Toy World Magazine June 2022

June 2022 Volume 11 Issue 10

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The Team...

CONTENTS June 2022 Volume 11 Issue 10

80 Feature: Arts & Craft (Creative Play)

John Baulch

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

46 Feature: Action Figures & Collectibles

Mark Austin

Sales Director mark@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 405 07710 532 952

Anita Baulch

News

Regulars

Features

07 From the Publisher

26 Generation Media

46 Feature: Action Figures & Collectibles

08 News

34 NPD

58 Brand Profile: WWE

18 Industry Moves

37 Talking Shop

74

24 Marketing World

128 Viewpoint (Kantar)

80 Feature: Arts & Craft (Creative Play)

28 Licensing World

132 Fresh

130 Special Feature: Toymaster Review

174 Allegedly

140 Feature: Wheeled Toys

Circulation and Financial Director anita@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 406

Company Profile: KidsKnowBest

154 Feature: Infant Toys

Contributors The NPD Group | Mark Buschhaus | Stephen Barnes | Felix Lewis | Moneeba Baloch

Rachael Simpson-Jones

154 Feature: Infant Toys

Editor rachael@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 406

140 Feature: Wheeled Toys

Sam Giltrow

Assistant Editor sam@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 406

Alakat Published by

Mark Crowford

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

www.toyworldmag.co.uk @toyworldmag @baulchtweet

toyworldmag

Toy World 5

Toy World Magazine

61 Maxted Road, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP2 7DZ

I

am sure that many of you are as delighted as I am that we have moved to the stage where face-to-face meetings are very much back on the agenda - it’s been great to be able to spend time out and about, catching up with clients and retailers in recent weeks. At the end of April, I took a trip to Derby to catch up with Midco Toys’ Dave Middleton on the opening day of his new Toy Planet Derby store. And very impressive it was too – how reassuring to see a store packed with a queue of customers stretching the whole length of the store and out into the shopping centre itself…in April. You can read about the new store and see some pictures from the opening day on page 42.

from the publisher

John Baulch - @Baulchtweet

And as I write this month’s column, I have literally just returned from spending time at the Toymaster May Show. The specialist independent UK toy channel is a vibrant and extremely supportive community, and with this being the first May show in three years, expectations were high – so it is great to be able to report that the event delivered on every level.

Retailers came from across the length and breadth of the UK and Ireland – especially Ireland in fact.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, as most Irish members had not been able to make it over for the London Toy Fair in January, the chance to meet with suppliers and see new lines was even more important for them, and they duly arrived in their droves. As ever, the atmosphere was relaxed and informal, but ultimately, it works from a business perspective. From the first to the last day, orders were being written, particularly on catalogue lines and the special deals on offer.

Despite all the macro-economic challenges beyond all of our control, it is encouraging to see that the independent toy sector in the UK continues to hold its own: Toymaster unveiled its latest set of annual results ahead of the show, with revenue increasing by 20% and profits almost doubling over the past year – a massively impressive performance, whichever way you look at it. You can read our full report on what happened in Harrogate on page 130.

In addition to the many retail visitors from the UK and Ireland, there were two special visitors from US indie retail chain Learning Express, as the two retail operations continue to develop a close working relationship. The ‘American Exchange’ programme is due to expand later this summer, when representatives from Toymaster will visit the Learning Express show in the States. Reciprocal support and collaboration like this can only be a good thing – specialist toy retailers on both sides of the pond face many of the same challenges and opportunities;

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sharing information and forging close co-operation can only help to move both businesses forward.

During the same week as Toymaster, toy suppliers from across the globe made their way to Distoy, the London-based distributor show; like Toymaster, Distoy has built up a loyal community of exhibitors and attendees over the years, and it was wonderful to see so many people from the international toy market at the show. It was also great to start looking at product that won’t be arriving on shelves for another 12 months or more – yes, the cycle is starting all over again.

Indeed, there have been so many positive sets of results reported by toy companies over the past few weeks, it is easy to forget that these excellent performances are being delivered against a very uncertain global economic situation.

However, I remain a firm believer in the ‘If you build it, they will come’ mantra – especially if you know what you are doing. When I see busy toy stores and talk to store owners who are feeling positive and looking to expand their businesses, it reinforces the notion that it is perfectly possible to thrive in the face of adversity…providing you are passionate, committed and, above all, good at what you do.

With the product launch calendar and the arrival of stock far more fluid these days (partly due to ongoing logistics challenges and partly because there is no late summer Argos catalogue around which everything has to revolve), mid-year is a great time for toy retailers to be evaluating and placing orders for the second half. The Toymaster May show provided a great opportunity for suppliers to showcase key new launches for the back end, and this issue has plenty more inspiration for retailers looking to freshen up their offering for the festive season. This month’s product category features are an eclectic mix, literally spanning every age of toy consumer, from babies to Kidults and everything in-between. So, if you are looking for new lines in the Art & Craft, Action Figures & Collectibles, Wheeled Toys and Infant Toys categories, you’re in luck - this month’s edition will give you plenty of options to consider.

We all know there are challenges ahead – but as I have said before, we are collectively better placed to face the challenges if we keep talking and working closely together. We’ll carry on playing our part, bringing you all the latest news from all parts of the toy community – our own unique brand of community service.

News Mattel’s first quarter results “highest on record” for net sales and other key indicators Mattel has released its highest first quarter net sales on record but declined to comment on speculation that it had been in talks with two private equity firms about a potential buyout.

The company’s net sales were up 19% versus the same period last year, while operating income was $80m, an increase of $46m. Net sales in the North America segment increased 26% versus last year’s first quarter, driven by growth in Action Figures, Building Sets, Games and Other (including Jurassic World, Lightyear and Mega), Vehicles (including Hot Wheels) Infant, Toddler and Pre-school (including Fisher-Price and Thomas & Friends), and Dolls (including Barbie and Polly Pocket).

Net sales in the International segment increased 16%, driven by growth in Vehicles (including Hot Wheels), Dolls (including Barbie and Polly Pocket) and Action Figures, Building Sets, Games and Other (including Jurassic World, Mega and Lightyear).

EMEA was the fastest growing region, with a 29% increase driven by growth across all markets, with positive POS. Mattel announced an adjusted EBITDA of $152m, up 65%, representing an increase of $60m.

Commenting on the results, chairman and CEO, Ynon Kreiz, said: “Mattel achieved its highest first quarter results we have on record for net sales, operating income and EBITDA. Our strong performance continued, with growth across regions, categories and our three power brands. These results are in line with our strategy to grow Mattel’s IP-driven toy business. Having completed our turnaround in 2021, we are firmly in growth mode and operating as an IP-driven, high- performing toy company.

Mattel’s supply chain is playing a key role in our success. All of our factories are fully operational, and we are working with our retail partners to ensure product is available on shelves to meet consumer demand. The full-year outlook is strong, we expect to grow market share, and we are reiterating our 2022 guidance and 2023 goals.”

CFO Anthony DiSilvestro said performance had been boosted by increased points of distribution, as well as retailers restocking low inventories following the strong holiday season and gearing up to support product launches tied to upcoming film releases. The company expects to grow net sales in 2022 by 8-10% in constant currency, driven by growth in its leader categories, led by power brands and American Girl, as well as its Challenger categories.

Prior to the release of the results, there had been widespread reports in the USA, led by a piece in the Wall Street Journal, that Mattel had been in talks with two private equity firms – Apollo Global and L Catterton – about a potential buyout., which Mattel declined to comment on.

The Financial Times referred to the interest in taking over Mattel as “preliminary” and “unsolicited”, and suggested Mattel had not yet made a decision to hire bankers to advise on a possible transaction.

L.O.L. Surprise takes No.1 spot in UK collectibles Following a record-breaking start to 2022, L.O.L. Surprise! has announced its position as the No.1 property in Total UK Collectible Toys in value sales (NPD UK POS combined, Jan 2019-March 2022).

The news comes in the brand’s 5th year, with L.O.L. Surprise! continuing to go from strength to strength through innovative product development, new theme segments and continued innovation within the entertainment sector from MGA Entertainment.

Following the release of L.O.L. Surprise!: The Movie in 2021, L.O.L. Surprise! has continued to surprise and delight fans, most recently through the launch of the all-new Queens range.

Aimed at inspiring confidence and creativity within children, the range hit the headlines last month following a star-studded London launch event. Coverage in the Daily Mail saw TV personality Laura Whitmore grace a life size L.O.L. Surprise! throne, complete with purple chrome 3D lions, before taking to the stage to perform a series of songs from the L.O.L. Surprise! album.

Autumn 22 is set to be another record-breaking season for the brand, with the second half of the year kicking off with L.O.L. Day – celebrating the brands birthday on 7th July (7.0.7).

Fans can expect first to market innovation and all new product themes, supported by creative marketing, PR and TV campaigns.

distributor of leading brands

sales@toynamics.co.uk | +44 116 478 5230

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CLIENT SATISFACTION SCORE

News MadFun signs exclusive UK distribution deal with Salta MadFun has announced its appointment as the exclusive UK distributor for Salta. Having successfully sold Salta trampolines in the UK for the past three years, the company says it is ‘thrilled’ to be taking the next step with the Salta brand.

Lizsie Connery, Sales & Business Development director at MadFun, said: “This is a really exciting time for MadFun: this partnership with Salta is a fantastic opportunity to help us take our business to the next level. We are extremely proud that, thanks to our performance with the Salta brand since we introduced it to the UK in 2019, it has chosen us to partner with for the long-term distribution of its products.”

Salta has been manufacturing trampolines since 2012 and is recognised in the UK as a premium brand in the outdoor toy market. Salta is passionate about designing and manufacturing trampolines which are both safe and stylish, and guaranteed to provide a great jumping experience. The company’s extensive range of high-quality trampolines includes a variety of shapes, sizes and models, ensuring that there is a trampoline suitable for everyone.

In 2022, Salta launched an industry first - AR functionality - allowing customers, using a QR code and smart device, to place any Salta trampoline into their garden virtually to help with the decision-making process prior to purchase.

MadFun was founded in 2004 by managing directors Steve and Katy Madkins, who welcomed Lizsie Connery to the Board of Directors in 2019. Between them, they have 50+ years’ experience in the trampoline market. With offices in Surrey and Ipswich and UK based warehousing, MadFun is perfectly positioned to distribute Salta trampolines across the whole of the UK. Retailers interested in the Salta trampoline range should contact Lizsie Connery at MadFun: lizsiec@madfun.co.uk.

Kayes of Cardiff to distribute Mattel and Orchard ranges Mattel has announced a change to the way it deals with parts of the independent retail channel. In a letter sent out to selected Toymaster members, the company said it has looked at the best ways to efficiently and effectively support the indie channel, ultimately deciding to cease direct supply to some independent accounts, as of 1st July.

Instead, affected retailers were recommended to order Mattel products via Kayes of Cardiff. Kayes carries the full Mattel toy range and will, as a minimum, be able to offer retailers the same discounts and rebates Mattel itself offers. Kayes will also pass on relevant Mattel promotional offers.

The letter reads, in part: “We have worked with Kayes of Cardiff for many years and are confident that they will be able to offer you a seamless service. A member of their team will be in touch with you shortly to discuss your needs moving forward.”

Readers affected are advised to email the following: Mattel UK contact: Danielle Lovegrove – Danielle.Lovegrove@Mattel.com Kayes of Cardiff contact: Bethan Smith – Orders@kayes.co.uk Michael Hick, VP and country manager, Mattel UK, explained: “We always pride ourselves on working closely with our retail partners and offering the best possible service and solution for their businesses, so working in partnership with Kayes of Cardiff to support those Toymaster members that we are no longer able to supply direct will give them the service and choice of Mattel toys that are suited to their business needs.”

The news comes just days after Orchard Toys appointed Kayes of Cardiff as its exclusive distribution partner. Under the terms of the partnership, Kayes will carry the entire Orchard Toys product portfolio. Independent retailers will still be able to order split-pack quantities of Orchard Toys games and jigsaws, and benefit from the same pricing they currently receive. Additionally, the appointment will benefit many small independents with a lower minimum order quantity.

For independent sales enquiries, contact orders@kayes.co.uk.

Simon Newbery, managing director at Orchard Toys, said: “The past two years have presented a number of challenges for the industry but have also provided us with the opportunity to review our business and operational practices. By supplying through Kayes, we ensure we can protect our price points with the independent sector and not pass on price increases.”

Mattel promotes Sanjay Luthra to executive VP and MD for EMEA Mattel has promoted company veteran of 20 years, Sanjay Luthra, to executive vice president and managing director in the EMEA region. The promotion was announced by Mattel president and chief commercial officer Steve Totzke, to whom Sanjay reports.

“Sanjay is an exceptional, entrepreneurial leader who has completely transformed and modernised our operations in the EMEA region,” said Steve Totzke. “During his tenure, the EMEA business has become our fastest-growing international region, expanding market growth, strengthening relationships with Mattel’s key retail partners and creating demand in an increasingly complex environment. I look forward to Sanjay’s steadfast leadership as we continue in growth mode, operating as an IP-driven, highperforming toy company.”

Previously senior vice president and managing director for five years, Sanjay championed a European transformation plan focused on key retail customers, consumer-centric marketing and digital strategy, helping reshape Mattel EMEA as an organisation and restoring the company as a global market leader. Outside the US, EMEA was Mattel’s fastest-growing region in 2021, and in Mattel’s latest earnings report for Q1 2022, EMEA was the fastest-growing region with a 29% increase driven by growth across all markets.

Sanjay's experience in the toy sector spans two decades and several countries. He started working for Mattel in 2003 in his native India, before heading to Eastern Europe and Canada, and his current role brought him to the UK. “I am honoured and humbled to be part of this iconic company’s transformation in Europe, working hand in hand with our retail partners and a great team of diverse people to help deliver on Mattel’s purpose to empower the next generation to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential,” commented Sanjay. “The opportunity in Europe is a huge one and I look forward to continuing to lead the Mattel EMEA team in expanding the business.”

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News BTHA presents six Golden Teddy Awards The BTHA is pleased to announce that Golden Teddy Awards have been presented to six exceptional individuals representing a number of areas across the industry, all of whom have contributed considerably to the industry over many years. The awards were presented during the Toymaster show and at a special event in Central London for BTHA Technical experts.

Golden Teddy Awards were presented to Russell Lipman of Wilton Bradley and Paul Wright of Mashal Toy Agencies at a Toymaster evening function in Harrogate.

Nominated by his colleagues at Wilton Bradley, where he has worked for the past twelve years as an area sales manager, Russell Lipman's nomination for the prestigious accolade described him as: "one of the most genuine people you will ever meet, a gentleman in every aspect of the word, honest, reliable and most of all a true friend to everyone in his life."

As well as his distinguished career at Wilton Bradley, Russell has held sales positions at a number of companies over the years. These include stints at One For Fun (formerly H Grossman), Class Act Accessories, Rainbow Designs, Hasbro, Coleco UK, Pedigree Toys and Mattel.

"Nothing is ever too much trouble for Russell, he goes about his job diligently and without ever a mutter of a fuss," said friend and co-worker, Mike Gascoigne. "He is a humble and unassuming man with a heart of gold, and the Golden Teddy award is the icing on the cake for such an incredible commitment to our industry."

Irish agent Paul Wright was also presented with a Golden Teddy for his many years of service to the toy trade. Paul was described by his proposers as: "honest, reliable and delivers a great service to his customers."

Paul is celebrating over 30 years in the toy trade, where he has worked as an agent to Irish toy retailers, going above and beyond to offer personal advice, expertise and support to his customers. One of his co-workers added: "It's a true pleasure to work with Paul, he is totally trustworthy and a perfect work colleague."

At a special event in Central London for BTHA Technical experts, a further four Golden Teddies were handed out to Mike Coe (BTHA sustainability consultant), Michael Ives (Mamas and Papas), David Bolton (British Retail Consortium) and Malcolm Horner (Bureau Veritas). As part of their award presentations, reasons cited included loyal membership of the BTHA Technical Committee, trustworthiness within their companies, people of great standing and all revered by their peers and colleagues alike.

Golden Teddies are awarded to nominated candidates who have served the industry for more than 15 years and are designed to recognise ordinary people with extraordinary talents, people who go over and above expectations and who are the industry’s ‘genuinely nice people’.

Graham Canning, chairman of the British Toy & Hobby Association said: “On behalf of us all at the British Toy & Hobby Association, my congratulations go to all our very worthy Golden Teddy Award winners for their loyal and substantial individual contributions to the industry over many years. Our winners represent all that is good about this fantastic industry – dedication, integrity and going over and above expectations. My congratulations once again to them all.”

Toy World would like to congratulate all the recipients.

You can read more about BTHA Golden Teddies on the BTHA website: www.btha.co.uk/awards/ golden-teddies

Moose Toys voted one of the UK’s best workplaces Moose Toys has been voted one of the UK’s best companies to work for in 2022, based on employee feedback.

Compiled by Great Place to Work, The UK’s Best Workplaces Awards were held in London on 28th April.

Independently assessed through a rigorous process, those recognised demonstrated they have a great workplace culture built on trust and engagement, supported by innovative people management practices.

Ranking in the Medium Business category, Moose Toys was the only toy company, and only company based in Cornwall, to be named as one of the UK’s Best Workplaces for 2022.

The news continues a strong start to the year for Moose UK, having ended 2021 as a Top 10 Toy Manufacturer according to NPD, followed by substantial YTD growth of more than 50% in 2022.

Neil Shinner, CEO UK and Europe, said: “This recognition confirms our belief that a great place to work stems from a meaningful and sustained investment in its people – by creating a sense of community and belonging, and an environment where everyone can share their ideas, be themselves and flourish. Moose recognises that our people are our greatest asset and are at the heart of everything we do. We strive to create a culture and work environment where staff not only feel valued and empowered but continue to enhance and grow their careers. We consider life at Moose Toys to be truly unique, and we live, breathe and love what we do.”

Neil added: “It’s the first time Moose Toys has been recognised as a Best Workplace so we are thrilled to have been awarded such a prestigious accolade.”

Moose UK also announced earlier this year that it had received a special award for being one of the UK’s Best Workplaces for Wellbeing 2022.

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MadFun Ltd are delighted to be able to distribute Salta trampolines across the UK. Having partnered with Salta, MadFun Ltd can now offer these superb trampolines to other UK retailers.

Salta trampolines are available in a large range of models, shapes and sizes, offering a trampoline for every budget.

Salta trampolines are high quality, provide great value for money, with excellent specifications and extensive warranties across all ranges Salta trampolines are safe, stylish and easy to assemble. They are an excellent choice for both above ground and inground trampolines.

Retailers interested in the Salta trampoline range should contact sales@madfun.co.uk

News Hunter Price has big plans for Little Timbers This year Hunter Price International is unveiling a number of new and exciting in-house brands. The company says its latest launch is set to make a big impact: Little Timbers is an innovative wooden role play brand, blending premium design with great value.

Hunter Price gave buyers a sneak peek earlier this year at Spring Fair and has now confirmed that Little Timbers will hit the UK market for SS23.

Aiming to encourage pre-school children to create, explore and play, the Little Timbers debut collection includes innovative shape sorters and stackers, pound & tap, shaped puzzles, wooden trucks & trains, car tower and marble tree drop.

Hunter Price is dedicated to considered product development and Little Timbers aligns perfectly with the business’ sustainability goals. Using responsible and sustainable materials for both product and packaging, Little Timbers products will be created with FSC sustainable wood and plastic free, recyclable packaging across the range.

Richard Belford, toys & activity sales director at Hunter Price, explained: “There’s a real feel-good factor about Little Timbers and we’re really excited about the brand’s potential. We want Little Timbers to become a go-to brand for creative play, so we’re striving for excellence across the board. From sustainable sourcing to innovative and engaging products which are built to last, we will offer great value for the consumer.”

Little Timbers will be supported with a full trade and consumer marketing campaign to drive awareness, engagement and sales. For more information on Little Timbers, email sales@hunterprice.co.uk

Toymaster welcomes Toys & Games of Worcester Toymaster is pleased to announce its newest member. Development manager, Brian McLaughlin said: “We would like to welcome Toys & Games of Worcester to the Toymaster family and wish Tim, Sue, Vicky, Sophie & Lucy the best of luck.”

Offering a wide selection of toys and games for all ages and tastes, the store is also a board game specialist. Toy World caught up with Tim Evans earlier this year and he told us how ranges from University Games, Ravensburger, Asmodee and Cartamundi had particularly impressed at London Toy Fair this year, and that he was expanding the store’s popular Orchard Toys range.

The team was ‘delighted and honoured’ to win the BTHA’s Independent Toy Retailer of the Year (Single Store) Award this year, announced during Toy Fair. “It’s the first time we have won, and it was a complete surprise,” said Tim. “We must press all the right buttons to have won the award.”

With regular promotions for customers, the owners continue to work hard to build the right product mix across all categories, something which membership of the Toymaster group will be sure to enhance. The store has built strong links with the local community, sponsoring the local football club, working closely with Worcester Food Bank and joining forces with schools, colleges and children’s hubs.

New Toymaster member Toys & Games of Worcester is located at 47 Broad Street Worcester WR1 3LR. Run by Tim and Vicky Evans, the couple can be contacted on 01905 731099 or by email at thevideodrome@aol.com.

Heathside Trading announces partnership with Chameleon The Chameleon brand has long been at the forefront of stationery, art & craft and toy innovation, and the company says it is now ready to expand its global reach. As the company teams up with Heathside Trading, Henry Belmonte, CEO of Chameleon, commented: ‘’We are sure Heathside’s many years of experience and global network will help supercharge Blendypen’s reach and bring our much loved products to a new audience.’’

The Chameleon patented Blendypen branded products range also includes the Sprayza and Fineliners collections, offering an ideal addition to the art & craft aisles in toyshops which is a proven best seller.

Max Nelson, account manager at Heathside Trading, added: “We enjoyed offering the Chameleon range a number of years ago, and it was always popular with customers. When the opportunity presented itself to team up again on the brand, we jumped at it. We are so excited to be bringing yet another iconic brand into our portfolio and also have plans to develop the line moving forward.’’

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News Steamforged Games relocates to new MediaCity premises Steamforged Games has moved to a new office in MediaCity, Salford, with the tabletop games specialist stating its new home reflects its ambitions to take the company to an ‘even greater level of success’.

Steamforged Games was launched by tabletop enthusiasts Mat Hart and Rich Loxam with the release of acclaimed medieval football game, Guild Ball, in 2014. Since then, the company has gone on to produce some of the biggest board game adaptations in the industry for globally-recognised brands such as Dark Souls, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and Resident Evil, as well as original games. The company now employs over 50 full-time staff.

Rich Loxam, Steamforged Games co-founder and CEO, said: “We’re incredibly excited to become a part of MediaCity and add to the ecosphere of culture here. This new office will be our hub for supporting the company’s continuing growth. With staff coming from all over the country, and even from around the world, we needed somewhere that reflects our journey – this is MediaCity. We’ve got an exciting year of new releases and projects ahead, and all of us at Steamforged are excited to see what the future holds.”

Stephen Wild, MediaCity managing director, added: “Steamforged is a really exciting business which is expanding rapidly. We’re delighted that MediaCity will play a part in its future journey and give the team the platform to collaborate and harness opportunities here as the demand for immersive content grows.”

Selling toys online: A work in progress to protect children The global safety certification company outlines how its services can help retailers better safeguard kids against the dangers posed by unsafe or illegal toys.

As eCommerce becomes increasingly accessible, and the online market expands in emerging economies, toy manufacturers, brands and retailers must pay attention to evolving future regulatory requirements and international initiatives that impact selling toys online to avoid product recalls that could damage their brand reputation.

Compared with the traditional brick-and-mortar toy market, eCommerce is not yet deeply regulated, and current online market surveillance mechanisms have not yet adapted to this recent trend.

One of the issues is that online marketplaces have very limited legal responsibilities to verify the safety of toys that companies are listing on their eCommerce websites. A recent campaign carried out by the British Toy & Hobby Association (BTHA) in the UK found that 86% of toys purchased online from a selection of high profile online retailers were illegal to sell in the UK market, being non-compliant with specific UK toy safety requirements, and that 60% of these toys were unsafe for children to play with.

The international regulatory landscape is expected to move further towards regulating online selling.

In order to protect the youngest and most vulnerable consumers, the Toy Industry of Europe has noted that a successful revision of the European Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC could be helpful in this regard, and that it should also be aligned with a stronger Digital Services Act (DSA) and General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR).

Both the EU Toy Safety Directive and the GPSR revisions include, among the topics subject to their review, the regulation of online selling. These revisions aim to introduce a more riskbased and proportionate approach, define obligations for the different stakeholders, and improve the effectiveness of recall mechanisms and online market surveillance.

Protecting children: Solutions for a safer online marketplace UL cares about children’s safety as part of its mission to work for a safer world. With a global network of laboratories and professionals, UL supports eCommerce retailers and toy companies that want to enter the world of online selling, providing a wide portfolio of testing and advisory services to help them ensure their products comply with the requirements of their target markets. No matter where companies sell their toys, UL’s experts are here to help. Contact toys@ul.com to learn more or join the October webinar by registering at ul.com/ toys-ecommerce-webinar.

Spanish Toys R Us files for bankruptcy Green Swan, the owner of the Spanish Toys R Us retail operation, has initiated insolvency proceedings at the retailer with the aim of guaranteeing the future of the retail chain while safeguarding the maximum number of jobs.

Toy R Us Iberia currently operates 46 stores in Spain and 11 in Portugal, with a combined workforce of 891 workers across both operations. The retailer stated that its stores in Spain will remain open and will continue to serve its customers during the refinancing process, both in physical stores and through the online operation. It is also believed that the move will not affect the Portuguese subsidiary or the stores located in Portugal.

Owner Green Swan is said to have invested more than 10m euros in the modernisation of systems and stores, although it has faced significant challenges over the past four years, including the temporary closure of stores during the pandemic.

Nevertheless, Green Swan has claimed that Toys R Us Iberia managed to grow and improve its results in 2021, a year in which sales exceeded 116m euros. However, it is believed to have suffered towards the end of last year, when the shortage of containers prevented the retailer from receiving sufficient merchandise to meet demand during the festive period.

The president of Toys R Us Iberia, Paulo Sousa, explained the firm has chosen this judicial procedure, which started in April, in order to ‘guarantee the continuity of the greatest number of jobs’. “During the pandemic, stores were closed for a long time and online sales have not been able to make up for lost sales,” he said.

Paloma Perez, CEO of Toys R Us Iberia, commented: “We trust that, through this procedure, we will find investors that will allow us to give the brand a future. Toys R Us’ goal now is to focus on viability. There is a future for our physical stores which children and adults enjoy so much, especially if we combine them with an effective omnichannel strategy.”

However, some toy suppliers expressed scepticism for these claims, especially given the fact that Green Swan-owned European toy retail chains Intertoys and Maxi Toys both failed in 2019. In addition, there has been a long and uncomfortable history between private equity companies and specialist toy retail chains including the original American Toys R Us operation, which many feel was failed by its venture capital owners Bain Capital.

Toy World 16

Industry Moves Sara Taylor takes the helm at MGA MGA Entertainment, Inc. (MGAE) the largest privately held toy company, has announced the appointment of Sara Taylor as its new managing director for UK and Ireland. She will be joining the company in August.

With over 31 years’ experience within the international toy industry, Sara joins MGA from Spin Master, where she has worked for over 13 years – most recently as general manager for the UK, Ireland and Amazon Europe. Prior to this, Sara also held senior positions at Funrise and Mattel.

Tasked with leading a team across the UK and Ireland, Sara will oversee brands such as L.O.L. Surprise! which boasts the No.1 fashion doll with L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G; the No.3 Fashion Doll and fastest growing doll property, Rainbow High and No.1 Outdoor brand, Little Tikes (according to NPD UK 2022 data).

Sara said: “There’s no doubt that MGA Entertainment is at the forefront of the toy industry, and I am very much looking forward to the opportunity to play such a critical role within it. Working with such a passionate team, and on such innovative brands, both drives and excites me. I am thrilled to be able to bring my experience, gained over three decades working in the industry, to this role and to take the UK and Ireland operations to the next level.”

Commenting on the appointment, Isaac Larian, CEO and founder of MGA Entertainment, added: “Sara has the great owner-operator mentality to fuel MGA’s growth to the next level. Her wealth of experience, combined with our incredible UK team and market-leading brands, is definitely a recipe for success. I am truly excited to see what the future holds for the UK and Ireland business under such experienced and inspiring new leadership.”

Clementoni appoints Paul Fogarty as country manager, UK and Ireland The Infant, Science and Puzzle company Clementoni has announced the appointment of Paul Fogarty to the role of country manager, UK and Ireland.

Paul joins Clementoni with over 25 years’ experience in the toy and licensing industry, leading sales and marketing for multiple global brands including Mattel and Tomy, and more recently leading and re-establishing K’Nex in the UK. In his role as country manager, Paul will head up the UK and Ireland team, overseeing day-to-day operations and taking Clementoni into the next phase of significant growth with a strong focus on marketing strategy, product line expansion and retail distribution.

Paul said: “I’m thrilled to be joining Clementoni at this time. The company has had an impressive burst of growth over recent years and I’m excited to be leading the UK team as we enter the next phase. The company’s strong family values, coupled with brands and products that are designed to endure and entertain and educate pre-schoolers, children and adults alike, places the company in a great position to achieve its growth potential. Clementoni has a real passion and understanding for toy development and what really matters to families. Its 'local' Italian production and Play For Future initiative, which drives towards 100% sustainable toys, will resonate strongly with consumers and retailers alike.”

Flavia Verducci, export sales director at Clementoni, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Paul to Clementoni. His vast sales, marketing and leadership experience will be a great asset to the business at a time when we are experiencing significant growth in the UK. With exciting product development planned for 2023 and beyond, Paul joins the team at a pivotal time.”

Ravensburger names new MD for UK and Ireland Ravensburger has confirmed the appointment of Richard Collins to continue the company’s trajectory of growth in the region.

Richard will oversee Ravensburger UK’s entire portfolio which includes the flagship brand as well as the ThinkFun, GraviTrax, Brio and CreArt brands, spanning the puzzles, games, play sets and craft categories.

Commenting on his appointment, Richard said: “I’m excited to be joining Ravensburger to work alongside an exceptional team and continue upon eleven years of sales growth. Tim Hall has built a strong team full of energy, experience, and expertise, and I’m honoured to now be leading them as we continue the Ravensburger success story in the UK and Ireland.”

He brings to the UK business a wealth of omnichannel retail experience, having previously held leadership roles at fashion label Emilia Wickstead, high-end outdoor furniture brand White Stores and as managing director at Fossil UK. Richard’s experience includes not only commercial experience in P&L leadership, but also expertise in new business development, multi-platform customer focused strategies and strong team management.

Richard’s immediate commercial focus is to maintain the strong trajectory of growth which he has inherited, with an emphasis on sales and marketing channels. His product portfolio focus is to build upon the successful 2021 launch of the craft painting-bynumbers brand CreArt, maintain momentum in the family and immersive games categories, launch the latest GraviTrax Power construction play system scheduled for launch later this year and ensure Ravensburger’s long-standing puzzles reputation with retailers and consumers retains its market leading position.

Ravensburger’s UK business has doubled in the last six years, having notably grown its games business and made a strong entry into the craft category under the leadership of Tim Hall, who will remain with the business in an international licensing role. The company is currently the UK market leader in the adult, children and 3D puzzle category, holding more than 45 licences in its portfolio. Brio turnover in the UK has trebled under Ravensburger’s management since it took on the brand in 2015.

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Industry Moves Grant Gie appointed UK MD of Creative Kids The New York based crafts and activity company Creative Kids has continued its expansion within the UK with the appointment of Grant Gie, who will head up operations in the country as managing director.

The company is welcoming Grant as a recognisable face, who has worked in the toy industry for over 14 years. He joins Creative Kids following his most recent role as international sales director at Melissa & Doug, having previously held senior roles at Sambro and Hasbro.

Creative Kids is already established within the UK and is becoming known and respected for its extensive arts & crafts and STEM toy ranges with successful owned properties, as well as an increasing licensed property portfolio. The company has also just signed a multi-year, multi-national licensing partnership deal with Hasbro, which will see it produce a full range of Play-Doh products across a wide assortment of clays and compounds.

Grant Gie commented: “Having worked in the toy industry for so many years, I never fail to be inspired by the ingenuity and innovation from toy companies. Creative Kids is such an exciting company to be a part of – its product portfolio is expanding rapidly. I have ambitious growth plans for our UK operation that will open up more retail channels as well as increasing our brand awareness.”

Daniel Delapa from Creative Kids added: “We have bold plans to grow our UK presence exponentially and are delighted that Grant is joining to lead us forward as we expand our core business and licensed product portfolio. We’re excited to have secured someone of Grant’s calibre and experience to cement the Creative Kids brand in the UK, working with us to develop our business as well as opening up new opportunities.”

To find out more about Creative Kids, email Grant@Creativekids.com or call 07827 880 159.

Kate Holman joins Playmobil UK team Kate Holman has joined Playmobil as the new senior National Account manager with a focus on the toy specialist channel. She brings with her a wealth of knowledge and industry experience, having held a senior national account role at Kids2 for the last three years, as well as buyer roles at Mothercare, ELC and Tesco.

Alf Bohm, head of Sales at Playmobil UK commented: “We are thrilled to welcome Kate to the Playmobil team. With the great amount of industry experience she brings, I have no doubt that she will help us achieve the plans we have for this year and for the future.”

Kate added: “I am really excited to be joining Playmobil at such an important time for the brand and am looking forward to working with all the fantastic toy specialists. It was a pleasure to meet everyone at the Toymaster show and discuss plans for the rest of the year, with all the new and exciting ranges coming up.”

VR Distribution welcomes Penny Westwood VR Distribution, the company behind bringing hit games such as Cards Against Humanity, What Do You Meme, Kids Against Maturity and many more to the UK, has appointed Penny Westwood as account manager. In her new role, Penny will strengthen the company’s increased focus on supporting key and independent retailers.

Penny has significant experience in the toy industry. Growing up, her father Paul sold toys, which inspired Penny to spend eight years running her own online toy store and, more recently, she spent three years in independent sales at Tactic Games.

“I am delighted to be joining VR Distribution at this exciting time, with the vast quantity of new games launching this year,” said Penny.

“The role is simply the perfect fit with my passion for games. I am looking forward to supporting both new customers and many of the retail contacts I have made over the years.”

Stewart Middleton, consultant to VR Distribution, told Toy World: “Going into year three for VR Distribution in the UK, we are forecasting 20% growth this year, with What Do You Meme and Kids Against Maturity gaining significant momentum and set to sell in excess of 100k units this year in the UK – matching sales of Cards Against Humanity. We have over 20 new titles launching in the remainder of this year, with more focus on Family Games and the recently launched Duncan Pocket Money Lines”.

Flair GP welcomes back Verity Page Flair GP has announced the reappointment of Verity Page to the position of head of Marketing to drive the success of key brands.

Verity Page, née Groom, has re-joined the company’s sales and marketing division to build on her six-year history with the firm. She previously held the title of Marketing manager at Flair and played a fundamental role in the launch of multiple key brands, being integral in the success story of Shopkins.

Verity Page said: “This is a great time to be re-joining the Flair team. The existing brand portfolio combines an exciting mix of fresh IPs and heritage favourites, with the likes of Plasticine, MonsterVerse, the Messi Training System, Stickle Bricks, Unique Eyes and more. And that’s not to mention everything that’s still to come for AW22: Action Heroes, Hamstars and Super Cute Little Babies, to name but a few. It really is such a privilege to have the opportunity to work across such iconic and innovative brands and I am delighted to be a part of the incredible Flair family, once again.”

Julia Cake, UK country manager at Flair GP, addded: “We’re so thrilled to be able to welcome Verity back into the Flair fold. She played a huge role in launching Shopkins and multiple other Flair brands, and her experience in developing and executing impactful campaigns is going to make her a real asset to the team. I very much look forward to working with Verity to ensure the continued development and growth of the business.”

To contact the Flair GP team, email sales@flairplc.co.uk or call on 0208 643 0320.

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Chedney Rodgers appointed SVP, Global & US Marketing, at Moose Toys Moose Toys has announced that industry veteran Chedney Rodgers has joined the company as senior vice president, Global & US Marketing.

Chedney is based out of the company’s US operation in El Segundo, California.

In this newly created leadership position, Chedney is responsible for aligning the company’s marketing strategies and messaging between the global and US brand teams. She said: “Moose’s commitment to innovation and sparking new trends with truly imaginative toys made this opportunity irresistible and presented the perfect next step in my career. I am looking forward to fully immersing myself in the dynamic Moose culture and contributing to its continued growth.”

Chedney has spent her career building and growing brands across the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia. She has held positions of increasing responsibility, first with Mattel and most recently Hasbro as vice president and global franchise lead for Monopoly.

“Chedney has worked on some of the most iconic toy brands and understands the nuances of navigating the global toy market,” said Belinda Gruebner, chief marketing officer, Moose Toys. “Her wealth of knowledge and depth of experience will be an incredible asset in leading our amazing global and US marketing teams and bringing to market some of our most game changing toys to date. She’s a great fit to join the Moose family.”

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DKB Toys and Distribution has announced the appointment of ‘industry tour de force’ Edel Siddle as field account manager. In her new role, Edel will strengthen the company’s increased focus on supporting independent retailers.

With a wealth of experience in the toy industry, including 15 years at Bandai as sales admin & operations manager and more recently three years as sales & communications manager at Skyrocket, Edel used her time at this year’s Toymaster Show to introduce herself to DKB customers.

“I am delighted to be joining the DKB team as a field account manager,” she commented. “With the exciting and extensive portfolio on offer, I am eager to get on board to learn and showcase the range. Having always had a passion for working with the indies, I cannot wait to start supporting retailers to continue DKB’s growth across the UK and Ireland” The hotly anticipated Crazy Aarons Putty range took centre stage at the Toymaster event, with DKB reporting that interest in this range is already significant.

“What better way to start than with a trip to Harrogate for the Toymaster Show?” added Edel. “The event provided us with the perfect platform to introduce new lines across our Alex Brands range and the opportunity to re-launch the incredible Crazy Aarons products to UK retail.”

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Marketing World Hasbro and Dragons’ Den star partner on My First Monopoly launch TV ‘Dragon’ Sara Davies MBE has teamed up with the Monopoly brand to launch its latest edition, My First Monopoly, a fun, educational board game for young tycoons in the making.

Hasbro’s My First Monopoly features a double-sided board offering two levels of play, so the players can decide which level is right for the whole family. One side is recommended for kids aged four to five, and focuses on counting and matching, while the other side is more advanced, focusing on reading and simple maths, and is ideal for kids aged six and up.

Instead of Mayfair and Green Park, players compete to own child-friendly properties such as a waterpark, pizza restaurant and zoo. To mark the launch, Sara featured in a tongue-in-cheek clip which grants viewers behind the scenes access as she moves around the My First Monopoly board, buying as many properties as she can in an attempt to defeat her two young rivals. Sara quizzes her competitors on their business credentials and what qualifies them to own particular establishments, before executing the deal and handing over the deeds – with humorous results.

