Toy World Magazine April 2024

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John Baulch - @Baulchtweet

from thepublisher

As we approach the end of the first Quarter and the Easter holidays, we are beginning to get a sense of how the toy market is shaping up this year. I have mentioned in several pieces recently that the fact it’s an election year in both the UK and US could have far-reaching implications for the toy community. The most obvious area where this should be manifesting itself is in the economic arena. Typically, an incumbent government holds back tax giveaways in the years heading up to an election, so it can unleash the maximum benefit just as people are about to cast their votes.

Nevertheless, anyone hoping for fireworks in last month’s budget statement is likely to be feeling pretty disappointed right now: not so much a rocket, more like a Catherine Wheel that you lit which never started spinning and just fizzled out. I am not sure if the Chancellor will get the chance to have another go at lighting a fire under the economy before the election (although a November election looks increasingly likely after this damp squib of a budget), but the reality is that this attempt fell spectacularly flat.

So, basically, we are on our own. The government hasn’t put more money into people’s pockets in the short term – even allowing for national insurance reductions, with the increases in council taxes and tax threshold freezes, consumers are effectively no better off (and in many cases, considerably worse off). If toy suppliers and retailers are going to encourage consumers to part with their cash, they’re going to have to do it of their own accord. However, after the last few years, I guess we’re all used to that.

And from what I know of toy companies and retailers, they’ll certainly be up for the challenge. There was ‘newness’ aplenty on show during Toy Fair season. Some of those new ranges have started to arrive at retail, others will be landing imminently –and we are delighted to showcase a host of these new launches in this issue, where we shine a spotlight on three massively important categories for the toy market – Pre-School, Pocket Money & Collectibles and Games & Puzzles.

One topic that did enter the conversation frequently at Toy Fair was pricing. It was noticeable that many toy companies have responded to the economic challenges of last year with sharper pricing, which can only be a good thing. Of course, it is not always easy, especially when inflation and price increases are bearing down just as heavily on suppliers as on consumers. But gone are the days of knowingly pricing a range on the warm side and hoping to get away with it – for now at least. Even within the Pocket Money & Collectible category, where pricing is always structured to encourage frequent purchases and

collectability, numerous suppliers have reduced prices in an attempt to drive volume sales in the early part of the year.

It is good to see toy companies being pro-active and, above all, realistic. As I said in one of my most-read and commented on Blogs at the tail end of 2023, the fact that sales were down in Q4 last year had nothing to do with the quality of toys on offer, the strength of retail propositions or the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. It was simply that many consumers had less money to spend on non-essential purchases. Circana’s presentation at the London Toy Fair included the mildly concerning statistic that 35% of consumers purchased a secondhand toy last year – and that figure rises to a whopping 61% of 25-34 year-olds (basically, young parents).

A lack of disposable income isn’t the only challenge that the toy community is facing right now. If you have been following the news on our website and in my Friday Blogs, you will know that there is talk of a ban on TikTok over in the US which could have ramifications for the global toy market (especially as this is where many crazes and trends originate these days); threats of 60% tariffs on toys arriving in the US from China (which would almost certainly have a knock-on effect on the international toy market) plus misguided new draft EU safety regulations for toy suppliers and retailers to contend with.

It is an inescapable fact that external pressures on the toy market continue to make everyone’s lives just that little more complicated than they need to be – and that is before we consider trading conversations and economic factors. So yes, it’s challenging – as everyone knows. But I asked someone recently whether they could remember a year when it was easy. When getting selections and orders was a stroll in the park. When retailers confirmed substantial commitments upfront, rather than trialling a new line online first. When everyone on both sides of the fence was happy with margins and terms, and consumers thought toys were a bargain and purchased them in droves. When getting deliveries into retailers’ warehouses was a breeze. When marketing to the consumer was straightforward and cost effective. When everyone started the year thinking “this year is going to be huge”? I’ve been at this game for over four decades, and honestly, I am struggling to place that golden year when the stars aligned.

Yet somehow, we always seem to manage to overcome whatever hurdles are placed in front of us, and I don’t see that being any different this year. We’re a resilient, resourceful bunch, and we don’t give up without a fight. So roll those sleeves up folks, because I suspect we’ve got another rollercoaster year ahead of us.

LAUNCHING SPRING 2025 TOY LINE

#7 MOST VIEWED KIDS SHOW ON NETFLIX WORLDWIDE!

FROM A TOP KIDS SHOW ON NETFLIX TO REAL LIFE

Toymaster prepares to welcome toy exhibitors and retailers to the May Show

The planning for the 2024 show began immediately after last year’s event. “One of the changes we decided to make for 2024 was to bring forward the invitation to suppliers, to give themselves and ourselves more time to plan,” explained Brian McLaughlin, Toymaster’s business development manager. “We normally do this in January, however last year it was November. As always, our suppliers responded quickly and the show was sold out by early December.”

He added: “We really do appreciate the support from our suppliers. Many of them put the date in their diary for the following year as soon as the show ends, and they all tell us how much they enjoy the atmosphere, both work and play, which is very different from other trade shows.”

There will be 16 ‘first time’ suppliers exhibiting this year at the show, great news for retailers who are looking for something new or different to stock in their stores. Toymaster is always pleased to have new faces exhibiting and hopes they all have a productive show.

The May Show is the key trade show for Toymaster members each year, as this is when plans for Christmas are finalised. The deals available at the show are a great incentive to place Q3 and Q4 orders.

Toymaster is once again inviting all bricks & mortar independents to the show, members or not. “It really makes sense to welcome all independents as the suppliers get to see more retailers, and we have the opportunity to showcase what Toymaster can offer to support them,” said Brian. “We are more than happy to speak to any retailer who wants to know more about membership, and we would encourage them to speak to any of our members about Toymaster while they are there.” Any independent toy retailer who wants to attend can register at www. toymastermayshow.co.uk, where they can also find a full list of exhibitors. The show runs from Tuesday 21st to Thursday 23rd May.

The Toymaster May Show will once again have some great acts to build the atmosphere during the evening dinners. The Tuesday evening is Party Night and Wednesday will be the traditional Awards Night. Both evenings will conclude with a band and disco into the early hours.

Brian concluded: “We are expecting another busy show this year with lots of attendees. We look forward to welcoming as many of you as possible to the Majestic Hotel in Harrogate.”

Lego revenue up +2% in 2023

The company grew revenue +2% to £7.5b despite a difficult external operating environment and significantly outpaced the toy market, growing market share. Operating profit was a solid £1.96b as the company accelerated spending on short- and long-term strategic initiatives.

Excluding the impact of foreign currency exchange rates, revenue grew 3% compared with 2022. Consumer sales grew 4% in 2023 vs 2022, driven by strong growth in the US and Central and Eastern Europe. This was offset by a decline in China due to the challenging economic environment.

Operating profit was down 5% compared with 2022 due to accelerated spending on strategic initiatives and changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Excluding the effects of currency, profit was down 2%. Operating profit in the second half of 2023 grew 7% against the same period in 2022 due to revenue growth and increased productivity. Net profit was £1.5b in 2023 compared to £1.58b in the previous year.

The Lego portfolio was the largest ever last year, with 780 products designed for fans of all ages and interests. As in previous years, new products accounted for about 50% of this. The Lego Group also launched innovative new play experiences including Lego Fortnite, and Lego Dreamzzz.

The top performing themes were a mix of homegrown and entertainment IPs and included Lego Icons, a range for older builders, Lego City and Lego Technic alongside Lego Star Wars and Lego Harry Potter.

The company invested £970m, mainly in offices and new and existing factories to expand capacity to support growth. In 2023, the Lego Group opened 147 new Lego branded stores taking the global total to 1,031. It also launched Lego Insiders, a new membership programme to connect, reward and inspire fans.

With the aim of becoming a more environmentally friendly company, The Lego Group increased spending on environmental initiatives by 60% in 2023 vs 2022, and by 2025 plans to have doubled its annual spend compared to 2023.

Through social responsibility programmes, the Lego Group impacted 9.8m children in 2023, above its target of 8.8m. These included its flagship Build the Change programme which engaged more than 2m children around the world on environmental issues.

71334 Miraculous: Marinette’s Loft

71335 Miraculous: Fashion Show in Paris

71337

Miraculous: Adrien & Cat Noir

71336 Miraculous: Marinette & Ladybug

71342 Miraculous: Antibug

71341 Miraculous: Puppeteer

71340 Miraculous: Hawk Moth

71339

Miraculous: Rena Rouge

71338 Miraculous: Carapace

Simon Tomlinson named as upcoming MD of Learning Resources

Learning Resources has announced a leadership succession plan that will enable the company to continue its mission of creating the highest quality hands-on educational toys and learning aids.

Simon Tomlinson, currently chief operating officer, will succeed Dennis Blackmore as managing director. Dennis will continue his involvement with the company in an advisory role, with special responsibility for Product and Licensing. The changes are effective from 1st May.

Dennis started the King’s Lynn company in 1994 on behalf of Learning Resources of Vernon Hills, Illinois, USA, initially selling the company’s educational toys and learning aids into the education market in the UK and Europe. He successfully expanded sales into the Middle East, Africa and India and guided the company into the toy market, most recently winning the master toy licence for the Numberblocks brand. The company now has 50 employees and customers in more than 60 countries.

Simon joined the company in 2017 as head of Marketing and held roles as commercial director and most recently COO. In his time with the company, he has overseen the development of marketing and sales strategies, increased the company’s retail footprint and played a key role in shaping the growth trajectory of the business.

Simon said: “I am incredibly proud to be offered the opportunity to lead a great team of people into the next chapter of Learning Resources and am determined to continue our rapid growth in the toy industry.”

“This is an exciting next step in our company’s journey,” added Dennis. “I look forward to watching the company grow under Simon’s leadership, and believe the future is bright for our brands and our team.”

Rick Woldenberg, CEO of Learning Resources, commented: “Dennis has been a visionary global leader for our company and has been a key player in brand building and market development over the past 30 years. I am grateful we have such a capable leader in Simon to take over from Dennis. He is ready to carry forward Dennis’s legacy and strongly committed to making Learning Resources a great place to work.”

Tactic Games welcomes Thomas Randrup as country manager

Barbie attends Buckingham Palace for Women of the World Foundation festival

Mattel’s Barbie brand attended a celebratory reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by Queen Camilla, president of The Women of the World Foundation (WOW), marking the finale of The WOW Girls Festival Bus Tour. The WOW Girls Festival is a force for change across society in how it sees girls, their potential and the opportunities it offers for their futures. The event at Buckingham Palace followed International Women’s Day on 8th March.

To celebrate The Queen Consort’s role as president of The WOW Foundation and the work of the foundation in empowering girls and women, Barbie created a one-of-a-kind Barbie doll in The Queen’s likeness, complete with a WOW badge. The doll was presented to Queen Camilla at the reception.

The WOW Girls Festival is supported by partners, including WOW UK Girls Champion Barbie, who extended the tour to reach primary-aged children. The brand’s partnership with the WOW Foundation is part of the Barbie Dream Gap Project, Barbie’s ongoing global initiative dedicated to providing equal opportunities and removing barriers for girls

“Since 1959, Barbie’s purpose has been to show girls they have choices,” said Krista Berger, senior vice president of Barbie and global head of Dolls of Mattel. “In a momentous 65th anniversary year for Barbie, we are proud to be working with incredible global partners, including Women of the World Foundation, to inspire a broader movement that reshapes how society perceives and supports girls’ dreams. Today, we are honoured to celebrate Her Majesty, The Queen, and the WOW Foundation’s commitment to empowering girls.”

Thomas joins the Tactic UK team to spearhead the Sales and Marketing operation and oversee the strategy for growth in the UK market for its catalogue of Finnish made board games, puzzles, outdoor games and toys, including the internationally acclaimed Alias and Mölkky. He brings more than 20 years’ experience to the newly created role, most recently as managing director at Schleich UK and Ireland, and will work closely with the Tactic executive management in Pori, Finland to grow Tactic’s business and retail partnerships.

Commenting on his new position, Thomas said: “When the opportunity to join Tactic arose, I knew immediately that with my skill set and strong track record for delivering sustainable and profitable growth, this was the right company for me to come into and make a difference. With my Nordic roots, I also believe this is an excellent fit for both parties. Having just returned from a few days in Pori discussing our vision and plans, I am excited about the challenge ahead and keen to get underway. There is great potential in the UK and Ireland to bring Tactic’s portfolio of quality, sustainable and ecological games to a wider market and put the company back on the map where it belongs.”

Lauri Nieminen, CEO of Tactic Games, commented: “We would like to extend a warm welcome to Thomas as he becomes part of the Tactic family, and we look forward to building a rewarding partnership where the UK business thrives under his leadership. At the start of the year, we began looking for an industry professional to elevate Tactic to the next level, and we believe Thomas is the ideal person to shape the future of our games company in the UK over the coming years.”

Thomas can be contacted via email at thomas.randrup@tactic.net and by phone +44 (0)7595 048770.

Just Play diversifies brand portfolio with aquisition of Tara Toy

Just Play has announced the acquisition of Tara Toy, a leading manufacturer of licensed arts & crafts products sold at major retailers in the US. Tara Toy has grown its business over the past fifty years with a portfolio of licensed arts & crafts, activities, toys and more.

It holds top tier licences including Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Nickelodeon, L.O.L., Barbie and Hot Wheels. With this acquisition, Just Play will take a strategic step further into these same categories beginning autumn 2024.

Geoffrey Greenberg, Just Play’s co-CEO, said: “It’s an honour for us to carry on the incredible legacy that Bruce and the team have built over the last nearly 50 years. Just Play and Tara Toy are synergistic in many important ways. Licensing and retail partners look to us to deliver quality value and speed to market. We are looking forward to welcoming the team from Tara Toy into the Just Play family, seamlessly integrating operational processes and brand portfolios.”

Charlie Emby, also co-CEO, added: “One of the main benefits of the acquisition is that it allows Just Play to expand into new product categories. This addition to Just Play’s portfolio will provide supplemental global growth opportunities, including through our new subsidiaries across Europe, Latin America and Asia.”

Bruce Pearl, CEO and founder of Tara Toy, will continue his role with the company and expresses his heartfelt gratitude to Tara Toy team for its contributions to making it the company that it is today. Key factors in his decision to sell to Just Play were alignment in core values and that his team would have the opportunity to continue the work it has put so much energy into.

“We have admired Just Play for many years and are excited about Tara Toy’s bright future as we join the Just Play family and grow together,” said Bruce. “We are thrilled that Just Play will maintain US-based staff to support US employment. I would like to give Brian Specht, executive vice president of Design and Development at Tara Toy, a special nod. He has been a trusted partner and I look forward to his continued contributions.”

The Toy Trust unveils Midsummer Mayhem

Building on 2023’s very successful May Mayhem fundraiser, The Toy Trust has unveiled plans for its big fundraising initiative for 2024.

Taking place across the months of May, June and July 2024, under the banner of Midsummer Mayhem, the challenge invites members of the toy industry to collectively carry out any form of fundraising that they wish, from anywhere in the UK. The initiative has the possibility of continuation later into the year to allow for even more people to get involved.

Activities can be chosen by companies and individuals, with a range of fundraising ideas to help get teams started here.

The Toy Trust has partnered with Run For Charity, which has helped secure places in a range of popular and unique challenge events this year. Activities include the Colchester Stampede 10k, The Peak District Trek Challenge, Run Alton Towers or Thorpe Park. All information on available events can be viewed on the Toy Trust website: www.toytrust.co.uk

Midsummer Mayhem is designed to include all from within the toy industry, with non-physical challenges as part of the summer of fundraising. The Toy Trust is encouraging people to get involved in any way that they can to help raise money for the many disadvantaged and disabled children in need they support throughout the year.

The event is free of charge to join, simply register on the Toy Trust’s event page. The event will aim to raise as much as possible for the Toy Trust, whilst encouraging the industry to have great fun at the same time.

For queries on the event, please contact Matt Jones by email at Matt@btha.co.uk.

Zuru announces the launch of Zuru Studios

Zuru has announced the launch of its brand-new animation studio, Zuru Studios, marking a significant expansion into the realm of digital storytelling and content creation. The state-of-theart studio is being built from the ground up to ensure that every piece of content delivered meets the highest quality standards.

Leading this new venture is a team of industry veterans, bringing together a wealth of experience and a vast network of creatives dedicated to delivering on Zuru’s vision of crafting stories that matter.

As a testament to the business’s efficiency and dedication, Zuru has achieved this move in under 18 months, from the decision to move into creating an animation studio to having its first series ready to launch. The team, and 120-strong crew of talented professionals across three countries, is committed to producing best-in-class content, and over the next five years, will consistently develop its film-making and creative techniques to build Zuru Studios as a creative powerhouse.

The first series from the new studio, Eggy Wawa, debuted at the end of March. The pre-school series follows the adventures of four children and Sheldon the elephant as they explore and learn with the Eggy Wawa, magical eggs that reveal surprises and solutions to questions that pop up. Complementing the series release, the on-screen narrative will be brought to life with a new Eggy Wawa toy range, which launches with three themed interactive eggs featuring characters, music and elements from the show.

With a first-class screenography, including work on blockbuster hits such as Avatar and Lord of the Rings, Zuru Studios creative director Theo Baynton is at the helm of the new series. Eggy Wawa also sees Theo’s children involved in voicing some of the characters, cementing the brand connection from concept through to its final development.

Following closely on the heels of Eggy Wawa, the studio has another series in the pipeline planned for release later in the year.

Diaframma starts 2024 strongly with new strategies

Given the importance of digital marketing strategies, Diaframma’s customers are increasingly briefing the company in different ways, looking for content which is different from the ‘classic’ TV commercial, such as ads which can be used on a variety of platforms, or which have a very broad target audience.

“This can go from reformatting a video, to thinking about a completely different type of creative,” explained Alice Morrison, international sales director. “I think there is always an element of trial and error to take into consideration when trying out new strategies and platforms, but content is always key. We need to not only adapt our strategy to our customers’ needs, but also to the type of product we are advertising and its target.”

Alice has found that one piece of content does not always work on different platforms, because the variety of consumers watching the video is so much wider. If the brief has this information from the beginning, the creative is worked on with this in mind, and the team has seen some great results in return. Alice added: “This involves us providing more content, but also helps our customers to reach more consumers.”

Diaframma’s high season is fast-approaching, with its presence at Toy Fairs paying off. Upcoming campaigns cannot yet be revealed, but the team has much excitement in store for the season ahead. Last year was a strong year for the company, which reports that fantastic content was produced with some of its most cutting-edge technologies. The Diaframma website has been updated with some of this latest work at diaframma.com.

The kids and family marketing agency now has more than 45 years’ experience in toy advertising and has kept with the times from an innovation perspective, as well as a creative one.

Alice said: “I think our expertise, our equipment and our team are what draws customers to work with us. There isn’t much we haven’t seen before, and we always strive to get even better. We pride ourselves on giving clients top-notch services and production quality, all at a competitive price.”

Toikido announces Piñata Smashlings school initiative

Toikido will be integrating its beloved IP, Piñata Smashlings, into 250 schools nationwide starting the week of 15th April. This initiative, designed in collaboration with educational expert iChild, aims to blend learning with fun through bespoke Piñata Smashlings lesson packs tailored for Key Stage 1 and 2 curricula.

Kicking off this immersive educational journey, Toikido will extend a personal touch by sending a customised video to each participating school. This gesture of gratitude introduces the dedicated team behind the scenes and thanks students for their participation, fostering a sense of community and connection.

Each child taking part will receive a Rainbow Pod collectible figurine, bringing the magic of the Piñataverse directly into their hands and hearts. This token is designed to ignite joy and inspire a deeper interest in the Piñata Smashlings world. The programme will be enriched by character costume visits to 20 select schools across March, April and May, bringing the vibrant Piñata Smashlings characters to life. This direct interaction will make the characters and their stories a tangible part of the children's reality.

Further enhancing the excitement, Piñata Party Tents will pop up in school playgrounds, inviting students to the thrilling challenge of piñata smashing for prizes. This hands-on activity is designed to encourage physical play and collective participation, making for memorable moments of joy and camaraderie.

As part of Toikido’s commitment to inclusivity, the team is planning special parties for underprivileged children to ensure every student has the opportunity to experience the wonder and excitement of the Piñata Smashlings universe.

To maximize the initiative's reach and impact, a PR strategy will promote the programme across local media outlets, including radio. This approach aims to generate widespread awareness and enthusiasm for the Piñata Smashlings school campaign, celebrating its innovative blend of education and entertainment.

Andrew Matjaszek, Toikido’s head of Marketing, said: “We’re excited to bring the Piñata Smashlings into classrooms, offering a unique blend of learning and fun. This initiative is a fantastic way to engage with the community, enriching the educational journey for children across the country.”

Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2024 to be held in USA

Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. (Konami) has announced that the Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship is coming to the USA for the first time since 2016. The prestigious World Championship will bring challengers from across the globe to Seattle, Washington on 7th-8th September for two days of captivating first-class dueling.

The Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship (WCS) 2024 will feature separate tournaments in four categories for the first time ever. They include tournaments for the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, and two different formats for Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links. One of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links formats will be for the Speed Duel format as per previous WCS events. The additional YuGi-Oh! Duel Links format will be for the Rush Duel format, the new gameplay format introduced to the title in September 2023.

Konami has also confirmed details on the World Championship Qualifier (WCQ) tournaments for the TCG category in the Americas, Europe and Oceania. At these tournaments, the best duelists in their respective continents will lock horns to qualify for the Yu-Gi-Oh! WCS 2024, earning the chance to become the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG World Champion.

Those scheduled WCQ dates and venues are:

Central America – 21st-23rd June in Mexico City, Mexico

Oceania – 28th-30th June in Auckland, New Zealand

South America – 28th-30th June in Lima, Peru

North America – 19th-21st July in Austin, Texas (USA)

Europe – 26th-28th July in Berlin, Germany

Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel features beautifully rendered Duels in 4K resolution, more than 10,000 cards to collect, an extensive single-player Solo Mode, online Duels, events and more. Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is free-to-play with in-game purchases on PlayStation5, PlayStation4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Steam, Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links brings the popular game to life on mobile devices and on PC. Duelists can kindle the spirit of Yami Yugi, Jaden Yuki, Yusei Fudo, the newly added Yuga Ohdo from Yu-Gi-Oh! Sevens and other beloved characters from the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise in competitive card battle action. Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links has now achieved 150m downloads worldwide.

Board Game Club library initiative gets underway

Board Game Club boxes landed in 100 UK libraries ahead of Easter, as Playtime PR commenced an initiative designed to increase access to games for local communities. The team has reported a stellar response from games companies and huge interest from libraries.

The initiative, which aims to increase access to play for local communities through their libraries, saw the first Board Game Club boxes making their way to 100 public libraries across the length and breadth of the country. Each box contains 11 brilliant board games from Asmodee, Big Potato, Gibsons, Imagination Games, Orchard Toys, Ridley’s Games and Spin Master.

“The response by both games companies and libraries has been phenomenal,” enthused Ceriann Smith, director of Strategy & Creative at Playtime PR. “Almost a third of the signed-up libraries plan to use the Board Game Club boxes to refresh their existing games collections, while nearly a quarter say they’ll use the games to establish a new Board Game Club at their library. It’s great to see such a strong appetite for games in library settings. We’d like to extend massive thanks to all the games companies that have come on board to support this initiative – we couldn’t do it without their generous support.”

Games companies interested in supporting wave two of the project, which will run in the autumn and will open up the initiative to even more libraries throughout the country, should contact libraries@playtimepr.com.

The Entertainer owned Poly Toys begins liquidation procedure

With around 30 stores across Spain, Poly Toys has said the business is no longer viable and announced the dismissal of all staff.

The Entertainer acquired Poly Toys (Poly Juguetes) in 2018 from an administrator, adding to its growing international footprint and aiming, at the time, to regain the 5% Spanish market share that Poly previously had.

This week, the Poly Toys toy chain announced that it has taken the decision to put forward a “request of liquidation” in the face of the “inviability of the business” before the commercial courts of Madrid. The company has informed its workers that it will begin a collective dismissal procedure for all employment contracts.

The company operates stores under both the Poly brand and The Entertainer in Spain. Staff at both types of store are expected to be affected by this announcement. At the national level, the chain has about 30 operational retail outlets.

The company has reported accumulated losses of €15m since 2018, when it was acquired by Teal Group, the parent company of The Entertainer, Early Learning Centre and Addo. With disappointing sales forecast for 2024, Teal Group stated that it will no longer continue to finance the activity of Poly Toys beyond 31st March. Without this financial support, the company cannot remain viable.

Since 2018, Poly Toys has made efforts to improve its financial situation and boost its business, but has faced a number of challenges affecting the toy sector. The business cites factors such as technological development, the highly competitive nature of the market, certain economic and geopolitical factors, high inflation and the global economic situation, all of which have combined to prevent sales in the sector returning to pre-pandemic levels.

Obituary: John Birchwood

Toy World is sad to report that popular toy trade stalwart John Birchwood passed away on 21st February.

John was born in Nelson, Lancashire in 1940 and educated at Manchester Grammar School. He started working in a retail store for Woolworths, before joining his father, Eric Birchwood, working for Mobo Toys. After that he moved to Chad Valley and subsequently joined Berwick Toys as sales director, eventually becoming managing director.

After the collapse of Berwick Toys and the Berwick Timpo Group in the early 1980s, some of its assets were bought by A.B.Gee, where John worked for a short period before setting up on his own as a sales agent (Birchwood Agencies) with the help of his father, Eric. Amongst the companies John represented was Morris Vulcan (MV Toys) and after a number of years, John went to work for MV before establishing his own company, World Sports Int. UK. In the early years of WSI, the company was the main supplier of in-line skates to mail order giants Littlewoods and GUS.

In 1994, John’s son Richard joined the business, which was forced to close a few years later due to a series of production issues with the Taiwanese manufacturer. Richard explained: “In August 1998, with not a penny between us and the financial help of some of Dad’s friends from the toy industry (you know who you are and we are eternally grateful) and a friend of mine, we started J & R Sports. In April 1999, my sister Lindsay joined us. After a difficult first couple of years when the in-line skate business was slow, we introduced our JD Bug Scooter range in 2000 and from there the business went from strength to strength. In 2007 we relocated to a bigger warehouse in Huyton that we still run today. In 2011 we became the distribution partner for Madd Gear in the UK & Ireland: this was the start of the pro scooter market and Madd Gear was a leading player.”

John continued to work until his 80th birthday, when he announced his retirement, just before the first Covid lockdown. John’s son Richard admitted: “He continued to come into work over the next three years, never being able to stay too far away. He wanted to know how we were doing, what was happening in the trade and would avidly read Toy World to stay in touch with what was going on.”

Our sincerest condolences to John’s children – Richard, Lindsay and Rachel – and his six grandchildren Emma, Olivia, Lily, Amelia, Zac and Ace, and all of John’s former friends and colleagues from the toy community.

Industry Moves

Wyncor appoints two new top Sales executives

Wyncor has announced the appointment of two distinguished sales executives to join the company’s sales team. Ami Dieckman has been named vice president of Sales for EMEA & APAC and Steve Markey will lead sales efforts across North America and LATAM as vice president of Sales, Americas. Both executives will report directly to chief operating officer, Helena Perheentupa.

“Ami and Steve are accomplished leaders with global experience who can expertly guide our global sales strategy, planning and execution,” commented Helena. “We’re excited to announce these top-level appointments following an outstanding launch at the Nuremberg Toy Fair for our diverse range of innovative products, including patented toys such as the Miraball, Magic ReClay and SwopPop (patent filed), as well as other unique offerings that include Mon Ami and Oozy Squeezy.”

“It’s an incredible opportunity to join the newly established Wyncor and be part of the original team, led by Helena, to bring rich and immersive products to children around the world,” added Ami. “We have such an incredible portfolio of innovative toys and powerhouse brands, including Paw Patrol, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob, Peppa Pig, My Little Pony, Transformers, Monopoly, Emoji and Miraculous, offering rich, immersive and fun experiences to fans.”

Most recently, Ami served as VP of customer engagement EMEA and Latin America for Just Play following a 10-year tenure at Entertainment One, where she served as SVP of international licensing.

“Wyncor is uniquely positioned to become a major force in the rapidly evolving toy business with its advanced approach to product development and manufacturing,” said Steve. “This allows the company to respond promptly to evolving market trends and offer brands the opportunity to regularly offer new limited edition product lines for collectability and seasonal play. It’s an incredibly exciting time to join the company and work closely with Helena and Ami to bring Wyncor’s inventive products to retail.”

Steve has more than 20 years of expertise in the toy industry, most recently at Hog Wild Toys, overseeing the company’s internal sales team as well as creating an international distributor network in over 30 countries.

Funrise welcomes

Mandeep Sira as Sales manager

Funrise has appointed Mandeep Sira as EMEA Sales manager, overseeing the growth of Funrise across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Mandeep is joining Funrise with more than 20 years of sales experience across fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), publishing, gifting, licensing and most recently in toys, having spent the last three and a half years with MGA as a senior national account manager, working with multiple UK retailers.

“I am very excited to join Funrise at this stage in its journey, especially with what the business has planned for this year, including the amazing Furlings,” said Mandeep. “I am looking forward to joining a strong team, the growth opportunities presented and using my skills to develop a strong sales strategy across EMEA.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Mandeep,” said Annie Sullivan, general manager, Northern Europe. “Her wealth of experience and expertise will be invaluable as we continue to grow our business in EMEA. Mandeep joins us at an exciting time as we prepare for our biggest launch of 2024 with Furlings and look to grow our business across CAT and Gazillion Bubbles.”

Halilit appoints new Marketing executive

Halilit has welcomed Charlotte Hussey into the Marketing team. The appointment comes after the recent addition of two new brands to Halilit’s portfolio within the past six months. The company says it is dedicated to ensuring strong brand awareness among consumers.

Amy Wildman, Sales & Marketing director, commented: “We are thrilled to welcome Charlotte to the team. We are confident that Charlotte will play a pivotal role in driving our brand forward during this exciting period of growth. Her expertise and creativity will be invaluable in supporting our retailers’ needs and strengthening our brand presence.”

Charlotte Hussey added: “I am thrilled to embark on this exciting journey with Halilit. Its commitment to providing the market with developmental and STEAM focused play for children resonates with me personally, as I am passionate about fostering creativity and learning in young minds. I look forward to collaborating with the team to drive impactful marketing strategies and enhance brand visibility in the market.”

Halilit is a specialist supplier of developmental, sensory and educational toys, and has serviced the UK retail market for nearly 50 years. Its ranges include top sellers such as Halilit Music, Taf Toys and Edushape Sensory, along with new ranges Jellystone Design and Buki France. Buki France’s extensive collection of educational toys and craft products have become available through Halilit since January,

Skillmatics further strengthens UK sales team

Skillmatics is strengthening its sales team following what it calls an ‘amazing’ reaction from retailers at the London and Nuremberg toy fairs. The early sales boom has resulted in the company securing the services of renowned and respected sales agent Martin Pike, who will be managing the South West territory.

Martin said: “I originally started my selling career at 25, being blue-chipped trained and selling for Cadburys, then Tobler Suchard. I started in the toy industry in 1990 with Toy Options, part of the Character Group, which gave me the opportunity to become an agent for the company in 1996. I have not looked back as an agent since, working for various toy/gift companies over the years. My current portfolio includes Rainbow Designs, Inside Out Toys, Wow, Plus-Plus, PlayMonster, Funrise, Clementoni and now Skillmatics.”

Martin, who can be contacted on pikemartin56@gmail.com, joins the recently appointed Stu Nichollas (Midlands), Ray Nedas (South / London), Steven Minford (ROI and NI) and Damien Leahy (North & Scotland).

Dave Kelly, VP Sales & Marketing, commented: “I am delighted to welcome Martin to the team. His knowledge and experience are a perfect fit for our Skillmatics and Gouda games product portfolios and I am really excited to be working with him. We offer retailers of all sizes such a wonderful array of games, puzzles, arts & crafts and educational resources, but it’s just as important that we have a great team supporting both our brands and the retailers who will be working with us. Building really strong partnerships is so important, but we need that initial trust and the chance to prove how good our ranges are. I am delighted that Martin is joining Stu, Ray, Steven and Damien who will certainly play a vital role in expanding our business in the UK and Irish markets.”

To find out more on the Skillmatics and Gouda Games ranges, contact Dave on david.kelly@skillmaticsworld.com or call 07764 369 245 / 01244 940 200.

21st - 23rd May 2024

Toymaster would like to invite all independent bricks and mortar Toy and Model Retailers, both in the UK and Ireland, to attend the 2024 May Show.

Over 100 Suppliers will be exhibiting at the Majestic Hotel, Harrogate, on the 21st - 23rd May and we hope you are able to join us in making the most of the opportunities o ered.

For more details and to register online, please use the following link:

toymastermayshow.co.uk

Marketing World

Cartamundi holds Easter sampling of Color Addict

Packs of games, including Color Addict, were sent to a number of Board Game Cafes located in key towns and cities across England and Wales to enable families to visit and play during the Easter holidays. Having launched the campaign on International Colour Day on 21st March, Cartamundi promoted the portability and playability of Color Addict, whether at home or away, this spring.

“Color Addict is the perfect travel companion for families taking staycations or journeying abroad this Easter as it’s easy to play, competitively priced and portable, so it can be packed and played anywhere,” said Andrew Brown, Marketing director Northern Europe at Cartamundi. “Our aim was to get the game into the hands of as many people as possible in order to spread the word as to how fun and easy Color Addict is to play. Linking back to retail across all activity, a bank of high-profile influencers have also been sent the game and visited their local cafes to join in the fun and generate video content to be used across our social platforms. Tying into International Colour Day gave us a natural campaign hook on which to launch the initiative.”

A focused media relations campaign ran simultaneously across the Easter break, targeting press features around chocolate alternatives for children. This initiative is just one of the planned projects by Cartamundi to drive awareness of its new and existing games for 2024.

Funrise launches Gazillion Bubbles campaign at football stadiums

Football fans and families will see Gazillion Bubbles take to LEDs pitch side with an eight-game advertising campaign to celebrate 20 years of the Gazillion brand in an ambitious way. The campaign kicked off with the Women’s Continental Cup final between rivals Arsenal and Chelsea, which was broadcast on BBC One on 31st March.

From Easter weekend through to May, fans will experience the Gazillion Bubbles LED brand advertising on pitch-side boards during the Women’s Continental Cup final and seven Premier League live TV broadcast games. With each match being televised, the Gazillion brand will be seen by millions. Confirmed Premier League fixtures include Bournemouth vs Manchester United and a key match-up in the title race, Everton vs Liverpool, both live on Sky Sports.

