are cute and cuddly puppies with the ability to transform from realistic-looking pastries into plush. There are 12 puppy breeds for kids to collect; including favourites such as a Dalmation, Boxer, Poodle and Husky, and four different patisserie scents to enjoy. Developed by Premium Toys, Sweet Pups proved popular at trade fairs earlier in the year, and pre-launch social media has seen fans trying to get hold of them via online and press competitions. Sweet Pups are available to order now from Trends UK and Wind Designs.

Vivid has introduced two new Animagic pets to the range; Waggles and Woofles. Waggles is a wiggling, waggling sausage dog who loves walking along, smiling and barking, while Woofles responds to his bone accessory and enjoys being stroked, cuddled and talked to. Waggles & Woofles will be heavily TV advertised in the company’s strongest Animagic TV campaign to date, alongside influencer activity with dedicated unboxing videos and a digital advertising campaign. Each Squeezamals collectible plush features a slow rise foam interior, and will always return to its original shape. There are 16 collectable Squeezamals available, each measuring around 3.5”, as well as 16 mini clip-on versions. Launching in autumn/ winter are four 8” Squeezamals; Penny the Panda, Ula the Unicorn, Sam the Sloth and Dan the Dog.

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See the entire range at Autumn Fair Hall 5 Stand 5C20-D21

www.wilberrytoys.com | +44 (0) 1462 446040 | info@wilberrytoys.com Toy World - Horizontal Half Page.indd 2

12/07/2018 17:15:56

Feature

Autumn Fair Preview

September showcase Autumn Fair returns to Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre from the 2nd-5th September. With over 100 toy companies set to show their wares, alongside a host of other suppliers, Toy World takes a look at what visitors can expect from the ‘Gateway to the Golden Quarter’.

ens of thousands of visitors from across the globe are expected to attend this year’s Autumn Fair, where they can look forward to seeing a huge range of products from the toy and gift marketplace. Autumn Fair is set to welcome over 100 companies from the toy sector to the 2018 show, with over 33% of them being first-time exhibitors. A significant number of returning exhibitors, the likes of whom include Tobar, Paul Lamond Games and The Source Wholesale, are showing their products across bigger stands in 2018. New exhibitors joining the show include French plush supplier Doudou et Compagnie, Stax Europe, Arckit and Cubbies. This year, the show plays host to four theatre and workshop spaces, with all four delivering dedicated areas of retail insight. Each individual stage will feature a strong selection of speakers and workshops, affording attendees opportunities for networking and connecting with potential buyers or suppliers. From last-minute tips for a successful final quarter of the year, to bigger themes such as ‘What does your shopper want from you?', to unseen trend-led video content aimed to help retailers buy smarter, The Master the High Street Theatre stage is billed as a must-visit for indies who want to master the high street and see their bricks and mortar or online shop come out on top among the competition. The show is also welcoming Pinterest and Google Digital Garage, who will both talk about how high street retailers can make themselves more visible online. “With reference to our speaker offering this year, we’re also looking forward to welcoming the likes of

Dragons’ Den’s own Theo Paphitis and co-founder of notonthehighstreet.com, Holly Tucker,” explains Louise Young, managing director, Spring & Autumn Fair. “This year, we also have a number of exciting product-led showcases premiering. Through a partnership with Theo Paphitis’ Small Business Sunday (#SBS) venture we’re giving 12 small businesses from Theo’s online #SBS community a free platform to showcase their fresh and innovative products.” Attendees can also enjoy the new DesignFirst showcase. Launching for the first time this year, DesignFirst will offer up to thirty innovative brands a chance to display their products at prime sectorspecific locations in the event space for optimal visibility and footfall. The focus will be on unique brands that endeavour to break new ground. Louise adds: “With market conditions changing, we’ll also be looking to offer retailers sensible and accessible solutions to the problems they’ve been seeing with footfall and consumer confidence. Through some insightful workshops and talks, we’ll be exploring how retailers can accelerate the progress and adoption of emerging innovations to revolutionise in-store experiences – sometimes better known as ‘experiential shopping’. Toy retailers and suppliers in particular have a captive audience of young people who want the products they’re offering. The key is to keep their short attention spans engaged with opportunities to personalise products or join in with an augmented reality experience.” A new product matching service that gets to know visitors and their business needs has been launched

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for the upcoming fair, ensuring that all Autumn Fair attendees have the most productive experience possible. The AF Product Match app will learn about the user’s preferences the more it is used, intuitively recommending the best suppliers for their business. “The platform will also include schedules for all four of the fair’s content theatres, letting attendees know exactly what’s going on and at what time,” says Louise. “It will be available as an app and as a webbased platform to ensure accessibility for all.” Commenting on whether she feels the show has particular significance this year following the demise of Toys R Us, Louise notes: “If this year has told us anything so far, it’s that even the biggest players in the industry aren’t safe from financial stress. More so than ever, innovation is key. As consumers look to smaller toy retailers, we’re likely to see the market open up to smaller and more nimble suppliers. At this year’s Autumn Fair, we’re going to help small businesses jump on this opportunity with a myriad of expert speakers on hand to offer inspirational advice on topics such as ‘How using platforms like Pinterest and Instagram can boost business’ and ‘How to maximise your profit this Christmas 2018’ being explored. We’re also looking forward to welcoming representatives from Google and digital marketers SocialB, who will talk about how retail businesses can make themselves more visible online.” Over the following pages, Toy World takes a look at some of the latest products available to view at the show this year.

Hashtag Emoji Cushions

Visit us at Autumn Fair

Stand 3S35 in the Design First Area For UK sales contact: sales@happyhashtag.co.uk

Tel: +44 (0)208 168 0122

www.happyhashtag.co.uk

Autumn Fair Preview

Wilton Bradley 01626 835 400 | www.wiltonbradley.com Stand 5B48 – C49 – 5B50-C51 Wilton Bradley is looking forward to a strong fourth quarter with its X Factor XF1 and XF2 microphones. The XF1 microphone speaker features Bluetooth connectivity, an echo function, speaker stand, play/pause function plus skip forward and back, and can run for up to three hours without a charge. Branded in the black and red X Factor logo, the XF1 also has flashing LED lights on the base. The X Factor XF2 is a sophisticated microphone speaker which includes voice changing modes, echo function and a micro SD/USB Charging/USB Port. The X Factor logo wraps around the speaker box on the front of the microphone, turning this product into a portable karaoke machine. The existing Mi-Mic microphones will have new functionality and will continue to build on the success of 2017. New designs include the Vintage; based on the old BBC style Radio mic, and a selection of colourways is available, offering something for all tastes. Monster Smash Ups will be joined by a fourth character; Black Widow. The range now offers even more impact for remote control fans, as the bodies of the trucks completely explode when they hit each other or an obstacle. Other line extensions include a Battle Pack which comes with two trucks, plus four interchangeable characters and chassis. There will be even more activity focused on the range this year, with a bigger mass media campaign than ever before in the pipeline. Wilton Bradley has joined forces with YoYoFactory to act as exclusive UK distributor for the expert line of yo-yos, while the Great British Sewing Bee range of Sewing Machines will benefit from the return of the show to TV screens in autumn. Wilton Bradley’s competitively priced and fully functional machines are complemented by a full range of accessory kits. The company has also seen success in the Electric Ride-On category. This year will see the introduction of a Police Car and Range Rover. The Viper pedal go-kart, the vintage Xootz Retro Racer and the JSF Urban Sprinter Electric Scooter will all also be presented at the show.

Tactic Games 01483 332 070 | www.tactic.net Stand 5C48

Winning Moves 0207 298 9507 | www.winningmoves.co.uk

Tactic will be showcasing new gifts and games ahead of the Christmas buying season at Autumn Fair, following previous launch success with brands such as Molkky. Lumo Stars is a range of collectible Mini, Classic and Big plush toys covering various key price points and inspired by Nordic nature and mythologies. Autumn Fair will see the full Northern Brights range on display, which is supported in the market via the free Lumo Stars app, a community forum for Lumo Stars fans. These tactile plush creatures have deep, colourful eyes complemented by unique patterns and colour combinations. To keep the range fresh and engaging, Tactic will be launching new designs and themes every three months. The Great Tour is a gateway strategy board game, in which players have to travel around Europe in an attempt to visit the most places and attend the most events. As they travel through beautiful European countries, players must flip over destination cards and aim to reach the given destination as quickly as possible, whilst avoiding the jams created by other players.

Stand 5D12-E13 Winning Moves will soon be introducing an officially licensed Harry Potter version of the fast-paced word game Lexicon Go to its product portfolio. Players can use spell tiles or the Polyjuice tile to increase their chances of winning, or simply to cause havoc when Harry Potter Lexicon Go launches this autumn. In Lexicon Go! players must aim to be the first to use of all their playing card tiles, creating words, swapping letters and even adding their tiles onto other players’ words in the fastest time. A fast, frantic word game, this TV advertised product is suitable for all the family and comes in a small, portable canvas bag, making it ideal for on-the-go play. Visitors to Autumn Fair can take advantage of Winning Moves’ show offers, including a free game with every order placed at the show, 5% off £500 orders and 10% off £1000 order deals at show, or one-drop delivery. Terms & Conditions apply.

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Autumn Fair Preview

Jumbo Games 01707 289 289 | www.jumbo.eu Stand 5A36 To continue the growth of its No. 1 Adult Puzzle Brand, Wasgij, Jumbo is releasing a new Original 30 1,000-piece puzzle titled Strictly Can’t Dance!, based upon the TV talent show. This new Wasgij Original puzzle is the 10th addition to the range this year, joining the Wasgij Mystery 15 A Typical British BBQ, Wasgij Original 29 Catching Wedding Fever, and Christmas 14 Santa’s Little Helpers! puzzles, all in 1,000-piece formats. The Falcon deluxe range welcomes 10 new puzzles, covering popular autumnal and wintery themes ahead of the seasonal buying period, including Playing in the Snow, The Whitesmith’s Cottage in Winter, and Winter Birds 1,000-piece puzzles, plus the Christmas Cats 500-piece puzzle. In June Jumbo released its Falcon Christmas puzzles, including the Christmas Market 500-piece puzzle and the Christmas Shopping 1,000-piece puzzle, which comes with a free 1,000-piece Christmas puzzle. Jumbo has expanded its games portfolio with the launch of four Strategy Games. How to Rob a Bank sees players take on the roles of the robbers and bank guards, to either try to escape with the loot or catch the bandits. The game has already launched in the US to positive reviews and strong sales. The other titles in the Strategy Games range include Forbidden City, Okavango and Isidore – School of Magic, all of which will be on show at Autumn Fair. Another focus for the show will be Jumbo’s Goula range of high quality traditional wooden toys. New items for 2018 include the 3 Little Pigs Game, Antarctica Game, Pull-Along Duck and Dog, Stamp Activities and the Wooden Construction Pack, which features 41 chunky pieces kids can use to create their own towns and villages. Finally, Jumbo’s new additions to the award-winning Dessineo range are ideal for arts & crafts fans. Having launched Learn to Draw last year, which won several consumer awards, Jumbo has now released five new Learn to Paint items, such as Painting by Numbers, Painting by Stencils and the Artists Painting Easel.

Happy Hashtag 0208 168 0122 | www.happyhashtag.co.uk Stand 3S35 Happy Hashtag is a new family business producing Hashtag shaped Emoji cushions. The idea started with the founders’ 12 year-old daughter looking for a hashtag shaped pillow for her bedroom – but it didn’t exist. All that was available were square cushions with a hashtag symbol printed on them. Seeing a gap in the market, the whole family got together, the kids sketched out a design for what they had in mind, and a Happy Hashtag sample was commissioned. The cushions have now launched with 14 patterns and colours, including solid colours such as OMG Orange, Totally Teal, Purple Princess and Yellow Shine, patterns like Blue Splash and Pink Splash, and multi-coloured Unicorn and Rainbow designs. For larger orders, the company can also produce bespoke or exclusive patterns. Happy Hashtag’s cushions are considered unique by the company, which has protected the design across multiple territories. After months of working with the factory to get the best materials, production quality and CE marking, the cushions now have double stitching, a machine washable dye and slightly larger stuffing balls, giving them the tactile, squeezable feel of a high-density bean bag. With environmental sustainability in mind, Happy Hashtags come unpackaged, making them ideal for displaying in baskets at the tills and in impulse purchase zones. They can be bagged individually in cellophane as required. The first products are due to land at the end of August and the company has recommended that interested retailers and wholesalers order early to be sure of an allocation.

Paul Lamond Games 020 7254 0100 | www.paul-lamond.com Stand 5B40-C41 On show at Autumn Fair and now in stock is Reveal, a trivia-style board with no questions, only answers; Stupid Deaths, a family board game of ‘grave’ humour; and Gogglebox 2018, a brand-new TV trivia board game based on the BAFTA-winning series. Also available for autumn is the new Scrabble Memo Board, so families can have creative fun whilst keeping track of their schedules. New this year is Kersplatt, a fastpaced and creative modelling dough game, and the Jamie Raven Ultimate Magic Set, which follows hot on the heels of the successful range launched last year.