“Parents can play a vital role in financial education by talking to their children about money,” said Anne Leonhardi, marketing director North Europe at Hasbro. “My First Monopoly gives children the chance to put mental arithmetic in practice outside the classroom and pick up vital money skills in a fun and playful way.”

Mattel’s Jurassic World Dominion toys roam London for National Dinosaur Day To celebrate National Dinosaur Day yesterday (Sunday 15th May), Mattel allowed its new Jurassic World Dominion dinosaurs to roam famous sights in London, as well as unveiling new research that found a third of kids are convinced dinosaurs are still alive.

The OnePoll research, commissioned by Mattel to launch the new toy range for the film which is released this month, also discovered 49% think some dinosaurs can still be found in the UK. A poll of 1,000 children aged 6-10 show the T. rex coming out on top as kids’ favourite dinosaur, with most kids opting for a T. rex as the one they’d most like to housetrain, and that 33% of kids would love to have a dinosaur as a pet.

To showcase the new Mattel Jurassic World Dominion toy range alongside the research, Mattel used clever ‘forced perspective’ photography to make it look as though dinosaurs were exploring old and new London landmarks. The Quetzalcoatlus dinosaur toy visited the Natural History Museum, where many prehistoric dinosaur skeletons now remain, while the Therizinosaurus toy was seen to be grasping the London Eye in its claws and the T.rex visited the Houses of Parliament.

Kelly Philp, marketing director Mattel UK, said: “Dinosaurs are endlessly fascinating to children, and they probably always will be. This National Dinosaur Day, we thought there was no better way to celebrate than to find out what kids think about all things dinosaur.

The new Mattel Jurassic World Dominion toy range is inspired by the upcoming Jurassic World Dominion film – with authentic true-to-movie look, action scale, scan-able tags and AR fun.

Topps scores Campaign of the Year for Match Attax Topps has been honoured at the prestigious 2022 Newspaper and Magazine Awards, taking home the hotly contested Campaign of the Year accolade for its Match Attax Season 2021/22 Collection.

It’s been a strong start to the year for Topps following its January 2022 acquisition by Fanatics Inc., the US global digital giant specialising in licensed sports merchandise, trading cards, collectibles, digital collectibles and NFTs. In April this year, Topps secured exclusive licensed trading card and sticker rights for UEFA Euro 2024 and UEFA Euro 2028. The deal was announced via an impressive viral campaign featuring renowned manager Jose Mourinho, one of the biggest names in European football.

The Campaign of the Year award was presented to the Topps UK Sales & Marketing team at the London Marriott Hotel in Grosvenor Square, London last month, as the Association of Circulation Executives hosted its first live awards event since 2019. Judges highlighted the 'clear quantifiable success' of the Match Attax campaign, which was launched in August 2021, as well as the team’s 'innovative use of social media to drive print sales and brand awareness'.

Topps collaborated with influencers The F2 Freestylers (27m digital followers) and top young England players Mason Mount and Jack Grealish to promote its 2021/22 collection, which featured the biggest superstars from the best clubs in the world.

First released in 2006, Match Attax has become the world’s most popular football trading card game.

The 2021/22 collection saw a 159% increase in year-on-year sales, with fans of all ages enjoying the content of the collection and the fun associated with searching for the most exclusive cards.

The Topps UEFA Nations League Stickers collection went on sale on 2nd June and will be followed by the UEFA Nations League Match Attax 101 collection, which launches at the end of June.

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Opinion

How safe are new platforms and what can we do to be brand safe?

As more and more brands choose to use activations within online platforms as a form of promotion, Felix examines how this can be done safely and with confidence.

W

henever there is a ‘new’ platform or advertising opportunity, scrutiny is not far away - for both positives and negatives.

Recently we have seen Roblox fall under this spotlight. There have been allegations concerning brand safety, and bot involvement encouraging users to perform actions and be exposed to areas that have not been made transparent. TINA (Truth in advertising) has recently investigated the game and found that multiple heritage brands have blurred the lines on what is appropriate; detailing that they are disguising promotional content as games and making it increasingly hard to distinguish this from normal game play.

This is native content in a new sense of advertising and importantly, although adult users may be able to distinguish between a paid for promotion or activation, more than 25m children playing in the metaverse daily are not. As there is a paid for element directly connected to these accounts, this has meant that minors are at risk of exploitation in a space where

Felix Lewis Digital Business director, Generation Media Tel: 0207 307 7906 felix.lewis@generationmedia.co.uk The platform plans to introduce new native and immersive formats allowing them to not disrupt user experience and help align playing experience with brands’ objectives and mission statements. The company has stated that this will respect advertising guidelines and a core focused on under-13 users.

monetary transactions are commonplace.

As stated, scrutiny of ‘new’ platforms is nothing new; historically, loopholes have been exposed as soon as apparent. YouTube has had its fair share of such attention and now seems to be in a position where betas have successfully combatted previous issues including terrorist, paedophilic and extreme violent content being showcased alongside brand’s content. YouTube now forms a core part of many advertisers plans, and rightly so, having addressed these issues over several years and assuring buyers and brands that it is safe to be there. It is already the No.1 ad platform in the US for kids’ advertisers and will be in the UK by end of 2023.

TikTok is in the middle of this process with a vitally important audience base, but with confidence from an advertising perspective needing some assurance.

TikTok has addressed this and brought out extensive guidelines and processes including vitally important transparency to reassure consumers. Roblox similarly has challenged the recent negative press and is working on its own brand safety response.

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What is often not mentioned is the role that parents can and should be taking in auditing their children’s online footprint. Blocks and limitations are available on most platforms and allow for closed and safe spaces. Platforms should take further responsibility on how accounts are granted to users and the processes they have in place to grant. It is too easy for a computer savvy minor to set up a profile and bypass the 13+ age restrictions in place.

With these limitations around brand safety, and confidence not fully assured, brands have to ask themselves which platforms they are comfortable immersing themselves in and aligning with. There are partners within the marketplace who can create ‘walled gardens’ ensuring the in and output of content, which are the perfect place to start. Tech is also continually developing as are platforms but being aware of the potential pitfalls prior to activation is essential. This will ensure any safeguards that need to be put in place form part of the overall approach and then activations can be launched with confidence.

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Licensing World PMI partners with Angry Birds on first-ever licensed Zzzopa Ball Angry Birds is set to extend its toy line with the new Zzzopa Spinner Ball, thanks to a new deal struck between PMI Trading & Enterprise and brand owner Rovio Entertainment. The deal has been brokered by IMG. Having enjoyed huge success in the market to date, Rovio’s Angry Birds will become the first-ever licence to join PMI’s growing Zzzopa Spinner ball line. Replete with graphics recognisable from the gaming franchise, PMI says its new licensed Angry Birds Zzzopa will have fans hooked immediately.

The innovative ball is designed for both indoor and outdoor play. Zzzopa is a creative combination of a fun spinner, which helps cope with stress and anxiety, and an exciting and fun ball encouraging creative play and social activity.

Set to launch this autumn, the patented Angry Birds Zzzopa ball will be available worldwide in four designs.

Katri Chacona, director of Brand Licensing at Rovio, said: “Together with PMI, we can bring more joy, laughter and fun to kids and Angry Birds fans around the world.”

Omer Dekel, VP International Sales at PMI, commented: “Collaborating with highly popular mega-brands such as Rovio’s Angry birds is part of PMI’s strategy for our sensational Zzzopa Spinner Ball. As well as the fun and joy it brings, playing with the Angry Birds Zzzopa ball may also improve cognitive capabilities, hand to eye coordination, physical fitness, agility – and even help develop imagination. PMI is focused on the growth of its IP portfolio. We are quick to react to tomorrow’s trends and get new lines out to the market fast. We continue to partner with the hottest gaming and toy brands and expand our top-quality product and toy lines, bringing winning products to consumers at affordable prices.”

The company says innovation and growth stand behind PMI’s business strategies, allowing it to successfully build new partnerships with leading names, bring new branded toys and products of the highest quality to the market, and make the most of its strong distribution network across the globe.

One of the most recognisable entertainment brands, boasting over 5b downloads, 25m followers across social media and content such as the brand-new Netflix series Angry Birds: Summer Madness, Angry Birds’ brand awareness is pegged at 96%, with Location Based Entertainment boosting the popularity of the well-known and globally appealing characters.

Amscan adds Roald Dahl licence to portfolio Roald Dahl will be the latest addition to Amscan's extensive licensed portfolio, with a range featuring costumes, accessories and wearables on the way for 2023.

The range will be available throughout Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore & Malaysia. Amscan says that Phase 1 of the new styles will be ready to ship in Q422 for an on-shelf date of January 2023.

The initial range launch will comprise over 20 styles and will include a host of fanfavourite Roald Dahl characters. Key icons from Matilda, including the formidable Miss Trunchbull, as well as leading characters from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, The BFG, The Twits and Fantastic Mr Fox, will be the first to be developed, with many more characters being revealed throughout 2022.

With Roald Dahl creating so many beloved characters, Amscan believes the collection will be a huge hit for Book Week and has ensured the collection will include styles for both children and adults (teachers), with matching options available on selected styles.

The new range, which has been designed in the UK, has been created in close collaboration with the Roald Dahl team to achieve costumes that are both wearable and authentic to the characters. Amscan’s Lead Costume designer on the Roald Dahl range, Lily Olley, commented: “Working on the exciting new range has been really great fun.

We've been collaborating with the Roald Dahl team, reviewing the amazing illustrations to help design costumes that capture the essence of the brand, whilst being mindful of the importance of sustainability and interactivity in today’s costume market.”

Amscan’s Group Licensing director, Mel Beer, added: “We’re delighted to be working with the Roald Dahl team to bring these classic characters to life, through a broad offering of costumes with co-ordinating accessories, designed in our unique Amscan style”.

BBC Studios expands Bluey global licensing programme Pre-school favourite Bluey is expanding its licensing programme with new partners following success with Moose, Ravensburger and Crayola.

BBC Studios has announced new deals with 8th Wonder (wooden toys), Spin Master (wooden puzzles – extending the US range into the UK), Moonpig (cards and gifting), Drew Pearson (accessories) and an expanded deal with Ravensburger in the UK (including proprietary games including Memory and Labyrinth).

The agreements follow closely on the heels of a new global partnership with Hasbro for co-branded Monopoly Jr. and Trouble games along with Play-Doh. VTech is also launching Bluey products this year in the UK, US, Canada and Australia with New Zealand and France to follow.

“The Bluey wooden toy range will be fun, educational and produced using FSC certified wood, and all product and packaging will be designed with sustainability in mind,” said Louise Tyrer, managing director, 8th Wonder.

BBC Studios has also just signed a new pan-European deal (inc. UK) with HTI Toys for large role play, cases, bubbles and outdoor toys.

Further partners launching products in the UK this year include: Character Options (Weebles and arts & crafts), Danilo (calendars, cards and gift stationery), H&A (health & beauty), MV Sports (wheeled toys), Stor (lunchboxes, bottles and tableware) and William Lamb (footwear and bags).

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Licensing World Rubies debuts Obi-Wan Kenobi costumes Kids can now explore the galaxy with Star Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi costumes by Rubies, which bring the new Star Wars Disney+ series to life.

Rubies’ newly designed costume range, based on the latest Star Wars spin-off, includes Obi-Wan Kenobi for children in Classic and Deluxe as well as a Classic edition with a lightsaber accessory. There will also be new Darth Vader costumes available for children in both Classic and Deluxe. On top of this, Rubies will also be creating Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader costumes for adults as well. Rubies already has a successful, evergreen line of Star Wars outfits including Jedi robes, plus Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker costume in adults and children’s sizes.

Rubies has been producing the costumes for Lucasfilm and Disney for previous blockbusters and streaming hits spanning many years, including the previous Disney+ successes the Mandalorian and Book of Boba Fett.

Georges Ghougassian, group director, Brand and Licence at Rubies Masquerade EMEA, commented: “Our officially licensed Star Wars costumes have proven to be one of our most successful licences. From our evergreen ranges, which delight both long-term fans and those new to Star Wars, to our brand-new tie-ins for Disney+ releases, we are incredibly excited to see the latest installment and the reprisal of the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi by Ewan McGregor. We are also pleased to be continuing our relationship with Lucasfilm and Disney and can’t wait to see where this partnership takes us.”

Rubies current Star Wars range is available to order now from rubiesuk.com, whilst Rubies Obi-Wan Kenobi range will be available to order soon. Obi-Wan Kenobi was released on Disney+ on 27th May.

Gabby’s Dollhouse plush set for September launch from Posh Paws Posh Paws International is releasing a new collection of plush toys based on the DreamWorks Animations pre-school series, Gabby’s Dollhouse, this September.

Created and executive produced by celebrated storytellers Traci Paige Johnson and Jennifer Twomey, the duo behind Blue’s Clues!, Gabby’s Dollhouse is a mixed media preschool series that unboxes a surprise before jumping into a fantastical animated world full of adorable cat characters that live inside Gabby’s dollhouse. The episodes encourage flexible thinking and learning from your mistakes and have consistently debuted among Netflix’s Top 10 kids shows.

There are seven 10” Gabby’s Dollhouse Soft Toys characters to collect, and each will be packaged in a branded display box so they stand upright and stand-out on-shelf. The seven characters available at launch are: Gabby, wearing her kitty ears, bright pink jacket and denim jeans; Pandy Paws, Gabby’s best stuffed animal pal complete with little satchel; Cakey Cat, with his decorative multicoloured sprinkles and brightly coloured tummy; Kitty Fairy, with her elegant wings and flower headband; MerCat, sporting her pink starfish head decoration and shimmery mermaid scale body; the fluffy blue CatRat with his dark blue markings; and Pillow Cat with her decorative multicoloured fabric body.

Also launching in September is the 7” (18cm) Gabby’s Dollhouse Soft Toy Assortment comprising five characters that each have the same look and high-level of detail as the larger 10” soft toys. In this assortment will be Gabby, Pandy Paws, Cakey Cat, MerCat and Pillow Cat. Retailers can opt for an eye-catching CDU holding two of each character.

“We are very excited to be releasing our Gabby’s Dollhouse plush toys ready for holiday gifting,” said Lauren Shipman, brand & marketing director. “We’ve had an incredible response from retail, and we can’t wait to see the toys in the market and kids playing with them. Gabby’s Dollhouse, with its irresistible kitty characters and fantastical animated world, is the ultimate dollhouse play experience, and we have specially developed a range of plush toys that will bring the show to life and into the hands of kids.”

Posh Paws’ Gabby’s Dollhouse plush will be in-stock and ready to ship in September.

Sambro’s new Care Bears baby range launches at selected retailers Sambro has launched a new range of baby plush to help celebrate Care Bears’ 40th anniversary this year, with thousands of units distributed across selected Primark and Home Bargains stores.

The Care Bears brand, which rose to fame in the 1980s, is celebrating its landmark 40th anniversary with collaborations spanning multiple categories including fashion, accessories, homeware, cosmetics, games, crafts, seasonal, travel and the metaverse.

The Sambro Care Bear baby plush range will feature a choice of five plush Care Bear characters including Cheer Bear, Wish Bear, Bedtime Bear, Share Bear and Sunshine Bear. Each bear has its own unique colour, belly badge and rattle in their tummy, making them perfect comforting and sensory toys for babies from birth.

Collette O’Kane, Sambro’s chief operating officer, commented: “The Care Bears resonate with fans of all ages, and we love hearing that fans that grew up with the brand 40 years ago are now introducing their own children to the Care Bears. Thanks to our unrivalled, long-term relationships with some of the world’s largest retailers toy specialists, grocers and distributors, we’ve been able to secure partnerships with Primark and Home Bargains, helping spread the universal message of sharing and caring that the Care Bears are synonymous with, to even more fans.”

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Licensing World Smiffys unveils new licensing deals with Kellogg’s and Pringles Smiffys says it is excited to launch a collection featuring The Kellogg’s brand’s iconic logos and characters, many of which are instantly recognisable worldwide. The deal includes Pop Tarts, Coco Pops, Snap Crackle and Pop, the Kellogg’s Cockerel, Toucan Sam and the family favourite Tony the Tiger.

“Kellogg’s portfolio includes a massive selection of vintage and contemporary characters and brand logos that will translate perfectly into costume and accessories,” said Dominique Peckett, director at Smiffys. “We are delighted to be adding Kellogg’s to our range of licences.”

Smiffys first range of Kellogg’s costumes and accessories for adults and kids is set to launch in Q1 of 2023 and will be available in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australia, UK, Ireland & Channel Islands.

Smiffys has penned a further deal with Pink Key Licensing to transform the popular snack Pringles into an array of costumes and accessories for all the family, based on the well-known can. The first range is set to launch in Q1 in 2023, with collections available in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australia, UK, Ireland & Channel Islands.

“The Pringles product and brand are instantly recognisable with their unique can and crisp shapes, and friendly ‘Mr P’ logo. These iconic products will translate perfectly into retro and novelty costumes and accessories and will be a fantastic addition to Smiffys licensed portfolio,” added Dominique Peckett.

Nancy Jones, of Pink Key Licensing, commented: “We are thrilled to welcome the fancy-dress costume legend Smiffys as a licensee as we have long wanted to work with the company on our brands. We love Smiffys’ products and the fun they bring to everything. We cannot wait to see what Smiffys has planned for Tony the Tiger and friends, as well as the iconic Mr. P.”

Boat Rocker inks deal with Simba Dickie for Dino Ranch Boat Rocker has announced that the Simba Dickie Group GmbH has signed a licensing deal for Dino Ranch, as the pre-school hit continues to rapidly expand its global footprint.

The product range will feature the Big Bloxx Junior Building Construction set, which contains a minimum of 15 pieces, including exclusive figurines and accessories. Other highlights include foot to floor ride-ons, scooters, school and kitchen large role-play sets, pocket money toys– such as bubbles, magnetic drawing boards, glow in the dark sets and a light projector – and seasonal products including buckets, spades and sand toys.

The Simba Dickie Group plans to launch its new ranges from SS23 across the UK & Eire and EMEA, including in France, Iberia, Italy, Benelux, the Nordics, CEE and GSA. Dino Ranch continues to be a ratings hit amongst kids aged 2-5 on Disney Jr and CBC, where it premiered in January 2021. Sustaining the number one position in its timeslot on Disney Jr has led to the show being sold to over 170 countries and available in 15+ languages, with Tiny Pop in the UK the latest to come on board. Its unique mash up of dinosaurs and cowboys, set in the great outdoors, continues to prove hugely popular across all platforms. Series two is currently in production and is set to premiere in the US this summer, including a 22-minute tentpole special.

Kate Schlomann, EVP Brand Management and Content Marketing, Boat Rocker, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Simba Dickie to our ever-growing herd of best-in-class licensees for Dino Ranch. This new deal will further strengthen our international reach, and the Dino Ranch brand, offering additional ways to play which complement our master toy range from Jazwares.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Boat Rocker Studios on Dino Ranch - this is a really unique new show for pre-schoolers and we’re excited to develop the range,” added Werner Lenzner, Simba Dickie Group’s Licensing and Strategic Development manager Simba Dickie joins a distinguished list of licensees for Dino Ranch, including Master Toy partners Jazwares which is launching its dynamic line across EMEA this summer; Scholastic, Rubies, Ravensburger, Character World, Immediate Magazine and Kennedy.

Peppa Pig joins Yoto portfolio Yoto, the audio platform for kids behind the award-winning screen-free Yoto Player and recently launched Yoto Mini, has collaborated with Penguin Audio to bring Peppa Pig titles to its ever-expanding audio library.

In a first for the platform, children will soon be able to immerse themselves into the world of Peppa, with two short story collections – At Home with Peppa and Peppa Pig: Bedtime Stories – providing over an hour of exciting tales.

At Home with Peppa invites listeners to join Peppa as she embarks on a range of activities and adventures, while Peppa Pig: Bedtime Stories aims to create a relaxing environment for children before bedtime, and includes dialogue, songs and sound effects from the hit show.

Ben Drury, CEO and founder of Yoto, said: “The arrival of Peppa Pig to the Yoto library is very exciting.

Peppa and her friends have been a part of children’s lives for the past 18 years. The character has helped to shape young minds and, aligning perfectly with the values of Yoto, encouraged them to learn and explore whilst having fun. These two new collections are certain to entertain and inspire imagination, independence and creativity for those aged 0-5. We are pleased to continue our partnership with Penguin Random House and Ladybird Books, providing a variety of stories for all ages.”

Peppa Pig content cards are available in the UK, Ireland, USA and Canada.

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NPD Insight

Figuring it out This month, Melissa takes an in depth look at the wide-ranging Action Figures & Accessories supercategory, which is performing strongly so far this year.

O

ne of the most dynamic sectors of the UK toy market is the Action Figures & Accessories supercategory, which this year combines a mix of old favourite properties and exciting new launches.

According to NPD’s Consumer Panel for Full Year 2021, 80% of spend in the Action Figures supercategory is on boys, while 20% is on girls. However, 40% of spend is on kidults, or recipients ages 12+, with 60% of Action Figures supercategory purchased for under 12 years.

This demonstrates the appeal the category has across all age ranges and genders.

For the 12 months to April 2022, Actions Figures & Accessories has accounted for 6.2% of all toy sales, worth £128m, an increase of +2% on the previous 12 months. It is one of only four supercategories that has grown in that period, along with Plush, Vehicles and Explorative & Other Toys. The category is made up of five subclasses: Action Figures, Playsets & Accessories, Collectibles, Role Play & Accessories and Battling Toys, all of which show slightly different trends.

The Action Figures subclass is the largest area in the last 12 months, just ahead of Collectibles, accounting for 40% of all spend. Marvel Universe is the number one property and Heroes of Goo Jit Zu the number two property. Hot on their heels is Jurassic Park/World at

number three, also the top single licence with sales growing thanks in part to the Camp Cretaceous Netflix series. The Camp Cretaceous Roar Attack 7” Assortment is the top new item in the subclass in the last year. DC Universe is the fourth ranked property and the fastest growing, adding over £1.7m to the category in the last year and more than doubling share in the last two years. DC Universe growth has been helped by The Batman film release in February 2022.

Film releases are still proving important to this subclass, accounting for 60% of all Action Figures sales, but still below the 64% film share that the category enjoyed pre-Covid, not surprising as cinema performances are still recovering. However, newer film properties Godzilla vs Kong, Sonic the Hedgehog and Space Jam have all added to toys growth in the Action Figure subclass over the last year.

Action Figures Collectibles growth has recovered the value lost during the period of store closures related to Covid. Despite being the lowest priced of the subclasses, at £7.52 average selling price, Action Figures Collectibles is just behind Action Figures in size for the twelve months to April 2022, accounting for 40% of the supercategory. However, Movies only accounts for 39% of sales, with Video Games properties

Action Figure & Accessories Subclass Share %

Action Figure & Accessories Subclass Share % Action Figure Battling Toys & Playsets & Acc, Playsets, 5% 7% Action Role Play & Dressup, 7% Action Figures, 40%

Source: The NPD Group | POS Retail Tracking Service | 12M April 2022

Document classification: Client/Third Party Confidential

1

The NPD Group, L.P. | Proprietary and confidential

Toy World 34

Director UK Toys, EuroToys NPD

a strong second place with 28% share of sales. The strength of Video Game properties is clear when looking at best-sellers; the Roblox Mystery Figures Assortment 3” is the top selling item and Pokémon Clip N Go Poke Ball is No.2. However overall, Funko Pop! accounted for just under half of all collectibles in the last year, with Marvel and Star Wars the No.2 & No.3 properties. Both Funko Pop! and Marvel are the fastest growing properties in Action Figure Collectibles in the last 12 months, but there is also strong growth from Minecraft, Among Us and DC Universe. Among Us is the top new property across total Action Figures & Accessories this year, demonstrating the strength of Video Game properties in this part of the toy market.

Role Play and Dress Up is only 7.5% of the category, with the top item Harry Potter Junior Invisibility Cloak from Wow Stuff, followed by Batman Gauntlet from Spin Master. However, Star Wars remains the top property overall, thanks to the range of Light Sabers on offer, followed by Marvel Universe and Harry Potter at two and three respectively. Battling Toys & Accessories is the smallest part of the market with just 5% share. It has grown +10% in the last 12 months with Bakugan the top property, but new property Akedo is now gaining ground as the number two property, as well as being number two new property in Action Figures supercategory, behind Among Us. The strong appeal of the category across all age ranges, with a high share coming from Kidults, is one of the reasons there is a vast range of property types and items available. With Jurassic World Dominion and Minions 3 coming soon to cinemas, as well as DC and Marvel movies, the remainder of 2022 could see even further growth in the Action Figures & Accessories supercategory, especially if the Video Games collectability trend remains strong.

Action Figure Collectibles, 40%

Value %

Melissa Symonds

Item Progression: Item Description

Corp Manufacturer

Mar Rank #

Apr Rank #

Ideas Sonic The Hedgehog Green Hill Zone

The Lego Group

1661

94

Following the second film release of Sonic The Hedgehog in April, the licence has seen strong growth in toys in 2022, with sales four times larger than in 2021. The Lego Ideas Sonic Green Hill Zone set is the top selling item for the licence in April, as well as the fastest item progression for the month, but there has been strong growth across all categories, with Character Options Mini Stretch Sonic showing strong growth. Overall Action Figures subclass accounts for 38% of the property, while Collectibles accounts for 29% and Plush 16%.

Fastest by in Value Fastestgrowing GrowingLicences Licences Toys

2021 was the strongest year for licensing in toys since 2016 and so far, 2022 looks set to continue that trend, with 30.1% of all toy spend on a licence in the first four months of the year. This is up from 27.6% in the same period of Sales Gained £M 2021 and 7 points ahead of 2019, meaning licensed toys was worth £131m from January – April 2022. There is a strong mix of characters driving this share growth, with Batman the fastest growing licence, driven by the February ained £M release of the latest movie, The Batman. Sales are spread across Building Sets, Action Figures, Action Figure Collectibles and Vehicles.

Spidey & His Amazing Friends is the second fastest growing licence, adding £2.15m to the toy market and aimed at younger superhero fans with strong PS Figures and Building Sets offerings. Disney’s Encanto is the largest new property so far this year and the third fastest driver of licensed growth, after the success of the film towards the end of 2021. Bluey remains a strong offering in the Pre-school category with two thirds of sales through Pre-school Figures & Playsets, as well as expansion into other categories including Games & Puzzles this year.

Marvel Other licence has seen growth with The Lego Group’s Infinity Saga range and Character Options Heroes of Goo Jit Zu Marvel line, as well as some plush and games growth. Among Us continues to be a strong licence for Toys Action Figures & Plush, while The Lego Group’s Technic McLaren Formula carService is driving the2022 McLaren Source: The NPD Group | Retail1 race Tracking | YTD April vs. 21 licence success so far this year. Disney All Source: The NPD Group | Retail Tracking Service | YTD April 2022 vs. 21 Other growth is coming from collectibles, with 5 Surprise Mini Brands Disney Document classification: Client/Third Party Confidential The NPD Group, Inc. | Proprietary and confidential 1 1 Store Mystery Edition and Real Littles Disney Backpack lines accounting for the additional sales this year.

Ahead of the third Jurassic World movie release in June, the licence is already performing strongly in toys, with the Camp Cretaceous Action Figures from Mattel showing particularly robust sales. Jurassic World is the top licence in the Action Figure Subclass YTD April 2022. Finally, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat-Boy is the tenth fastest growing licence, with the Magic Surprise Box from Bandai the best-selling item in the range. w

es by Value

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Talking Shop

Just goes to show At the recent Toymaster Show, Sam Giltrow caught up with a selection of indie retailers to find out how business is faring as we reach the halfway point of the year, and what they had enjoyed about being back in Harrogate.

Chris Blatcher -

I

Toymaster chairman and JAC Stores, Isle of Man

t’s great to be back at the show and to see all the other members enjoying it too. It is obvious that the Toymaster team has worked very hard and there is a real upbeat feel. Being able to see and handle all the product makes such a difference to everyone and is a vital component of the show.

We have three stores on the Isle of Man – two in Douglas and one in Ramsey – and my son, Carl, has taken on most of the toy buying now. Business has been good, and we diversified at the start of Covid when Carl set up a website; we have now completed about 19,000 deliveries on the island. The website has become an important part of the business and a vital shop window – we’ve noticed that if we list something online, we see a spike in sales in-store too. We are always looking at new ways to develop the business, but I don’t think we would have got the website up and running as quickly were it not for the pandemic.

However, we are now seeing a noticeable return to instore, in-person shopping With all the cost of living increases, I expect the rest of this year to be challenging in lots of different ways.

We are all being faced with increased costs and have seen our online competition becoming increasingly fierce, but we are coping, and sales continue to be up again this year. We are still going in the right direction and it’s all very positive. I think the toy market has shown great resilience and we’re lucky that the last thing people want is to neglect their children.

However, we do have to be considered about the items we are stocking and ensure they are the right products at the right price, because everyone is now looking for value above everything. One of the advantages of being with Toymaster is that it gives us the opportunity to do just that.

We are still seeing strong sales from Squishmallows and the plush category in general, with Ty also performing well. Plush has become a particularly

strong category since the pandemic and we have done well with licensed plush too, including Sing 2 and Super Mario from Whitehouse Leisure (Posh Paws).

Another key sales driver is the Lego exclusives from Toymaster, particularly things like the Lego Speed Champions Mercedes set. That is another great benefit of being a Toymaster member. Slime Party is working well for us too, which is an exclusive with Toymaster.

We are looking forward to all the big movie releases this summer; our orders are in for Jurassic World Dominion, Lightyear and Minions 2 products, and we will also have support from Toymaster with window kits which helps us get the product across to the consumer.

We have been a Toymaster member for 27 years and it has played a big part our success - without Toymaster, we wouldn’t be where we are today. The Toymaster team focused on inviting independent retailers along to the show to see first-hand the opportunities membership can open up for them, and it’s fantastic to see more new members joining.

It’s important to share ideas and information and the online forum allows us to do this. Everyone is here to help, and we are also here to listen. The TIMS 2 system saves members’ time by doing the invoice management, leaving them free to do what they want to do – the buying and selling of toys.

I think the rise in costs is the biggest concern for members, with margin being pressured at both ends, but it’s encouraging to hear that the majority of toy shops are holding up and doing reasonably well. Being able to adapt your businesses is the advantage of being small and nimble.

Our main focus at the Toymaster show has been stock for the second half of the year and, along with having meetings with regular suppliers such as Jazwares and Lego, we have been looking at some new

Toy World 37

suppliers too. We are always looking for something different, and one new, smaller supplier that has caught our eye is Mood Bears, which we first saw on the Toymaster vlog. It’s such a lovely plush range and should do well.

Talking Shop Mandy Harrop -

W

Gosling Toymaster, Marple, Cheshire

e have been Toymaster members for as long as I can remember. My father founded the shop and when he retired my sister, Julie, and I took over.

Being a Toymaster member gives us so much including this amazing show, where we get to meet suppliers face to face and see other members. It’s so good to be back after two years, as we have really missed it. We love the relaxed environment; it’s just so nice to be able to chat to other members and find out what they are doing and if we share the same problems. It’s easy to think your business is the only one affected by various challenges but that’s often not the case. We all share tips and information on how to deal with problems – what’s great is that nobody is trying to outdo anyone else and we just all want to help each other.

It's also been wonderful to see all the product in the flesh again; lately, a lot of business has been done on a laptop or from a catalogue. As well as seeing our regular accounts, we like to look for new suppliers and this year it is more important than ever to have something new. Customers are becoming more hands on when they come into the shop now. They want to see the product and ensure they are getting value for money; kids especially love to see what they are buying, so it’s vital to get the product mix right.

We are still selling a lot of Squishmallows, and Mattel’s Polly Pocket range is performing well at the moment. We have a good collection of infant toys and the Tomy and VTech ranges are particularly popular.

We are noticing that parents are looking out for more eco-friendly toys and our wooden section has seen something of a resurgence. As well as being attractive in terms of sustainability, many ranges have had a refresh so that they’re more colourful and appealing, and the packaging is a lot nicer too. We have a Hape

Kate Hateley -

stand full of product which is really attractive - and not too expensive. Many customers are also choosing wood because it’s longer lasting too.

We have seen an increase in sales of nostalgic toys, games such as Snakes & Ladders which parents like as they keep kids away from their devices.

We’re seeing strong sales from evergreen, traditional ranges like Playmobil and Lego, plus jigsaw puzzles are still selling well.

It was great to see Mattel at the show, as we don’t see a lot of them.

We were able to go through all the stock planning for the months ahead right up to Christmas.

Dinosaurs remain popular and will be even more so with the new Jurassic World Dominion film out this summer, so we have placed orders for the Mattel range which I’m sure will do well. With Disney and Pixar’s Lightyear film being released at about the same time, it will be interesting to see how those toys do. Disney’s Encanto is also still popular - it’s great to see the return of big movie releases as they are such a huge driver for sales.

We weren’t expecting as many people to stay at home this summer with the lifting of travel restrictions, but now there’s the cost of living crisis to contend with, so we will have to wait and see what the next few months bring. With the recent nice weather,

we have already started selling paddling pools, but it’s interesting that people are buying smaller ones, perhaps because they are worried about the cost on the water meter, as well as the environment. It’s all very weather dependent, but let’s hope for a good summer.

group toy buyer, British Garden Centres

I

t’s great to come to my first Toymaster show.

I’ve been in my role for two and a half years, so I’ve not been able to come before because of the pandemic, and I’ve really enjoyed being able to chat to other members as well as the suppliers.

It certainly feels like there is a lot of positivity around, which is really lovely.

I think one of the main benefits of being a Toymaster member is the security it brings of being part of a group.

As they say in one of their straplines, it’s like one big family, and it enables you to connect with like-minded retailers. There are many benefits; it’s not just that they can control the invoicing and the payment terms, it’s also about having access to useful information with regards to suppliers and being able to connect with other members. The Toymaster team is fantastic, and you know there’s always someone to help, whether you have a problem with a supplier or you just need advice.

It works slightly differently for us as we are a garden centre chain, and toys are sold through departments within bigger shops. We have 61 garden centres in the British Garden Centres group and our toy offering ranges from full blown toy departments to some outlets that simply have a jigsaw offering.

The bigger toy departments carry major brands such as Mattel, Lego and Playmobil but there are others who specialise more in areas like arts & crafts

Toy World 38

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Talking Shop

indie viewpoint Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes

and pre-school products. Since I took up my role, I’ve seen many of the centres expanding their toy departments. With the lockdowns and more people being at home, customers have been seeking more arts & crafts and products to keep kids busy, and to help with children’s home learning, and jigsaws have also become extremely popular with all ages. Many of these trends have continued as people appreciate being at home more, and we still see impressive sales from our jigsaw range which includes the likes of Gibsons, Ravensburger, Jumbo and Falcon.

Mattel is our biggest supplier and a lot of its brands perform well for us such as Barbie, Fisher-Price, Thomas & Friends and Hot Wheels – the latter is a massive seller for us as a pick up line. We do, however, deal with a lot of smaller suppliers. One of these is Smart Games which we are trialling in some of our centres. In a garden centre, we have to be careful that smaller ranges don’t get lost, so we work with the supplier on promotion. Sometimes it’s about finding the right demographic for the range but because we have so many centres, we do have the flexibility to try things out.

I’ve seen some fantastic new products at the show and I’ve been looking at new ranges that we can start stocking from August, ready for the run up to Christmas.

Everyone is very excited about the new Jurassic World Dominion film and there are a lot of dinosaur ranges around - which is great for us as anything related to dinosaurs is always a huge seller at our garden centres. I have also spoken to Casdon Toys about their range, which is something we have not stocked before. I think things like the Henry the Hoover and Dyson ranges will go down very well with our customers for Christmas. Children are familiar with those brands nowadays, so they want the replicas. I also loved the Post Office and Pick & Mix Sweet Shop.

At this time of year, I like to give our whole range a bit of a shake up and a review. It’s when I start to get organised so we have everything in order for the Christmas trading period. Summer ranging is pretty much put to bed, and everything is in place in terms of our outdoor toy offering. Now it’s just a case of making sure that, between me and the centres, we are keeping in top of replenishment orders which is always the key thing.

There are still a few stock issues, but that’s just the way it is this year. We have to try and get ahead of the game to understand in advance where the problems are, to ensure that we don’t have gaps in our ranges.

With all the increases in living costs, we also need to ensure we have the correct price points in place for pick up lines, pocket money toys and birthday presents.

Parents and grandparents will still want to treat their children as they get a lot of pleasure from doing so, and we get a lot of families visiting our garden centres.

Toy Barnhaus

A sunny outlook

A

s we write this, we are on our way up to the Toymaster show, for the first time in three years. Just stopped for a bacon roll and cannot wait to get up to Harrogate and see everyone after so long. We travel up off the back of a good April’s trade. Even with the nice weather, and a late Easter, when people were able to go away at last, there were still plenty of shoppers around, and it was a decent month. The new Lego Muppets minifigures have been really popular and driven some great footfall. Some of the other new releases, including the new Lego Orchid, and Star Wars diorama sets have sold well. Sales are noticeably picking up, and we are seeing more “kidult” business in our stores. The latest L.O.L Surprise! Queen’s range has sold well, and Squishmallows continues to be really strong.

We are looking forward to early June and can’t wait to see what the Platinum Jubilee will do for sales. We’re expecting increased demand for outdoor products, bubbles and anything to keep the kids occupied at all the garden or street parties that people are having. Our stores will be trading reduced hours over the extended bank holiday weekend, but how strong footfall is will be weather dependent.

Craft is a huge category for us all year round, and we carry a wide range of products. At this time of year, outdoor themed craft is proving popular, with Play Monster’s Fairy Gardens our best sellers. Another steadfastly popular line is ChillFactor from Character, which sells in big numbers alongside core lines include Hasbro’s Play-Doh and all types of kinetic sand and other compounds. We have also seen very strong sales from Eugy from Brainstorm; customers love that this is an eco-craft product. At this time of year, colouring items are always popular, with items like the Color Wonder range from Crayola selling well, as they are ideal for keeping kids occupied on the move.

Action figures are having a tremendous time currently, and the sector has really grown in the last couple of years. Heroes of Goo Jit Zu has been incredibly strong so far this year, with the new Marvel and Jurassic lines boosting the range. The introduction of the new Minis has also been great for the brand, an excellent product at a fantastic price. Sonic the Hedgehog has been popular since the new movie was released, and it has been difficult to keep up with demand as there is only a limited range of products available. Roblox from Jazwares has also been very strong, the range is very collectible and drives good repeat purchases. Treasure X Minecraft, a mix of action figure and collectible, has also been popular.

Although they sell all year round, wheeled toys pick up over the summer and form a core part of our range.

The Nebulus scooter range from One for Fun is our entry level best-selling scooter, and ride-ons from MV Sports are also popular with our younger customers, as well as the My First Moto from Dolu.

