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.
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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