Mayur Pattni, Marketing manager Europe, said: “We really wanted to do something disruptive to make the brand stand out and celebrate its 20-year anniversary. Last year Gazillion was the No. 1 bubble brand in the UK, according to Circana reports, and our two-litre standard solution was the No.1 best-selling bubble item last year. We want to build upon this momentum and reach families whilst they are watching football. Mums and dads who watch live Premier League games and the Women’s Super League at home with their young children make up millions of viewers. We believe this will further cement the premium positioning of the Gazillion brand with families and its standing in the marketplace.”

Longleat welcomes Paw Patrol for Jungle Pups launch

A life-sized version of the iconic Paw Patroller vehicle, as well as the famous pups themselves, visited Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire for a weekend of jungle fun in March. Thousands of families visited the life-sized Paw Patroller, created by Blue Kangaroo Designs, with a wild jungle makeover and looking exactly like it does in the newest episodes of the show. This must-visit real-life adventure experience follows the release of Paw Patrol’s new Jungle Pups-themed toy range.

Marshall also hopped aboard the iconic Longleat boat safari to see an incredible range of animals including gorillas and sea lions.

Becca Hanlon, senior brand manager at Spin Master, said: “Paw Patrol gets mightier by the day. We had an amazing time bringing the incredible life-sized Paw Patroller to life for little ones to jump aboard and enjoy in such a fantastic location: it was a joy to see kids’ faces so excited at the jungle theme.”

John Broughton, Sales and Marketing director at Longleat Safari Park, added: “We’re so thrilled to have had this exciting extra adventure for our guests and loved hosting the Jungle Pups at Longleat. There are so many animals and wildlife to see and explore, and we had a brilliant time seeing everyone’s favourite characters come to life.”

Move over Gen Alpha - is your business ready for the Artificials?

Lisa Morgan managing director, Generation Media

It feels like only yesterday we were running our first ever KidsCon event, launching Generation Alpha into the UK marketing world. It is hard to believe that 2025 will officially be the year that the first Generation Betas are born.

Generation Alpha, also known as The Glass Generation due to its love of the multi-screen world it is growing up in, refers to children born between 2010 and 2024. Growing up in a highly digitalized and technologically advanced world, they are comfortable with various digital devices and platforms from an early age. They are heavily influenced by millennial and Generation Z parents and exposed to diverse cultures and global perspectives through the internet.

However, some members of Gen Z have recently been taking to social media as the realisation dawns that 2024 is the last year of Gen Alpha. Comments on posts relating to this subject are obtaining 3m+ views on TikTok, largely resonating with the sentiment of urgency to hasten the decision to become parents. In some cases, there is even a sense of pride in their (potential) status as parents to Gen Alpha offspring.

But move over Gen Alpha, there will soon be new kids on the block. Generation Beta, or The Artificials as they are becoming known, will encompass individuals born between 2025 and 2039. Growing up in an even more digitally integrated world than Alpha, they will be exposed to advancements on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Web 3.0. Who

knows, they may even see the true realisation of the Metaverse. Their lives will literally depend on technology.

With an estimated 90% of all online content expected to be generated in some way shape or form by AI by as early as 2026, theorists predict Betas will grow up in a world heavily fraught by deepfake content, truth will no longer be a fixed concept, and they will spend their lives searching for reality.

Overall, Generation Beta, like those before them, will be shaped by the opportunities and challenges presented by technological innovation, globalization, environmental sustainability, and societal change. Their experiences and perspectives will contribute to shaping the future of the world they inherit.

Given the rapid pace of technological advancement and societal change, Generation Beta will need to be highly adaptable and resilient. They will be accustomed to navigating uncertainty and ambiguity in both their personal and professional lives and demand flexibility, accessibility and experiential learning opportunities. They will be even more attuned to climate change challenges and witness ongoing social and political shifts in relation to equality and inclusion, becoming more active participants in social movements and political activism, using technology to mobilize and advocate for change.

When they grow up, Generation Beta will enter a workforce characterized by rapid technological

change and automation. They may have to adapt to new job roles and industries that are emerging as a result of technological advancements.

And what about media habits? How will marketers need to adjust strategies to best reach Gen Beta? The truth is, as yet there is no right answer, as new technology and platforms will emerge that the industry will need to adjust to. This is no different to how toy marketers have had to behave with Gen Alpha, having transitioned from a TV reliant market through to one dominated by YouTube and Gaming. Albeit at an ever accelerating pace, toy marketers and specialist agencies like Generation Media, have been, and will continue to be, at the forefront of media change.

According to Mccrindle Insights, of the eight billion people in the world, 1.8b have been born since 2010. Generation Alpha is already the second largest generation in the world, just behind the 1.9b Generation Z (born 1995 to 2009). In 15 years, the world’s population is projected to reach the nine billion milestone. When it occurs, Gen Alpha will be the largest generation ever, comprising more than one in five people in the world (22%).

By 2037 we estimate there will be 1.7b Betas globally; these children aged 12 or under will start their lives in a world of nine billion. By age 13 to 37, the two billion Gen Alpha in the world can expect to have an average of 2.22 children; welcome Generation Gamma and Delta, but that is an article for another day…

Lisa Morgan discusses how marketers will need to adjust strategies to best reach Generation Beta, or The Artificials, individuals born between 2025 and 2039.

There’s plenty of exciting licensed and generic preschool costumes for the dress up wardrobe!

Available online now.

Licensing World

Heathside Trading signs licence agreement with Molang

Heathside has established an agreement with Millimages to become a licensee for Molang in the UK, Europe and the USA. The agreement was brokered by Kirsty Guthrie for Brand-Ward Service. The Molang licensed line, which will launch in Q3 through selected retail partners, will include a variety of toys, collectibles and gifts.

With more than 7m followers across social media, Molang is an international TV, social media, licensing and merchandising phenomenon. It has had huge exposure and engagement worldwide, with 712m views on YouTube Kids and 18m on the adult YouTube channel. In 2023 alone, Molang gained 821k TikTok subscribers and 335k followers on Instagram.

Darren Epstein from Heathside commented: “We are looking forward to working with Millimages and BrandWard on this series of Molang pop culture and gifting products. As big fans of the brand, we are excited to offer new product ranges under our Khadou brand.”

Alexandra Algard-Mikanowski, Licensing and Merchandising director at Millimages, said: “We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Heathside and develop a huge range of Molang’s products across the UK, Europe and the USA. Together, our shared goal is to develop cute products and expand the Kidult toys, collectibles and gifting areas for Molang.”

Hunter Price partners with UK Greetings and Universal for Boofle and Gabby’s Dollhouse ranges

Boofle, the lovable knitted pup, is a go-to family-favourite brand for gifting and will be a huge area of focus for Hunter Price. The team will be spearheading the creative product strategy to bring newness and innovation to this category, with huge growth potential over the coming years. From gift sets and decorations to travel mugs and hot water bottles, Boofle’s new gifting collections will be arriving in the retail market later this year.

Hunter Price will also bring a new category to life for the first time across nursery, play and junior lifestyle products. The category, which has an organic and credible synergy with the hero plush pup, will be expanded across comforters, blankets, wooden toys, keepsakes, changing mats, storage, activity tables and more. Another key specialism for Hunter Price, is reusable bags. From 100% recyclable shopper bags, to canvas and jute, UK consumers will soon be able to bag a Boofle bag for life.

The company has also partnered with Universal Products & Experiences to develop an impactful and design-led home and lifestyle range for DreamWorks Animation’s Gabby’s Dollhouse. Hunter Price will bring the playful and imaginative nature of Gabby’s Dollhouse to life through an innovative assortment of consumer products. The collaboration, which focuses on hero product categories for the Home and Lifestyle division, includes hair accessories, reusable bags, gifting and apparel accessories.

Each of the products within Hunter Price’s agreement, which also includes hair accessories, hats, gloves, scarves and umbrellas, has a natural fit with the Gabby’s Dollhouse core audience of three-to-five-year-old girls and their parents. The debut Gabby’s Dollhouse collections from Hunter Price have recently hit the UK market with retailer partners including Poundland and Studio.

Blue Sky Designs inks new deal with Sanrio to strengthen licensed offering

Blue Sky signed its latest licensing deal with Sanrio just before Christmas and has since been busy developing the initial launch range for this summer.

“Demand has been phenomenal since the recent Spielwarenmesse and Spring Fair trade shows, and we have flipped the design studio into Sanrio overdrive over the past few weeks to ensure we have as many Sanrio ranges ready for the summer as possible,” said Gavin Holden, managing director at Blue Sky Designs.

Alongside Blue Sky’s Hello Kitty toy grabber range, the company will now offer comprehensive ranges for Kuromi, Cinnamoroll and My Melody, all available for the back-to-school season.

There is a huge appetite at retail for Sanrio characters at present and this deal covers a broad array of products such as novelty gifting, stationery, bags, lighting and hydration. Blue Sky will also be launching new gifting products for Christmas 2024.

Gavon added: “Blue Sky’s licensed collectible and fidget pens collection has really taken off this year, with stock moving extremely fast.” Pens are available in Harry Potter, Batman, Wednesday, Transformers, SpongeBob, Hello Kitty and South Park branding, with additional licences and further characters to be released later in the year. The fidget pens have interchangeable characters allowing kids to switch and swap - a unique feature which means the mini 3D characters are not only interchangeable amongst the pens but also across other Blue Sky products such as the new Mini Lamps and Phone Stands.

To find out more, call 0113 387 9670, visit www.blueskystudios.co.uk or email sales@blueskystudios.co.uk.

Q2 Animation launching on Animation launching on SOPHIE

Pea, Kee and Boo LOVE to play hide and seek.

For licensing opportunities, please get in touch:

Will Ochoa – will@toikido.com

Sabrina Segalov – sabrina@toikido.com

Q2 Animation launching on

Q2

Narrated by SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR

Licensing World

Amscan updates on 2024 licences

The Amscan licensed portfolio is brimming with characters, perfect for celebrating any occasion.

2024 is Peppa Pigs 20th Birthday, and Amscan will mark the occasion with a new range, comprising party items, balloons and a special party dress costume. The design focuses on Peppa and friends celebrating her milestone, surrounded by confetti, presents and balloons.

Whether a Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin or Ravenclaw, the new Hogwarts Harry Potter range is perfect for those looking for a house themed celebration. The tableware comprises core items; plates, cups, napkins, tablecover, and candles for the cake. An all-over printed loot bag, ideal for carrying matching party favours comprises a notebook, pens, puzzles and tattoos, with all items featuring the four Hogwarts crests. There are coordinating decorations and balloons, including Harry Potter Houses standard round style featuring the red, yellow, blue and green crest designs, then a crest shaped MiniShape and SuperShape. There is a Sorting Hat, as well as a new Hogwarts robe which come with four interchangeable crest badges.

In addition, there are new party and balloon assortments for Fireman Sam, My Little Pony, Smiley World and Pokémon, available now.

Amscan has added new licensed foils of Lilo and Stitch. Complementing the company’s current standard circle design, a SuperShape, Orbz and Mini inflated foil join the line-up, perfect for both retailers and decorators alike, with designs of Stitch in his classic mischievous era. These are already available to order and are proving very popular.

New licensed costumes include Peter Rabbit designs in both classic and TV styles (printed jumpsuit, headpiece and bag and add either a mask or cape) and Miffy (vibrant orange dress, white tights and Miffy hat; plus royal blue dress with ditsy daisy floral print, white fights and Miffy hat). A new My Little Pony costumes range includes Pipp Petals, Izzy Moonbow and Sunny Starscout styles. Each comprise printed dress with tulle finishing and a pony headband with ears and horn.

The full range of new licences can be viewed at amscan.co.uk.

Heathside to launch Gerry Anderson licensed action figures

Heathside has signed a licensing agreement with ITV Studios to launch a collection of 2.75” action figures for Space 1999, UFO, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and Joe 90. Production will begin in spring 2024, and the range will be available through selected retail partners, as well as direct to consumers through www. masterreplicas.com globally by summer.

Darren Epstein, from Heathside, said: ‘’Once again we are adding some core fanfavourite IP to our increasing portfolio of properties. The huge global fanbase for these licences will mean we will be able to bring some really impressive content to fans worldwide. Product should be available from June 2024.’’

Jurian van der Meer, EVP of Brand Licensing at ITV Studios, added: “ITV Studios is proud to have such iconic British brands in its portfolio. Shows like Thunderbirds helped shape the history of British television and have a very loyal fanbase worldwide. These new action figures will come just in time to celebrate Thunderbirds’ 60th anniversary in 2025.”

Earlier this year, Heathside reinforced its commitment to the company’s Master Replicas and Khadou brands through two key appointments that will help support the company’s growth. Ben Robinson has joined as the new head of Brand for Master Replicas, and the team has also welcomed Markus Bhatia as the new commercial manager for Khadou.

ToyTopic welcomes new licence partners for plush lines

Highly anticipated by retail, a new collectible cube shaped Cubezzz plush range is launching for spring/ summer 2024, which incorporates some of the leading licences in the market and will also be available across Europe. Cubezzz licences will include Peppa Pig, My Little Pony and Transformers from Hasbro, SpongeBob SquarePants and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from Paramount, Hello Kitty from Sanrio and Sonic the Hedgehog from Sega.

ToyTopic is also welcoming Hello Kitty into its portfolio this spring with a new plush range. Celebrating the brand’s 50th anniversary, the Hello Kitty line will be promoted with worldwide digital and physical brand activations. Boosted by this enormous brand awareness, demand for ToyTopic’s Hello Kitty range is already soaring. The stylish and super soft Hello Kitty 30cm standing plush is made from soft velboa plush material. She is dressed in a fashionable hot pink dress featuring pale pink stripe sleeves and also sports her matching iconic bow. The Hello Kitty character is also available in a variety of colourways, all with matching bows, and is joined by the characters Melody and Kuromi to complete the collection. Sizes range from 6cm all the way up to 100cm at different price points starting from pocket-money.

ToyTopic will also introduce new launches from Paw Patrol seasonal plush. Supporting its strategy for environmentally friendly and sustainable production, all proprietary plush from ToyTopic is also available as a 100% recycled option.

The company has continued to extend its UK reach and is now supplying some of the largest names in retail. Recently, it has expanded its sales into key European markets and the US and has plans for even further growth in additional marketplaces.

To get in touch with ToyTopic, email sales@ toytopicgroup.com

It all adds up…

This month, Melissa looks at toys retailing for under £10, price points that can account for a surprising proportion of volume sales.

The average selling price (ASP) of toys in the UK in 2023 was £10.78, up 14% from 2019 when it was £9.46. This has been driven by several factors including changes to product mix (with an increase in the number of higher priced categories and products being sold) as well as the impact of inflation and price changes, in the last two year especially. As toys over £30 account for a quarter of all value sales, there is naturally much discussion on higher price items, and pocket money or lower priced toys are often over-looked despite accounting for a larger proportion of volume sales.

Toys sold under £10 made up 63.4% of all units sold in 2023, and this is particularly prominent outside of Q4. From January to September, under-£10 toys account for 70% of all units sold, and this drops to 52% in the final quarter of the year.

Across the total toy market, the best-selling toy under £10 by volume is Hot Wheels Singles, which is also the number three best-selling item by value across the total toy market YTD February 2024. There are also strong unit sales from Play Doh Classic Colour Tub and Lego MiniFigures. The largest category by volume of toys under £10 is Miscellaneous Toys, which covers a vast array of products including Zuru’s Mini Brands and MGA’s Miniverse as best sellers. These items are also collectible; the lower price points help encourage repeat purchase and collectability is very prominent factor at this sub-£10 level. Bubble Toys & Solutions is the next largest subclass, with Funrise’s Gazillion Bubbles and HTI Bubble Wands

driving volume sales. Traditional Plush is the third largest subclass under £10, and the fastest growing - both in 2023 and so far this year. There are a range of items performing well and driving growth, including the 8” Squishmallows, Ty’s Beanie Boos and Zuru’s Rainbocorns and Snackles. Strong licensed lines selling well include Bluey Best Mate 8” Plush, the Paw Patrol 3.4” Plush Assortment and Super Mario 9” Plush. Non-Strategic Trading Cards and Collectible Stickers is the fourth largest subclass under £10, with both Panini and Topps cards and stickers driving the category.

For the first two months of 2024, outside of the categories already mentioned, we’ve seen strong volume growth under £10 from Card Games and Junior Building Sets. Card Games has been driven by Uno and Monopoly Deal as well as Cartamundi’s Royal Flush Playing Cards and Asmodee’s Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza. In Junior Building Sets, the Duplo Wind Turbine and Electric Car set has performed well.

Price Point Share of Total Toys Price Point Share of Total Toys

Melissa Symonds Executive Director – UK Toys, Euro Toys

As noted, collectability helps drive some of these lower priced items and across the total toy market, Collectibles accounted for 14.5% of value and 20.9% of volume in 2023. Collectibles had a very strong year in 2023, adding £10m sales to reach £288m overall, with many retailers increasing the range of collectible items available in store. The biggest properties overall for Collectibles are Pokémon, Squishmallows, Funko Pop and L.O.L. Surprise! Some of the strongest new properties for Collectibles included Miniverse, Snackles, Disney Lorcana and Funko Bitty Pops, showing the diversity of

the Collectibles category.

Collectibles are often reliant on new series or range updates throughout the year to keep consumer interest and drive demand. Across total toys last year, sales from new toy items accounted for 27% of value, but there were 10% fewer new items than in 2022. Looking back to 2019, there were over 32,000 new toys launched and in 2023, there were less than half of that figure. Collectible ranges can help reinvigorate the new item share of the market and drive excitement and repeat purchase from the consumers.

The start of 2024 remains challenging for the industry with value sales down -6% and volume down -11%, however it is worth remembering that January and February only account for 10% of annual toys sales in both value and volume. In order to revitalise the UK Toy market in 2024, a focus on lower priced items would help drive volume, especially outside peak season. Given the ongoing cost of living challenges, these lower priced items may well feel more attractive to consumers. There are a number of new launches still to come for the year, so the combination of lower priced items, collectability and newness should mean that the UK Toy market can finish the year stronger than the first two months.

Item Progression:

The new Jungle Pups Vehicle assortment from Spin Master was the best item progression across total toys in February and the number two selling item in Preschool Toys, behind the Paw Patrol Vehicle and Pup Assortment. Paw Patrol remains the number one property within Pre-school Toys YTD February, as it has been for the last five years and currently has the top three best-selling SKUs in the category. While Pre-school Toys accounts for 74% of total Paw Patrol sales, the start of the year has seen strong growth for the property in Traditional Plush and Children’s Puzzles as well, both up double-digits.

Fastest Growing Properties

Despite a challenging start to 2024, there are some properties that continue to outperform the market and show growth versus 2023. The fastest growing property is Lego Icons, which includes the Botanical range. This range continues to be a strong performer for Lego at the start of the year, leaning heavily into the Valentines Day and Mothering Sunday elements which are strong for natural flower gifting. The Lego Icons Bouquet of Roses is the best-selling items so far this year, with an average selling price (ASP) of £52.21, while the Lego Roses Building Sets at a lower ASP of £10.70 is the number ten best-seller. Lego has enjoyed a strong start to the year with four of the top ten best gaining properties including Lego Star Wars, Creator 3-in-1 and Lego Disney Classic. Star Wars growth was through the Clone Trooper and Battle Droid Pack and Darth Vader Mech, while Creator 3-in-1 growth is driven by new launches such as the Retro Camera and Magical Unicorn. Lego Disney Classic has also performed well with the Disney 100 Tribute Camera Set.

MGA’s Miniverse also continues to outperform the market, with the Make It Mini Food Dinner Valentines Day line supplementing the the regular range during February.

Top Gaining Properties in UK

Top Gaining Properties in UK

Licences that performed well in 2023 have continued to grow at the start of the year: TMNT is still performing well after the movie release last summer, with the Ninja Reveal Role Play Items now number two, behind the Mutant Mayhem Figures Assortment. Gabby’s Dollhouse continues to gain sales, with the construction range adding to the Pre-school lines available. Sonic the Hedgehog has been steadily gaining sales over the last two years and is the seventh fastest gaining so far in 2024, ahead of the third movie launch at the end of the year. Sales are more than double this year versus last year, with Heroes of Goo Jit Zu and X-Shot Skins contributing to the Building Sets and Action Figures performance.

18

- 22 NOVEMBER 2024

Hôtel Barrière Le Royal, Villa Le Cercle & C.I.D Deauville France

Zone

18 - 22 NOV. 2024

5 days +400 buyers +130 manufacturers

1st professional meeting place in entertainment products for kidults, fans & collectors

POP CULTURE / KIDULT / GEEK

The 2025 Autumn/Winter Toys and Games collections in preview

5 days to target French and European retail that allow buyers to prepare their next Autumn/Winter Toys & Games collections. France, the 3rd European Toys & Games market, is in your reach.

An effective and proven one-to-one meeting format in private showrooms: increase your sales and products selection in new distribution channels and business sectors.

Discover the retail chains present in 2023:

Fabienne Taylor Exhibition Director

fabienne.taylor@infopro-digital.com

The Preshow is the essential event for finalising the permanent selection and seeing the collections and trends for the coming year. Start the first Christmas Catalogue selections. Do some prospecting. See products from suppliers who don’t have a showroom in France.

Pierre Violino, KING JOUET

98 % of buyers are satisfied*

88 % of exhibitors are satisfied with the products selection by the distributors*

* Buyers & Exhibitors surveys 2023

Talking Shop Customer-facing

champions

With half term and the Easter holidays providing a welcome boost to footfall, indie retailers speak to Toy World’s Marianna Casal about what’s selling well and what’s happening on the frontline so far this year.

Raymond Kirkpatrick - Tigeroo Toys, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Half term, St Patrick’s Day and the Easter Holidays are always big occasions for us in Belfast, as we get an influx of tourists visiting from Scotland and England; once again, footfall increased considerably. We are located right opposite a large hotel which is a very beneficial location for us, as we’re one of the first shops people see when they step outside.

Pokémon has come back strongly this year with the new packs introduced, and the new Lego sets such as Formula 1 have also been very popular. Collectibles are performing particularly well at the moment across all sorts of themes such as Mojo Fun animals, Squishmallows plush, anime action figures and horror figures and plush. Anime and horror are particular favourites among older students and adults, which now make up a significant proportion of our customers.

With university dorm rooms close by, we also get international students looking for anime figures such as Demon Slayer and Dragon Ball. We have embraced anime in a big way here, and the One Piece trading card game is another best seller. Horror has also become a major theme, especially with the Living Dead, Friday the 13th and Five Nights at Freddys – the latter became even more popular after the movie last year. We have a great selection of Five Nights at Freddys products from Funko.

In the lead-up to Valentine’s Day, Lego flowers sold extremely well, and the run up to the Godzilla v Kong movie also helped boost sales for that licence. The comeback of Littlest Pet Shop by Bandai has also given a boost to sales – it was something that both kids and students were very excited about.

In summer we will have some attractive Lego offers, and we will also celebrate Playmobil’s anniversary by offering treats to customers.

In the pre-school category, we stock a lot of Melissa and Doug, especially wooden toys and educational toys, and our Clementoni and Fisher-Price ranges cover electronic pre-school toys. We stock a selection of pre-school puzzles from Ravensburger, and for older children and adults, licenced puzzles such as Stranger Things or horror licences have great appeal.

Although the start of the year saw our local customer base a bit subdued, the new government in Northern Ireland has made everyone feel more optimistic. Following a lot of strikes among different types of workers, pay rises have been negotiated and the strikes are coming to an end, so hopefully people will feel more positive about spending. Belfast has become a really vibrant city in recent years with lots of tourism. There are more hotels planned in the area and lots of construction going on, so I’m feeling optimistic about the year ahead.

Talking Shop

Gee Cunliffe - Martells Toy Department, East Grinstead

Half term was busier than I’d expected, and even January was 8% up on last year. It does seem that customers have recovered from Christmas now and are ready to get back into the shops. That being said, people are still going for lower-priced items where there’s lots of play value.

The Pokémon booster packs have been very strong sellers over the past year or so and they continue to be our number one bestseller. The Sylvanian Families blind bags have also been extremely popular, and Littlest Pet Shop has had a great start. The Lego roses surprised me with how well they did because of their higher price points, but for both Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, people saw them as a perfect gift. Of course, established ranges like Squishmallows and Hot Wheels continue to dominate, but it’s nice to see new lines like Character Options’ ABC Fashion Beads Bracelets selling well; these have really been trending.

We signed up for a Play-Doh FSDU at Toy Fair, which has really boosted the brand for us this year. We have an offer on buying two sets and getting a free party pack which has worked really well, boosting sales in our pre-school section.

In Games, the top seller has been Uno. The Uno No Mercy version has been selling out and when there’s no stock of that, people are still happy to buy the original Uno. This game has been around for years but has had a huge resurgence. It’s the same situation with Battleships – it probably helps that it was featured in Squid Game The Challenge on Netflix.

In terms of new orders, I’m looking forward to working with Hey Hugo which offers non-licensed kids’ stationery, bags and water bottles. We will also be bringing in Guess in 10 from Skillmatics, a big boxed educational card game.

This summer we have some exciting events planned to bring people into the store. We’ve added Monopoly Knockout to our range and will hold a demo event for that.

It's so hard to judge how the year will turn out as it’s been so unpredictable recently, but I am hopeful that overall, business is steadily picking up.

Adam Jemmett - Board at Home, Ramsgate

We’re a family gaming shop so we naturally see an influx of customers during school breaks. We only opened about three years ago, so we’re still growing, but it all seems to be going in the right direction. We had busier school holidays this year compared to last year, and February 2024 was our second-best month ever for sales.

Our best-seller by far is Ravensburger’s Disney Lorcana– it’s been phenomenal for us. Thames and Kosmos is our biggest supplier, with a whole host of games which are very popular with customers. We have some new Exit escape room games for the home coming in later this year and well as a new murder mystery series called Masters of Crime, which looks really good. We also see very strong sales from Big Potato Games, especially Herd Mentality, Chameleon and Sounds Fishy. Role-play games is a great category for us too, such as the Official Dungeons and Dragons game by Wizards of the Coast (Hasbro).

People are still discovering us, and it’s always exciting when new shoppers come into the store. We welcomed lots of new customers at Christmas, and many of them told us that they really appreciate the expertise and knowledge of our staff to help them choose the best game – often even showing them how to play. After Covid, I think many more people realised how great board games can be, and this helped to break stereotypes that board games are only for certain types of people. The cost-of-living crisis has kept board games in the spotlight, because having a games night with friends or family is so much cheaper than going out for a meal or to the pub.

We attended Toy Fair in January and met up with all our suppliers to plan orders for throughout the year. We also met some new companies to set up accounts. We will be introducing Professor Puzzle, and talked to Gibsons about its games and puzzles, which is an area we are planning to expand this year. As well as traditional jigsaw puzzles, we want to offer puzzles with a difference, which incorporate a game element such as hidden objects, escape jigsaws and 3D puzzles, which always sell well.

We run a lot of gaming events instore and also hold special nights for campaign board games. We will be hosting a launch event for the new Ravensburger Disney Lorcana decks as well as the new Star Wars Unlimited game from Asmodee, to show customers how to play. We have a games library, which we call the Board Room, where customers can come in and play the games and get refreshments too. This helps to draw people in as we provide a place to enjoy the 300+ games we offer and is an ideal way for them to try them out.

With the strong new titles coming out throughout 2024, I think it’s looking like it’s going to be a really good year for independent board games shops.

Talking Shop

Ian MelvilleBright Star Toys, Linlithgow, Scotland

Half term saw sales pick up well, which I was quite surprised about as I thought families would be going away for the week. We were blessed with good weather during that time, so we did get quite busy. For the Easter holidays, we have made sure we are well stocked with pocket money take away lines ready for another influx of kids.

Pocket money is our best category at the moment. We have been delighted with sales of Putty Pals from Slime Party, which we brought in after Toy Fair and Crazy Aarons from DKB. Aphmau plush from Character Options and Bandai’s Littlest Pet Shop are going strong and Squishmallows and Pokémon remain best-sellers. There’s no sign of Pokémon slowing down, and the new release we received just before the Easter holidays is working very nicely.

Many parents shop with us for birthdays, so we keep a healthy stock of £15-£20 products for those occasions. Many adults like to buy games for birthday parties, and we do particularly well with small card games such as Blue Orange’s Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, Big Potato games, Professor Puzzle games, Dobble and the Cobra range by Asmodee, and Mattel’s Uno. IQ puzzles by Smart Games are also very successful: it is a great range to point people towards when they don’t know what to buy – it suits everyone.

For those who are looking for something for younger children, we stock a selection of wooden activity toys from Galt and pretty much the whole Orchard Toys range, including the new Peter Rabbit lines that impressed us at Toy Fair.

We are hoping to move premises soon as our lease is coming to an end, and we thought it was a good opportunity to move to a more modern building, as the one we’re currently in is quite old and run down. Although we restock products which are selling well, we’re not yet finalising any summer buying prior to the move. At the Toymaster show in May we will place orders for summer; we hope to be in our new space in time for the summer holidays. We used to hold instore events pre-Covid, such as Pokémon trading days, and are planning to bring them back this summer. This will help publicise the new store location and make sure people know we haven’t left the area.

People are still conscious about their spending and are being more considered about what they are buying. I expect business will pick up for the second half of the year, but we remain cautious. As much as I don’t want to be pessimistic, I need to be realistic and conscious of what we are buying and how much stock we are holding. Without a craze, it’s important to keep the core ranges – the bread and butter – in stock. But we can react quickly if a craze does suddenly come along. I think this year will be an interesting one for indies.

Easter treats

AAs we write this, we are travelling back from the Toymaster Regional Meeting, where we have been catching up with members and suppliers. As ever, the lunch was a highlight, although a roast at midday always makes us feel sleepy! There were some excellent deals to be had, and some strong new lines coming through. We’re always keen to see new ranges that will add something different to our stores. Pocket money is a strong category for us, and one that really helps drive up basket spend and increase our margin. We are always looking out for new things to freshen up our range in store, and over the last few years, anything tactile and squishy has been extremely popular. So far this year, we have done well on the Light-up Fidget Popper Game from One for Fun. We stock a wide range of classic pocket money lines from Kandy Toys’ Retro range, such as recorders, magic springs and harmonicas. We also stock a range of party bag fillers at 3 for £1. In the current economic climate, this offers an affordable option for parents hosting parties.

For the last few years, we have found games a tougher sell than previously, so we have streamlined our range accordingly. Outside of the Christmas period, we carry a core range of everyday games. We have a range of classics including Snakes & Ladders, Chess, Ludo and Draughts from HTI which is popular all year round. Orchard Toys offers a good range for the independent channel, which always sells well. The range sees lots of repeat purchases; the learning games are always good value, and they also provide us with a decent margin. Our bestseller in the games category is the still Rubiks Cube, from John Adams, closely followed by Mattel’s Uno; we love the new Uno No Mercy, which has proved to be an innovative spin on the popular card game. The Nexcube from Vivid Goliath is another popular puzzle cube.

Pre-school is a big category for us, and we offer a wide selection in our stores. The sensory category is an area we have looked to increase over the last few years, and the Halilit range has helped us to fill this gap, with its collection of tactile items and small musical instruments. In core pre-school, we like to offer an extensive range of basics at attractive prices - the Infunbebe range from Kandy Toys fits the bill nicely.

February was a very positive month, our best since last summer. Half term was the standout week, and the weather certainly worked in our favour, with rain almost every day meaning families were keen to come shopping for something to do. March also started very well, with the new Lego launches proving exceptionally strong; there were several F1 sets that launched in time for the start of the new season, which have been the standouts. Also, Lego Harry Potter and Animal Crossing have proved very popular.

Pokémon Paldean Fates has been in high demand over the last month, and MGA’s Miniverse Lifestyle is selling well, along with Zuru Snackles plush. With the new Godzilla vs Kong: The New Empire hitting cinemas, the action figures from Flair have been performing very well, and this began well before the movie was released. Sales are mirroring the popularity of the previous film. With an early Easter this year, we are optimistic that March will end up a good month, leading into the Easter holidays.

Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes

Toy Barnhaus

Special Feature Spin Master

Winning at Spin Master

Richard describes 2024 as a ‘good year’ for Spin Master – and rightly so. Despite tough conditions across the whole industry, the company pulled off a particularly strong Q4 performance that saw its revenue surge +7.9% to $502.6m, thanks to a whopping +76.9% increase in Entertainment and smaller (but no less important) increases in Toys (+2.5%) and Digital Games (+7.1%).

“We grew in seven out of 10 markets with a particularly strong performance in Europe, and within that region the UK grew its share around 0.2% vs. 2023,” Richard explains, highlighting that against the backdrop of the -5% decrease

Spin Master entered 2024 – it’s 30th anniversary year - bolstered by a strong set of Q4 results, which showed that the company’s three ‘creative centres’Entertainment, Toys and Digital Games - are thriving. Following the publication of the results, Toy World’s John Baulch and Rachael Simpson-Jones paid a visit to Spin Master’s UK head office to meet up with Richard Dickson, general manager UK & Ireland, and find out what the year ahead has in store.

across the UK Toys & Games market, these figures are even more impressive. He also hails the company’s strong retail relationships for helping Spin Master navigate the challenges that the year presented toy suppliers; a year that, in his words, he was glad to see the back of.

“I won’t lie, I was pretty happy to head off on my Christmas break,” he laughs. “And then of course you come back after the holiday to a blank slate, ready to start over again from fresh.”

This year sees Spin Master celebrate its 30th anniversary, which Richard calls an ‘incredible milestone for the organisation’.

“Our founders, Ronnen Harary, Anton Rabie and Ben Varadi, started the company with their very first product: Earth Buddy,” he explains. “It was quite literally a pantyhose covered head filled with grass seed that would sprout, ultimately propelling Spin Master into the toy industry.”

Today, Spin Master is a leading global children’s entertainment company creating exceptional play experiences across its three creative centres: Toys, Entertainment and Digital Games. Known for its innovation in toys, with award-winning brands like Paw Patrol and Hatchimals, the company is also a producer

of multiplatform entertainment content on big screens and small screens spanning linear, free-to-air, streaming and feature films, and creates open-ended digital play experiences for kids and their families.

Richard adds: “What better way to celebrate this milestone year than by continuing to reimagine everyday play, invigorated by a transformative acquisition, the strength of our core brands and franchises and the rich opportunities offered by our new IP.”