Toymaster show update We’ve just returned from the show and after three years away, it was a joy to be back at the Majestic, especially with all the refurbishment now completed. As soon as we walked in, we started to see faces we had not seen for several years, and the socializing at the bar started about an hour after our arrival.

The show was well laid out and felt a safe and airy environment; a great place to do business. We weren’t sure if there were going to be many deals available, given everything going on in the world currently and the pricing issues, but were very pleasantly surprised at what most suppliers had managed to come up with. It was a very intense few days for us, as you do have to put the work in.

There was a nice buzz about the place, and it felt like everyone was glad to be back. You couldn’t move more than 10 metres down a corridor without seeing someone to say hello to.

Any indies who would like to take part in Talking Shop should contact Sam Giltrow sam@toyworldmag.co.uk

We did write a lot of business there; there was a vast array of great product across many suppliers. Standouts for us included Innovation First with Hexbugs, which had some great products and attractive show deals. New to the show, DKB Toys was also a pleasure to deal with, and we are looking forward to bringing in Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty.

As usual, we enjoyed the evening entertainment, with a lot of drinking and merriment as everyone let their hair down. Overall, it was a fantastic show, well organized by the Toymaster team. They had thought of everything, including an ice bucket for Mark after he had been hobbling around on crutches for two days! We are already looking forward to next year’s show.

Toy World 40

Company Profile

#livingthedream: Midco Toys opens new Derby branch The grand opening of the new store, which took place on 30th April in the Derbion Centre, saw Toy World joining suppliers and a host of costume characters in making an appearance to help celebrate the occasion, as publisher John Baulch reports.

A

fter a month of gruelling preparation, which saw owner David Middleton consistently working 12–18-hour days and even pulling the occasional all-nighter, the new Derby branch of Midco Toys, Toy Planet, opened at the end of April. Midco Toys has had a store in the Derbion shopping centre ever since it opened 15 years ago (when it was known as the Intu centre), but the new branch is significantly larger than its predecessor, with 2.5 times the floor space.

Toy World visited the new store on opening day and

spoke to David Middleton about the move: “We have been in the centre since it opened – in fact, we are the only independent store that is still there from the early days. We have been keen to move to a larger store for a while – the old location was good, but we were crammed in. The pandemic has helped in that respect; this unit became available, and instead of asking for crazy money, we were able to negotiate a good deal that worked for both parties.”

The new store looks impressive, carrying on the Midco tradition of delivering “everything you would

Toy World 42

expect to find in a toy shop, and a lot of other items that might surprise you.” All the key brands are featured prominently, with Squishmallows just one of the ranges which benefits from having an expanded area, due to the larger floor space. Schleich has also been introduced into the new store, a range which has always sold well in Midco’s other outlet in Burton, but for which space couldn’t be found in the previous Derby location.

When we arrived mid-morning, the store was already busy, with queues running the length of the shop – and it stayed like that for most of the day. Squishmallows, Pokémon and Funko were all selling well, as were trading cards, which David describes as “the backbone of the store and a consistent best-seller.”

Thankfully, we had managed to miss the early morning drama, when the card reader machine decided to malfunction just before 9.00, which I am sure sent everyone’s blood pressure racing before it was fixed fifteen minutes later. However, by the end of the day, David was delighted with the reaction from consumers: “Opening day saw us achieve our highest takings in a single day…ever!”

And it didn’t stop there – the following week saw every single day achieve the highest sales for that particular day outside of the month of December. Understandably, David was delighted: “All the hard work paid off. What's selling? Everything we are known for – all the big brands and the weird stuff too. We like to attract customers in for what they are looking for and send them out with it, along with something else they never even knew existed.”

Whether it is a dedicated anime and manga section, a huge array of board games spanning everything from the popular family games to specialist titles for ardent gamers, high-end backpacks and even blind bags of collectible die, Midco Toys literally stocks something for everyone – alongside, of course, all the leading toy brands that you would expect in an award-winning toy store.

Midco is far from the only outlet in the Derbion centre selling toys; in addition to multiple retailers such as

Company Profile

Sainsbury’s, there are also specialist stores including Build-a-Bear and, notably, The Entertainer. The presence of a nearby branch of The Entertainer has been a worry for some toy indies in recent years, but Dave isn’t too concerned: “They’re good at what they do, but they leave plenty of gaps that we can fill. A lot of the products we are known for, you wouldn’t find in The Entertainer. It’s all about creating a point of difference and a strong identity.”

Over 30 suppliers helped to support the launch of the new store, with several going the extra mile by organizing character costume visits: Blue from Blues Clues and Baby JJ from CoComelon both made an appearance courtesy of Just Play and Bandai, as did Pikachu, which was a notable ‘first’ for the character – while it regularly visits trade fairs and consumer shows, this visit saw Pikachu

make his debut at a retail store. And full marks to the performer inside the suit – she really threw herself into her performance with tremendous gusto.

During the day, social media was flooded with well-wishers from the toy community, while several of David’s customers joined Toy World in making a personal appearance and US independent retailer Rick Derr from Learning Express even recorded a personal greeting, which he posted on LinkedIn. Former owner of the Arcade Toy Shop in Dudley, Alan Caswell, turned up at 8.00 in the morning, holding a Unigroup sign – Unigroup being an early incarnation of the buying group which eventually became Toymaster, of which Midco Toys is of course an extremely engaged member.

In addition to the costume characters, Ruby Sheldon

Toy World 44

from Slime Party set up a table outside the store offering kids the chance to make their own slime for free – and unsurprisingly, the table was packed all day. David has helped to facilitate a deal with Toymaster which will see Slime Party carried as an exclusive brand across Toymaster stores – judging by the response from consumers, there is still plenty of mileage in the slime craze yet.

Overall, the opening day was a triumph and testament to the incredible amount of hard work David and his team had put into delivering a great experience for the people of Derby. I’ll leave the last word to David: “Never underestimate the power of the independent toy retailers. They have more passion for the industry than you could ever imagine. The high street is alive and well.”

Feature

Action Figures & Collectibles

Figures of

fun

McFarlane (from Bandai) – The Flash, The Joker, Azreal in Batman Armor

Just like the Dolls category, the Action Figures & Collectibles market is also being underpinned by content, with video gaming, anime and even NFTs pushing characters to the fore, as Sam Giltrow discovers.

‘

Get off your Xbox’ is what many parents (myself included) can be heard yelling up and down the country, day in day out, but it’s fair to say that these very games are leading to a new way of play and reshaping the Action Figures & Collectibles sector.

“Boys aren’t so reliant upon the TV show or the blockbuster movie as they once were in finding things that they like, hence why anime and video game properties have become so popular,” explains Nic Aldridge, MD, Bandai UK. Anime, in particular, has seen a “huge explosion” in the last three years as it transcends from the kidult market to younger children, and this is fuelling a wave of new products from the action figure and collectible specialist. As Netflix’s library was exhausted by children looking to while away the hours, the streaming service introduced around 200 different anime titles, thus bringing the joy of Japanese animation to an even wider audience.

Tapping into the trend, Bandai has created a property called Anime Heroes, which is taking the key characters from the most popular properties and putting them under an umbrella branding as action figures.

Bandai’s Banpresto range is also proving highly popular and features many anime properties including Dragonball and Naruto – its two hottest properties - alongside One Piece, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and Demon Slayer. “There’s definitely a trending shift there and I absolutely see this carrying on,” says Nic. It’s a part of the business which enjoys crossover between the company’s kids and kidult audiences; the kidult market has been a growing part of the company’s core strategy for the past five years.

“We like to think of ourselves as being the experts in that area because of our company heritage and because of our specialism in the boys’ categories,” says Nic. “In the collectible kidult area, we now offer in excess of 50 different properties to our collector channel. When we lose kids to video games, what we try to do is get them back again by producing more sophisticated collectible action figures at higher price points, specifically made with this older age group in mind. We are starting to work with mass retailers to educate them on what the big properties are and how they resonate in the market.”

Marketing for kidult products pretty much takes care of itself with collectors sharing news and

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promoting their collectibles among fellow fans. “It’s more about creating the best product and putting it in the best place,” explains Nic. “The audience is so engaged that the result is community-based marketing. It’s a very different profile to traditional kids’ advertising.”

Other successful gaming product ranges at Bandai include Animal Crossing, and Nic says there is more to come in the near future. “We are also a video games company in one of the different business verticals and so we use the skills, experience and knowledge of that sector to further our overall understanding and growth in the market,” he tells Toy World.

Another company which has seen the growth of Anime among other categories is pop culture collectibles specialist Funko. As marketing manager Chris Barnett explains: “While blockbuster releases and popular content drops always keep the fans coming back to Funko, it is the unpenetrated genres where the sharpest growth is being seen. Categories such as Anime, Gaming, Music and Sport are gaining in popularity, as consumers increasingly look to demonstrate their fandom in these areas.”

It's these changing cultures and keeping the finger

Feature

Action Figures & Collectibles Jazwares - Roblox Mystery Figures

on the pulse of the collectibles category which has been the source of Funko’s success, with the company releasing an incredible 75 to 100 new products every week. With the launch of numerous streaming services and the backlog of film releases due to the pandemic, the rate of content being offered has never been so great, and Funko says it is perfectly placed to react to this influx of demand for pop culture collectibles.

Exclusives have always played a big part in Funko’s brand identity and offering in the collectibles market and Chris says there is a growing trend amongst fans to secure exclusives and limited-edition collectibles for their collection, as this can provide a point of difference which can be shared and celebrated among fan groups across social media. Funko has tapped into this trend further by expanding the licenced offering on one of its newest form factors – Vinyl Soda – which have a limited production run and offer a one in six chance of finding a Chase variant, further adding to the exclusivity and collectability of the range.

With more consumers returning to the High Street after two long years, Funko is taking up more opportunities to engage with its fans in person, in the form of ‘retailtainment’, bespoke Funko shop-in-shops and the return of physical events such as Comic Con, which have always been part of Funko’s DNA. Social channels also play a big part. “By delivering all the latest news and upcoming product releases, we have seen our followers grow by over 80% over the last two years, with no signs of slowing down any time soon,” adds Chris.

A.B.Gee has recently been announced an official distribution partner of Funko in a deal which will include the Pop! Vinyl range. “The Pop! Vinyl is a collector icon that we can’t wait to offer to our customers,” says A.B.Gee buyer, Dave Wright. “With the huge growth we’re seeing in the kidult sector, this will be an amazing addition to our portfolio.”

Also tapping into the strength of an engaged fan community, Mattel’s WWE Basic Action Figure Series is the longest-running continuous action figure assortment in history. This year’s Mattel range lets kids (and big kids) recreate favourite matches with the 6-inch WWE Basic Figure Assortment in Superstar scale. The range also includes the WWE Elite Collection; highly detailed action figures for kids and collectors to play out memorable WWE moments. A new segment, WWE vehicles has expanded the WWE play pattern, with support from WWE in the form of

content integration into the weekly episodes of Raw and SmackDown.

Mattel is also expecting success from its new Lightyear collection, which includes action figures, play sets and vehicles. The combination of an established character in an original movie should translate to wide ranging demand. Disney’s Josh Silverman comments: “With Lightyear, there is an incredible opportunity to celebrate everyone’s favourite space ranger, along with a new cast of characters, through new and exciting toys, play experiences and more.”

Holly Oldham, managing director, UK & Nordics at Jazwares says a successful action figure and collectible line has to reflect the depth of the characters within the property, so frequent refresh is key. “For key brands such as Pokémon, Fortnite and AEW, we keep the line fresh with new waves dropping for key scales every few weeks,” she explains. Holly tells us that consumers want action figures to be 100% true to life and authentic, which means Jazwares has to be meticulous about detail; its AEW wrestling figures featuring 25 points of articulation and real 3D scanned faces to ensure true likeness.

Innovation, she adds, is also key, as shown by the huge success Jazwares has seen with its Roblox line.

Collectability is driven with unique codes that unlock exclusive in-game items, connecting physical and virtual gameplay. “The community loves this, and we have a huge redemption rate at 60%,” she tells Toy World. The video game space remains important for Jazwares with its strong portfolio which, along with Roblox and Fortnite, contains other robust properties such as Minecraft, Sonic the Hedgehog, Street Fighter and Halo. “Video game brands are always on, with gamers playing and consuming gaming content for hours every week,” says Holly. “This constant brand consumption naturally leads to product demand.”

Now in its fifth year at retail. Roblox is seeing incredible results and Jazwares’ mystery figure collectibles are a consistent top item. Fortnite remains very strong too and the 4-inch solo mode line remains a top performing SKU, with continuous refreshes to satisfy collectors. Jazwares has had an incredible year with Pokémon, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2021, and Holly says that 2022 is proving to be just as successful for its figure and collectible line-up, which is being supported by a robust marketing campaign.

Video gaming has also been a huge driver for sales

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at Click Distribution, which has had a phenomenal 18 months with its range of collectibles based on Piggy, the multiplayer, survival-horror game, created by MiniToon. The company is looking for even bigger success with its new line-up under Roblox’s Pet Simulator X game brand, which launches this month.

“Pet Simulator X is likely to be the biggest brand in our company’s history,” says Click’s UK sales and operations director Lewi Hillier. This will be followed

by Poppy Playtime, Yu-Gi Oh! and a range of Five Nights at Freddy’s Security Breach SKUs. Lewi believes Click’s success with its action figure and collectibles brands is the added value they provide. “Things like DLC (downloadable content) codes have worked incredibly well for us over the past couple of years,” he adds. Content is also driving sales and Lewi explains that it’s vitally important t keep a steady, reliable flow of information coming through.

“It’s no secret that kids’ TV is seeing a shift in viewing habits and much of kids’ viewing is now driven by on-demand content,” he says. “YouTube is leading the way across both genders and all kids’ age groups, and also offers greater optimisation opportunities, content targeting and creative flexibility.”

One of the sector’s latest developments will bring the beloved characters of the Cooltopia ecosystem into the physical world. Cool Cats, producers of the widely known Cool Cats and Cool Pets NFT collections has joined forces with Toikido to bring the Cooltopia universe to life at retail, marking the debut of yet another source of brands that can lend themselves to the development of toys. “Toys, plush and premium merch have been a continual ask from the community since early on,” says Cool Cats co-founder Evan Luza.

“We’re stoked to be able to work with the right partner who can ensure we’re delivering the calibre of goodies to our community that they deserve.”

Toikido has made a name for itself based on its ability to reach shelves quickly. The company created, manufactured and distributed the official line of Among Us products to over 100 global retailers in less than six months. Among Us currently represents the top new property across total Action Figures & Accessories this year, according to NPD, once again demonstrating the strength of video game properties in this part of the toy market.

Over the next few pages, Toy World gives a roundup of some of the latest action figures and collectibles hitting the shelves.

Action Figures & Collectibles

Mattel 01628 500 000

| www.mattel.com

As master toy licensee for this year’s summer blockbusters Jurassic World Dominion and Disney Pixar’s Lightyear, which both hit the big screen this month, Mattel is offering an exciting line up of action toys that will allow fans to recreate the action from the movies at home.

For Jurassic World Dominion, the toy range features authentic true to movie look, action scale, scan-able tags and AR fun – such as in the large Sound Slashin' Therizinosaurus action figure, featuring huge claws, sound effects and lunging and chomp action.

The range also includes the Thrash 'N Devour Tyrannosaurus Rex, with a cool look, moveable joints, realistic sounds and exciting movements. The Super Colossal Giganotosaurus is an extra-large dinosaur figure that is more than 3ft in length and can gobble up smaller figures. The Jurassic World Wild Pack dinosaurs have movable joints for pose and play battle fun and figures include herbivores and carnivores with realistic sculpting and authentic decoration To support Disney and Pixar's Lightyear, the Disney Pixar Lightyear Laser Blade Buzz Lightyear Figure is an authentic, detailed figure standing at 11.5-inches and featuring lights and sounds inspired by the movie. Buzz, in his Space Ranger Alpha suit, has 13 posable joints. The range also includes the Disney Pixar Lightyear Zurg figure, which also has 13 moveable joints and stands at 10 inches.

Kids can also enjoy the excitement of Lightyear with the 20-inch Disney Pixar Lightyear Blast & Battle XL-15 Vehicle with Buzz Lightyear pilot. It comes with buttonactivated projectile shooters on both sides, four projectiles, a flip-up cockpit cover and pop-down landing gear. There’s also the Disney Pixar Lightyear Laser Blade DX toy as seen in the movie. Inspired by the vine slashing blade used by Buzz and his team, the 16-inch sword-like blade emits a blue light and makes sounds.

Along with its movie portfolio Mattel continues to strengthen its Action Toys portfolio from popular brands WWE, Minecraft and Masters of the Universe.

With the WWE figure assortment, kids can recreate favourite matches with the 6-inch action figures in Superstar scale. The Wrekkin ATV features real rolling wheels and six breakaway pieces, and includes a 6-inch Big E basic action figure with 10 points of articulation, TrueFX enhanced facial detailing for life-like authenticity, and realistic ring gear. Fans can extend play with the new colourway of the WWE Wrekkin Slam Mobile which comes with The Rock Figure.

New to the Mattel Minecraft toy range is the Minecraft Transforming Turtle Hideout Playset: a turtle which transforms into a play set with four action levels and is made from a minimum of 20% recycled ocean-bound plastic.

The Mattel Minecraft range also includes the Minecraft Fireball Ghast Figure, based on the hostile Minecraft video game mob, which comes with 10 red fireball discs that players load into the Ghast. There are also Minecraft 8-inch plush figures inspired by favourite characters from the video game universe.

Mattel continues to grow its Masters of the Universe action figures line that pays homage to the original vintage toys from the 1980s, adding new characters to the line of Origins Core figures, each with 12 points of articulation. The Masterverse collection of 7-inch action figures includes characters such as He-Man and Skeletor, with 30 points of articulation. New for 2022 are toys inspired by the animated Netflix series, He-Man and The Masters of the Universe, including Core figures, Battle Cat and Power Sword where fans and collectors can recreate favourite scenes or recreate new adventures.

Vivid Goliath 01483 449944 | www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk Sustainability is at the forefront for Recyclings, a new launch to the collectibles sector which is a range made from 70% recycled plastic, stopping five bottle caps going into landfill for each character made.

Winner of a Toy Fair Hero Toys 2022 award, the Recyclings Collector Cap Pack includes one surprise Recyclings which is revealed when the cap is twisted. They can be used as a pencil top, played with and collected with over 90 eco-friendly characters available, from Dumplings to Dragons, Hotdogs to Handbags and Popcorn to Pandas.

The rest of the innovative range includes value-saving multipack styles with the 4-Pack & Collector 9-Pack allowing fans to expand their collection further, all in 100% recycled packaging. AW 2022 sees refreshes of the core lines and introductions of a play set and other recycled friends to encourage everyone to help save the planet.

Alongside a heavyweight TV campaign showcasing the range, a network of parent influencers will review and share Recyclings social posts to their audiences. The YouTube channel continues to be bolstered with a range of engaging content and is quickly approaching the 2m view mark.

The channel will continue to expand online and showcase a mixture of music videos and animated comedy shorts, the latest video answering the age-old question; does pineapple belong on pizza? The content will allow kids to learn more about their Recyclings characters and their personalities with new content landing every month.

Harry Potter Minifigures saw their highest ever sales across ’21 and will move through to Series 7 in September 2022. The Harry Potter range will be bolstered by two new lines, the Collectible Snitch and a series of Collectible Wands which are made from 100% recycled plastic. With over 18 to collect, the wands are modelled on the Wizarding World’s characters’ own wands, with a limited-edition Harry Potter wand the star of the collection.

In the pre-school aisle, 1 in 3 kids in the UK now own a Ryan’s World toy and 2021 saw the strongest year yet in sales, up 17%+ year on year. Moving into Series 9 for AW 2022, there will be more introductions across the core range plus new theme, Titan Universe, which includes a limited edition collection of heroic Ryan’s World figures and those all-important Eggs as well as a transforming Treasure Chest.

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AVAILABLE JULY 2022 ©2020 Studio Dice/SHUEISHA, TV TOKYO, KONAMI

YuGiOhCardEU www.yugioh-card.com/uk

*Date subject to change

Action Figures & Collectibles

Flair 0208 643 0320

| www.flairplc.co.uk | sales@flairplc.co.uk

Flair has a host of action figures and collectible lines to keep kids (and adult collectors) entertained this year.

Launching for AW22 are the collectible Action Heroes: interchangeable figures which have pop and swap head and body pieces and double-sided faces. Children can mix and match the pieces to create new combinations, so the more figures they collect, the more characters they can create.

With play sets and action vehicles also available in the range, collectors can build their own Action Heroes worlds and there are two themes to collect: police force and dinosaurs.

With Flair’s MonsterVerse collection, fans can look forward to a raft of new characters and SKUs to collect, as well as a fresh new packaging look. This summer will see the launch of the Deluxe Transforming Godzilla and King Kong Figures which are inspired by technology that will be incorporated into future MonsterVerse content. New for AW22 is the Toho Classic 6.5-inch Shin Godzilla and a brand-new concept for the range - the City Battle Diorama and Figures Set. Meanwhile, Battle Cubes is introducing some healthy competition to the collectibles aisle.

Kids can use the licensed battle cubes to challenge their opponents to a rock-paper-scissors fight with a twist. To play, players choose their secret attack before opponents launch their battle cubes; the winning cube will capture the loser with patented transformational technology. The range launched this March with two licensed versions - Marvel Spider-Man and Marvel Avengers – and 48 tokens to collect, exchange and build a unique mini puzzle.

Flair is also home to Playmates Toys’ TMNT figures, and this year will see the reintroduction of retro line, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1993 Toon Figures. Just like the original figures that were released in 1993, all Toon Turtles have a fun action feature, are fully articulated and come with their signature weapons and pretend pizza. All four brothers - Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo - are packed in a fun, retro TV inspired collectors’ pack.

Schleich 01279 870000 | www.schleich-s.com/en

| schleich@schleich.co.uk

January saw Schleich’s fantastical Eldrador Creatures range further enriched with a new creature joining each of the four worlds - the Stone Dragon with movable jaw and rotating tail, Jungle Emperor with rotating head and moveable lower body and arms, the Ice Tiger and the Lava Tiger.

July will see the brand introduce a new, fifth world, The Shadow World with three new products added to the collection – the Shadow Wolf, Shadow Lion and Shadow Dragon with flexible wings, all of which feature transparent purple crystals.

Launching in October, and available as an FSDU, will be the Eldrador Master Robot with Mini Creature. The robot features flexible arms and a fully rotating upper body, a secret openable storage compartment in his chest and a cannon with shooting function as well as removable transparent crystals. Fans can simply pop their mini creatures into his cockpit and attack.

Also adding to the collectible concept and following the success of Eldrador Mini Creatures, Series 2 will launch in September, featuring 13 new Mini Creatures including a rare golden Mini Hero. Available in a blind bag complete with a small collector’s poster, fans can stack the creatures up into a pyramid before toppling them over, or put them in to the cockpit of the Master Robot. Series 3 will then follow on in December with 16 new Mini Creatures accompanied by four new Shadow Robots, one for each world.

The franchise will receive extensive marketing support including TV and digital advertising, PR and magazine covermount sampling.

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Figures

Playsets

Plush ©2022 Pokémon. TM, ® Nintendo.

Roleplay

Electronics

Action Figures & Collectibles

Character Options 01616 339 800 | www.character-online.com sales@charactergroup.plc.uk Character Options is to unleash a whole new play pattern for its award-winning Heroes of Goo Jit Zu range - Goo Shifters.

The Heroes of Goo Jit Zu characters are back, embarking on a new journey to discover the secrets within them.

Each Goo Shifters figure features a special hidden core. Kids can find the core and crush the core to power up their Goo Jit Zu hero and watch their goo transformation.

The latest series offers seven new figures to collect. Each has a unique hidden core to discover and explore, aligning the range perfectly with the growing ASMR toy trend, and the limited-edition Corruptagon has an epic light-up feature.

The Goo Shifter theme continues with supersized Rockjaw and Thrash Primal Packs. These larger 8.5” characters feature chomp attack jaws and hidden Goo Shifter cores. There will also be a Goo Shifter Versus Pack to collect, in which Shadow Orbs Scorpius takes on Liquid Gold Pantaro.

Heroes of Goo Jit Zu is now sold in more than 50 territories and benefits from the regular addition of new core themes, major licences and extensive marketing support.

Simba Smoby Toys UK 01620 674 778 | www.simba-dickie-group.de/en |

sales@simbasmoby.com

The year sees Jada Toys launch the latest Batmobile to join its Hollywood Rides range. The ultimate must-have for Batman fans, The Batman 1:32 Scale is a perfect replica of the Dark Crusader’s latest set of wheels. The 1:32 scale die-cast vehicle comes with a scaled Batman metal figure. The latest addition brings the total number of Jada Toys 1:32 scale Batmobile with Batman packs to collect to seven: each is modelled on one of Batman’s on-screen appearances.

Jada’s Hollywood Rides range also plays host to other iconic properties including Back to the Future, Scooby Doo and Jurassic Park, among others. An evergreen best-seller is the 1:32 scale Fast & Furious range, which includes detailed replicas of popular cars from the eight-film, multi-billiondollar franchise, as well as the latest additions from Hobbs & Shaw.

Perfect for kids and kidult collectors, the Majorette range of die-cast vehicles is small in size but big on detail. This premium range of 3” scale cars boasts opening doors, suspension, transparent front lights and accurate interiors. The collection is available to retailers as a 36-piece CDU containing a variety of 18 cars which make a popular pocket money purchase. The Majorette collection comprises a strong portfolio of licensed cars to collect, including Mercedes, Lamborghini, Audi, Porsche and Volvo, and this year will see the addition of exciting new themes including Italian Dream Cars and Best of British.

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TOYS COMING SOON!

TM

© 2022 EnchantedMob, Inc.

Brand Profile

WWE

The main event As Cardiff prepares to welcome the first WWE UK stadium show in 30 years, Sam Giltrow chats to WWE’s Vice President of Licensing & Retail Consumer Products, Carl Lawrence, to find out what the big event will mean for the brand, and toy retailers.

A

lmost a $1b global brand at retail, WWE is a heavyweight when it comes to licences, and it’s sure to get even bigger in the UK with the staging of the first UK stadium show in 30 years.

Taking place on 3rd September at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, WWE Clash at The Castle is set to attract viewers from around 1b households worldwide and follows the hugely successful SummerSlam 1992,

held at Wembley Stadium.

Three decades on and the evergreen brand has amassed many new viewers, while also holding the appeal of the many fans who have continued to follow WWE action over the years.

“It’s very much a diverse and generational audience – many adults are now bringing their children into the franchise,” says Carl Lawrence, VP of Licensing & Retail Consumer Products – International, WWE.

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He tells Toy World that a staggering 59,000 fans signed up within 24 hours of the opening of the pre-sale ticket registration in April and is predicting a “real buzz” when WWE takes over Cardiff city centre for the event.

WWE Clash at the Castle, which will be broadcast live worldwide, will feature all of the top WWE Superstars including the British contingent, led by Scottish WWE Superstar and the 1st ever British WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre.

Although there has not been a big stadium show in the UK for 30 years, there have still been continuous live tours across the UK and Europe. In addition, Carl describes WWE as a “content powerhouse”, with programming running 52 weeks a year. “The September event will bring a moment to the UK fanbase that will elevate us and give us more reach than ever before,” he adds.

Over the past couple of years, the TV landscape has changed in the UK and WWE is now shown on Channel 5’s free-to-air 5ACTION on week nights and weekend morning slots, while BT Sport continues to offer the wider live programming. Carl says: “Those changes have really brought a new audience to WWE, it’s now more accessible to everyone in the country.”

WWE also has more than 1b social media followers across 16 platforms, with WWE being the second mostwatched sports brand in the world across social media platforms, behind only the UEFA Champions League.

YouTube has also been powerful in driving content, with WWE the seventh most viewed YouTube channel in the world, with more than 66b lifetime views.

It is this huge, dedicated following which has made the brand so strong, and helped it amass more than 100 licensees in consumer products, including a strong presence in the toy category.

Mattel has been WWE global master toy partner for over 10 years and last October the company announced a multi-year extension of its global master toy licensing agreement with WWE, including exclusive rights around action figures, action figure accessories and kids’ toy title Championships.

Since 2009, Mattel and WWE have developed a diverse portfolio of toys which are currently available in more than 50 global markets, and WWE Action Figures have ranked as the number one action figure property in the US and consistently hold a top ranking around the world.

Carl says Mattel has experienced huge growth with its range of action figures and collectibles, particularly in the last two years, as has Funko which produces its collectible Pop! and Pop! T-shirts with mini Pop! across a mixture of legends and current talent, featuring key moments in WWE history.

“Mattel and Funko really have had impressive growth in the last two years,” said Carl. “You can’t beat how a child can watch WWE and its storyline and then recreate that in toy format. WWE has this amazing connection between the show itself and how you can re-enact that in play patterns.”

“Funko is proud to partner with WWE in bringing fans a constantly renewing catalogue of their favourite WWE Superstars and Legends. We’ve seen encouraging growth in our line of WWE Pop! offerings at Funko and we’re excited to see the continuing evolution of our partnership in the coming years,” Lucy Salisbury, senior Licensing manager EMEA at Funko, tells Toy World.

Carl adds that some of the recent success of Mattel with WWE has come from its extended play pattern. “It’s historically been action figures and a ring purchase, but we’ve introduced vehicles these past couple of years . We have integrated these vehicles into storylines, followed by the toy release.”

The toy vehicles started with a Slam Mobile, a red car which was put into the WWE storyline with one of the Superstars tearing it apart as part of the show. This has now been followed with recreations of a motorcycle, “slambulance” and quad bike, which can all be torn apart and put back together.

This month will also see Panini launch its first WWE sticker collection, with over 400 stickers, to be distributed by Click Distribution. This will be followed with a trading card collection set to launch in August, timed for the September stadium show.

“We have aspired to become a WWE licensing partner for a long time, and so we are extremely excited to be able to deliver to fans around the world an extended publishing programme,” said Panini Group licensing director Peter Warsop.

Carl says the pandemic has not hindered WWE’s growth. In fact it has had quite the opposite effect, as WWE managed to carry on producing content even in the height of lockdown, with filming taking place in the WWE Thunderdome, a bio-secure bubble with fans able to attend virtually.

There are nearly 250 WWE Superstars across the four main programmes - Raw, SmackDown, NXT 2.0 and

NXT UK. WWE also recently announced an American collegiate development programme, NIL, to find the best talent from across different sports. This, Carl says, ensures that WWE maintains its freshness, which is vital to keep fans coming back for more and ensuring its popularity.

We ask Carl what it is about WWE that makes it so popular with fans. “It’s the storyline element of the property,” he explains. “WWE is all about storytelling – it’s the protagonist and the antagonist and it’s no different to a movie or TV series, only with the conflicts settled in a ring. It’s the theatre, it’s the drama, it’s the entrance walks, the music, the whole atmosphere and not knowing what’s going to happen. It’s also falling in love with a character, whether they are a goodie or a baddie.”

Following the pandemic, WWE returned to live events in the UK in September and November last year with 12 shows across the two tours. It has also restarted character events at toy shops and recently took WWE Superstar Shinsuke Nakamura to Smyths Toys Charlton in London to meet and greet fans. “It’s great to be able to do these character visits again for the fans,” says Carl.

Mattel has produced a new Rig (truck) as a Smyths Toys exclusive, and WWE is planning on having a lifesize Rig outside the Principality Stadium in September with talent available for meet and greets. “There will be a real buzz and a Cardiff takeover ,” enthuses Carl. “We are taking over the whole city, and it will be a chance to see WWE as its peak for the first time in 30 years. We can’t wait.”

Support for retailers WWE supports its partners at retail in multiple ways: by helping to pitch for product listings, providing POS, giving access to WWE Superstars and supporting with many of the WWE touch points, including social and digital support.

“We continually update retail displays with our extensive asset bank, creating best in class displays which can be seen in many retailers such as Smyths Toys, The Entertainer, B&M and Midco Toys - we do our utmost to support everyone,” says Carl Lawrence, vice president of Licensing & Retail Consumer Products – International, WWE. “We believe we go above and beyond to support both our licensees and retailers and offer vital support to the trade.”

B&M

Midco

During the recent WWE Live shows that took place in the UK in Newcastle on 28th April and London on 29th April, fans at Smyths Toys had the chance to meet WWE Superstars for the first time since the pandemic. Despite some strict Covid regulations, both stores had over 200 fans queuing for a photo and autograph.

The Entertainer

It provides access to over 250 WWE Superstars by providing meet and greets in stores, video call competitions and piece to cameras showcasing product. It can also provide competition tickets to the WWE Live events, so consumers have their chance to attend a live show. WWE also provides access to its social channels, including both WWE’s main page and WWE Superstar accounts.

Smyths

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Brand Profile

WWE

Mattel and WWE look forward to another great year in 2023

M

attel has enjoyed a rich and long-standing relationship with WWE since 2009, with the partnership producing a diverse and exciting portfolio of toys, which is seeing strong year on year growth. Mattel’s WWE Basic Action Figure Series is the longest-running continuous action figure assortment in history, and the brand has received impressive support from retailer partners across the board, from the specialist channel to the grocers, as well as online.

With WWE Clash at the Castle coming to Cardiff, Wales this September, the momentum continues to build.

Michael Hick, vice president and general manager for Mattel, explains: “We have an amazing history with WWE and were delighted when our licensing agreement was extended in October last year. As a global licensing partner, we have created a collection that surprises and delights fans, bringing the WWE Superstars to life through action figures, as well as action figure accessories and kids’ toy title championships.”

This year’s Mattel range allows fans to bring home the action with its WWE Figure Assortment. Kids can play out their favourite matches in Superstar scale with the 6-inch WWE Basic Figure Assortment. The range also includes the WWE Elite Collection; highly detailed action figures for kids and collectors to reimagine memorable WWE moments. Each highly articulated Superstar figure features True FX technology and authentic ring gear with iconic accessories.

WWE vehicles have been a new segment since the Wrekkin Slam Mobile launched in 2018, adding more variety and fun to the WWE play pattern. Since the successful launch, multiple vehicles have followed, with support from WWE in the form of content

integration into the weekly episodes of Raw and SmackDown. Real life versions of the Slam Mobile, Slambulance, Slam Cycle and, most recently, the Wrekkin ATV have all featured in WWE programming, alongside top WWE Superstars such as Drew McIntyre, Big E & Randy Orton.

This year, fans can drive or destroy the Wrekkin ATV, which has real rolling wheels and breakaway pieces and includes a 6-inch Big E basic action figure with 10 points of articulation, TrueFX enhanced facial detailing for life-like authenticity and realistic ring gear. Fans can extend the Wrekkin play with the new colourway of the WWE Wrekkin Slam Mobile which comes with The Rock figure. More fresh product will launch in autumn/winter, including a brand new figure series and Wrekkin Rig playset for fans to wreak havoc and recreate iconic scenes.

Michael continues: “We are really excited about the upcoming WWE Clash at the Castle stadium event in Cardiff, Wales.

This is a fantastic way to connect with the WWE Universe and the excitement that the event brings for the brand is a great opportunity for retailers to get behind the WWE toy range.

Toy World 60

We will be creating best in class retail activities to take advantage of this moment with our retail partners.”

WWE gives unprecedented access to its Superstars, including bespoke content as well as in person retailer activations. With tickets for WWE Live shows and both virtual and physical meet and greets, the brand works to bring the full WWE experience to retailers and fans in a fun and creative way.

Mattel will be utilising all these tools to exploit the brand to its full potential with exciting and dynamic marketing plans to capitalise on WWE Clash at the Castle, including in game video and YouTube, plus some break frame retailer activations such as increased dynamic, premium retail space and even a life- sized Rig.

Action Figures & Collectibles

Click Distribution 0330 123 2559 | click@clickdistributionuk.com Pet Simulator X is currently the top earning game on the Roblox platform and, this June, Click Distribution will bring the gameplay to life with the launch of Mystery Pets collectibles - collectible plush and exclusive bundles all based around the latest instalment of Pet Simulator X. This range will be supported by hard-hitting campaigns across YouTube, kids’ TV and social media.

This year also sees the launch of the highly anticipated master toy for Yu-Gi-Oh! and Click will be introducing Yu-Gi-Oh! action figures, plush, mini figures, collector bundles and electronic role play items featuring accessories and exclusive trading cards. All lines will once again be supported by an extensive marketing campaign across YouTube, kids’ TV and social media from launch.

Piggy continues to go from strength to strength and the game now has over 10b+ plays and is a top five game on the entire Roblox platform. Piggy Intercity releases this month and a further six chapters will be released throughout 2022. This AW22, the product offering will grow with all new action figures, plush, mini figures, head bundles and construction sets.

Poppy Playtime has quickly become one of the biggest games of the year and Click, together with its partner PhatMojo, will launch the official master toy range for AW22. The survival horror video game launched in October 2021 with the mobile game released in March 2022 and currently trending as the number one puzzle game on IOS. Poppy Playtime’s second chapter will be hitting screens and shelves soon.

Panini’s Premier League Collection is maintaining the top spot in the UK, and Premier League Score, Panini’s first ever UK dedicated hobby product for Premier League, has also been a success since hitting the shelves. Last month saw the launch of the highly anticipated Warhammer Sticker Collection followed by all new Minecraft, Fortnite, WWE, Harry Potter and the Lightyear Movie collections launching this month. There will also be the launch of the highly anticipated Women’s Euro 2022 Sticker Collection, to coincide with the football tournament being held here in the UK. Rounding off an incredible year will be the Official FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Collections.

Magic Box Toys 01293 222 500 | www.magicboxint.com

| sales@magicbox-toys.co.uk

Zooming onto the mini vehicle scene in July is Magic Box Toy’s T-Racers, a collectible, constructible, vehicle brand that lets kids design and build their own cars. Each T-Racer is made up of five different parts, including a driver, which can be mixed and matched.

With its innovative play pattern and interchangeability, kids can collect 16 T-Racers vehicles to unlock over 500 vehicle combinations. The Fire and Ice vehicles, with their special crystal effect detailing, will be highly sought after. Kids can also take on the challenge of racing their T-Racers wheels thanks to the many play sets available. A wide choice of sets across multiple price points includes the XRacer Turbo Truck and Dragon Loop.

Magic Box also invites kids to take a trip to Kaboom City, home of the SuperThings, where for autumn/winter the SuperThings Rescue Force will rally to defend Kaboom City’s residents from the villains that lurk in the shadows.

Central to the action will be the six new super-powered Kazoom Kids, plus two mighty new Superbots. The Kazoom Kid capsules come with an articulated super-powered Kazoom Kid figure, while the Superbots bring either their heroic or villainous energy to the fore. To be ready for the battle of good versus evil, each Superbot needs to be piloted by a SuperThing or Kazoom Kid: children simply open the front of the Superbot and place the exclusive figure that comes with it into the cockpit.