H. Grossman 01416 132 525 | www.ozbozz.com Stand 5D20-E21 Squidgies have been a best-seller for HGL this year, and fans can continue to enjoy a wide variety of the squeeze and pop-back characters, all in summery pastel colours. Unicorns remain one of the biggest current trends, and now the mythical creatures have become part of the Grossmans Squidgie line-up. The addition of unicorn products to the Grossman portfolio is just part of a general increase in the number of pocket money toys available from the company this year. Over 100 new lines have been added so far, offering consumers and retailers alike plenty of cost-effective choice and play value.

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IR FA 1 N 5 M -C TU 50 AU 5B AT ND A US ST T SI L 5 VI AL H Learn More / Request a Catalogue • Tel: 01626 835400 www.wiltonbradley.co.uk • Email: sales@wiltonbradley.co.uk

Autumn Fair Preview

Kidicraft 01282 505988 | www.kidicraft.com

Kids@Play 01291 429007 | www.kids-at-play.com

Stand 5C60

Stand 5B13

New this year for Kidicraft are two big brands – Rubik’s and Anne Stokes. The colourful Rubik’s range contains two 500-piece jigsaw puzzles – Neon Splatter and Geeked. Geeked is a bright, moving Super 3D puzzle that shows multiple Rubik’s cubes at different angles. To complement the range, Kidicraft has Rubik’s Super 3D Bookmarks and Super 3D Notebooks in assorted Rubik’s designs. Anne Stokes is renowned for her fantasy images depicting characters from fairies to dragons. Kidicraft has four Super 3D 500-piece puzzles and notebooks by Anne Stokes available, entitled Rock Dragon, Fierce Loyalty, Fire Dragon and Realm of Enchantment. Realm of Enchantment features a mythical unicorn and winged fairy in a magical realm, with colours and depth that bring the image to life. In contrast, the Fire Dragon puzzle from Anne’s Age of Dragons collection shows a dragon breathing fire on a volcanic landscape. On trend for 2018, Kidicraft has launched a set of Super 3D Dinosaur Selfies. T-Rex Selfie, Dino Selfie and Oviraptor Selfie all come in 48 piece formats, and matching bookmarks and notebooks are available. Kidicraft has also added three 150-piece Super 3D Space puzzles and Notebooks to its popular National Geographic range, entitled Satellite in Space, Space Landscape, and Space – Earth and Moon. Featuring awe-inspiring images, these puzzles will provide kids with an amazing view of space. A family business which understands its customers’ needs, Kidicraft offers independents a Support Package Deal as well as various visual merchandising options including floor spinner stands, counter spinner stands, and panels for wall display.

Kids@Play is exhibiting at the fair for the first time and will showcase its full Warner Bros. licensed range of plush, which offers a comprehensive product offering across a variety of price points. Shipping from this month will be the full range of JK Rowling’s Wizarding World. Visitors to Autumn Fair can take a look at the range when it’s presented at the show, and help Kids@Play to make the most of the event by providing valuable feedback about the products.

Asmodee 01420 593 593 | www.asmodee.co.uk Stand 5D23 Chief among the titles being shown off this year by Asmodee will be the new Fun Fast Games range, a selection of games that are quick both to learn and to play. The family-friendly range includes established favourites Rory’s Story Cubes and Bananagrams, as well as Who Did It?, Cobra Paw and Set – plus Dobble, the biggestselling game in the UK this year. Also on show will be Asmodee’s Modern Classics range, which comprises the best games that have driven the growth of tabletop gaming in recent years. Featuring engaging family favourites like Ticket to Ride, Catan and Pandemic, these titles remain an ideal first purchase option for anyone interested in discovering the wide variety of games on the market. As the industry gears up for the busy Christmas sales period, there will also be plenty of special offers to take advantage of. Asmodee will be spotlighting its range of games from popular family publisher Haba, including titles such as Rhino Hero, Dino World and Karuba. Visitors to the Asmodee stand can review all of the company’s show special offers and speak to the team about the product range. The company will also offer Autumn Fair attendees the chance to look ahead at some of its biggest upcoming releases, including the August unveiling of the new expansion for the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Sun & Moon –Celestial Storm features over 160 new cards to collect, allowing fans to continue their journey through the Alola region. Visitors can also look forward to the upcoming Series 2 of SuperZings, the collectible toy range that reimagines everyday objects as heroes and villains.

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Autumn Fair Preview

Pyramid International 0116 284 3645 | www.pyramidinternational.com Stand 5G02-H03 Pyramid International is attending this year's Autumn Fair to showcase some of its up and coming licensed products for Q4 2018 and Q1 2019. One of the principal new collections for Pyramid is J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World. The lines include Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts, with the next instalment of the latter being scheduled for release this November. The popularity of the magical universe has resulted in huge success at retail, so opportunities are plentiful for retailers and consumers alike. The company will also be showcasing new collections for the upcoming movie SpiderMan: Into the Spider-verse. With its fresh style and alternative interpretation of Spider-Man, this release provides retailers with an opportunity to capitalise on the popularity of heroes outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As well as the above, Pyramid will also be showcasing new ranges for DC comics, Wreck it Ralph, Venom, Nintendo, Game of Thrones and more. Product development for these licences has resulted in a collection of new items across a selection of product categories, including stationery sets, premium notebooks, feature mugs, doormats, posters and more. Autumn Fair also provides an opportunity for the company to showcase a number of newly developed products, which can offer additional sales to toy retailers. In the stationery category, Pyramid has developed a new range of Premium A6 Notebooks. Ideal for bags and pockets, these notebooks add an extra dimension in the marketplace, providing new options for retailers both big and small. Pyramid has also placed an increased focus on its licensed mug development, looking at new ways to freshen up the category. As a result, it will be exhibiting a number of new mug types at Autumn Fair for the first time, including metallic foil, bone china, glow in the dark, cappuccino and latte, as well as its UK-produced Inner Coloured range.

Keycraft 01779 478 078 | www.keycraftuk.com Stand 5B14-C13 Keycraft has launched new Goobands Series 2, which will be on show this year. Three new types of putty will be available; Bubblaputti, Flexiputti, and Pogoputti. Flexiputti is a stretchy slime that can be pulled between two or more children. Available in three colourways - Neon, Glitter and Glow in the Dark – there are 12 individual pots of Flexiputti to collect in the range. Pogoputti is a bouncy putty which can be moulded into bouncy-balls and thrown up in the air, bounced on the ground and tossed around between children. Available in three collectible colours - Two Colour, Neon and Glow in the Dark – the Pogoputti line comprises 14 individual collectible pots. Bubblaputti is a bubbly putty which is satisfying to play with. Kids can squish, mould and stretch the putty, which has foam balls in the mix to add a 3D dimension to the slime. Available in Glitter and Glow in the Dark, this line offers eight different putties to collect. Keycraft has also introduced Gogopo Gooshakes; make-your-own slime kits for children. An engaging and easy pocket money activity, each Gooshake pot comes with a powder bag that allows kids to create their own slime at home. The slime can be created in just a few minutes; kids simply pour the powder into the tub, top it up with tap water and shake it. Within around 30 seconds the contents will solidify into a slime consistency, and after just 10 minutes of setting time will be ready to play with. When kids open the blind bag included with each pot, a glitter, sequin or confetti surprise is revealed to add to the recipe. The tub also acts as storage, keeping the slime from drying out. There are 16 shaker slimes to collect in the range, including six Neon and Glitter varieties, and four Glow in the Dark. Colours include pink, purple, blue, green, orange and yellow. Gooshakes are available for wholesale buyers to purchase in the UK and Europe now, while toy buyers in the US, Canada, Australia and other locations are advised to contact the company to check availability.

The Puppet Company / Wilberry Toys 01462 446 040 | www.thepuppetcompany.com / www.wilberrytoys.com Stand 5C20/D21 The Puppet Company is sharing a stand at Autumn Fair this year with sister company Wilberry Soft Toys. Following the successful launch of the new Animal Puppet Buddies collection, an extensive collection of over 30 different popular animals, The Puppet Company is now introducing two more characters for autumn; a Pink Flamingo and Red Parrot. The new Sockette characters, Gloria, Narg, Humphrey and Zap, have also proved popular with retailers and consumers alike, adding a splash of colour to the bestselling range of knitted hand puppets. The company also has a collection of brightly coloured monsters and dinosaurs in development, all of which can be viewed by visitors to this year’s Autumn Fair.

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Fresh

FRESH THIS MONTH:

Each month Fresh sets out to find the latest products that will have toy retailers reaching for the phone. In August we have new releases from: Character Options, Hasbro, MGA, Pretend to Bee, and Rubies.

Disney Vampirina dress Rubie’s 08453 070 707 | www.rubiesuk.com Rubie’s has new releases of the 2018 additions catalogue, with lots of new costumes and accessories available. A brand-new addition is the Disney Vampirina dress. Based on little Vee, the latest vampire on the block freshly arrived from Transylvania, the dress comes with a headpiece with bat ears in sizes toddler, small and medium. New children’s half masks are expected to be very popular this season. New Smiles, Chuckles Smokey will be the staple mask this Halloween. Rubie’s also makes Halloween accessories including candy bowl holders. New characters include Batman, or existing characters include Frankenstein, Yoda and Darth Vader. New blood make-up is also available, and tubes of blood, blood capsules and bloody spray are perfect for counter top or till purchases.

smART Sketcher Character Options

Ultimate Makeover Bag MGA 0845 0533 333 | www.projectmc2.com Project Mc2 is a team of six super-smart and cool girls who use their love of STEAM to undertake missions for top-secret organisation, NOV8 (“innovate”). The product range and accompanying Netflix original entertainment aim to encourage the next generation of female scientists, engineers, technicians and mathematicians through smart and savvy science-inspired play. This autumn sees the launch of the new Ultimate Makeover Bag. Disguised as a fashion backpack, the Ultimate Makeover Bag opens to reveal a range of cosmetics disguised as art supplies, allowing aspiring secret agents to create their own custom nail polish, lip gloss, hair mascara,and crayon makeup before storing them in secret. Taking cosmetic chemistry to new levels, users will discover the science behind tween-approved beauty whilst completing the included experiments with simple household ingredients. The Project Mc2 Ultimate Makeup Bag launch will be supported by digital influencer activity and events, marketing and TV throughout autumn 2018.

0161 633 9800 | www.character-online.com Tech is getting smart in the creative aisle with the award-winning smART Sketcher from Character Options. This art projector and app offers STEAM supported learning for kids who want to take their drawing to a new level. The smART sketcher projector puts the fun of drawing, tracing, and writing into the hands of kids using a unique app. Kids can download photos from a mobile device or use pre-loaded activity packs to create technically astounding creations, step-by-step. The smART Sketcher will be available from early summer and will be supported with TV advertising, print press, coverage with influential parents and a full PR campaign.

Natural History Museum Range Pretend To Bee 01159 215 690 | www.pretendtobee.com The official licensed Natural History Museum range continues to be one of Pretend to Bee’s most popular lines. The high-quality costumes are the most realistic dinosaur dress up lines on the market and the range has now been extended to include stunning baby dinosaur costumes. The children’s costumes are made from 100% polyester plush, the all in one features a realistic character hood as the dinosaur’s head, and there is a choice of T-Rex, Stegosaurus and Triceratops. Each features special effect embossed scaly skin and comes with fun facts about the dinosaur species . All costumes in the range are machine washable, hardwearing and can be worn again and again. Sizes start from six months plus.

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ENTERTAINING PUZZLES & GAMESâ&#x20AC;¦

VISIT US AT AUTUMN FAIR HALL 5, STAND 5A36

CONTACT YOUR JUMBO SALES REP FOR MORE INFORMATION Jumbo Games, 2 Carters Row, Hatfield Park, Hatfield, UK, AL9 5NB Telephone: 01707-289289 Email: uk.saleshotline@jumbo.eu www.jumbo.eu

brandanalysis

Hasbro - Nerf Laser Ops Pro Craig Wilkins, senior marketing director at Hasbro UK & Ireland, spoke to Toy World about the new Nerf Laser Ops range. What features can we expect from the new range? Nerf Laser Ops Pro delivers yet another unique experience using Nerf power to bring real time video game action to life in a new laser battling segment. The line includes high quality performance Nerf blasters with a wide variety of exciting features. Consumer insights showed us that Laser Tag was the number one request from fans for the next area of expansion for Nerf. The interest in Laser Tag stems from the rise in video games and brings the idea of a video game to life, while maintaining the competitive feeling Nerf fans love.

What makes the range stand out from the competition in the Laser Tag category? Nerf has become the benchmark brand in its field because of its rich portfolio of Nerf action-based performance toys that have been enjoyed by consumers for over 45 years. We listen closely to consumer insights and have used this to create the next level of fun with the Nerf Laser Ops Pro segment. The line is unique in that it allows consumers to choose how they play right out of the box, and also gives the opportunity to extend play through the connective app, which offers real time battle intelligence.