When assessing how Q1 has been, Richard says there are two ways to look at any business: from the outside looking in, leaning on data from the likes of Circana, for example, and from the inside looking out. While consumer spending is still squeezed, the company has a raft of new launches banked for the second half of the year which he feels will drive things forward. Drawing on 2023’s Bitzee as an example, Richard highlights just how deeply consumers crave groundbreaking and innovative launches that offer something completely new, even when money is tight.

He says: “Consumers are still seeking both newness and hot toys, but they’re also looking for every day, core brands that resonate with them, particularly in Pre-School – we see this with Paw Patrol. The variety of brands we have — evergreen franchises like Paw Patrol, innovative

Special Feature Spin Master

new IP like Bitzee and a strong portfolio of licensed brands including Monster Jam and Gabby’s Dollhouse — allows us to hit every mark. In terms of the money consumers have to spend, we know they’re facing continued economic pressure. We could pontificate all day about the specific reasons behind the shift in consumer behaviour, but at the end of the day, if we make our products hot, bring absolute newness to the market, and introduce fresh themes and amazing content, we’ll stay relevant, appeal to kids as well as parents, and keep winning.”

Spin Master has long been focused on innovation and the past few years have witnessed the company scale up its efforts in this regard (very successfully, one might add). As is so often the case at this time of year, many of Spin Master’s second half launches are still under embargoRichard literally swivels in his chair as he points around the showroom we’re sat in, rattling off embargo after embargo - though retailers who saw the company’s stand at London Toy Fair or Spielwarenmesse 2024 will be aware of most of them. Happily, we are allowed to talk about the brand Richard is most excited about – Unicorn Academy.

For those that don’t already know about it, a brief recap. Unicorn Academy is the largest IP launch in Spin Master’s history and premiered on Netflix in November 2023 with a 72-minute movie and eight 22-minute episodes. The series is adapted from The New York Times best-selling book series by Julie Sykes and follows the adventures of Sophia Mendoza and the rest of the Unicorn Academy class as they attempt to bond with a unicorn to unlock their magical powers.

“I’ve been on a real journey throughout my 11 or 12 years at Spin Master,” Richard enthuses. “Being part of the team that launched Paw Patrol was amazing, and I see Unicorn Academy as the next big moment. We’ve put a huge amount of investment behind it plus all our learnings gleaned from across the years – this is where we bring all of it to bear and deliver something, in partnership with Netflix, that we believe is absolutely amazing. In fact, I haven’t seen this much anticipation and buy-in from the trade on a new property for quite some time.”

Unicorn Academy quickly soared to the top spot on Netflix after landing on the platform. A toy line (comprising plush, dolls, and figures with light & sound features in a range of sizes), and a licensed consumer products programme spanning fashion, beauty and accessories will roll out from summer, with a digital game also in the works. All will be supported with marketing across social media, TV, out-of-home, influencers and more. Interestingly, Richard feels the show appeals to both boys and girls: he says his six-year-old son and ten-year old daughter

both really enjoy Unicorn Academy. His son particularly connects with Rory Carmichael, who’s billed as a ‘funloving prankster goofball’.

The toy range has been developed to offer a range of price points, starting from entry level products that will get the brand into consumers’ hands as quickly as possible. Currently available to stream on Netflix, much of the content is also on the Unicorn Academy YouTube channel, which currently has 123,000 subscribers: the feature-length opener, split into two parts on the platform, has racked up in excess of 15m views. New content will continue rolling out to keep kids engaged in the adventures of Sophia and her unicorn Wildstar, as well as the other Unicorn Academy students.

“While it can be difficult to avoid cannibalisation altogether when you’ve got a portfolio like ours, Unicorn Academy fits really nicely into the Spin Master landscape as it skews older than the likes of Gabby’s Dollhouse, for example, which is very much a pre-school property,” Richard notes. “We’ve got clear segmentation between who and what we’re targeting with all our brands, and we’re strategic in categorising our products even though we have a presence across a vast proportion of the toy industry.”

Away from Unicorn Academy, Richard is also very pleased with the early reads on Rubble & Crew, a spin-off Paw Patrol series. Viewership shows the property is currently overachieving in Europe, especially in France, and the toy range is tipped to bring even more innovation to the Paw universe. The USP of Rubble & Crew is that it skews even younger than Paw Patrol, and thus recruits viewers who can then move into Paw when they’re ready.

Many readers will be aware that in early January, Spin Master completed its acquisition of the US-based Melissa & Doug for US$950m. A recognised and trusted brand specialising in early childhood play, Richard says the ‘incredible’ acquisition marks a turning point that could very well change the course of the company, and in terms of importance, places it right up there with the launch of Paw Patrol and Spin Master’s 2015 listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

“Spin Master and Melissa & Doug have a very similar set of culture and values –we both care deeply about producing great products for our consumers- which is what we were really looking for when we set out to buy a company,” he says. “Melissa & Doug’s complementary product line further bolsters our position in early childhood play, with opportunity to unlock further growth leveraging the size and scale of Spin Master, and the contacts and partners we have in the industry to make the most of what the acquisition can mean for our business. I can’t wait to get my hands on it properly, but I guess I just have to be patient!” Spin Master’s retail partnerships span a wide range of different channels, giving plenty of scope for the rapid, wide dissemination of products to consumers. Discount retailers such as B&M and Home Bargains are appealing strongly to price- and spending-conscious consumers looking for additional value for money right now, but toy specialists are obviously a vital part of the picture too, from the likes of The Entertainer and Smyths down to the UK & Ireland’s passionate indies. For Richard, supporting indies – whom he calls the ‘bedrock of the toy industry’- is a non-negotiable part of his job.

“When I started this role, I knew immediately that I needed to work out what our indie retail partners need and how we can better serve them,” he says. “To this day, that is something I live by, and from speaking with Toymaster I feel we’re getting it right. Right isn’t perfect though, and we can always do better. One of the biggest things for us is making sure our indies get stock when they need it. A lot of big companies will put indies to the back of the queue when prioritising allocations, but we place them at the front. After servicing them, you’re still left with a really good amount of stock to go out to everyone else – and the indies appreciate it and work really hard to elevate your products, just as they did on Bitzee last year. Of course, if our indie friends think we are missing the mark, I genuinely want to know about it so we can rectify things.”

Support also comes in the form of impactful marketing that brings Spin Master’s brand and products to life at retail. The company has placed generous spend behind its store-level trade marketing assets, from FSDUs to POS and sampling – whatever stockists need.

The Entertainer’s recently expanded partnership with Tesco, which will see The Entertainer Toy Shop arrive in 853 Tesco locations around the UK, has been a major talking point within the industry for the past few weeks. We asked Richard, while on the topic of retail partnerships, how he expects the tie-up to impact Spin Master. It’s fair to say he seems optimistic, telling us: “We’ve always had a strong relationship with The Entertainer, and I don’t see that relationship getting anything but stronger. I’m certainly looking at this as an opportunity for growth, and we’ll be working closely with the team at The Entertainer to maximise fully on what the expanded partnership with Tesco presents.”

While Spin Master clearly has a lot to look forward to this year, persistent macroeconomic factors will continue to pose a challenge for all in the industry. Richard’s feelings appear broadly in-line with the general consensus – that this year isn’t going to witness a dramatic improvement in the cost of living or inflation. Spin Master therefore needs to plan carefully and be as competitive on price as possible, while still moving the dial on innovation and major new brands.

“Innovation is coming, I promise you it’s right around the corner,” Richard finishes, as we prepare to dig into the generous lunch the team has laid on for us. “My best advice is to get ready for it because this year sees some really massive development within our offering - and as it marks our 30th anniversary, it’s an especially exciting year too.”

Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles

Pocket money surprises

Despite ongoing challenges for toy retailers, suppliers and consumers due to the cost-of-living crisis, the Pocket Money Toys and Collectibles category remains resilient, producing a multitude of ranges at budgetfriendly price points. Toy World’s Caroline Tonks looks at what is in-store for the category in 2024.

It is an age-old tale, when a family visits the shops, the children each want a toy. A wide range of pocket money toys and collectibles ensures that toys are readily available to both children and kidults alike, regardless of their background or financial stability. As average selling prices rise across the toy market, this category remains vitally important to retailers, especially across the first three quarters of the year.

According to Circana’s latest report, collectability has helped to drive sales of lower priced items across the total toy market, with collectibles accounting for 14.5% of value sales and 20.9% of volume sales in 2023. Last year was a strong year for collectibles, adding £10m to reach £288m overall, with numerous retailers increasing the range of collectible items available in store.

On TikTok, blind bags and unboxing videos continue to be all the rage, with blind bags garnering over 748m views, and rising. Suppliers have taken full advantage of the trend, producing products for fans to rip into and collect. Epoch’s Sylvanian Families started 2024 with the launch of Volume 14 of Baby Collectibles. Coming in blind bags, the Baby Forest Costume Series has eight characters to collect, all in unique woodland-themed outfits. MGA Entertainment’s L.O.L. Surprise! has kept a focus on unboxing, recently releasing its Mix & Make Birthday Cake line and L.O.L. Surprise! Baby Bundle. From Just Play, the Disney Doorables range has fully engaged the power of social media, creating a community of fans through

unboxing. The new Star Wars Disney Doorables line-up aligns with the 25th anniversary of Star Wars: A Phantom Menace, introducing 25 iconic figures from the saga, as well as Galactic Cruisers.

“We have our biggest expansion ever in the collectibles category this year, with some surprises ahead in Doorables and the launch of an entirely new way to collect Disney characters,” says Tess Parsons-Broome, marketing manager at Just Play. “We truly believe that the newness we’re introducing this autumn is the best line-up yet, and we hope that fans will feel the same.”

Just Play is not the only supplier to be releasing Disneythemed pocket money toys and collectibles. Throughout the category, brands are highlighting Disney and Marvel, two powerhouse studios behind some of the world’s most popular licences. Eolo Toys’ latest introduction is the Disney Fidget Dolls range. This line brings fan-favourite Disney princesses to life, including Ariel, Aurora, Jasmine, Tiana, Rapunzel and Snow White. Meanwhile, the Marvel Mission Arena Trading Card Game from KAP Toys has 219 Marvel characters to collect, combining gaming, the character universe and collection, while Sambro’s collectible ranges, Puzzle Palz and Bops N Tops, feature characters from Disney and Marvel, including Disney Villains.

Will Collinson, general manager UK & Ireland at Zuru, is excited about the company’s new Mini Brands and Disney ranges. Mini Brands has released multiple capsule

collections with Disney, including the 5 Surprise Disney Mini Brands, and will be continuing to produce mini versions of top properties, including the newly licensed Mini Brands MasterChef. “We are capitalising on the widespread nostalgia trend seen across social media,” explains Will. “This sees us collaborating closely with our long-standing licensed partners, such as Kellogg's, Haribo and Kraft Heinz.”

Nostalgia has become an important spearhead within the industry, targeting multiple audiences and especially engaging the kidult market. Legacy toys are on trend, with old favourites coming back into the limelight. One For Fun’s Loom Bands, originally a craze in the 2010s, has returned for a new generation. It will be available in affordable 600-piece pick up and go packs, a 350-piece craft pack and a 3000-band gift set. Littlest Pet Shop, a wellestablished legacy brand, is now available in the UK and Ireland via its local distribution partner Bandai. The launch will include 65 different pets across four breed types and four rarity levels.

“At its peak, an average child was estimated to have at least 25 pets, and our aim is to extend this to 30 pets with the new range,” Kirsty Mackenzie, head of marketing at Bandai UK, tells us. Each pet comes with the classic bobblehead motion, plus personalised accessories and a collector card. “Redeem codes are available with every item, meaning that children get to enjoy an immersive digital play experience within the new Littlest Pet Shop Roblox

Feature Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles

game, adding a further dimension to the brand.”

The award-winning legacy toy range, Zhu Zhu Pets, is returning spring 2024, with the all-new Zhu Zhu Aquarium. The battery-powered Zhu Zhu Aquarium Mini Plush Fish include six vibrantly coloured tropical fish, swimming and interacting on land with no water required. Upon their initial release in 2009, Zhu Zhu Pets took the toy market by storm, and new UK distributor John Adams is hoping for similar success this time round.

Given the ongoing pressures on consumers’ expendable income and discretionary spending, it has not only affected the pocket money and collectibles category, but the toy industry itself.

“The whole industry will see impact from the pressures on consumer spending,” says Pamela Justice, head of Marketing UK & Ireland, MGA Entertainment. “We need to ensure we are offering lower/entry priced products with those consumers in mind.” Across all brands, MGA is seeing entry priced items growing in popularity and, in many cases, over performing. MGA’s Miniverse Make It Mini Editions are representative of the company’s ongoing mission to provide smaller and more affordable toys amidst inflation, enabling fans to expand their collections. “We believe this has been a huge contributing factor when looking at the popularity of the brand and the endless crafting experiences fans can enjoy by remixing their collectibles,” Pamela adds.

“Although the economic outlook shows some glimmers of improvement, the ongoing pressures on consumers’ expendable income remain and the category faces challenges again this year,” says Will Collinson. In 2023, Zuru saw more considered purchasing patterns, with fewer transactions and higher average spend. “There were less basket add-ons, which is what drives this category. Continuing to engage with customers via a combination of value, creativity and affordability will be key to winning in the pocket money category.”

Tess from Just Play agrees: “To win in this environment, delivering against key price points and providing value for money is essential.” At Just Play, supplying products that deliver on price and value, and align with consumer demand, has always been a priority. “Over the past few years, we have expanded our offering in collectibles specifically, which has helped to drive growth despite economic pressures.” Just Play has prioritised the development of high-value items at £5, £10 and £15 across

all consumer segments and categories, setting up the company for this coming autumn and beyond.

Wow! Stuff has also taken the prevailing economic situation into consideration with its new line-up of Nano Pods. Originally priced at £4.99, the hexagonal, connectible collectibles have now dropped to a new RRP of just £2.99. Wow! Stuff’s general sales manager, Tony White, tells us: “At just £2.99, they’re nearly half what the 2023 typical retail prices were and will grow our share of the licensed character figure collectibles category. As volume goes up, our pricing has come down.”

In addition to keen pricing, continued innovation is what keeps pocket money toys and collectibles fresh and exciting, fostering repeat purchases and increasing the amount of time that customers stick with brands.

At Bandai UK, Kirsty has not only seen innovation in

product concepts, but also within the mechanics to secure and keep consumers buying into the brand. “Innovation is key to driving the pester power that the pocket money toys and collectibles category is built on,” she explains. “That and the value for money.”

“Innovation remains crucial in keeping the category fresh and exciting – especially given the fickle nature of repeat purchasers and the overall churn of product in the pocket money arena,” echoes Will. In his opinion, staying close to what’s driving the market on social media and responding to what customers are looking for is key for continued development. “Take Mini Brands as an example. We have a fanatical fan-base, and they aren’t quiet about what they want to see coming through. We do listen and take action – this underscores the power of listening and adapting.”

The team at Just Play is constantly challenging themselves to bring new ideas to the market that expands the way its fans can collect and engage with the brands. “Our commitment to innovation shines through in the expansion of the Disney Doorables range, offering enthusiasts a fresh and exciting collection to eagerly anticipate,” says Tess. “The arrival of Star Wars Doorables in 2024 exemplifies our dedication to investing in new segments and formats, ensuring that our offerings remain engaging and novel.”

“Innovation driven by trends is at the forefront of what MGA Entertainment does and we are constantly widening our portfolio with new launches and releases in the collectibles market,” adds Pamela. Product development and newness driven by cultural trends is at the core of MGA’s Miniverse and is a leading factor as to why the launch of the brand into the market has been a great success. “Our growth runs parallel with the rapid increase in popularity in mini everyday items and DIY crafting trends on social media. As we expand our range this year, we anticipate only more success for the brand as we engage with more fans, and a growing number of consumers look to participate in screen-free activities to improve their wellbeing.”

Across the upcoming feature, readers will be able to further explore the products and ranges that the pocket money toys and collectibles category has to offer in 2024.

Spin Master

01628 535 000 | ww.spinmastertoys.co.uk

Paw Patrol fans can make the most of their pocket change with Spin Master’s Paw Patrol Pup Squad Racers and Pup Squad Figures. These mini figures with added fur details and sticker sheets are pocket-sized for kids to take with them on the go and replay the scenes they know and love. Paw Patrol Pup Squad Figures and Vehicles each have six to collect.

The Gabby’s Dollhouse Clip-On Playset is a portable playset that comes with a miniature dollhouse room and a backpack clip. The playsets are matched to all the favourite characters, including MerCat, Kitty Fairy Cat, Cakey Cat, Baby Box Cat and DJ Daniel James.

Kinetic Sand is back and bringing more alternatives to the craft table with Kinetic Sand Doggie Dig. Each kit comes with one out of four dogs that double as a multipurpose tool, so kids can use their beagle, pug, husky or corgi’s paws to dig through the sand. Doggie Dig provides sensory enjoyment while finding the golden treasure within the Kinetic Sand.

Monster Jam Minis come in a compact 1:87 scale, ready for epic action. Kids can open the mystery packs to reveal a hidden truck inside, including Megalodon, Grave Digger or a rare gold Mini. They can build a jam-packed collection and crash through a Monster Jam course with an assortment of trucks.

Tech Deck’s 96mm boards are perfect to learn new tricks and stunts. Tech Deck’s fingerboards are mini replicas of boards from the biggest skate companies in the world, and kids can recreate the top moves from legendary skaters on ramps, rails and bowls.

The Batman and Harley Quinn 12-inch Action Figures will ignite kids’ imaginations and craft action-packed superhero missions and battles from the comics. The Joker Mask will transform children into Gotham City’s most feared supervillain; the adjustable mask has a secure fit that ensures comfort for kids aged three and up.

The Micro Magical Moments figures bring the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to life. These surprise packs are unboxed to show one of 12 beloved scenes from the Chamber of Secrets film, as well as a Hogwarts portrait frame display case and a stand to showcase.

MGA Entertainment

0845 0533 333 | www.mgae.com

MGA Entertainment will be launching ranges from L.O.L. Surprise! and MGA’s Miniverse into the pocket money toys and collectibles market this spring/summer 2024.

L.O.L. Surprise! maintains a focus on unboxing, encouraging creativity in play and offering accessible price points in all upcoming launches with strategic innovation that drives collectability. Since launching in 2016, L.O.L. Surprise! has maintained its No.1 place in Circana’s roundup of the Top Playset Dolls & Accessories.

Mix and Make Birthday Cake is a range that allows children to craft their very own dress for their doll, adding colour and decoration to make the design reflect their personality. With nine characters to collect, children will enjoy creating mix-and-match dress styles for endless hours of play.

Baby Bundle features a new unique unboxing method where children can discover twins or triplets to add to their collection. With this new play pattern, children simply use water to reveal which baby they get and discover what eye colour is hidden underneath the closed eyelids.

MGA’s Miniverse has seen exponential growth in the UK market since launching in April 2023. The brand has recently announced the launch of the first series of MGA’s Miniverse Make It Mini Home Edition, offering fans an array of botanic themed items to craft and create.

Fans will be able to unbox their favourite home items in replica and ultra realistic form, offering a fun and engaging method to craft and create in their own personal unique way, as well as offering an aesthetically pleasing way to display their personalised creations.

MGA’s Miniverse Make It Mini Lifestyle Home arrives in a mystery ball shaped capsule, with each ball containing unique pieces and the option to display the mini creation with a stand.

2024 will also see a new MGA’s Miniverse Make It Mini Food collection, Make It Mini Appliances and a Make It Mini Food Spring Diner Edition.

Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles

Eolo Toys

www.eolo.com | sales@eolohk.com

Eolo Toys continues to expand its licence and novelty range, adding a selection of new developments to its offer.

The latest in Eolo’s collectible licensed toys is Disney Fidget Dolls. Highly detailed, these fidget toys bring beloved Disney princesses to life. Each Fidget Doll features three different fidgets, integrated into the character's design, providing sensory stimulation and entertainment for kids. With a keyring attachment, children can take their favourite princesses wherever they go. Currently available in six iconic characters, Ariel, Aurora, Jasmine, Tiana, Rapunzel and Snow White, Disney Fidget Dolls offer a diverse range of options. In line with its commitment to ongoing development, Eolo Toys is poised to extend the line in the upcoming seasons, adding new famous characters in a fidget version.

Another addition to the impulse line is the Marvel Slow Rising figures, which saw massive acceptance from customers at the latest toy fairs. Characterised by Marvel superheroes and made of squishy foam material, they provide a stress-relieving feature, with new characters and licences to be revealed soon.

Surprisables is Eolo’s line of reversible toys licensed by Disney. Made of soft silicone and available in 18 different designs, kids get two toys in one, doubling the fun and playing experience.

Super Bouncers are licensed rubber balls that feature beloved superheroes. These high-bouncing balls for Marvel fans offer four different styles and can bounce up to five meters. The already-established Infinity Cubes range presents a licensed puzzle cube experience, with different images of Disney and Marvel characters. Kids will enjoy hours of fun while trying to match all the sides.

The classic Sticky Hands are an old favourite among kids. With colourful designs, they stick to different surfaces when they are thrown, ensuring entertainment for children of all ages. Meanwhile, Parachuterz can be thrown into the air, with the parachute unfolding upon descent, making the character land safely on the ground.

With over 40 years of expertise in the manufacture of flying toys, Foam Planes is an evergreen impulse range, including Disney and Marvel designs and aerodynamic prowess. With different designs to choose from, these planes fly over eight meters when launched into the air.

Simba Smoby

01620 674 778 | www.simba-dickie-group.com/en sales@simbasmoby.com

Simba Smoby’s portfolio of collectible brands offers something for all ages and interests.

Bloxies, the colourful, cube-shaped collectibles, come with two-in-one functionality. Not only are they fun to collect and display, Bloxies have their own funny little movements; the arms move, there’s a wagging tail, moving eyes and more. Children can stack Bloxies and press the top to watch them perform different movements in sync. There are 27 characters to find, including exclusive and rare styles.

For diecast collectors, Jada’s signature 2.5-inch metal figure ranges are expanding across many pop culture licences: Harry Potter, Marvel, Sonic the Hedgehog, Godzilla vs Kong, Minecraft and more, available in single and four-packs. Super-affordable and highly collectible, these figures offer both playability and displayability.

With another series of Wednesday in the works, Jada will be offering a range of new items, including Wednesday 2.5-inch Coffin Deluxe Blind Boxes. Each coffin-shaped pack includes a stylised 100% diecast figurine, as well as two blind-bag surprise accessories from the show.

Popular diecast vehicle brand, Majorette, turns 60 in 2024, with celebrations planned for the milestone including Anniversary Edition lines. The First Ever assortment offers six classic numbered cars to collect, each based on Majorette’s first-ever car releases. The Premium Assortment includes licensed cars from Majorette’s long history, complete with Majorette branding on the cars, some of which can be found in the Five Piece Giftpack. For more premium cars that come with their own branding and a collectable metal tin, there’s the Deluxe Car Assortment.

Arriving later in the year is Majorette’s Japan Series. These authentically detailed cars offer fans mementos of the best of Japanese manufacturing. Additions for the series include add-on tuning parts and a shipping container box for storage.

Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles

Bandai UK

020 8324 6160 | www.bandai.co.uk | sales@bandai.co.uk

Bandai UK continues to grow its collectibles portfolio with the development of leading licensed IPs and distribution lines at pocket-money price points.

This year’s relaunch of The Littlest Pet Shop brings the legacy toy collection to a new generation of children and collectors. The cross-category range of collectible figures and playsets includes 65 different pets across four breed types and four rarity levels. Each pet comes with the classic bobble-head motion, plus personalised accessories, pet profile collector card and redeem codes for the new Littlest Pet Shop Roblox game.

Pinky Promise Party is the second series of the collectible character-led, wearable gemstones range. There are 87 Gemmy Friend party characters to collect, all of which can be attached to its jewel accessory and worn as either a ring, hairclip, bracelet or necklace.

Currently the number one collectible Miraculous item in the market, the Kwami Surprise Series comes with 29 characters to collect in Miraculous blind boxes. Also available to collect are Kwami plush, an assortment of eight super-soft Kwami characters, and Chibi plush, made up of four stylised Miraculous characters.

Dotzies includes a selection of Bracelet, Sticker, Dotting and Frame Kit assortments. With a stylus to pick up individual dots for placing onto the corresponding squares, each set includes everything needed to make handmade gifts and keepsakes.

Bandai’s Loomi Pals Collectible Packs and Loomi Pals Fun Packs include a Happy Loom, latex-free bands, G-Clips and collectible Loomi Pal charms. The Collectible Packs are available in four themes – zoo, food, dino and fairy – while the Fun Packs are available in zoo, food and fairy.

FidlBitz combines open-ended sensory and interactive play with creative and STEM benefits. The brand also taps into the popular ASMR trend.

The Sonic Prime range includes blind-bagged non-articulated collectible figures, with 16 to collect. The Sonic Prime figural keychains offer 12 characters, plus two rare versions, while the Clip on Plush brings six plush characters.

Shokugan plans for an extensive IP portfolio roll-out, with Kirby Friends, Spy X Family and Tenori Friends. Kirby Friends has new characters for the Q2-Q3 period, alongside new Spy X Family collectibles with the latest wave of RelaCot figures and Mascot keychains. Available in blind-box packaging, the Spy X Family Mascot collection features 10 Anya collectible keyring charms. The Shokugan range also includes Tenori Friends, palm-sized figures representing birds and animals.

The all-new Sanrio range from YuMe Toys offers collectibles that have never before been available outside of Japan, featuring five of the most identifiable Sanrio characters – Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll, Kuromi, My Melody and Pompompurin.

Nanoblock offers miniature construction brick sets, boasting a portfolio of popular licences including Pokémon, Kirby, Dragon Ball, Naruto and Hello Kitty. Chibi Masters’ licensed assortment range introduces new collections for 2024, including Spy X Family and Chainsaw Man, plus a refresh of the popular Demon Slayer range. Minix offers a new generation of collectible figurines from Wednesday, Stranger Things, Squid Game, Money Heist and One Piece, and sporting legends including Rocky and Maradona.

KAP Toys

01423 368 888

www.kaptoys.com

sales@kaptoys.com

KAP Toys has a strong selection of pocket money toys and collectibles, with key brands Splats Head, Hello Kitty, Beano, Marvel Mission Arena and Fuzzballs all featuring several low price point options.

Splats Head is a shape shifting, face distorting toy. There are 12 to collect, weighing in at a hefty 500g.

KAP Toys’ selection of Hello Kitty Mini Bags, Purses and Squishii Plush join its social media sensation Hello Kitty Cappuccinos for Hello Kitty’s 50th Anniversary, coming in eye-catching CDUs. With 14 episodes of Hello Kitty on TV every day, 1.6m subscribers on YouTube and the successful launch of the Roblox Hello Kitty Café with 344m visits, it is a proven core brand.

Beano Squishii is a collectible, squeezy, tactile plush range which includes mischievous characters Dennis, Gnasher and Minnie, and comes in a brightly branded CDU. Beano has 55,000 weekly subscribers, 2m monthly views on YouTube and 500k users across the Beano social media platforms.

Marvel Mission Arena Trading Card Game continues to perform well with 219 key Marvel characters to collect. The trading card game is the perfect combination of character universe, collection and gaming. With a number of Marvel film releases scheduled this year, and more to come in 2025, this TCG is a great gift for Marvel fans.

With a strong following on digital platforms and 3m digital sticker views a week on Fuzzballs, Fuzzballs Squishii are fun, collectible kawaii characters.

Funko Europe

020 3376 3223 | www.funko.com

One For Fun

01416 132 525 | www.oneforfun.com | sales@oneforfun.com

One for Fun has a sensory line up designed to cultivate impulse buys and build on its award-winning portfolio of pocket money winners.

Micro Fidgetz Wave 2 combines the mystery of blind bags with the collectability of a range of 25 additional Micro Fidgetz. Each round tub has a see-through panel at the top displaying one fidget toy, with another four toys underneath that are stacked in blind bags, waiting to be revealed.

Friendship bracelets have seen a revamp this year, with the added top popstar push that has been lighting up social media. One For Fun’s brand-new Concert Bracelets have been designed with differing themes in mind, combining craft, creativity, collectability and friendship.

The new Scrunchems range from Tobar brings together stretchy, squishy, sparkly and foodie themes. The new sensory Scrunchems are at impulse buy prices, from Vegetable and Fruit squishy buddies, all packed with no plastic, to a Mystic Squeeze Mushroom and unique Christmas advent calendar. There will also be Sugar Balls and Sugar Shapes, as well as the Scrunchems Sushi set, including three characters with cute kawaii faces. The Fortune Teller Squish Ball is a more compact version of the Magic 8 Ball, with different responses.

HGL’s new fidget range is focusing on the Axolotl, with a body that twists and turns. The collection also includes stretchy sand Axolotls, as well as Snaxolotls, which combine the fake foodie snack trend with soft and squishy axolotl characters.

Loom Bands are back with a new generation, available in affordable 600 piece pick up and go packs, a 350-piece craft pack and a 3000-band gift set.

Among HGL’s extensive range of products at pocket money prices is a selection of outdoor play items such as gliders, bowling sets and rocket launchers, all retailing at under £5.

Funko Europe’s array of products, featuring many renowned beloved characters, offers fans collectibles at an affordable price point.

Fans can celebrate their fandom with Funko’s Mystery Bitty Pop! range. Standing at 2.3cm tall, the Bitty Pop! Range offers smaller alternatives to the fan favourite Pop!, enabling fans to expand their collections even further. Each Bitty Pop! is packaged in a hard acrylic case with a detachable bottom lid which doubles as an acrylic base to which the Bitty Pop! collectibles are attached, so each collector can show of their Bitty Pop! proudly.

The Mystery Bitty Pop! range is currently available in numerous character collections including Marvel, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Disney Pixar’s Toy Story and Warner Bros Friends Collection. Each Bitty Pop! comes in mystery packaging and includes one collectible character.

The Mystery Bitty Pop! range is constantly evolving, with new characters launching regularly. This offers fan memorabilia at a pocket money price point, and the range has seen global success as it has developed. The Mystery Bitty Pop! range is now sold widely in retailers around EMEA.

Similarly, Funko’s Mystery Minis offers fans a breadth of collectible items at an affordable price point. The Mystery Minis collection is made up of small vinyl figures, approximately 6.35cm tall, within mystery blind boxes, meaning fans will discover which Mystery Mini they received upon purchase. Franchises available in the different Mystery Minis collections include One Piece, Harry Potter, Minions and Stranger Things. Funko Mystery Minis can be purchased in numerous retailers globally.

Pop culture fanatics looking for affordable pocket money friendly purchases can also invest in the Funko Pop! Keychain collection, with classic characters such as Darth Vader and Donald Duck, to more recent additions to the range such as Aquaman, BTS and BlackPink.

Epoch Making Toys

0208 049 1377

sales@epochmakingtoys.com

Sylvanian Families kicked off the year with the launch of Volume 14 of Baby Collectibles, with the Baby Forest Costume Series. Available in a blind bag, there are eight different characters to collect, all in a unique woodland themed outfit, plus one is a secret figure. Fans can play with their new babies in the Secret Forest Falls set, launching in July. Volume 15 will be available from July with a baking theme.

The original stick-with-water kit brand, Aquabeads, which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary, offers a host of pocket money priced sets. New for spring is the Pretty Pets Craft Kit, featuring 500 beads in 21 colours. Following the success of the Aquabeads Nail Studio sub-line last year, the brand will also welcome four new sets this summer, including two themed refill sets – Hearts & Ribbons in a warm colour palette and Stars & Unicorns in a cool-toned colour palette.

Launched in Japan over 15 years ago, Pati-school is coming to the UK this summer. The range will include two entry price point sets – Party in Pink Creations Kit and Pastel Keychain Creations Kit. Both include everything children need to create and decorate treatinspired crafts with a function, including keychains and rings. Encouraging concentration while supporting development of motor skills, children simply pipe the pastel-coloured craft crème on to the accessories, following the squeezing guide, add the decorations and wait for them to air dry.

New for spring are three entry price point Super Mario Jr. Games. Super Mario Lucky Coin Game Jr. and Super Mario Adventure Game Jr. are both mini-sized versions of existing popular games in the range, while in Super Mario Mushroom Mania Balancing Game, players take it in turns, using absolute precision to place the mushrooms on the iconic green drainpipe without unbalancing it.

July will also see Epoch Games launch its new Jurassic World licensed games, including two entry price point balancing games – Jurassic World Volcano Quake and Island Quake. Players take it in turns to place the detailed, collectible dinosaur figures and accessories onto the wobbly platforms, being careful not to unbalance it and send the dinosaurs flying.

Magicbox

01293 222500 | www.magicboxint.com | sales@magicbox-toys.co.uk

Magicbox is delivering pocket money toys with new themes and concepts to discover across its bestselling ranges, with T-Racers, Kookyloos and SuperThings.

T-Racers is sporting an evolved look that combines the original essence of the brand with a modern twist. Mix ‘N Race is the latest offering from T-Racers, with a unique system that retains the brand’s status as the only collectible vehicles with Mix ‘N Race function. Kids simply interchange the pieces to customise their own racing cars. The first wave of 36 super-detailed T-Racers Mix ‘N Race vehicles is already available, offering a host of mix and match possibilities. Wave 2 will be launching this autumn, with 36 new cars offering even more vehicle combinations. There are single and triple car blister packs, all at a very competitive price.

Kookyloos is sporting a new look this year and now comes packed in window boxes that let consumers try out flipping between the dolls’ three unique faces, changing the expression with a swipe of the finger. Spring’s Pet Party Series is available now. Each doll comes with an adorable pet pal, all boxed up in the new packaging. There’s a new theme on the way for autumn: Golden Gala, which will bring eight new dolls to collect, each with new hairstyles, facial expressions and outfits, inspired by looks from the runway. Kids can lead fashion shows, as the dolls model diamond, butterfly, flower styles and more.

Meanwhile, having already welcomed the Evolution series this season, SuperThings fans are now eagerly anticipating the AW24 Legends series. The new Legends series offers fans the opportunity to get original SuperThings from previous series, with amazing value packs in the mix and endless inspiration for storytelling.

As with all new series launches, Magicbox’s commitment to deliver means high-impact marketing across all three brands. For more information, get in contact through the details above.

Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles

Craft Buddy

020 3417 6565 | www.craftbuddyltd.co.uk

Craft Buddy has experienced strong growth in early 2024, following a successful toy fair season and significant interest in its licensed Crystal Art Buddies range. The upcoming spring/summer Series Three collection features beloved characters from the world of Harry Potter and DC Superheroes, as well as Craft Buddy’s own characters Sparkle and Mike. These characters join Crystal Art Buddies from Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Paddington, L.O.L. Surprise! and Peter Rabbit.