Any SuperThings launch would be incomplete without an array of pocket money collectibles. The 80+ Rescue Force SuperThings are available to find as 1-packs, each with its own unique special power. Also launching are 12 Kazoom Rescue Jets, winged mini-vehicles that come with their own SuperThing pilot.

SuperDinos and a Rescue Truck play set add to the excitement with light and sound effects, and each comes with exclusive characters.

Magic Box Toys believes in placing maximum investment behind its brands, so both SuperThings and T-Racers will benefit from heavyweight TV and digital advertising. Highly entertaining YouTube webisodes will introduce the characters and adventures within each brand, and active PR campaigns and social activity are planned throughout the season.

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some of the new figures available this year

for the complete list, contact us using the details below

@mojofuneu Mojo Figurines www.mojofun.co.uk

Available June 2022

MOJO FUN LIMITED 2 The Chapel, Scout Road, Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire HX7 5HQ Tel: 01422 413674 Mob: 07971 268054 sales@mojofun.co.uk

Action Figures & Collectibles

Mojo Fun 01422 413 674 sales@mojofun.co.uk Although still relatively new to the UK figure market, Mojo Fun has been manufacturing figures since 2009 in Hong Kong and for the past three years has experienced yearly double-digit sales growth.

New releases for 2022 have a distinctly UK feel with the launch of the iconic British Bulldog, Barn Owl, Peregrin Falcon and a Golden Eagle. In addition, there is a new Woolly Mammoth which will complement the updated Smilodon which was released in 2021.

Joining the extensive range of horses already available is a Lusitano in both Bay and White colourways, a Tinker Stallion and wild horses from Australia, the Brumby Mare and Stallion. Completing the line up are a Red Panda, Fennec Fox, Arctic Wolf, Tasmanian Devil and a Perentie Lizard, all of which will be available for immediate dispatch in July.

The figurines are hand-crafted and capture the spirit and personality of every animal. Every figurine is designed and hand-sculpted in the UK, before being expertly hand-painted by the production team using quality materials that ensure the highest global safety standards are exceeded.

Despite the ongoing supply chain problems, Mojo Fun has the full range available with good depth of stock. A variety of free POS material can also be supplied to enhance on shelf appeal in store.

Bandai UK 020 8324 6160 | www.bandai.co.uk Celebrating its 40th year in business, and with its foundations steeped firmly in the boys’ action figure market, Bandai UK continues to invest in the category via its portfolio of leading IPs and distribution lines.

Bandai brings one of the most successful manga and anime series of all time to life with its extensive range of Dragon Ball action figures. The range includes everything from super-sized Limit Breaker figures to 4” Flash Series collectibles. Dragon Stars, key collectibles perfect for the avid enthusiast, benefits from a continuation of new character waves introduced throughout the year. These highly detailed and poseable 17cm figures come with 17 or more points of articulation and can be posed in over 9,000 positions for both play and display. Each figure also comes with a second set of hands and/or accessories for extended play value. With over 50 styles to collect, the range offers an extensive collection for both adult and younger fans. A new Dragon Ball 4” Flash Series launches with five highly and intricately detailed 4” character figures complete with three points of articulation and a collectible coin which can be used as a figure stand to accommodate both play and display options.

Continued development of the highly articulated Evolve Action Figures and epic Limit Breakers Figures brings mass audience appeal to the Dragon Ball property. While the Evolve collection offers a sub £10 entry price-point, the Limit Breakers are chunky, durable action figures, perfect for smaller hands and action role-play.

Launching for the autumn/winter period, a range of highly detailed action figures and play sets based on the classic Star Trek Universe will be available in the UK market.

The range includes 5” collectible character figures plus a 21” scale version of the iconic Starship Enterprise. With a new live-action theatrical release planned for 2023, the collection is set to appeal to existing fans and a new generation of enthusiasts.

As distributor for McFarlane Toys, Bandai offers an exciting range of classic and current properties for the High Target Collector, plus high quality, playable action figures and toys with mass market appeal. New lines for some of popular culture’s most iconic licences include DC Multiverse alongside My Hero Academia and The Witcher. A range of 7” ultra-articulated, highly detailed character figures, Build-A-Figures, 12” figures and vehicles offers wide choice at varying price points. A new cross-brand 5” action figure collection also offers fans of Naruto Evolve, Gundam Infinity, Avatar and My Hero Academia an entry level option.

The Chibi Masters miniature collectible figures span some of the world’s most popular anime properties including My Hero Academia and Demon Slayer. With new wave and character releases planned, the sub-£10 RRP makes for the perfect pick-up purchase for any anime enthusiast. Banpresto, the ultimate anime statue line from Bandai, includes a variety of characters at differing scales and price points, while the 6” Anime Heroes action figure collection is a must for fans of the genre with new characters on display from the Naruto Series and One Piece.

Toy World 64

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Action Figures & Collectibles

Jazwares 020 3598 5119 | www.jazwares.com In the action figures and collectibles category, Jazwares has an extensive portfolio of the world's biggest entertainment and gaming brands including Pokémon, Fortnite, Roblox, Halo and All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

The Pokémon brand continues to grow every year, and Jazwares’ action figure and collectible line-up for 2022 includes multipacks and new seasonal and select figures for collectors. Fans can also look forward to a refresh of the 6-inch Select Articulated figures and in-scale figure Multipacks featuring fan-favourite characters. Jazwares will also launch refreshed plush and new lines within the electronics and roleplay categories. One of this year’s key drivers is Flame & Flight Charizard, which features motion-activated lights, authentic sounds, movements and an included 2-inch Pikachu figure with a launcher for training. Carry Case Playsets are perfect for on-the-go fun with accompanying figures. The line will be supported by TV, digital, influencer, PR, experiential, and retail campaigns throughout 2022.

Expanding digital gaming beyond the screen into physical play, Jazwares will be launching refreshes to the Solo Mode 4-inch action figure line along with the new Master Grade 4-inch action figure line, a collector-focused offering with enhanced features including lights and removable armour. New figures will also be dropping within The Micro Legendary Fortnite series of 2.5-inch action figures. Both action figure scales are offered with an extensive line of accompanying vehicles and play sets, including the Durr Burger Food Truck and Micro POI (Point of Interest) Sets. Through the continually evolving 4-inch action figure universe and the new 2.5-inch range, Jazwares is expanding collectability to help fans build out the world of Fortnite.

The ever-evolving Roblox metaverse is brought to life by Jazwares’ line and fans can build out their collections with refreshes to the best-selling Mystery Figures, Deluxe Mystery Packs, and Game Packs. New feature vehicles include the Jailbreak: Drone and Legends of Speed: Velocity Phantom. New play sets for 2022 include Welcome to Bloxburg and the Brookhaven Bank. Connecting physical play to the digital platform, every Roblox toy includes an exclusive redeemable item code.

The vast and incredible universe of the Halo franchise is ready to be explored with the 4-inch World of Halo, while the prestige and mystique of the UNSC’s larger-than-life heroes are brought to life with the 6.5-inch Spartan Collection. The iconic gaming sci-fi series can be further built out with game packs, vehicles, and environment sets. Every piece is authentically detailed and scaled to appear as they do in the Halo Infinite video game.

Since teaming up with AEW in 2020 for its first line of action figures and role-play collectibles, Jazwares has pushed the boundaries of design, detail and articulation for the wrestling brand. With the popular AEW Unrivaled and AEW Unmatched lines, fans have had the opportunity to collect their favourite stars in the form of action figures, featuring 25 points of articulation, real 3D scanned likenesses and a variety of accessories and ring wear authentically styled from AEW Dynamite and PPV events. This year, the AEW Unrivaled Collection will receive a complete refresh with even more wrestling stars making their action figure debut.

Toikido www.toikido.co.uk

| contact@toikido.com

Toikido’s collectible and action figure ranges continue to go from strength to strength with new introductions from AmongUs, Gang Beasts, Smighties, Cool Cats, Smashlings and more set to be announced in the coming months.

The AmongUs line will be expanding distribution into the grocers and will see a new wave of collectibles, limited edition action figures, feature figures with light and sound, and new sets for fans including an airship containing exclusive collectibles.

Later this year, Toikido will bring the bright, cute and colourful Smighties to market, with over 100 characters in the Smighties Universe to collect.

A range of collectible and interactive figures and a castle play set from the Smightyland will also be launched. Well supported with content on YouTube and in pack digital assets, the brand is set to bring a unique on-shelf experience to the toy aisle.

This summer, Toikido will launch the first products for video game Gang Beasts. The range captures the fun and humour from the game and includes keychains, collectibles, stretchy figures, plush and higher priced action figures, all supported with marketing across TV, social media and life size characters touring retail.

2023 will bring to market the first of Toikido’s inhouse IP launches in the form of Smashlings. More news on this launch is coming soon.

Toy World 66

For further details please contact max@heathside.biz | 01923 235 232

Action Figures & Collectibles

Hasbro 0208 569 1234 |

www.hasbro.co.uk

Hasbro has continued to build its action brand portfolio in 2022, with a slate of new content across Hasbro brands designed to engage crossgenerational action fans, supported by robust toy, game and merchandise programmes.

Following the return of Power Rangers Dino Fury Season 2, the new Power Rangers Dino Fury Dino Knight Morpher comes with lights and sounds and reacts to motion and direction. Users can point the Morpher in three different directions and unlock even more sounds with the included Dino Knight Key. Kids can discover the unique powers and skills of each Bumblebee Cyberverse Adventures character with the new Transformers Bumblebee Cyberverse Adventures figures. Transformers Smash Changers are also available; kids can convert the Optimus Prime figure from truck to robot mode in three steps by smashing and manually converting back to alt mode in 11 steps.

New from the licensed action brand portfolio is the Star Wars Mission Fleet Boba Fett Starship and 2.5-inch Figure Set which includes a Boba Fett action figure with fully poseable arms, legs and head, as well as design and detail inspired by The Book of Boba Fett live-action series. The Star Wars Mission Fleet Boba Fett Starship and 2.5-inch Figure Set features a gravity-defying rotating cockpit, fuselage opening and projectile ports to attach blasters. The set also includes two repositionable blasters, two projectiles, a handheld blaster accessory and an attachable jetpack accessory.

For Marvel enthusiasts, the new Spidey and His Amazing Friends Spider Crawl-R HQ Playset is a 2-in-1 mobile play set with lights and sounds which converts from a large-scale rolling vehicle into a 2ft tall HQ tower. When the playset is in HQ tower mode, kids can imagine planning missions at the command centre, staging a pretend show using the included instrument accessories and swinging on the web arm. By pulling out the ramp, the Spidey action figure can speed down on the included motorcycle. In vehicle mode, kids can eject the web bumper to knock troublemakers out of the way. Suitable for kids aged 3 and up, the set features lights, sounds and phrases inspired by the pre-school Marvel show and includes the converting vehicle play set, a poseable Spidey action figure, a motorcycle that the Spidey figure can ride and three musical accessory pieces.

Wow! Stuff 01902 390 428 | www.wowstuff.com MovieMates, launching first with the blockbuster franchise Jurassic World, is a range of collectible, highly detailed and articulated action figures and toys mounted on a nonremovable film rig that come with the free MovieMates app. Using the figure/s and the stop-motion app, kids and kidults can recreate movie scenes or make new ones of their own. MovieMates have been developed through a partnership with Aardman Studios, world leaders in stop-motion video and movie production, meaning kids and kidults can now use real movie brand assets in their own movie creations. ‘Make movies in 60 seconds’ is the premise with the easy-to-use toys and app.

MovieMates allows kids to show off their movie creations on social media without having to be the star of the show; their art, their movie is the star, and they are the producer and director.

The app can be used to create stunning full action dinosaur movements complete with official Jurassic World backgrounds, special FX sounds and stickers. Movie makers can then add backgrounds, sounds and visual effects to make their scenes pop. There are three MovieMates dinosaurs to collect, inspired by the upcoming Jurassic World Dominion film. MovieMates is made for ages 7 and up.

More Tier 1 licensed brands are also set to launch in MovieMates later in 2022 and in 2023.

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62388 Stranger Things Eleven

62394 Stranger Things Dustin

62396 Stranger Things Will

62395 Stranger Things Lucas

62398 Stranger Things Stevie

62397 Stranger Things Robin

55289 Jurassic World Atrociraptor (Ghost)

55294 Jurassic World Giganotosaurus

62222 Jurassic World T-Rex

55295 Jurassic World Owen Grady

55296 Jurassic World Claire Dearing

62225 Jurassic World Ellie Sattler

64254 Marvel Moon Knight

64257 Marvel Layla El-Faouly

58039 MHA Kyouka Jirou

58600 MHA Inasa Yoarashi

63948 Lightyear Buzz Lightyear

63950 Lightyear Izzy Hawthorne

64256 Marvel Khonshu

64255 Marvel Mister

58035 MHA Deku w/Gloves

58037 MHA Hawks

63951 Lightyear Sox

63952 Lightyear Zurg

64229 FNAF Bonnie (Tie-dye)

64231 FNAF Foxy (Tie-dye)

64230 FNAF Chica (Tie-dye)

63436 Spider-Man

63421 Stranger Things

60503 Ultimate Armory Mega Pack

60502 & 54444 Battle Ball

55150 Treachery at Twilight Mega Pack

64528 Rick and Morty

For More Information Contact: NewTradeEnquiries.EMEA@funko.com funkoeurope

@funkoeurope

funko_europe

Action Figures & Collectibles

Spin Master 01628 535 000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk Spin Master offers a great selection of action figures from a range of iconic brands including DC Batman and Wizarding World. With something for fans of all ages and interests, collectors can get their hands on a whole host of characters.

The Batman 12-inch movie and core action figures are the perfect choice for any fan looking to create their own epic Batman adventures, with each action figure featuring 11 points of articulation, a cloth cape and detailed movie styling to bring each character to life. DC enthusiasts can start their collection with action figures including Batman, Selina Kyle (Catwoman) and more. Also available are 4-inch movie action figures with accompanying mystery cards and three accessories.

Young witches, wizards and Muggles can recreate famous Harry Potter scenes with Spin Master’s collectible Wizarding World dolls. The Wizarding world 3-inch mini dolls are highly detailed, bringing a selection of beloved Harry Potter characters to life. There’s also a highly detailed 8-inch doll range featuring extra-long soft hair and five points of articulation. Fans can collect a cast of characters including Harry Potter, Cho Chang, Hermione Granger and more. Also available from the Wizarding World range, the Brilliant Hermione doll, the Feature Hermione doll and the Deluxe Luna doll each includes new accessories, detailed costumes and recognisable features from the much-loved stories.

Mighty Jaxx 07545 065 126 | www.mightyjaxx.com

| alex.neal@mightyjaxx.com

Mighty Jaxx is an award-winning future culture company that designs and manufactures phygital collectibles and lifestyle products. Earlier this year, as part of its global expansion, it opened an office in London.

Mighty Jaxx describes itself as a progressive, forward-thinking company that is bridging future culture with phygital collectibles. Partnering with the greatest design talents in the world as well as global brands including Disney, Hasbro, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Formula 1, Toei Animation and Netflix, the company ships millions of phygital collectibles to over 70 countries worldwide every year.

One of its hero product ranges, in partnership with Toei Animation, is the One Piece collection which comes in blind box, window box, and single release formats.

There are hundreds of characters within the range, but the most recognisable character is the main protagonist, Luffy, with his straw hat.

Now in its 25th year, the series is the most recognised Manga mainstream brand, further cemented after becoming the best-selling Manga magazine for 11 consecutive years with over 490m copies distributed worldwide. Not content with smashing sales records across the globe, the franchise has also been made into a video game (selling 250,000 copies in EMEA) and over 60 licensed products. A new movie, One Piece Red, is also being released this summer.

The latest wave of Mighty Jaxx One Piece collectibles are packaged in a blind box, meaning customers won’t know which character they’ll get until they unbox it, further increasing anticipation ahead of release.

Mighty Jaxx also recently announced the launch of its Mighty AllStars F1 2022 Collectors Edition collectibles to the delight of fans around the world.

The 8-inch premium vinyl collectibles feature this season’s drivers including current championship leader Charles Leclerc, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and fellow Brit George Russell in their official race suits. Customers can also unlock exclusive immersive content through the Mighty Jaxx app.

Toy World 70

Amazing New

OFFICIAL STICKER COLLECTION

International Sticker Series!

OUT NOW!

Available at

and in all good stores

Kidult Toys

Scalextric 01843 233 500 www.scalextric.com sales@hornby.com Scalextric is taking a trip back in time with two retro themed sets which will appeal to both children and adults alike. Both sets will come with branding from the period with the famous 1980s’ Scalextric logo but with an up-to-date product. These box designs will be as people remember them and have been created to trigger happy childhood memories.

The first set, Grand Prix, contains two Lotus F1 cars from the 80s and 90s in the memorable black and gold and yellow liveries from the period as driven by the hero of the time, Ayrton Senna. The second set captures two of the most iconic TV and film franchises of the period in the Back to the Future vs Knight Rider set or, to be more specific, the Time Machine vs KITT or Marty & The Doc vs Michael Knight. Partnering with Universal Brand Development, Scalextric has managed to put the two famous franchises into one box. The set contains a circuit of Scalextric track and two detailed cars with working features including a working Flux Capacitor light and KITT’s strobing red light in the front grille. Both sets will be supported by a mass awareness campaign starting in the summer targeted at millennial parents, fans of motorsport and pop culture.

For younger racers there’s a variety of Batman themed sets including the Micro Scalextric Batman vs Joker race set which features over four metres of track with nine layout options including a loop-the-loop and half pipe and two-character cars modelled on the famous Dark Knight and Clown Prince of Crime. This set will be supported with a TV campaign with 150+ TVRs, as well as 800,000+ views via YouTube advertising.

The new Batman vs Joker – The Race for Gotham City set includes Batman and Joker cars and 5.7 metres of track which includes two loop-the-loops and 12 different race circuit options. The set will be supported with a TV and digital marketing campaigns focused on capturing the excitement that the set delivers for children and separate influencer led campaigns targeting the shopper.

The Noble Collection 020 7580 4442 | www.noblecollection.co.uk A special edition E.T. 40th Anniversary Collection is being launched by The Noble Collection in collaboration with NBCUniversal, to celebrate the timeless film, E.T: the Extra-Terrestrial from Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment.

The collection features 11 high-quality items inspired by the E.T. character loved by many, including a detailed E.T. BendyFig and an intricately crafted Toyllectible Treasure diorama inspired by the iconic flying bicycle scene from the film.

The Special Edition E.T. BendyFig is available now with the rest of the collection coming in autumn 2022, with pre-sale access available on The Noble Collection website. This special edition collection will further expand the existing collaborations with NBCUniversal.

The Noble Collection launches BendyFigs this year as part of the new Toyllectible line of figures with highly detailed sculpts in a bendable form to pose and display.

The collection is available in a range of licences from retro to on trend pop culture characters for collectors of all ages.

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TOYS LAUNCHING 2022

contact@toikido.com

© 2022 Cool Cats LLC

Company Profile

Toys and data

KidsKnowBest CSO Pete Robinson tells us why it’s important, in the world of toys, to listen to children, parents and the world around them.

O

ne of the reasons I got into research within the kids and family industry is the movie Big. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was watching market research - one of the few times the subject is referenced in movies. Fast forward 40 years and I’ve learnt that hearing one child saying: “I still don’t get it. What’s fun about that?” can stop very expensive mistakes.

In the world of toys, listening to children, parents and the world around them can be incorporated during the following stages:

be predicted in their cycle, based on the search behaviours of that time.

• Innovation; spotting a trend early and acting on it • Production and development; testing appeal, play patterns and usability • Distribution; ensuring that your target audience knows where to find you • Marketing; triggers and placement to optimise awareness and engagement Whilst we all have a little bit of Tom Hanks’ intuition, as co-founder and co-CEO of Spin Master, Ronnen Harary, suggested in his recent podcast interview, Tom’s character didn’t use research – well, not in the traditional sense. Usually, data can spot opportunity and reduce risk. This has never been more relevant as blockbuster IPs take more share of space and voice, fragmentation creates a huge selection of ‘mid-weight’ IPs and the speed of trends means being late can result in failure.

There are many ways to use data effectively, but every person working in the toy industry should aim to do the following at each of those four stages: • Innovation Jeff Bezos says he frequently gets asked: 'What's going to change in the next 10 years?' but almost never gets the question: 'What's not going to change in the next 10 years?' He says: “I submit to you that the second question is actually the more important of the two, because you can build a business strategy around the things that are stable in time.”

There is so much ‘always-on’ information available which can point you in the right direction. KKB has developed a tool called Guava, which benchmarks and tracks social trends. This allows us to identify trends based on previous themes and patterns. When considering a licence which will go to market in two to three years, or developing a character-based show, how do we know if we are picking the right licence theme or main character style?

We consider multiple pieces of data that we calculate into an index which allows us to advise on what is about to become the next big thing. Two of the data pools are free and align somewhat with Jeff Bezos’s eye for what is not changing. A third is our commitment to embedding all our insights into the voice of the audience or consumer.

Social trends - What is being searched for right now which tell us what is currently trending - and circular trends are both equally important. Once you find a stable benchmark in social search patterns, you can compare that over the last 10 years to anything from fidget toys to authors. Most play patterns can

Childhood development. Claims of changing developmental patterns are often misattributed.

The ways in which children consume may differ but play patterns, for the most part, stay aligned. There is a great deal of existing research to learn from; we follow a host of academics and fund cross industry academia studies. This allows us to ensure that any toys or play systems we are developing are founded in

the world around them. We speak with thousands each year, but you could speak with less. The key is to have no set agenda, but to let them talk about themselves.

We are confident that our finest insights come not from a survey or scraping tool, but from the mouth of one person. Whilst you need to know what you heard is relevant, it is this tool that ensures that the world around young people reflects what they actually want and not what we think they want.

a firm understanding of childhood. Consider the Lego Foundation or The Joan Gantz Cooney Centre, whose sole focus is to understand behaviour.

At this stage we know if an idea will meet a consumer need and is desirable.

YTS. The best insights come from listening, and whilst there are scale opportunities via social listening, those insights come from being with young people and families. A tool called YTS has been central to Kids Know Best’s vision of giving young people a voice in

• Production and development The best insights come from listening, but a huge part of understanding what people mean isn’t verbal. When testing new products or content, we need to know firstly when that product will fit into a household, and secondly why. The objective is to either

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Company Profile in-store or online? What price-points are they already paying with competitor toys?

At this stage, we know if the market and the consumer expectation align and if they will find our product.

replace an existing moment with a better solution or change a behavioural pattern. Both are challenging; in the first case you must do a better job than the incumbent, and the second requires making someone aware of something they previously may not have considered desirable.

Two methods we use at this stage are the Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework and our in-play method.

The first JTBD framework helps interrogate what we are hoping to achieve. For a product/licence with a design use and outcome, we first need to know if there is a use case amongst consumers. People’s lives are busier than ever and fitting something new in their lives for more than a fleeting moment is hard.

Therefore, IPs and products are far more likely to succeed if they actually meet a need. An IP can’t survive on a one-off purchase, it has to drive repeat purchase engagement.

We can use the JTBD framework to identify what that need is and ensure that it truly fits a moment that repeats in consumers lives. If it doesn’t, that doesn’t mean failure, but it will mean repeat usage will be harder to encourage, especially in this age of digital media, with so much entertainment delivered online and not offline. Here we may look at ‘pain points’ between parents and children: brushing teeth, bedtime routines or even a civilized breakfast.

If a product or piece of content can support a parent and engage a child, you have solved a problem. The ongoing success of various fidget spinner toys has occurred because they meet a genuine need.

KKB also uses in-play methodology. One of our key visions was to stop removing respondents from their lives and placing them into a research method, and instead place the research methods into people’s lives.

There is still a place for surveys and focus groups, but any good children’s researcher will be using multiple methods and getting time with children.

In-play allows us to test via parents at home. One to two-week studies involve a mix of observing behaviour and testing hypotheses. The first week will allow us to observe their behaviours to identify where our product might fit, via diaries and other tools. This includes where a family stores products - we don’t want to end up on a dusty shelf. The second week places the product into the home to observe its ability to engage and drive repeat usage. In addition, we get a deep understanding of the ability of our solution to create a positive response from the family home.

At this stage we know if our execution around the idea is engaging and if they will use our product.

• Distribution For me, this is arguably the single most important stage in launching new products. If your audience cannot find you, even a great product won’t survive.

You absolutely must understand your consumer journey. It can be a fun, and free (other than time) exercise. Create 2-3 scenarios and map out their journey from not being aware to being a repeat purchaser. We use the AIDA model quite frequently; it is easy to follow. The flow chart should look at all the methods and tools you can use to drive the consumer

Toys, Games & Products Products are appealing to both parents and children, supporting preferred play patterns and development. Easily found in well known stores

• Marketing Creating demand with the right audience is important, because so many metrics are focused on volume, not quality. You want to find the consumer who will repeat-buy and recommend your product. Finding them first is important; if the wrong consumer finds you first, they may not use the product as it was intended, it will get forgotten at best.

Another KKB tool, called A Day in the Life (ADL), constantly measures consumers behaviour against categories and IPs, the where, when and why of how they consume media. This allows us to place media in the right places at the right times, and with the right messaging.

There are two stages here, the first being research for the target audience. Simple questions to ask are ‘where do they buy?’ which informs the placement of media and lowers wastage and ‘why do they buy?’ which informs the messaging.

The second stage is constant measurement of your campaign, aligning all the above data, the intent data, with transactional data. By understanding the correlation between intent and actual behaviour, we can continually optimise. It is important that the key success metrics are aligned, rather than just click-throughs or sales. We want repeat purchase behaviours.

At this stage we know if our product can find the right audience. In theory, data should have driven longlasting product success.

Characters Simple relatable or aspirational features Multiple characters for children to connect with and role play with friends e.g. The Avengers or Encanto

Playground Word of mouth through friends. A brand that generates social currency, playground conversations, characters applied to mutual interests and inspiring creative play or role play scenarios e.g.

The Avengers

YouTube & Social Media

Exciting, engaging and memorable content and simple storylines children can repeat.

Available in multiple formats: Short form (TikTok, YouTube), Movies, TV series

Family Brand connection has been formed within the family and is passed down through older family members e.g. Harry Potter, Marvel

BRAND ADOPTION TOUCHPOINTS

Engaging, creative or episodic content across well known channels, incorporating influencers and videos of children playing with and reviewing products/toys Using social media to guide children/parents to other touchpoints PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL - KIDSKNOWBEST LIMITED

to the next stage of the purchase. Where will they first hear about you? What series of prompts will make them consider you? When, where and why will that purchase happen?

Once those journeys have been mapped in a flow chart, all potential risks are added so we can look at solutions to minimize them.

At this stage no data has been used, just the ability to tell a story. But some elements of the journeys are guesses. We would rank each stage of the journey on a one to five scale of how sure we are that they will happen. ‘One’ suggests we don’t know, whereas ‘five’ is confident. Anything ranking ‘one’ or ‘two’ would be research in our YakYak polls to validate and remove the lack of confidence, e.g. will they buy this category

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Show/Film

Adverts Online, on TV and in stores Promotional activities with other brands e.g. McDonalds, Supermarkets Source: Nougat. YTS 2022

5

Head to amscan.co.uk to check out the latest ranges for party!

Featuring both licensed and generic!

Guaranteed there's something for everyone!

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Arts & Craft (Creative Play)

Young at art Arts & crafts products have been the saviour of many a household during the past couple of years, and companies have used the soaring popularity of creative play to their advantage, identifying trends and play patterns that are set to keep this traditional category way ahead of the curve. Rachael Simpson-Jones finds out more.

F

lick through this (substantial) feature on Arts & Crafts and you’ll see just how varied this sprawling category has become. Options for today’s kids include traditional activities painting, colouring-in and dough modelling – alongside rather more ‘cutting edge’ activities such as stop-motion movie making, nail polish design and ice-cream making. Heck, you can even code a robot to draw pictures on your behalf, if you so wish.

What hasn’t changed is the play pattern at the heart of all the products highlighted in this issue.

Creative play is considered a vital part of learning and development – and kids absolutely love it. Of course, so do parents and caregivers: who hasn’t turned to this category on a rainy afternoon to entertain a bored child? It’s for this reason that the category has performed particularly well over the past couple of years, when a series of lockdowns drove grown-ups to seek out arts & crafts products like never before.

Happily, as we’ve seen in other categories, this level of demand hasn’t slumped: indeed, the situation seems to have reignited a passion for creative play that is keeping sales healthy months after ‘Freedom Day’.

“During the pandemic, the activities category saw

significant growth with parents looking for ways to connect with and entertain their kids with activities during lockdowns,” explains Hedley Barnes, SVP International, Spin Master Toys. “Per NPD, our Kinetic Sand brand secured the spot as the No.2 reusable compound property and continues to gain share within the category. This trajectory, while softened slightly, is continuing, with strong consumer interest benefiting the category.”

Sarah Dayus, sales director at Great Gizmos, echoes Hedley’s sentiments, telling Toy World that sales ‘really took off’ during lockdown and are still strong even though things are much more back to normal. She adds: “Parents fell in love with these types of products over the last couple of years. After realising how fun and beneficial they are, they are now searching out other products in this category for their children.

Children enjoy sitting at a table and making something they can be proud of, and parents really love getting involved too.”

Craft Buddy, the company behind the hugely popular diamond-painting brand Crystal Art, has found that the addition of classic licences has broadened the appeal of its products to a much wider

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age-range. The company has amassed an impressive collection of properties in recent years - launches for the second half of this year include L.O.L. Surprise! and Star Wars Crystal Art products – and it’s seen particular success with Disney, as Andrew Welch, head of Marketing, details.

“Licences help us reach an audience that we may not have otherwise, particularly those characters which have multi-generational appeal, like Disney and Peter Rabbit,” he says. “It’s interesting to note that some of our best-selling Disney lines have been classic properties – Winnie the Pooh, Bambi etc. – because these characters resonate deeply with the older crafters who also who buy our products. Our recent Peter Rabbit range of arts & craft products has been a hit with both an older and a younger audience.”

By their very nature, Craft Buddy’s products lend themselves well to display, especially the larger canvasses, so it’s no surprise that Andrew says the type of artwork used for its Crystal Art and Paint By Numb3rs products has a ‘massive’ bearing on sales.

He says: “Crystal Art and Paint By Numb3rs both lend themselves perfectly to the use of rich, detailed imagery. This is logical: our products tend to be

Call 01392 281927 Email UKcustomerservices@tomy.com UK.tomy.com

Feature

Arts & Craft (Creative Play)

displayed on walls, desks or gifted, so it’s natural that people will be particularly partial to certain imagery that resonates with them. We’re delighted with the response to our Paint By Numb3rs Collection. We’ve secured listings with a number of our key international distributors and we’re really excited to develop the product range this year, including using some of our key licences on the products for the first time. We were excited to give our stockists, and potential stockists, a flavour of the range at the recent Toymaster and Distoy trade fairs. With our newer Paint By Numb3rs range, all the designs come pre-framed on wooden canvases and include three different sizes of paint brush.”

Last year, Ravensburger launched its own paint by numbers range, CreArt, which itself welcomes new licences for 2022 including Harry Potter, The Lion King, Frozen and Miraculous. Other new sets will be pitched towards adults – clearly a growing sector of the arts & crafts market – with landscapes, pop art and motivational quotes to choose from. Ranging adult arts & crafts products alongside kids’ ones could be a way to secure additional, impulse sales, particularly with parents seeking activities they can enjoy together with their child. One of the nicest things about products such as paint by numbers kits, or anything else with a clearly laid out, step by step approach, is that they allow crafters to create really quite impressive works of art. For anyone who enjoys creativity, but is about as artistic as a piece of washed up driftwood, this is a major draw (pun intended). No-one wants to feel frustrated while they’re crafting, or work for hours only for the end result to be less than overwhelming.

Speaking of driftwood, SES Creative is this year putting its own spin on a trend that many readers will be aware of – stone painting. It’s a simple enough concept – find a stone, paint it, then display it, gift it, or hide it for others to find – but to say it’s taken off would be an understatement. For 2022, SES Creative is hoping to ride the wave by launching the Painting Driftwood set. Each set comes with real wood, paint, feathers, glitter, yarn, glue and instructions on how to create a multitude of fun animals.

Damien Collett, head of Sales – UK and Ireland, tells Toy World that SES Creative possesses several product and brand related elements that set it apart from others in the marketplace. Firstly, everything is designed and made in the company’s purpose-built factory in the Netherlands with zero carbon footprint: everything SES Creative produces is clearly marked as 100% CO2 neutral, which is of major appeal among consumers.

The company’s portfolio spans an enormous range of arts & craft products, with over 250 products to choose from, but it is particularly proud to have such a strong range in the pre-school category. SES makes products that are not only fun to use but safe for kids aged just one and above: this includes paint, glue, dough and more, all of which are hypoallergenic and gluten free.

“We have invested heavily in our 1-4 and 3-6 age ranges, as these are areas within crafting that are often under-represented,” Damien notes. “Well over a third of our new 2022 releases are suitable for these age ranges. We’ve also built upon our already popular dinosaur ranges, to offer more activities for children interested in crafting with dinosaurs as we head into peak demand with the new film release later this year.”

Yep, dinosaurs abound this year, across all categories. SES Creative is releasing a range of new dinosaur-themed craft products such as the Casting and Painting Dinosaur World set; ArtStraws will be offering Creation Station’s new 3D Models to Make range, which offers an array of different dinosaur kits; Great Gizmos’ new 3D Mould & Paint range is available in a dinosaur theme and Galt is launching a fun Dino Lights craft set kids can use to decorate their rooms.

Dinosaurs have long been an evergreen toy theme of course, but this year we can expect to see their popularity reach fever pitch thanks to the long-awaited and hugely anticipated release of Jurassic World Dominion, which hits cinemas this month.

Other trends for this year include wellness and/ or mindfulness. Craft Buddy says Crystal Art is well known for being an ‘extremely relaxing, therapeutic hobby’ (I’ve had a go – it is indeed relaxing) and PlayMonster UK is placing a strong focus on wellness with its new Ann Williams craft products: the Empower Flower and the Wall Collage kit. Elsewhere, it’s good to see even more inclusive art lines that let kids draw people in skin tones representative of our diverse society: Little Brian, which earlier this year began selling directly to UK retailers rather than via distribution partners, has introduced its new People Paint Sticks in 12 skin tones, and Crayola has launched a new Colours of the World colouring book, which bolsters the collection of crayons, pencils and markers which hit shelves in 2021.

Aside from dinosaurs, the products mentioned earlier in this piece have something else in common – they all let kids make something permanent. Sitting back and admiring a finished creation provides kids with a sense of achievement, and Sarah Dayus at Great Gizmos says children love making and

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creating things they can display and be proud of.

The company’s Mould & Paint range really taps into this: each kit includes moulds kids can use to make multiple badges and fridge magnets, offering plenty of opportunities to be experimental with designs.

Creative Kids, meanwhile, is pleased to be launching its Play-Doh Air Clay range, developed in partnership with Hasbro, which is perfect for creative long-lasting keepsakes such as bowls, pinch pots, keychains and other accessories, and Make It Real is launching two new bracelet making kits - Halo Charms Bracelets and Crystal Dreams Bracelets – which let kids make genuinely beautiful jewellery. Pride aside, craft kits that result in a permanent keepsake also allow kids to create something for gifting to a loved one; something they’ve made all on their own, with love, possibly with a particular friend or family member in mind. Who among us wouldn’t feel touched to receive such a gift from a young relative? Of course, the other option is to keep everything you make for yourself and refuse to share – both arguably have their merits.

At the other end of the spectrum, a huge number of arts & crafts ranges open the door to replayability.

Spin Master’s Kinetic Sand is one. The brand’s steady popularity and growth, paired with positive online reviews and a strong social media presence, has helped solidify the brand as a quintessential childhood

OR IGINAL

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Fresh new look and design!

New Product & Packaging New Digital Assets New Demo POS Unit

Coming end Aug 2022

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Arts & Craft (Creative Play)

Make it Real activity compound in households around the world.

In autumn/winter 2022, Kinetic Sand is further expanding the sensory arts & crafts experience with the launch the Kinetic Sand Swirl N’ Surprise, the most hands-on approach yet to Kinetic Sand art play.

This play set lets kids create beautiful sand art using the new tools and two pounds of sand, before simply putting it all away, ready for next time. Reusable compounds are the order of the day for Flair, too, which this year is releasing two major new Plasticine sets thanks to a new licensing deal with the British animation studio Aardman: the Plasticine Shaun the Sheep Model Maker Farmyard Fun set, and the Plasticine Morph Animation Maker.

Vivid Goliath’s Crayola Washimals range fully embraces the ‘scrub it out and start over’ line of thinking, as kids can wash each cute pet clean after they’ve finished decorating it, let it dry, and then start over. According to Emma Weber, Marketing and Licensing director at Vivid Goliath, Washimals has been in the market for over five years and has sold over 1m units, with strong growth seen not only in the UK and Europe but also in Crayola’s domestic market, the US. She explains: “The key to the success of Washimals is the continued research into new themes to refresh the pets and play sets whilst keeping true to the brand values of creativity, personalisation and the washability, so you can do it all again. The core of the play pattern is certainly about the freedom to design and wash again and again, but we also offer entry price point packs which give children plenty of choice over which pets they’d like to keep and display, and which they’d like to gift.”

“The US is hugely committed to this brand and has invested significantly in it, not only in product development and new themes such as Dinosaurs but also in fantastic webisode assets,” Emma continues.

“These webisodes will truly immerse our fans in the world of Washimals via entertaining short stories that introduce the pets as different characters. And

the development into new technologies, such as pearlescent paint, fragrances and washable stickers for our autumn/winter Super Salon, introduces continued innovation and fun new ways to play with the range.”

At SES Creative, the primary consideration when creating a new product is less about whether the end result is to keep or not, and more on simply ensuring they are fun, safe and contribute towards a child’s development. The majority of SES Creative’s craft sets offer a self-contained project that is suitable for the age range within which it sits. Sets for kids aged 1-6 promote the development of basic and fine motor skills, while older children can get hands-on with more advanced tasks that provide a sense of accomplishment.

The company is celebrating its landmark 50th anniversary this year, and to support its ongoing growth in the arts & crafts market is investing heavily in further warehousing to support product availability.

Damien notes that while supply chains continue to remain vulnerable, he and the rest of the team is optimistic that having products manufactured and available locally will continue to be one of its biggest strengths. “Our customers are looking for suppliers with good availability, a strong sense of product safety and environmental responsibility,” he says.

With a product range so perfectly suited to in-store display, Craft Buddy is keen to supply its retail partners with finished Crystal Art or Paint By Numb3rs artwork, completely free of charge, that show off the brands in their full glory and catch the eye of shoppers. The company also offers a variety of point-of-sale solutions to support its retail partners, from FSDUs to shelf-edge strips and window stickers. Andrew Welch also makes it clear that Craft Buddy is very receptive to retailer feedback – stockists are encouraged to have an open dialogue with the team regarding marketing support, POS solutions and even product ideas that would most benefit them – while on its social media channels, the

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company enjoys a very responsive, loyal and engaged following. Competitions and social media campaigns drive both brand awareness and traffic.