Who do you perceive as the core target audience for the range? The line is suitable for all players from ages 8 and up, and with the combination of social and active play, is perfect for players who want to play solo or as a team.

What role will the Nerf branding play in establishing the range with the consumer? Hasbro’s Nerf brand continues to redefine the toy market. The Nerf Laser Ops Pro line will offer fans the technology, design, power and performance that they’ve come to expect from the Nerf brand.

Going forward, do you see this as a year-round sales opportunity? As a new addition to our robust Nerf line, we expect Nerf Laser Ops Pro to continue to drive year-round sales.

Nerf Laser Ops Pro Hasbro 0208 569 1234 | www.hasbro.co.uk Nerf Laser Ops Pro is the new laser battling segment from Hasbro’s Nerf brand that brings real-time video game action to life. The Nerf Laser Ops Pro line includes unique blasters ready for head-to-head, live-action laser battles right out of the box (batteries not included) or players can use the free Nerf Laser Ops app. The new range features two blaster options with a variety of features, including three play modes: solo, team or free-for-all, along with a multi-directional receiver dome, unlimited ammo, team light indicators, visual/sound effects to notify players they’ve been hit and a display to show current health and ammo capacity. Players can amp up their laser battles with the free Nerf Laser Ops app and use the included armband to attach a smartphone device to their arm while playing. The app can also be used to access real-time battle intel, allowing players to customise their blasters, track their performance, earn power-ups and locate opponents during the battle. The Nerf Laser Ops Pro range includes the Alphapoint blaster which fires a single shot burst with health, ammo and team indicators on the back. The Deltaburst blaster fires a three-shot IR burst with kickback action and features an LCD screen on the back of the blaster, displaying real time health status and ammo capacity. Each blaster comes with an armband and solo attachment for single-player battling with the Nerf Laser Ops Pro app. The Alphapoint blaster is also available in a 2-pack with two blasters and two armbands. Distributed by Hasbro, the Nerf Laser Ops Pro line launched with high-level marketing support, including a global PR launch event and influencer activity.

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Fun, fruity

and seriously squeezy!

F ruit

Squishy fruit thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quite unlike anything else in our collection. An interesting tactile experience when squeezed over and over.

and and

Squishy stress toy shaped like fruit. Great fun to squeeze, stretch and squash. A fun alternative to a classic stress ball.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; t miss out, order today! tel: 01603 397 105 email: sales@tobar.co.uk online: www.tobar.co.uk/squishy

A World of Fun!

Feature

Wooden Toys

And now for some wood news With the current level of scrutiny surrounding materials used for toys, it’s perhaps unsurprising that many consumers appear to be turning – or turning back - to wooden toys, leading to something of a resurgence in the marketplace. Rachael Simpson finds out more.

rom alphabet puzzles to stacking blocks, train sets to xylophones, there is a huge range of different types of toys that can be made from wood. Modern parents are arguably more on the lookout than ever before for products across all areas of daily life that they view to be more sustainable or environmentally friendly than other materials, and, for wooden toy manufacturers, this can only ever be a good thing. Emelye Wilkinson, part of the marketing team at Orange Tree Toys, tells Toy World that she feels the wooden toy category has taken off over the past few years. “We have seen a lot of customers seeking out toys that are wooden and being more conscious about what their children’s toys are made of,” she says. “Customers are also looking for toys that will last for a long time, and they can find this benefit in wooden toys.” “The reasons why parents choose wooden toys have never changed,” adds Cornée Marlow, marketing coordinator at Ravensburger, which

owns Brio. “What has changed is how parents have become more aware of the impacts toys have on the environment, and on the development and educational needs of their children. Knowing that Brio only use FSC certified solid beech wood combined with high-quality materials, the brand is an obvious choice for parents. And by combining materials, Brio can use the right material for the right job, enhancing the functionality and playability of every toy.” Unlike some bio-based materials hitting the market, wood has been around for millennia and will be around for the foreseeable future. Brio hasn’t been around quite that long, but the brand still boasts impressive longevity in the marketplace and is widely considered to be one of the market leaders for wooden toys. “Established over 130 years ago, Brio has long played a key role in helping children explore and develop their imaginations,” explains Cornée. “Through constant research, combining high-quality materials and continuously developing products children can engage and grow with, Brio

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has established itself as a brand trusted by parents and loved by children.” Juratoys is seeing success with Janod, France’s No. 1 wooden toy brand, which features everything from Russian dolls in penguin form right up to rocking horses. The company claims to be bucking the trend in terms of sales and newly opened accounts, the results, it says, of a clear sales strategy set out at the beginning of the year. With its latest introduction Baby Pop having launched recently to a very positive reception, Michelle Probert, sales & marketing manager at Juratoys, explains why Janod products are so popular with consumers. “Our wooden toys are considered timeless pieces with education and fun at the forefront of the design,” she says. “Our production team in France works hard to ensure that we are capturing what children engage with and find enjoyable to play with, while ensuring that there is always an education element to the design. We presented the Baby Pop range at the start of the year and had a great response from our customers, so we are excited to present it again

QUADRUPLE THE FUN WITH

Quadrilla

SONIC PLAYGROUND

4Y+

TRACKS

NG ! ing

ADDITIONAL

MEGA SKATEPARK

CASTLE ESCAPE www.marbel.co.uk I www.hape.com Address: Marbel Ltd I Suite 5 I Carew House I Beacon Technology Park I Bodmin I Cornwall I PL31 2QN I Email: sales@marbel.co.uk I Main: +44 (0) 845 6000 286

Feature

Wooden Toys

at Autumn Fair. Presented in beautiful and sturdy display boxes, the range is perfect for gifting to family and other loved ones.” This traditional category benefits from innovation to keep products up to date with the expectations of modern consumers. Brio’s Smart Tech range combines the reliability and sturdiness of wood with engaging tech features such as lights, sounds and movement. “In a fast changing market, Smart Tech is the perfect addition to the Brio World. The technology inside the train ‘talks’ to the sensors in the Smart Tech toy and allows the train to move, light-up or make a sound independently.

Whether kids add Smart Tech into their existing track or start with a Smart Tech set, children love exploring with the endless combinations and track possibilities. With the addition of 15 new products this season, including expansion to the Smart Tech My Home Town and Infant ranges, the new range is in stock and available now. Next year is going to be a very exciting year for Brio, with a fully integrated marketing and PR plan launching at Easter.” Orange Tree Toys has recently signed a new licence agreement with Disney. The company, which produces a number of licensed lines, has now been in its new offices for a year, expanding the amount of orders it is able to send out and improving turnaround times. “Licensed toys offer characters that the child instantly recognises,” says Emelye. “Peter Rabbit and Winnie the Pooh, for example, make great gifts as the buyer knows the child will love a toy that features these characters.” Jodie Long specialises in the sale of wooden toys with her independent online store, Rascals Toy Shop. She too has noticed the popularity of licensed wooden toys and believes this indicates both a love of wooden products and a reluctance to move away from the familiar. “I still find that most wooden toys are brought by grandparents or as gifts,” Jodie adds. “Parents and grandparents often reminisce about certain toys, they remember enjoying them in their childhood and how they used to play. Children feed off this excitement but also are naturally intrigued to see what they can do with a toy without batteries, and I don’t think anything can beat a beautiful, well-made wooden toy.” At retail, wooden toys hold their own in a range of settings, making a strong visual impact onshelf, with POS, in FSDU or window displays,

with suppliers naturally having differing retail approaches depending upon the type of product being looked at. Michelle at Juratoys tells Toy World how the company runs creative play days to drive footfall and build momentum around Janod products, and offers a range of in-store design solutions which are complemented by package deals. The company also produces Janod videos, which can be used within a retailer’s website or online setting to help drive sales. Online, where the warm and tactile feel of a wooden toy is lost to the consumer, this is a useful extra level of support to offer retailers. “We also have an E-brochure, which again can be used to highlight the benefits of the Janod brand,” Michelle adds. “Due to their bright colours and varying sizes, our wooden toys work really well in window displays,” says Emelye at Orange Tree. “And the tactile nature of wooden toys means some of our retailers choose to get our toys out of their packaging and put them on display. We can also do specific display items such as a giant version of our popular crocodile puzzle for display.” Cornée, meanwhile, explains Brio’s marketplace approach. Retail support includes posters, shelf strips, banners, lightboxes, shelving and child friendly play tables to give customers a chance to play and explore Brio toys in store. “In working very closely with all our retail partners by building ranges, adding POS and hosting engaging consumer events, we have been very successful in placing Brio front-of-mind with parents and children” she says. “From working with our retail partners, it is clear that starting with a tailored selection for each store and gradually adding products to build the range is the key to making Brio so successful.”

A.B.Gee of Ripley 01773 570 444 | www.abgee.co.uk A.B.Gee of Ripley offers a comprehensive range of premium wooden and traditional toys. Its exclusive UK deal with Tooky Toy means the company now offers a range of over 250 German designed, high quality wooden toys, which complement A.B.Gee’s portfolio of leading brands including Hasbro, Mattel, Character Options, Flair and MGA. The new wooden range covers everything from infant and pre-school, push & pull, educational, puzzles, music, furniture, scene and outdoor toys, all of which have already proved popular with retailers and customers alike. New for Q3 is the wooden Space Rocket. With a classic retro design, durable build quality and a superb price point, this line is expected to be popular in the run up to Christmas. A.B.Gee of Ripley has seen its wooden sales more than double in the last 12 months, a trend which the company believes will continue through 2018 and beyond due to its diversity of product, affordable prices and quality of finish. With A.B.Gee keen to open new doors, retailers have the opportunity to benefit from eye-catching promotional deals, combined with quality point of sale. A.B.Gee also offers retailers a range of quality display stands and marketing material to create a strong retail display experience in any shop.

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Wooden Toys

Orange Tree Toys 01242 244 500 | www.orangetreetoys.com Orange Tree Toys’ wooden products are suitable for children from nursery age, and focus on developing key skills whilst keeping an element of fun at their core. One of Orange Tree Toys most popular ranges, the Peter Rabbit collection is based upon the classic licence, which lends itself perfectly to the wooden toy category. With products ranging from puzzles to play sets, the Peter Rabbit toy range has been a strong seller for the company. Having been recently expanded, and with the feature film still fresh in the minds of consumers, the company anticipates a good performance from this collection for the rest of the year and beyond. With bright colours, block shapes and easy to hold pieces, many of Orange Tree Toys’ products are useful for developing skills such as colour and shape recognition, numbers, letters and coordination skills. Products including shape sorters, stacking rings and bead frames come in colourful designs, making them eye-catching at retail. This year marked the launch of a range based on Orange Tree’s colourful crocodile. The crocodile alphabet puzzle has been a best seller for a number of years, and so a whole range was designed around it. Teaching clocks, threading toys and 3D puzzles were all new for Orange Tree Toys, but have thus far proven to be strong additions to this educational collection. All Orange Tree Toys products come packaged so the product can be seen inside, and are always designed with maximum fun and safety in mind; all products are fully tested for their age range and painted with nontoxic paint.

Tactic Games 01483 332 070 | www.tactic.net Tactic Games has a range of wooden games for all the family. Mölkky is a combination of chance and skill that’s quick to learn and exciting to play. Taking turns to throw the Mölkky skittle, trying to knock over various numbered pins, players must aim to score exactly 50 points. However, a score of more than 50 will reduce the score to 25. Mölkky can be enjoyed in any outdoor space, one-on-one or as a team. In King of the Hill players try to remove the evil king and soldiers from the castle and take it back for themselves. Points are scored for successful throws of the ball, but only if the king himself is knocked down. The player that keeps most of the castle intact wins, whereas any soldiers left standing will cost points. Kubb, also known as Viking chess, is an outdoor game steeped in history. Combining strategy and skill, the aim is to knock over all the wooden skittles in the opponent’s end line by throwing a set number of batons at them. If a player knocks over the king in the middle of the playing field before all the other skittles are down, their opponent wins. Kubb can be played either in teams or individually. All the games are manufactured from wood that has been logged from sustainably managed forests with the PEFC-certificate.

Milly&Flynn 01242 241 765 | www.millyandflynn.com Rod Campbell’s Dear Zoo story is brought to life with Milly&Flynn’s collection of engaging and durable toys and puzzles, which capture the essence of the classic tale. The Animal Skittles feature all eight animal characters from the story, made into shaped stand-up pieces and packed into a wheeled crate that toddlers can pull along. Once the animals are set up, kids can bowl them over with the included wooden balls. Ideal for helping little ones improve motor skills and shape recognition, the Puzzle Tray has eight tactile, chunky wooden animal pieces that slot into the sturdy wooden tray. Housed in another neat little wooden tray, the Dear Zoo Puzzle Blocks is a versatile toy that will provide hours of entertainment. Kids can rotate the wooden blocks to build six different pictures of the Dear Zoo animal characters, mix up the blocks to make amusing combinations, or build a tower and then knock it down. Designed for little hands, the range of three Wheeled Vehicles offer strong play value. Each animal slots satisfyingly into its wheeled crate, providing hours of pushalong fun. Kids who enjoy the Milly&Flynn Dear Zoo wooden toys may also like the rest of the Dear Zoo range; the eight-piece Lift-the-Flap Puzzle and Matching Pairs Game are full of surprises.