Craft Buddy received the Hero Toys award at the London Toy Fair for its Harry Potter Crystal Art Buddies, and The Mirror newspaper highlighted it as ‘The Best Toy Under £5’, acknowledging the company's commitment to creating affordable, high-quality toys.

Crystal Art Buddies Series Three introduces 27 new collectible characters, enabling fans to create their own brand collections or a mix-and-match of their favourite movie franchises. Each 11cm Crystal Art Buddy has an RRP of £4.99, making it an ideal pocket money toy.

Expanding upon the success of the Crystal Art Buddies range, a new collection of Paint by Numb3rs Buddies will debut for spring/summer, offering an opportunity to create 25cm cut-out character standees. This collection features six movie characters: Harry Potter, Groot, Spider-Man, Winnie the Pooh, Genie from Aladdin and Stitch. These kits are designed for on-the-go painting, striking a balance between manageable size and creative experiences.

New for 2024 is a range of ten licensed Crystal Art Bag Charms. Each 9-11cm charm is equipped with a clip-on hanger and a sticker for personalisation, showcasing five iconic fandom characters, including Lilo & Stitch, Groot, The Joker and Harley Quinn. An additional five designs represent logos for Superman, Harry Potter, Wonder Woman, Hogwarts and Harry Potter's Golden Snitch.

Due to the overwhelming popularity and demand for the D100 Crystal Art Sticker Album, celebrating Disney's 100th anniversary year, Craft Buddy is thrilled that Disney has extended the selling period until September 2024. The D100 Crystal Art Album collection includes 102 collectible stickers, featuring cherished Disney, Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel characters. The Starter Pack comes with the D100 Album, two blind Crystal Art sticker packs, which include three stickers per pack, and essential tools. Further Crystal Art Sticker Packs are available to purchase separately.

All products are available to order now. FSDUs and CDUs are available to showcase these collections.

Click Distribution UK

0330 123 2559 | click@clickdistributionuk.com

Click Distribution UK is offering a wide range of Pocket Money Toys and Collectibles this spring.

This Easter sees the launch of the highly anticipated, brand-new Stumble Guys master toy portfolio. Supported by a PR and marketing campaign and with over 50m players every month, this release promises to be a big hit, with price points starting at £2.99.

This month also sees the launch of a number of other sought-after brands, including the highly anticipated Series Two of Rainbow Friends, Pet Simulator, Blox Fruits, Doors and Garten of Banban. With a master toy range for each brand, they all include a range of price points starting at £4.99 RRP. In addition, fans will see the line-up boosted with all new One Piece Mini Figures and Collectible Plush, and the brand-new Little Biggies range will be launching in stores this month.

From Panini, there is the highly anticipated England Tournament Edition Collections, with the popular Stitch Sticker Collection also hitting shelves and more of the biggest licences coming soon.

Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles

Brainstorm

01200 445 113

www.brainstormltd.co.uk

sales@brainstormltd.co.uk

The brand-new Water Art range, distributed by Brainstorm, enjoyed a hugely successful launch at Toy Fair. Combining creativity with sensory elements, the competitively priced Water Art packs come in sets of 3, 6 and 12. Distributed for Toymonster by Brainstorm, Water Art allows children to create art that magically floats away in water. Each set comes with a ceramic spoon that can be drawn on with water markers; kids simply draw and dip the spoon into water to watch the pictures float away. There’s also a selection of themed Water Art Six packs available, including Safari, Fairy Garden and Galaxy. Each comes with water markers, ceramic spoon and two themed stencil sheets.

The eco-friendly collectible Eugy has grown exponentially since launching five years ago. Created by Dodoland, the range is distributed exclusively by Brainstorm and now includes 80 Eugy models. The impulse price point and environmentally friendly attributes, coupled with the increasing number of models available, makes Eugy a sought-after collectible. To create a Eugy, children follow a simple number sequence to piece together the high-quality recyclable card using non-toxic glue, resulting in their very own animal model to display. New models for 2024 include Emu, Armadillo, Frilled Lizard, Raccoon, Tuatara and more.

The Brainstorm Torch & Projector collection features 17 different themed torches. Designed for little hands to hold, each projector beams 24 colourful images up to one metre wide on walls and ceilings, and doubles as a handy torch. The range includes a Nickelodeon Paw Patrol Torch & Projector, with new eco-packaging across all lines being introduced on a rolling basis. StikBot continues to be one of Brainstorm’s best-selling ranges. These collectible fidget toys have the added play value of enabling children to create their own stop-frame animations using the figures and the StilkBot green screen app.

Toymonster’s Sensory Trend Hub is also distributed by Brainstorm, and more SKUs will be added for spring/summer 2024. Each product comes in a range of pocket money price points and includes the Sensory Egg Volcano, a calming accessory for the home, classroom or office. Kids can flip the egg and watch the eruption inside, followed by falling coloured snow. The Sensory Egg Volcano comes in black, red and blue and makes a unique twist on the retro lava lamp.

Children can collect each Sensory Shaker with six different colours and designs; the shaker is flipped over for instant tranquillity. As well as being a soothing fidget toy for people of all ages, it is also ideal for stress relief, relaxation and mindfulness.

Character Options

01616 339 800 | sales@charactergroup.plc.uk

Character Options’ 2024 pocket money toy portfolio is full of collectible brands, with the ever-growing Mash’ems collection and immensely popular influencer-driven ranges.

Character’s Mash’ems collection sees new licences added to the lineup this year. In this licensed, surprise reveal range, kids will soon be able to find all their favourite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, as well as Disney Stitch characters, hidden inside cool capsules. There will be a host of squishy figures to collect and fidget with.

Moriah Elizabeth is a craft and content YouTube creator, renowned for her vibrant colours, fun content and adorable characters. New this season is a first wave of cute, collectable Mini Mystery plush, featuring an assortment of eight 6” plush characters, including Georgie, the pineapple-styled duck. New characters are already in the pipeline.

From YouTube gaming property Aphmau, an under the sea theme is launching in both the Mystery MeeMeow Plush and figure collections this spring, bringing eight new friends to collect, including Whale Cat and Octopus Cat. There’s also a new wave of Mystery MeeMeow Unicorn plushies, with eight different unicorn themed MeeMeows to collect, including Aqua Cat, Prism Cat, Buttercup Cat and Aurora Cat.

For more information about Character Options’ pocket money portfolio, which also includes the must-have, palmsized multi-game gadget TapTap Smart Fidget, get in touch via the details above.

Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles

Innov8 Creative Academy

00353 831053017 | www.deddybears.com

gavin@innov8academy.com

Following the explosion of creepy cuteness from Deddy Bears last year, 2024 is set to feed the darkness with the introduction of Series 2 in Q3. Retailers can look forward to a fresh batch of spooky characters later this year which are adorable, edgy and exactly what the shops need to satisfy the growing demand in the “creepy cute” category.

The unique and collectible Deddy Bears, by Innov8 Academy, are now being sold worldwide with distribution in all the major markets. However, retailers and consumers are advised not to delay getting involved as Series 1 will fade out once Series 2 is introduced. Over the next few months, the new line will be welcomed in several new territories including Greece and South America, while Smyths Toys will soon be bringing the bears to France and Germany, widening the opportunities for fans to get their hands on the scare bear plush.

The brand has received millions of views already online on Tik Tok: Deddybearsofficial and from an engaged audience on Instagram: deddy. bears Innov8 Academy is working hard to continue to bring fun, collectible, edgy, spooky and cute to its ranges, and 2024 looks set to darken retailers’ shelves further. Alongside Deddy Bears, the team is launching a complementary brand called Kreepy Katz. Another twist on collectibles, this new brand has eight different cat characters to collect, each spooky and cute with massive appeal, and retailers have been keen to sign up after seeing the success of the trend. The Katz range will be available later in 2024. Like the Deddy Bears, it is available in three sizes: the large cats come in their own travel crates with vaccination cards; the medium size ones in a litter tray and the smallest of the range are presented in blind bags including bag clips.

The development of the new collection can be followed on Instagram: kreepy.collectibles or on Tik Tok: kreepy.collectables.

Sambro

0161 765 2600

Sambro offers a wide range of licensed collectible and pocket money toys, and has vastly increased its choice of licensed ranges in the category over the last two years.

Sambro also has own-IP collectible ranges such as Puzzle Palz and Bops N Tops, which feature collectible characters from some of the world’s most-loved franchises including Disney, Marvel, Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol and more.

With over 50m units sold since its launch, Puzzle Palz, the 3D jigsaw puzzle eraser, offers hours of build, play and erase fun for kids aged three years and over. There are hundreds of characters to collect and new licences for 2024, including Disney Villains, Gabby’s Dollhouse, Trolls, Magic Mixies, TMNT and My Little Pony, with others in the pipeline. The range will also see the launch of Giant Puzzle Palz, which are double the size of the current range, offering double the fun and extra collectability.

Sambro’s Bops N Tops range of collectible pencil toppers and stampers are made for swapping and sharing. Each single pack contains a Top, which can be used to personalise pencils as a character topper, and a Bop character, which has a secret stamp design, providing lots of creative fun.

Sambro is also offering a host of pocket money toys including Yo-Yo’s, Slap Bands and Slinkies in a variety of licences.

For more details, contact the Sambro team via the email above.

Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles

IMC Toys

01904 720 908 | www.imctoys.com | info.uk@imctoys.com

The collectibles category remains key for IMC Toys, with the evolution of its best-selling Cry Babies Magic Tears transitioning to Cry Babies Playtime from the Q3 period.

Bringing a fresh mini doll range to the collectible dolls category, Cry Babies Playtime will focus on added play scales, including dollhouse play and connecting playsets. A new Cry Babies Playtime animated series rolls out in May 2024 across all broadcast partners, including Nick Jr, Netflix, Kitoons YouTube and OTT, Kidoodle TV and Amazon Prime Video. The toys reflect the content, and the first line of collectible Playtime Day Care Babies dolls will be themed around the all-new daycare series, which takes the Cry Babies into a realistic, day-to-day setting familiar to younger children.

Available in non-blind, baby bottle-shaped packaging, the Cry Babies Playtime collection comprises of eight dolls in total, four of which are baby dolls and four baby crawlers complete with mechanical crawling action. Each character includes personalised accessories and cries real tears, which will reveal a cute design on their cheek. The chaser element continues with exclusive rare features to be discovered, such as surprise golden accessories and a golden tattoo on the doll’s cheek.

Also available at a pocket-money price point are the Cry Babies Playtime Dolls with Accessories mini sets. Millie’s Activity Gym and Dreamy’s Baby Walker both include a Playtime Day Care doll with themed accessories, along with connectable playmats. Extending the collectability and playability of the range, three Mini Playsets: Maddy’s Playroom, Chloe’s Kitchen and Bella’s Bathroom, include an exclusive collectible toddler doll, real tears activations, 15 accessories and extendable and connectable features. The inclusion of playmats allows children to connect their mini sets and playsets via multiple configurations for them to create and add to their own worlds.

At the heart of the Cry Babies Playtime world is Jenna’s Playtime Day Care playset, as seen in the new series and central to the content’s narrative. Children can recreate the many daycare adventures, with over 18 accessories and surprises to discover, including six playmats for connecting to other mini playsets in the range and an exclusive Jenna collectible character doll.

Zuru sales@zuru.com

Following the global success of its Mini Brands launch five years ago, Zuru continues to produce mini versions of some of the world’s most iconic brands. With plans afoot for further ranges to be unveiled during the Q2 and Q3 periods, the company has recently introduced the sell-out Mini Books and Mini Sneakers lines.

Zuru’s newly licensed Create range kickstarts with Mini Brands MasterChef, following a deal with Banijay. Comprising real miniature MasterChef creations with food items and accessories, collectors can create mini versions inspired by the show’s mostloved dishes. Children can collect and create 11 iconic MasterChef-inspired mini dishes, such as Ramen, Cherry Chocolate Cake or the rare, scented Apple Pie, plus unbox detailed accessories including the UV LED Chef Hat, serving tongs and dishes. Each Mini Brands MasterChef collectible capsule also includes a recipe for the real dish for collectors to recreate in full size.

Zuru’s themed, pocket-money-priced, surprise collectible brand, 5 Surprise, has evolved as an evergreen staple within the company’s portfolio, comprising key themes. These themes include Dino Strike, Monster Trucks, Plushy Pets, Pet Rescue, Unicorn Squad and parody range, Mega Gross Minis. Latest launches to be unveiled are the new 5 Surprise My Mini Baby, and 5 Surprise NBA Ballers. Zuru is moving into a new demographic and doll play space with My Mini Baby. Featuring hyper-realistic, scaled-down baby dolls, there are 12 mini babies to discover with five surprises within each capsule, including a Mini Baby, Playset, Baby Accessories, Birth Certificate and Collector's Guide. My Mini Baby is outperforming targets by +300% with the majority of Zuru’s retail partners.

Zuru has also combined one of the world’s most popular sports leagues with its 5 Surprise NBA Ballers range. With swaps and trade appeal, each capsule includes one of NBA’s most elite players including rare figures that are frozen in game-time celebrations. There are over 30 players to collect, such as LeBron and Steph Curry, and each figure comes complete with a miniature player poster, basketball and two surprises. Each also comes with a piece of basketball court puzzle, encouraging collectability and repeat purchase options to complete the full court.

Funko Pop! is the #1 property in Action Figures & Accessory supercategory in 2023.*

Bitty Pop! was the top new brand in Action Figures & Acc supercategory in 2023.* 2.5CM

Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles

Zapf Creation

0845 0533 333 | www.mgae.com

Last year, Baby born embarked into the collectible doll space with the launch of Baby born Minis. The much-loved brand, which has remained popular through generations, has introduced the world of Baby born in miniature. The range, aimed at ages three and up, is set to expand with new characters, mini accessories and horse-themed playsets this spring.

Baby born Minis sees 24 characters available to discover and collect, with interchangeable accessories and a selection of playsets to enhance playtime moments.

The 7cm Baby born Minis Babies have moveable arms, legs and heads, allowing children to take their Minis everywhere, and have either an exciting colour change feature or metallic colourway. They also come with their own pet companion. The 7cm Baby born Minis Sisters and Brother come with an interchangeable accessory and are compatible with any of the Baby born Minis playsets, along with Minis Babies.

With an array of interests and personalities, the range is set to stimulate key areas of discovery for children, including outdoor fun, motion and creativity. Children can keep track of which dolls they need to complete their collection using the collector’s sheet, which comes with each Minis doll.

The collectible range also includes a selection of playsets, including brandnew Playpen with Teddy, Horsetrailer with Lara, Horsetraining with Emma and Horsetable with Jo, which contains Baby born Minis doll Jo, a pony, a filly, a storage box, 2 x sleeping bags, a vegetable garden and feeding baskets.

All Baby born Minis products come in plastic-free packaging, in line with Zapf Creation’s ongoing commitment to sustainability.

Just Play’s Disney Doorables range has become popular among audiences of all ages through the power of social media, a community of engaged fans enjoy sharing their unboxing experiences and cherishing their collections together. With plans to expand the range and introduce new lines, Just Play is set to deliver more collectible fun and pocket-money friendly toys in 2024.

Disney Doorables Technicolor Takeover is the latest collection within the Disney Doorables product range. The Mini Peek and Multi Peek, which launched in the UK with an influencer marketing campaign, are now available nationwide. In the Disney Doorables Technicolor Takeover, collectors will discover 60 new characters, with 10 special-edition figures with unique ombre designs that create a rainbow display when placed in order.

The Star Wars Disney Doorables line-up is now available nationwide, with further newness planned later in the year. The series aligns with the 25th anniversary of Star Wars: A Phantom Menace. The Star Wars Doorables Galaxy Peek introduces collectors to a diverse array of 25 figures inspired by iconic moments from the Star Wars saga. The Star Wars Doorables Galactic Cruisers feature 10 different characters, each piloting their own unique cruisers, speeder bikes and starfighters.

The new FurReal My Minis, available in Puppy, Kitty and Piglet designs, presents animal lovers with the opportunity to build their own collection of palm-sized pets. Available now, the new range is supported with a comprehensive marketing campaign highlighting the nurture and imaginative play possibilities.

In 2023 alone, Just Play sold over 1m units of the Stitch Capsule, and the Stitch range continues to expand in 2024, including That's So Stitch Blind Capsule Figures, That's So Stitch Large Figure and the Stitch Mystery Capsule. In addition, Crack Me Up Stitch interactive plush, which won a Hero Toys 2024 award at this year's Toy Fair, will debut in autumn/winter.

The Original Slinky Walking Spring Toy continues to delight audiences with its timeless appeal. Celebrating 75 years, this classic metal spring toy promises hours of entertainment for children and adults alike, making it a pocket friendly toy that delivers hours of fun.

Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles

YuMe Toys

www.yumetoys.com

emeasales@yumetoys.com

YuMe Toys has an exciting range of products in the collectibles space, currently on shelves across the UK and Europe.

YuMe Hero Box is a series of highly detailed collectible figures that brings to life fan-favourite characters, including Spider-Man, Harry Potter, Deadpool, Stitch and The Nightmare Before Christmas. At 4 inches, featuring premium craftsmanship in highly stylised designs, Hero Box is an entry level collectible range that appeals to casual collectors and fans.

There are numerous highlights of the Hero Box range, including the Spider-Man Tower Series. This collection of seven characters, each with a section of a buildable tower, can be combined to create an impressive structure. Once assembled, the tower stands at 20’’ tall.

The Harry Potter Classic Series brings seven characters from the beloved franchise to life in vibrant detail, while the Deadpool Action Hero Series and Classic Series, featuring seven and six versions of the irreverent character respectively, will arrive in market in time to celebrate the upcoming Deadpool movie release later this year, in July.

Stitch is one of Disney’s characters of the moment in terms of consumer fandom, and YuMe offers seven iterations in a Fun Series. The cult movie, Nightmare Before Christmas, will also have seven characters in a Classic Series.

In the second half of 2024, YuMe Toys will be adding classic Horror movie characters to its Hero Box range, to appeal to fans of the genre that is currently seeing a resurgence.

John Adams

01480 414 361 sales@johnadams.co.uk

John Adams invites kids to create fun sea adventures with Zhu Zhu Aquarium, and sticker and style with its new line-up of Decora Girlz Dolls. The award-winning legacy toy range, Zhu Zhu Pets, returns this spring with the all-new Zhu Zhu Aquarium. The battery-powered Zhu Zhu Aquarium Mini Plush Fish bring play to life, swimming and interacting on land with no water needed. The first series includes six vibrantly coloured plush tropical fish, including a clown fish, a tang, as well as a shark and whale. They’re imaginative toys, with nostalgia to excite fans of the original collection, as well as a whole new fanbase.

Fun, sea-themed accessories and playsets are also on offer for children to grow their oceanic playground. More characters will be released in a summer launch, ensuring longevity for the range.

Decora Girlz is a new IP that launches with 5” Sticker ‘N Style Dolls. This stylish group of tween friends embrace the bright and expressive Decora Kei style from Japan. With an eyecatching look that makes them unlike other products on the toy shelf, they’re already proving popular. There are nine characters to collect in the first wave, with more on the way for summer. Each doll has its own style, but children can also mix and match the fashions to reflect their own. These collectibles inspire creativity and come with stickers and accessories to customise them, as well as a comb to style their hair.

Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles

Mighty Jaxx

www.mightyjaxx.com | sales.europe@mightyjaxx.com

Mighty Jaxx will be releasing its fifth blind box collection from the Kandy x Sanrio series in late July. Each of the four seasons is celebrated, with the Sea Breeze edition capturing fun summer treats. With four sell-out series already and the 50th anniversary for Hello Kitty in 2024, there’s been lots of excitement building for the release, which was previewed at the recent toy fairs in London and Nuremberg.

The Sea Breeze series offers seven Sanrio characters to collect, with six regular and one rare (and no duplicates) in a full tray, offering multi-purchase opportunities for retailers. Each Mighty Jaxx product features an iconic look and feel, and features Mighty Jaxx’s Forreal technology, enabling customers to create their digital collection alongside their physical by scanning their purchase with the Mighty Jaxx app.

The Kandy collection uses candy's sweetness and palates to represent diverse identities, characters and personalities. Each candy embodies a unique identity or character trait that is carefully curated to resonate with the individual consumer. From Hello Kitty's Cherry Parfait to Pochacco's Blue Raspberry Popsicle, the series is full of colour.

As with all Mighty Jaxx releases, FSDUs and display cubes are available for retailers upon request, as well as low MOQs for retailers wanting to trial the range. Each launch is also backed by an integrated marketing campaign to create maximum awareness.

Heathside

01282 775 778 | www.heathside.biz | sales@heathside.biz

Khadou continues to bring an exciting array of products to market, including its first delivery of Stumble Guys products. The new Deddy Bears range will also launch this quarter, with a collection of cute and scary collectibles that are both impulsive and fun.

Heathside continues its strong support for fresh arrivals from licences such as TMNT, South Park, Only Fools and Horses, Friday Night at Freddy’s, Minecraft and Sonic, as well as brand-new retro classics, Rainbow Brite and Strawberry Shortcake. The new range from Strawberry Shortcake will include scented fashion dolls, plush, play sets and collectibles.

The range of South Park Vinyl Figures is a real fan favourite. Characters includes Cartman, Stan, Kyle, Kenny, Randy and Butters, created in perfect detail. The range also includes plush, mini figures and figure sets.

The release of Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire hit cinemas on the 29th March, stimulating further interest for Heathside’s Godzilla product range based on the iconic monster property. It will launch in spring 2024, under the Khadou brand, through selected retail partners and include mini stikons, squishes and hangers in a pocket money range.

Khadou has most recently established an agreement with Millimages to become a licensee for Molang. More information on the product line up will be released in due course.

Anime continues to excite, with Khadou’s continued support of Hatsune Mitsu, Dragon Ball Z, One Piece and Jujutsu Kaisen. Khadou continues to seek out new partnerships within this ever-growing genre.

Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles

Pat Avenue

01604 678 780 | www.patavenue.co.uk | enquiries@patavenue.co.uk

Pat Avenue is delivering a collectible, pocket money line with Battle Heads.

Battle Heads are jaw-firing, combative collectibles that invite children to enjoy action-packed imaginative play that is fun and exciting. There are characters from five Battle Heads clans to collect, which can be battled against one another using multiple battle techniques. Children can press the top of their Battle Heads to shoot the jaw piece, knocking down the opposition and eliminating them. The jaw simply clicks back into place for endless fun.

The range offers long-lasting repeat play value, with 90+ characters to collect, including rare gold and silver pieces. Battle Heads can be purchased as blind foil-bags and blister-packs, with extended play through the Mothership and Attack Tower Playsets.

Pocket money can also be spent on Pat Avenue’s original arts and crafts bead brand, Hama. The collection offers a creative challenge for all, with affordable pocket-money-priced blister packs that provide hours of creative play. The Small Bead Kits cost just a few pounds; each comes with 275-450 beads, a pegboard, design card and ironing paper to create one design. For more information about Pat Avenue’s brand portfolio, which benefits from full marketing support, get in contact via the details above.

DKB Toys

www.dkbtoys.com

james.luff@dkbtoys.com

DKB Toys continues to deliver Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty to fans across the UK, with over 300k tins sold coming into the new year. The range is expanding once again in 2024, making Crazy Aaron’s even more collectable with new lines at affordable prices. With three price points covering all elements of colourful putty play, each tin has its own unique selling points and creativity.

New Trendsetter Thinking

Putty will be arriving in May, with Kawaii Cute Thinking Putty, full of lovable characters. Trendsetters Putty Pets is brand new to the range, with two lovable creatures: Putty Pets

Curious Kitten and Putty Pets

Playful Puppy. Magic Dragon

Thinking Putty includes a hypercolour effect, bronze sparkles and changes from forest green to golden yellow from the heat of children’s hands.

For the Mini Tin assortments, new lines will be arriving in the form of Mystic Crystal and Make a Taco, adding new colour and surprise to the collectable mini tins.

Thinking Putty is made of non-toxic silicone, helping to build hand and finger strength through a tactile play experience and providing a stimulating interaction for children with sensory integration issues.

Crazy Aaron’s Slime Charmers include uniquely themed slimes with fun scents and textures. Each slime includes themed charms and textured mixers to add in.

Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles

Melissa & Doug

0800 731 0578 | www.melissaanddoug.com | service@melissaanddoug.com

Melissa & Doug has unveiled an array of pocket money toys and collectibles.

Sticker Wow! is the brand’s latest arts and crafts launch; the first four themes were revealed at the end of last year, with more to follow throughout 2024. Each Sticker Wow! product consists of a themed sticker dispenser preloaded with 300 assorted themed, re-useable stickers, plus a similarly themed 24-page activity book so kids can get stickering straight away.

The travel-friendly, creative activities, with their element of random sticker dispensing, are fun for all ages. The current range includes Dino, Tiger, Dog and Unicorn themes, with spring welcoming a Turtle and Cat to the range, and in autumn, the collection will include Astronaut and Ice Cream themes.

Melissa & Doug will also expand its much-loved, food-themed, pretend play line with the introduction of the Play to Go Cake & Cookies and Ice Cream sets. These sets pack away neatly into durable cups with fidget-button lids, making them ideal for on-the-go fun, even fitting into pram cup holders.

The compact What’s for Lunch? Surprise Play Food Sets will launch in spring/summer. Each reusable bag hides a wooden and felt play food meal, from burgers to tacos. A second series will follow in autumn/winter, featuring new meal possibilities like BLTs and veggie burgers, ensuring the collection stays fresh and exciting.

A.B. Gee

01773 570444 | www.abgee.co.uk | sales@abgee.co.uk

A.B. Gee will be introducing five new additions to its successful World’s Smallest range this year. The fully functional, miniaturised, collectible toys recently featured on This Morning during a segment on Secret Santa, coming top of the list. These products cover a diverse age demographic, with a strong appeal to the kidult market.

Dobble is the speedy observation game where players race to match the identical symbols between two cards. The World’s Smallest Dobble is now available, fitting in the palm of player’s hands. It is the same game - full of fun, but now compact and convenient.

Also arriving in autumn/winter will be the World’s Smallest playing cards, with Bananagrams, Catan and Bop It. The pocket-sized version of the classic reactions game, Bop It, is only 5” long.

There are over 25 licensed, classic and retro trendsetting famous toys in the range, bringing fun literally to player’s fingertips. FSDUs are also available for A.B. Gee’s products.

To find out more about AB Gee’s upcoming releases, get in touch through the details above.

Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles

Basic Fun!

0118 925 3270 | bfuk@basicfun.com

With its portfolio a destination for Tonka Micro Metals, Retro Collectibles from My Little Pony and more, Basic Fun! is catering for all collectors.

Tonka Micro Metal Blind Surprise Capsules are driving volume sales. Priced at just £2.99 RRP, these miniature Tonka vehicles come boxed in a cool Tonka Toolbox capsule. Meanwhile, My Little Pony Retro Collectible Mini Figures appeal to both new and existing fans at a similarly attractive price point.

Basic Fun! also has new IPs that tap into current trends. For Misfittens fans, there are brand-new characterisations of the standard cats, with Mini Misfitten Kitten Fishbowls adding to the collectability of the range.

Basic Fun! will be introducing two new launches later this year. Cotton Candykins brings fluffy cotton candy looking plush, while Micro Teenies, launching this July, introduces iconic characters that have shrunk to a novelty micro-size.

Vivid Goliath

01483 449 944 | www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk

Vivid Goliath offers a wide range of pocket money toys and collectibles, from Ryan’s World, Eenie Teenies, Harry Potter mini figures and more.

Ryan’s World moves onto the big screen in autumn/winter 2024 with Ryan’s very own movie. The action-comedy family feature combines live action Ryan and his family with CGI, as he saves the day, his twin sisters and the world. The movie range encompasses all the best sellers from Micro Mystery and Squishy figures, through to the Mystery Mini Egg and the Mega Micro Mystery Egg.

Collectible Eenie Teenies continues to be very popular. The soft and squishy, cute, scented 1.5” characters move into wave 3 for kids to collect. The all-new mini plush pals include Zebra Zane, Fluffy Puffy and Penguin Penny. Each comes with a plush and collector sheet.

Kayes of Cardiff

029 2036 3678 | www.kayes.co.uk | orders@kayes.co.uk

Kayes of Cardiff is servicing a vast number of independent retailers throughout the United Kingdom with branded and pocket money toys. This is through its sales network of company representatives and agents, along with the sales team based at its Cardiff head office. The Cardiff head office has large showrooms and a very hospitable atmosphere that welcomes customers from all over the country.

The recently launched Pocket Money catalogue covers the vast selection of unbranded merchandise that complements the variety of other lines available from Kayes.

Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles

Wow! Stuff

01902 390 428 | www.wowstuff.com | tony.white@wowstuff.com

Wow! Stuff will be launching an even bigger line up of Nano Pods, along with a new suggested RRP of just £2.99.

Wow! Stuff’s connectable collectible, Nano Pods, features a broad range of fanfavourite superheroes and iconic character brands. Wow! Stuff has created new foil bag blind packs and a CDU dispenser that holds 24 pieces.

Each hexagonal Nano Pod contains a miniature character figure and has a satisfying-to-the-touch slot together system. As children collect brands including Marvel, Disney, Wizarding World, TMNT and Wednesday, they can simply connect each character to build a variety of patterns. They can write their name in Nanos, write the name of their favourite characters, build a figure and display them on their wall or shelf.

For all sales enquiries, please get in contact via the email above.

PMI

www.pmi.co.il | sales@pmi.co.il

PMI’s licence Stumble Guys, the online multiplayer party knockout game, is releasing a collectible figure blind box line.

PMI’s Stumble Guys Collectible Figures 1-Pack Blind Box line is made up of 24 characters to collect. Each box is surprise-packed, with each collectible figure modelled after fan-favourite character designs from the battle royale game. The Stumble Guys Collectible Figures 1-Pack Blind Box is one of PMI’s newest product offerings for the Stumble Guys brand, which also includes clip-on plush, action figures with multi-point articulation and feature plush toys.

PMI provides fans with experiences that go beyond the screen, creating new ways to interact with the fandom. Each blind box transforms into an obstacle course map based on the video game. This feature gives the packaging a second life by integrating it into the play experience, and is part of PMI’s initiative to stay eco-friendly, alongside FSC-approved product packaging.

Funrise

www.funrise.com | salesuk@funrise.com

Fart Ninjas continues to have impressive retail sell through, with even wider retail distribution this year, as well as the launch of Fart Ninjas Series 9 in July.

To further the momentum, Funrise is extending and will launch Burp Zombies in July. Burp Zombies have a motion activated sound chip that makes the figurine burp when motion is detected. Funrise will launch an out of home disruptive campaign later this year.

Fart Ninjas and Burp Zombies have a suggested retail of £5.99. Fart Ninjas have proved to be an ideal impulse purchase with a humour element, winning over shoppers and generating volume sales for retailers. A motion sensor FSDU creates retail entertainment with blasting fart noises, driving sell through of the range. Also available is a clip strip solution; Funrise is also working to amplify the clip strip offering.

To find out more, contact Funrise via the details above.

Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles

The Lego Group

01753 495 000 | www.lego.com

Whether it's collecting their favourite characters and moments from popular themes such as Lego Star Wars, Lego Disney and Lego Harry Potter, or expanding their play with Lego City toys, the Lego Group has a sub £20 Lego set to suit all different passions and interests.

Lego BrickHeadz gives children the opportunity to collect their favourite characters in Lego BrickHeadz form. Disney fans can collect characters such as Lego BrickHeadz Stitch. This buildable Disney toy figure features mischievous Stitch from Disney’s Lilo and Stitch movie. The much-loved character is authentically detailed with five different shades of blue. The model stands on a sturdy baseplate, making the buildable figure suitable for anyone aged ten and up to play with and put on display.

Also available is Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and other Hogwarts favourites, as well as villains like Voldemort.

Kids can celebrate 25 years of Lego Star Wars by adding the Lego BrickHeadz Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader to their collections.

Authentic details include Darth Vader’s red eyes and a lightsaber for each buildable Lego figure, plus baseplates for display. The Lego BrickHeadz Tusken Raider Star Wars is a go-to for fans, with authentic details such as the Star Wars: A New Hope outfit and a gaffi stick and blaster.

Premium Toys

merchandiser@team-toys.com

Panini

01604 877 888 | www.paninigroup.com

Panini has announced the launch of two collections celebrating this summer’s tournament. The England 2024 Tournament Edition Official Sticker Collection and Adrenalyn XL Trading Card Game hit shelves on 11th April and 2nd May, respectively, and are set to be a hit with fans and collectors everywhere.

Featuring 100% official kits throughout, both collections capture English football heritage, featuring a diverse array of players, past and present, as well as iconic moments from England’s footballing history. Beyond England, Panini features elite players from four of Europe’s greatest national teams, making both collections the ultimate companion to this summer’s major tournament.

Each sticker depicts players in action, showcasing their unique skills and personalities on the field. From England’s qualifying campaign to legendary figures like David Beckham and modern-day heroes such as Harry Kane and Declan Rice, every sticker celebrates the talent that has represented England on the international stage.

The Adrenalyn trading card collection showcases England heroes, plus some of their major tournament rivals, with brand-new Golden Baller and real Autograph cards to look out for.

The collection launches will be backed by heavyweight marketing campaigns and investment at retail across key listings. Digital activations will take place across key platforms engaging fans, collectors, kids and gifters. There will be nationwide sampling activations across key areas, as well as two national newspaper campaigns.

Premium Toys has capitalised on the rise of miniature collectibles with its Mini World Collectibles range, with the collection now available in over 70 countries.

Mini World Collectibles are meticulously crafted to mirror real-life objects with great attention to detail. The range features an array of items, from realistic food items like hamburgers and pizzas, to kitchen appliances and utensils, all designed to fit perfectly within the tiny, interactive worlds they create.

Mini World Series One started with everyday food items, packed into 24 different capsules. Series Two expanded further into the culinary universe, with a more diverse range of foods and kitchen essentials. Series Three has introduced kitchen appliances such as pots, pans and an array of kitchen gadgets that elevate pretend play.

Mini World collectibles come at a low price point, making them accessible to a broad audience. Mini World offers both a collectible and an immersive experience. The newly released kitchen playset, which complements all three series, allows children to step into the shoes of a chef, with a combination of affordability, realism and playability. Kidults have also taken to these collectibles, enjoying the nostalgia of the products and the creative outlet Mini World supplies.

Premium Toys continues to expand its range, catering to the current demand for miniature toys. For retailers and distributors, Mini World offers the opportunity to tap into the growing market of collectibles, with both variety and volume in sales.