Setting itself apart from many others in the category, Great Gizmos’ arts & crafts products have a very ‘gifty’ look about them. The company’s designers have created colourful, stand-out packaging that kids and parents want to pick up and buy, and the level of thought that goes into each kit has resulted in what Sarah Dayus describes as a ‘very loyal’ customer base.

“We always feel our products do best when sitting together in a display,” she says, when asked how retailers can make the most of the company’s brands in-store. “The colourful packaging of the kits complement each other and really catch the eye of the consumer. We actively support our retail partners with promotions, in-store display aids, competitions and more, and we’re always adding to the range – continually injecting newness to keep consumers coming back.”

Spin Master, meanwhile, continues to work closely with its retail partners to deliver inspiration through its toys and imagination through its installations.

This includes the delivery of bespoke retail executions developed alongside key licensing partners such as Universal, Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Paramount. Hedley Barnes says Spin Master is also investing substantially in custom out-of-aisle activity including gondola ends, FSDUs and pallets, investing in permanent fixtures for key brands, and ‘amping up’ in-store sampling and product demonstrations across several brands. He adds: “We work hand in hand with retailers to establish product exclusives and collaborate closely to ensure we complement and support retailers’ tentpole marketing initiatives, including with social and influencer campaigns.”

Over the following pages, Toy World brings readers a comprehensive variety of the latest arts & crafts products sure to get kids’ creative juices flowing.

Crystal Art is a trending craft hobby that enables you to create beautifully sparkly creations!

Suitable for all ages.

Contact Dan & Lisa at trade@craftbuddyltd.co.uk for more details on our new Crystal Art ranges!

NEW !

1. Pick up crystal

2. Apply with pen Crystal Art Cards, Notebooks, Canvas Kits and more Crystal Art items now available!

NEW !

3. Repeat to make your Crystal Art creation © MARVEL. BEATRIX POTTER™ © Frederick Warne & Co., 2022. © MGA © &™ Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

New Crystal Art launching A/W 2022!

Unit 7, Anglo Business Park, Asheridge Road, Chesham, HP5 2QA | Tel: 0203 417 6565 Email: trade@craftbuddyltd.co.uk | www.craftbuddyltd.co.uk

Arts & Craft (Creative Play)

Learning Resources 01553 762 276 | www.learningresources.co.uk sales@learning-resources.co.uk Playfoam is Learning Resources’ best-selling reusable compound toy range. Perfect for creative and sensory play, Original Playfoam is a reusable and versatile creative play compound that children can squish, sculpt and shape. It has a tactile bead-like texture and comes in a variety of bright and fun colour options including classic, sparkle and glow-in-the-dark.

Playfoam Pluffle is a soft, fluffy, feelgood sensory compound with a mesmerising, lava-like flowing action. Kids simply grab a handful, give it a squish and release it to see the slow-motion movement. Playfoam Pluffle is available in Twist Black & White or Glow-in-the-Dark, a Playfoam Pluffle 9-Pack, and a Playfoam Pluffle Sensory Station. The latter offers consumers an all-in-one sensory play tray complete with two colours of Playfoam Pluffle and three fine motor skill toys that children can use to scoop, squish and pour their Playfoam Pluffle.

Playfoam Putty incorporates the bead-like Playfoam in a stretchable tactile putty that makes satisfying popping and cracking sounds with every squish and stretch. This multisensory toy comes in a pack of four tubs in eye-catching neon shades that stand out on shelf, making it ideal for in-store and POS displays.

New Playfoam Sand combines the feel of smooth, fine sand with the squishable properties of Playfoam in a reusable compound that never dries out. It’s perfect for sifting, moulding and squishing. Playfoam Sand is available in an 8-pack of bright colours, a Sensory Sand Set, which comes with shaping tools for building fine motor skills, and the Playfoam Sand ABC Cookies Set, which offers a fun way for children to learn their ABCs. To build brand awareness, Learning Resources runs a continuous multichannel marketing campaign spanning digital and print advertising, social media collaborations and PR activity. This year, the company will also run a social media influencer campaign, ‘The Playfoam Challenge’, aimed at inspiring consumers with creative ways to enjoy Playfoam using user-generated content. This campaign will run on Learning Resources’ social media channels for the rest of the year. Alignment with seasonal themes will keep the messaging fresh and fun.

The tactile and eye-catching nature of Playfoam makes this range perfect for in-store demonstrations. Many of Learning Resources’ trade customers regularly organise fun in-store activities that get children engaging, playing and having fun with Playfoam. As part of the company’s ‘Spark More Play’ initiative, it also offers a range of free printables available to download from the website. The Playfoam activities can be incorporated into demonstrations by trade customers.

Learning Resources also offers support to trade customers looking to set up their own events, along with up-to-date marketing assets and brand guidelines that are available to download from the Marketing Resource Centre online portal.

The Lego Group

01753 495 000 | www.lego.com

The Lego Group has introduced the Lego Dots Big Message Board to its Lego Dots range for arts & crafts fans. The kit makes a fun holiday gift and is full of creative possibilities that kids will love.

Crafters can share a message in cool new ways with the Lego Dots Big Message Board.

Designed to inspire self-expression and creativity, this 943-piece set offers kids aged eight and up the chance to create and display customisable messages and change them to suit their mood, passions or room decor. This craft set features four 16x16 plates, two hanger elements, blue frame elements and multiple tiles in fun colours and shapes to help kids create different alphabet styles. Kids can decorate their boards however they like, with messages, designs or both, to really expand their creative skillset. Dots sets introduce kids to the joy of Lego play and creativity as they make and decorate the different sets.

In addition, the Lego Group has also launched its Lego Dots Cute Banana Pen Holder. Kids aged six and up can assemble the pen holder and then start decorating it. With this 438-piece set, kids can choose the happy banana, with its bright colours and smiling face, switch it up by making a grumpy old banana with spots, or grab a Series 6 bag of Extra Dots (sold separately) and create something new.

The pen holder can then be displayed on a desk or shelf and used. Easy and intuitive to design, the set offers kids a canvas where they can explore selfexpression.

This room decor item, along with the other Dots sets, makes a great creative everyday gift or birthday present for kids who deserve a treat or reward. Both sets are available now.

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Arts & Craft (Creative Play)

Vivid Goliath 01483 449944 | www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk The successful Colours of the World range launched in 2021 continues in 2022 with a collection of crayons, pencils and markers bolstered by a new colouring book.

Colour Wonder introduces the popular licence Bluey to an already strong portfolio of preschool character favourites as well as the new Adventure Pups theme for Paw Patrol. Making a splash in 2022, Colour 'n’ Style Friends will dive under the sea with a range of magical mermaids that allow kids to enjoy even more hair play and stylish mermaid themed creations that can be redesigned again and again. The range will include a holiday driver play set.

Washimals sees the introduction of a super salon with five different ways to customise the pets including new pearlescent paint, washable stickers and scented spray within a largescale salon play set. The gravity defying Paint-sation range sees the introduction of a new Flip 'n’ Spin Artists Palette and Paint ‘n’ Stamp Studio to allow budding artists the opportunity to continue to paint anytime, anywhere with the spill proof painting system.

The Crayola Super Glow Art Studio gives kids the power to create art that glows in the dark, using just rays of light with no ink or paint required. The reusable surface provides hours of non-stop creative fun. After using the light wand to create their artwork, kids can turn out the lights and watch their drawings come to life.

SES Creative 01304 746030 | www.ses-creative.com SES Creative has introduced over 60 new products to its arts & crafts line up for 2022 including products suitable for kids aged just one year and over, all made in the Netherlands and 100% CO2 neutral.

New to market this year is a selection of gift sets offering consumers a bumper assortment of activities in one retail pack. The 3-in-1 Dinosaur Craft set includes iron-on beads, 3D plaster-casting and scratch art, while the 3-in-1 Plaster Casting set contains three different casting activities in one box, spanning cats, dogs, butterflies and horses themes. The My first 3-in-1 set includes fingerpainting, sticking activities and colouring activities. All are fun and safe for ages one and over.

Further new crafting activities for this year include the Light Garland Jungle, which allows kids to create their very own light garland from scratch. The set comes complete with a garland, eight LED lights, five coloured cellophane sheets, glue, a brush, jungle animals and flowers. Perfect for the aspiring artist, SES Creative has introduced its new Mini Art set, which includes five mini canvases, a wooden easel, 12 paint colours, brushes and how-to instructions detailing how to paint in five well-known styles.

SES Creative’s Blow airbrush pens remain a popular choice. The new Fashion Designer set contains six coloured airbrushes kids can use to create fantastic outfits with the included templates and cover sheets. By blowing on the markers, young designers can easily create a beautiful spray effect featuring stunning colour transitions.

Building on the stone painting trend, new this year is the Painting Driftwood set. Each set comes with real wood, paint, feathers, glitter, yarn, glue and instructions on how to create a multitude of fun animals.

The evergreen dinosaur theme is sure to surge in popularity this year. With this in mind, SES Creative is releasing a range of new dinosaur-themed craft products such as the Casting and Painting Dinosaur World set. The kits let kids cast and paint their own impressive dinosaur models. The new Popup Cards – Dinosaur set allows crafters to make their own pop-up dinosaur scenes, and Blow Airbrush Pens – Dinosaurs comes with wooden dinosaur frames and blow brush pens with a special spray effect that can be used to create unique skin effects. This set also includes stickers so kids can fully decorate their creations.

Beedz, SES Creative’s iron-on beads range, welcomes new additions such as the Flower Love Perfume Set. The inclusion of scented beads allows users to create scented butterflies, flowers and more. The set contains six pegboards in different shapes, as well as ribbon and glitter stickers.

Within the 3-6 age category, SES Creative has released a selection of new products to assist and encourage budding new crafters. The Triangular GripColoured Pencils have an ergonomic grip so they’re easy for little hands to hold, while the fun and educational I Learn to Stick and Recognise Shapes comes with over 350 stickers, 24 sheets to complete and five rolls of coloured tape.

SES Creative’s pre-school My First range is launching fun new products such as My First Crayons. The eight brightly coloured crayons are unbreakable, have a strong tip and do not rub off on hands, making them perfect for robust play and colouring. Building upon SES Creative’s successful Colouring with Water range, this year sees the release of the Colouring with Water - Hidden Animals Mega Set. The set contains eight large, fun-filled pictures to discover and paint with the special safety brush and is a perfect activity for younger children from 12 months and up.

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Arts & Craft (Creative Play)

Little Brian 01706 666 620 www.littlebrian.com hello@littlebrian.com The Little Brian brand is synonymous with mess free creative play, and the company’s market-leading Little Brian Paint Sticks collection is continuously evolving. Little Brian Paint Sticks provide a fun, clean and convenient way to paint. There’s no need for brushes or water: instead, the quick drying paint can be used by simply taking the lid off the Paint Stick and twisting it like a glue stick.

Little Brian People Paint Sticks are new for spring/summer. Each pack features 12 skin tone shades from around the world. The 12 representative shades are ideal for inclusive multi-cultural arts & crafts activities. Also launching are the new Little Brian Pastel Paint Sticks, six creamy pastel shades that complement the other colours in the Little Brian Paint Sticks range.

Scribble Paint Sticks are a must-have when it comes to creative play. As well as helping children unleash their creativity, they also help with fine motor skill development.

The Little Brian Paint Sticks Set features 18 Scribble Paint Sticks including six Classic, six Day Glow and six Metallic shades, perfect for children who want to paint finer details and patterns.

As well as creating mess-free creative play possibilities, Little Brian Paint Sticks are easy to store too. The new Paint Sticks Pots sets features the full complement of Little Brian Paint Sticks shades in four handy stackable pots. The Paint Sticks Pots Set includes 40 Little Brian Paint Sticks: 10 Metallic, 10 Bright, 10 Pastel and 10 Classic shades.

Make It Real 01613 024 100 | www.makeitrealplay.com Make It Real designs and manufacturers beautiful, compelling products for kids and tweens around the world. At the heart of every product the company creates is a content experience that gives young designers and fashion enthusiasts a window into the world of design and creativity. The core age range is 8-11-year-olds, with aspirational and creative youngsters joining the Make It Real brand from the age of six. The company has also noticed that a significant proportion of kids continue buying its products beyond the age of 11.

For 2022, the company is launching an exciting new range of bracelet kits, including Halo Charms Bracelets and Crystal Dreams Bracelets, plus the Colour Fusion Nail Polish Maker and Lunar Dream Catcher with Lights.

The 28-piece Halo Charms Bracelets set lets kids make three beautiful bracelets in tones of blue, pink and purple, complete with beads and on-trend charms: a balloon dog, hashtag, laughing emoji, roller skate and more are included. As its name implies, the Crystal Dreams Bracelets set places the emphasis on spellbinding gems and crystals. This generously sized 329-piece set lets kids create eight different bracelets featuring pretty gems, metal accents, beads and more, reading for wearing or gifting to friends and relatives.

Both the Halo Charms and Crystal Dreams lines are performing well in the marketplace. Both are a true representation of Make It Real’s premium positioning in the craft market and are an ideal gift for 8-10-year-olds.

The Colour Fusion Nail Polish Maker is a new addition to Make It Real’s style and fashion category. Hailed by the company as a global first, the set lets kids create the nail polish of their choice with over 200 colours to choose from.

First they choose the colour they want to make, then set the dials and let Colour Fusion magic do the rest.

This kit contains everything youngsters need to polish up perfect and unique nails.

Building on the huge success of its Make It real Dream Catcher, the company has added lights and a moon design to the set to create the Lunar Dream Catcher with Lights. The completed dreamcatcher makes for a gorgeous addition to any bedroom, ready to catch all the child’s dreams.

All new launches are available from July.

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Arts & Craft (Creative Play)

Flair 020 8643 0320

| www.flairplc.co.uk | sales@flairplc.co.uk

The nostalgic creative brand Plasticine needs little introduction. The perfect modelling material, Plasticine never dries out and is ideal for teaching children about colours, proportions and more. A major launch for 2022, Flair’s Plasticine range welcome two new licensed lines from Aardman. The Plasticine Shaun the Sheep Model Maker Farmyard Fun set lets kids create Shaun the Sheep characters using the popular compound.

Once modelled, the characters can be displayed in the fun 3D farmyard scene. The Plasticine Morph Animation Maker, meanwhile, is designed for budding stop motion film directors. Children can model their very own Morph and Chas characters, create a scene, and then download the app to begin the shoot.

New creative concept Pom Pops lets kids enjoy a tactile unboxing experience and discover surprise materials along the way. Designed to look like a carton of popcorn, each pack includes 1,014 pieces, including surprise toys, a variety of different sized pom poms, an activity booklet, design templates and DIY tools. Kids can pick from a selection of themed Pom Pops packs - unicorn, mermaid and llama – each providing ideas for creative DIY makes such as pom pom hair accessories, bracelets, keychains and more.

The second half will also welcome the arrival of a creative food play set from Flair GP’s Mini Delices brand, the Mini Delices Chocolate Bar Maker, which allows children to create any chocolate bar they wish. Safe and easy to use, and resulting in delicious treats to taste, share and gift, this innovative product will keep on giving.

A former DreamToy, Paper FX has returned this year with a raft of marketing behind it. The brand lets fashionable tweens and eco-conscious families create beautiful accessories, gifts and decorations from old magazines, wrapping paper, junk mail and more. The Paper FX weaving machine recycles and transforms any sheet of paper or card in minutes: kids simply tear the sheets, crease and weave them to make unique creations.

Trends UK 01295 768078 | www.trendsuk.co.uk

| salesadmin@trendsuk.co.uk

Trends UK has a strong line-up of creative brands available from summer onwards. The company is introducing its new Paint Pop Paint Sticks range, featuring a fantastic selection of mess-free colouring products that both parents and kids will love. The company is also launching Crayola Silly Scents Sand and Dough, which engages all the senses in brightly coloured, tactile and delightfully scented play.

The perfect introduction to painting and doodling, creative kids can paint in a mess-free way with Paint Pop Paint Sticks. Bright and colourful, Paint Pop Paint Sticks have a chunky shape that is easy for little hands to hold, and the smooth, glide-on paint works without needing water or brushes. Kids simply twist the stick and get ready to paint whether at home or on their travels. The sticks let kids get creative on a wide range of surfaces including paper, card, canvas, wood and even glass. Paint Pop Paint Sticks are available in a wide variety of colours and finishes, and the practical storage solutions on offer will be appreciated by parents when it comes to tidying up.

The Paint Pop Creation Station allows creative kids to paint masterpieces wherever they are. The double-sided easel comes with six paint sticks, a cute wipe-clean duster and 10 sheets of paper. It folds down for easy storage and comes with a carry handle for on-the-go painting opportunities. The Paint Pop range also includes the Paint Pop Fun Tub with 20 paint sticks and a Paint Pop Giant Storage Tube with 30 paint sticks. Supplementary 6- and 12-packs keep the creative fun going. Trends UK will be introducing the new range with major 360 marketing plans including PR and influencer campaigns.

The Crayola Silly Scents range offers brightly coloured fun in six fruity scents. The Crayola Silly Scents Sand features amazing new moulding material which engages all the senses. Available in a range of bright, bold colours, the fruit scented sand is soft, tactile, scrunchy and responds to manipulation so kids can create all kinds of shapes.

Crayola Silly Scents Sand is available as single poly bags or a selection of activity kits. The Unicorn Fun and Dinosaur Fun activity play packs include moulds kids can use to create colourful scented unicorns and dinosaurs. The eggshaped Crayola Silly Scents Dough, meanwhile, comes with three dough packs and shape cutters, making it an ideal pocket money purchase.

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www.ses-creative.com For more information please contact sales@ses-creative.co.uk or call 01304 746 030

Arts & Craft (Creative Play)

Artstraws 01792 796151 | sales@artstraws.com Available through Art Straws, Creation Station has launched a collectible new activity range, 3D Models to Make. Available at pocket money prices, there are 16 3D Models to Make designs to choose from, including six dinosaurs, five wild animals and five pets. Everything needed is in the pack, and no glue or scissors are required.

Being gender neutral and aimed at a wide age range from six years and over, the range makes an excellent party gift option. Designed for hook display, each pack is 19mm x 11mm x 4mm and fits into a standard letter envelope (DL) which retailers with online sales platforms will appreciate. Retail margins are in line with the wider Creation Station range and an introductory discount is available on all orders through to the end of December.

The models are made from a thick, rigid, die-cut card but the individual pieces push out easily and cleanly. Each piece is numbered: to build the model, kids simply follow the similarly numbered diagrams. The models take about 45 minutes to make on average. Some designs are a little more difficult to complete than others, but the level of difficulty is clearly shown on the front of each pack to help with the decision-making process. When completed, the realistic models are about the size of a large orange.

Pictured is the Tyrannosaurus Rex Scene. There are four scene packs in the range: two dinosaurs, a horse, and a dog. These come in slightly larger pack sizes.

The 3D Models to Make range is not yet on the Artstraws website but an illustrated order form and samples are available. To request one, email sales@artstraws.com with ‘3D Models’ in the subject line and the destination address in the email.

Great Gizmos 01293 543 221 | www.ggtrade.co.uk

| sales@greatgizmos.co.uk

Great Gizmos’ arts & crafts ranges are becoming increasingly popular, with the company considering the category an important one. Great Gizmos is always adding new products to its ranges to keep the offering fresh, exciting and on-trend.

Mould & Paint continues to be one of the company’s most popular craft ranges. These enjoyable projects allow kids to choose which designs they wish to make and then add all the finishing touches with the paints included. The kits encourage creativity and completing each kit provides a tangible sense of achievement.

New for this year is the 3D range, available in Dinosaurs, Unicorns and Dragons. Each kit contains everything kids need to mould and paint two impressive 3D statues that children can then proudly display. Great Gizmos’ traditional Mould & Paint kits also allow kids to create detailed fridge magnets and badges and are available in a number of designs: Llamas, Glow Space, Sealife, Cute Pets, Mermaids and much more. The Mould & Paint range has grown significantly over the years and the company expects its strong sales to continue.

Another popular Great Gizmos arts & crafts range is KidzMaker. This highly giftable range comprises kits with vibrant and beautifully designed packaging, making it very attractive to consumers. My Design Fashion Studio is a best-seller. Children love mixing and matching as they design more than 200 fashion styles. The studio is a fun and easy way for kids to show off their creativity as they draw fabulous designs with the range of tools included.

Also a best-seller, the Light Up Origami Unicorn kit comes with everything required to create and decorate a large and impressive unicorn from special holographic paper. Battery powered LED lights bring the unicorn to life and make the holographic paper truly sparkle. Magical Animal Rock Painting, meanwhile, takes outdoor fun to a new level, helping kids transform rocks in exciting and creative ways. Children can bring their favourite animals to life on the surface of each rock by using the ‘magic’ transfers and colourful paint included in each kit.

For 2022, Great Gizmos is also introducing Paint Your Own Glitter Unicorn Bank, Paint Your Own Garden Frog, Paint Your Own Flower Pot and Paint Your Own Fairy Garden Stone. Each kit contains everything kids need to get creative and decorate their own masterpiece and have proved very popular so far this year.

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If we’ve sparked your curiosity please contact: newsales@curiousuniverse.co.uk

Arts & Craft (Creative Play)

Marvin's Magic 01582 849 000 www.marvinsmagic.com magic@marvinsmagic.co.uk Marvin's Magic is recognised as the No.1 brand for magic worldwide.

In addition to its award-winning range of Professional Magic Made Easy, the company promotes entertainment-based products such as pranks and jokes as well as its ever-popular Magic Arts line, which combines arts & crafts with a touch of magic.

From summer, customers will be able to purchase an assortment of new products within this range including the Marvin's Magic 30 Magic Pen Pack, which lets kids get to grips with disappearing ink, colour change pens, 3D writing, secret messages and more. Rainbow Foil Stickers can be used to create unique holographic stickers perfect for decorating clothes, bedrooms and books, and Super Bright Scratch Art is a bumper 48-piece pack of gold, silver and neon scratch art including stencils, spiro-frames and styluses. The Ultimate Art Collection, meanwhile, is a complete collection of Magic Art products including all the above plus a Neon Glow Art Drawing Board, Augmented Reality stickers and a Magic Colouring Book.

A new Marvin’s Magic digital marketing strategy will come into effect from summer. This will see more advertising and social collaborations than ever before. The business was built on theatrical demonstrations, and Marvin’s says it is working hard to ensure its key partners can capitalise on this expertise in the new age. To this end, the team is curating a suite of media assets to promote the products online, in-store and across social platforms.

For more information on the Marvin's Magic range or to discuss opening a trade account, please email the team on the address given above

One For Fun 0141 613 2525 | www.oneforfun.com sales@oneforfun.com One for Fun offers kids the perfect outdoor craft project: the Colour Your Own Cardboard Playhouse from Tobar.

Easy to build, kids simply slot the house together, with no fixings or glue needed, before turning their imaginations loose on the pre-printed design using the crayons and pencils included. Great fun whatever the weather, the Colour Your Own Cardboard Playhouse can also be enjoyed indoors and is available in Unicorn and Dinosaur themes.

A simple crafting activity, Aqua Jelly Sets let kids create their own squishy characters in mono- or multi-colours.

Kids mix the components in one of the moulds provided and then select the colour combination they want to use. The mould can then be submerged in water. The creation will set very quickly, ready to be squished and squashed. Each Unicorn or Undersea set includes six moulds, six colour gel tubes and setting powder.

Perfect for those seeking a more challenging craft experience, the Junior Engineers Workshop range invites kids to get hands-on with tools as they fit the metal pieces together using real nuts and bolts. These fun model making kits can be combined to make bespoke creations. Each kit comes with its own difficulty rating and the range includes sets to challenge every age and capability. The small sets are available at pocket money prices and include a Plane, a GoKart, Motorbike and Helicopter. Older children can tackle the Workshop Action Bot, a Ferris Wheel and an Aeroplane with moving propellors.

The 5-colour Tie Dye kit contains everything needed to brighten up fabrics and clothing. Knitting enthusiasts, meanwhile, are catered for with the Knitting Kit, which comes complete with everything kids require to learn this fun hobby, including a selection of wools.

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Arts & Craft (Creative Play)

Spin Master 01628 535 000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk Spin Master has a great selection of arts & crafts products for children of all ages, from Kinetic Sand, which offers plenty of imaginative and creative play, to the Orbeez and Cool Maker brands.

A strong selection of play sets joins the Kinetic Sand range this season. The original squeezable sand that magically sticks together, Kinetic Sand never dries out and provides endless imaginative, tactile play. Kids can mix, shape, slice and squish like never before with the Kinetic Sand Sandisfactory Set. The Sandisfactory Set includes everything needed to create mesmerising sand surprise reveals and satisfying ASMR videos just like the ones popularised online. Coming complete with more than 10 different tools and moulds, plus 2lbs of colourful Kinetic Sand including rare black sand, the set offers many ways to create.

The Kinetic Sand Ice Cream Cone Container is filled with two delightful scented all-natural Kinetic Sands that combine to smell just like Mint Chocolate or Strawberry Banana ice cream. The range also includes separate collectible Ice Cream Cone Containers, and the Ice Cream Treats Playset lets Kinetic Sand fans discover even more ice cream making fun. The Kinetic Sand Scents sets are also deliciously scented Kinetic Sand options. These 226g bags are filled with coloured Kinetic Sand that smells just like sweet treats. Kids can mix Kinetic Sand Scents like Sour Apple, Vanilla Cupcake or Chocolate Swirl (each sold separately) to create all-new scents and colour combinations before squishing, mixing, cutting and moulding it.

Available for summer, the Kinetic Sand Treasure Hunt is an exciting new play set packed with six layers of secret reveals and nine hidden treasures to discover. Once the chest is unlocked, children can dig through the sand to uncover surprise tools and decipher the hidden clue by checking out the secret message rolled into the sand. They can also dig through the brown and secret gold sand with their tools to find special colourful gems.

Those wanting to unleash their inner archaeologist can dig, discover and build dinosaur bones with Kinetic Sand Dino XCavate. First, they unlock the crate with the 2-in1 crowbar, then pry open the lid to reveal rare black Kinetic Sand. Then they can dig through the sand to reveal one of three sets of dinosaur bones which can be assembled to create their very own dinosaur. There’s also a hidden amber fossil treasure to discover.

Orbeez make the perfect creative play activity gift for kids aged five and up, especially those who prefer sensory toys over modelling clay or slime and compound kits.

Non-toxic Orbeez are safety tested and won’t fade, making them the perfect addition to a sensory toy box.

The Orbeez Surprise Activity Orb is the latest addition to the Orbeez range. Each Surprise Activity Playset comes with 400 fully grown Orbeez stored in their very own activity container with a hinged lid. Kids unbox the surprise activity orb to reveal one of three mystery activities: The Flow, The Bounce and The Squeeze. Following a simple set-up, kids and adults can enjoy the soothing sensory experience of playing with these juicy gems. Each play set has its own unique features such as ramps, chutes or a squishable pod.

The Orbeez brand also welcomes the Colour Meez Playset. This DIY activity kit comes with 1,000 clear Orbeez and three liquid colours kids can use to transform them to either red, yellow or blue. Alternatively, combining the colours will make purple, orange or green Orbeez.

Cool Maker’s Go Glam Nail Surprise range is an ideal arts & crafts gift for kids aged eight and up. These sets make fun gifts for birthdays and special occasions, where they always go down well with kids who love to create. Young fashionistas will enjoy the ultimate unboxing and manicure experience offered by Cool Maker Go Glam Nail Surprise. Every Go Glam Nail Surprise kit contains over 40 press-on nails with unique surprise effect features such as water reveal, scented, scratch reveal, glow-in-the-dark and more. With 12 Go Glam Nail Surprise styles to discover, including Rock ‘N Roll Chic, Kawaii Cutie, Seashell Shimmer and VSCO Vibin’, there’s a mani for every mood.

The Cool Maker Go Glam U-nique Nail Salon (sold separately) offers even more ways to style.

8th Wonder 01942 829 811 | www.8thwonder.co.uk The Paw Patrol Creation Station, from 8th Wonder, helps kids improve their counting, colouring, spelling, time-telling, and drawing skills, combining both educational and creative features. Coming complete with 92 fun and safe magnets, children can develop their numeracy and literacy skills or create their own Paw Patrol scenes featuring their favourite characters and vehicles.

Included in the Creation Station are four fun activity sheets that let kids either dot-to-dot or colour in the Paw Patrol gang. Remove the whiteboard to transform it into the perfect surface for drawing. The folding legs allow on-the-go play and the canvas pockets are handy for storing away all the included accessories.

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Get Creative and Crafty with PlayMonster!

ANN WILLIAMS

Cool & creative craft kits

Helps develop a positive mindset Hasbro and its logo, SPIROGRAPH and its logo are trademarks of Hasbro and are used with permission. © 2022 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

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Arts & Craft (Creative Play)

DKB Toys & Distribution 07813 725 480 | www.dkbtoys.com Expanding its established Alex Brands ranges under the Alex Craft banner, DKB Toys & Distribution introduces kids to the creative world of arts & crafts.

With Gear Art, kids can create beautiful designs using precision gears, rings and colorful gel pens. Gear Art presents a fun, creative STEM activity that combines art and maths to produce unique and beautiful designs. The Gear Art frames have rubber feet to prevent slippage, which assists kids as they create increasingly intricate designs, and come in three different formats: the original Deluxe Kit, the smaller Designer Kit, and a travel friendly, compact On The Go size compatible with both the Deluxe and Designer kits.

The Giant Art Jar is a particular favourite with creative kids. The jar contains everything kids could possibly need to inspire creativity using collage and other paper craft: multi-coloured pom-poms, glitter pom-poms, pipe cleaners, fringed crepe paper, feathers and much more.

Rock Pets invites kids to transform an ordinary rock into a work of art in no time – and not just any old work of art, but a creature kids can call their own. Weatherproof paints allow the finished rock pet to be displayed anywhere. Kits include a Butterfly, a Frog or a Turtle.

My First Sewing kit is the perfect introduction to the world of sewing, a skill that lasts a lifetime.

This fun kit can be used to make adorable stuffed animals, notebook covers and more, and all the materials needed come contained in the charming carry case: 28 felt shapes, embroidery floss, stuffing, fabric, safe scissors, measuring tape, pins, needles, a thimble, pin cushion, six buttons and a pom-pom strip. The case closes securely and has a handle to make it portable for when kids need to sew on the go.

Galt 01614 289 111 www.galttoys.com Galt knows that creativity is a vital life skill, and that encouraging children to take part in creative activities from an early age provides a wealth of benefits. It also knows that unleashing creativity in budding artists doesn't have to be messy or expensive, which is why the company offers a wide range of arts & crafts-based kits to suit every interest and budget.

Activity Packs are the perfect pocket money toy when it comes to keeping kids entertained. They’re ideal for birthday parties and rainy days. In 2022, Galt is releasing a selection of new kits to further broaden the imaginations of young crafters. Fluffy Friends lets kids create four adorable woollen animal keyrings, while Lucky Laces puts a spring in the step by inviting them to customise shoelaces with paint, beads and charms. The mess-free Monster Magnets kit comes with soft, air-drying clay so children can create colourful monster-shaped magnets that can be displayed at home or gifted to friends and family.

Creative Cases offer new challenges for confident crafters with bigger and bolder projects to enjoy. Suitable for kids aged five and up, the Fun Felting kit lets children create seven fuzzy animals with no needles required: just warm soapy water and the simple tool provided. First Knitting opens the door to a relaxing pastime that is enjoying a significant resurgence in popularity, with many continuing to knit regularly after initially taking it up during lockdown. Kids simply follow the easy-to-use guide to create a knitted bumblebee, pompom bunting, a cuddly octopus and pompom keychain before decorating their finished creations with beads, felt details and wiggly eyes. The Dino Lights craft set, meanwhile, adds a fearsome touch to any room. Crafters colour in the sheets of origami paper and fold them into snapping heads to display the LED dinosaur lights in all their prehistoric glory.

Another new addition for 2022 is Creative Templates – Safari Animals. Featuring lifelike animal templates with raised details, these are perfect for crayon rubbings and for younger children to draw around and colour in. Suitable for ages 3-10 years, this set grows with children as they improve their skills, allowing them to create more realistic drawings, collages and block prints, using paint to transfer the images onto paper or textiles.

The engaging Create and Discover range is new for 2022 and provides plenty of hands-on fun. With these bumper sets, children can explore a world of knowledge as they craft. These fun kits for creative thinkers include a full-colour project book with themed activities: ‘roarsome’ Dino Craft, cosmic Space Craft, and nautical Ocean Craft.

Create and Discover Craft Kits, ideal for children aged 5-8 years, encourage early STEAM learning, which helps develop independent thinking, persistence and curiosity.

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CREATIVE

AWARD

WINNER!

Colour me in again & again!

Colour, Wash & Play!

Peppa Pig and all related trademarks and characters TM & © 2021 Astley Baker Davies Ltd/ Ent. One UK Ltd and/or Hasbro. All Rights Reserved. Used with Permission.

Arts & Craft (Creative Play)

Epoch Making Toys 08435 574 062 | www.aquabeads.co.uk sales@epochmakingtoys.com This summer, Aquabeads fans can take their creations with them wherever they go when Epoch introduces the best-selling arts & crafts brand’s first-ever portable Beginners Carry Case. Ideal for summer holidays, birthday gifting, crafting activities or as a fun travel companion, Aquabeads sets are easy to use: kids simply place the beads on the template, spray them with water and, using the flip tray, watch as they magically stick together.

Once completely dry, they can carefully remove their creation from the tray and fix it onto the display using the design pegs to make a beautiful scene.

Joining the new Carry Case range this year is the Mega Bead Trunk. The portable Mega Bead Trunk comes with a generous 3,000 solid, jewel and star beads in 30 colours, a carry case, creation display and lots of easy template designs. Perfect for keeping beads, creations and Aquabeads tools safely stored away, budding artists can even decorate the trunk with their finished creations using the design pegs.

The Decorators Pouch, another portable set from Aquabeads, can double up as a colourful travel pouch and school pencil case. There are three colourful Decorators Pouch themes to choose from: Animals, Sea Life or Unicorns. One of Epoch’s best-sellers this year is the Mystic Unicorn set, which lets kids create their very own magical scenes, enchanted unicorn inspired keyrings and fashionable, wearable charms. The set features 1,500 solid, jewel and star beads in 24 colours, design pegs, template sheets and a creation display.

Character Options 01616 339 800 | www.character-online.com

| sales@charactergroup.plc.uk

From innovative foodie play concepts to ASMR creations, the Character Options portfolio is packed with a host of fun brands to encourage children to get creative.

ChillFactor is a cool collection that invites kids take time to chill as they make fun, edible creations.

With the Neon ChillFactor Slushy Maker now a household must-have, Character Options has unveiled the next line to join the collection. New for the second half, the ChillFactor 3-in-1 Fruit Factory is a creative, safe and healthy way for families to get their five fruits a day whilst also having fun. The perfect way to make refreshing, tasty treats, the 3-in-1 Fruit Factory lets kids choose from a selection of delicious smoothies, shakes, slushies, juice drinks or even smoothie ice lollies. The flavour combinations are endless: kids simply chop the fruit and combine it with liquids in the blender, then pour the resulting mixture into the mould and freeze it.

The Café Creative Barista Bar lets kids hone their early barista skills as they serve up a trayful of thirst-quenching, artistic beverages. A gift that will keep on giving, the Café Creative Barista Bar allows kids to practise and create all the professional touches seen in any fancy coffee shop with frothy milk and stencilled chocolate designs.

Another key creative line in the Character Options portfolio, the Squeeze Ball Creator lets children create their own unique fillable squeeze balls. Kids simply take an empty, reusable ball and insert beads, glitter, gems and more. Then they slip the ball onto the Squeeze Ball maker, fill it with liquid and lock it up. All that’s left to do is squeeze. This range will benefit from digital support and a highprofile influencer partnership that will be revealed soon.

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Guidecraft Discovery Frames encourage artistic experimentation through layering, patterning, and abstract expression. Large, translucent frames in square, triangle and circular shapes feature notches and holes for weaving and lacing using the twine strings included in the set. Create various canvases for loose parts, natural materials, photographs and craft materials that children can display and cherish throughout the year. As the seasons shift and interests and skills evolve, the designs will naturally flourish!

Concept Cards Real-life imagery and example designs encourage creativity with loose parts and new materials in a variety of environments.

D iscove r y Fra me s G6779

www.guidecraft.com

Sales Rep: Lorna Smith (EMEA) Email: lsmith@guidecraft.com

Phone: +44 (0) 7725833273 Skype: lorna.smith966

Arts & Craft (Creative Play)

Guidecraft 07725 833 273 | www.guidecraft.com A creator of naturally inspired children’s toys for over 50 years, Guidecraft emphasises the importance of open-ended play, the beauty of organic loose parts, the significance of hands-on learning and the natural world.

Via its range of inherently educational toys, Guidecraft enriches children’s lives with creative play and encourages them to use their imagination in the classroom and beyond.

Guidecraft recently introduced Discovery Frames, a hands-on set of weaving frames that supports child-led discovery and creative expression. The frames encourage children aged three and up to experiment with layering, patterning and tactile exploration as they play.

Using the included concept cards for creative inspiration, kids can weave beautiful, abstract masterpieces. Translucent frames featuring notches and holes provide a beautiful, neutral background for weaves that incorporate found loose parts, natural materials, colourful ribbons and textured twine.

The set includes a large square, triangle and circle-shaped frame as well as long twine pieces for weaving.

Lisciani www.liscianigiochi.com

| danny@allinoneproducts.com

Lisciani is a global educational company that has been designing, developing and manufacturing educational toys and games for the last 30 years. The company’s licensed Encanto Drawing School invites children to join the Madrigal family as they learn to draw and colour.

The Encanto Drawing School comes complete with a Lighting table, allowing children aged five and over to create their own drawings with ease as they bring their favourite characters from the Disney movie to life. The Encanto Drawing School also comes with coloured markers and plenty of drawings to colour in. This kit guarantees heaps of fun as kids develop their creative skills and learn to harness their imagination, just like they would if they were in a real art school.

For more information about the Lisciani collection, which benefits from extensive marketing and PR support, get in touch with Danny from Two in 1 Direct on the email above.

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SEWING made eas BE A FASHION DESIGNER!

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Arts & Craft (Creative Play)

PlayMonster UK 01628 488 944 | www.playmonster.co.uk

|

trade@playmonster.co.uk

PlayMonster UK is debuting a range of inspiring craft kits that support the wellbeing of young people via positive reinforcement, self-care and mindfulness.

Empowering and inspirational craft kits from Ann Williams celebrate all the little things that makes humans extraordinary as individuals and amazing as a team.

Highlights from this new range include the Ann Williams Empower Flower and the Wall Collage kit. Both allow kids to create environments which promote relaxed, positive thinking and offer a soothing space for the soul.