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Wooden Toys

Juratoys 020 8878 2133 | www.janod.com From specialist wooden toy manufacturer Janod comes the colourful Magnet Rocket. Made of high-quality cherry wood pieces, and painted in bright non-toxic paints complemented with silk-screen printing, this six piece rocket can be assembled and taken apart time and again. Putting the ship together in the correct order helps kids to develop their hand-eye coordination, whilst the imaginative design of the rocket offers plenty of opportunities for space-themed play. The rocket also features a friendly pilot which fits inside the cockpit and is visible through the rocket’s window, whilst the propeller on the bottom can be spun as the toy blasts off into space. The Magnet Rocket comes presented in an eyecatching black and red box for in-store presence.

Hape/Marbel 08456 000 286 | www.marbel.co.uk Full of twists and turns, the 102-piece Quadrilla Castle Escapes set features brightly coloured building blocks, accelerators, roulettes, shutters, curved rails and two transparent stairways for kids to discover. As the marbles travel through the course, kids can listen out for the sound of the hanging bells that tinkle when the marbles roll past. The Hape Quadrilla marble run helps to nurture and develop a child’s natural abilities, stimulating the mind, encouraging critical thinking, problem solving and spatial reasoning, while also promoting key STEM skills in science, technology, engineering and maths-based learning. Kids can build and experiment to their hearts content as they enjoy creating their own unique marble run combinations time and again. With no rules or guidelines to follow, the possibilities for play are limitless.

Tobar 0844 573 4299 | www.tobar.co.uk Tobar’s Pirate Ship Playset contains everything kids need for an adventure at sea. Young captains can take their crew of three figurines on the quests aboard the 32cm long wooden ship. The ship includes a crow’s nest high up the mast, rotating captain’s wheel, portholes on the sides, and a black sail featuring the traditional white skull and crossbones design. When play is finished, all the accessories, including a treasure chest, cannon, shark, rowboat and two pools of felt water, can be stowed neatly away in the ship’s galley section. Taking inspiration from the classic story, the Wooden Noah’s Ark Playset features pairs of cows, horses, pigs and more, as well as Noah, his wife and the traditional dove, all ready to board the 28cm long wooden ark. The playset also includes a ramp for loading the 17 painted figures on board, whilst a sliding lid allows the ark to act as a carry case. With the Wooden Farm Playset, kids can keep the animals fed and the crops growing. A colourful selection of critters and crops need tending, and young farmers can have fun helping Mr and Mrs Farmer with this 24.5cm-wide barn. Complete with delicate wooden props including a carrot patch, fence and trees, this play set will help bring kids’ imaginations to life.

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www.orangetreetoys.com email sales@orangetreetoys.com call +44 (0)1242 244500

Wooden Toys

Ravensburger 01869 363 830 | www.ravensburger.com Kids can get on board with the brand new range of toys from Brio, launching this month. The wooden toy brand is welcoming a cute Pull-Along Elephant, made from FSC certified wood combined with additional high-quality tactile materials. Children can hold on to the trunk, pull it gently and watch as the happy elephant follows them anywhere they go. Combining technology and engaging design, the Musical Caterpillar offers a way for children to discover the basics of music and create melodies. Each segment of the wooden caterpillar makes a sound when placed on the grid. Connecting the head and the tail can be done in 10 different ways, with kids rewarded with a new and different melody for each different connection made. The My Home Town range is expanding with the addition of a green Garbage Truck, complete with light and sound effects. The Smart Farm Set is a clever addition to the already popular Smart Tech range. Kids can watch as the passing train interacts with the animals on the farm to create a distinctly different countryside play experience. This product is fully compatible with the Smart Tech train and the rest of the Brio World range. The range is further extended by additional products including a Lift & Load Warehouse Set, Light Up Gold Wagon, Record & Play Station Platform, Crane & Mountain Tunnel, and many other products.

Rainbow Designs 01329 227 300 | www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk

Jumbo Games 01707 289 289 | www.jumbo.eu

New to Rainbow Designs’ The Very Hungry Caterpillar Nursery Collection this year are two My First style wooden puzzles. The four-piece puzzles, which star Eric Carle’s Very Hungry Caterpillar and the beautiful Butterfly, aid the development of fine motor skills in children. The illustrated Wooden Blocks sets also encourage creative building as well as number and letter recognition. Available in Peter Rabbit, Guess How Much I Love You and The Very Hungry Caterpillar designs, the 16 wooden blocks feature letters of the alphabet and numbers 1-10 alongside engaging brand illustrations. Also available in these popular properties are educational wooden Peg Puzzles. The puzzles, which feature illustrations from the three classic brands, encourage number and shape recognition as well as helping to hone fine motor skills.

Goula, the high quality traditional wooden toys brand from Jumbo Games, provides engaging play opportunities and fundamental learning skills to help children at each stage of their early development. There are a variety of product categories to choose from; Puzzles, Construction and Ability Toys, My First Games, Educational Toys and Balance Toys. New items this year include the 3 Little Pigs Game, Antarctica Game, Pull-Along Duck and Dog, as well as the Wooden Construction Pack, which features 40 chunky and child-friendly pieces for kids to create their own towns and villages. These new additions sit beside the best-selling Goula Fishing Game, Farm House Shape Sorter, Pile-Up Stacking Cubes and Educational Calendar Clock, all of which have proven to be consumer favourites and have received positive reviews and endorsements.

DKL Marketing 01604 678 780 | www.dkl.co.uk Scratch Toys’ wooden Furniture Collection has become a best- seller for the company, offering tables and chairs in themes such as cars, owls, fish and more. The Circus Truck includes a range of circus animals that children can place in the wagon Shape Sorter the seal has a magnet on the bottom, so it can ride along on the roof while children pull the wagon. And from maracas to ukuleles, Scratch’s wooden musical instrument range features fun designs and great sounds. Maurice the 3-in-1 Musical Fish Bench includes a drum, cymbal and a xylophone. Pick-up lines include pull back cars, colourful shape sorters, pull-alongs with nodding heads and more.

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Viewpoint This train is only stopping at major platforms.

David Ripley David is currently EMEA category director for Toys, Nursery, Sporting Goods & Pet Care at Groupon. His long career as a toy buyer has included stints at a number of the industry’s largest retail accounts.

“We’ve got it… yeah baby… we’ve got it!”

Nat Southworth Nat is managing director of Kids@ Play Ltd, has bought toys for Asda, and held sales & marketing positions with Vivid, HTi, and Hornby. He is completing an Executive MBA at the University of Leeds.

hygital. Phygitation. Phygitalisation. Smart stores. Smores.... Call them what you will, but If you cannot grasp the concept, you will be lost in the retail stores of tomorrow that are now offering a perceived hybrid customer experience, blending physical and digital elements to entice tech savvy shoppers back into their fine establishments.

using their mobile to do exactly the same but from the comfort of anywhere?

future of stores and online, I would recommend the latest 2018 KPMG report on the future of retail.

The Specsavers digital app that shows what a pair of glasses would look like when worn is a great example of a digital tool that removes the need to visit any store in order to make a purchasing decision.

The report highlights several retail trends and takes a glimpse into the not too distant future, with a view on the dominance of platforms in future ecommerce.

In a last ditch bid to pull in the punters, retail chains are opening up their rapidly diminishing CapEx wallets to improve the in-store experience with items such as augmented reality mirrors and checkout free zones to improve service and convenience.

Thankfully, within the toy industry, there is no digital substitute to playing with a toy in a toy shop or recreating the excitement that is generated when a child walks into a toy shop full of brightly coloured boxes adorned with their favourite character heroes. Not yet anyway, but I am sure Amazon is working on something smart to replicate the experience.

Experience is becoming everything and these concepts look impressive (and expensive) but will they be enough to stop customers

A true battle royale is taking place in the online space with 'platforms' vying for top spot - for those who still have questions around the

very year, we as an industry search and develop the must have toy that we hope will make our fortune. This is where our industry is similar to many others through the quest to find the holy grail of consumer desire. We often cite the fashion industry as the best example as everyone has a paisley shirt, flares, mini skirt, luminous socks, Reebok pumps, Levi’s 501s, Calvin Klein underwear or Hugo Boss jeans memory. Do we think we’ve all got a hit within our business? People often cite the Pareto principle, without thinking about the detail behind Pareto’s work. The principle sets out that focusing on 20% will achieve 80% of the success. I am limited by wordcount, otherwise we could get into some graphs, and formulas. We develop a range and offer this range to buyers. However, we’d look a bit silly if we turned up to a trade show with only one item. Within the range of toys we show, our challenge is to get the buyer to see the golden 20%. Then the consumer works out what they see as the 20%. When you break it down, it’s all pretty tricky. To have an item that is “on fire” or “must have” you have really defied the odds, yet these are the lines that we as an industry remember; the greats, the best of all time.

Vivid’s Tracy Island, Thinkway’s Buzz Lightyear, Bandai’s Badge It, Character’s Robosapien, MGA’s LOL Surprise!, the list goes on. We all covet having “the one”, but you know if you look at your own sales - and your own range - you’ve got one. You have an item in your own portfolio that drives more sales, and more profit proportionally than the rest of your products. I had a long hard look at the Kids@ Play, business before buying it and I could see one. I could also see that, originally, Malcolm had one item and that is where he started. That one item was so good that he built a business off the back of it, but times change, and businesses must change. Kids@Play has signed some new business and we have got ourselves a new category; plush. This throws Pareto a few curve balls as it can’t quite figure out what will be better - a battery powered ride on versus a feature plush line. Forecasting and planning for sales is the next challenge, particularly when, having presented your new lines, the buyer says, “how many can you get as we can sell a **** load”. (please insert your own acceptable word…we smiled sweetly as the buyer used their word, as it would be impolite to comment on acceptable language until we had the official PO.) Our new items are heavily featured

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We are seeing more and more influence in the online shopping space from platforms such as Amazon, Facebook, Alphabet (Google) and Alibaba and this is set to grow rapidly over the next five years. It will become increasingly difficult for standalone websites not to strike agreements with these platforms that have significantly scaled reach and membership and are growing rapidly. The retail future we were promised has arrived.

in this issue, so it feels wrong for me to plug our officially licensed plush range of J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, featuring characters from Harry Potter, and Fantastic Beasts franchises, with scales ranging from 4” to 12.5” available from August… We will showcase more at the upcoming Autumn Fair and, although shown late in the buying cycle, the lines have made it into selection with a number of retailers, for which we are grateful. The good news for Kids@Play is that we think we’ve got it! That’s right. The one…the Official Harry Potter Sorting Hat. To quote one industry veteran, “That is a line!”. Armed with this high praise, I secured an appointment with a major retail buyer and presented an early working sample. “This could be Toy of the Year,” I proudly said. “It’s so visual, it gets a great consumer reaction, price point is good, the Harry Potter licence is incredibly well known by all ages, and there are major events from the licensor in the key Christmas run in”. The Buyer’s response was, “Calm down Nat, every supplier says they’ve got Toy of the Year”. Well I used to be a buyer, so I know the training; show no emotion. But I’m telling you, we’ve got it…yeah baby… we’ve got it! Just like the rest of the toy industry, we’ve got one item that we believe is the one – what’s yours?

Viewpoint Any way you slice it; a look at marketing spend share

Tristan Brooks Tristan is client services director at Azure Media, a specialist media planning and buying agency focused on child markets.

dvertising investment tends to mirror wider market trends. A growing market enables companies to invest marketing budget in their product to grow their business. In a more challenging market, such as that in which we currently find ourselves, some companies may well require marketing budgets to be decreased or reallocated within the business. Now we’re past the halfway stage of 2018, it seems a good opportunity to review how toy advertisers have invested so far this year (all data covers the first six months of this year). Regarding commercial TV advertising, delivered ratings for the toy industry has increased by 5% for the first six months (referencing BARB data against children aged 4-9, using equivalent ratings for all TV data quoted). 18% more toy companies have TV advertised this year, however the number of campaigns has decreased by nearly 7%. So, while more toy companies are TV advertising, fewer campaigns are being shown to consumers meaning less choice. The bulk of campaigns come from the top 10 TV advertisers, which in turn make up 60% of all delivered TV ratings. Some of the largest toy companies have reduced their TV activity. Although Hasbro led the toy industry for delivered ratings, it has run 10% fewer campaigns and delivered 27% fewer ratings. Mattel decreased the number of campaigns by 38%, decreasing delivered ratings by 55%. Lego has dropped out of the top 10 TV advertisers, moving from 10th last year to 18th this year. Lego has reduced TV campaigns by around 33% and ratings by 68%.