To find out more about Mini World, contact Premium Toys via the details above.

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Delving into the Inklands Brand Profile

Ravensburger has officially released the third instalment of the Disney Lorcana Trading Card Game, titled Into the Inklands. To celebrate this milestone, fans were able to meet with some of the talented artists behind the game at select store launches. Toy World’s Caroline Tonks tagged along to see what series three has to offer and meet artist Guilia Riva.

Even at 10 o’clock in the morning, the Disney Store on London’s Oxford Street is full of life. Past a smiling Goofy, arms open wide as he stands atop Cinderella’s Castle, on either side of the staircase which leads down through the middle of the castle, are signs for Into the Inklands. These are decorated with colourful trading cards and are guiding customers to the new products. A Whole New World plays throughout the store, a fitting welcome as visitors are transported into the brand-new world of Disney Lorcana.

On 23rd February, fans of the trading card game are patiently lined up outside the store, waiting with bated breath to be let in for the official release. The line is already around the corner, with more to come as the time ticks by. Downstairs, the shelves are lined with the third instalment, ready for enthusiasts to get their hands on. Around the corner, a demo table is set up for fans, both novice and experienced, to play a few rounds with members of the Ravensburger team. Under the pavilion sits Guilia Riva, preparing for an autograph session.

Guilia Riva is a card art director for Disney Lorcana, with a background in animation. She has illustrated cards in each series, with six cards in the first set and five in the second, such as Rafiki – Mysterious Sage, Peter Pan’s Shadow – Not Sewn In and Genie – On the Job. For series three, Guilia designed three cards: Magica De Spell from DuckTales, Iago from Aladdin and the Magic Broom from Fantasia.

When creating a card, the artist is assigned to a character, with certain specifics regarding the narrative of

the card. “It’s a flow of ideas,” says Guilia when describing the design process. “The artist is given a guide of what the card has to contain, and then it’s a back-and-forth collaboration.”

From an artist’s perspective, Guilia has been thrilled with the reaction from fans. “After working on Disney Lorcana for so long, without the game even being announced, it was hard to know if it was going to be welcomed by people or if they were even going to play it,” says Guilia. “I had never played a trading card game before Lorcana, so I didn’t know what the market was going to be like; I didn't know what the fans were going to be like. When it was released, it was amazing to see the queues of people looking for the products and going to tournaments to see them play.”

During the press hour, there is a first look at the new products and artwork, as well as the opportunity to be one of the first to play series three, getting up close with the new cards. This new instalment introduces location cards of classic places within the Disney universe which give players special abilities and interactions. Some of the new location cards include Motunui from Moana, Neverland from Peter Pan and Agrabah from Aladdin. There is also a plethora of new characters, including the 101 Dalmatian puppies and Huey, Dewey and Louie.

The guests queuing up outside finally get their hands on the release around 11:15. As they come quickly down the stairs, ready to buy their shares, Léa Dillenseger, marketing manager at Ravensburger, looks on, while a buzz of excitement fills the air.

“There’s a lot of curiosity with the new mechanics of the game,” says Léa. “The location cards will change a lot in the game play. This is what the players are waiting for. What we’ve done globally is reach out to fans through card reveals. We tease them before the set is launched, so they keep the release date in mind and get a taste of what is coming.

“It’s stunning artwork,” Léa continues. “Disney Lorcana places great importance on the art and the attention to detail.”

With each release, there are new characters and designs to collect, with exclusive artworks every time. Ravensburger highlights its artists by printing their names on each of the cards they’ve designed. “Bringing artists to these launch events is a bonus for both the players and collectors because they get to chat with each other and make a connection beyond the game,” adds Léa. “We try to bring an artist to each event that we host. Guilia has lots of history with Lorcana, so we felt she was a very good fit for the new set.”

Once fans make their purchases, they continue to the pavilion, to meet Guilia. Some are already ripping open their new packs, while others compare their cards, both old and new. Kaylie Nugent stands in line with a bag full of series three goodies, a lanyard of Disney Lorcana pins around her neck and an album in her hands containing her Enchanted and Promo cards, including a very rare and expensive Enchanted Elsa.

“I’ve always been a huge Disney fan,” says Kaylie. “The minute I heard they were bringing out a card game, I knew

that I had to test it out. I bought a starter deck, went to a local game shop and started a little league; I was absolutely hooked.” Kaylie has enjoyed joining the global Lorcana fan community. “I like to play and connect with other players face to face. It’s really broadened my whole social outlook,” she added. With every new set that is released, players have to completely redesign their deck, adding new cards and taking into account the new lore of each series. This is one

of Kaylie’s favourite aspects of the game. “I like that it’s not stagnant, that it’s always changing.”

The launch of Into the Inklands at the Oxford Street store is deemed a great success by not only Ravensburger and the fans, but by Disney as well. Nico Regan, senior buyer for Hardlines at Disney, is very pleased with how the event has panned out. “It’s been such a positive partnership,” explains Nico. “It’s very exciting to create these kinds of

events in store and give our guests the hands-on experience with meeting the artists, product signing and table demos. We’ve got very dedicated Lorcana fans who come to every launch day. All in all, it has been just as exciting as the previous launches.

“We’re already looking forward to more to come at the back end of the year,” adds Nico. “There are lots more exciting projects in the works for Disney Lorcana.”

Product Development Manager

Company Overview:

Established in 2000, Wicked Vision (based in South-West London) is a global leader in the development, manufacturing, and sales of active sports and skill toys. We are committed to creating "brands with purpose" and currently market under four global brands: Wicked, Vodiac, Let’s Explore, and Suneez.

Job Description:

Wicked Vision is seeking an experienced and innovative Product Development Manager to join our dynamic team. The ideal candidate will be a strategic thinker with a hands-on approach, passionate about developing innovative products that resonate with our customers. As a Product Development Manager, you will be responsible for executing the new product development calendar. This is a senior role reporting directly to the CEO and working alongside the sourcing manager and the head of creative.

Key Responsibilities:

• Craft the product vision, strategy, and roadmap, driving its execution through the team.

• Testing/certification as well as compliance for international retailers/distributors.

• Own the new product development process and execute accordingly.

• Develop product ideas and prototypes that meet safety and quality standards.

• Monitor trends in the toy and game industry to ensure our products remain competitive.

• Oversee product launches and ensure successful delivery.

Qualifications and Skills:

• Degree in design / product design or a related field (desirable).

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in product development within the toy industry.

• Extensive knowledge of product and packaging design, prototyping, and manufacturing processes.

• Excellent project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across teams.

To apply, please email: sam@wickedvision.co.uk

We will be reviewing applications for interview as they are submitted. Please confirm your salary expectations and availability in your cover letter.

Closing Date for applications: 1pm Friday 30th April 2024

Toys & Games

stand out at Very

In early January, The Very Group announced its Christmas and Black Friday period results. Despite incredibly challenging conditions in the marketplace, with financial pressures putting the squeeze on families across the UK, Very UK retail managed to grow its sales +3.4% YOY, supporting group retail sales

Despite a challenging year for the industry, online retailer Very entered 2024 off the back of a very strong Christmas performance which saw Toys & Games once again play a pivotal role in driving sales over the peak period. With consumers and suppliers alike facing another tough year, Toy World sat down with Nicole Sweeney, category manager – Boys & Outdoor Toys, to find out how Very is approaching 2024 and what makes it a retailer of choice among spending-savvy parents.

growth of +2.1% YOY. This deeply impressive performance bucked the overall UK online non-food retail market trend and represented growth in market share during the period, much to the delight of Nicole Sweeney.

“Toys, Electricals, Gifts and Beauty were the standout performers for us over the peak period, with Toys growing +8% and outpacing a really tough retail landscape,” she enthuses. “It’s worth noting that that growth was off the back of double-digit growth in 2023: when you’re going up against such big numbers you can’t help but be pleased with that kind of performance.”

The reasons behind this performance are varied. Firstly, the retailer invested heavily in Q4 stock and ensured it arrived earlier than usual, guaranteeing its customers would be able to get their hands on the toys and games they really wanted for Christmas. Very also collaborated closely with its suppliers to curate assortments they knew would sell through strongly, particularly at sub-£20 price points, meaning it has come into Q1 with very clean stock levels.

Unsurprisingly, Barbie was a massive brand for Very, with the big-ticket Dreamhouse a standout best-seller. Nicole says Very over-indexed not just on the Dreamhouse but on the wider doll assortment too, a strategy that proved invaluable. Lego, too, was ‘phenomenal’ once again, with double-digit growth year after year cementing its place as a go-to brand among Very’s customers long ago. The licensed Harry Potter range continues to enchant Lego fans, with the Hogwarts Castle and Grounds and Dobby the House Elf sets - both of which carry markedly different price tags –both bringing the magic to homes across the UK.

“We backed Bitzee and Furby heavily for Christmas and it paid off,” adds Nicole. “Family Games was another success for us. Interestingly, it’s a major category for Very year-round, not just in autumn/winter. This is yet another category we’ve seen double-digit growth from the past few years. Pokémon and trading card games in general really drive the category for us, and we’ve also enjoyed great sales of Hasbro’s Twister Air, exceeding all our expectations.

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Retail Profile

Heading into autumn/winter this year, we expect big things from the Games category.”

Q1 2024 has got off to a great start for Very, according to Nicole, who explains that Very customers tend to react very positively to early-year product launches. Lego’s Q1 launches have been particularly impressive in terms of their variety, and new Pokémon launches are appealing strongly to kids and kidults alike.

The Very Group also bagged its third consecutive Online Excellence Award at January’s Toy Industry Awards. Nicole and her team, which includes Anne-Marie Edwards, category manager – Girls & Pre-School Toys, were visibly over the moon to once again be taking to the stage to collect their trophy. According to Nicole, it’s taken ‘no shortage of hard work’ to secure the win once again. Curating the right assortment, devising innovative marketing strategies and campaigns, building and nurturing relationships with suppliers: it all takes a lot of time and effort.

She explains: “The award is great recognition, not just for Very’s Toys category but for the wider business and everyone else that’s been involved in keeping Very at the forefront of online retail over the past few years. The Toy category has really been elevated for us as a business, both internally and externally, but we’re an ambitious team and we want to continue pushing forward – and hopefully win that award for a fourth, fifth, maybe even sixth year

in a row? Far from taking our foot off the gas, it’s almost as if there’s even more pressure on us with each and every accolade – but pressure just makes us work even harder.”

As the retailer approaches the Easter period, customers can look forward to a raft of deals across all categories suited for indoor play – and hopefully some better weather as we officially enter spring, if the Outdoor Toys category Nicole oversees is to fare slightly better than it did in 2023. Warm, dry weather is sorely needed this year: Outdoor took a bit of a battering in 2023 thanks to a very wet summer that left kids stuck indoors for much of their holidays, peering out glumly at the rain.

“Summers seem to be getting later,” observes Nicole. “We’re getting nicer weather in September and October than we used to. That said, our Outdoor stock is in the warehouse and ready to go, and whether we sell it during the front or back end doesn’t really matter – but those unknowns do require buyers to hold their nerve.” She also notes that the situation in the Red Sea continues to evolve and that no one yet knows when it will all settle down. However, Very is continuing to liaise closely with its suppliers and carriers with a view to making sure its customers have access to the very best toys and games.

In addition to unavoidable challenges, this year presents a number of major opportunities too. Following the Christmas success of Bitzee and Furby, Nicole says that she and her team have seen more great innovation in recent months in the digital and interactive pet space, as well as a notable leap forward in terms of the technology between the September LA preview and London Toy Fair in January. The excitement for launches within this space is palpable. She’s also got high hopes for food- and confectionerythemed toys and games, a trend she says really stood out at the shows.

She adds “Of course, the ever-evolving Kidult category is a massive opportunity for us, with kidult spenders already driving sales of Lego and Pokémon toys, as well as anything based on anime or Star Wars. We’re already a go-to destination among kidults but the category is growing all the time and we’ll be looking to tap into that even more during the coming months.”

One of the myriad reasons Very is a go-to site for online shoppers is its Very Pay platform, which gives customers the option to pay immediately, pay in three (interest free) instalments, buy now pay later, or pay monthly according to their needs. Nicole feels Very Pay will remain an attractive proposition throughout 2024, which is likely to be another difficult year for many families. The continued impact of inflation and the cost of living looks set to be one of the biggest challenges facing retailers this year, but Nicole is confident that The Very Group’s adaptable, multi-category business model - and the inherently resilient nature of the toy industryplaces the retailer in a strong position to weather whatever lies ahead. Of course, Very’s value-offering ties into this, allowing households mindful of their stretched budgets to buy into lower-priced toy and game ranges that provide excellent value for money.

strategic partners and suppliers, but flexibility is required at all times: plans may change due to stock availability and movement, pricing activity and so on. “There’s no ‘one-sizefits-all’ solution in this space,” Nicole says.

Even though it is a multi-category retailer, as Nicole says, Very has honed in on the Toys & Games category to ensure it both stands out and competes alongside other major online retailers. This is because its customers are predominantly families with children: the range is therefore built with their needs in mind, to offer all the best-selling brands on the market. Very also goes above and beyond to support what it calls the ‘moments that matter’ throughout the year with custom assortments too, from Easter and Mother’s Day to the bigger events in families’ lives, such as Black Friday and Christmas. Very also strives to provide an accessible and simplistic shopping experience that presents customers with clear choices from top brands, and nothing else.

Nicole has worked for The Very Group for 12 years, seven of which have been spent overseeing the Boys & Outdoor Toys categories. She understands the marketplace and the importance of strong supplier relationships. Innovation and collaboration has ensured the retailer’s suppliers understand Very’s customer base as well as Very itself does, with both parties aligned on delivering what shoppers need. And as a retail partner, Very prides itself on providing toy companies with a platform on which they can really showcase their new brands, in addition to standout marketing campaigns delivered via both on- and off-site creative.

“Our overall proposition – the depth and breadth of category space, our credit offering – taps toy companies into new customer demographics,” Nicole says. “We’ve built up a really strong team of buyers and suppliers over the years that has worked exceptionally hard on delivering the strategic plan behind our success: it’s not solely our plan, it’s not solely the suppliers’ plan - it’s a joint plan, delivered jointly, to the benefit of all parties.”

Looking ahead to Q3/4, Nicole is very excited about the launches coming down the line. We’ve heard some discussion this year regarding whether 2024 innovation is enough of an evolution from 2023, or whether toy companies are playing it too safe by remaining safely within existing brands. While Nicole agrees with the latter statement to an extent, she also feels there is enough brandnew IP and innovation to keep kids engaged and parents buying.

Gaining and retaining new customers is crucial to the retailer and remaining competitive for those customers is important, explains Nicole, who notes that market aggression is becoming commonplace, especially in the run up to peak season.

The team works hard to build promotional brand plans with its

However, she also tells us that launches seem to be being pushed later on in the year: “A couple of suppliers I’ve spoken to, which would usually be launching new toys and games in spring/summer or Q3 have pushed them out to October, While understandable, that could present a challenge in terms of sales during the earlier part of the year.”

Very’s 2023 Christmas campaign, ‘Let’s Make It Sparkle’, introduced an interesting choice of festive character to proceedings – flamingos called Kerry, Terry and Cherry – but was well received by customers who found the flamingos both fun and relatable. Nicole says the flamingos are here to stay and will feature in ad campaigns throughout the year. Peak planning is already underway, which Nicole says will deliver new and exciting Christmas campaigns, but until then, the retailer will simply continue to engage with customers throughout the year, with plenty of activity seen across bank holiday events, the summer holidays and Black Friday.

“We’re really proud of Very’s performance over last few years and, as a team, we’re not slowing down,” finishes Nicole. “We’ve got some really ambitious plans in place coming into autumn, despite the uncertain market, and amazing support from our partners which we believe sets us up for another excellent year.”

Dollandpramrange

BayerDesign

07771 763 818

www.bayer-design.com

bayer.uk@bayer-design.com

Bayer Design presents a world of imagination and caring with its versatile range of dolls, dolls’ prams and accessories. This trio of playtime enhancements invites young doll parents to experience mobility, comfort and interaction with their favourite dolls.

The Neo Vario doll pram combines style and versatility. Designed for dolls up to 52cm/21inch, it features an adjustable handle to cater to the height of the child, ensuring a comfortable stroll for the young caregiver. Its suave convertible design allows it to transition from a pram to a pushchair, adapting to changing play needs. The unique, two-way mountable carrycot means the doll can face the world or gaze back at its parent. When it's time to travel, the pram folds away neatly, just like the real thing, teaching kids about practicality and storage. A shoulder bag with a zipper is included, perfect for packing up essentials for a day out.

The Doll Carrier accommodates dolls up to 46cm/18inch and mirrors the practicality of a real baby carrier. Its adjustable shoulder belt, lockable belt and padded shoulder straps offer both comfort and security. The integrated seat provides the perfect perch for a doll, simulating the bonding experience of carrying a baby. It's an excellent tool for teaching children about the love and care involved in carrying a little one.

Completing the set is the adorable First Words Baby doll. This 38cm/15inch soft-bodied doll is realistic, with 24 different baby sounds that bring it to life. Dressed in a pink outfit complete with a cosy hat, this doll appeals to the nurturing instincts. It can close its baby-blue eyes when it's laid down to sleep, adding a touch of realism to playtime, and comes with a bottle and pacifier to ensure all needs are met for a well-tended baby.

Each of these products from Bayer Design are tools for learning and development. They encourage role-playing, nurture empathy and enhance fine motor skills. With these toys, children can practise social skills, understand caregiving better and engage in imaginative play. These toys are designed to be loved, providing companionship, comfort and a touch of reality to the magical world of childhood imagination.

HeishiBraceletMaker

MapedHelix

01384 286 860

www.mapedhelix.co.uk

The Heishi Bracelet Maker from Maped allows kids to create their very own heishi bracelets, keeping them busy for hours. With easy-to-follow steps, kids can cut their own beads by perforating them from the EVA sheets, producing over 1,700 beads. The bracelet can be put together with a clever patented technology that allows crafters to simply thread the needle through the beads in one go, creating the finished item. Coming complete with six tassels, four golden charms, 12 Heishi golden separators and 10 round golden beads, kids can mix and match to their hearts’ content.

Each month

Fresh sets out to find the latest products that will have toy retailers reaching for the phone. Here are new releases from: Bayer Design, Canal Toys, Character Options, Hornby, Lego, Maped Helix, Tonies & Wilton Bradley.

esh

LegoIdeasDungeons:RedDragon’sTaleset

TheLegoGroup

01753 495 000 www.lego.com

The Lego Group has unveiled the Lego Ideas Dungeons: Red Dragon’s Tale set, a fan-designed brick representation of the iconic tabletop game. Released in the year Dungeons & Dragons turns 50, this is the first time the Lego Group has developed a Dungeons & Dragons set.

The 3,745-piece set is incredibly detailed, featuring a tavern with a removable roof, a dungeon and a tower. Also included are six Lego minifigures including Orc Rogue, Gnome Fighter, Elf Wizard and Dwarf Cleric, plus brick-built monsters such as a beholder, an owlbear and a displacer beast. Also featured is the giant Cinderhowl red dragon that builders can wrap around the tower.

Fans can also get a specially created Dungeons & Dragons adventure book, created in partnership by Wizards of the Coast and the Lego Group, to offer a completely new and unique play experience. Available for Lego Insiders as a free digital download, or as a paperback book for 2,700 Insider points, the book is also available at D&D Beyond along with character sheets, a digital dice and more.

The Lego Ideas Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon’s Tale set is available at all retailers from this month. Between 1st-7th April all purchases of the Lego Ideas Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon’s Tale set will receive a Lego Dungeons & Dragons Mimic Dice Box as a free gift.

The Lego Dungeons & Dragons Minifigure series will launch in September 2024.

BlippiTonie Tonies

www.tonies.com

Tonies has announced the launch of Blippi for the Toniebox. Blippi’s entertaining, educational videos encourage children’s curiosity and inspire a lifelong love of learning. Now fans can join Blippi on an audio adventure, packed with fascinating facts, with the screen-free Toniebox. The new Tonie figurine features Blippi dressed in his iconic blue and orange outfit, alongside his cat-buddy, Tabbs. Featuring six tracks with over an hour of engaging educational content and fun facts, children can join Blippi and Meekah as they visit a construction site, a farm, a pirate ship, the Australian Outback, the East African Savannah and even the moon. Listeners will learn about vehicles, animals, the natural world and more, all through interactive stories, songs and games, including What’s That Sound? and Follow Your Ears.

The Blippi Tonie is available now.

StickiRolls

CharacterOptions

01616 339 800 •

www.character-online.com

• sales@charactergroup.plc.uk

Sticki Rolls is an innovative new line of sticker bracelets that Character Options says will revolutionise how kids collect, share and display their favourite stickers. It combines the love of stickers with the latest trends in fashion accessories, offering an unmatched experience for kids aged five and up. Unlike traditional sticker sheets, Sticki Rolls are ingeniously designed as fashionable bracelets that contain rolls of stunning, kawaii-themed stickers. Each Sticki Roll ‘charm’ houses 10 easy-to-peel stickers, for a total of 50 stickers per bracelet.

This collectible range, which will include three SKUs priced from £4.99 to £19.99, will be available in the UK from summer. This will ensure the range is poised to capture demand for creative play throughout the school holidays, with a huge awareness drive already planned for the back-to-school season to drive the craze forward and into the playground.

AirbrushPlushBucketNeon

CanalToys

01904 379 123

www.canaltoys.co.uk

Building on what it is calling a ‘phenomenal’ 2023, Canal Toys’ Airbrush Plush range is keeping things fresh and exciting by introducing the Airbrush Plush Bucket Neon to the best-selling and ever-expanding Airbrush Plush range.

The Airbrush Plush Bucket Neon is an adorable soft toy, providing the perfect blank canvas for kids to unleash their creativity on as they make the toy unique to them. Artistic children can use the airbrush tool to decorate and style their plush with the washable, neon, chalk-based coloured markers. Stencils help kids further customise their plush by creating unique designs. The possibilities are endless: kids can either spray directly onto the fur or choose from 70 stencils to create wonderful patterns and designs, then simply wash and repeat. There are three Airbrush Plush plushies to collect: Unicorn, Koala or Narwhal. Each comes in a handy, reusable storage bucket so they can be easily tidied away along with their accessories. The three plush characters start off white, waiting to be brought to life in the vibrant and on-trend colours.

Canal Toys‘ Airbrush Plush Bucket Neon range is available now and is being supported by a fully integrated media campaign.

PlaytrainsHighSpeedTrainSet

Hornby

01843 233 500 • www.hornby.com • sales@hornby.com

Hornby has announced the release of its latest Playtrains High Speed Train Set. Aimed at children aged 5-8, the new set aims to spark imagination, foster hands-on learning and provide endless hours of fun.

The Playtrains set introduces an easy-build track system, enabling children to assemble their railway layouts with ease and thereby promoting problem-solving skills and encouraging creativity.

One of the standout features of the Playtrains set is its interactive elements. Equipped with multiple sounds and working lights, the train brings authenticity to the play experience, immersing children in the world of railways. The batteryoperated infrared hand controller also allows young engineers to take full control of the train’s movements, enabling them to run it forward and backward at various speeds.

The Playtrains set offers children an introduction to the hobby of model trains. As they explore and play, children will develop essential skills such as fine motor skills, spatial awareness and imaginative thinking. Users can also expand their railway world by adding a range of track and building accessories, allowing them to customise and enhance their model railway layouts according to their imagination.

XootzLandRoverDefenderElectricRide-On

WiltonBradley

01626 835 400 www.wiltonbradley.com

The Xootz Land Rover Defender Electric Ride-On is an adventure companion for young explorers. Officially licensed by Land Rover and designed with meticulous attention to detail, this ride-on brings the Land Rover Defender experience to the next generation.

Authentically crafted to replicate the Land Rover Defender, vehicle ensures an immersive experience for little ones. There is forward and reverse capability, functioning doors and an opening boot, adding a realistic touch to adventures. With safety being a top priority, the Defender Electric Ride-On is equipped with a secure safety belt. There are also working headlights, adding an extra layer of realism and also enhancing visibility.

Children can connect their favourite tunes through the ride-on’s multi-functioning music player, adding a musical dimension to their driving fun. Children can adapt to their surroundings and thrill level with the two-speed settings of up to 3.5 km/h and up to one hour’s continuous run time. Parents can take control when needed with the included remotecontrol feature, ensuring a safe and supervised ride for younger drivers or to guide children through tricky terrain with ease.

As some of the most popular pre-school properties celebrate significant anniversaries, Toy World’s Gabriela Jimenez takes a look at the many new licensed products coming out this year, and the demand for toys that support the development of children’s personal and social skills.

Pre-school toys are a core element of most toy retailers’ product offering, and furthermore it is a category that is largely protected from some of the challenges that affect other sectors of the toy market. The pre-school demographic is unlikely to shrink too much as children’s development follows a pretty fixed pattern. Toddlers are less likely to be lost to screen time – or other interests - than older kids, and parents and gift givers will always seek toys that enchant, entertain and support developmental milestones. The category spans many sub-genres; basic construction, role play, early learning – and of course, early fandom of favourite characters.

2024 is a year of celebration for multiple pre-school brands. In February, Peppa Pig’s Cinema Party arrived at global cinemas to commemorate the character’s 20th anniversary and the biggest celebration ever, inviting families worldwide to embark on an eventful experience showcasing 10 exclusive, never-before-seen Peppa Pig season 10 episodes. To support the celebrations, various companies have expanded their Peppa Pig ranges and released fresh new products to excite pre-school audiences. Hasbro is introducing plenty of newness to its Peppa Pig offering and seeing success with its most recent launches. Fresh Peppa lines include Peppa’s Caravan play set, which enables children to imagine what it would be like to travel in a caravan, just like Peppa and her family, and perform activities such as cooking in the kitchen and sleeping in bunk beds. Other additions include Peppa’s Family Red Car, Peppa’s Family Motorhome and Peppa Pig’s Party Friends, which further celebrates Peppa’s 20th birthday by introducing 12 Peppa Pig friends in shimmery party outfits. Character Options is launching Sing with Me Peppa,

which features a plush version of Peppa Pig wearing her signature red dress and singing three popular pre-school songs. Children can choose to sing in solo mode or join Peppa in a duet by holding the mic close to her mouth. Additionally, joining HTI’s licensed portfolio this year is Peppa’s Dashboard, an interactive, multifeatured toy allowing children to drive Peppa Pig’s car.

The Lion King is celebrating three decades of fascinating children with its classic storytelling and iconic characters. To commemorate its 30th anniversary and the release of the highly anticipated Mufasa: The Lion King movie debuting this winter, Rainbow Designs has launched the Disney Baby Lion King range, including the My First Simba Soft Toy, Simba Comforter and Ring Rattle and a stimulating Simba Sensory Play Mat.

Meanwhile, Paw Patrol, Gabby’s Dollhouse and Bluey have all established themselves as key properties in the pre-school toy category, with licensees continuing to meet demand with fresh products coming to the market in 2024. According to Circana, Paw Patrol continues to be the number one property within pre-school toys, as it has been for the last five years, and it currently has the top three best-selling SKUs in the category. Spin Master is enjoying huge success with its Jungle Pups Vehicle assortment, which showed the best item progression across total toys in February and was the number two-selling item in the preschool toys category (Circana YTD).

Spin Master’s Gabby’s Dollhouse range is also set to expand, with Gabby’s Purrfect Dollhouse and Gabby’s Dollhouse Purrific Pool Playset joining the company’s product portfolio. Meanwhile, Posh Paws has seen plenty of success with its award-winning Gabby’s Dollhouse plush which continues to thrive. New for this year, the company

is ready to bring out a plush play set of Gabby’s dollhouse featuring the same decoration as seen on the show. Simba Smoby, Character Options and HTI are also expanding their portfolios of Gabby’s Dollhouse products, with plenty in the pipeline for the year ahead.

Currently one of the most watched pre-school shows in the UK, Bluey is still a popular choice for young children, and Moose Toys’ brand-new Bluey collection will recreate iconic ‘For Real Life’ moments from the show for an engaging role-play experience. The new range features the Bluey Firetruck, the Mini Bluey Home Playset, the 3-in-1 Bluey Airplane Playset and various other additions. Speaking on the launch of the new Bluey line, Moose’s VP Marketing & Brand Strategy, Logan Stone, told Toy World that the company’s goal is to inspire children and get them to engage in play that mirrors experiences from the Bluey universe, while also fostering a creative environment for them to craft their own unique adventures.

Although the latter licences take the crown as some of the hottest pre-school brands right now, there are always new properties attempting to break into the pre-school market, and with the rise in popularity of streaming platforms including Netflix, Prime Video and YouTube, kids are now exposed to more pre-school licences than ever before.

The Creature Cases has rapidly become a highly popular children’s programme on Netflix, gathering more than 68m hours of viewing time. Following the success of the show, master toy partner PMI is ready to launch a brand-new range of collectible figurines, plush toys, articulated action figures and vehicle play sets arriving in the spring of 2025. Later on in this feature, we bring Toy World readers an article in conjunction with PMI discussing why it believes

Bringing a smile to milestones

Hello to happier parenting. We're here to help you celebrate the little victories, let go of expectations, and pick up more positivity. Because after more than 90 years of helping families, we've learned that development happens naturally when fun leads the way.

Feature Pre-School

that Creature Cases is a breath of fresh air for the pre-school category (See page 130, 131).

Away from the pre-school licensed segment, many toy companies produce toys that will aid the development of children’s personal, social and emotional skills, with parents seeking toys that will encourage self-confidence and inspire creativity in children. Toynamics is one of the companies aspiring to keep up with these trends by launching products that will introduce children to the concepts of socialisation.

“As Covid babies are now reaching pre-school age, it seems there has been a rising trend from parents who understand the importance of supporting their child(ren) to have a positive sense of themselves, respect for others and developing social skills”, comments Emma Damerell, head of Marketing at Toynamics. The brand has recently announced the expansion of its Hape portfolio, introducing plenty of new role-play toys. Recent additions include the Sizzling BBQ Set, which features various accessories and sound effects to engage children and stimulate their imagination while encouraging the development of critical thinking, social and emotional skills, hand-and-eye coordination and fine motor skills.

Rainbow Designs has also created pre-school toys that encourage children to tap into their creative side and develop their interpersonal skills. “There is a growing popularity for pre-school toys that encourage open-ended play, allowing children to explore their imagination and creativity freely. These versatile toys offer multiple play possibilities, encouraging independent thinking and

imaginative exploration”, says Rainbow Design’s marketing director Zara Grindrod. Following the success of the award-winning The Adventures of Paddington TV show, which is returning for a third season, the company has recently expanded its best-selling Paddington Bear range. New additions include soft toys and play sets designed to enhance pretend play experiences and encourage preschoolers to develop important social and emotional skills through role-playing, storytelling and interactive play scenarios.

As the movement towards adopting eco-friendly practices gains force, toy companies are placing more emphasis on creating products that feature green manufacturing and materials, while also educating children about the importance of living sustainably from an early age. Jura Toys’ Janod brand, which specialises in the manufacture of traditional wooden and cardboard toys, is soon to release the FSCTM wooden Farmers Market. The role-play set comes with 32 accessories to create a grocery shop, including an eco-friendly mesh shopping bag and kraft paper that introduces children to the use of ecofriendly packaging.

Casdon is taking steps towards developing high-quality and environmentally friendly products as it prepares for the launch of its new pretend-play pizza oven collection with Ooni. Managing director Phil Cassidy tells Toy World: “Sustainability has been a growing concern for consumers for some time and while our product range has always been focused on quality, with the view of toys lasting the years, Ooni has been a significant step change for us, as the line

has been manufactured from recycled plastics from PC mouse cases and food containers.”

With parents and gift givers as the main purchasers of pre-school toys, it is vital for companies to have a robust marketing strategy in place to cater to those with the buying power. Mattel is constantly on the lookout for new and innovative ways to engage with adult purchasers. “It always starts with showcasing how the product will benefit child development and lead to happier parenting”, says Mattel’s senior UK director of marketing Kelly Phillip. “Whether that’s lifestyle-led media investment or QR code shopper engagement to bring product features to life and aid purchasing decisions, we look at the path to purchase holistically for optimal audience engagement.”

Kelly continued to explain that, with parents carrying such busy lives, they may not often find the time to research which toys to buy their children. Hence, it is a must for retailers to make shoppers’ lives easier with fast and effective communication that is both authentic and will aid sales. Phil Cassidy from Casdon takes a similar approach to marketing strategies, saying: “Parents are possibly the most time-poor of all the consumers, which is why we ensure that all our advertising and communication focus on the essential details – what does the product do, what are the benefits from a developmental perspective and what do other people have to say about us through trusted reviews.”

In the following few pages of product-focused copy, readers can find out more about some of the ranges that were mentioned in this article, amongst many other new lines that will be entering the pre-school market this year.

Pre-School IMC Toys

01904 720 908 | www.imctoys.com | info.uk@imctoys.com

IMC Toys’ best-selling nurture doll brand, Cry Babies has mass appeal amongst pre-school audiences. With innovation and a focus on age-appropriate nurturing play patterns and evergreen themes, across different ages and stages (newborn, baby, and toddler), the direct link between content and products continues to drive consumer awareness and demand. Over 49m users have access to Cry Babies led content across official YouTube channels and global TV networks, and with new Cry Babies Playtime content launching in May 2024, the series will introduce the characters within a realistic daycare setting, with the dolls available to play with from July 2024.

Complete with new colour-palette packaging, the brand offers a comprehensive range creating impact at retail and consumer choice. Popular brand entry range, Cry Babies Tiny Cuddles, introduces its Tiny Cuddles Day Care collection of five new super-soft characters to collect. The Tiny Cuddles dolls are smaller, soft-bodied versions of Cry Babies dolls, which appeal to toddler-aged children.

Also smaller, soft-bodied, and lightweight, the new Newborn Bathtime dolls comprise two characters to choose from, with each dressed in a bathing suit and including a personalised hoodie towel and dummy. The dolls react when wet and feature over 20 baby sounds such as gurgling, babbling and giggling. Following the success of last year’s Newborn Coney interactive doll, IMC introduces the Newborn My First Bath doll which comes with its own bathtub and accessories, including a rinse cup and rubber duck. The bathtub also includes suction cups on its base for children to stick to the bath, further enhancing the fun during bathtime routines.

The Cry Babies core range of dolls will see the introduction of favourite characters, Jenna, Dreamy and Blake, as Day Care Babies. All are dressed in lifelike baby outfits, come complete with their signature dummy and baby bottle, and make over 10 baby sounds. As with all Cry Babies, the Day Care Babies dolls cry real tears and feature new heart shapes in their eyes which light up when they cry.