PlayMonster’s FabLab range is also introducing a new Wellness Kit featuring calming fragrances for any room which can be mixed and matched to create new scents, alongside a pillow, diffuser necklace, sleep mask and wellness book. Kids can also take time out for self-care with the new Glam & Glow In The Dark Nail set, which lets kids express their creativity using cool nail art.

Ideal for younger members of the family, the new Fuzzikins Sleepover Kit is a fun way to celebrate the importance of sleep while decorating adorable tepee tents, sleeping bags and sleep masks for the cute Fuzzikins unicorns.

Inspiring the imagination with an enchanting fairy world, PlayMonster is introducing a new range of My Fairy Garden Fairies, Plantimal friends and play sets. This magical world is focused upon nurturing play, the discovery of adventure, growing up strong, and empowering children to make a difference. My Fairy Garden continues to encourage children to interact with nature and develop a love for the environment through open ended, imaginative play. Each set features new highly detailed/articulated fairies, Plantimal friends, colourful edible plants, removable growing areas, hidden surprises and added play features. The collectible range will launch with a multi-layered marketing campaign.

Continuing the Grow & Play theme, the Peppa brand sees the launch of the new Peppa’s Playhouse Pot, a 2-story playhouse hidden within a pot and a rooftop garden with real grass that the child can grow for Peppa and George to explore. The set includes over 16 accessories. PlayMonster UK is also introducing the new WWF Wild Scenes Grow & Play range. The line has been created to support the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) UK charity, the world’s leading independent conservation organisation.

A donation to WWF will be made for each set sold.

Adding to PlayMonster UK’s strong lineup of creative brands, the company will be taking over distribution of Spirograph from July. The new Mandala play set creates wonderful patterns which kids can colour in: a perfect activity for peaceful reflection.

Mookie Toys 01525 722 769 | www.mookie.co.uk Tybo, from Mookie Toys, is the ideal solution for any child wanting to tie-dye their own clothes and accessories at home. Since the brand launched in 2018, Tybo has gone from strength to strength and the range continues to grow, even successfully launching in the US in 2020. A best-selling arts and crafts line in Smyths Toys Superstores, Tybo brings children joy by turning plain items into colourful tie-dyed masterpieces.

This year has seen the expansion of the range with Tybo Dip and Dye, a unique, all-you-need, easy to use marble dip dyeing kit for those who love to express their creative side by turning accessories into colourful statement pieces.

After launching earlier this year, Tybo Dip and Dye has been supported with paid social activity and TV and will also be backed by an influencer campaign.

The Tybo range launched with the Tybo Design Studio, helping families tie-dye at home whilst keeping the mess to a minimum. Mookie then designed and created the Tybo Magic Mixing Orb, a patented easy to-use item utilising a one-way valve system. The one-way valves allows the dye into the orb but stops it from escaping back out. Kids simply use the mixing handle to swirl up their designs, with no mess and great results every time. Tybo expanded this idea by launching Tybo XL in 2021. Allowing children to create bigger tie-dye masterpieces, from hoodies and jeans to bedding, whilst keeping the fun messfree, Tybo XL continues to be supported with paid social media, YouTube and influencer campaigns.

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UNDER APPROVAL

UNDER APPROVAL

Encanto’s creative games!

UNDER

AL APPROV

© 2022 Mattel.

Discover the creative Barbie™ playsets with the glittering Sand!

Worldwide Education

Lisciani is a Worldwide Educational Company, which has been designing, developing and manufacturing educational toys that can improve the lives of children and their families for the last 30 years. The company has a publishing background which is unique in the European industry because it was founded as a publishing house in the field of pedagogy and education. Our search for innovative teaching methods has never stopped and today it is still the true driving force of every game.

For further information, please contact:

liscianigiochi.com

Mr. MIKE BARRATT COUNTRY MANAGER UK Ph +44 1295 710774 mike@mikebarratt.com

Arts & Craft (Creative Play)

Toy Ons www.toyons.co.uk info@toyons.co.uk Perfect for creative play in the sandpit or at the seaside, Sand Pal is an innovative set of tools that allows kids to create large and complex sand structures, such as forts or pyramids, that can’t be made with a regular bucket and spade. The pastelcoloured brick moulds help to create incredible sand builds that are sure to become a talking point on beaches up and down the country this summer, or be equally at home in a backgarden sandpit.

Capturing the imaginations of young and old alike, the Sand Pal kit can be used by the whole family, creating opportunities for bonding across ages and generations and making memorable moments together.

The art of building sandcastles, whilst seemingly innocuous, helps kids get to grips with physical concepts such as weight distribution, balance, tipping points and more. The kit also allows kids to build sandcastles on a grand scale: the only limit to each build is the amount of sand available.

Toy Ons, the new toy division of the popular baby brand Sock Ons, will continue to expand its range of children’s toys with additions that will support creativity at each developmental stage. The products chosen by the team at Toy Ons will form a curated collection of inspiring, design-led products, and all will be responsibly sourced with consideration for both the planet and the people who make them.

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Arts & Craft (Creative Play)

Tomy 01392 281927

|

www.tomy.com

Tomy is expanding its arts & crafts portfolio with Hey Clay, an exciting and creative new offering combining fun modelling clay with a unique app element.

The range includes six mouldable characters within each of the six themes - animals, dinosaurs, monsters, bugs, birds and aliens - and is designed to spark children’s creative imagination.

Unique to Hey Clay, the product works in tandem with its own custom app that provides step-by-step ‘how to sculpt’ guides for each character, complete with beautifully illustrated animations to help bring children’s artwork to life. The mix of creative play and technology allows children to develop multiple skillsets simultaneously during playtime.

Using Hey Clay could not be simpler: kids can simply roll a stick of modelling clay into a ball and decide which other parts to add to it. The modelling clay will begin to harden within 20 minutes, and after 24 hours it will set, transforming it into a unique new toy that can be played with over and over again.

Hey Clay is made with non-toxic, eco-friendly clay, making it safe for children. Leaving no traces, the clay won’t stain hands, clothes or fabrics, meaning parents can say goodbye to messy playtime.

The Hey Clay Clay Mates range comprises 5-can sets with pre-selected colours designed for specific characters. There are a total of six characters available to collect within two Hey Clay categories; animals and dinosaurs.

Hey Clay Large Sets come with 15-cans of clay and two tools, and are available in all six themes: animals, dinosaurs, monsters, bugs, birds and aliens.

Sambro Toys 08458 739 380 | www.sambro.co.uk

|

Sales@sambrotoys.com

Sambro International offers a wide range of licensed toys and in 2022 is not only celebrating the company’s 25th year in the industry, but also its strong working relationships with major licensors including Disney, Hasbro, Mattel and Nickelodeon.

Thanks to Sambro’s continued investment into the IP of unique play-patterns and branding, the company now offers a wide range of unique and innovative creative and arts & crafts products. Sambro’s current product range in this category includes its award-winning Peppa Pig Felties range. Children can choose their favourite Peppa Pig Felties character and use the included coloured pens to colour them in any way they like. The figures can then be displayed, or washed so kids can start again with a completely new, reimagined deisgn. The range also includes the Peppa Pig Felties house. The perfect place for storing finished creations, the house can be fully redecorated time and time again with the pencils and stickers included.

One of Sambro’s most popular products within the arts & crafts category is the licensed Bops N Tops. The characterised pencil topper stampers come in a range of licences and characters, meaning there’s something for everyone, and the toppers are perfect for decorating and personalising books, magazines, fabric and more. Fully collectible and perfect for swapping, Bops N Tops are sold as single packs within themed series to encourage collectability. Also available are a variety of other collector packs, each containing a number of recognisable character as well as a mystery character that adds an element of surprise. Licences include Marvel, Disney Princesses and Classics, Paw Patrol and more.

New for 2023, Sambro is launching a range of Disney licensed GoKitz. Designed to tap into portable creative play at a pocket money pricepoint, each GoKitz set contains a surprise craft play-scene for kids to construct and colour in and comes with a surprise reveal Bop N Top. There will be 14 collectible limited edition kits to choose from across the Disney licences, with craft kits ranging from Rock Painting with Simba to Scratch Art with Dumbo, and even a Water Colour Canvas with Stitch. Further licences are due to join the line-up in the near future.

Peppa Pig Felties and the core Bops N Tops ranges are available now, with GoKitz set to launch spring/summer 2023.

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Arts & Craft (Creative Play)

VTech 01235 546 810

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www.vtech.co.uk

VTech has two new arts & crafts products launching in autumn/winter.

Children from the age of four and above can enjoy arts & crafts minus the mess with Magic Lights 3D. This innovative peg art set provides hours of entertainment, coming complete with 180 pegs in six different colours that can be stored away in the compact case. Featuring 3D and 2D picture modes for different levels of difficulty, kids follow the instructions in the booklet with 40 fun designs and many more available online. Light codes can be used to transform the art into a masterpiece featuring fun sounds and music. Kids can also let their imagination soar by making up their own designs and light codes during free play. Magic Lights 3D will be supported by a digital campaign that will target children contextually on YouTube and other online channels.

JotBot is an interactive robot-drawing buddy by VTech for children aged 3-5 years. This cute little robot encourages drawing through fun dialogue and storytelling. Kids insert one of the 15 double-sided drawing data chips to watch JotBot draw the image on that chip. They can also code JotBot to draw using the fun draw codes in the included colour-coded guidebook: simply enter the directional codes onto the arrow keys on JotBot's head and away he goes. JotBot can draw on A3 and A4 paper and includes a childfriendly felt tip pen. JotBot will be TV advertised in autumn/winter and further supported by a true view campaign on YouTube.

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Portable & Personalised

Beginners Cary Case Mega Bead Trunk

Deluxe Carry Case

Decorate your own case

©EPOCH

FOR SALES AND ENQURIES:

EMAIL: SALES@EPOCHMAKINGTOYS.COM • PHONE: 0208 049 1377

Arts & Craft (Creative Play)

John Adams 01480 414 361 | www.johnadams.co.uk John Adams Leisure continues to build on its heritage within the creative play category by launching innovative new products that let children express their imaginations with easy to achieve results.

Aqua Gelz, magical liquids that transform into colourful, fun, squishy creations, have proven themselves hugely popular. Joining the range this year is the Starfish Lagoon Mega Playset, which makes 37 Aqua Gelz creations and opens up to reveal an impressive 140cm water park. The 3D water park includes an impressive pop-up ‘roller coaster’ for extra play value. There’s also the Glowz Deluxe Playset, which includes everything needed to create 40 glowing Aqua Gelz Creations using the Glowz flashlight. Kids can then play with and display their squishy new figures in the handy Aqua Park tank.

The ever-popular Blopens range is extended further with exciting new sets at key price points. Joining the range is the Tie Dye Style Set, which lets kids create cool airbrush effect pictures before blowing through the water pen to spray the effect on-top.

Also new for 2022 are the Silhouette Stencil Set, Sparkly Sequins Set, Artist’s Studio and Fantastic Creatures Activity Set, as well as a Barbie Activity Workshop.

The Cutie Stix range welcomes additional sets with the Cutie Compact assortment and the Crystal Jewellery Set, which lets kids create unique, sparkly, glow-in-the-dark jewellery. A new licensed Peppa Pig Magicolour set is also joining the John Adams range. Kids can colour in the special sheets with the pens provided, then load them into the Magicolour unit to see the Peppa Pig pictures magically come to life.

Horrid Henry has been a No. 1 kids’ brand for 15 years and continues to grow.

New for 2022, fans will be able to create their very own Horrid Henry stories using the official Bookeez book making studio.

All key new launches will benefit from a mix of TV, VOD, Adsmart and digital advertising as well as full PR, influencer and social media campaigns.

Creative Kids UK 07827 880 159 | www.creativekids.com Creative Kids expands its already growing own-brand presence in the UK Arts & Crafts category with an all-new licensed range of Play-Doh Air Clay, which arrives at UK retail this autumn/winter.

The Play-Doh brand, the UK’s No. 1 Arts & Crafts property, and Creative Kids are taking on the air-clay category with a proprietary formula that makes sculpting effortlessly fun and allows kids to keep and display whatever their imaginations desire. CK’s new Play-Doh Air Clay allows young crafters to sculpt clay art with a silky-smooth modelling material which air-dries to leave them a crack-resistant keepsake.

The new compound encourages kids to get creative in their sculpting journey. The clay can easily be moulded according to the child’s imagination and artistic capability. Air Clay can be used to make keychains, accessories, pinch pots and much more, and the finished creation dries out in just 24 hours. The finished product is also paintable. Leftover clay can be stored in the resealable container once crafting is over to maintain its soft texture.

Overseen by Hasbro, the range combines the Play-Doh characteristics parents and kids love with the ability to craft long-lasting creations. The product range includes entry-level price points through to bigger value packs and covers popular themes such as animals, dinosaurs and food (pizza, ice cream and cakes). The new range also offers even more ways to play by injecting innovation into key items such as the Clay Racer assortment. This line allows budding car designers to create their ultimate car by moulding the clay over a vehicle chassis featuring a pull-back-and-go action feature.

In addition to Play-Doh Air Clay, Creative kids continues to expand and innovate within its own-brands Sense and Grow, Zzand, Science to the Max and Kiddy Dough, which all welcome new items for 2022. Within Zzand, an all-new ASMR-powered range will leverage the compound in an ‘Oh So satisfying’ way.

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rs toddle r o f t c rs Perfe choole s e r p &

ART PLAY THINK

Low Dust

www.abgee.co.uk - 01773 570444

Arts & Craft (Creative Play)

Curious Universe www.curiousuniverse.co.uk Curious Universe is fast becoming a major player within the Arts & Crafts category. Having doubled its craft business in the past 12 months, in line with its Explore, Play, Imagine, Create (E.P.I.C) ethos, the company is passionate about discovering the latest trends and bringing them to market.

Creating innovative and inspiring products for both children and adults, Curious Universe is also heavily invested in building a sustainable future for people and the planet. The company’s sustainability programme aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and provides working parameters within which the company develops and produces its products.

On-trend arts & craft lines include Rock Painting, Paint By Numbers, Diamond Painting, Cross Stitch, Quilling, Paint Pouring, How to Draw, Foil Art and lots more. Key brands feature heavily in the range, such as 3D Diamond Studio, Art Maker, Colour and Carry, Craft Maker, Crystal Creations, Curious Craft, Folder of Fun, I Love Crystals Kaleidoscope and Zap Extra. New themes this year include Wax Melts, Quilling, Cross Stitching, Knitting and Sewing for Children, Water Beads and 3D Crystal Creations for Kids, offering something for everyone.

Curious Universe has an enviable arts & crafts portfolio that is widely available across the world. Consumers searching out its products generate high rates of sale for the company’s retail partners, who benefit from and appreciate the innovation, high quality and passionate service that the company consistently delivers.

Trends UK (National Accounts)

Tel: +44 (0)1295 768078

Wind Designs (Independents)

Email: salesadmin@trendsuk.co.uk www.trendsuk.co.uk TRENDS-UK-PAINT-POP-B3-TW-June-issue2022-210X138 HALFPAGE-OL.indd 1

Tel: +44 (0)1353 724140

Email: sales@wind-designs.com www.wind-designs.com

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Arts & Craft (Creative Play)

Haico 0161 457 8085

|

www.haico.co.uk

Launching this year, Haico’s innovative own-brand IP Squidgems brings toys, sensory play, compounds and arts & crafts together in one product.

Suitable for children aged 5-9, the cute Squidgems pets offer a variety of on-trend and highly sought-after elements: slow-rise squishiness, collectability, sensory feedback and creativity. The range focuses on four characters – Lexi, Beau, Roxi and Kiki – which appear across the six launch SKUs as part of a highly appealing pet shop theme.

The range offers a wide choice of price points, from entry level to mega sets. At the lower end, the Squishy Gloop Pets packs come with two Squidgems pets, either Beau & Roxie or Lexi & Kiki, as well as decorative gloop, mini-markers and creation trays. The Squishy Gloop Pet Journal pack features Beau and comes with a squishy journal, gloop, stickers, pens and charms.

There are also two assorted Squishy Gloop Pets Canvas packs. Each includes a canvas with squishy elements and mixed media assets kids can personalise and decorate themselves with the gloop. Giant Squishy Gloop Pets are available in Beau or Lexi. These super-sized 25cm squishies can be decorated using the included gloop, paint, paintbrushes, foam balls and sequins. Finally, the Squishy Gloop Creations mega set contains each squishy character, a variety of gloops, foam balls and more.

One of the biggest USPs of this new range is the fact the pens and gloop won’t transfer to skin, unlike some other brands. The packaging of each set is also both recycled and recyclable. Some SKUs also benefit from packaging that becomes part of the play pattern: for example, doubling up as a pet shop, in line with the launch theme.

Squidgems range extensions are planned for spring/summer 2023. Online and offline marking plans will highlight stockists on social media, consumer magazines and more, and retailers will be supported with POS solutions, competitions and other initiatives.

Suitable for kids aged 5-9, Haico’s Shakems let kids ‘shake shake & see what you make’. This own-brand range taps into the slime, collectible and surprise reveal trends. The concept sees kids add an assortment of ingredients to a container, along with a toy, close it and shake it, then reveal what they’ve made.

Shakems Slime Eggs, available in Unicorn Slime or Dinosaur Slime, come with slime powder, glitter, colourings and either a unicorn or dinosaur figure. Once combined inside the egg, shaken and left to set, the ingredients combine to create unique, tactile slime kids can play with again and again.

Ice Age Excavation follows the same play pattern, but the mixture sets solid. Kids use the included tools to excavate the dinosaur figure and assorted bones from the ‘frozen’ ice. The Shakems Unicorn Lab – Giant Bath Bomb, meanwhile, lets kids create a fun, fizzing, scented bath bomb which melts away in the tub to reveal a cute unicorn figure. Refill bags are available for all lines so the experience can be enjoyed again and again.

Also launching this year are Shakems Tie-Dye Pets. Available in Teddy, Dino or Unicorn, each pack comes with a cute, unstuffed plush pal just crying out for a tie-dye makeover. Kids wrap their toy in the rubber bands, place it into the ball, squirt their chosen dye combinations through the holes, replace the stoppers and shake shake shake.

When they open the ball, they’ll reveal their toy’s new look. Once dry, the plush can be stuffed with the included hollow-fibre filling and enjoyed like a regular cuddly toy. All packaging is recycled and recyclable, and dye refills are available.

Shakems will be supported with a marketing plan that will drive consumers to retail, as well as competitions and POS solutions. Further range extensions will be unveiled for spring/summer 2023.

Brainstorm Toys 01200 445 113 | www.brainstormltd.co.uk Brainstorm’s Eugy continues to be a runaway success. The sustainable craft toy comprises numbered recycled card pieces and non-toxic glue kids can use to create a 3D model of an animal that can be displayed as part of an eye-catching collection. New models for 2022 include Hedgehog, Rhino, Bumblebee, Chameleon, Unicorn Sky, Raptor, Crocodile and Kangaroo.

The company’s innovative display solutions help retailers maximise their sales. This year, Brainstorm has launched an FSC-certified, fully sustainable FSDU with the capacity for 48 Eugy styles, developed in response to retailer demand following the significant growth within the range. The FSDU makes it easy to communicate the brand’s diversity, quality and eco-credentials. Eugy will be supported with marketing and PR throughout the year.

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3D DINOSAURS 404777

3D GLITTER UNICORNS 404770

LLAMA 404754 SEALIFE 2010S

GLOW-IN-THE-DARK SPACE 403546

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CUTE PETS 403539

Arts & Craft (Creative Play)

Craft Buddy 0203 417 6565 www.craftbuddyltd.co.uk trade@craftbuddyltd.co.uk Craft Buddy is extending its Crystal Art range and developing further new Arts & Craft products during 2022. The company’s Crystal Art brand taps into the on-trend hobby of diamond painting. Appealing to children aged six and over, this fun, rewarding and addictive hobby allows children to create beautiful, sparkly creations.

This spring/summer, Craft Buddy launched its Marvel Crystal Art Collection. The range features iconic superheroes from the Marvel Universe including Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Captain Marvel and the Avengers.

Offering an entry price-point to this range, the Crystal Art Card Kits let fans make sparkly greeting cards featuring Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man and more. These are perfect starter kits for newcomers to Crystal Art, with each card taking around 45 minutes to an hour to complete. Further items in the Marvel Crystal Art Collection include the Spider-Man and Iron Man Crystal Art Notebooks, as well as a selection of different Marvel Crystal Art Canvas Kits featuring Spider-Man and images of the Avengers.

Craft Buddy has also launched additional licensed Crystal Art Collections which include Peter Rabbit and The Smurfs.

Celebrating the 120th anniversary of Peter Rabbit, kids can bring this famous rabbit and his friends to life with sparking Crystal Art Kits. The range includes a selection of six Crystal Art Cards featuring Peter Rabbit, Mrs Josephine Rabbit, The Flopsy Bunnies, Benjamin Bunny and Jemima Puddle-Duck.

The fun Peter Rabbit Crystal Art Sticker Set allows kids to make their own stickers and add sparkle to a book, bag or another craft project. The 30x30cm and 40x50cm Crystal Art Canvas Kits are based on imagery from the Peter Rabbit series. A strong addition to this line-up is the Peter Rabbit 3D Crystal Art Scene. Kids can add crystals to the individual set pieces and slot them together to build a scene featuring Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddle-Duck. Once finished, this looks great as a sparkly display piece.

The Smurfs Crystal Art products include character designs based on the classic and more recent movie and TV series. As well as Crystal Art Card Kits, there is also a Crystal Art Notebook, Silver Frame Kit, Sticker Set and 30x30cm Crystal Kit for children to create, with each design being both colourful and eye-catching.

Paint By Numb3rs is a new Craft Buddy range. These complete crafting kits include three different sizes of paint brush, a set of acrylic paints and a pre-mounted canvas design which children can paint before displaying the finished design around the home.

This autumn/winter, Craft Buddy is launching its new L.O.L. Surprise! and Star Wars Crystal Art Collections, including some major new product introductions to the Crystal Art range. More information will be unveiled in the upcoming weeks and months: readers are advised to look out for more details.

New pocket money collectibles 3D models to make

email. info@artstraws.com Toy World 124

tel. 01792 796151

Arts & Craft (Creative Play)

Canal Toys 01904 379 123 | www.canaltoys.fr/en Art Lab Watercolour Studio is the latest exciting addition to the Canal Toys portfolio. Following the success of the Pouring Art Studio, this set mirrors the same concept by making creating stunning watercolour art easy, fun and relaxing, and is packed full of accessories to help kids have fun as they develop their artistic flair. Everything young crafters need is inside the box, and they can use the handy guide to inspire them to take their artwork to new levels of creativity.

The handy stencil kits let kids trace silhouettes for use in designing spectacular scenes and settings. There are five different sheets to choose from including tropical, space, typographic and other bold patterns, all of which are perfect for adding the finishing touches to masterpieces. Kids simply place the stencil on their watercolour sheet and use paint or markers to fill in the outline.

The set also lets kids paint using no less than six different techniques to create stunning effects, as well as develop their painting skills using the watercolour guide included in the Art Lab Watercolour Studio kit: as they use the brushes provided, kids can use these handy hints to improve their skills and enjoy each new effect as its develops on the watercolour sheet. This highly accessible kit will ultimately allow young painters to draw incredible, unique artwork using the pencil, markers or watercolour paints, as they create distinctive backgrounds or add fine details to their stencils.

Mixing the eight different watercolour paints together will create subtle changes in shade and tone which add depth, shade and even more effects to paintings. With so many stencils, colours, sponges and ideas to choose from, the creative possibilities are endless. When finished, kids can then put on an ‘art exhibition’ and show off their fabulous designs to friends and family.ç Art Lab Watercolour Studio will be supported with extensive marketing and PR campaigns.

Ravensburger 01869 363 830 | www.ravensburger.com CreArt offers consumers a strong range of superior quality, fun and engaging paint by numbers products, which first launched in spring 2021 as part of the Ravensburger portfolio.

Over the past two years, there has been a huge surge in demand for Arts & Craft products which appeal to both adults and children. Ravensburger has a strong heritage with paint by numbers products as well as a very wellestablished business in Europe as the No.2 Arts & Crafts brand.

Prior to launch, Ravensburger carried out extensive consumer research in the UK to create an impressive range with strong appeal and feature-rich content. The response to last year’s launch of the CreArt children’s range was very positive and consumer reviews rated the products highly. In 2022, 15 new designs will be added to the collection including several popular licensed characters from blockbuster family movies including The Lion King, Miraculous and Frozen, in addition to two characters from the celebrated Harry Potter franchise: Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Other new animal and pet designs for kids this year include Squirrel, Fawn, Badger, Unicorn and Penguin family, among others.

Additionally, a new CreArt range for adults is set to launch in 2022. The designs will span pop-art and gift card styles, as well as beautiful landscapes.

A colourful Giraffe, Zebra, Lion and Elephant make up the vibrant pop-art inspired collection, as well as motivational quote styles: Good Vibes, Love and Make your Dreams Happen. Painters can collect them all to create a stunning display they can be proud of painting themselves.

Later in the year, in time for Christmas and stocking-filler gifts, further additions will be added to both ranges including landscape designs and seasonal themes.

Each CreArt pack contains a range of superior acrylic paint, easy to hold numbered pots secured by an easel, a high-quality, fine point durable paintbrush, a thick painting board and painting guide, and the children’s range also includes a display frame for the finished painting. Both the paint pots and unpainted picture are numbered, and there’s also a useful and easy-to-understand guide included for getting started.

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ART & CRAFT WITH A TOUCH OF MAGIC...

marvinsmagic.com magic@marvinsmagic.co.uk

Viewpoint Growing grandparents’ toy spend With the cost of living on the rise and families starting to feel the pinch, Moneeba explores how grandparents are helping out when it comes to treating the kids.

Moneeba Baloch Moneeba Baloch is consumer insights director at Kantar, a leading data, insights and consulting company which helps clients understand people and inspire growth. She also has previous experience working for The NPD Group in the UK.

O

fficial data from the Office for National Statistics shows that inflation soared at its fastest rate for 30 years in February. As high street prices rise, almost 60% of households are now worried about spiraling costs and, as parents’ budgets are squeezed, they may spend less on toys. However, rather than families choosing to go without, we are seeing grandparents stepping in to help plug the gap. If retailers and manufacturers want to protect their share of wallet in the coming months, then understanding this key demographic and what drives its purchase choices is vital.

Put grandparents front and centre First, a quick look at the numbers. Notwithstanding the current inflation landscape, our latest data shows that toy sales have been growing - total sales hit £5.8b over the year to 6th February 2022. Sales in physical stores have been boosted by 23% since this time last year to the tune of £2.9b in total, while online sales reached £2.3b and now account for 44% of total toy sales. We believe that the growth in physical stores is down to grandparents, who are driving much of the return to the tills.

Grandparents were responsible for over a third of physical toy sales, with a 37% market share which equates to over £1b worth of toy purchases, and their contribution to the market only looks set to grow. While their spend remains lower than it was pre-pandemic, down by 14% compared with two years ago, it is up by 19% compared to the same period in 2020/21.

We’ve also seen over 400,000 more grandparents shopping for toys than this time last year when we were in lockdown. This suggests that, after months of restrictions, the older members of the family are getting back to the high street and are eager to make up for lost time. So how can retailers and manufacturers win them over?

Planning the in-store experience For retailers, the first essential step is getting the instore offer right to attract older shoppers. While some have embraced online shopping, for many, the experience of shopping in-person with their grandchildren is important, especially as they make up for quality time lost during the pandemic.

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It is also key to understand the emotion of toy buying for grandparents. Many of us remember the buzz of being taken into a shop by a relative to pick out a treat, but it’s important to remember that the enjoyment extends both ways – a toy store is the perfect place for grandparents to show their grandchildren just how special they are.

As ever, having the right product range and positioning on shelf will be key to grabbing attention. Special placement of toys that span the generations could encourage a nostalgic purchase. Similarly, placing interactive toys and games on the shop floor will make the experience fun at a time when families are trying to watch their pennies during days out.

In the data period to early February 2022, grandparents favoured vehicle, character and playset toys. Games, puzzles and construction toys were also popular to keep children engaged while schools were closed. These choices allowed grandparents and children to play and spend quality time together. Grandparents looking ahead to summer childcare duties will be looking for ways to keep children entertained and active too, so outdoor toys will play a key role over the coming months.

Catch the early birds Typically, grandparents like to buy ahead of time for special occasions – sometimes by several months. Sales figures from 2021 show that October was the key period for grandparents doing their Christmas toy shopping, and this pattern extends to other holiday periods like Easter and Halloween too.

A helping hand As high streets recover from a steep decline in spend during the worst days of the pandemic, they are now facing yet more challenges as inflation reaches unprecedented levels.

Grandparents will help to support parents as they feel these financial pressures. High street retailers who shape their product strategies and shop floor with grandparents in mind will be best placed to get this vital demographic through their doors and feel the benefit at their tills.

Special Feature

Show

A whirlwind three days From 17th-19th May, independent retailers from the UK & Ireland descended upon The Majestic Hotel in Harrogate for the longawaited return of the Toymaster May Show – and what a show it was. Toy World reports back from the event, where the team experienced first-hand just what makes it so special.

I

n the weeks leading up the first Toymaster May Show for three years, there was palpable excitement among both retailers and suppliers.

The three-day trade event has always been wildly popular, but this year, due to its Covidenforced hiatus, attendees’ joy at being there seemed to reach new heights. Numerous suppliers described the atmosphere as ‘buzzing’ as retailers browsed, networked and placed orders aplenty. Nick Saunders, sales director at Brainstorm, described the show as very much an ‘order taking show’, noting that the company’s catalogue lines, including My Very Own Cloud and My Very Own Moon, were providing particularly popular – alongside Eugy, of course.

Elsewhere, One For Fun’s new distribution line Dream Beams received a lot of attention, as well as Wilton Bradley’s award-winning Water Wall, Clementoni’s Play For Future recycled puzzles and games, Huffy’s Disney Licensed bikes, Gibson’s No Planet B and Pride jigsaws and Just Play UK’s Toymaster-exclusive Alice in Wonderland range.

Amy Saunders, Just Play UK’s sales director, said: “Toymaster always puts on a great show. Retailers reacted positively to our range, and our Toymaster exclusive Disney line has been a huge draw.” Her colleague Ryan Coyle, national account manager, added: “There was a real sense of optimism in the air at Toy Fair earlier this year, and even with everything that’s going on at the moment, it’s obvious that carried through to the Toymaster show.”

Mattel, which once again took over the Harrogate suite, showcased its full range of brands. Standout products included the Fisher-Price DJ Bouncing Beats, Barbie Amazing Mermaid Power Boat and the Disney Lightyear range. Danielle Lovegrove, field sales manager for Mattel, commented: “It was great to be back in Harrogate, seeing so many retailers and showcasing our fantastic range. It was full of energy and excitement with lots of productive conversations, and we were delighted to share our upcoming ranges with our distribution partners A.B.Gee, Kayes and Wind Designs.”

The May show is a great springboard for smaller suppliers and start-ups, which have long benefitted from the willingness of the independent toy retailer to try something new. By all accounts, the Slime Party UK stand was inundated throughout the show, in part due to Midco Toys’ David Middleton’s effusive praise

over the past months, and Chris Blatcher, the owner of JAC Stores and Toymaster chairman, told Toy World his business has just received its first delivery of Mood Bears. Owner Jo Proud only started supplying the trade in September 2021 but is already making waves with her mental-health supporting plush range: look out for the gorgeous (and very cuddly) memory-foam Comfort Bear when he launches later this year.

Of course, the fun of Toymaster doesn’t end when the deals do each day. Tuesday night was party night, and let me tell you – if men in lederhosen playing woodwind instruments are your thing, and you didn’t manage to make it, you missed out. The fun continued after the drinks reception with a three course meal, further live music and some special presentations.

Playmobil’s Keith Thompson received a bottle of bubbly and the well-wishes of all his friends and colleagues as he starts his retirement, and Golden Teddy Awards were presented to Russell Lipman of Wilton Bradley and Paul Wright of Mashal Toy Agencies. The party went on into the wee small hours, as it usually does, and even Toy World publisher John Baulch was spotted in the conga line… allegedly.

Following a second busy day of deals and networking, Wednesday night was awards night, a more formal affair. The following members were honoured with a special 25 Years Membership Award which was presented at the event: Howleys (Weymouth), Donalds of Peterhead, Thomas Moore (Exeter), The Toy Shop in Trowbridge, Blewetts of Hayle and JAC Stores (Isle of Man). Although not in attendance to receive their awards in person, the

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following members were also announced as having enjoyed 25 years membership: Gliddons (Sidmouth), Stewart Miller (Northern Ireland), Watkin Toys (Taunton) and Beatty’s (Loughrea). An additional two Toymaster Awards were announced. These Friends of Toymaster awards were presented to Tiffany CairnsAllen of Lego and Tim Foley of MGA, in recognition of their hard work and commitment in supporting Toymaster members. The final award of the evening went to Asmodee for Supplier of the Year.

Throughout the show, suppliers including SES Creative and Carerra Revell pointed out to the healthy numbers of Irish indie retailers at the show this year.

The Irish contingent has always thrown its support behind the Toymaster May Show, but with many opting to sit out the London Toy Fair in January, this year saw even greater numbers in attendance than could normally be expected. However, the award for ‘visitor from furthest afield’ must go to Mike Derse, business development manager at the US retail franchise Learning Express, who immersed himself into the UK toy trade for three days with enthusiasm, an open mind and a sense of humour. In the coming months, the Toymaster team will be paying a return visit to join Learning Express across the pond as they continue to discover the many ways the UK and US trades are alike, and how they can best support each other.

All in all, the Toymaster May Show 2022 was a huge success, and Toy World would like to offer its thanks and congratulations to the team on yet again putting on a superb event. We caught up with Brian McLaughlin, Toymaster business development manager, during a rare quiet moment to ask how he felt the show had gone. He told us: “It’s been a fantastic show, with a great turnout from both independent retailers and our members as well as all the group’s suppliers. It’s been busy, too – lots of orders have been placed over the three days. The mood amongst the trade at the moment is buoyant and positive. Our members are planning for Christmas and are already excited to see all the fantastic new toys and games they’ve ordered here arrive on their shelves. Of course, it’s also been wonderful for everyone to catch up with their friends and colleagues again: everyone is happy to be back in Harrogate and the show appears to have been much missed. It’s been a whirlwind three days, but the Toymaster team is looking forward to the 2023 show already.”

fresh FRESH THIS MONTH:

Each month Fresh sets out to find the latest products that will have toy retailers reaching for the phone.

Here are new releases from: Asmodee, Creative Kids, Exploding Kittens, Golden Bear, Lego, Naylor, Panini, Plum Play & Red Toolbox

Ticket to Ride: San Francisco

Asmodee | 01420 593 593 | www.asmodee.co.uk

Since Ticket to Ride made its debut in 2004, the game has expanded beyond the table and now has digital versions available on iOS, Android, PC and home video game consoles. Overall, more than 10m copies of Ticket to Ride have been sold.

An international phenomenon, the game has also been translated into 33 different languages and is distributed in more than 40 countries. Ticket to Ride is a franchise that is enjoyed by more than 80m players worldwide. It can be appreciated by new players and experts alike thanks to its easy-to-learn strategic gameplay, making it a staple in family board game nights.

Asmodee UK has now announced the fourth entry in Ticket to Ride’s popular city editions, Ticket to Ride: San Francisco. Launching in August in the UK, Ticket to Ride will be taking the Golden City by storm, with players given the opportunity to race around San Francisco’s most iconic landmarks. The new game is designed for players over the age of eight and has easy-to-follow rules for the whole family. Despite the simple rules, Ticket to Ride: San Francisco is a uniquely strategic game that’s different every time it’s played.

Players have to race through iconic San Francisco landmarks in 15 minutes and collect souvenirs along the way to score points on a travel-friendly board perfect for hotel patios and dining room tables. Ticket to Ride: San Francisco showcases landmarks like The Golden Gate Bridge, The Painted Ladies, Alcatraz and more. The playing pieces are finely designed and sculpted mini–San Francisco Cable Cars, which fit perfectly into the theme of the game. The game comes in a nicely packaged, easy to stash carry-on bag box, making it the perfect summer travel companion.

Wave Springsafe

Plum Play | 0344 880 5302 | www.plumplay.co.uk Plum has launched the world’s-first water trampoline, Wave Springsafe, just in time for the summer holidays. This ingenious product is the first-of-its-kind to feature an innovative misting system that keeps kids cool on warm days. It’s the ideal choice for parents wanting to keep their kids entertained and active over summer.

The gentle water play system will refresh kids during sunny play, whether they’re bouncing away the day or relaxing with friends. The mist nozzles simply hook up to a hose pipe and spray a soft and cooling mist onto the jump space.

The stylish yet safe trampoline features a blue and white colour finish creating a wave ripple look, while its galvanised steel frame and weatherproof materials give it protection against rust and ensure both longevity and safe play. Safety is always at the heart of Plum Play’s products, which is why the Wave Springsafe Trampoline has been professionally tested for slip resistance, keeping children safe whilst they play. The weatherproof material includes a UV treated mat as well as a soft protective safety pad, enclosure foam and 2G Springsafe enclosure with a zip for added safety.

Lego Transformers Optimus Prime

The Lego Group | 01753 495 000 | www.lego.com The Lego Group and Hasbro have come together for the first time to turn the iconic Transformers Autobot Optimus Prime into Lego form.

The new Lego Transformers Optimus Prime set is a tribute to the heroic Autobot leader with over 1,500 detailed Lego pieces. Once assembled, the figure features 19 points of articulation that allow fans to convert it from robot to truck alt mode and back again without the need to rebuild.

Transformers first exploded into popular culture in 1984 with the original toy line and animated TV series. Modelled on the G1 Optimus Prime character, the new set includes such features as the ion blaster, Energon axe, an Energon Cube and the Autobot Matrix of Leadership, which can be stored in the chest chamber.

Once complete, fans can admire their 1508-piece build by adding the display plaque.

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h

fres h Black+Decker Constructor Engineering Sets

Red Toolbox | (972) 58 405 7966 | www.red-toolbox.com | anthony@red-toolbox.com Scheduled to launch in September, Red Toolbox is gearing up for yet another successful year with its award-winning new Black+Decker Constructor Engineering Sets.

As reflected by many of the company’s other STEM-rich toys and DIY kits, Red Toolbox places a focus on creating products children will not only enjoy but also learn from. The Black+Decker constructor line helps develop STEM skills such as critical thinking, spatial awareness, problem-solving, innovation, creativity, hand-eye coordination, curiosity and more. The company’s goal is to make playtime a subconscious educational experience that refines vital skills in developing children and gives them a sense of accomplishment, elements offered by the completion of one of Red Toolbox’s exciting sets.