On the other side of the coin, some are feeling more bullish. To highlight a few of the bigger TV increases, Spin Master has delivered 47% more ratings across the same number of campaigns. Character Options has increased the number of campaigns by 21% and delivered 35% more ratings. Playmobil has grown the number of campaigns by 75% and increased ratings by a considerable 260%. Finally, MGA has increased the number of campaigns by 83% with ratings up 13%. With the demise of Toys R Us, Smyths has been on the front foot by delivering 29% more, mainly from March onwards. Interestingly, Argos has delivered 35% less ratings across this period, leaving Smyths to increase its advertising share on TV. Toy industry digital media investment is up 5% (using Nielsen data). Lego, Mattel and Argos led in digital investment (in that order). Advertising on YouTube led toy industry investment, with Amazon coming second (up from 3rd last year). I would expect Amazon’s share of marketing spend to grow as investment in its media platform becomes integrated with volume negotiations. An informed source tells me that influencer marketing spend via its platform has increased by 160% for the first six months of this year, as client’s budgets migrate to YouTube through peer-to-peer marketing. The ongoing challenge with influencer marketing is whether it works. As costs increase for the major talent (and there are only still a handful with significant reach), this prices most advertisers out of the market, so now smaller micro-influencers are being packaged together to provide sellable scale. I’d advise

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applying planning rigour to get the best results and to benchmark performance, otherwise you’ll be left scratching your head as to what it actually did to drive sales. Cinema investment has seen a significant decrease, reducing by 53% (Nielsen data) with the number of campaigns dropping by 47%. The underwhelming performance of some of last year’s biggest family films (Paddington 2 aside) may well be weighing heavily on marketers’ minds when they come to approve cinema budgets. Also, cinema tends to be viewed as a ‘nice to have’ channel, rather being integral to most marketing plans. With the number of advertisers declining by 53%, cinema seems to be increasingly a channel for advertisers with larger budgets and licences, with Mattel, Hasbro, Bandai, Spin Master, Pokémon and Flair being the only advertisers to invest in the first half of the year. Cinema remains one of the few media that provides impact and engagement to both child and purchaser when they’re together. Getting the right films at the right time is the lottery. Overall, looking at the data for the first six months, investment in advertising seems to reflect current market performance (NPD). In general, those companies in yearon-year growth are increasing their investment. The opportunity to stand out from competitors only increases as other advertisers pull back from the ad market. What we’re seeing so far is decreasing consumer choice as fewer products compete for attention. Those that invest should therefore reap the benefits of at least being seen and considered. As always...good luck!

John Baulch John has worked in toy trade publishing for over 35 years, and will be well known to our readers for his personal analysis of industry matters and forthright opinions. If they get past Anita.

To stock one unsafe range may be regarded as a misfortune; to stock two looks like carelessness…

ecent media focus on unsafe Slime products has once again highlighted the complete inability of Amazon to take responsibility for things which other retailers have to face up to as a matter of course. This time it is Amazon’s recurring problem in adhering to toy industry safety regulations that is up for debate. The specifics related to a Which? Report that found a host of slime products for sale on the Amazon marketplace which breached safety regulations. The attendant media frenzy was unsurprising, if largely avoidable, had Which? issued a more accurate press release, or had journalists taken even a cursory look at the facts. The problem is not Slime – the problem is Amazon, and specifically Amazon Marketplace. Naturally, Amazon said it would remove offending products from the site. Its statement would have carried more weight had exactly the same thing not happened a mere six months ago; on that occasion, it was magnetic putty with dangerously high levels of arsenic. Sure, things slip through the net, but twice in six months is beyond careless – it suggests that there is no adequate process in place to stop the problem from recurring time and time again. Removing the offending products is a classic case of ‘too little, too late’ – what were illegal products doing on there in the first place? Why is there no system in place to ensure that appropriate safety certificates have been ratified? Bricks and mortar retailers would be fined a small fortune for a breach on this scale, so why is Amazon immune to punitive measures? Amazon is shirking its duty of care by saying it is not responsible for marketplace vendors – it IS responsible, just as all reputable retailers are for their stock. The toy industry has some of the most stringent safety regulations in the consumer arena. Reputable suppliers and retailers spend a small fortune ensuring they comply. Meanwhile, Amazon just ignores them with impunity, which is wholly unacceptable. Hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of sales could now be lost by legitimate retailers and suppliers, with many consumers now believing there is a problem with all Slime, not just Amazon’s dodgy batches. We saw it with magnetic putty, when retailers had to explain to customers that there was no problem with their stock. It isn’t helped by poor-quality journalism, with many journalists and commentators avoiding calling a spade a spade. Nor should we be seeking to pass the responsibility on to the consumer to do all the work; how are they supposed to know if a vendor is a genuine BTHA member or a dodgy Chinese factory? It’s quite simple really; Chinese companies are listing untested product on Amazon Marketplace and shipping direct, and Amazon is facilitating this by looking the other way. It is time for the toy community to unite around a common goal; Amazon should be subject to exactly the same rules as all other retailers, and the same punishment if it doesn’t.

Feature

STEM

Foundations for the future As the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) category continues to expand, Casey Goodman looks at the latest trends.

TEM has been part of a year-long national campaign by the government, as this year marks the Year of Engineering, a campaign designed to tackle the engineering skills gap, and to widen the pool of young people who join the profession. STEM has also grown in popularity in the toy industry, as suppliers have increasingly taken to including the STEM logo on their packaging. Parents can clearly see the benefits of educational / STEM toys and are on the lookout for them as consumers. Research has shown that 66% of parents see themselves as the primary educator of their children, and a many of these parents have purchased an educational toy in the past year and are actively seeking these products to help supplement their child’s development and learning. Suppliers have responded with an ever-increasing range of STEM learning related options. Simon Tomlinson from Learning Resources explains the significance of STEM to toy companies: “STEM is becoming increasingly important as there is the expectation that there will be a shortage of those qualified with these skills coming through in the future to fill STEM related jobs. Educational toys look to help a child develop a particular skill or learn about a particular subject using products designed specifically to address that learning need. The beauty of STEM based learning is that there is no right or wrong answer. Changing the thinking from “right answer versus wrong answer”

to “let’s try it this way” is at the heart of STEM and is very educational in nature. This gives us a great opportunity to develop a wide range of innovative, STEM based products to help develop critical skills in children as young as two years old. A lot of these products can also be great fun too and instilling a love of learning through play is at the heart of everything we do.” Darrell Jones, head of marketing at Vivid Imaginations, has noticed the growth in the category: “STEM has been around for a few years but it’s definitely growing. There are many new companies offering products, and according to NPD, the category grew last year and is on track to increase again this year. I think STEM products show that educational products don’t have to be boring. Science and educational products have always been around – Vivid aims to bring a new, fun angle to them.” Many retailers have enjoyed success in stocking a range of STEM products, which appeals both to adults looking to buy something worthwhile and productive as well as to children looking for something truly engaging and challenging. Independent retailer Jonathan Rogers of Rogers Toymaster highlights STEM as a noticeable trend and looks out for the STEM logo on the packaging of products, as do his customers. He believes that a STEM labelling reassures parents that the product will encourage and help develop their children, and that parents like the fact that they can both adults

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and children play with the products together. Peter Allinson from Whirligig Toys has experienced first-hand the expansion of the STEM category and explains why he thinks this has happened. “STEM is about the child’s engagement. So many children we meet in the shop are looking for that challenge, and sense of achievement they get from playing with these toys. Where STEM differs from the educational category, which has products such as learning to read and write in it, is that after children have played with these toys, they feel like they have really achieved something, and something appropriate for their level. Some of the best products we currently stock are from Smart Games, which include logic and thinking games, where children can work through the levels. My favourite game is one called Bunny Boo, which encourages children to really think for themselves, and parents and families can get involved as well. STEM has been our foundation since day one, we have always stocked STEM products, but I have definitely seen a growth in the last year in consumer interest - and in sales. Primary schools have been encouraging STEM, particularly through coding. Parents are now seeing their children learning about coding and they’re trying to catch up, so this has been one driver. We see STEM as a real growth market for us. I’m always out there looking for new products and we’re really excited about it.” Over the next few pages, Toy World presents a selection of the latest ranges in the STEM category.

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Heavyweight TV, Digital, and PR campaign sales.uk@canaltoys.com

STEM

Learning Resources 01553 819 380 | www.LearningResources.co.uk 1-2-3 Built It! is a colourful range that enables children from two years of age to build three of their favourite vehicles in one toy. The range consists of 1-2-3 Built It! Rocket-Train-Helicopter and 1-2-3 Built It! Car-Plane-Boat. The easy-to-assemble chunky pieces are ideal for little hands to hold as they build their favourite vehicles using a play spanner to tighten up and secure their vehicles. The toys are not only fun but also develop fine motor skills, problem solving and construction skills. Botley is the fun, friendly way for children as young as five to learn coding and, unlike most coding robots aimed at older kids, Botley is entirely screen-free with no tablets or smartphones required. Gears! Gears! Gears! Machines in Motion is an extension of the best-selling Gears! Gears! Gears! range. This expansive construction set with 112 colourful pieces allows 5-9 year olds to piece together sturdy plastic cogs and wheels, helping young learners develop their STEM skills and learn about Cause and Effect. The set includes propellers, wrecking ball, chains, pulleys, wheels, axles and instructions for multiple engineering creations. The parts are interchangeable with other Gears! sets and provide endless building possibilities.

Bandai 0208 324 6160 | www.bandai.co.uk The National Geographic range combines a trusted and well-known brand with experiments, expert learning guides and fascinating subjects. The Crystal Growing Kits provide all children need to grow and inspect a crystal. Other kits include Geodes, Build Your Own Volcano, Ultimate Play Sand and Dig Kits - which are perfect for any fossil loving child. Each of the kits include a learning guide and a genuine piece of the natural world. The Original Sea Monkeys range brings the combination of science, nature and nurture to a whole new generation of kids. For Bandai UK’s launch, the formulation of the eggs will once again be created in the US to ensure the highest quality of product. The Ocean Zoo set is the entry point to the range, and Bandai is looking to extend the range later in the year. Trusted brand Crayola joins the portfolio with a line-up of colourful dough and playsets, encouraging a lifelong interest in STEM in pre-schoolers.

DKL Marketing 01604 678 780 | www.dkl.co.uk DKL Marketing offers the SmartLab range of STEM kits keep children entertained and engaged for hours, which all come complete with activity books for extra educational play value. A best-seller is the Squishy Human Body. The body comes complete with squishy organs, bones, muscles and a 24-page activity book which guides children as they dissect and pull the model apart. Also included is the Organ-izer poster which helps children get to grips with all the different parts which make up a human body. Children can collect other kits from the squishy range which also includes The Squishy Zombie, the Squishy T-Rex and the Squishy Brain.

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Thames & Kosmos 01580 212 000 | www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk The Pepper Mint – Great Treehouse Engineering Adventure is a story based STEM kit where Pepper Mint visits her aunt, a scientist researching primates in Borneo. She lives in a treehouse where Pepper Mint and her aunt devise mechanical inventions and equip the treehouse with mechanical equipment using pulleys, winches and gears, and learn lessons in physics. Putting up a string of LED lanterns using conductive thread and a battery holder teaches Pepper about electrical circuits. The kit includes materials to build the treehouse, a full-colour illustrated storybook and a scale Pepper Mint figurine. Also new is Pepper Mint – Fantastic Underwater Adventure, where Pepper discovers how to use water to make simple hydraulic machines and conduct experiments with pressure and density. Pepper also constructs a rig to raise and lower the ship’s flag and a series of hydraulic devices including a ship’s crane. Fixing the ship’s propeller leads to her making an electric bubble-blowing machine. The experiments teach lessons in mechanical physics, electric circuits and physical science principles related to water and air. All materials are included, along with a storybook and Pepper Mint figurine. In addition, Thames & Kosmos is also introducing new sets in the Engineering Makerspace range. Children can discover gearing systems with Geared-up Gadgets or the power of rubber-bands with Kinetic Machines. Each set lets children build five different models. There are also Off-Road Rovers and Alien Robot sets, offering ten different motorized models to build per set. A set that makes physics fun with a gamified physics lab, Sensors Alive demystifies physics phenomena like light, sound, and heat in a hugely innovative way. Core to this kit is an app-based video game where children collect real-world data and generate creatures on the iOS or Android app. Kids essentially play the part of scientists creating readings on the sensor pods which are then transferred into the game.

