Pre-school
Feature
Making little
ones
smile The Pre-School category is one of the largest and most diverse sectors of the toy market. With new licensed properties attempting to challenge the dominance of established brands such as Paw Patrol and Peppa Pig, along with a growing trend for sustainability, the Pre-School arena is as competitive as ever. Rachael Simpson-Jones speaks to a selection of the leading suppliers in the sector to find out how 2021 is shaping up.
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urrently the No. 2 most-watched channel on YouTube, boasting 107m subscribers and over 97b views, Moonbug Entertainment’s CoComelon has taken the pre-school world by storm. The animated episodes, which range from anywhere between three minutes and hour-long compilations, follow JJ and his family as he learns how to navigate the world around him via music, songs, and nursery rhymes. Master toy partner Bandai was appointed in mid-2020, and since then has seen demand for toys soar. For Bandai UK’s managing director Nic Aldridge, this wasn’t a complete surprise – although he does admit its performance has surpassed even his predictions. “I’d been watching the CoComelon success story build online for some time, from even before the channel renamed itself to CoComelon,” he explains. “I felt fairly certain that capturing the essence of life lessons through entertainment, and extending
these to a physical pre-school toy range for children to enjoy at home, was going to be a huge success. But the reception from the trade, and the reaction from consumers, has exceeded even my expectations.” I wanted to know what sets CoComelon apart from other pre-school properties; why is the channel so incredibly popular? As far as Nic is concerned, its biggest appeal is the fact it teaches kids the things that parents would want them to learn. He says: “I think the level of engagement that you get from the brand is one of the key differences. There are numerous videos on TikTok showing children of all ages running into a room when they hear the CoComelon opening theme. This engagement comes at such an early age too, with many of the videos supporting key parenting messages such as the importance of brushing your teeth, eating your vegetables, or taking a bath. As any parent well knows, these are often some of the most challenging times or activities of the day; having support in
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the form of these videos has really struck a chord with parents, as well as their kids. And when these messages are conveyed through song, what could be better?” As music is central to the appeal of CoComelon, Bandai’s master toy range welcomes new First Act instruments for 2021, including a keyboard and xylophone. The company will also continue developing sets which focus on individual videos and songs from the channel, most notably the Musical Tractor, which arrives at retail in late spring. At the same time, Bandai will continue to build on its core plush and figurine lines, developing the depth of collectability in these ranges. Nic says: “At its heart, CoComelon is about learning, playing and singing, so the toy line is an extension of these themes and brings the on-screen to life.” Other toy partners are also on board; RMS International’s new CoComelon range covers a wide variety of subcategories including wooden toys,