The Cry Babies Morning Routine doll captures the toddler stage and features new character Bella. From dressing her for daycare, feeding her, cleaning her teeth, washing her hands and brushing her hair, Bella claps each time she finishes a routine and does a little dance after completing them all. This encourages positive behaviour in everyday activities. Bella features light-up hearts in her eyes and makes 24 realistic sounds, including a new song.

Goodnight Starry Sky Hannah is the perfect soft-bodied sleep comforter to aid with bedtime routines. In addition to crying LED light-up tears, children can press Hannah’s belly for a starry sky projection which lights up the room, and hear her play lullabies and make baby sounds.

Posh Paws

01268 567 317 | www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk | sales@poshpawsinternational.co.uk

This summer, Posh Paws will be launching its brand-new range of soft toys for the hit pre-school show Batwheels. The first characters from the popular animation will include a 10” Batman dressed in his iconic grey and purple bat suit, with a velvety cape, 10” Bam the Batmobile and 10” Robin’s Redbird superheroes vehicles. These key characters from the show will also be available in smaller 7” sizes and packaged in an eye-catching CDU. These soft toys are made using plush and finished with excellent detailing, to bring Batman and his superhero friends to life in the hands of children.

The award-winning Gabby’s Dollhouse plush from Posh Paws continues to thrive. This summer, Gabby’s dollhouse will be brought to life in plush form with a brand-new plush play set. The play set is decorated exactly like the dollhouse and when children open it, they will see the brightly coloured cat playrooms inside. There are three floors inside, and children can move the mini cats from room to room. The front panel features a garden scene printed on the reverse side. The plush dollhouse play set includes a mini cat, and there will also be a triple cat pack that can be purchased as an expansion so that children have extra characters to play with.

Squashy Podgies will also be expanding with the new 8” plush cats that sit alongside the now-available large 14” Cakey Cat plush. Arriving in time for Christmas gifting (October), Posh Paws is introducing new 10” core feline characters that include Marty the Party Cat and Hamster Kitty to its existing range of nine popular characters in decorative display boxes. Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous established itself as a fan-favourite among loyal Jurassic World fans and introduced younger audiences to the billion-dollar movie franchise. This summer, the next chapter in the Netflix animated series will arrive with Chaos Theory. Ready to meet the demand for dinosaurs, Posh Paws provides a range that features a 7” T-Rex and Blue Raptor assorted plush CDU, a 7” collectible Dino Egg Plush assortments, a variety of 10” dinosaurs and the extra-large 18” T-Rex and Raptor.

Noodlez is a new collectible range of colourful, fluffy plush with long posable wiggly arms and legs. Each character features a different personality that is detailed on its hangtags and is made using super-soft fabrics. Posh Paws will launch an assortment of six animal characters this summer, including a beautifully detailed axolotl, monkey, tiger, cow, frog and triceratops.

Posh Paws has a wider offering of licensed plush across How to Train Your Dragons, Minions, Sunny Bunnies and DreamWorks Evergreen properties, such as Kung Fu Panda and Shrek.

Pre-School Trends UK

Zuru

www.zurutoys.com | sales@zuru.com

Continuing its drive to develop innovative products for all ages, Zuru’s recent announcement of the launch of its new content studio, Zuru Studios, marks a significant expansion for the company into the pre-school market.

Eggy Wawa, the debut production from Zuru Studios, is a pre-school series that aims to educate and entertain. The series follows the adventures of four boisterous children and their knowledgeable teacher Sheldon the elephant, as they explore and learn with the Eggy Wawa magical eggs that reveal surprises and solutions to the questions on their roving quests. Having made its debut on YouTube at the end of March, Eggy Wawa represents Zuru’s commitment to delivering high-quality, enriching content, and the company is now building on this digital storytelling with an innovative and equally enriching product range.

01295 768 078 | www.trendsuk.co.uk | salesadmin@trendsuk.co.uk

Trends UK is expanding its award-winning range of ELAs with new launches, based on the successful BAFTAwinning Numberblocks and Alphablocks educational programmes. The company is also introducing a new Original Stomp Rocket range and expanding the best-selling Paint Pop range with new creative sets. Arriving this spring are two learning puzzles based on Alphablocks, the hit UK TV show that’s helping millions of young children learn to read. Alphablocks Word Builder and Alphablocks Matchums each contain letter cards and boards with pictures or simple words to follow which encourage letter recognition and word-building skills. Both puzzles are targeted at children aged three years and over and feature a great price point for year-round sales. A new portable Alphablocks Mini Tablet with a simple touch and play screen will also arrive this summer featuring three games, Meet the Alphablocks, Find the Alphablocks and Alphablocks favourite things.

The Numberblocks range continues to be highly successful with best-selling ELAs. Numberblocks Clip & Learn introduces a new way to play with four clip-on sheets featuring 12 different activities, taking maths skills to the next level. Guided by voice and sound effects, children can explore odds and evens, Number Magic Addition and much more with Meet the Numberblocks 1-10 and 11-20. The Numberblocks Mini Tablet is a smaller portable item, ideal for learning on the go. Entrylevel learning games enable independent play, introducing numbers, counting and addition with Numberblocks in four different activities.

The Original Stomp Rocket is the market-leading foam toy rocket launcher with over 30 years of quality and expertise. Stomp Rockets encourage physical activity and screen-free play. The sturdy design is perfect for active children, allowing for hours of outdoor play. New sets for the youngest fans include the Stomp Rocket Jr. Glow Rockets, for children aged three and over.

Trends UK’s Paint Pop Paint Sticks range introduces children to painting and doodling. Offering mess-free creativity on a wide range of surfaces including paper, card, canvas, wood and even glass, the range includes a wide variety of colours and finishes, plus practical storage solutions. Two new sets are set to arrive this June. Paint Pop Marbling Art creates amazing swirls and patterns in 12 vibrant colours on paper and fabric. Paint Pop Chunky Chalk Sticks includes 24 jumbo chalks in funky colours with two plastic holders. The chalk is washable for easy clean-up.

The new Eggy Wawa range launches with three themed interactive eggs that feature characters, music and elements from the show, with each egg lending itself to different development stages for infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers to recreate the adventures seen on screen.

Eggy Wawa Bathtime Surprise includes a fishing net, sea-creature stickers and bath squirters to help develop new motor skills while making bathtime routines fun. Eggy Wawa Learn on the Farm Egg encourages development through imaginative play and learning words and sounds. With animal figurines, dough and flashcards, youngsters have a unique play experience while honing fine motor skills with hands-on activities such as pressing, rolling, and moulding shapes and learning about farm animals. Eggy Wawa Learn At School offers 60 surprises to unbox, taking children on an adventure-packed learning journey, fuelling imaginative and creative play and refining essential skills. Alphabet and number cut-outs encourage direct learning in areas like colours and counting.

Zuru has also expanded the demographic of some of its core brands into the pre-school market. Action & adventure brand Smashers has recently added Smashers Junior Dino Dig to its portfolio, adapting key brand elements for younger audiences. Children can dig their way through soft dino dough, discover hidden dinosaur pieces and problem-solve to connect and build their own dino. Available in two sizes, both provide a unique gifting opportunity for younger dinosaur fans while encouraging sensory and imaginative play.

As a leader in the outdoor toys space, Zuru has also adapted its portfolio and developed pre-school lines for its best-selling X Shot Water range, creating a more ergonomic water blaster for smaller hands to engage in summer fun. In addition, the business also captures the successful format of its interactive, robotics pets IP, Robo Alive, with the Robo Alive Junior interactive bath-play toys for ages 18 months and over.

Pre-School Magna-Tiles

www.magnatiles.com |  international@magnatiles.com

Magna-Tiles has earned the trust of families and educators by providing heirloom-quality toys that keep children entertained for hours. The brand aims to effortlessly immerse children in play that is experience-based, developmental and engaging. Magna-Tiles remains the No.1 Magnetic Building Sets brand (Circana/Retail Tracking Service/Jan-Dec 2023), boasting an innovative product range that continues to redefine the magnetic building landscape.

One such product is its 2023 pre-school TOTY award-winning set, Downhill Duo, designed to inspire the imagination of children and help them develop their motor and STEAM skills. This set allows children to turn their Magna-Tiles build into a racing adventure in just a few clicks. Part of the brand’s In Motion collection, Downhill Duo fosters a sense of pride and accomplishment for young builders as they watch their vehicles race to the finish line.

Meanwhile, the Animal and Dinosaur Collections continue to bridge the gap between learning and play. These gift-worthy lines are comprised of recognisable creatures, commonly found in children’s books and early education, coupled with interactive elements like trees with leaves, to enhance the meaningful play experience. The packaging itself serves as an educational tool, providing fun facts and fostering discussions about the natural world.

The Magna-Tiles brand remains steadfast in its dedication to providing consumers with meaningful play experiences and valuable resources across a growing number of digital and traditional channels. Autumn 2024 will witness the launch of innovative new products and a few surprises.

Toynamics

01164 785 230 | www.toynamics.com | sales@toynamics.co.uk

New for 2024, Hape is expanding the pretend play category with fresh new products. Joining the range is the Sizzling BBQ Set, featuring both a grill and a griddle, and doubling as a stove. The flicker charcoal fire effect and sizzling sounds engage children and encourage their imagination through their senses. The foldable side table makes easy storage for 23 accessories, including a spatula, tomato sauce, mustard, meats, vegetables, skewers and more. As well as offering hours of fun, pretend play also encourages the development of numerous essential skills such as imagination, critical thinking, social and emotional skills, hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.

Other new additions to the range include the Ding & Pop-Up Toaster complete with a ticking timer sound and all the accessories for a breakfast or brunch. The fully working Hair Salon Set includes 15 pieces and is suitable for children aged three years and above. Children can pretend to cut and style hair with the different accessories: straighteners, an apron, scissors, a hairdryer with realistic sound and more. The range has a variety of different size sets with lots of different themes and huge play value.

Bestsellers in the pre-school category include the Hape Toddler Kitchen, suitable for children aged 18 months and above. This role-play toy comes with a wooden stove with clicking, turning knobs and storage spaces behind the hob, perfect for keeping the kitchen tidy. It also comes with equipment including a pot with a lid, a frying pan, a spoon and a spatula. Hape Doctor On Call is a well-equipped doctor's kit with endless role-play opportunities. The set comes with a carry case, toy stethoscope, thermometer, needle and notebook.

Railway continues to be a year-round popular choice for pre-schoolers. The Dinosaur Adventure Set is new for 2024 and offers huge play value. Featuring over 60 pieces, this play set includes sounds and glow-in-the-dark features. It comes with a track, dinosaurs, a crane, a skull and bones, a tunnel and more. Compatible with all other Hape railway products, sets and tracks can be expanded to increase play value, and there’s a range of price points from extra tracks up to multi-level play sets and everything in between.

Pre-School Mattel

01628 500 000 | www.mattel.com

Fisher-Price introduces the new Planet Friends line, which is all made of 80-95% post-consumer recycled plastics. The range includes All Ears Lovey, Sea Bounce Turtle, Spotting Fun Snow leopard and Roly Poly Panda Mat. Fisher-Price has also updated its sensory segment, Sensimals, with the new Snuggle Up Goose, So Many Senses Gift Set and Simply Senses Newborn Gym.

The Newborn range will also be refreshing the iconic Glow and Grow Kick & Play Piano Gym, with four ways to play as baby grows, plus music, lights and learning fun. Other infant launches include the Count & Stack Crane. The Laugh & Learn range is also adding the Play Along Earbuds, Wake Up & Learn Coffee Mug, Play & Go Activity Keys and Counting & Colours Smoothie Maker to its portfolio of products.

Little People will introduce Everyday Adventures Airport, which sets the scene for imaginative adventures for toddlers and pre-schoolers. Little People continues to add newness to its Disney Princess segment with the new Disney Princess Cinderella's Dancing Carriage by Little People. This push-along, horse-drawn carriage opens to reveal a ballroom play set where kids can spin Disney Princess Cinderella and her Prince around before enjoying tea for two at the table.

Thomas & Friends continues to help kids navigate new life experiences through friendship and stories, introducing products linked to the Thomas & Friends All Engines Go TV Show with the Paint Delivery Set. Kids can also create their own adventures with new talking engines, including Thomas, Percy, Gordon and James.

From Fisher-Price Imaginext, the new Batman Insider & Black Exo Suit Robot Playset features cool lights and sounds and four battle accessories. The robot figure set is packed with imaginative play opportunities. In the Imaginext Jurassic World segment, the Track & Transport Dino Truck play set lets kids track and capture dinosaurs as they roll the vehicle along to track the dinos, then turn the Power Pad to activate the claws to capture them.

This year, Mattel has launched the Fisher-Price DC Batwheels range, where pre-school kids can relive their favourite moments from the Batwheels series. The range includes a Batwheels 1:55 Scale Diecast Car Assortment, Batwheels Vehicles 5-pack, Batwheels Key Car Racers, Batwheels Light-Up Racers, Batwheels Legion of Zoom Launching HQ as well as the Batwheels Bat-Big Rig.

Connetix

www.connetixtiles.com

| wholesale@connetixtiles.com

Connetix offers a variety of coloured magnetic tile packs that inspire learning through play. This open-ended toy naturally enriches development within the formative years by sparking creativity, unleashing imagination and promoting curiosity, which are all essential skills for 21st-century learners. Appealing to a multi-generational fan base, Connetix offers exceptional play value as a toy that will continue to grow with children as their play and learning evolve. This versatile product provides a blank canvas for children to create masterpieces without limitations, such as castles, racetracks, rainbows and 3D animals. Through playfully exploring and constructing their builds, children are exposed to a wide range of STEAM learning concepts.

The award-winning Connetix tiles showcase a uniquely bevelled design with strong magnets and enhanced safety features to enable little hands to build bigger designs. The Connetix catalogue boasts a selection of packs, including Starter, Mini, Creative and Mega Packs, all available in three signature colours: earthy pastel, vibrant rainbow and dazzling clear.

To extend the scope of play, the Connetix team continues to innovate its product line by adding speciality expansion packs. Compatible with the existing range and a key selling point for retailers, the best-selling Ball Run packs exhibit clear fluted tubes and speciality pieces for zooming action fun. The Base Plate packs increase stability to support larger builds, and the Transport packs with motion bases and real rubber wheels are ideal for vehicle enthusiasts.

After a hugely positive reaction to the launch of the Connetix Rainbow Transport Pack, a new Connetix 50 Piece Pastel Transport Pack will launch later this year. The pack features a light grey reversible transport base, two clear motion bases and real rubber wheels to inspire action-packed fun. The Connetix Rainbow Transport Pack showcases the popular pastel colours in a range of tile shapes that aim to fuel creativity as children build their very own vehicle designs, including cars, trucks, trains, planes, forklifts and fire engines. This pack encourages STEAM learning through play as children expand their knowledge of colours and discover concepts of gravity and motion, magnetism, shape, construction and engineering.

Connetix has cultivated a community of valued retailers and plans to continue supporting partnerships with its dedicated customer service team and online resources. It also aims to provide a suite of world-class marketing strategies to promote brand awareness and drive business to local retailers. The Connetix website prominently features a store locator, significantly increasing retailer traffic.

The Connetix team celebrates the myriad of ways children can play with Connetix tiles, sharing inspirational content on its social media platforms. In turn, this strong fan base supports retailers and shares the many ways in which Connetix encourages learning through play.

2-5 Years

www.vtech.co.uk

For more details contact 01235

555545 or trade.sales@vtecheu.com

Jazwares

020 3598 5119 | www.jazwares.com

Top collectible plush brand Squishmallows will see new licensed launches within the extension brand Hugmees in 2024. Aimed at younger audiences, these ultrasoft collectible plush toys have extended arms and feet and are always ready for a hug. With CoComelon Hugmees already charming fans in 2023, this year will add wellknown faces from top licensed brands Bluey, Disney, Hello Kitty, Peppa Pig and Spidey and his Amazing Friends. These Squishmallows will be available in 6” and 10” scales, growing the range to over 15+ styles.

Jazwares CoComelon toys bring JJ, his friends and family and their celebration of big moments for little kids from digital to physical, with a true-to-content play designed to make every fan feel like they’re a part of the show. The new Discover and Play JJ with lights and sounds aims to teach the alphabet, numbers, shapes and colours through music. A Further highlight of the range is the new Transforming School Time Bus, which will come with two figures, lights and sounds and feature three fan-favourite songs. These new key drivers to the CoComelon range will be available this autumn.

The Spidey and his Amazing Friends line launching this autumn features character-themed vehicles and plush in Spidey, Spin and Ghost, as well as their trusty friends and villains. After the successful launch of the Amazing Metals segment in AW23, backed by a TV and paid digital campaign, the range will see two brand new Amazing track sets, with even more action for endless creative play opportunities. The core vehicles line will also see new additions for innovative play.

Ravensburger

www.ravensburger.com | sales@ravensburger.com

The new Dinosaurs line from Brio World offers prehistoric fun for pre-schoolers. Capturing the spirit of this evergreen theme and adding innovative touches that fans of Brio have come to enjoy, the range includes railway sets and accessories. The Dinosaur Battery Train, a spring launch, features forward and reverse functions as well as a front light and dino figures with moving parts and magnets, which can interact with the world around them.

The 12-piece Dinosaur Circle Set will also be joining the lineup this spring, while the Dinosaur Adventure Set, which has 21 play pieces including dinosaur figures and themed accessories, will also be launching later in the year. A new addition to the Accessories range from Brio World is the Dinosaur Erupting Volcano, which features a safe-to-touch steam effect. Users can activate lights, sounds and steam effects at the touch of a button and explode the pieces of the volcano.

The Brio train offering continues to grow with several new additions. The Trains of the World series introduces well-known locomotives from around the world through licensed partnerships, including a Transport for London licensed London Underground train complete with accessories.

Pre-schoolers from the age of three can explore their creativity and early construction skills with the Brio Builder range. The sets, which range in piece count starting from around 40 components, include a variety of pieces to enable freestyle building, or children can also follow included design ideas if they wish.

New for spring, the Brio Builder Activity Set includes over 200 pieces for budding engineers to let their imaginations go wild. Also in the lineup is the Brio Builder tools series, which featured in a segment on ITV’s This Morning. The range includes Power Screwdriver, Flashlight and Chainsaw sets. Children can piece together the battery-operated tools and enjoy roleplaying with the chunky toys, which are also compatible with sets in the Builder offering.

Marketing support for the Brio brand will include year-round PR, print, digital marketing and events activity.

Classic Paddington with Boots

Paddington’s Bessie Camper Van

Paddington’s Bike and Side Car

Multi-figure Pack

Dress Me Paddington

Pre-School

Rainbow Designs

01327 227 300 |

www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk

Paddington Bear, Peter Rabbit, Winnie the Pooh, Elmer and The Very Hungry Caterpillar are a few of the bestselling pre-school character collections available from Rainbow Designs this year.

As the nation awaits the release of the new Paddington movie this autumn, as well as the arrival of a third series of the award-winning pre-school TV show, The Adventures of Paddington, 2024 is gearing up to be yet another momentous year for the brand. Rainbow’s best-selling preschool toy range based on The Adventures of Paddington TV series helps spark imaginations and encourage preschoolers to create their own adventures with Paddington. Joining the range this year is a series of fun-packed mini play sets including Paddington’s Favourite Foods and Paddington’s Letter to Aunt Lucy. These new additions will join the ever-popular Talking Paddington Soft Toy, Paddington’s Campervan, Dress Me Paddington and award-winning Adventures of Paddington Tea Set.

To commemorate the 30th Anniversary of The Lion King, and in the run-up to the new Mufasa: The Lion King movie, which is slated for release later in the year, Rainbow Designs has launched a Disney Baby Lion King range. This range will include the My First Simba Soft Toy, Simba Comforter and Ring Rattle as well as the stimulating Simba Sensory Play Mat.

The Peter Rabbit TV range from Rainbow Designs remains a beloved choice among pre-schoolers. Inspired by the popular TV series, which follows the adventurous and daring Peter Rabbit as he embarks on thrilling escapades, Rainbow's character collection features the cuddly Talking Peter Rabbit and Lily Bobtail toys, with phrases such as ‘Let's hop to it!' and 'all rabbits need a little help from their friends'.

Rainbow’s Very Hungry Caterpillar soft and wooden toy collection, with strong primary colours and a variety of textures and sounds, has been created to stimulate senses and encourage development through play, as well as a love for the great outdoors. The Very Hungry Caterpillar range, which includes the Activity Caterpillar, Wooden Pull Along, Shape Sorter and Dominoes, offers thoughtful, educational gifts for pre-schoolers.

Just Play

www.justplayproducts.com

uksales@justplayproducts.com

Just Play is set to launch a new lineup of toys designed to captivate young imaginations in 2024.

The upcoming Disney Junior Ariel toy range is inspired by the Disney Junior Ariel television series, set to premiere in June 2024. Just Play has created a range of toys at various price points that transport children to an underwater world with Caribbean flair. The Bubbles Fun Doll and Pop Tails Doll & Case will be joining Just Play’s portfolio of pre-school toys and will be supported by a comprehensive marketing campaign.

The highly anticipated return of the Sesame Street Tickle Me Elmo toy launches this summer under the Just Play banner. This interactive plush toy aims to bring joy and laughter to Sesame Street fans of all ages. With its softness and cuddliness, Tickle Me Elmo is ideal for snuggling and playtime.

The interactive Disney Junior Minnie Mouse Butterfly Ballerina Plush doll features lights and sounds, including a spinning tutu and a light-up butterfly. With Minnie's twirling, singing and encouraging phrases, children will be inspired to dance along. Hidden wheels for spinning add an element of surprise.

The adventure-seeking kittens in the Disney Junior SuperKitties Small Plush Assortment will be available for the first time. Featuring a soft and cuddly design, these plush toys are suited for snuggling, playtime and on-the-go adventures. Ginny, Buddy, Bitsy and Sparks are the lovable characters included in this collection, each sold separately. The Disney Junior SuperKitties Hero Squad Figure Set is a five-piece collection of articulated figures that includes both the heroes and a villain and will be available from May onwards. These detailed, dynamically posed toys can be used for either play or display.

Pre-School PMI

www.pmi.co.il | omer@pmi.co.il

PMI Kids World will be launching new toys based on the The Creature Cases pre-school action series. The Creature Cases quickly became one of the top three children's shows on Netflix, garnering over 68m hours viewed. Scheduled for release in spring 2025, the first ever The Creature Cases product line will be introduced, bringing to life the characters and universe from the beloved show.

Combining a mix of comedy, animal facts, action and mystery for family and pre-school audiences, the adventures of animal agents Kit Casey and Sam Snow are captured in immaculate detail as collectible figurines, plush toys, articulated action figures and vehicle play sets.

The Creature Cases Feature Plush and The Creature Cases Motorcycles will also arrive in time for the holidays. Standing at 16 inches, Kit Casey and Sam Snow Feature plush designs include nifty glove gadgets, backpacks and projectors featuring RGB lights, and will say an audible catchphrase from the TV series when pressed. The Motorcycles feature six dynamic designs to collect, each accompanied by an action-packed figure that has a protective helmet. Whether racing through rugged landscapes or embarking on daring missions, The Creature Cases Motorcycles brings kids into a world of adventure and imaginative fun.

The global master toy licence in the pre-school category, PMI’s The Creature Cases toy line is inclusive to boys and girls alike and features engaging storylines, a likeable cast of animal agents and a roster of vehicles such as the Multi-Terrain Motorcycle, Mice Squad Van and the R.O.N Jet that are showcased in the show.

Behind the scenes, Sony-led marketing will support the pre-school toy line, amplifying the brand and product launch’s reach across platforms. From trailers to social media campaigns, retailers and purchasers can expect anticipation for the Creature Cases toy line.

At a wide range of price points, starting at pocket money, there is a toy or play set available for all fans of The Creature Cases. Bandai will distribute The Creature Cases toy line in the UK, and it will be available from other distributors worldwide.

One for Fun

www.oneforfun.com

| sales@oneforfun.com

BB Junior takes to the road this year with new additions to the design-led pre-school range. My First VW Electric Car lets children see the battery charge up with moving lights, just like the real thing. My First Remote control Bugatti features cartoon-like features, exaggerated curves and eyes on the windscreen. This is joined by My First Lamborghini and two styles of My First Bugatti, (not radio-controlled), which feature the same design characteristics and are available in various colourways.

The BB Junior Lamborghini My 1st Carry Along Garage comes equipped with a My 1st Lamborghini toy vehicle, enabling children to create their dream garage. The BB Junior Push n Glow has added the Push and Glow F1 car to its diverse range of products. This F1 toy car comes with a pushbutton mechanism that causes the transparent body to glow and play sound effects. The brand-new Shake Shake Track set works by simply shaking the included vehicle and placing it on the track to watch it zoom around. This year sees the addition of a VW Camper version to the company’s popular playmats range. .

The BB Junior range offers a comprehensive lineup of bath toys, cleanly designed with loads of shelf appeal. The Splash and Play Musical Tugboat aims to enhance bathtime routines by keeping youngsters entertained with splash-along music. The Splash and Play Light Up Sailboat is an interactive waterproof sailboat featuring fun underwater sea characters. By pressing a button, this boat will light up its sail with nine different colours.

Tobar’s Animigos range of animated animals continues to be popular with family favourites like the Westie, Cockapoo, Scotty and others. The Animigos World of Nature range has even more exotic beasts joining the family, along with some more familiar friends. This year’s latest exotic addition is the Axolotl, a type of salamander, and there are more new additions to the Dream Beams line of collectible characters. These squishy toys are cuddly and feature a soft night light that helps comfort children.

As an added bonus for retailers, all One for Fun’s ranges are back to pre-pandemic pricing.

Commotion

01732 225 821 | www.commotion.co.uk

info@commotion.co.uk

As the demand for quality educational toys continues to surge, Commotion offers a combination of quality products, operational excellence and unwavering support.

The Tickit brand is designed and developed by Commotion’s in-house product team in close consultation with specialist advisors across the education spectrum. Every product is intended to inspire children's natural curiosity, broaden their knowledge and aid their development as they learn through play. Highlights from the new releases so far include the Rainbow Wooden Lacing Shapes, designed for exploring shape, colour and patterns while developing coordination and fine motor skills. Translucent Colour Bugs, Shells, Fish and Jewels look appealing on a Tickit Light Panel and provide opportunities for counting, sorting, patterning as well as imaginative play, especially when used alongside the Wooden Minibeast Blocks, featuring real photographic images.

The brand-new Discovery Range includes the light-up Sensory Mood Discovery Table. The Tickit product team has been developing a range of products designed to extend the play and learning experience and equally valuable and desirable as stand-alone toys. Wooden Discovery Dividers in Town, Space, Jurassic and Castle designs simply slot together to provide a zone for imaginative play scenes. Discovery Play Mats in Space, Sea and Forest themes are perfect for simple floor-play but transform into glowing realistic play scenes when placed inside the illuminated Discovery Table or on a Light Panel. Translucent Discovery Trays are another practical addition to messy play, or for sorting and arranging small objects. The trays are also easy to carry, clean, stack and store.

Commotion is fully focused on nurturing relationships and offering a suite of support services to help resellers thrive. The experienced business development team provides customers with market insights to inform product selection, promotional materials to boost sales and training sessions to ensure that the unique selling points of each product can be effectively communicated to target audiences.

Hasbro

0208

569 1234 | www.hasbro.co.uk

Peppa Pig is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2024. The globally successful brand aims to connect with consumers across every touchpoint, from TV to theme parks to retail. As a lifelong friend, Peppa Pig encourages kids to jump in together and explore the world around them, while giving them the confidence to treat every first step as a new adventure.

In February, families and fans got to enjoy the hour-long cinema release, Peppa’s Cinema Party, screened in English in cinemas in Australia, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States. The film offered fans, families and pre-schoolers 10 exclusive never-before-seen Peppa Pig Season 10 episodes, including the 3-part Wedding Party Special.

The Peppa Pig toy lines continue to see success with the latest products including Peppa’s Caravan toy set. This Peppa Pig camper van play set can be closed and towed behind Peppa’s Family Red Car toy (sold separately), or can be opened so kids can imagine activities like cooking in the kitchen, sleeping in bunk beds and more. The Caravan toy set comes with six themed accessories so kids can set up their campsite as well as three figures based on favourite Peppa Pig characters, including George Pig, Birgit Bear and Peppa herself.

Inspired by the iconic vehicle seen on the Peppa Pig show, Peppa’s Family Red Car comes with Mummy Pig and Peppa Pig figures to ride inside, with room for two more. This toy vehicle features rolling wheels for push-to-roll play and a trunk that opens and closes. When kids press on the car’s steering wheel, they’ll hear music from the show, horn noises, as well as laughter and snorts. Peppa’s Family Red Car toy can latch onto the back of the Peppa’s Family Motorhome vehicle that is sold separately.

To further celebrate 20 years, Peppa and her friends are ready to party with Peppa Pig’s Party Friends. Kids can choose from 12 different Peppa Pig friends in a party outfit (each sold separately). Each poseable, 3-inch (7.5 cm) figure is wearing a festive shimmery or sparkly outfit. Kids can collect Ms Rabbit, Rebecca Rabbit, Richard Rabbit, Emily Elephant, Zoë Zebra, Gerald Giraffe, Danny Dog, Freddy Fox, Suzy Sheep, Candy Cat, George Pig, or Peppa Pig figures.

Plus-Plus

Orchard Toys

0333 050 0144 | www.plus-plus.com | info.uk@plus-plus.com

Plus-Plus, located in Denmark, creates toys which spark imagination and creativity in children of all ages. The brand is internationally recognised and has won multiple product awards across the globe.

Plus-Plus Big is specifically aimed at tots aged one to six years of age. It is perfectly safe from birth due to its BPA-free and Phthalate-free plastic construction and features a compact size and tactile feel for small hands to grasp. It’s also safe to put in the dishwasher or washing machine to keep it clean.

All the Plus-Plus range supports STEM learning. It aims to educate children by stimulating fine motor skills, creativity, focus and patience, encouraging toddlers to discover the world of colour and letting them bring ideas to life through open-ended play. Children can develop their construction skills from simple to intricate designs as they explore, build and re-build with the one-shaped piece. Used to construct in 3D or 2D, the double-cross-shaped pieces fit together by gently pressing them into place.

The new Big Bloom and Big Breeze, soft coloured chunky large pieces in gentle tones of pink or blue hues, are designed for tiny hands to hold and, with the help of an adult, they can start to create simple shapes. Bloom and Breeze are both available in tubes or box sets, while the Big range is available in colourful mixed tubes or animal builds of 15 pieces, boxed sets of colours and a variety of play sets which encourage building, exploring and dexterity.

The popular soft shell Travel Case contains 15 pieces, while the Metal Suitcase contains 70 pieces, and both are available in Basic and Pastel colours. These cases are filled with chunky pieces which are great for storage but also travel-friendly and ideal to take on long journeys.

Plus-Plus is a socially and environmentally responsible company. The factory and headquarters in Denmark run on 100% green energy from wind power and all products and packaging are 100% recyclable.

01953 859 539 | www.orchardtoys.com | orders@kayes.co.uk

Orchard Toys’ new The World of Peter Rabbit collection blends educational and engaging gameplay with the iconic characters from one of the world’s most beloved brands.

In Peter Rabbit Veg Patch Lotto, children from three years onwards join Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddle-Duck, Mrs Tiggy-Winkle and Benjamin Bunny in a lotto game. The winner is the first to fill their wheelbarrow with fruit and vegetables before Mr McGregor builds his scarecrow. It’s an engaging matching and memory game with simple gameplay, featuring charming illustrations.

Peter Rabbit Heads and Tails is a first-matching activity designed to help children aged 18 months and over to develop their matching, memory and social skills. It features 12 beautifully illustrated Peter Rabbit characters and chunky, wipe-clean cards ideal for toddlers’ little hands. The aim is to match the heads and tails of Peter Rabbit and his friends, including Mr Jeremy Fisher, Jemima Puddle-Duck, Mrs Tiggy-Winkle and Benjamin Bunny. As children gain confidence, they can turn the activity into a simple game of pairs.

Also new this year is Doggy Doggy Woof Woof!, an energetic matching game for children aged two to six years. The aim of this lively matching and memory game is to pair dog heads and bodies. With double-sided boards, there are two ways to play. In game one, players complete dogs on their kennel board; this is ideal for younger children who will enjoy shouting “Doggy Doggy Woof Woof!” after each successful match. Game two features 13 different pups to complete and is suitable for older players. Whichever way it is played, children will have to keep their eyes peeled for the waggy tail card which means it's time to stand up, wag their tail and shout “Waggy Waggy Woof Woof!”.

Penalty Shoot Out is a Mini Game for young football fans, aged three to seven years. Players aim to score the most goals to become the number one striker as they develop their number and counting skills. The game is simple, compact and great value, making it perfect for playing at home or whilst travelling.

To support retailers’ marketing needs, Orchard Toys provides branded POS materials and digital assets and supports in-store promotions. Marketing encompasses PR and digital, plus owned social media to help drive consumer awareness.

University Games

02072 540 100 | www.university-games.co.uk

University Games’ licensed range of games and puzzles for pre-schoolers features some of the most popular evergreen characters from children’s storybooks. New to the range, that already includes We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Dinosaur Roar and The Very Hungry Caterpillar, is Mog. The new double-sided Mog and the Big Bad Dog Board Game, as well as the Mog the Forgetful Cat matching card game, have been specifically created for pre-schoolers and feature beautiful illustrations from Judith Kerr’s best-selling children's books.

To celebrate the 55th Anniversary of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, there are also new arrivals to the ever-popular Very Hungry Caterpillar range, including a colourful Rainbow Picnic Board Game, Double Sided Rainbow Floor Puzzle and ABC Game in a Tin.

University Games’ new Learning Journey International division’s educational games, toys and puzzles are specifically designed for the pre-school age range. The new, 40-strong range, which is now available, includes award-winning interactive educational toys, games and puzzles, sensory, active-play, electronic and construction toys that offer valuable learning for inquisitive young minds. The extensive Learning Journey Puzzle range offers a wide array of beautifully designed puzzles, and the educational games range will appeal to children aged two years old and beyond. This range encourages preschool children to improve their matching, memory, reading and counting skills.

The Electronic Learning and Sensory Toys are perfect for little hands to explore and help young minds develop. They include best-selling lines On the Go Game Controller, Crawl About Butterfly, the Cupcake Shape Sorter and Telly The Teaching Time Clock.