STEM

Brainstorm 01200 445 113 | www.brainstormltd.co.uk The 2-in-1 Globe Earth & Constellations continues to be one of Brainstorm’s most popular lines. The 22.8cm daylight Earth globe clearly shows political boundaries and natural features, and, when illuminated, the night globe shows key stars and constellations with their Latin and common names. As well as being educational the globe makes an ideal nightlight, thanks to a sensor to turn on LED illumination whenever the room reaches a certain level of darkness. Aqua Dragons are prehistoric aquatic creatures that have lived on Earth for millions of years and even shared the world with dinosaurs. The Aqua Dragons Deluxe Set contains an illuminated tank, food and eggs that hatch into real live aquatic creatures. Children simply need to add water and the Aqua Dragons will hatch in just two to three days, growing up to up to 2cm long.

Companyprofile

Resourceful ranges Toy World spoke to Simon Tomlinson, head of marketing at Learning Resources about the range of STEM based products offered by Learning Resources. As awareness of the importance of STEM increases for both toy companies and consumers, how has Learning Resources reacted? STEM is becoming increasingly important and gives us a great opportunity to develop a wide range of innovative, STEM based products to help develop critical skills in children as young as two years old. A lot of these products can also be great fun as well as educational - instilling a love of learning through play is at the heart of everything we do.

How do toy ranges balance the teaching of STEM related skills with providing fun and traditional play patterns? Learning Resources has invested a lot of time in understanding what children need to learn and how they might learn it. We then develop products around that need, ensuring that they are appealing, easy to use and high quality. A great example of this is our new coding robot Botley. He is screen free and children as young as five can start to learn basic coding and problem-solving skills whilst having fun. This type of innovation means that children are using educational products to learn STEM skills without realising it.

Does technological innovation play a role in the development of such products? Innovation and technology are playing an ever-increasing role in STEM, but there remains a strong future for traditional play and high quality educational products. We do make some electronic products, like Botley and the Code & Go Robot Mouse, to help kids learn the concept of coding at an early age, but most of our products are traditional in nature. We know that young children learn best by doing.

What new releases in STEM will Learning Resources be launching this year? New to the range this year is the 1-2-3 Built It! Rocket-Train-Helicopter and Car-Plane-Boat, which allow children as young as two to learn about STEM. The easy-to-assemble chunky pieces are ideal for little hands. These toys are not only fun but also develop fine motor skills, problem solving and construction skills. We are also launching an exciting new range of science-themed collectibles called Beaker Creatures, that uniquely combines the thrill of collecting with hands-on science experiments, building skills and sparking curiosity. Beaker Creatures was incredibly well received at New York Toy Fair, so we have fast tracked the release in the UK. By dissolving the Reactor Pods kids can discover, classify, and explore 35 collectible characters from five different families. Kids can then take on the role of scientist, identifying their creatures with classification cards and exploring their worlds through fun science facts and amazing experiments. Beaker Creatures sets double as working lab sets, complete with included science experiments that encourage hands-on learning. Gears! Gears! Gears! Machines in Motion is another great STEM product; aimed at 5-9 years olds, it’s an expansive set, with 112 colourful pieces to develop STEM skills and learn about cause and effect. The set includes propellers, wrecking ball, chains, pulleys, wheels, axles and instructions for multiple engineering creations.

How do you expect the STEM category to develop? We expect the market for education and STEM based learning on mobile devices will continue to grow. This is why Learning Resources has invested so much time into supporting retailers with a number of instore marketing initiatives, as we want to work with retailers to help customers complete their buying journey instore.

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STEM

AugmentifyIt 07795 843 772 | www.peapodicity.com/augmentifyit AugmentifyIt is the winner of the Made For Mums Gold Best Science Toy Award 2017 and Toy Fair Hero 2018 and is now shortlisted for a Junior Design Award for Best Toy Design 2018. The AugmentifyIt range was created to bring STEM and STEAM learning to life through the magic of Augmented Reality (AR) technology. With an increasing focus on these subjects at both school and home, this exciting tech toy brand recognised a new and innovative way to engage kids with sometimes tricky, topics, making both parents’ and teachers’ lives easier. The multi-award-winning AugmentifyIt range includes AR Space Cards; AR Elements - The Periodic Table of Me; and AR Stickers including Christmas; Nature and Robots. The products work with a free app, downloadable on the App Store, Google Play and Amazon App Store. Children can see Space, Elements, butterflies, insects, fitness robots and friendly Christmas characters come to life with music and animations, with a fun quiz to play and test their knowledge. Cards are packed with key, up-to-date STEM facts, appropriate to the topic and both cards and stickers contain Play To Learn quizzes. A new “Why?” feature in the range increases fun fact learning with simple, easy to understand answers to some of the most popular kids’ questions about Space and Nature. Co-Creators CTO Brett Haase, a software developer and CEO Ahrani Logan, a former BBC science and education TV producer, are both parents with strong science backgrounds and recognised experience in STEM. Ahrani is an Ambassador for STEM Learning in the UK, while Brett is a NASA Social contributor in the States.

Canal Toys 07492 411 142 | www.canaltoys.fr/en Canal Toys is to reveal the UK launch of its Power Dough range. This innovative range which combines STEM and arts & crafts lets children mould, shape and decorate their dough creations with push-in Power Parts to “activate” them. Designed for pre-school children upwards, every set comes with step by step instructions, tools and Power Parts. The Power Parts add light, sound and action that literally ‘Bring Your Dough to Life’. The range is designed to suit age 3+, and sets available for 2018 will include Animals, Vehicles and Monsters. The Power Dough Magic Pets kit is simple to use, enabling children to design their own Magic Pet that comes to life before their eyes. They choose from four brightly coloured dough pots and mould their pet by hand using the modelling tool provided, then decide whether they want their new creations to talk, light up or move. A choice of 15 interchangeable accessories can be selected and connected to the four Power Parts. To activate the Magic Pet, the Power Parts are simply pushed into the creation and bring the dough to life. The Vehicles kit comes with four pots of dough and everything needed to design three machines; a car, train and aeroplane are all possible using the 12 interchangeable accessories, four Power Parts and modelling dough. The vehicles can light up and even drive along. Power Dough will be supported by a comprehensive TV and digital media marketing campaign.

John Adams 01480 414 361 | www.johnadams.co.uk John Adams’ primary aim is to encourage kids to explore the world around them whilst making science fun. This method of learning aids the development of STEM skills and is key to the company’s Action Science portfolio. Power Tracks helps stimulate inquisitive minds and teaches elements of STEM with Volty, the friendly programmable robot. With this product, kids can take their first steps into coding and the world of programming, problem solving and circuit building. New for 2018 is Rainbow Science, which lets kids create rainbow-themed experiments with five different projects. Kids can blow a cascading rainbow of bubbles, watch a unicorn inside a hologram viewer, paint virtual reality rainbows in the air, watch a rainbowcoloured flower form before their eyes, or create a layered rainbow amulet. Slime fans will enjoy the new Super Slime Lab, which lets them mix slime, spin goo into mixing chambers, pump gunge into barrels and make slimy jelly filled ‘toxic worms’. The new introductions will sit alongside John Adams’ popular existing science sets such as Hot Wires, Gross Science, Sparkle Science, Neon Science, and Booms, Bangs, Fizzes. All key lines are supported with strong TV/digital and PR campaigns.

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STEM

Vivid Imaginations 01483 449 944 | www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk Science4You encourages STEM linked learning via educational and fun packed Science based kits for children aged 8+. Vivid will be offering a full range of Science4you existing science sets, as well as introducing three new lines which will be TV supported during autumn/winter. With a range of accessible price points from £5 to £35 and introductory sets for ages 4+, Science4You is the perfect range to encourage children to discover the wonders of the world around them. Children can discover the thrill of explosions, rockets, chemical reactions and much more with Explosive Science, containing a range of experiments which kids will enjoy while learning all about science. How to pierce a balloon without popping; how to make a rocket from a chemical reaction; how to make fizzy bombs; inquisitive minds and hands can discover the answers to tough science based questions via this action packed set. Water Experiments has water based experiments for children, like making giant soap bubbles. My First Science Kit introduces simple scientific concepts to younger children, including how to get the colours of the rainbow with the three primary colours. 26 varied and dynamic experiments in the set include how to make paintings with soap bubbles, grow a flowery garden and write extraordinary crystalline messages. Also available is Slime Factory, Lipstick & Lip Gloss Factory and the Science of Magic.

Spin Master 01628 535 000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk Meccano continues to infuse innovation and education by incorporating new materials and advanced technologies into its construction sets. As an educational construction toy, Meccano has much to offer in the STEM and STEAM categories, and Spin Master is supporting the brand with a full programme of activities and experiential opportunities to engage directly with children. After a hugely successful stand at The Big Bang earlier this year, the brand has now teamed up with education specialists STEMworks who partners with schools, businesses, teachers and other organisations promoting STEM skills throughout Wales and the West; offering exciting hands-on opportunities to both primary and secondary aged students. The unique Meccano 5 Model Set Pull Back Car and the Meccano 10 Models Set Motorized Car, featuring motors to inspire and excite kids as they create real working models, continue to prove popular with construction fans. Both sets are suitable for ages 8+ and are being supported by TV advertising. Launching this summer, Meccano fans can now construct one of the most iconic Italian sports cars with the new Meccano Ferrari F1 Racer. This model car kit gives young builders real tools to piece together metal nuts and bolts, creating an authentic Ferrari Grand Prix Racer. As they join the parts of this STEAM kit together, young minds are pushed to develop their understanding of concepts from science, technology, engineering, arts and maths. Meccano’s Ferrari Grand Prix Racer is recommended for experienced builders aged 10+ and has a construction time of 1- 3 hours. Features like stick-on decals, working wheels and poseable steering give this model the authentic look and feel of Ferrari’s classic racer.

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Geomagworld 07831 886 997 | www.geomagworld.com Geomagworld SA has been producing and marketing products where creativity and learning have been working side by side ever since 2008, many years before the emergence of the STEM acronym now applied to them. The company’s classic toys exploit the potential of magnetism for play and learning. They are designed to help children of all ages develop and train their minds, imagination and curiosity through the science of magnetic construction. Geomagworld categories include Colors, Panels, PRO-L, Mechanics, Mechanics Gravity and Magicube. These magnetic platforms allow children to create an infinite number of structures using magnetic bars and metal spheres or the brand new magnetic cubes. The wide range of colours and pieces inspire bright, colourful and fun play. The Geomag Pro-L line has been created by the research and development department of Geomagworld to meet the needs of the most experienced builders. An evolution of the Geomag Classic line, the Pro-L line is composed of steel spheres, panels of different shapes and sizes and more powerful magnetic rods to create even more spectacular constructions. To make the polarity immediately visible, one of the two magnets in each rod is coloured in black. This means children can intuitively exploit the properties of magnetism as much as possible to create models. Recommended for children over eight years old, Geomag Pro-L is now available in the Magnetic Fidget version. This new format has been designed to stimulate creativity, dexterity and is also useful for relieving daily stress. Made up of six magnetic rods and eight Geomag spheres, the innovative Geomagworld magnetic fidget allows children to build an infinite number of structures, forms and magnetic tricks, stimulating creativity and manual skills.

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STEM

Little Tikes 0845 0533 333 | www.littletikes.co.uk

Trends UK 01295 768 078 | www.trendsuk.co.uk Trends UK is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of science toys. For 2018, the popular Science Mad brand will be refreshed with vibrant new unisex packaging and a coherent range with six new kits, to appeal to today’s kids. The Science Mad range offers real experiments, based on proper chemistry. Budding scientists can mix the ingredients to watch chemical reactions in the Chemistry Lab and grow crystals to find out how nature’s building materials work for real with the Crystal Growing Kit. The new kits enable kids to experiment with slime in various states with the Science Mad Slime Lab, and perform luminous, glow in the dark projects in the Science Mad After Dark Lab. In addition there are four single experiment kits to make a Potato Clock, Paper Cup Speaker, a single crystal or a mini volcano. All kits are available from autumn/winter 2018. The Discovery range from Trends UK is inspired by the Discovery Channel. Encouraging children to have fun outside and learn from the natural world, Trends UK is launching a range for 2018 that explores nature on the go. The Discovery Pocket Scope is a new handheld microscope for outdoor investigation of specimens in minute detail. The Discovery Binoculars & Carry Case are light, portable and child friendly with a 6X magnification and a built-in compass, perfect for observing wildlife. The Discovery Young Explorer Kit contains everything needed for an outdoor adventure. The set comes with binoculars, field microscope, compass, notebook and pencil so children can take a closer look at the world. The new Nightlight Illuminated Globe, available from autumn/winter 2018, shows a political global map with countries in colour blocks, names seas/oceans and capital cities, perfect for learning about planet earth and making the bedroom cosy as kids drop off to sleep.