Ranging from 12- to 558-pieces, the Black+Decker Constructor Engineering Sets offer plenty of variety. From the intermediate learner to the advanced constructor and anyone in between, there is a set for every developmental stage. The 3+ sets for toddlers are great for sparking initial curiosity, and as children master the beginner skills and grow, learning will continue to be supported. Constructor Sets are available to fit the developmental needs of children up to 10+, including the impressive 558-piece Spaceship Engineering Set. The Black+Decker range also includes complex multi-model sets, such as the 12 Models in 1 Engineering Set. This set contains 152 pieces that are versatile enough to create 12 different and unique vehicles and aircrafts. The multi-model sets come in various sizes and difficulty levels.

Red Toolbox has developed a wide range of subject matters and themes, from dinosaurs and construction vehicles to robots and aircrafts. The metal and plastic contents that make up the Construction Engineering Sets may seem simple at first glance, but when put together by a determined child, there’s no limit to the creativity that comes to life through the finished products.

Curlimals

Golden Bear | 01952 608 308 | www.goldenbeartoys.com customerservices@goldenbeartoys.co.uk Golden Bear has launched its own interactive plush, introducing a range of entry-level animatronic soft toys to the sub-category. Curlimals is the company’s latest plush IP and supports a long-term strategy to grow and develop its own brands to sit alongside an already strong business portfolio of licensed plush.

Curlimals are cute woodland creatures that respond to touch with over 50 sounds and reactions.

The range launches with three colourful characters, each with unique sounds and phrases reflecting its individual personality. Higgle the hedgehog, Bibi the bunny and Blue the badger all awaken from slumber once they receive a gentle stroke on their head. Initially a little shy, they respond with more attention and then uncurl, ready to play. Each of the characters giggles, sneezes and talks, and some even sing or burp, until they tire, curl up into a sleepy ball and softly snore.

A dedicated website – www.curlimalstoys.com – has been launched in tandem with the product lines, providing content and activities to introduce the characters and their woodland adventures, engage children with nature and wildlife, and further enhance the overall brand experience. Robust marketing plans are also in place to fully support the brand launch.

A new 30” TVC has been created and will be aired from June, with further bursts throughout the Q3 and Q4 periods. June also sees the launch of a seven-week channel sponsorship with Pop and Tiny Pop, plus the implementation of digital, social and PR campaigns will continue throughout the year. Partnerships with top-tier Kidfluencers – Rhia Official and Gaby & Alex – have also been announced, bringing the collaborators’ unique product reveal to Gen Z and Alpha audiences.

UEFA Women's Euro 2022 Official Sticker Collection Panini | 01604 877 888 | www.paninigroup.com

Panini has launched the UEFA Women's Euro 2022 Official Sticker Collection. Dedicated to the women’s game and inspired by those who play it, this collection celebrates females in football and features all the teams competing in England this summer.

Consisting of 366 stickers and 40 pages, this jam-packed collection features some of the most successful players in the women’s game. Collectors can look out for 30 special stickers in the collection and keep their eyes peeled for their favourite footballing stars.

The collection will be backed by a multi-channel marketing campaign including a nationwide sampling campaign, investment in social, digital and print advertising, and activations with key retail partners.

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new from

TM

Hand-to-Hand

WOMBAT TM

as seen on

A social deduction game for people who aren’t into social deduction games.

In stores July 31 Marketing Driven by Digital & Social Media | Influencer & PR Activity sales@explodingkittens.com

@gameofkittens

explodingkittens

fresh

Hand-To-Hand Wombat Exploding Kittens (31) 646 437 146 www.explodingkittens.com sales@explodingkittens.com Exploding Kittens has announced the launch of Hand-To-Hand Wombat, a game of teamwork, towers and troublemakers. Following the success of a Kickstarter campaign which saw almost $1m pledged in 30 days, Exploding Kittens is making Hand-To-Hand Wombat available to the wider market on 31st July.

Hand-To-Hand Wombat is a social deduction party game in which each of the four players is assigned a secret identity: Good Wombat or a Bad Wombat. With their eyes closed, the Good Wombats work together to build towers while the Bad Wombats sabotage them.

After the 90-second timer is up, everyone opens their eyes and discusses, argues and votes on who they think is a Bad Wombat. If players pick the wrong person, then the game continues, and the Good Wombats must try to complete the towers before the Bad Wombats ruin everything.

Perfect for pumping up the energy and lighting up game night, Hand-To-Hand Wombat will have players laughing and shouting the entire time. Best suited for players ages seven and up, the game includes 18 stacking bricks and three tower spindles. It also features the wombat character from The Oatmeal’s comic, which was the most popular comic in 2021.

To develop the game, Exploding Kittens Senior Game Designer Carol Mertz worked with designer Cory O’Brien on ideas for social deduction games. As they explored concepts, social interactions and team dynamics became particularly interesting. Solving one of the biggest pain points in bluffing games, Exploding Kittens was also keen to ensure that players can make decisions based on real information instead of arguing over guesswork. By leveraging a physical dexterity mechanic, Hand-to-Hand Wombat not only gives players a way of determining who is working with or against them, but also gives players who don’t typically enjoy social deduction mechanics something to focus their attention on. So, for those into the idea of building things, breaking things, benevolence, betrayal and wombats with bad intentions, Hand-To-Hand Wombat is a great addition to any game table.

For more information on the Exploding Kittens portfolio, contact Joeri Hoste: Joeri@explodingkittens.com.

Flexible activity tunnels

Naylor Activity Tunnels | 01226 444 378 | www. nayloractivitytunnels.co.uk | nayloractivity@naylor.co.uk Naylor’s range of colourful activity tunnels has been designed with the imaginations of kids in mind. Due to their robust construction, the company’s tunnels can withstand plenty of playtime fun and adventures, from crawling and hiding inside to enthusiastically rolling around. Their size and flexibility also allow the tunnels to be used alongside existing toys and play equipment, further encouraging kids to get active and step away from screens without even realising it.

Naylor tunnels are made from a medium PVC material which is up to four times thicker than alternatives on the market, while a spring steel wire coil, fully enclosed in a heavy-duty, hard-wearing cover strip, means they are also flexible and self-supportive. The use of PVC makes all Naylor tunnels suitable for indoor activities but also durable enough to withstand outdoor play whatever the weather: they are waterproof, easy to clean and concertina down for storage. The durability of Naylor tunnels means they will become part of playtime throughout kids’ developing years.

Naylor tunnels are available in a choice of six bright and eye-catching colours. Within the single colour range, tunnels of two lengths and diameters cater for children of all ages. A multi-coloured tunnel is also available in size small.

Child safety is paramount to Naylor: all the company’s tunnels are independently tested and fully meet the requirements of the European Child Safety Standard EN71.

Creative Kids UK

Creative Kids | 07827 880 159 www.creativekids.com Science to the Max strives to inspire young learners through hypothesis-based, trial and error experimentation. Taking core principles and ideas, each kit explores real science – from chemistry to physics and polymers to plants – making learning through hands-on play both approachable and aspirational for budding scientists. The range’s packaging has been updated to create a cohesive new brand look. A hero item for 2022 is the 14” fully articulated human body, complete with skeleton, muscles and organs.

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Feature

Wheeled Toys

How we roll It’s beginning to feel like summer is finally on its way, and with it the promise of many an outdoor adventure on wheels. Toy World finds out what’s new to the Wheeled Toys category for this year, and how recent developments in transportation law could shape the way kids and their families get around.

I

n previous Wheeled Toy articles, we’ve often touched upon the legalities (or rather, illegalities) of eScooter use in public places. It’s long been a frustration for both manufacturers and commuters that riding a privately owned electric scooter in a public place could land you a healthy fine, points on your licence, or – as in the case of some unfortunate riders – a total driving ban (even before your provisional licence is issued). Only hire schemes, run as part of government trials, have provided any form of sensible, regulated compromise: eScooters are currently only legal for use on roads if they are hired as part of such schemes and have safety features such as speed limits of 15.5mph and automatic lights.

More than 30 towns and cities – including London, Newcastle, Bristol and Bournemouth – are already operating rental trials.

However, that’s all about to change; privately owned eScooters will be legalised for use on public roads and cycle lanes in the UK as part of the government’s new Transport Bill, a change announced in mid-May following suggestions made by the transport secretary Grant Shapps and even the Prince of Wales, while addressing the state opening of parliament on behalf of the Queen, that a major change was on its way.

At present, no one quite knows exactly what privately-owned eScooter legislation and regulation will look like, and it is likely to remain a contentious

issue - as it has since the first eScooters made their way under the feet of consumers. But there’s no denying that their popularity continues to soar, and manufacturers are no doubt pleased by the opportunities the move creates.

DGL Group is one such manufacturer. Pritesh Dave, EMEA sales manager at DGL Group, tells Toy World that while demand for its Hover-1 products continues to increase across all product platforms, it has increased further still since Prince Charles’ speech. He says: “Not only has it been confirmed that eScooters will be legalised on UK roads, the government has made it clear that implementing new regulations to allow for this will be made a priority in the coming months. This is very exciting.”

According to Pritesh, DGL’s Hover-1 brand is on course for its biggest year in both the UK and internationally. Its success will be bolstered in autumn/winter when the brand’s latest launches hit the market including its first eScooter for kids aged just five and over. This new ride-on features lean-tosteer technology which DGL says mitigates the safety issues posed by run of the mill handlebars, and will be nothing less than hi-vis thanks to its generous numbers of LED lights. Both features will appeal to parents and caregivers keen to get out on scooters with their kids in a safe way.

As eScooters continue to ramp up in popularity, so

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to do skateboards. Skateboarding was featured in the Olympics last year, and the stunning bronze medal performance of 13-year-old Sky Brown has inspired huge numbers of kids to take up the hobby. One For Fun was typically very quick to get its Ozbozz brand skateboards to market, and this year is joined in the sub-category by HTI, which has unveiled five new skateboard models under its best-selling Evo brand, and MV Sports, which is launching a Nerf-licensed skateboard complete with a backpack and blaster, for blasting on the go.

Licences continue to inject fun into the Wheeled Toys category elsewhere, too. As we all know, 2022 is a massive movie year, with a raft of blockbusters on the way that promises to make up for the two-year movie drought caused by the pandemic – and then some. Those companies that specialise in filmlicensed wheeled items will no doubt be looking to the months ahead in great anticipation. MV Sports offers a very strong range of licensed ride-ons, featuring Spider-Man, Batman, Encanto and more, and this year welcomes Lightyear to its portfolio, launching a selection of scooters, skateboards and bikes based upon the upcoming Disney Pixar animation. MV is also launching new products based on some of the hottest pre-school licences of the moment: Bluey and CoComelon. There’s also a new range based on MGA Entertainment’s Rainbow High, which brings

4 INTERCHANGEABLE plaques

converts from pedal to balance bike

Switch -it tri-scooter

Tilt’n’ turn with lights

Bobble ride-on ©2019 Marvel

Feature

Wheeled Toys

aspirational fashion-forward ride-ons to the wheeled aisle.

For Huffy, this year is very much about Disney, Marvel and Lucas Film bikes, according to Jon Tilley, general manager – EMEA at United Wheels, which distributes the US-household brand this side of the pond. Huffy has just launched 24 new licensed bikes, including some specific retailer-exclusive bikes, and United Wheels is very optimistic about how they will perform in the marketplace. Jon tells us: “We work very closely with the Disney team to coincide our launches with new releases. We can’t wait to unveil our new Lightyear bikes - they look amazing.”

Huffy only arrived in the UK in late 2021. The brand launched at a selection of major retailers at the end of last year, and United Wheels sold every bike it had brought to these shores. Since then, Jon says, the company has launched more new ranges of Huffy kids bikes and Huffy Disney bikes across multiple retailers and platforms. He adds: “Huffy is the No.1 bike brand in the US, with 30% of the market share of the mass market sector. If we can get close to those sorts of numbers here, then we can pat ourselves on the back.”

Perfect for the youngest end of the Bikes market, a number of new balance bikes are launching this year. In a further expansion of its Evo brand, HTI is introducing new Evo Balance Bikes, and Swag Distribution is bringing the Strider brand to the market. Suitable for children aged 18 months and upwards, each Strider bike is designed to encourage independent riding for every child, without the need for stabilisers. Swag is hugely enthusiastic about distributing the Strider range. Carly Kelleher, national key account coordinator, says: “This is a well-known, well-loved brand that is sure to get lots of people very excited.”

Plum also has wheeled offerings for the youngest of riders. The company’s Globber Explorer Trike 4-in-1 is an all-in-one baby tricycle and kids balance bike that grows with children thanks to four thoughtfully designed modes: infant trike, guided trike, training trike and balance bike. This means the ride-on will see kids through years of outdoor adventures, not just months.

Wheeled toys tend to sit within the upper price bracket of the toy market, and consumer spending is arguably under more pressure than it has been in decades. Spiralling energy and fuel costs, interest rates, food prices and more mean adults have less expendable income, so, much like during the pandemic, it’s likely they will turn to trusted brands that offer the best return for each pound spent. A quality ride-on is an investment that will last years, so it’s no surprise that Timo Gerold, managing director, Hong Kong, at HTI Toys, says the company is seeing increased demand for value-for-money offerings, driven, in his opinion, by the current economic situation and outlook for the coming years. HTI is supporting its retailers in the current climate too. Timo adds: “We have also optimised our box sizes in order to minimise impact of logistic costs on retail prices.”

One For Fun’s award-winning My First Scooter, meanwhile, continues to appeal to consumers for its attractive pricing and the way it evolves from a fourwheeler to a two-wheeler as kids find their balance and grow their confidence. The company has earned a reputation for offering wheeled toys that provide excellent value for money, so it’s little wonder My First Scooter has, according to One For One, outlived many of its rivals.

Retail footfall continues to recover post-pandemic.

In May, Retail Gazette reported that footfall rose across all retail destinations week on week, with high streets

outperforming both shopping centres and retail parks. While scooters and infant ride-ons tend to be smaller-box items, bikes, in the main, are both large and best bought in-person – no one wants their shiny new bike to arrive only to find it’s too small, or too big. During the pandemic, many retailers, especially smaller indies, were forced to reduce their shop-floor stock levels to increase the amount of space available to consumers, and many have not fully reverted back to their pre-pandemic layouts. This means big-box items or large, free-standing products may pose some challenges.

Jon Tilly notes, though, that Huffy Bikes offer a ‘great incremental sales revenue stream’. Traditionally, he tells Toy World, the kid's bike business has been very FOB focused, but the company holds significant local stocks in its UK distribution centres, meaning retailers can order bikes in small quantities, as little and often as required. This is a major benefit to those with limited space. United Wheels also offers a comprehensive drop ship range, so on top of core selections, ranges can be extended to offer consumers an even greater choice. Jon says the company is also working on several merchandising options which will offer a solution for retailers wanting to range bikes in a small area. More will be revealed in the coming months.

“We are also a key sponsor at the National Cycling Show in June at the NEC and will be supporting several other consumer awareness initiatives as the year develops,” Jon finishes. “We aim to support retailers to help grow our brand and increase the sales of their bikes, so we will continue to offer the trade our support in whatever way we can.”

Over the following pages, Toy World takes a look at all the latest wheeled toy launches rolling out for this year.

Toynamics UK & Ireland 0116 478 5230 | www.toynamics.co.uk | sales@toynamics.co.uk New for 2022, Hape has introduced three balance bike designs to its collection. Perfect for an early start to life on wheels, My First Balance Bike is a 3-wheeled adjustable bike aimed at kids 18 months and over. The bike simply clicks into place, with no tools needed for assembly, and has an adjustable seat. The wheels are made using a soft foam that won’t scratch floors. Hape’s My First Balance Bike is available in three colours: light pink, light green and light blue.

The Learn to Ride Balance Bike is aimed at kids from three years of age and is available in two stylish colours: classic green and wine red. The frame is made from a lightweight aluminium and magnesium alloy and the handlebars are designed to be slightly bent for a comfortable, relaxed grip. The handles, ergonomically designed saddle and footrest are made from renewable and ecofriendly cork which is warm and soft to touch, and the tyres are both durable and puncture-proof.

The Explorer Balance Bike is made from lightweight magnesium alloy and features a built-in handle, making it easy to carry around. The seat and handlebars can be adjusted to suit any child’s height and the wheels feature an anti-skid grip pattern. Explorer Balance Bikes are available in four colours - blue, red, green and pink – and are suitable for kids aged three and over.

Hape is just one of the many brands Toynamics UK & Ireland offers. All brands enjoy full marketing support including shop-in-shop solutions.

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Wheeled Toys

MV Sports 01217 488 000 | www.mvsports.co.uk As a market leader in character wheeled toys, MV’s portfolio of sector leading licences has been further strengthened with the addition of several exciting new properties, including the latest pre-school phenomena, CoComelon and Bluey. These collections have been very well received by consumers and meet the growing demand for new pre-school wheeled toys.

CoComelon is the world’s No. 1 kids’ YouTube channel. MV Sports has a range of CoComelon wheeled toys in its portfolio including bikes, scooters and ride-ons, all emblazoned with bright bold colours and featuring the main character, JJ. Kids can scoot into play on a life-size version of Bluey’s iconic scooter, which features fun character graphics and four distinctive character plaques for added play value. The 2-in-1 bike is an ideal beginner bike which easily converts from pedal to balance bike as the child grows in confidence. For younger Bluey fans, the Bobble is the ideal first ride-on for developing coordination, balance and core strength.

Lightyear is arguably one of the most anticipated kid’s movies of 2022.

To support the release of the animated movie, MV Sports is launching a range which brings the main characters to life with an exciting array of scooters, skateboards and bikes. With vibrant colourways and detailed graphics, the distinctive Lightyear artwork will stand out whether on-shelf or on-page. Kids can blast off on the Lightyear Folding Inline Scooter. Featuring bold graphics and new characters from the new film, the scooters also has anti-slip griptape and an easy-folding mechanism for simple transportation and storage.

Consumers might not talk about Bruno, but everyone is talking about Encanto.

The multi-award-winning animated movie has inspired yet another vibrant wheeled range from MV Sports, featuring iconic character graphics, bold enticing colours and visually decadent designs.

The company’s popular Nerf range expands yet again. Launches include the extreme Nerf Go Kart, complete with two blasters and 10 darts held in holsters on a removable printed wrap. The new Nerf skateboard comes with a skateboard backpack, blaster and five darts for the ultimate Nerf experience.

MV’s Spiderman and Batman licensed ranges continue to go from strength to strength, with consumers drawn to the eye-catching graphics and bold colourways seen across the range. The Spiderman line-up will be expanded with the new 6V Blaster Quad, featuring fun lights, sounds, Spidey moulded features and disc slinging action.

Batman has been revitalised with a completely new, refreshed look, featuring the distinctive bat logo with a cool paint-drip effect.

Kids can let their true colours shine with MV’s new Rainbow High collection. This eye-catching new range, based on MGA Entertainment’s best-selling fashion doll collection, features bold rainbow colour pops and exciting character graphics for total immersion into the property.

The Li-Fe 350-HC takes electric scooters to the next level. The dependable and powerful 350W motor propels riders along at up to 25kmh, but the real showstopper on the 350-HC is its high-quality maple wood deck. Not only does this look great, it adds a level of underfoot comfort and reassuring build quality unrivalled by competing brands.

Further expanding MV Sports’ own brand ranges, Stunted has seen a slick, new refresh incorporating printed wheels and under-deck prints with cool, edgy designs.

HTI Toys 01253 778888 | www.htigroup.co.uk HTI’s Evo brand continues to evolve along with its consumers via a diverse offering comprising trendy scooters and wheeled products that closely follow global market trends. Continuing the journey of Evo, with the aim of providing a unique value proposition underscored by quality and outstanding design, the brand will continue to raise the bar with innovative and inspiring additions to the balance bike and skateboard markets.

The Evo Balance Bike offering is the perfect way for kids to start their journey towards two-wheeled mobility.

Helping to build balance and confidence before learning to use pedals, this product line-up is ideal for exploring the outdoors. With a focus on choice and options, the ever-expanding Evo product offering is continuously wheeling out new features, colours and patterns, presenting a collection of balance bikes that provides something for everyone.

Pushing forward with its entry into the skateboard market, Evo is introducing five distinct models that will appeal to both beginners and professionals. As with all other Evo products, every attention has been paid to detail, design and material selections so the boards deliver outstanding performance. Each Evo skateboard has a custom-designed graphic deck, ensuring riders will look great whether they’re cruising the sidewalk or shredding at the skatepark.

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Wheeled Toys

Simba Smoby Toys UK 01620 674 778 | www.simba-dickie-group.de/en |

sales@simbasmoby.com

Simba Smoby Toys UK’s trusted Smoby brand offers kids a stylish introduction to the wheeled toy category, with a host of fun ride-ons to choose from.

With the Smoby Builder Max Tractor with Trailer, kids can become a real site foreman. This serious bit of kit measures an impressive 1.82m in length and is perfect for kids aged three and over. It features an adjustable seat and can be pedalled along to get the job done.

Kids will also enjoy helping mum and dad in the garden with the Smoby Builder Max Tractor. This ride-on comes with a functional digger and detachable trailer to the rear, plus a shovel at the front and a working horn.

The Smoby Stronger XXL Kids Pedal Tractor with Trailer is a high-quality, safe and sturdy pedal tractor with a chunky, modern design. Ideal for kids aged three years and above, this tractor has a max length of 161cm and features tyres with cool, off-road tread, an openable bonnet, and an accompanying trailer. The strong, wide trailer allows kids to transport sand, stones, twigs and more, and the in-built horn means parents will always hear them coming.

Plum Play 0344 880 5302 | www.plumplay.co.uk The Globber Explorer Trike 4-in-1, an all-in-one baby tricycle and kids balance bike, will provide years of fun, not just hours, thanks to four innovative modes that will grow with and guide children as they discover and enjoy outdoor play.

The infant trike mode includes a 5-point safety harness with soft shoulder pads and a safety bar to keep little ones safe and comfortable during their adventures. Suitable for children 18 months and older, the guided trike mode is ideal for those learning to steer and features a parent handle for added support. The training trike enables kids aged 24-36 months to practise their steering and develop their balance, while the final balance bike mode allows kids to showcase the skills they’ve developed through the years.

The 4-in-1 trike has a detachable and adjustable anti-UV canopy that helps keep youngsters out of the sun with a UPF of 50+, as well as thermoplastic rubber grips on the handlebars that will retain their comfort throughout years of use. The Globber Explorer Trike 4 in 1 is available in either deep pink or mint.

The Globber Primo Foldable Wood Lights is a 7-ply solid wooden scooter deck made from FSC-certified, sustainable wood. Mounted on a reinforced metal structure, this durable scooter is perfect for active, growing kids.

For maximum grip and safe scooting adventures, the deck has been designed with anti-slip grip tape, laser engraved sides and a large integrated brake for wheel longevity. Adding some brightness to the ride, the light-up scooter wheels flash between red, blue and green. The dynamo technology integrated in each wheel’s core means no batteries are ever needed. The Globber Primo Foldable Wood Lights scooter is available in pink, navy blue or lime green.

Available in blue, pink or teal, the 3-wheeled Globber GO.UP Deluxe Pay scooter is designed for kids aged three years and older and has light and sound features that offer added play value. The pushchair function is designed for those just starting out and the ride-on feature allows parents to guide children through their first riding experience. The seat and support bar can both be removed and replaced with the adjustable T-bar to create the ultimate scooter. The height adjustable handlebar also allows the scooter to grow with kids, so they can enjoy it for years to come.

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Wilton Bradley 01626 835 400 | www.wiltonbradley.com

Wheeled Toys

New from Wilton Bradley is the Xootz Kids 3 Wheeled Bubble Scooter, which leaves a blizzard of bubbles when the child rides along. Bubble solution is simply added to the front mounted bubble machine to create hundreds of bubbles, and any bubble solution will work. The scooter is lightweight yet durable, and easy to control and steer, making it suitable for 3 years plus. Available in pink or blue, it features an adjustable handlebar, easy grip handles and an anti-slip footplate to ensure a safe and comfortable ride.

Wilton Bradley’s BMW Z4 Roadster makes a powerful statement, featuring all the details of the full-scale powerhouse: kidney grille, sculptured bonnet and unmistakeable working front lights.

With a slow start function, 3-speed drive and reverse gear, little ones can practise their driving in the ultimate driving machine. For the youngest of drivers, an included carry handle stowed under the car head, training wheels under the rear bumper and a remote control allow parents to take control.

The Xootz BMW Z4 Roadster features an MP3 player with AUX input, plus a rechargeable 12V battery beneath the bonnet. Designed for use both indoors or outdoors, the classy vehicle will make light work of carpet, garden terrain or smooth tarmac thanks to its front wheel suspension.

One For Fun

0141 613 2525 | www.oneforfun.com | sales@oneforfun.com The trusted Ozbozz brand from One for Fun continues to be a go-to for wheeled toys and outdoor products. This year sees the introduction of new scooters that promise to build on the popularity of the best-selling Unicorn, Dino and Rainbow Flashing scooters. My First Scooter, now a classic within Ozbozz’s portfolio, has won many consumer awards over the years. This cost saving scooter evolves from a sturdy 4-wheeler to a 3-wheeler, and ultimately to a 2-wheeler as kids gain more confidence and better balance. Available at an attractive price point that provides excellent value for money, and perfect for younger children, this little scooter has outlived many of its rivals. The Unicorn and Dinosaur My First Scooters continue for 2022 alongside other colourways and themes.

Older children are catered for with the Big Wheel Torq Ruff Scooter. This sturdy scooter is suitable for both on- and off-road scooting courtesy of its large 200mm wheels at the front and back, which allow it to traverse rougher terrain more easily. It features a handy kickstand so kids can leave it upright when they reach their destination, as well as a convenient folding design that makes it easy to store and transport.

The increasing popularity of skateboarding, largely fuelled by the sport’s success at last year’s Olympics, has prompted Ozbozz to create a range of new generic boards. These are available in different sizes, from the smaller ‘satchel’ board to full size boards, and in a variety of materials. Ozbozz neon skateboards continue to be popular, and roller-skates are available in a wide variety of colourways too.

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NOW D BY

U TE D I STR I B

THE WORLD’S BEST KNOWN BALANCE BIKE SOLD BY TRUSTED RETAILERS

FOR SALES ENQUIRIES OR TO REQUEST ACCESS TO OUR B2B, PLEASE CONTACT IAN HAM: IAN@SWAG DISTRIBUTION .CO.UK 0121 389 1092 W W W. S WAG D I S TR I B UTI O N .CO.U K

Wheeled Toys

Swag Distribution 0121 389 1092 | www.swagdistribution.co.uk ian@swagdistribution.co.uk Strider is one of the best-loved balance bike companies in the world. Offering a wide selection of bikes for children aged 18 months and upwards, each Strider bike is designed to encourage independent riding for every child, without the need for stabilisers.

The Strider 12 range is suitable for children aged 18 months and over. Each bike features a durable steel frame, a fully adjustable seat to accommodate growth spurts, and ‘no-flat’ foam rubber tyres.

Lightweight yet durable, all Strider 12 models are made to withstand everything a toddler can throw at them. The world’s lightest Strider, the 12 Pro, features a patented, super-lightweight aluminium frame, a racing number plate and a padded performance seat.

The 14x Model is the perfect transitional balance bike, allowing children’s confidence to skyrocket as they master balancing and begin learning to pedal.

Each 14x bike is created with growing riders in mind and is highly adjustable, so each bike can get bigger as its rider does. Ideal for children who are a little more experienced and looking to begin pedalling, the Strider 14x Sport Bike can be transformed from a balance bike to a pedal bike with the handy 14x EasyRide Pedal Conversion Kit. Strider is renowned for its support of the charity All Kids Bike, which aims to teach children of primary school age how to ride a bike in the USA. The scheme will be replicated here in the UK from next year.

For more information on the Strider range available from Swag Distribution, visit the company’s easy-to-use website or email the Swag team.

DGL 03333 000 168

| www.hover-1.com

DGL is gearing up for yet another busy second half of the year and expects its Hover-1 brand to enjoy its biggest and best year yet.

As a leading UK hoverboard brand, Hover-1’s objective each year is to bring beautifully designed products to the market for all its retail partners, with cutting edge innovation and designs. For 2022, this aim remains unchanged.

The brand’s talented design team works tirelessly to make sure Hover-1 delivers on this promise, and it appears there is no limit to the designs and concepts it can produce. Working in close collaboration with the engineering team, Hover-1 guarantees that innovation, quality and safety are paramount to its future growth and success.

A key focus this year will be the expansion of the Hover-1 scooter range across all age ranges, from 5+ through to 8+ and into the Teens and Adult ranges. Growing the My First Range will be one of this year’s major highlights, as Hover-1 introduces the My First 5+ Kids Electric Scooter. This is the first time Hover-1 will be launching a product aimed at this age range, something that is sure to open a raft of new opportunities for the business.

The My First Electric Scooter will initially be available in black, blue and pink, and come complete with new lean-to-steer technology not normally associated with the eScooter category. Previously, this has been down to safety. Research shows that when children are looking towards or searching for their parents, siblings or friends, the handlebars are often turned in the same direction they are looking rather than travelling in, which could lead to safety issues. Hover-1s new technology alleviates this completely, however, as the handlebars do not turn. Kids simply lean to turn the bike instead. For added stability, the product will come with two wheels at the front and one at the back plus a foot controlled rear brake, thumb-controlled acceleration and extendable handlebars.

In true Hover-1 style, added glamour elevates these scooters even more.

Each colourway comes fitted with spot LED headlights, side LED lights and kinetically powered multi-coloured LED wheels to add extra razzmatazz and ensure riders are clearly visible. Plus, should the battery run out, the scooters can be used as ordinary manual kick-scooters.

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Wheeled Toys

United Wheels 01525 664041 | www.huffybikes.com

| salesuk@huffy.com

The popular bike brand Huffy, a household name in the US, has revealed its key lines for summer 2022.

The Pro Thunder range from Huffy is ideally suited to adventures with family and friends. Bedecked with vibrant colours and cool graphics, the durable steel frame comes with fast rolling air-filled tyres on coloured rims, making this a fun ride with a striking look. All Pro Thunder bikes arrive 85% assembled, meaning parents can complete building this bicycle in just a short time. The Pro Thunder is available in wheel sizes 12”, 16” and 20”. Stabilisers are also included on the smaller models.

The Huffy Glimmer bike is a favourite among young riders wanting to learn bike riding in style. It has removable stabilisers, a bright, bold design and a fabric front storage pouch on the handlebars, as well as sparkly graphics. Glimmer also features a comfortable padded, decorated seat. The easy rolling tyre tread, supported by lightweight alloy spokes, makes this bike a great option for families keen to get out and active. Available in wheel sizes 12”, 16”, 18” and 20”, all Glimmer bikes feature Huffy’s patented Quick Connect system for speedy assembly and a minimal need for tools.

Huffy brings Disney’s No.1 animated film to life with the Disney Frozen 12” bike.

Perfect for learning to ride with or without stabilisers, the bike is suitable for kids aged 3-5 years and is designed in shades of sky and Nordic blue and mulberry, with beautiful detailing of the movie’s characters. The comfortable, padded seat also features Frozen graphics, while the handlebars boast a deluxe storage container decorated with Frozen crystals. Huffy’s easy-to-use brakes offer peace of mind for parents and allow kids to enjoy a safe and smooth ride. The Disney Frozen 12” bike is also lightweight, making it easy for parents to carry when kids want to explore on foot. Huffy 12” Bikes will also be available in Disney Princess, Spider-Man, Avengers, Star Wars, Cars and Minnie Mouse designs.

The Huffy Disney Pixar Cars 14” Bike is made for taking beginner riders on their very first adventures. Kids learning to balance will love the freedom that the wide stabiliser wheels offer, and they can pedal, cruise and stop easily with the brand’s easy-to-use brakes. With 14” air-filled tyres, a steel frame and a padded seat, this vibrant red toddler bike sports the colours of Lightning McQueen. Parents can adjust the handlebar and seat height to fit growing racers aged 4-6. Huffy 14” Bikes will also be available in Disney Princess, Spider-Man, Avengers and Frozen options.

The Huffy Star Wars Mandalorian 16” Bike comes with a wide set of training wheels to help kids to learn to balance as well as a Mandalorian mask on the handlebars. Safety is ensured thanks to Huffy’s easy-to-use brakes. Designed in the same colours as the Mandalorian’s outfit and armour, the bike features air-filled tyres, a steel frame and a padded seat. This bike is recommended for kids aged 5-7 years old, and the seat and handlebar heights are easily adjustable. Huffy 16” bike riders can choose from Disney Princess, Frozen, Cars, Spider-Man, Avengers and Minnie Mouse designs.

Rollplay/Carrera Revell UK 01296 660291 | www.carrera-toys.com | office.uk@carrera-revell.com With over 20 years’ experience in the e-car business, Rollplay vehicles are produced in the company’s own factory with an integrated R&D team, quality control and testing, to ensure that every item meets the high standards that customers demand. This level of quality has enabled Rollplay to secure licences from companies including Porsche, Mini, BMW & Audi to create replicas of some of the world’s most desirable vehicles, both on two wheels and four.

The Rollplay range is split into three distinct groups; Ride, Drive and Perform. The Ride category for ages 1 to 4 includes the child-operated Footie Car, pedal vehicles and Push Cars that can be converted to Foot-To-Floor cars for independent use as the child grows (and easily convert back to Push Cars for younger users). There’s even an electric quad bike for that first foray into powered riding.

The Drive category covers ages 3 to 6 years and comprises a comprehensive range of feature-packed 6 & 12V powered cars, stabilised motorcycles and quadbikes, some with adult-operated radio control that literally turns these ride-ons into the largest RC vehicle you’re ever likely to drive. Features vary by vehicle but include clear/tinted windshields for maximum realism, working seat belts for added safety, high-grip tyres, working lights, horn & engine sounds, vehicle power indicators, FM radios and MP3 connectivity. Body panels incorporate coloured plastics, and light clusters are clear-moulded rather than stickers, for a quality appearance.

The Perform range for ages 4 to 12 years incorporates Rollplay’s action-packed stunt vehicles. These powerful ride-ons are designed to get the adrenalin pumping and guarantee hours of play fun for the more daring rider, mixing accelerator and brake to perform cool tricks.

Q3 2022 will see the introduction of new items in all categories; in Ride there is the latest innovation of the FLEX series with the FLEX XL Pedal and Mini Cooper Push Car with added Busy Board toy dashboard. Drive will get an upgrade to the established BMW R 1200 GS motorcycle in the form of the 12V battery powered Touring version with added extended windshield and working side panniers. Carrying on with 12V power in the Drive Premium line, a top-of-the-range M-Series BMW 850i Sportscar in spectacular black finish will be introduced, complete with seat belt, opening doors, working headlights, horn & engine sounds, high-grip rubber tyres, illuminated dashboard with power indicator, FM radio and MP3 connectivity.

Formally only available for the Perform 6-12 years category, the ever-popular Nighthawk 12V is joined for 2022 by the Nighthawk Bolt for ages 4-10 years. Also powered by a 12V motor, this manta-themed stunt vehicle allows fast running, controlled drifting and awesome spins.

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OVE R

01626 835400

sales@wiltonbradley.co.uk

www.wiltonbradley.co.uk

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Infant Toys

First things

first

Chicco

When choosing toys for their babies, parents are becoming more selective, in a bid to protect the world they have just brought them into, as Toy World’s Sam Giltrow discovers.

M

ore and more parents are taking on the mantle of protecting the planet for their newborns and toddlers by seeking out sustainable infant toys that will last and not end up in landfill.

“Consumers are becoming increasingly interested in the impact that the products they purchase have on the environment and this is particularly relevant within the toy sector, where the use of plastic is extremely high,” explains Mitch Levene, managing director of toy and nursery company Chicco, part of the Artsana Group. “We are seeing an increased demand for sustainable products, with parents wanting to buy toys that are eco-friendly but also affordable.”

Chicco has recognised the important role it can play in making sustainable parenting achievable by placing a firm focus on its Eco+ toy range, which includes a wide variety of products from teethers and rattles to a balance bike and ride-on, all of which are made from recycled plastic or bioplastic. Many of the products in the range are made from either 80% recycled plastic or 50% bioplastic. Mitch says Chicco will be looking to further develop the line, and will be supporting future launches with an integrated digital and PR marketing campaign.

Another popular choice among parents has been Chicco’s First Dreams Baby Bear, particularly due to its neutral colour. “The First Dreams range perfectly complements our Chicco Next2Me range and by highlighting the connection of the products, we are

able to capitalise on the success of our sleep-time products and further grow the First Dreams range,” says Mitch.

The trend towards more environmentally friendly toys has also been seen by Rainbow Designs, which produces soft toys and gifts for babies and young children based on classic and much-loved story book characters such as Peter Rabbit and Paddington.

However, managing director Anthony Temple stresses that sustainability should be more than just a trend, rather an important focus for long-term toy manufacturing. “This is not something to be followed for a while until something new comes along,” he tells Toy World. “Sustainability is a call to inspire continuous change for a better future. Our commitment, as a business, is to continue our commitment to ongoing improvements in the interests of the future of those we design these toys for.”

As an example, Rainbow Design’s Always and Forever Winnie the Pooh collection was designed and created with a focus on sustainable materials, FSCcertified and reusable packaging, stuffing made from recycled bottles and recycled plush fabric. Anthony says that along with looking for something that will not harm the environment, consumers are also seeking infant toys that are both contemporary but will stand the test of time, as well as being safe and supporting the child’s development.

Melissa & Doug is another company placing a focus on more sustainable materials including fabric and

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wood and its 0-2 range debut is an important launch for the company in 2022. It includes two new ranges, Rollables and Go Tots, which both use FSC certified wood, while the core infant range is made of textured fabrics.

David Lubliner, head of Customer Marketing – Europe at Melissa & Doug says that since the Covid lockdowns, parents have also been increasingly looking to buy fun, yet educational, toys for their children, as they have become more aware of the importance of play and the role toys can play in stimulating early developmental skills. “Melissa & Doug’s new 0-2 range of toys has been designed around this premise,” he says.

David adds that this year there has also been a positive trend towards sensory toys, resulting from the huge growth of ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) and other mood-boosting content on social media. Melissa & Doug’s new 0-2 range will see toys with a mix of textures and different movement dynamics to capitalise on the trend. Marketing will be focused on TV advertising on children’s channels, PR , social media and influencer campaigns – all aimed at reaching parents and potential new customers.

Despite the difficulties posed over the last couple of years by the pandemic, Rainbow Designs’ Anthony Temple says nursery sales are continuing to reflect what a strong and stable category it is. “Over the last few years in particular, we have seen well-established, beloved brands such as Paddington Bear, Peter

Feature

Infant Toys

Rainbow Designs Rabbit and Guess How Much I Love You performing exceptionally well against brand ranges that are in their infancy,“ he says. “However, investment in the care, innovation and evolution of our toy ranges with such brand heritage, is important to ensure that our collections are kept fresh and on trend.”