Pre-School

Melissa & Doug

0800 731 0578 | www.melissaanddoug.com

Melissa & Doug is known for providing innovative toys for children aged 0-5 and beyond. This year will see a raft of new launches into the pre-school sector, including new introductions to the company’s pretend play and developmental and role play toys.

The Vending Machine range gives children the opportunity to sort play food items and stock the wooden machine in a novel way. During play, kids are also learning valuable lessons in cause and effect. With each button press corresponding to their chosen snack, users can witness the mechanics of selection and reward. This 16-piece set includes everything from snack bars to play coins, all designed to enrich imaginative play and teach sorting, counting and letter recognition.

The Candy Conveyor Chocolate Factory, launching in autumn/winter, contains over 30 pieces, including chocolate boxes and sleeves. Children can operate the wooden assembly line, creating sweet confections from chocolate shells, toppings and fillings. It's a playful way to develop shape-sorting skills by pressing fun fidget buttons, and built-in storage ensures that every piece has its place once the day's creations are complete. Match & Push Spinning Tops will also be available in autumn/winter and spins a new twist on colour matching and fine motor skill development. Children can drop in colourful tops, use the plunger to set them in motion and marvel as they spin to life. This toy aims to teach colour recognition while providing a satisfying sensory experience for little hands.

The Daily Routines Chart, which launches this autumn, is an innovative toy for fostering independence and establishing good habits. With a side for morning routines and another for bedtime, children can move through tasks such as brushing their teeth and getting dressed with a sense of ownership and fun. The built-in handle and stand make it versatile for any space, while the interactive bungee flaps add an element of play to daily responsibilities.

Flair

020 8643 0320 | www.flairplc.co.uk

With over 55 years of heritage, the original Stickle Bricks consist of colourful plastic interlocking bricks that come in a variety of sizes, aiming to teach the basics of construction to children aged 18 months and over. Stickle Bricks is designed to be easy for small hands to manipulate and connect, allowing children to build various structures and shapes. Safe for children to play with, the products’ interlocking design enables endless creative possibilities.

Over the years, Stickle Bricks has undergone various updates and redesigns, but the basic concept of interlocking bricks with stick-like protrusions remains the same. The brand continues to be a favourite among parents and educators for fostering creativity, fine motor skills and imaginative play in young children.

Stickle Bricks aids in the development of fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination as children connect and disconnect the pieces. It offers a safe and durable play experience and is ideal for promoting dexterity and imagination. Toddlers can put together bigger and better creations, take them down and start over.

With a wide range of different sets available, Stickle Bricks features bright colours and fun textures that are ideal for sensory play.

Pre-School Spin Master

01628 535 000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk

New launches from Paw Patrol and Gabby's Dollhouse include Paw Patrol going into the depths of the jungle with the new Jungle Pups range. Children can join Chase and the squad on rescue adventures in their transforming Paw Patrol Jungle Pups Themed Vehicles and patrol the area with the pups before switching the vehicles into rescue mode, as they change into jungle creatures.

The Paw Patrol Marshall Lock N’ Load Elephant Vehicle has a built-in projectile launcher and three projectiles, a huge trunk and two huge tusks to clear the area, ideal for jungle rescue missions.

Gabby's Dollhouse fans can step inside their dollhouse with Gabby’s Purrfect Dollhouse. Standing at over 61cm tall, children can explore all the fun features in Gabby’s house. This includes a dollhouse delivery tower, a working cat-a-vator, a Gabby Girl collectible figure, furniture for each room, sounds and phrases from the show and lots more. Spin Master is also launching the Gabby’s Dollhouse Purr-ific Pool Playset, which includes Gabby and MerCat figures, colourchanging mermaid tails and pool accessories.

PlayMonster

01628 488 944 | www.playmonster.co.uk | trade@playmonster.com

The Playskool brand will be distributed and supported with newly developed baby and pre-school toys by PlayMonster UK. The new range will be reimagined and marketed to engage millennial parents and a new generation of kids.

Highlights include the Classic Glo Worm with a new design and lullaby sound features, a selection of new Active Play pre-school toys, plus the famous Sit ‘N Spin classic activity toy, Explore ‘N Grow Ball Popper and Bounce ‘N Ride.

These are joined by the new Original MagnaTab; a Montessori-learning, sensory-based drawing tablet that uses magnets and a stylus to teach letters, shapes and numbers.

Basic Fun!

0118 925 3270 | BFUK@basicfun.com

Basic Fun! UK’s Fisher-Price Classics offer young children an introduction to the role-play category.

The Two Tune TV is a classic Fisher-Price item that has become a childhood institution since its introduction in 1966. Entertaining children for over 40 years, two classic melodies play as vibrant pictures scroll across the screen. Just as the original, the Fisher-Price Two Tune TV plays Row, Row, Row Your Boat and London Bridge is Falling Down. Existing favourite, the Chatter Telephone, features eyes that move up and down and a rotary dial that rings to make children smile.

Lil Snoopy features a wobbling body and swinging ears, and aims to encourage interactive play. Fisher-Price’s product portfolio also features plenty of other classics that will support early development as children immerse themselves in pretend play; the iconic Record Player remains the number one selling line. Other popular pre-school toys include Cash Register, the Fisher-Price Xylophone, See ‘N Say The Farmer Says, and more.

Pre-School

HTI

01253 778 888 | www.htigroup.co.uk | info@htigroup.co.uk

The HTI team consistently creates innovative pre-school toys across its brands and categories to stretch children’s imaginations.

Within HTI’s Teamsterz Brand, the My First JCB toy ranges have been further developed with the new inclusion of the My First JCB Tumbling Tower. The three-level tower is ideal for small hands, kids simply tip the Tiny Tumbler at the top of the tower and watch as it spirals down the ramps.

The AW2024 season also sees the introduction of two completely new product ranges under the Teamsterz brand: Chunky Trucks and Beep & Go! The Chunky Trucks preschool range features emergency vehicles stylised with robust and chunky plastics, including freewheeling cars, transporter trucks and helicopters. Rolling into the line-up for Beep & Go! is a new assortment of six vehicles to collect, including Police, Ambulance, Fire Engine, Motorhome, Garbage Truck and Race Car. The Chunky, rounded vehicles all feature a button that triggers music, realistic sound effects and lively melodies, complete with cute character faces.

New for 2024, HTI presents Peppa's Dashboard. With this latest addition, children can ignite the engine with a key and steer Peppa Pig’s car, accompanied by a host of light and sound features. Equipped with Velcro straps, the dashboard becomes a suitable companion for lengthy journeys.

Reflecting the current trend for feature-rich products at competitive prices, HTI's Bluey range introduces new lines for 2024. Among them are the Bluey My First Tablet, My First Remote Control, and the standout Bluey's Camera. Kids can capture the perfect selfie using the lens mirror, unleash a colourful world through the clicker spinner and enjoy the soft, easy-grip handles tailored for small hands.

Gabby’s Dollhouse will also introduce new lines for the upcoming season. From Remote Controls and Telephones to Carry Cases and Torches, this range has been designed to attract the attention of pre-schoolers.

Roma Prams

www.romaprams.co.uk | hello@romaprams.co.uk

The brand-new Teddy 10-piece accessory set features a doll's potty, walker, bouncer, front carrier, dish, drink beaker and a five-piece cutlery set. All these accessories coordinate with any of Roma Pram’s existing collections and are available in any colourway. The Teddy collection features sherpa fabrics and a soft cream palette for a classic look with a modern twist. The fabrics are featured across a range of models including dolls buggies, highchairs, car seats, backpacks and a soft sherpa blanket. There will also be a coordinating range in the full-size baby category, so children can match with mum.

The Polly sparkle range, which features mermaid reversible sequins, is available in single and twin models, as well as smaller coordinating products. For 2024, the Polly range will be available in bundles and one-box solutions, offering a range of products available as add-ons to a pram purchase, so that returning customers can purchase additional items in their chosen fabric.

The Darcie range features a floral print in either cream or pink. The design has been taken from a painting the director painted for her grandfather 30 years ago, which makes it original and unique. Meanwhile, Annie is a traditional pink pram with a Spanish look.

The Egg collection is designed to complement the top-selling Egg pram. The Egg doll pram features a two-in-one seat that converts into a carrycot, as well as a foldable chassis. Also new for 2024 is the Egg doll's pram backpack, which is an exact miniature version of the best-selling Egg pram backpack.

Roma provides a bank of images, studio videos and lifestyle videos for each collection. The company also offers support in social media assets, web listing optimisation and shop floor POS including totems and fabric swatches.

Casdon

01253 778 888 www.htigroup.co.uk info@htigroup.co.uk

Casdon is set to extend its bestselling Henry & Hetty range later this year. The Henry & Hetty Brush sets are designed to fit little hands perfectly, making clean-up a fun game. New brush toys are being added to the existing licensed range and make for a great addition to children’s Henry and Hetty collections at home. They will be available across retailers and Casdon’s website this summer.

Henry and Hetty vacuum cleaners are within the top 10 roleplay items in the UK. They are packed full of functions and features that give children the tools to mirror what the grownups do, and the instantly recognisable smiles and bright, bold colourways appeal so well to toddlers.

Also added to the Casdon pre-school range is a new and improved version of the Casdon Pick n Mix Sweet Shop, known as the Casdon Pick n Mix Candy Store. Responding to demand for more interactive toys that allow for hours of play and carry added value, the Pick n Mix Candy Store is set to hit shelves later this year.

Suitable for children aged three and over, the set includes all the essentials needed for little shopkeepers to run their own candy store. Interactive elements include a rotating price wheel, sliding candy chute, two candy cups, scoop, a play money set and real sweets.

Pre-School

Kayes of Cardiff

029 2036 3678 | www.kayes.co.uk | orders@kayes.co.uk

Kayes offers a wide selection of pre-school lines, including Infantino - a Kayes exclusive to the toy sector which, alongside rattles and teethers, offers a selection of infant toys of great quality. Fisher Price by Mattel is a world leader in pre-school toys and offers a wide variety at price points to suit all requirements, including the new range of Linkimals. Orchard Toys has taken its first step into licensing by introducing the Peter Rabbit range this year, and Kayes has already found that sales are outstripping other games and jigsaws available.

James Galt has only recently been added to the Kayes portfolio , including a comprehensive range of water magic books. Halilit’s music and play rattle range are leaders in music and sensory toys, and Lamaze from Tomy sits alongside the Toomies pre-school and bath selections.

Kayes also offers a large selection of Character Merchandise including Peppa Pig, Thomas the Tank Engine, Hey Duggee, Bing, Bluey, Disney Princess, Fireman Sam, Gruffalo, In the Night Garden, Paw Patrol, Paddington Bear and Super Heroes.

The company specialises in servicing the independent sector including toy shops, garden centres, visitor attractions, chemists and bookshops, allowing retailers of all categories to access a plethora of major brands in small quantities at competitive prices. It also has vast experience in supplying Christmas Grottos of all sizes.

Simba Smoby

01620 674 778 | sales@simbasmoby.com

Pre-schoolers can enjoy imaginative new lines in the Smoby collection from the worlds of Gabby’s Dollhouse, Spidey and His Amazing Friends and more.

A new range of Gabby’s Dollhouse-inspired roleplay items is to be discovered in the Smoby portfolio. Key to the lineup is Gabby’s Dollhouse Ice Cream Factory, in which children can pretend to create ice cream and waffles alongside Gabby and her kitty friends. Gabby’s Picnic Basket has pastel blue, pink and purple styling that will make it instantly recognisable to fans of the show. Using the handle, kids can carry the basket to their picnic destination, then open it up with the two-part lid for a feast with Gabby.

Smoby’s Flower Market range is also expanding. Budding florists and crafty kids can make beautiful flowers with the new Flower Creations Kit. Much like the Flower Market Set but offering extra affordability, the set lets kids design and construct flowers using the manual flower press and the included flower parts. Once created, children can use the components to make floral decorations and giftable creations. Petals can later be taken apart to create new flowers, or top-ups can be purchased with the Flower Deco Refill packs.

The Marvel Snapbands consist of plushies that kids can secure to their wrists. They have been designed for on-the-go fun, and children can build their collections by purchasing all characters: Spidey, Ghost, Groot and Iron Man.

VTech

01235 555 545 | www.vtech.co.uk

The Counting Hoops Basketball Stand aims to revolutionise the way young athletes engage with basketball, offering a blend of entertainment and skill enhancement. This comprehensive package features a height-adjustable stand and an electronic backboard complete with an LED screen, hoop and net, delivering a complete basketball experience tailored for at-home use. At the heart of the Counting Hoops Basketball Stand are three games: Copy Cat, Aim for the Shape and the Buzzer Beater Challenge. The product also features music and sound effects that amplify the thrill of scoring and includes a built-in sensor detecting successful shots.

Another addition to the pre-school line-up for this autumn/winter is the Tasty Treats Axolotl, combining learning and imaginative play to create an engaging experience for toddlers. Users can feed Axolotl one of the eight included pretend snacks by waving it under its nose and placing it on its tongue. As kids interact with Axolotl, they'll be able to hear it talk about the temperature and texture of the snack, accompanied by colour changes on its chest, making for an immersive experience that encourages exploration and discovery.

Available this autumn/winter, Tasty Treats Axolotl is packed with interactive features designed to engage and educate. With two press buttons that introduce different foods, children can explore a variety of tastes and flavours while learning about emotions and Axolotl facts through ten learning songs. Additionally, the pretend snacks can be conveniently stored in Axolotl's tummy, ensuring they're always ready for the next feeding session. The Tasty Treats Axolotl will be supported by a media campaign that will be visible across multiple platforms, including YouTube, TikTok, VOD and more.

Home of educational play

Open-ended educational toys with superior play value & longevity. Thoughtfully designed to:

inspire curiosity

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Owned & distributed by Commotion Ltd

For information about becoming a tickit ® reseller visit: www.commotion.co.uk

Pre-School

Playmobil

www.playmobil.co.uk | sales_uk@playmobil.de

Playmobil has made a groundbreaking move by becoming the first major toy manufacturer to use plant-based plastic in its entire toddler portfolio. At the beginning of 2024, Playmobil transformed its toddler line, now known as Playmobil Junior, with a fresh new look and feel. The Playmobil Junior range offers a wide variety of engaging play sets designed to support the development of toddlers aged one to four years old, making learning fun and interactive.

With Playmobil Junior, every playtime is a journey of exploration and growth. The brand has announced the upcoming launch of four new sets under the Junior sub-brand in collaboration with Disney. Featuring beloved Disney Princesses, these sets promise endless creativity for young builders. From Cinderella's Enchanting Castle to Belle's musical Play Tower, each set is designed to spark imagination. Playmobil also introduces Moana's Sail Boat and Ariel's Shell Shower, which offer unique play experiences that transport children into magical worlds.

To support the July launch of both Playmobil Junior and Disney sets, the brand is rolling out a comprehensive marketing campaign with 360-degree support. From engaging influencers to captivating social media content and targeted pre-school marketing, Playmobil is ensuring that the new sets receive the spotlight they deserve. Additionally, in-store decoration and activations will bring Playmobil Junior and Disney to life, creating an immersive experience for young fans.

Hippychick

Character Options

01616 339 800 | www.character-online.com | sales@charactergroup.plc.uk

Character Options' pre-school portfolio continues to grow, with a brand-new addition to the Peppa range and more squishable play with Mash’ems. Pre-schoolers can now join Peppa in making music with Sing with Me Peppa. This plush version of Peppa wears her iconic red dress and sings three songs: Big Balloon, The Wheels on the Bus and The Bing Bong Song. There are two modes of play: in Solo Mode, children can hold the microphone close to Peppa’s mouth and hear her sing or remove it to only hear the music playing. By putting the microphone next to their mouth, kids can sing over the tune karaoke style. Alternatively, children can play in Duet Mode, allowing them to sing the same tune alongside Peppa.

In the Mash’ems licensed surprise reveal range, kids will find all their favourite characters hidden inside Mash'ems capsules. There is a host of squishy figures to collect from licences including Gabby’s Dollhouse, Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie and Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends. The beloved pre-school properties CoComelon, Bluey and Peppa Pig remain in the collection.

01278 434 440 | www.hippychick.com | sales@hippychick.com

Hippychick’s toys are built to last for generations to come. Among its carefully selected brands are Classic World, Vilac, Wheely Bug and Crocodile Creek, each offering something unique to the pre-school category.

Classic World designs toys that encourage imaginative and unstructured play, allowing children to explore, get creative and engage their imagination. The best-selling Classic World Hedgehog Pounding Bench aims to develop hand-eye coordination while fostering precision and dexterity. Its colourful design also helps to introduce colour recognition into the play experience, so that children will be able to recite their colours in no time.

The multi-award-winning Wheely Bug brand features bright and colourful ride-on toys that encourage self-confidence in pre-school children, while also helping them develop spatial awareness and gross motor skills. The Wheely Bug comes in a variety of playful animal designs and offers multidirectional movement, which means kids can ride around with ease.

Hippychick offers something for every child. From products that aim to develop independent learning, to toys that encourage socialisation and interaction between children. Crocodile Creek’s beautifully illustrated puzzles, which range from 2-piece beginner puzzles to 200-piece puzzles for the more advanced players, can be conquered individually or as part of a group. The Giant Colouring Posters are also a great way for children to get creative.

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Another great idea from

Pre-School

Tomy

01392 281 927 | www.tomy.com

Tomy continues to expand its popular pre-school and development category with several new additions across Toomies and John Deere Kids. The new lines bring skill building to playtime, from fine motor skills development to memory and recall.

This autumn/winter, Toomies will be introducing the Pic and Pop Truck. Children can load up the truck and watch as the unique popping mechanism propels colourful balls from the truck. The Pic and Pop Truck also encourages physical activity and the development of fine motor skills. Its launch will be supported by a media campaign from July, also featuring best-selling bath lines including Foam Cone Factory Deluxe and the Bath Barista.

The new and improved Foam Cone Factory Deluxe play set is designed to transform bathtime and empower kids to become the maestros of their own ice cream shop, crafting fluffy foam cones and sundaes right in the bath. Available now, this elevated version of the bathtime classic from Toomies magically turns bathwater into a soft and thick foam. Kids can let their imagination run wild, scooping and swirling the foam into the durable cones and tubs. Hassle-free enjoyment is guaranteed, thanks to strong suction cups securing the toys to the bath.

Toomie's Bluey lines continue to expand with the introduction of the new Bluey Splash & Float Assortment, which is now available. This new collection showcases Bluey and her sister Bingo, and features pouring cups with floats adorned with water wheels and shower holes. Toomies has also unveiled the Bluey Family Pourers, which brings the entire heeler family together, offering an array of stacking, nesting and pouring cups. Each family member boasts a unique water feature that can be enjoyed individually or as part of a creative play experience. Bluey will also be sailing into autumn 2024 with sister Bingo in the all-new Bluey Canoe. Kids simply pull the cord, place them in the water and watch them row away.

John Deere enthusiasts can enjoy gardening with the unique Hedge Trimmer and Grass Trimmer. Designed with brightly coloured, kid-proof construction and no batteries required, toddlers pull the cord to wind up and pull the trigger to agitate the clippings. These new additions are ideal for introducing children to garden play and outdoor fun.

Jura Toys

020 8878 2133 | sales@juratoys.co.uk

Designed to engage kids aged three plus, French brand Janod has a collection of colourful wooden toys targeted at pre-schoolers. The thoughtfully created products are designed to spark young children’s imagination and encourage the development of many key skills. From balance games and musical toys to jigsaws and role-play toys, Janod has a wide offering of high-quality, sustainably designed toys for toddlers.

New for 2024 is the Janod wooden BBQ, which comes complete with everything children aged three plus need to pretend cook for their friends. Made from FSC-certified wood, its natural style with wood and brown/orange tones makes the Janod wooden BBQ a great item for any playroom or child’s bedroom. Thanks to its built-in wheels, it can also be moved around the home and garden for an easy set up anywhere. The BBQ includes 21 wooden accessories from a knife, spatula and tongs to ingredients such as sausages, shrimp, cheese and veggies, alongside 15 felt coals that can be placed on the grill.

Another arrival for pre-schoolers this season is the FSCTM wooden Farmers Market, designed for children to buy all the fresh produce to cook on their pretend BBQ. The wooden Farmers Market features 32 accessories for toddlers to invent and create their very own shop. This role-play toy is bursting with fruit and veg –apples, pears, strawberries, carrots, leeks and potatoes – and equipped with all the shop essentials. It features a clock to know when it's time to open, a blackboard to scribble down sums and prices, a box of chalk, five cardboard food boxes (peas, flour, milk, apple juice and cheese), a scale, a till and notes and coins to pay the bill. There are two environmentally friendly mesh shopping bags, and kraft paper to wrap up the vegetables before the customer takes them home.

Discover thoughtfully designed toys, crafts, and activities that are launch pads for open-ended play—and for your business!

Match & Push Spinning Tops #31812

Salad Spinner Play Set #50892

Daily Routines Chart #50894

Play to Go Ice Cream Play Set

Play to Go Cake & Cookies Play Set #50494, #50495

Candy Conveyor Chocolate Factory #50889

Sort, Stock, Select Vending Machine Play Set #32400

Pre-School

Clementoni

020 3206 1397 | www.clementoni.com | uk@clementoni.com

Soft Clemmy from Clementoni is the first and original soft play block range designed to create a sensory experience from a baby's earliest months through to pre-school age. The blocks are made from a very soft material that won't hurt delicate teeth and gums and can also be thrown and stamped on without posing any risk. This range features vibrant colours and a soft-touch material to stimulate a baby's senses and encourage them to explore the world.

From the launch of the original bag of blocks, the range has seen significant expansion in recent years with concepts that offer touch and texture sensory elements, perfect for small children. The Soft Clemmy Sensory Ball was the highlight of 2023, with sales for other sets, including Soft Clemmy Space Rocket and Soft Clemmy Car, continuing to be strong across broad distribution.

The range expands in 2024 with the introduction of the Soft Clemmy Sensory Cube, a textured cube designed to encourage little hands to explore by holding and turning an object. Soft Clemmy Touch and Play Sensory Path has also been refreshed and taps into touch as one of the first five senses a child develops. Encouraging crawling, toddlers can safely explore each textured soft tile and can also stack and play with the eight blocks included.

Clementoni is supporting the Soft Clemmy line this year with significant investment in marketing to include TV, social media and digital advertising across both the spring/summer and pre-Christmas periods.

Golden Bear

01952 608 308 | www.goldenbeartoys.com

customerservices@goldenbeartoys.co.uk

Central to Golden Bear’s ongoing business growth, the company continues to build on its pre-school licensing portfolio, offering retailers and consumers a solid collection of plush, play sets and character figures from TV’s best-loved children’s programmes.

Launching a range of new hero products in the pre-school category for 2024, newness for spring/summer 2024 includes play sets and character gifts at accessible price points across Hey Duggee, In the Night Garden and Bing. For autumn/winter 2024, there’s Storytime Bing, a huggable plush suitable from birth, made from textured fabrics and a tactile bean filling. Kids can press his left hand and listen to Bing narrate five of his favourite moments from the smash-hit pre-school show.

In the Night Garden’s popular Ninky Nonk Musical Activity Train is back by popular demand. Previously one of the brand’s top-performing SKUs, the train features 14 activities and character songs from the show. Children can enjoy colourful carriages, soft glowing lights, interesting sounds and a pull-along cord for those on-the-go.

Made with 100% recycled fabrics and filling, the Hey Duggee Tickly Giggly Duggee will be introduced for autumn/winter 2024, designed to entertain and bring warmth and cosiness at any time of the day.

Joining the roster of Golden Bear licences, Hasbro, Moonbug and Paramount will see Golden Bear launch Hide and Seek Favourites; new for spring/summer 2024 are Peppa Pig, CoComelon and Paw Patrol. In a fun and interactive hide-and-seek game for pre-schoolers, these ergonomically designed egg-shaped characters are perfect for little hands. Kids simply twist the top to hide their eyes, hold the button to activate and then listen for sounds to help seek the character. Sold both individually and as character twin packs, each toy promotes problem-solving and develops hand-eye coordination, as well as providing a great way for parents and children to play together. Golden Bear has also extended its partnership with the BBC. The company has secured a master toy licence for Supertato – a much-loved supermarket superhero. Golden Bear will be creating a range of Supertato character plush toys which is launching in autumn/winter 2024.

Can you smell the delicious smell of grilled sausages?

Pre-School

Vivid Goliath

01483 449 944 | www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk

Jelly Blox is a patent-pending, unique and imaginative toddler building system featuring soft and safe sensory play. The range offers inquisitive pre-schoolers the chance to explore, assemble and squeeze their Jelly Blox as they discover the unique building system. The range is highly giftable from the Newbie Kit through to the Jelly Blox Vroom! Truck Kit. Filled with sand, stars, mini bricks or foam beads, pre-schoolers can stack, twist, stretch and smoosh their Jelly Blox for the ultimate sensory building experience.

Crayola Color Wonder is the ideal range for budding pre-school artists. The inks only appear on specially formulated Color Wonder Paper — but not on skin, clothing, or furniture, therefore allowing total mess-free fun. Pre-schoolers can enjoy colouring their favourite characters from a diverse and popular Color Wonder portfolio including Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, Gabby’s Dollhouse and Bluey through to Barbie, Spidey and Friends and more.

AB Gee

01773 570 444 | www.abgee.co.uk | sales@abgee.co.uk

Moose Toys

0800 731 0578 | www.moosetoys.co.uk | sales@moosetoys.com

The Bluey master toy line is now available in 35 countries and counting. The pre-school property continues to excel in sales, expanding into new categories with retailers experiencing consistent success. Month-on-month, Moose Toys’ core lines remain bestsellers in the UK.

The Moose Bluey Spring 2024 line promises to bring innovative ways to play, and a host of role-play items based on ‘For Real Life’ show moments, capturing the spirit of Bluey and her family’s fun-filled adventures. The Bluey Firetruck invites play with Firefighter Bingo and Bluey figures, and a Bob Bilby accessory. This feature-packed toy, perfectly sized for pre-schoolers, includes a built-in ladder and a retractable side hose. With articulated figures and a sticker sheet, children can recreate memorable moments effortlessly.

The Mini Bluey Home Playset boasts three rooms – kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom – with removable furniture. Kids can help the 2.5" Bluey figure nap, snack and go to the bathroom. The play set, equipped with a carry handle, ensures on-the-go adventures due to its conveniently compact size.

The Mini Ice Cream Shop Playset comes complete with accessories including an opening door, serving window, and an articulated Bingo figure to spark imaginative play. Compatible with other 2.5" Bluey figures, it allows kids to build their own Bluey world at home.

The Bluey Farmers Market Playset features a market stall, an articulated Bluey figure, a shopping bag, pretend money and various food accessories. This set encourages imaginative play, including a toy scale for weighing items. Kids will enjoy creating unique Bluey adventures.

Moose’s spring 2024 role-play items are supported with a roster of digital and TV media, influencer campaigns, sampling and word-of-mouth programmes. The product portfolio echoes the show's essence, inspiring fans to recreate beloved 'For Real Life' moments while fostering imaginative play.

From role-play and educational to puzzles and musical sets, AB Gee’s expansive range of pre-school toys by Tooky Toy has been designed to shape the development of young minds.

New for 2024 and arriving mid-year is the wooden activity table, a colourful multi-activity table with five different areas; one stackable game and a maze to develop dexterity, a three-wheel gear system for coordination, three linking cubes to learn shapes and colours, an abacus to develop concentration and fine motor skills and a xylophone music centre to learn music.

Also new to the range is the wooden Pirate Ship, which includes a host of interactive features to discover including rigging, a spring-loaded firing cannon with cannonballs, a wind-up anchor, a trap door and a rear opening stern.

The Wooden Dentist Set features 18 pieces including a toothbrush, toothpaste and teeth to practise on. The set is easily stored in a foldable dentist bag with Velcro closure and fits nicely under the bed or in a toy box.

Chunky puzzles are a great way to encourage hand-eye coordination, and AB Gee has a huge selection. The farm, pet and marine scene puzzles feature seven brightly coloured, easy-to-grasp pieces that are both durable and visually stimulating to engage children aged 12 months and above.

Pre-School

01553 762 276 | www.learningresources.co.uk

sales@learning-resources.co.uk

Now in its sixth season on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer, and with further content planned, Numberblocks is strongly embedded in the way that children learn about early maths today. As holders of the global master toy licence, Learning Resources is bringing even more of the on-screen learning from the series to life with this year’s new Numberblocks toys.

Available now is the Numberblocks Rainbow Counting Bus. One of the 27 new launches chosen by the BTHA to receive a prestigious Toy Fair Hero Award at London Toy Fair earlier this year, this colourful vehicle play set comes with a Numberblock Seven figure included and plays 12 songs and sounds as children enjoy imaginative play adventures in Numberland.

Blockzee is Numberblocks’ monster who loves comparing numbers. Learning Resources has brought the character to life as an interactive balance in the Numberblocks Blockzee Balance Activity Set. Children use the set’s included Numberblocks MathLink Cubes to make the Numberblocks, place them in Blockzee’s see-through buckets and watch as her mouth makes the greater than, less than or equal to signs.

Building on the success of the first MathLink Cubes Numberblocks Activity Sets, the company is introducing two new MathLink Cubes Activity Sets. Based on popular episodes, the MathLink Cubes Activity Set Numberblocks Counting Sheep, and MathLink Cubes Activity Set Numberblocks Express Train give children two new ways to engage with the maths principles of the series as they play and learn.

The new set of Numberblocks Playing Cards features colourful cards along with instructions on four classic card games, and rules for two new games developed especially for playing with this set. This is a highly giftable item and is also an ideal travel game.

To grow awareness and create demand, Learning Resources has an ongoing integrated Numberblocks marketing campaign. This includes digital advertising, print advertising in children’s magazines, editorial collaborations, PR, social media gifted collaborations, email marketing and more.

To support trade customers in marketing Numberblocks toys in their physical and online stores, Learning Resources provides access to POS assets including its branded free-standing display units. The company also offers a full library of up-to-date images, videos and copy which trade customers can use to optimise their online listings.

sales@simbasmoby.com

Brand Profile

Creature Cases

Creature feature

The pre-school space is very competitive in properties: what makes Creature Cases stand out?

As a parent, whether it’s food or entertainment, I want my kids to consume ‘healthy’ things, and Creature Cases is ‘healthy’ content. In each episode, detective duo Sam Snow and Kit Casey work together to crack cases, armed with secret intel from their miniature contacts, the Mice Squad. The result is a show that mixes real, accessible zoological facts with seriously cool detective action and storylines that teach kids about helping others and being

Last year, PMI Kids’ World was announced as the master toy partner for Creature Cases from Sony Pictures Television – Kids (SPT-Kids), an animated pre-school show that blends mystery, action, education and comedy for boys and girls aged 3-6. Omer Dekel, PMI’s CEO, tells Toy World why he believes the mystery of which preschool property retailers should get behind next has been solved.

kind and brave. The producers are the same team who created Octonauts.

With its diverse cast of animal characters and thrilling detective adventures, Creature Cases effortlessly translates into a toyetic universe, offering opportunities for action figures, play sets and collectibles inspired by its engaging storylines and lovable protagonists.

Research by SPT – Kids’ Content Insights team has shown that Creature Cases appeals very strongly to its core target audience, ranking alongside Universal’s Gabby’s Dollhouse in terms of its popularity (46% of respondents say they ‘Like it a lot’). That’s incredibleonce a child watches the show, they fall in love with it and return to it again and again. I may be biased, but when it comes to my own children, I will always nudge them towards Creature Cases over any other show. I love it, and so do they.

How will PMI be bringing Creature Cases to life with its master toy range?

As part of the support PMI and SPT - Kids is putting behind Creature Cases, a large focus group of US families

was asked for its thoughts about the show and the toys they want to see based on it – is there a better way of ensuring you’re producing what people want?

Vehicles emerged as the top choice, with the R.O.N Jet taking the lead, closely followed by the Clade Cycle and Mice Squad Van. One of our standout offerings is the Clade Cycle with figure, set to launch at an incredibly competitive RRP of £9.99. These toys are almost complete replicas from the show, ensuring that young fans can immerse themselves in the world of Creature Cases with unparalleled authenticity and quality at an unbeatable price point.

We’ll also have a core range of 8” plush retailing for £10 RRP, as well as 30cm and 40cm huggable feature plush of Kit and Sam. The 40cm plush is always a best-seller on Amazon. Kit’s backpack from the show also ranked highly during our research. Available with one of the Kit feature plush, the backpack will play sounds from the show and is big enough for pre-schoolers to wear on their own adventures. (My four-year-old daughter absolutely loves her and wears it everywhere.)

As well as Vehicles and Plush, our master toy range will include Action Figures, Playsets, and Collectibles at attractive price points. The R.O.N. Jet play set will be a higher-ticket item, but that’s because of its awesome features: kids will be able to drive the Clade Cycle into it, just as Kit and Sam do in the show.

Why do you think PMI managed to land the master toy partnership?

PMI’s spotters flagged Creature Cases to me early on. I gathered my kids in front of the TV and announced that instead of a bedtime story, we were going to watch Creature Cases on Netflix. But when I turned on the TV, I could see the first six episodes had already been watched. My son was amazed I hadn’t heard of it, so straight away, I knew I was onto something special and have championed the property from the very beginning.

I met Ron Allen, EVP Franchise Management & Commercial at SPT- Kids, at the Las Vegas Licensing Expo 2022. He didn’t know much about PMI or about me, but I was able to show him a presentation that completely changed his assumptions about the company and made it clear I wouldn’t settle for anything less than the master toy licence for Creature Cases. Ron and Lisa [Macdonald, SVP Commercial & Franchise Development at SPT- Kids] are wonderful to work with. They could see our passion for the property and so the deal was agreed. We’re very fast to market and SPT – Kids appreciated our willingness to work to their timescale on the range.

Whether we’re creating toys based on Creature Cases, Stumble Guys or any of the other licences in our portfolio, we always remain both modest and humble. Our job is to create what kids want, not what we think they should want.

What does the property offer from a retail perspective? Why should retailers get behind it?

There’s a vacuum in the pre-school market for an adventure/mystery series for pre-schoolers. It’s been this way since PJ Masks, which used to dominate the category, started to fade away. Yes, there’s Paw Patrol, but that’s now settled into an evergreen cycle of content and toys, which sets it apart. When I go to meetings with retail buyers in the US and EMEA, they admit there’s a gap on their shelves for this sort of property, but Pre-School buyers are wary: they’ve seen a lot of failures. Which is why the facts and figures that back up what I’m saying are so important. We’ve studied the market, and we are confident we can fill this gap.