Learning and development is at the heart of the Little Tikes brand – especially with the launch of its STEM line, new for autumn 2018. Central to the line is key product, the Wonder Lab. Designed for children aged three years and upwards, the Wonder Lab activity toy really brings the magic of science to life. With over 20 unique experiments and over 50 accessories, sounds and phrases, the Wonder Lab features a Circuit Centre, where children can ‘power up’ handson play, a potion-making Wizard’s Brew and a mix and match Ball Maze. Also key to the range is the Tornado Tower, a two-in-one tornado and lava lamp. Little ones aged three years plus can create a ‘real’ tornado by filling with water and using the joy stick to make it whirl, or make their own lava lamp by adding household ingredients and using the control panel to add air bubbles. The new range also includes Builder Bots– multi-part bots that can be refigured in different ways to get fun reactions. A great introduction to engineering, the brightly coloured Builder Bots come with fun experiment cards for hours of creative play. The STEM line will launch in autumn 2018 and be supported by a heavyweight PR, influencer, digital, TV and retailer campaign.

MGA 0845 0533 333 | www.projectmc2.com Project Mc2 is a team of six super-smart and cool girls who use their love of STEAM to undertake missions for top-secret organisation, NOV8 (“innovate”). The product range and accompanying Netflix original entertainment aim to encourage the next generation of female scientists, engineers, technicians and mathematicians. Project Mc2 has already seen an impactful start to 2018 with a major campaign to support British Science Week, including partnering with influencer Amazing Arabella. This autumn, the brand will see new additions to the range of smart and savvy STEAM inspired products. A strong focus will be on Cosmetic Chemistry, taking hair and makeup play to new levels with the new Project Mc2 Slumber Party Science Kit, the Project Mc2 Ultimate Makeover Bag, Project Mc2 Electric Styling Head and Project Mc2 Perfume Science Kit. STEAM themed accessories carrying forwards into autumn 2018 include the brand’s bestselling Project Mc2 Ultimate Spy Bag and Project Mc2 A.D.I.S.N Journal. Project Mc2 will be backed by marketing, TV, PR support, digitial influencer and product launch activity.

Interplay 01628 488 944 | www.interplayuk.com Designed by nature experts with guides written by naturalist Nick Baker, the award-winning My Living World range enables kids to study animals, insects and flora in close-up detail, supporting STEM learning and exploration of the natural world. Interplay will be introducing a unique new Window Bird Feeder into the range for 2018. Featuring a unique one-way mirror design, it enables kids of all ages to study elusive and beautiful birds up close without disturbing them. Children simply attach the Window Bird Feeder to any window with strong suction cups. Visible though the mirror, birds can then be observed feeding. My Living World will be promoted in 2018 with PR and digital activities working with Nick Baker and wild life trusts to increase consumer brand awareness and appeal. A YouTube Channel featuring teacher testimonials, product reviews, unboxing and tutorials is also in the pipeline.

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Feature

Role Play - Pretend Play

The imitation game As the role-play category continues to develop, Casey Goodman looks at the latest trends.

he role-play category is one which continues to prove popular. It is widely recognised that pretend play items fuel the imagination of even the youngest children, providing vital learning experiences, aiding communication, teaching important interactive and social skills, enhancing development overall. Any playgroup, nursery or reception class play corner will feature pretend play items prominently, and they are often the first selected when children are given a free choice. Also a popular gift option to be used in the home, these products help children learn key skills from those adults around them who feature most prominently in their lives, mimicking family members carrying out everyday chores and other adults seen performing their various job roles. Indeed, introducing children to the concept of a career through role-play can have a huge influence on the path they choose later in life. From large scale replica items such as kitchens and workbenches to smaller accessories which add realistic details to pretend play patterns, an increasingly wide variety of innovative products has become available to enhance this important area of

imaginative play. One company which has used the developments in innovation and technology to add to its range is Little Tikes with its smart technology, as Michelle Lilley, head of marketing explains: “Little Tikes is all about encouraging children’s imaginations to develop – and our role-play line does exactly this. We’re proud to be developing and investing in smart technology for our products, meaning our customers can get the very best in innovative play which simulates modern life. We’re sure the Smart Checkout and our other new role-play products are set to be top of wish lists this Christmas.” The main function of role-play products is to encourage imaginative play. David Lubliner, head of customer marketing Europe, Melissa And Doug, explains why it is so important to get the designs right: “All our Pretend Play products, in fact all Melissa & Doug toys, are designed to encourage open ended play and can be combined with other items in our range, offering countless ways to play that can be unique to every child. Real learning and growth happen when children are given time and space to tap into their imaginations and discover what makes them tick. Our toys are designed to be launch pads and we take our responsibility to create playthings that inspire children and open their minds very seriously.” According to David, customers are continuing to look for high-quality products which encourage imagination and creativity, without necessarily needing a licence: “With no licences in our portfolio, we are not subject to the peaks and troughs of trends present in other

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toy categories. What we have found is that there is a pretty constant demand for high quality, trusted pretend play items that open the door to children’s creativity and imagination, and we have 30 years of experience in bringing these kinds of product to the market, typified by our wooden Food Groups item. Pretend Play is a hugely important category for Melissa & Doug and will be synonymous with our brand for many retailers and consumers. We have a wide range of Pretend Play items including Wooden Play Food, Pretend Shopping, Pretend House & Home and high quality role-play costumes. A great measure of the brand’s success in the Pretend Play category is the number of five star reviews the products have generated, and the word of mouth recommendations and brand loyalty we have seen drive our growth in recent years.” However, products which do have licences have also been reported to be selling well. Character licences can add appeal to pretend play items, while product licences introduce an element of realism. One of the companies which has noted success with this is Simba Smoby, as Mayur Pattni, head of marketing and licensing, points out: “Pretend Play is an important area of our business and Smoby has a large collection of items that gets the imagination of young ones going. These include a wide range of kitchens which come with cooking ovens, pans, cutlery and more - even the kitchen sink. We also have a wide collection of licensed Kitchens with Tefal. Supermarkets is another big area for us; we have large sets that include electronic cash registers, barcode scanners, shopping baskets and more, to play shopkeepers. Our workbench sets are perfect for little engineers. Our workbenches come with a wide array of nuts, bolts, screws, tools and some with electric drills. We have licensed workbenches available through our Black & Decker and Cars 3 licences.” Over the next few pages, Toy World displays a range of the latest products in the role-play category.

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Role Play - Pretend Play

Jakks 01344 638900 | www.jakks.com New from Jakks is the Style Collection Travel Vanity set. The unit opens up to reveal a light up mirror, beauty accessories and plenty of storage. The set comes with handle, folding legs and drawers that fold out from the inside, making it portable and perfect for on the go. The set also features a light up mirror and includes hairspray with lid, moisturizer tube, conditioner bottle, shampoo bottle, powder bottle with lid and a hair brush. The unit requires three AA batteries (not included) and is recommended for ages 3+. Also available is the Disney Princess Style Collection Wristlet which comes complete with play smartphone and wallet case, key fob and play credit cards. Children can press the keys to hear a unique locking noise. The play smartphone flashes, like an actual smartphone, when children pretend to take pictures. The Disney Princess Style Collection Beauty Hair Tote comes complete with a selection of hair products and plenty of storage. Also available is the Disney Princess Style Collection Makeup Beauty Tote. The Disney Princess Style Collection School Essentials Set makes studying stylish and fun. This set comes complete with a reusable tote, princess themed pretend calculator that makes sounds and a telescoping pointer. Also includes a Dry Erase Journal, Dry Erase Marker, Dry Erase Eraser and more fun pieces.

Learning Resources 01553 819 380 | www.LearningResources.co.uk The best-selling Pretend & Play Calculator Cash Register with Play Money by Learning Resources is a robust till that allows children to enjoy replicating the shopping experience and is ideal for developing a variety of early maths skills. The oversized and large digital display makes the pretend cash register perfect for young learners. It includes a pretend credit card, play money and features a solar-powered calculator with oversized buttons and large digital display. The Cash Register is available with either UK money or Euros. Learning Resourcesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; New Sprouts range features brightly coloured, chunky, rubberised pieces in the shape of real life domestic items such as fruit, vegetables, kitchen utensils and cleaning items. This range encourages early role-play skills as children can mimic their parents by making cups of tea with New Spouts Brew It! or enjoy using pretend squirting ketchup and mustard bottles with the New Sprouts Picnic Set! There is also New Sprouts Grow it! for budding gardeners, New Sprouts Style it! which includes a hair dryer, straighteners, brush and mirror and New Sprouts Puppy Play! for animal lovers. There is a wide range of products available, with more details on the Learning Resources website.

Casdon 01253 608 428 | www.casdon.com Casdon has decades of experience in role-play toys for pre-schoolers and combines pretend play with household names to bring replica kitchen appliances and role-play accessories to the play room. Children can mimic grownups as they play house with their friends, using toys that replicate those used by their parents. The Morphy Richards Microwave, Kettle and Toaster Set adds to the extensive Morphy Richards product range which looks just like the real thing. Designed with contemporary styling in mind, the Microwave Set has a whole host of features which will help little ones to cook treats for friends and family including; the microwave with rotating turntable, flashing lights and cooking sounds plus a brightly coloured kettle and pop-up toaster. Each collection comes with a heritage and quality that parents trust. Casdon will also be increasing its marketing support for retailers with a strategic year-round online campaign to further consumer awareness of the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s much-loved toys.

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Role Play - Pretend Play

Simba Smoby 01274 765 030 | www.simba-dickie-group.de/en The Simba Smoby Enchantimals product line is inspired by the Enchantimals stories of friendship, empathy and compassion towards all living things. In addition to a range of cuddly plush animals of the main characters in 20cm, 35cm and 50cm, the range includes the Bunny Bree Styling Head, the Enchantimals Nail Polish Sets, Glitter Tattoos, a Makeup Case and Facial Paint Kits. Set to launch in autumn/winter 2018, the sets will enable Enchantimals fans to look like their favourite character from the series and bring their own stories alive.

Trends UK 01295 768 078 | www.trendsuk.co.uk The sophisticated SpyX range is available now. Offering working features that fuel the imagination, kids can role-play with crime fighting gear and gadgets, just like real hero agents. Supported by PR and marketing campaigns, the SpyX range includes a selection of strategically priced listening devices, laser alarms, night mission goggles and communication devices. The range includes the SpyX Recon Watch, SpyX Night Mission Goggles and SpyX Micro Gear Box set.

GP Flair 0208 643 0320 | www.flairplc.co.uk Magic Food is a playset range with magical effects that create the illusion that the food children are playing with is really cooking. Kids can watch the play food cook before their very eyes. The coals on the Magic BBQ light up and smoke comes out when the food is pressed onto the grill. For Magic Fry cold water and Ice causes the food to change colour as it cooks. This collection produces safe, mess-free but incredibly realistic cooking for little chefs with big imaginations. The Fisher-Price food and shopping related pre-school role-play items from Just Play help children develop key skills whilst having fun. New for autumn, with tactile material and innovative play features, are Pizza, Burger and Peanut Butter role-play food sets, a Cash Register with an LCD Screen and play money and the Shopping Cart with removable basket and squishy food.

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LeapFrog 01235 555 545 | www.leapfrog.co.uk LeapFrog has recently launched three new role-play products to sit alongside the top-selling Scoop & Learn Ice Cream Cart. With the LeapFrog Water & Count Vegetable Garden, children can practise counting skills and learn what plants need to grow with the push along gardening wheelbarrow. There are three different vegetables to plant, which can be watered with the light-up watering can. Children can drop, pull up or press the vegetables to hear them talk and count, while developing fine motor and matching skills. Children can slide the snail to spin the vegetables and hear fun sounds, or push the light-up sun button to hear about the times of the day. Suitable for ages six months and up. 2018 will see a new version of the hugely popular Shapes & Sharing Picnic Basket, with brand new features such as a shape sorting lid and a new mode of play, now available in two colour ways. Children can drop food pieces through the interactive shape sorting lid to hear fun sounds whilst the basket recognises their shape and colour. They can press the butterfly button to hear polite food requests and learning songs. Switching easily between three modes, in Music Mode, children can listen to fun learning songs and tunes. In Learn Mode, the Picnic Basket asks questions about the picnic, encouraging the use of the 16-piece playset to sort, match, stack, empty and fill. In Food Mode, the Picnic Basket will ask to place different foods through the shape sorter at the top, enhancing gross motor skills. Suitable for ages six months and up.

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SISO Toys UK

Role Play - Pretend Play

HTI 01253 778 888 | www.htigroup.co.uk HTI continues to invest into the role-play category - a key gifting choice for parents and family members - through its own ranges and licensed products, which help children learn key skills from those around them who influence them the most. HTI’s own brand range, Smart, has everything a child needs to mimic domestic chores including cleaning, cooking, beauty, shopping and DIY. The range also incorporates vocational themes including police, fire, veterinary and medical sets for children to explore their interests. Introducing children to the concept of a career through role-play can have a huge influence on the path they choose later on in life. Licensed products continue to be a category favourite, especially as gifting is a key driver behind bigger ticket products such as kitchens. Peppa Pig is consistently an evergreen licence in this area for HTI, with a wide range of key products true to the brand, including a Musical House Tea Set and the Peppa Pig House Kitchen, replicating the classic layout of Peppa’s home and including everything need for cooking role-play. New introductions for 2018 includes HTI’s Picnic Shape Sorter and Peppa’s Car Toaster, based on the show’s iconic car, giving traditional role-play a playful twist.