One of Rainbow Designs’ best-selling ranges is the Peter Rabbit Once Upon a Time collection, which includes My First Soft Toys, Comfort Blankets and Ring Rattles as well as gift sets and a new series of wooden toys that launched this year. This summer will see the launch of new infant toys including Playtime Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunny soft toys, available in two sizes, and 25cm versions of Pooh Bear’s woodland friends, Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger, which join the bestselling Hundred Acre Wood collection. The autumn will also see the launch of two new play sets in its Adventures of Paddington pre-school toy range.

Rainbow Designs will be supporting the launches with a multi-layered, targeted marketing approach with digital marketing and social media playing a significant role. “As stores are now so much more than just bricks and mortar, we have invested heavily in supporting our

lines digitally, with creative photography and engaging video content for our retailers to utilise on their own digital channels,” explains Anthony.

Mitch Levene attributes the success of Chicco and Artsana to working in close partnership with retailers.

He adds that Artsana’s marketing strategy has reaped benefits for stockists by rewarding those who support the Chicco brand with strong product presence and gold standard in-store and online support. “Chicco’s reputation in the nursery sector also has a halo effect on our juvenile and infant products such as toys, with parents recognising the brand and making our products stand out,” he says.

Social media continues to be an effective communicative channel for Chicco in reaching its target audience and over the past two years it has seen increasing levels of engagement from followers within key demographics. Chicco also supports retailers’ baby events with promotions and marketing support. “Social media and influencers continue to be a very effective channel for reaching families and expectant parents and by using these channels, we are able to deliver emotive, engaging content that resonates with our

Melissa & Doug

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target audience and supports our retailers,” says Mitch.

He says that last year was a more challenging year for the markets, following what had been a bumper year in 2020 with the lockdowns driving record demand for toys. Although there was media speculation and some expectations of a baby boom resulting from the pandemic and lockdowns, this has simply not happened. Mitch adds, however, that despite the many challenges, both the nursery sector and the overall toy market seem to have fared far better than many other retail categories and is positive about the year ahead.

Mary Wood, general manager, UK & Ireland at Tomy, says that with consumers returning to bricks and mortar stores, it is important that its products are in store and well presented to give the best chance of pick up. “We are securing some great distribution for our new Lamaze range – eight products that have been developed based on insights into how children play,” she tells Toy World. One of these is the Puffaboo Elephant which stops a child crying when a puff of air from the elephant’s truck touches their face. “It’s so simple but it really does work so I’m sure this will be a great help to parents,” she says.

An evergreen performer for Tomy is the Hide & Squeak Eggs within the Toomies range, which remains a perennial best seller with over 200,000 units sold annually in the UK alone. “It’s a product that has been around forever and still is a relevant today as it was when it was first launched,” says Mary. However, though Mary says consumers may not have changed what they are looking for in terms of buying for babies and toddlers, the way Tomy markets its toys has had to adapt to an ever-changing world of product promotion.

“Marketing to parents is becoming more challenging with the myriad of social media channels available,” she says. “There is also the challenge of communicating a product online which would really be best touched and seen in the flesh.” Tomy is therefore focusing its efforts on creating more content that fits each of the different channels. “That said, we still have to remember that the basics come first,” adds Mary. “One, the product has to deliver smiles, two, it has to be fairly priced and then three, it has to be in wide distribution so consumers can actually find it and see all of the above for themselves.”

Over the next few pages, Toy World takes a look at the newest infant toys to hit the market.

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For more information please contact: clemuk@clementoni.com

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Infant Toys

One For Fun 0141 613 2525 | www.oneforfun.com

| sales@oneforfun.com

Tobar’s Animigos range of animated lifelike plush animals continues to grow, and new for 2022 are the Flipping Panda (which literally does a flip), Walking Cockapoo with lead, Walking Maltese dog and Walking Elephant.

This year also sees the introduction of a Koala and her cub, a Hanging Lemur, Hanging Sloth and Hanging Chimpanzee. Other additions will be a non-animated Cockapoo Puppy, a Westie, a small Rat with a squeak, a small Budgie, a rare Red Panda and a black and white Guinea Pig. The brand-new BB Junior Range of toy cars, vehicles and play sets made its debut at Toy Fair ’22 and key lines for this year are the BB Junior Push n Glow range which comprises four cute light up and sound vehicles built specifically for small children to enjoy: a Police Car, Fire Truck, Dump Truck and Train. Each has the look of a cartoon character, complete with big eyes on the windscreen, and when the top is pressed, the roof lights illuminate while the vehicle makes the appropriate sounds. Each vehicle comes in open ‘Try Me’ packaging.

The BB Junior Drive & Rock collection combines chunky, robust colourful vehicles with a removable musical component: Drive & Rock Fire Truck with Keyboard, Cement Mixer with Drum and Tow Truck with Guitar. Each musical instrument has two different game modes and pre- set melodies with a free game variant and is suitable for 12 months and up.

The BB Junior Bathtime range includes the BB Junior Splash n Play Submarine Projector. When the periscope is pressed, the submarine will project a sea life scene directly beneath it on the bottom of the tub as it floats on the surface. Also in the range is the BB Junior Splash n Play Tugboat which automatically activates its water squirting chimney when placed in water.

Tobar also offers a timeless classic pre-school wooden toy range, which this year is joined by a cute wooden worm with jointed body sections linked together by an elasticated cord. The flexi toy can be posed into several different positions by twisting and turning the colourful sections. There are two designs available, each one with a natural wooden head and five different body colours leading to a yellow tail. Also in the range, the Wooden Learning Clock teaches toddlers about time while evergreen classic, the multi-award-winning Wooden Stack and Sounds Train, comes in ‘Try Me’ packaging for on shelf appeal.

Clementoni 020 3206 1397 | www.clementoni.com

| clemuk@clementoni.com

The Baby Clementoni Play for Future product range is designed for babies from 10 months, uses 100% recycled plastic and is 100% paint free. The range includes products which help babies with their motor skills and hand eye coordination development.

Clementoni believes that play is a great way for children to learn the importance of respecting nature and the environment, and the Play for Future range of products follows this philosophy to help build a better future.

New for 2022, the Stacking Fruit Set contains three colourful fruits for nourishing the mind and honing logical thinking in small children through various games that become gradually more difficult. The avocado opens and conceals a ball that can be removed and replaced, the pineapple is made up of stackable elements and the orange opens to reveal four slices which can be removed and replaced. Each fruit offers a different sensory experience though texture and play pattern.

The Sort & Match Fishing Set is a classic game made simple and fun for small children to encourage coordination, with four little fish waiting to be caught and placed into the boat according to their colour. The set contains a fishing rod with a magnetic ‘hook’, while the basket for collecting the fish also doubles up as a floating boat for the child to play with in the bath.

Featuring lots of slides, balls and doors, the Sort & Match Magic Tree helps small children develop logical thinking and understand cause and effect. The three balls, each one a different size, drop into the tree trunk and, as if by magic, end up behind the door of their same colour. Little ones will love the fun, colourful design as the tree also turns into an amusing and appealing character complete with bird friends.

In the core Baby Clementoni line, Peekaboo Activity Cube is new for AW22. A magic cube packed with amazing activities, it features five different play zones designed to encourage children to focus their attention on one activity at a time. When the child presses a button, the lid flips open and a puppy dog pops up. When the flower is twisted, the bumblebee flies around it; and when the bunny jumps up to get the carrot, the fish flips over to create a peekaboo effect. The cube provides sensory stimulation, while improving fine motor skills and sparking curiosity.

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Infant Toys

Character Options 01616 339 800 | www.character-online.com sales@charactergroup.plc.uk Character Options’ My First Peppa Pig Nursery range has been developed as a collection suitable for the youngest of Peppa fans. Each toy in the line-up incorporates appealing colours and textures to encourage play and exploration during this crucial developmental stage.

The My First Peppa Pig Character Clip-Ons bring Peppa, George, Suzy and Rebecca to life in 5” supersoft plush. The characters incorporate an attached clip so infants can take their favourite friends with them wherever they go.

The My First Peppa Pig Supersoft Blanket makes an ideal first plush companion. This instantly recognisable character holds her arms out for cuddles and comes attached to a velvety soft red blanket, which is multi-textured to encourage tactile awareness and sensory exploration.

The My First Peppa Pig Jiggler Soft Toy is made from super-soft towelling plush and comes with a built-in rattle and teething ring, as well as pull and react jiggler action to entertain infants. The My First Peppa Jiggler Soft Toy easily attaches to car seats, prams and cots.

Finally, the My First Peppa Pig Peppa Sensory Soft Toy has been designed to inspire curiosity, sensory exploration and independent play while also developing tactile awareness and motor skills.

This cute soft toy incorporates different textures and patterns into the design and emits a gentle chiming sound when moved.

IMC Toys 01904 720908 | www.imctoys.com

| info.uk@imctoys.com

Peek-A-Pets is a line of cute bunny plush toys for children from birth to 3 years. Available in white or pink colourways, Peek-A-Pets encompasses peek-a-boo play by squeezing the bunny’s tummy to reveal its face from beneath the over-sized floppy ears. The Peek-A-Pets Interactive Bunny plush offers a day-to-night cuddly companion and includes lights, music and night-time mode to soothe and comfort little ones.

The company’s best-selling Cry Babies nurturing dolls enter a newly themed Icy World for AW22. Core product lines reflect the new series of fresh animated content scheduled to air across all of IMC’s official Kitoons YouTube channel and media partner platforms. New Dressy Fantasy characters, Hannah, Jenna and Dreamy, feature icy-themed outfits, real rooted hair, glass crystal eyes, soft-touch heads and, as with all Cry Babies, they cry real tears and make realistic baby sounds but will magically stop crying once given their dummies.

Cry Babies also provide the perfect night-time comfort and cuddle companions. The Goodnight Coney and Starry Sky Jenna dolls cry LED light tears and make baby sounds when their dummies are taken away. Coney comes dressed in a cuddly onesie and once she has her dummy back, her face lights up to act as a soft nightlight. Dressed in fluffy pyjamas, Starry Sky Jenna stops crying once she has her matching dummy. When her tummy is pressed, she turns any bedroom into a magical starry night sky, by projecting stars and moon shapes. Both Goodnight dolls play five different lullabies when their tummies are pressed, lasting over 10 minutes.

The introduction of Cry Babies Tiny Cuddles brings a quality, value-driven line to offer brand consistency at an alternative, and widely accessible ‘pick-up’ price. New Frozen Frutti characters from the Icy World will be available as these smaller, soft-bodied versions of Cry Babies, still featuring the element of crying real tears. A Tiny Cuddles Christmas range is also available, including six cuddly Cry Babies characters dressed in Christmas onesies and featuring matching dummies.

IMC’s collectible core bath/water play line, Bloopies, includes a line for younger children with Floaties – Bloopies’ little sisters that wear animal floats to swim. Once placed in water, kids can pull back the rope at the back of the float to see the dolls swim. Both the dolls and their animal floats also squirt water and make bubbles through their mouths.

An annual programme of new animated episodes and series for all IMC Toys doll ranges has been scheduled throughout 2022, with the new storylines and characters reflected in each of the new toy range launches. Content will be aired via YouTube, Netflix, and other key broadcast partners, plus IMC’s groundbreaking, new Kitoons Over-The-Top (OTT) platform. Launching with Samsung and LG, the Kitoons OTT platform combines content with e-commerce, enhancing the consumer’s brand experience and purchase journey by its ability to suggest products based on the video being watched and driving viewers directly to retailers.

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For nearly 30 years, Lamaze toys have been about nurturing developmental milestones. In 2022, we’re keeping the timeless attributes that make our toys baby friendly, while also connecting with parents and babies in new ways, and with toys that appeal to modern tastes. Introducing our 2022 collection, designed to delight babies, and to encourage parents to take time to play!

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UK.tomy.com Call 01392 281927 Email UKcustomerservices@tomy.com

Infant Toys

Golden Bear Toys 01952 608 308 | www.goldenbeartoys.com

| customerservices@goldenbeartoys.co.uk

The award-winning IP Windy Bums now includes two new characters. This giggling, trumping plush range welcomes Donkey and Pig to the already popular Unicorn, Monkey and Panda family. Providing cheeky fun for all ages, Windy Bums characters are cute and cuddly - but when their bums are tapped, they make trumping sounds while giggling and moving across the floor.

Continuing its long-term partnerships with Acamar, WildBrain and the BBC, Golden Bear has introduced innovative and imaginative lines to its Bing, In the Night Garden, Hey Duggee, Mr Tumble: Something Special and Baby Bear ranges for younger viewers of the hit shows. Suitable for kids aged 10 months and over, the new Bing & Biteysaurus soft toy talks and comes complete with Bing in a dress-up costume that matches his famous toy dinosaur, Biteysaurus. Infants can engage with the range from birth with the cuddly Bing Soft Toys and can cuddle their favourite bunny and his friends with this collection of super-soft characters which include embroidered facial detailing and fun-sound crinkle ears. A Jumbo Huggable Bing, Talking Flop and Talking Sula Soft Toy further extend the plush lines.

New to Golden Bear’s In the Night Garden range is the Igglepiggle Super Soft Blankie Bundle.

This soft, cuddly Igglepiggle comes with a detachable comfort blanket to snuggle up with for naps or at bedtime. When not in use, the blanket attaches back to Igglepiggle using Velcro, leaving him snuggled up and ready for children to carry. The hero play set line, the popular Musical Activity Ninky Nonk Bubble Train, is suitable for ages 12 months and over and includes more than 15 activities with educational benefits, in addition to playing music and blowing bubbles.

Suitable from birth, the Hey Duggee Explore & Snore Camping with Duggee is a reversible, electronic plush which features Duggee in two different outfits. Duggee’s hiking gear transforms into his sleeping bag with a simple adjustment of his backpack, and he says phrases depending on what outfit he’s in. A mini Stick plush is included to accompany Duggee on his travels, and free downloadable content is available by scanning the exclusive on-pack QR code including recycling tips, activities, badges and craft ideas. Kids can press Duggee’s paw to hear woofs and the Step by Step song when he’s wearing his hiking gear, or press the zip on his sleeping bag for snoring woofs. The Hey Duggee super-soft My Best Friend Duggee, Talking Duggee, Voice Activated Duggee, and Hey Duggee and Musical Squirrels Soft Toys all provide Duggee hugs and interactive features.

Inspired by the classic Simon Says game, the Mr Tumble Says Activity Ball gets children aged 10 months and over moving and learning at the same time. Children can throw and catch the motion activated ball to hear Mr Tumble and follow the instructions. The brightly coloured panels feature numbers, letters, shapes and colours to help children learn while playing. The Super Soft Sensory Mr Tumble doll includes visuals and sounds to stimulate the senses, with tactile fillings and fabrics to aid calming and focus.

The ground-breaking BBC Show, The Baby Club, focuses on bringing parents/carers and their children together to learn, explore and play. Golden Bear’s range of plush Baby Bear characters are authentic versions of the show’s star, made from super-soft materials with signature detailing, all suitable from birth. The range comprises the Musical Baby Bear with Discovery Bag, which plays a soothing version of The Baby Club theme tune, the Baby Bear Soft Toy, complete with fleecy nappy, and smaller Baby Bear and Tiger Softies.

Wow Stuff!

01902 390 428 | www.wowstuff.com Wow! Stuff continues to build its portfolio in the pre-school category with the signing of Moonbug’s No.1 pre-school brand CoComelon in late 2021, along with additions to Wow! Stuff’s Toddler Tech innovation ranges across Peppa Pig and MagicLight’s The Gruffalo and Friends.

Star of the CoComelon line up is the new Musical Sleep Trainer, launching in the UK this autumn. The Sleep Trainer has been designed with the input of leading child behavioural and sleep specialists and ‘magically’ changes between a sunrise image in the morning with daylight lighting, proven to aid normal wake up, and a low-lit moon image accompanied by CoComelon lullabies to softly soothe baby to sleep. It includes parental controls for setting of the wake up and sleep routines.

Also new to the Wow! Stuff CoComelon range in 2022 are the JJ Sleep Soother pillow plush, based on 2021’s best-selling CoComelon Sleep Soother; JJ’s Clever Boots and the mark 2 version of the Musical Clever Blocks, a take on building blocks with one of six nursery rhyme rewards when the toddler successfully completes an image with the blocks placed in the electronic tray.

Following its win of the Hot Toy award at this year’s London Toy Fair, the Peppa Pig Clever Plane is set to fly off shelves in September. The ‘clever’ technology includes accelerometers which activate the sounds of Ms Rabbit, the pilot, along with special sound FX as the child takes off, lands and swishes the plane through the air.

The Gruffalo Story Time Family pack is the lead line in Wow's extensive master toy line up of finely detailed Gruffalo and Friends action figures and interactive plush. This play set includes all the characters from The Gruffalo book and movie alongside a colouring collector sheet and colour activity page.

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Infant Toys

Amaroni 01205 260 384 www.amaroni.com Amaroni’s product range is sourced from toy producers that embrace ethical and social responsibility, and Haba’s comprehensive range of infant toys, suitable from birth to 12 months, is designed with babies’ sensory development at the heart of each creation.

From pram decorations, dangling figures, pacifier chains and play gyms to clutching toys and rattles, each toy will stimulate multiple senses and keep little ones both playfully engaged and comforted whether at home or out and about.

Especially designed interactive toys also help babies to learn and develop through the cognitive pro-cess of understanding cause and effect. Haba baby toys allow infants to discover how their various physical actions can create movement, visual changes or sound.

Safety is of the utmost importance to Haba and many of Haba’s baby toys are made with wood and carry the PEFC seal. Only solvent-free, water-based paints and stains are used which make each surface not only extremely resistant to wear and tear, but also allows toys to be taken from hand to mouth without issue. Wood is an ideal material to use for baby toys as it is stable, lightweight, easy to grasp and, most importantly, safe. Haba has been making toys for 80 years and most of its wooden toys are made in the in-house manufacturing facility at the company headquarters in Bad Rodach, Germany.

Amaroni is the official distributor for Haba toys and games in the UK and all products are available for purchase on the recently launched Amaroni B2B website. To register, visit www.amaroni.com and click on the Trade link.

Chicco 020 8953 6627 |

www.chicco.co.uk

New for 2022, Chicco’s Sweet Light is an animal-shaped night light that makes an ideal companion to keep little ones company at bedtime. Made of soft silicone, the Chicco Sweet Light features eight multi-coloured LED light effects to create a magical and soothing atmosphere in the room; perfect for helping little one drift off to sleep. A simple touch is all it takes to switch on the lamp and change the colour, which is easy to recharge thanks to the USB cable provided. The Chicco Sweet Light remains cool to touch thanks to the LED lights, avoiding any potential burn risk, and is available in four fun shapes: Fox, Hedgehog, Llama and Panda.

Also new, the Baobab Shape Sorter helps little ones to become familiar with geometric shapes while also helping to develop hand-eye coordination and manual skills. Children are challenged to place each of the four coloured shapes, which feature different animals faces, into the right place on the tree. Suitable from 6 to 36 months, the sorter also features three sliding rings between the crowns of the Baobab for additional entertainment. New to Chicco’s Eco+ range, which is developed with sustainability in mind, the Baobab Shape Sorter is made of recycled plastic from industrial residues.

Also joining the Eco+ range and inspired by the art of balancing stones is the Stone Balance stackable toy, suitable from 6 to 36 months. Little ones can stack and play with the five stone-shaped pieces, stimulating their cognitive and manual coordination, whilst using their imagination. Made of recycled plastic from industrial residue, each stone has a different shape, size and colour, and can be stacked from largest to smallest or in a random order.

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Infant Toys

8th Wonder 01942 829 811 | www.8thwonder.co.uk This year marks 8th Wonder’s 25th anniversary in the toy industry.

In this milestone of a year, the company is announcing some exciting infant wooden toys that will educate, stimulate and spark creativity.

Since 2018, 8th Wonder has been bringing the beloved Hey Duggee brand to life via its wooden and plush toys.

This year, the Hey Duggee Exploring Train Set will be released. The set lets youngsters piece together the puzzle mat to reveal a stunning safari scene and place the track on top. Scattering the animals and 3D Hey Duggee characters across the mat, infants can travel around the winding track using the magnetic train and explore their imagination as they go. By inspiring creative play, this train set allows children to make up their own Hey Duggee scenes featuring the animals, squirrels and Duggee himself.

Offering a different type of playtime, the In the Night Garden Activity Cube promotes child development. Kids can tap the xylophone, spin the cogs, tackle the bead maze, shape-sort the character blocks and move the panels to create an In the Night Garden scene. With five stimulating activities included in one fun-filled activity cube, this toy will improve shape recognition, motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

Mood Bears 07772939821 | www.moodbears.co.uk

| info@moodbears.co.uk

Mood Bears has been on a journey of growth and development since its launch in 2019 and the appealing plush has already been able to support thousands of children and adults across the globe.

Not just a cuddly toy, the bears have been specifically designed to support mental health and wellbeing, to allow children, and adults, to express themselves when words fail them and educate children and adults, about emotions, feelings and moods.

There are now eight bears in total, each one representing a different feeling, emotion, or mood with the symbol for that mood embroidered on its feet. The bears are all brightly coloured and made from a soft, fluffy 100% recyclable material so children can recognise, associate with and cuddle the bear to help them express themselves.

The eight bears are Happy, Sad, Silly, Nervous, Love, Calm, Angry and Hope. Each Mood Bear comes in two sizes; the large bears are 42cm tall, while the mini bears are 15cm tall. Each one shares their own poem to demonstrate how each bear can help and support.

Mood Bears are currently used by several healthcare teams including hospitals, which have recognised the invaluable support that the bears can bring. Suitable from birth, they can continue to provide that support throughout childhood and beyond.

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Web: amaroni.com Tel: 01205 260 384

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Infant Toys

Lisciani www.liscianigiochi.com

| danny@allinoneproducts.com

The Lisciani portfolio is packed with licensed toys and games that are designed to appeal to children as young as 12 months, with CoComelon among the many powerhouse properties on offer. A popular entry level line in the range is CoComelon First Puzzles.

Suitable for little ones aged 12 months and over, the beautiful First Puzzle collection from Lisciani features JJ and other colourful characters from the world of CoComelon.

There are three eye-catching puzzle selections to collect and build: CoComelon First Puzzle Playtime, CoComelon First Puzzle Learning Is Fun, and CoComelon First Puzzle Ready for Adventure. Each box comes with eight 4-piece puzzles made from thick board. Self-correcting joints help kids develop logical thinking, attention and creativity as they complete each engaging image.

Flair 0208 643 0320

| www.flairplc.co.uk | sales@flairplc.co.uk

Flair’s Magic Dreamlight is a plush unicorn toy which babies can snuggle up to during playtime and bedtime, to help them relax. When the Dreamlight is turned on, a piece of soothing music will be played and there are also soft, colour-changing lights that illuminate the unicorn’s chest.

Flair’s first construction toy brand, Stickle Bricks, is ideal for little ones aged 18 months and above. Stickle Bricks helps keep little hands and minds busy, refining fine motor skills, whilst also encouraging problem solving and planning. New lines have been added under the Explorer range, which are designed to widen the appeal of Stickle Bricks. The Stickle Bricks Little Builder set is a perfect entry point into the range, with its fun assortment of brightly coloured bricks, while the Fun Tub is ideal for bigger builds and more imaginative possibilities. The Stickle Bricks Farm Set comes with pieces to build a chunky and colourful tractor project.

Melissa & Doug 0800 731 0578 | www.MelissaAndDoug.com Melissa & Doug is expanding its portfolio with the global launch of a new infant range this autumn.

After 30 years of the brand being a household name amongst UK families, Melissa & Doug has now focused its awardwinning toy expertise on the creation of a brand-new infant range. Using sustainable materials - FSC certified wood and fabrics – the collection has been created to specifically help babies and toddlers from 0-2 years with their development.

The Go Tots range has been designed to support hand-eye co-ordination through interactive, spinning elements and comprises of six SKUs. The range includes key features like Go Tots discs which slot into the dynamic vehicles and larger sets.

The Go Tots Barnyard Tumble brings the discs to life through movement, and the bright colours promote storytelling through play. Made from FSC certified wood, the barn play set includes eight Go Tots disks that stack, roll and hide behind the barn doors; the disks can also be used interchangeably with other Go Tots products in the range.

Also new, Rollables have been designed to develop a child’s sensory engagement, kids can drop them into the top or sides of the Rollables Wooden Ocean Slide and watch them zigzag down to the bottom. The action can be easily stopped and started by either turning the sea star or pressing the whale’s flipper. The new ocean-themed product allows for more enriched play patterns and also promotes animal recognition of the plush sea creatures.

The new Pineapple Soft Stacker, part of the core infant range, is a multi-textured stacker with a weighted rocking base. The sustainably sourced fabrics chime and crinkle when played with and promote sensory discovery and fine motor skills in children, while the Wooden Shape Sorting Grocery Cart is a modern take on the classic walker. Younger children will enjoy playing with the built-in shape sorter and chunky puzzles and, as they grow older, it can be used as a push toy which includes rolling elements as the grocery cart moves along.

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Infant Toys

VTech 01235 555545

| www.vtech.co.uk trade_sales@vtech.com The 7-in-1 Grow with Baby Sensory Gym, launching AW22, has built in features designed to nurture each developmental stage from birth to toddler. From birth, the overhead arches and colourful patterned dangling toys will give little ones lots to look at, while different textured materials, flashcards and tummy time pillow will help develop core muscle and neck strength.

From three months, the side panel can be flipped up to reveal a musical xylophone that lights up and plays sounds and melodies when baby’s feet make contact. This xylophone will also detach for on the go play. The sides fold up to create a cosy spot for playing when little ones reach the sitting up milestone, and the included balls create a fun ball pit and strengthen motor skills. The balls can be tidied away at the end of the day in the cute sloth that hangs from the side.

Also launching in AW22 is the Push, Gallop and Ride Pony. Little ones can push, scoot or bounce along with pony, which is packed with activities and features 19 songs teaching colours, numbers and shapes, and enhancing language develpoment. Also ideal for role-play and imaginative play, five location buttons allow the child to set off on a chosen adventure. They can spin the roller and press the buttons to develop fine motor skills and hear the Pony’s whinny, while galloping along will be accompanied by trotting sounds. The Pony is suitable for children from 18-36 months.

VTech’s Bath Toy range will be supported by a campaign this autumn/winter, targeting parents with across digital and social channels. Joining the range will be the Splash & Play Octopus, featuring closed cell technology and a light up mask button triggering fun phrases, songs and sounds. Little ones can splash away with the four water track legs draining water into the pull-down shell. They can pour water onto the spinning starfish, wobbling coral and turning shell using the sea life cups. The octopus includes three sing-along songs, 15 melodies and cute phrases to introduce language development.

Rainbow Designs 01329 227300 | www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk Rainbow Designs offers a wonderful range of classic story time characters such as Paddington Bear, Peter Rabbit, Winnie the Pooh, Guess How Much I Love You and The Very Hungry Caterpillar, bringing these characters and stories to life in the form of classic yet contemporary, soft, tactile and playful infant toys.

Beatrix Potter’s much-loved Peter Rabbit is commemorating a momentous 120th Anniversary this year, so is the star of the show in Rainbow Designs’ best-selling Once Upon a Time and deluxe Signature collections. These ranges include soft toys, comforters and ring rattles featuring Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunny, and make perfect friends for little ones from newborn through to pre-school and beyond.

The soft and cuddly Disney Winnie the Pooh Soft Toys, Comfort Blanket and Ring Rattle, from the new Always and Forever collection, are ideal to both entertain and comfort little ones. They have been carefully designed with a focus on sustainability, making precious heirloom gifts to pass down the generations.

The Rainbow Designs Paddington for Baby range is made with the youngest of Paddington fans in mind. Created from the softest of fabrics, the collection includes a My First Paddington, Comforter, Ring Rattle, Jiggle Toy and Unfold and Discover Activity Toy - all featuring the kind-hearted bear in his famous blue duffle coat and red bush hat.

Rainbow’s selection of playful infant Unfold and Discover Activity Toys help baby’s development through sensory play and are available across many of the much-loved character collections, including Peter Rabbit, Guess How Much I Love You, Classic Winnie the Pooh, Paddington for Baby and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The fabric Unfold and Discover Activity Toys feature multiple textures, crinkles and activities including a baby-safe mirror and teether, making them the perfect developmental toy for tummy time, aiding sensory play and helping to develop early motor skills.

Rainbow Designs offers soft cuddly toys across classic characters such as Peter Rabbit, Paddington Bear, Disney’s Winnie the Pooh, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Guess How Much I Love You. The company also offers infant playtime ranges for Elmer, Spot the Dog, Miffy, That’s Not My..., Snoopy, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt and The Snowman and The Snowdog.

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BECAUSE SOMETIMES, WE ALL NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO...

AS LITTLE PEOPLE, WE OFTEN FEEL THE SAME EMOTIONS AS ADULTS, BUT IN A DIFFERENT WAY. WE DON'T ALWAYS HAVE WORDS FOR WHAT WE FEEL, KNOW HOW TO EXPRESS THIS OR SHOW IT. FOR MANY ADULTS THIS IS THE SAME. WE HAVE DEVELOPED THESE AMAZING LITTLE MOOD BEARS TO SUPPORT THIS. THERE ARE FIVE CUDDLY BEARS THAT EACH EXPRESS ONE OF THE FIVE RECOGNISED FEELINGS OR STATES. WE HOPE THAT, IN TIME, THEY CAN ENCOURAGE US ALL TO TALK, LISTEN AND UNDERSTAND OUR FEELINGS, THOUGHTS AND MOODS.

NEW STORY BOOK...

OUR BRAND NEW STORY BOOK IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW. THIS BOOK FOCUSSES ON SAD BEAR AND HOW HE CAN HELP TO DEAL WITH LOSS OR BEREAVEMENT. PERFECT FOR CHILDREN OR ANYONE STRUGGLING TO COME TO TERMS WITH THE LOSS OF A LOVED ONE.

W W W. M O O D B E A R S . C O . U K INFO@MOODBEARS.CO.UK 07772939821

Infant Toys

Little Tikes 0845 0533 333 | www.littletikes.co.uk The Little Tikes Learn & Play range consists of engaging toys, designed to educate little ones through their first milestones whilst encouraging fun through learning.

The Count & Learn Hammer introduces infants to the joy of maths and fuels their love of colours, as they bang from numbers one to 10. Toddlers can turn the hammer on to hear it count as they tap or switch to the colour mode so the hammer lights up and says the colour name as it cycles through them. The hammer also plays silly sounds to add to the fun.

Movin' Lights Monkey uses lights and sounds to inspire little ones’ sensory skills. The Monkey’s lantern projects colourful lights for baby to chase and crawl after, whilst dance mode offers over 50 sounds, songs and plenty of silly phrases.

For older toddlers who are starting to find their feet, the 3-in-1 Activity Walker provides lots of fun as they learn to walk. The multiuse walker projects light in interesting combinations on the floor to encourage baby. Alternatively, an activity board of exciting features slides up for hands-on play, and the walker can also fold down for floor-time fun.

The new Learning Activity Suitcase is packed with interactive activities for pre-schoolers, helping to teach letters, numbers, shapes, continents and cultural learning. The suitcase has six interactive wipeable maps, a boarding pass and passport and more than 60 sounds, songs and travel phrases, making role play even more realistic.

Little Tikes will support its Learn & Play range with a heavyweight digital advertising campaign alongside targeted PR and social media campaigns launching this month.

Halilit 01254 872454

| www.halilit.co.uk | sales@halilit.co.uk

Both Taf Toys and Edushape brands from Halilit offer products suitable from birth, with Halilit Musical Toys offering an introduction to cause and effect through music from just three months of age.

The Taf Toys collection not only includes luxurious play gyms and mats but also showcases a fantastic offering of travel toys for prams and cars, developmental toys for first explorations, and toddler toys to refine and develop key skills. The Kimmy Koala and Harry Lion Activity Toys are full of fun sensory features, much like the Savannah Discovery Cube which easily clips onto the pram or car seat for travel fun. Taf Toys’ free standing Tummy Time Books are perfect for engaging little ones, while the newest toddler toys such as the Koala Wonder Tissue Box, My First Domino Rally and My First Magnetic Fishing Game all aid development, enhancing hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and cognitive understanding. Having benefited from extensive PR and marketing, the Taf Toys brand has never been stronger and is widely recognised and trusted by new parents.

Edushape’s focus on early years play means the brand has an allencompassing range of products for all infant needs, including bathtime fun, sensory, construction and developmental toys. Edushape has much to offer retailers with bright, attractive packaging and developmental benefits highlighted for first time parents. The sensory offering is thorough, with the Baby Sensory Balls gift set being perfect for newborns and a variety of medium and larger sensory balls plus mega packs available for baby massage, games and development at home. Likewise, Edushape’s bath time collection includes favourites such as the Magic Creations Jungle Fun & Dinosaurs, where children can build scenes using the Foam ‘wet and stick’ Shapes, Water Spinners and the Tub Buddies bath strainers, plus fishing fun for preschoolers.

Musical play is associated with many developmental benefits and with a focus on musical quality, child appeal and durability, the Halilit brand is featured in most parent and baby groups and nurseries. It is trusted for its robust nature and educational element and offers retailers the perfect combination of impulse purchase lines in CDUs, plus an FSDU available, through to gift sets for babies and toddlers.

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© P&Co. Ltd./SC 2022

As seen on

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Exciting new additions to the range.

Available for delivery in September!

NEW AW22

Compatible with all Paddington figures

Toot Toot!

Press front bumper for sounds and music!

Football Set

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Rainy Day Paddington

Bessie the Campervan

Paddington

NEW AW22

Chef Paddington

Collectible Figures

Figures!

Rescue Set Space for 6 Paddington figures!

Multi Figure Pack Play Bus

inspiring kids’ imaginations for 50 years

The Home of Classic Characters

Allegedly

Reports have emerged from the US suggesting that Mattel has been speaking to two private equity firms about a potential sale. The Wall Street Journal broke the story, which several other media outlets picked up and ran with. Our own Financial Times was more guarded, describing the interest in taking Mattel over as “preliminary” and “unsolicited” and concluding that “any potential deal is in the very early stages and could still fall apart.” Very much a case of watch this space, with Mattel and the two private equity firms declining to comment further at this stage…

Sainsbury’s recently released its trading figures for the past year. You needed to do a bit of scratching below the surface to get the true picture, after a classic case of misdirection in the way the numbers were presented, which succeed in confusing numerous media outlets.

The ‘trick’ Sainsbury’s employed was to compare general merchandise sales with FY 19/20 rather than FY 20/21: the former represented a drop of 4.6%, whereas the latter actually saw sales decline by 11.9% - quite a difference. The ‘real’ year-on-year number was almost mentioned as a throwaway comment, presumably in the hope that some journalists would just take the first figure they saw when editing the release – and it worked!

Top level sh*thousery, masking numbers that will come as a concern to many in the toy community – albeit Sainsbury’s does claim that “the Argos transformation plan is on track and Argos is a more profitable business.”

To be fair, I guess closing hundreds of standalone stores will have that effect on the balance sheet…

One group of companies that has no need to massage the numbers is the shipping line sector, which is apparently set to smash all previous Q1 records and on track to deliver $300b full year profits. However, there is always a ‘but’ – even though in this case, the world’s tiniest violin would be needed if anyone working in shipping was looking for sympathy. The ‘but’ on this occasion concerns potential weaker demand in the second half of the year, with some shipping lines apparently already forced to increase the number of blank sailings to mitigate the impact of current cargo shortfalls. Or as I like to call it, “deliberately manipulate the market to protect their obscene profit margins.”

Allegedly…

Another company that is playing games with pricing models is our old friend Amazon, which recently announced that it would be hitting sellers on the Amazon UK platform with a 4.35% inflation and fuel levy. Yes, that’s the same Amazon which refused to allow suppliers to increase prices last year when they were trying to offset rising prices. And apparently some Amazon divisions (pan European has been given a dishonourable mention) are still digging their heels in and not accepting price increases this year either. So, if I am reading this situation correctly, it’s fine for Amazon to pass on increased costs, but not ok for its clients to do the same thing. Hmm… Elsewhere in the retail scene, Green Swan, the owner of Toys R Us Iberia, has initiated insolvency proceedings at the chain. Apparently stores in both Spain and Portugal will remain open and trading while the owner attempts to find a buyer or investors to keep the retailer going. Once again, the worlds of private equity and specialist toy retail show themselves to be fundamentally incompatible – it genuinely amazes me that these companies persist in trying, when so many have failed so miserably before. And if I had a £ for

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everyone who suggested that Smyths should take over the running of the operation, I could afford to either retire, or at least buy one shipping container. Will Smyths have the appetite for an approach…? I have no idea, but the general consensus within the toy community suggests that would be a very popular move…

Good news this week for BLE, with the announcement that the Elizabeth Line will finally go into service later this month. Among other things, it will connect ExCeL to central London in 15 minutes, which will be a game changer for BLE and any other shows taking place at the venue. All that we need now is a couple of other pubs to open nearby (I know a little gem not too far away, but I am keeping that a secret, so it doesn’t get completely packed out)…

I gather that big changes are afoot at the top of the Paramount EMEA operation, with Mark Kingston set to depart towards the end of the year for pastures new, after serving the longest garden leave period I’ve come across in a while. I am sure Mark was able to share more about his plans in Vegas before heading off for his extended break…

There will also be a change at the top of PMS soon, after founder Paul Beverley sadly passed away recently.

Paul and I have had our occasional professional differences in the past, but you have to admire his focus and single-minded dedication to take the business from its humble ‘seaside wholesaler’ roots and build it into the company it is today…

With economic turbulence making daily headlines, some retailers are already feeling the pinch, re-igniting the age-old debate about whether it is acceptable to impose surcharges mid-year, long after terms have been agreed, and what’s more, to make the charges retrospective. The Hut Group (Zavvi) recently informed suppliers that it will be deducting 3% from all invoices on a quarterly basis, back-dated to January – and that is on top of 90-day payment terms in some cases. It’s certainly a bold move to impose such conditions on suppliers which are grappling with their own financial challenges, and it will be interesting to see the reaction from those toy companies that trade with Zavvi. It will be even more interesting to see whether other retailers with a larger presence in toys follow suit…

There may finally be some potential good news on the Hong Kong front. I recently joined several media colleagues for a meeting with Silas Chu, who heads up the HKTDC in Europe, Central Asia and Israel. While there is still no firm news about the opening of the Hong Kong borders, it does seem that there may be some light at the end of the tunnel: it has been announced that the Hong Kong Rugby 7’s will be going ahead in November, as will a major financial conference to be held in Hong Kong. As both events traditionally draw an international audience, it seems entirely plausible that Hong Kong may therefore be looking to open up towards the end of the year. Now, don’t get too excited at this stage: there is still considerable debate as to whether quarantine restrictions would be scaled back (not ideal for the January trip) or scrapped altogether (a much better idea), and the border with China will almost certainly need to open before international visitors are welcomed back in – and with recent events in Shanghai and Beijing, the situation in China is still extremely fragile. However, assuming these events go ahead as planned, it offers some encouragement for January 2023. As ever, we’ll keep you posted.

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