Melissa And Doug 0800 731 0578 | www.Melissaanddoug.com The Chef’s Kitchen, which comes in both charcoal and pink, is a beautifully designed wooden play space where children can stir up their imaginations. Children can add to the pretend play cooking experience with a wide assortment of wooden play food and appliances, including items such as the ever-popular Cutting Food and Cutting Fruit sets and the Brew & Serve Coffee Set, which includes a reusable menu card to take coffee orders. New to the play food category is the sensational Salad Set. The all-inclusive 52-piece set includes felt salad greens (kale, lettuce, and spinach) in hinged containers, sliceable wooden vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, and green peppers), proteins (shrimp and grilled chicken) and toppings (olives and croutons). For the finishing touch, two salad dressing bottles “squirt” string. Children can place an order on the reusable menu card, slice ingredients with a wooden knife on the cutting board, toss with wooden salad utensils in the bowl, and then enjoy a fresh salad using the fork with self-stick tabs. Children and parents alike will love this healthy way to play. Also new for 2018 are two brand new Pet Play sets for young animal lovers to nurture and treat their furry friends. Both sets have a 24 piece-count, comprised of two plush pets (cat and dog) and a wide variety of accessories themed around feeding, grooming and training or veterinary examination and treatment. Both sets are available now.

Clementoni 020 3206 1397 | www.clementoni.com Clementoni is excited to launch its new fashion and lifestyle brand Crazy Chic – a world of hair, make up and accessories designed for children to have fun in a safe way. High quality materials, European manufacturing and stringent testing have all gone into making Crazy Chic the must have fashion and beauty brand this year. Budding nail artists can design their ultimate looks with the Superstar Nail Art set. Containing a nail varnish applicator machine, glitter gun and nail dryer, the set also includes stencils and varnish for the most eye catching of creations. Make Up Artist is a glamourous case filled with exciting products; gloss, eye shadow, blushers, lipstick, nail varnish and applicators. The set also includes make up instructions cards and can be linked to the Crazy Chic app for the ultimate make-over. The Tattoo Lab lets children create tattoos with its array of stencils, body paints and glitter, and tattoo designs are brought to life in the Crazy Chic app, encouraging creativity and imagination. The My Charm Dolls set allows friends to create doll shaped charms from the range of items included in the pack. Jewels Atelier is an accessory case containing all children need to create fashionable costume jewellery. With beads, chains, glitter and glamour, children can create statement necklaces, super sparkly rings, beautiful bracelets and much more.

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Role Play - Pretend Play

Juratoys 020 8878 2133 | www.janod.com With the large all-wood Macaron Maxi Cooker kitchen, children can play at meal preparation and at being a chef. This fully equipped kitchen boasts 15 accessories, including a pan, a saucepan with a lid, three spoons, a glove, a fried egg and seven boxes of cardboard food, and has sound and light features. Children will love the colour, functionality and equipment provided: a clock, a hook to hang the spoons, a metal sink, a slate, a sound induction plate and three rotary knobs with sound effects, an oven, a microwave, a cupboard and a fridge with magnetic doors. The Brico’Kids magnetic workbench from Janod is a wooden workbench for aspiring DIYers and builders, suitable from three years old. The workshop comes with 40 accessories including three magnetic tools and a vice. In bright colours with a storage shelf for crafts and tools, the workshop has removable feet to adjust to the size of children.

Little Tikes 0845 0533 333 | www.littletikes.co.uk Role-play is instrumental for pre-schoolers' development. With the introduction of the Little Tikes Smart Role-play line, innovative technology allows imaginations to run wild. Key new products for autumn 2018 mirror aspects of daily routines and actions that children will recognise from their parent’s day-to-day life; Incorporating familiar scenarios into the range such as grocery shopping and cooking, these new products give children the opportunity to mimic ‘grown up’ life. The new Shop ‘n Learn Smart Checkout, for ages 3+, is central to the autumn/winter line. With an electronic conveyor belt, cash register that takes both cash and card, scanner and aisle light, the checkout can be used with or without a tablet (and the accompanying app) to scan over 35 unique food items from fruit and vegetables, bread and pastries or fresh goods direct from a light up refrigerator. The Shop ‘n Learn Smart Cart, for ages 2+, is a clever cart that includes eight interactive food items and accessories that are cleverly recognised by the electronic scanner. The range also includes food playsets, including Shop ‘n Learn Breakfast, with an electronic frying pan, eggs with rubbery yolks and peelable bananas; Shop ‘n Learn Lunch, complete with a panini maker and sandwich ingredients and Shop ‘n Learn Dinner, with a BBQ grill and host of tasty-looking treats, such as hot dogs, macaroni, drumsticks and more. Other products in the line include the Construct ‘n Learn Smart Workshop; an interactive workbench where children can build their own vehicles and the Cook ‘n Learn Smart Kitchen; where children can grow and cook their own food, with realistic lights and sounds as well as compatible app play.

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Siso Toys 01274 765 030 | www.simba-dickie-group.de/en The brand-new Coffee House from French role-play specialist Smoby Toys ensures real café flair in every playroom. Thanks to Smoby’s latest role-play toy, children aged three years and over can serve up an espresso at the coffee machine, choose cupcakes and pay for their goodies at the checkout, just like their parents do. The small cakes, sweet treats, fruit and food packets can be stored safely on the many shelf compartments. There is a serving tray and espresso cups, plates, spoons and mugs. Purchases can then be paid for at the checkout. Realistic features include an integrated calculator, a fold-open money compartment with coins and notes, a scanner with sound and light effects, a microphone and a credit card reader, complete with pretend credit card. The Baby Nurse dolls' play centre from Smoby Toys allows children aged three years and over to give their dolls the best possible care. The fun-packed doll’s house can be folded together to save space and when opened up is surprisingly spacious, thanks to the three big play areas inspired by the rooms of a house: the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. The bathroom is equipped with a tub for children to bath their doll. It can be unhooked and filled with water. Right next to the bath tub is the baby changing unit which can also be used for children to dress their doll. Beneath the changing unit children will find a towel rail, a clothes hook and a detachable waste bin. The picture frame on the rear wall can be personalised with a photo of their choice. The kitchen with a dolls chair has its own sink with tap, a hot plate, a microwave and shelf compartments for storing the many accessories. The bedroom features a doll’s bed, above which a rotating mobile can be fitted. A luminous good-night lamp is securely positioned above the cot.

Allegedly

Amazon has finally done something to address one of its biggest problem areas by shutting down the accounts of thousands of Chinese companies that use its website to sell products in the UK without paying VAT. “About time too” some might say, but at least Amazon is finally acknowledging that it can’t just keep claiming it is powerless to stop it – providing, of course, that it doesn’t just let them back onto the site a few days later under a different name…

sound like something my old pal Ali Mafi would have set up). The main question I have been asked is whether I believe this…on reflection, I think it’s fair to say that I remain mildly sceptical. In the article, the Alibaba spokesperson pokes fun at the small scale of the UK market compared to its vast Chinese base, and while that is undeniable, I can’t help thinking that Alibaba has gone to an awful lot of trouble just to save a few tourists having to change up a bit of currency. We shall see…

You have to applaud the Parliamentary Committee for its brutal questioning of executives from Asda and Sainsbury’s last month; while the CMA does its usual impression of a chocolate fireguard, MPs certainly didn’t pull their punches, calling the deal a “financial fix” and accusing the companies of using “Mickey Mouse numbers” (careful chaps, you’ll get a huge bill from Disney). MPs also referred to the promise to run the two brands separately as “baloney” and went on to say that most suppliers were too terrified to say anything negative about the merger for fear of retribution. While Roger Burnley and Mike Coupe robustly defended the merger, one MP told the pair: “We are not children, you can’t just come in here and give us a nursery rhyme.” Suffice to say that Mike was not caught on camera singing on this occasion, and if he had been, I suspect it would have been a rather different song…

I would like to wish Sequin Art’s Stuart and Patricia Marcus all the best for their retirement. Stuart started the Kitfix Hobbies business the year I was born – 1962 – and he has always been one of the industry’s liveliest characters. Stuart was a very hands-on business owner, a forthright individual and a passionate advocate of the British toy industry. That Sequin Art is one of the few UK toy companies to maintain a domestic manufacturing base speaks volumes, while Stuart’s interjections at BTHA AGMs back in the eighties helped to make them some of most lively and entertaining general meetings I have ever attended. Sequin Art is being left in good hands, as Stephen Ducker has worked with Stuart for the past 43 years – and I am sure Stuart will still pop up from time to time…

There have been a couple of major developments at Disney: first, executive vice president and general manager Simon Philips left Disney Consumer Products last month after 12 years. His goodbye letter talked of returning to his entrepreneurial roots and seeking out new opportunities. It was also announced that Lucasfilm has put plans for future Star Wars spin-offs (including the Obi-Wan movie) on hold. So, with ‘A Star Wars Story’ films suspended, resources will now be focused on Episode IX and the next trilogy of Star Wars films. Two huge pieces of news which, in their own way, will both have significant repercussions for both Disney and its licensees and retail partners… John Lewis has announced that its first half profits will be “close to zero” and is even considering closing its legendary employee pension scheme. With Debenhams experiencing difficulties with credit insurers reducing or removing cover and House of Fraser in all kinds of trouble, the department store sector is clearly going through a particularly tough time at the moment… While the TRU saga is very much done and dusted as far as the UK is concerned, it continues to rumble on in the international markets. Last month saw the Australian operation hit by the frankly scandalous revelation that, post-administration, in order to spend gift cards, consumers had to spend an equivalent amount of their own cash to redeem the card. Basically, any consumer unlucky enough to find themselves in possession of a legitimate, paid-for $100 gift card had to spend an additional $100 in-store or the card won’t be accepted. Disgraceful as this ludicrous policy is, I’m amazed that the TRU IP owners in the US allowed it to happen – it’s just another example of the TRU name being dragged through the mud and losing value in the eyes of consumers, not to mention potential suitors interested in acquiring the name…. We received quite a lot of feedback to an Alibaba story we ran online, which featured extracts taken from an interview with Forbes magazine. In the original article, Alibaba denied that its new London office and 60 staff is a precursor to establishing the website as a viable competitor to Amazon in Europe. Rather, the move is being positioned as a means to help European companies access the Chinese market via the Alibaba site, and also to establish its proprietary payment method Alipay within Europe to help travelling Chinese tourists (even if it does

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The Mothercare situation is looking increasingly precarious. The announcement that its Childrens World subsidiary has been placed into administration will apparently lead to the closure of an additional nine large stores, bringing the total number of stores closing to 60 – almost half the UK store estate. A further 22 Childrens World leases have been transferred to Mothercare, while landlords of two branches - Brixton and Bedford – have served notice on the company; these branches were due to close within 12 months under the terms of the CVA, but the retailer wanted to reduce rent payments for the remainder of the contract - an offer which was not accepted. So where does this leave Mothercare? I have always maintained that the company will be able to ride out its challenges, but some observers are beginning to question whether the CVA is going to be enough to save them. On one level, you can see their point: a 50% cull doesn't exactly breathe confidence in the brand. However, suppliers will hope that it is better to take drastic action now, in order to preserve Mothercare’s existence for the long-term… With the World Cup now over, attention turns to the impending domestic football season, and with it the return of the Toy World Masters Fantasy Football League. Obsessive or casual, veteran or newbie, all are welcome – this is your chance to pit your footballing and statistical knowledge against your toy trade peers and colleagues. You can register for free at fantasy.premierleague.com and the code to join the league is 114891 – 37891. Good luck… Last month’s biggest retail faux pas came courtesy of Build-a-Bear Workshop, which launched a 'pay your age' promotional offer, allowing consumers to buy a bear for the price of the age of their child - so a three-year-old could get one for £3. Given the usual cost can exceed £50, what could possibly go wrong? Everything, naturally. By late morning, amid reports of mile long queues, huge waiting times, fights breaking out and even the police being called in a couple of locations, Build-A-Bear announced that it was “no longer accepting additional guests" for the deal. Another stunning example of a marketing stunt going horribly wrong and a brand name tarnished unnecessarily; you do have to wonder why no-one put their hand up when the idea was first proposed to point out the potential pitfalls. With social media rife with angry customers who had travelled for hours and weren’t even allowed to join the queues outside stores, the backlash will surely cost the geniuses at Build-a-Bear far more than any publicity they may have accrued. Muppets.

Summer 2018

NEW

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Help Botley set off chain reactions with this interactive activity set. Set up STEM-inspired obstacle challenges filled with falling dominos, rolling balls and swinging hammers. Botley is supported by a targeted marketing campaign including digital and social media, bloggers, and YouTube advertising. Available marketing support includes: Posters - Shelf strips - Shelf wobblers - Videos - Window graphics

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