How will you and the licensor support your toy range at retail?

Two more seasons of Creature Cases have been greenlit which will run through to the end of 2026 on Netflix. FTA broadcasting in EMEA starts this summer/ autumn, our master toy range launches spring/summer 2025, and we’ll be announcing our UK broadcast partner soon.

We’re planning huge retail support, from POS solutions and on-shelf statements to special days out at major zoological parks across the globe, such as Berlin Zoo in Germany. These will help kids join the dots between the animals they see in the show and the real things and inspire an even greater love for them.

Sony is investing seven figures in YouTube activity for 2024, which will support the show on YouTube. Bandai is distributing the toy line for us in the UK and France, and we’ve brought Mark Kingston on board as our new lead of Licensing and Business Development, in an advisory role. That in itself is quite a statement about our intentions. Mark has a huge amount of knowledge and experience in the pre-school sector and is ideally placed to help us on this journey.

Letter from America Opinion Rick Derr

A bright spot hidden amongst declining birth rates

After 20 years working at A.C. Nielsen/D&B Research Company, Rick opened the first Learning Express Toys franchise in the Chicago area in 1996, and then became a sub-franchiser, opening nine more stores. Although leaving the corporate environment behind, he has combined his expertise in data and numbers with a passion for the toy retail space. While the infant market is a small proportion of overall business at Learning Express, Rick notes that gaining and keeping these customers is essential in the long term.

Ireceive more baby product inquiries and solicitations than any other category in the toy/gift industry. Suppliers are often surprised to hear that the infant category is a very small sliver of our product curation. Not because these aren’t great products or ideas, but rather the audience we attract is not the baby/infant market. The real age for us to “kick in” is around 12-18 months, or that first birthday. Yes, we will sell a core of infant items (the top sellers being a product called SmartNoggin Stik and personalized enamel piggy banks which are a popular gift item), but outside of that the market is small and just does not turn quickly enough to justify the space. In addition, the current birth rate for the US in 2024 is 12.009 births per 1000 people, a 0.12% decline from 2023, and this has been declining since 1950. The forecast until 2100 is a slight decline (Source: Macrotrends).

However, if you peel back the covers of the bassinet, you will find a secret - and that is the characteristics of the infant market are very different than they used to be. The number of abortions in the US (despite the overturn of a 50-year-old ruling) is about the same and stricter immigration policies (restricting people coming into the US legally and illegally) show a decline, despite the news headlines. A larger percentage of babies are being born to older and more financially well-off parents, and there’s a grandparent base with a lot of money to spend on fewer grandchildren. We saw it during the Covid years with this group. If you think of babies as future consumers, they are attractive customers, especially for indie toy/gift shops. The attraction is fewer kids but spending more; fewer transactions but higher ticket averages.

So, while the infant market is a small proportion of our overall business, gaining and keeping these customers is essential in the long term. And that is exactly what we are doing. The age range of the kids we serve has gone up dramatically over the last 5-10 years, despite fears that kids will migrate to screens and video games earlier and earlier. Although they have to some degree, the physical toy market has still grown, and we have embraced this audience of 8–15-year-olds, especially girls. This is evident by looking at the latest wall of birthday boxes we offer our customers each month. (Kids that have a birthday place the toys they really want in the box, we display it, parents tell friends and family their child has a box at Learning Express and the magic happens). The age range of birthday boys and girls taking advantage of this service spans from 4-12 years on average - and many are 10, 11 and 12. Years ago that would not have happened.

A declining birth rate means we must get more out of our existing customers’ wallets – or in essence, a bigger share of the spending pie on toys and games. Here’s our average dollar sale per ticket over the last seven years:

2017 $39.30

2018 $40.87

2019 $40.55

2020 $45.29

2021 $47.70

2022 $48.28

2023 $48.64 (an all-time high).

We believe that ranging up our product mix, while still focusing on catering to and acquiring customers at a very young age will continue to be the key to our growth and profitability. The fashion/tween category has proven this point; in 2023 it represented 10.3 % of dollar sales, ranking ahead of arts & crafts. Five years ago, this category was practically nonexistent in our shop, but our new audience now includes adult Moms when they are looking to gift an item; we provide convenience for her.

Finally, I try to be nice and inform suppliers and inventors of this little secret about the kids’ market—the infant/baby products sector is so much smaller than people think in toy stores. Small, but arguably still important, especially in the long term.

Feature Games & Puzzles

Cards on the table

The Games & Puzzles category continues to offer consumers affordable, enriching and fun ways to spend their spare time, be it alone or with friends and family, though it is reported to be off to a slightly slow start this year. Rachael Simpson-Jones takes a look at how the sector is shaping up, which new releases are playing to win, and why consumer behaviour is causing some suppliers to work even harder on pricing, consumer engagement and more.

Before we get too far into this piece, we’ll start with a quick look at how the start of 2024 has been for the Games & Puzzles category, thanks to our friends at Circana. The data is interesting: the overall category is down -10% at the time of writing, but this figure is being driven by a double digit decline in Strategic Trading Card Games, which is over a third of the category and -20% so far this year (even with Pokémon the second-highest grower in the top 15 UK properties, at +14%). When you take Strategic Trading Card Games away, the other games categories combined are only down -4%: this is ahead of the overall market, which is currently down -6%. And several sub-categories are showing healthy growth, with straightforward Card Games up +6% (driven by sub-£10 games such as Uno, Monopoly Deal, Cartamundi’s Royal Flush Playing Cards and Asmodee’s Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza), Family Board/Action Games up +13% and Adult Games coming in hot with particularly impressive growth of +19%.

As we’re all aware, 2023 was a tricky year for the entire Toys & Games industry, not least of all because of the pressures on cash-strapped consumers. It’s unlikely these pressures are going to ease dramatically in 2024, meaning that for many, spending will remain constrained, and expenditure carefully considered, especially if the purchase in question could be considered non-essential. In order to get shoppers to part with their hard-earned cash this year, games and puzzles offerings must be truly compelling and offer excellent value for money.

Some companies are addressing the thorny issue of

pricing by reducing the RRP on their games. PlayMonster is one such company: its best-selling 5 Second Rule is back this year at a lower RRP of £14.99, and following the success of its relaunched Gooey Louie, Vivid Goliath is reducing the RRP on another of its games for this year: the family-friendly, food-stacking BBQ Party.

Pricing also comes into play when consumers are choosing between forms of entertainment. A night spent in playing board games with friends, or completing a jigsaw puzzle while listening to their favourite radio station, is likely to be a far cheaper way to pass the time than heading down the local or popping out for dinner and a show. Of course, playing games or building puzzles aren’t the only options for an affordable evening of entertainment, meaning they must win out over other choices.

“As people look to make savings on their outgoings, we’re competing against other forms of entertainment,” notes Jo Shapley, senior marketing manager at Asmodee UK. “The great advantage of our board games is their endless replay-ability and the fact they genuinely entertain the whole family or group of friends. We also have games at various price points, so we hope there’s something there to suit everyone's budget. We know high screen time is a concern for parents: our board games offer a break from the digital and allow families to connect with each other away from devices, as well as create lasting memories. We see these forms of entertainment being treasured and protected by hobby gaming enthusiasts especially.”

Mary Wood, managing director, UK & Ireland at Tomy, agrees with Jo’s sentiments, and says the company’s latest launches are perfect for a night in. Tomy (which according

to Circana is No. 1 in Adult games, No. 1 in Travel games and No. 2 in Children’s Games) is one of several suppliers releasing major new games and puzzles in Q1/2 this year, injecting much-needed newness and excitement into the marketplace early on, rather than allowing everything to mellow until Q4 and Christmas.

“I have to mention Medical Mysteries, which I am boring my team to death with, because it has the potential to be Game of the Year,” enthuses Mary. “Medical Mysteries is a powerhouse of a story-based collaborative game from Identity Games which is perfect for kidults and adults alike and totally aligned with market trends. This launches in spring 2024, so we have plenty of time to build hype before the peak season.”

She adds: “As games can be very Q4- or even Decemberweighted, I love that we’ve also just launched a low priced, portable and very addictive game, 5Up. This dice game is an example of how important the inventor community is in the Games sector and how much we welcome reviewing new concepts, looking for the gem we think can be a winner - and we think 5Up is one such gem.”

Other notable spring launches include Mycelia and Garden Heist from Ravensburger, the former being a charming deck-building game for 1-4 players (I’m desperate to insert some funghi puns here, but there isn’t mushroom), the latter being a fun and suspenseful game of sneaking and bin-raiding. Mattel, meanwhile, introduces Skip Bo to its ever-expanding Games portfolio for Easter. Billed by the company’s senior director of Marketing, Kelly Philp, as the ultimate sequencing card game, Skip Bo provides hours of family fun as players use

Feature Games & Puzzles

both skill and strategy to create sequential stacks of cards: the first player to use all the cards in their stockpile wins.

One of the most highly anticipated launches of the year so far has been Asmodee’s new trading card game, Star Wars Unlimited: Spark of Rebellion. Perfect for Star Wars fans and TCG fans alike, the 2-player Starter Deck comes with everything required to get a battle for the galaxy underway, including two decks of cards, counters, an instruction booklet and double-sides game mat/posters representing the light side and dark side of the Force (my husband opts to play as Darth Vader with worrying enthusiasm). It’s a fast-paced, quick to learn game, yet highly strategic and complex enough for even the most seasoned TCG pro to get stuck into. Available now, Star Wars Unlimited: Spark of Rebellion has enjoyed a very positive reception so far, including an impressive 8/10 rating on BoardGameGeek.com. Asmodee is putting a huge amount of marketing support behind the launch in order to reach as many players as possible, according to Jo Shapley, including a radio campaign featuring an actor from the Star Wars movies, partnerships with influencer Star Wars fans and strong support for the hobby stores

where people can buy the game.

Indeed, we’ve seen some great levels of retail support in recent months to tie in with TCG launches. Ravensburger, in particular, has drawn praise for launching all three of its Disney Lorcana TCG instalments (The First Chapter, Rise of the Floodborn and Into the Inklands) with indies and hobby stores two weeks before the nationals. While the TCG has undoubtedly been a huge success, its deep, strategically complex gameplay has arguably proved to be something of a barrier to younger players. Happily, Ravensburger – which values community-building and feedback from players – will be introducing a new standalone 2-player starter set called Disney Lorcana TCG Gateway later this year. The box contains two 30-card basic Disney Lorcana TCG decks, a two-player game board with character standees, rules and player’s guides, and additional cards that players can add to their decks as they go. Ravensburger says that by the time participants have played through Gateway, they’ll have built two standard Disney Lorcana TCG decks they can then take with them and play with friends. (If you want to find out more about Disney Lorcana: Into the Inklands, turn to pages 80 and

81 to read assistant editor Caroline Tonks’ report on the official launch.)

Elsewhere in the TCG space, Pokémon has already launched Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet—Paldean Fates and Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet—Temporal Forces, while this month sees Bandai launch the One Piece Card Game booster pack, Wings of the Captain, and KAP Toys continues its Marvel Mission Arena TCG. Yu-Gi-Oh!, from Konami, also maintains its position as a TCG of choice. The company’s recently launched 2-Player Starter Set has been a huge success, welcoming new players into the world of Yu-Gi-Oh! via an accessible and fun new comic-led style of gameplay. To find out more about other new launches for the game, including those released in celebration of Yu-GiOh!’s landmark 25th anniversary, turn to page 182.

Hasbro is also introducing a number of exciting new Universes Beyond and Magic: The Gathering titles under its Wizards of the Coast division, following two hugely successful 2023 releases for Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond - The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middleearth and Doctor Who.

“We’ve announced a number of new and exciting collaborations, including Assassin’s Creed, Fallout and Final Fantasy,” explains Craig Wilkins, SVP Marketing, EMEA, LATAM & Asia Pacific at Hasbro. “Universes Beyond brings fictional settings and characters from popular fandoms and combines them with Magic’s strategic gameplay, which has proved incredibly popular with our Magic fans. Alongside Universes Beyond, we’ve just launched Murders at Karlov Manor - where players can experience Ravnica through the eyes of its keenest detectives - and also Ravnica Cluedo Edition, which combines Cluedo’s timeless, immersive, crime solving experience and cast of colourful suspects with Magic’s strategic depth. And launching this month we have Outlaws of Thunder Junction, an action-packed, frontier fantasy that reimagines the western genre and features some of Magic’s most notorious villains.”

The TCGs outlined above lie within the Kidult space, one of the sub-categories highlighted by Circana as a strong growth area. This reflects a wider pattern across the whole Toys & Games industry, which saw the Kidult pound account for 7% of all sales in 2023. While this year’s new launches certainly offer more than enough for the more mature game and puzzles fan (University Games’ new Rocky Horror Show board game, anyone?), child- and family-friendly titles are also set to fuel sales within the category. Indeed, Nicole Sweeny - category manager –Boys & Outdoor Toys at Very, told Toy World the Family Games category is a year-round success for the online retailer, producing double-digit growth over the past few years: turn to pages 128 and 130 to read the full interview. Format Games, the company founded by Radio 1 DJ Matt Edmondson, showcased its new family game 13 Beavers at London Toy Fair. According to Matt, the game is unlike any other the company has produced: “It’s more of a traditional board game - there’s a board, there’s little meeples, there’s bits of card. It looks amazing; it’s very eyecatching. 13 Beavers might give the impression that it’s complex to play, but you can learn it in 15 seconds.”

Tomy is launching two accessible and fun children’s games from Fuel for Fun - Sandcastle Splat and Hide & Squeak Bots – while fresh development from its own Japanese head office comes in the form of 5 Trax Moves. A lovely introduction to strategy games for the younger player, meanwhile, the Ultimate Treehouse Game features beautiful graphics and stems from the company’s Fat Brain division.

For 2024, Hasbro has taken some classic games, including Trivial Pursuit and Monopoly, and applied unique twists to the gameplay to give families new ways to

SCRABBLE IS NOW DOUBLING THE FUN WITH TWO GAMES IN ONE!

Flip the board to play Scrabble Together as a team!

FUN BEYOND WORDS

©2024 Mattel.

Check out the range of Mattel Games

https://shopping.mattel.com/

Feature Games & Puzzles

enjoy generational favourites. Craig explains: “By utilising key insights and trends across our target audiences, we can reimagine our much-loved gaming brands to offer new ways to play. The key factor is to maximise the distinctive DNA that has made the core game so popular in the first place, whilst moving into emerging new play spaces. This gives us the opportunity to bring new audiences into our gaming brands and the category, as well as continuing to entertain our current fanbase with new ways to play their favourites.”

“Monopoly Knockout, our latest addition to the Monopoly range, brings a more fast-paced, physical aspect to play,” he adds. “We leveraged our much-loved classic game, listened to consumers’ needs regarding the speed of play and emerging trends in physical games, and have created an all-new way to play Monopoly, from collecting money to staying out of jail and acquiring the best properties.”

A number of classic games are celebrating major anniversaries this year, with Spin Master’s Rubik’s Cube turning 50 alongside Hasbro’s Dungeons & Dragons. Indie party games specialist Big Potato, meanwhile, is celebrating its 10th anniversary: later in the year, we’ll be sitting down with the Big Potato team to find out how the company has evolved over the past decade as well as where it’s headed. Scrabble (currently the No. 5 gaming property YTD) celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2023 but shows no signs of old age. Mattel unveils a new way to play Scrabble this month, Scrabble Together, that will continue to celebrate the brand message - Fun Beyond Words - in 2024. Mattel will also be building on Uno’s brand messaging this year with the introduction of Uno Show

'em No Mercy, tipped to be the most brutal Uno game yet. Already picked out by Toy World columnists Toy Barnhaus as a top seller, Uno Show 'em No Mercy comes with 56 more cards while significantly tougher penalties and new rules will ‘have players stacking, swapping and drawing more cards than ever before’.

“Mattel Games is showing real strength, growing by +5.5% in a challenging sector, which is a great performance,” says Kelly Philp, senior director of Marketing, Mattel UK. “Uno is currently up +22% and is the No.2 property YTD, and Scrabble is the No.5 property YTD. We’ve got some incredible new releases coming in 2024 which we are very excited to launch.”

From own-IPs to licensed games and puzzles, 2024 welcomes a decent selection of titles based on leading kids, family and adult properties. University Games recently welcomed pre-school favourite feline Mog to its line-up of children’s games and puzzles, which features timeless, evergreen book titles including The Tiger Who Came to Tea, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. Mark Jones, sales director at University Games and Lagoon, tells us that Mog the Forgetful Cat, written by award winning author Judith Kerr, has sold over a million copies worldwide, and that the company’s new doublesided board game has already proved extremely popular with both retailers and consumers since its release.

University Games has recently announced a new division, The Learning Journey International, which will see the company introduce over 40 new lines to the UK market this spring. Mark explains: “The Learning Journey’s educational games and puzzles offer us a perfect extension to our already successful pre-school and

Feature Games & Puzzles

children’s portfolio. The range is focused on supporting children aged 2-6 years develop matching, memory, reading and counting skills.”

Other notable releases for younger kids include Orchard Toys’ new range of Peter Rabbit games and puzzles. Each of the six launch SKUs features beautiful illustrations from the talented Rowena Isotta-Day, who told Team Toy World at London Toy Fair that working on the range has been ‘delightful’, if a little daunting: Peter Rabbit is Orchard’s first ever licensed collaboration and one of the UK’s most beloved children’s characters, so Rowena had to get it right. Happily, she has, and the result is a collection of charming games and puzzles for pre-schoolers that represents the very best of both brands and their shared values of quality, learning and fun.

Other big-name licences expanding their presence in the Games category this year include Minions and Super Mario, both of which benefit from new games from Epoch making toys, while Cartamundi introduces new support for Disney Portrait Challenge for 2024 alongside its existing Disney Princess and Marvel Race Home games. Winning Moves is celebrating the ‘Blue Blur’ with two new, officially licensed games based upon Sonic the Hedgehog – Top Trumps Match and Whot! –and Ravensburger’s Villainous franchise adds further editions this year in the form of Disney Villainous: Sugar & Spite and a new Star Wars Villainous expandalone. Ravensburger also recently announced the new Chronicles of Light: Darkness Falls Disney Edition, a cooperative role-play board game.

Kidicraft, meanwhile, is benefitting from AB Gee of Ripley’s distribution reach for its new range of Hornby licensed puzzles, which feature everything from the HMS Titanic to iconic WW1 and WW2 planes and vintage locomotives. These puzzles are likely to appeal

puzzlers (much younger) will enjoy Melissa & Doug’s charming range, which welcomes the Ice Cream Magnetic Puzzle, Round the Shore and Round the World Track Puzzles, Animal Chase I-Spy Wooden Gear Puzzle and Glow-in-the-Dark Space Puzzle. And for those in the middle of the age spectrum, there’s Big Potato’s Riddle Pics puzzles. Described as ‘a bit like if Where’s Wally went on Catchphrase’, each puzzle hides 101 visual riddles for

If that sounds like a little too much grey matter is required, puzzlers can relax with one of EWA-Eco-WoodArt’s stunning wooden puzzles. These eye-catching offerings are available in a number of animal designs, including Eagle Owl, Wolf, Turtle, Bat, Lion, Panther, Lynx, Chameleon and Chimp, plus other on-trend designs such as the stunning World Map, which can be hung in the home once

Cheatwell Games also has a strong puzzle offering for 2024, having recently acquired the UK & Ireland distribution rights to the 130-strong Cobble Hill range. Ranging from 275 to 2,000 pieces, the whimsical, nostalgic assortment is known for its random die cut and quirkily shaped pieces, which offer puzzlers something a little different to traditional titles. Cobble Hill jigsaws have also been created to cater to puzzlers of different skill and experience levels, so different members of the family can work together to complete

the scenes, and the brand has taken its inclusivity even further with its Easy Handling range, designed for those with visual impairments.

At the other end of the spectrum from traditional puzzles are some of this year’s decidedly different new toy and game launches. Big Potato’s Riddle Pics puzzles, mentioned earlier, are also available in poster form for those who would prefer simply to hunt down the hidden clues in the picture. Golden Bear’s Fart Yoga, a 2024 Toy Fair Hero Toy, will have players struggling to keep a straight face as they contort themselves into hilarious yoga poses without causing the sloth strapped to them to (you guessed it) fart. Also perfect for an active game night, KidKraft’s new Beat Board challenges players’ balance, core strength and memory as they use their body to play one of four modes. Wargamers, meanwhile, will enjoy Achtung Panzer! from Warlord Games, which allows them to experience the effectiveness of armoured fighting vehicles and their crews during WW2, and animal lovers will appreciate Farplace Animal Sanctuary’s new board and card games, sales of which raise funds for animals in need.

In recent years we’ve seen games suppliers showcase their portfolios not just at leading trade fairs but consumer events too. Tomy’s Mary Wood says attending the likes of UK Games Expo is a great way to get turn passionate gamers into early adopters of new titles, which they can play at the popular Birmingham-based annual event: this ‘ground up’ activity also ultimately supports retailers by creating demand and pull through.

Asmodee’s Jo Shapley agrees, telling us that consumer gaming events are a ‘fantastic way’ for the company to both meet its core consumers and recruit new fans to the hobby. “We enjoy hearing what they have to say: what they like, what they're looking forward to,” she says.

“Consumers get the chance to playtest games they might be considering buying and then go on to purchase the game if they enjoyed the experience. Our studies have shown that people who attend board game events are more likely to purchase board games more frequently, and at higher price points too.”

Elsewhere, Playtime PR has devised a new way to get board games into the hands of consumers via its new Board Game Club libraries initiative, which started rolling out in mid-March. The initiative, which aims to increase

Feature Games & Puzzles

access to play for local communities through their libraries, will see the first Board Game Club boxes making their way to 100 public libraries across the length and breadth of the country. Each box contains 11 board games from Asmodee, Big Potato, Gibsons, Imagination Games, Orchard Toys, Ridley’s Games and Spin Master.

In addition to Monopoly LifeSized in London, its permanent immersive gaming location, Hasbro has planned several exciting global activations in 2024 to drive traffic into its Wizards Play Network (WPN) stores. “Bringing gameplay to life through experiences is key to our strategy,” explains Craig Wilkins. “For Magic: The Gathering, our exciting activations really embrace the content of our new releases. The exclusive UK, France and Germany ‘Most Wanted’ activation for our Westernthemed new Magic set, Outlaws of Thunder Junction, invites players to become the Most Wanted player of their local WPN store: other players will try to defeat them to obtain rewards. Stores will receive a poster in the style of classic Most Wanted Western posters, a frame to show the Most Wanted player and ‘golden nugget’ dice for the rewards.”

He adds: “For Dungeons & Dragons, we will celebrate the franchise’s incredible 50th anniversary with play and products throughout 2024, and make sure WPN retailers have the best tools to support the franchise as we release revised and updated 2024 Core Rulebooks, starting with the 2024 Player’s Handbook on 17th September.”

Retail support is also available in the form of new POS solutions: Melissa & Doug is this year launching a new wooden spinner stand to effectively showcase its

puzzle collection, which includes the best-selling Sound Puzzles and Chunky Puzzles as well as developmental top performers such as the Latches Board, the Basic Skills Board and Magnetic Daily Calendar. AB Gee, meanwhile, is providing customers with FOC FSDUs with any order of 48 puzzles from its Kidicraft Hornby or Kevin Walsh Nostalgia range, and Plus-Plus UK & Ireland created a new Easter-themed display this spring, which contains an assortment of three puzzle sets: 100-piece Chick, 100-piece Bunny and 15-piece Big Bunny.

Of course, impactful marketing campaigns remain key to raising awareness of new games and ensuring they find their way into the hands of consumers. “Subbuteo has been and continues to be a successful focus for our mass-market campaign,” explains University Games’ Mark Jones. “2024 will see another year of extensive online and digital marketing campaigns from University Games, supporting both our larger well-known brands as well as our new additions, including The Learning Journey. Our mass-media campaigns will also be supported by continuous PR and social media activity, as well as in store promotions, in conjunction with our retailer partners.”

Asmodee has a dedicated team of account handlers who keep retailers up to date with the latest board game releases, while the PR campaigns the company runs show consumers what’s coming up across a range of media platforms. These are supported by influencer campaigns that reveal the gameplay behind its newest launches. Demonstrations remain a crucial pillar of Asmodee’s offering, too: its team of demonstrators is kept busy throughout this year, engaging with existing and new players alongside key retailers at events and festivals

across the UK. Jo Shapley adds: “A few years ago, Asmodee launched its successful Hobby Next scheme to support bricks & mortar stores by giving them access to exclusive game expansion packs, accessories and minis for key game releases. These give customers an incentive to shop local and enhance their gameplay.”

According to Tomy’s Mary Wood, reaching consumers is not getting any easier. Tomy’s marketing team faces a constant challenge: how best to invest marketing spend, given the rapidly changing and ever evolving consumer media market. She says: “Some more traditional AV methods still work for Children’s Games, but we think that getting back to basics for Adult and Strategy games - sampling and word-of-mouth, whether via games cafes, games expos or influencers - is important. Radio or podcasts also have a role to play as the linear viewing audience continues to dwindle.”

Mary adds: “I say this every year, but it remains absolutely true: retailers can rely on Tomy to invest what we say we will invest in the games we bring to market. Not all games work, but they all get the most appropriate level and type of investment to ensure they have the best chance of being successful. Sometimes we have to pivot, but we are here for the long term and understand that investment is needed for both current games and new games - which is why our games remain at the top of the leader boards year in, year out.”

Over the coming pages, Toy World brings readers a round-up of the very best new games and puzzles launching this year and takes a look at the myriad ways companies will be playing them up to consumers.

Test your skill and luck to see if you have what it takes to make it to Beaver Paradise. Gameplay is simple, just guess if the next card will be...

...to move down the river. Push your luck to the limits and shout “Dam!” to save your progress. Bursting with bonus features including fishing, rapids, lava, wolves and more!

A piece of the action

Sindy Randall, senior Product manager, Puzzles, has been with the Ravensburger puzzle team for 20 years and today manages the company’s full puzzle portfolio for the UK, including the commissioning and development process for all locally designed puzzles. Here, she tells Toy World about the strengths of Ravensburger’s puzzle portfolio and what there is to look forward to in 2024.

How is Ravensburger’s Puzzle segment currently performing?

Puzzles are a cornerstone of our business. We’ve maintained the No. 1 position across 2D Adult, Children’s and 3D puzzles. 2023 marked our fifth consecutive year as leader in adult puzzles, and with over 200 new items coming this year, we’re planning on continued growth in this area.

Coming into 2024, what are the standout puzzle highlights for the year ahead?

The year ahead marks 50 years of our Ravensburger blue triangle logo. This symbol is recognised the world over as a sign of Ravensburger quality and we’ll be marking the occasion in the UK with two special edition items. Our best-selling 3D Eiffel Tower puzzle will be available as a glow-in-the-dark limited edition, complete with anniversary-themed packaging. And as the year also marks our 20th Christmas puzzle with artist Roy Trower, it will be a double celebration with a very exciting anniversary edition reprint of Roy’s first Christmas puzzle with us: Christmas Village.

We’re also continuing to grow our portfolio of local artists. This year, six fabulous new illustrators have joined our line-up. We’re always looking for new and talented artists to grow our offering and complement the international designs we cherry-pick from the wealth of designs available to us in our global Ravensburger portfolio.

The breadth of our range does make it tricky to choose highlights, but I have to say I am really excited about the 2024 portfolio. I’d spotlight the launch of the 11th puzzle in our popular My Haven series of 1,000-piece puzzles, and the 10th in our Leisure Days range. We have also expanded our offering of large-piece format puzzles and in licensed puzzles, we’re really pleased to be introducing the hotly anticipated Wicked movie to the puzzle shelf later this year.

Games & Puzzles is currently one of the strongest categories for the booming Kidult market. How important is Kidult spending to your puzzles segment?

We can see the impact of this, particularly in our licensed offering. In our popular Challenge adult puzzle series, we see what may be considered more kid-centric licences performing well: for example, Super Mario, Pokémon and Squishmallows editions have been very successful. Likewise, Disney licensed puzzles are always a hit and enjoy a strong adult following.

How are your kids’ puzzles performing? What are the biggest properties, themes and piece counts?

We pride ourselves on presenting both retailers and consumers with a comprehensive line-up of children’s puzzles. To ensure each licence is translated into an unbeatable puzzle experience, bespoke artwork is created. Our range includes all of the top 20 kids’ licences and we’re proud to maintain 75% of the kids licensed puzzle market. Bluey, Pokémon and Super Mario are among our strongest performing licences currently, and we’re excited to be welcoming on board a raft of new properties including Jurassic World Explorers, Despicable Me 4, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and more in the coming year.

What can you tell us about the redesign of Ravensburger’s puzzle boxes?

From the second half of this year, Ravensburger puzzle fans will notice changes to our puzzle pack design. This major redesign will contribute to our ongoing commitment to sustainability, with reduced pack sizes across our 500-, 1,000- and 1500-piece formats delivering several benefits. With a 90% fill rate, the formats ensure less air in the box for shipping and sizes are also optimised for display. We also no longer include shrink wrap. As well as changed pack sizes, the look of Ravensburger puzzles will be refreshed across the full offering too. The new design will reflect a modern and contemporary brand feel and will ensure the puzzle image is showcased in the most effective way.

What sets Ravensburger puzzles apart in the marketplace?

This is probably a question for the many brand fans out there! But what we hear from puzzle aficionados at consumer events is that they are passionate about the quality of our Ravensburger puzzles. Our manufacturing process features handcrafted cutters, ensuring unique puzzle pieces and a perfect fit. The attention to detail in our puzzles has remained the same throughout our history, in every aspect of our puzzle production process. From design to manufacture and onwards, we want the experience with our puzzles to set the standard. The breadth of our offering caters to every age, interest and skill level, from beginners piecing together their first puzzles to avid fans wanting to test the limits of their hobby with jigsaws composed of many thousands of pieces.

How does Ravensburger help its retail partners make the most of their puzzle ranges?

With the depth of our range, we aim to provide a product selection that will meet the needs of every retailer and their audience. We offer a range of flexible merchandising solutions, and we would encourage our partners to discuss merchandising opportunities with our team.

What kind of marketing will Ravensburger’s puzzles benefit from this year?

Our customer magazine Positively Puzzling will continue to showcase new products and engage puzzlers in the stories behind the range and our artists. On a global level, we are once again the exclusive sponsor of the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship. This offers a wealth of marketing opportunities. Our PR and digital marketing campaigns will continue throughout the year, and we’ll also continue to keep the range front of mind through consumer events, print partnerships and more.

Games & Puzzles

VR Distribution

0330 088 0941 | www.vrdist.co.uk

VR Distribution, a company known for bringing some of the biggest selling games titles to the UK, offers an extensive range of party and family games and is launching a number of new releases for spring/summer 2024.

Four of the company’s new games hail from the rapidly growing Lucky Egg range and are based on major social media trends. Tortilla Slap sees players race to get rid of their cards in a classic game of snap. If they don’t snap the burrito card, they’ll get a tortilla slap. Thanks to its easyto-learn rules, Tortilla Slap is perfect for players from six years of age.

Trippy Trivia takes players into the middle of the mushroom trend as they dive into this fast paced, family trivia game with a twist. Instead of shouting out the answers, players use a colourful mushroom grabber to pick them up as quickly as possible. However, some questions are designed to trip them up along the way. With questions ranging from pop culture to history and movies to music, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

With Grab The Mic, players can warm up their vocal chords and belt out some tunes: simply flip a lyric card, think of a song that uses that word, race to grab the mic and sing the hit to win. The hilarious What Sorry, meanwhile, is a bad lip-reading adult party game in which players challenge the headphone-wearer to guess the sentence by lip-reading.

VR Distribution undertook two soft launches in autumn/winter 2023. First up was Shenanigrams, a mischievous, tile-based word game for kids aged eight and over. Travel-friendly and the perfect grab-and-go game, players battle head-to-head in a nail-biting race to build, tag and steal words from their opponents using stealth, strategy and wordy wickedness. The first to use all their tags and shout ‘Shenanigrams!’ wins the point. The beauty of this game is that there’s no need to be a Shakespearean wordsmith: it can be as simple or strategic as players decide to make it, and like great wine, it gets even better with time.

The second soft launch was for Storytime Chess, which will benefit from marketing in spring/summer 2024. Chess has been shown to develop multiple cognitive and emotional skills that will benefit children throughout their lives, but teaching the game of chess to younger children has always been challenging. With Storytime Chess, the game has come alive, and the rules and strategy are woven through the fun and engaging stories. Characters, stories, activities and imagery help kids as young as three learn the moves, strategies and language of chess in a hugely accessible way.

Explosm

www.explosm.net | logistics@explosm.net

Fresh off the grill from Joking Hazard, Sosig is tipped to become a go-to choice for family game night. Well-known for its edgier comedy choices, Cyanide & Happiness’ games division is stepping into the fully familyfriendly realm with this new sausage-themed card game involving quick-thinking strategy.

In Sosig, each player must work to create the tastiest Sosig using head and body cards. Each Sosig card scores different points and offers unique effects. Players can accrue more points by fulfilling ever-changing unique Order Goals as they strive to gain the ultimate Award Goal. Mystery Meat cards received throughout the game allow players to sabotage their opponents’ assembled Sosigs, burning or chomping them to make them incomplete.

The compact size of Sosig makes it a perfect game to carry around and enjoy on the go. Whether players are traveling, waiting for an appointment or simply spending quality time with their loved ones at home, Sosig can be easily whipped out for a quick round of family fun. Its portability also makes it an ideal stocking filler or small gift for any occasion, ensuring that the laughter and enjoyment of the game can be shared with friends and family throughout the year, no matter where their adventures take them.

With its charming theme, accessible gameplay and strategic depth, this colourful card game is destined to become a favourite addition to any game collection. Sosig also welcomes a new era of offerings from Joking Hazard as the company continues to challenge the limits of its brand identity and remain responsive to the feedback of customers and retailers.

To accompany Sosig, Hoddog has players racing to create the longest hot dog before the last ketchup splats. Boasting the same small profile box and charming art style, Hoddog is a fast-paced, push-your-luck strategy game in which players vie to be the best hot dog chef. Readers should keep an eye out for more information about this exciting addition to Joking Hazard’s portfolio in the coming months.

Joking Hazard’s games are distributed by VR Distribution, Blackfire Germany, SpilBraet, Lion Rampant in Canada, and ACDD in the United States.

Bolstering the success of its Joking Hazard division, Cyanide & Happiness offers a smorgasbord of mirth beyond the games outlined above, including comic strips, an animated web series, merchandise and more.

cards gravity PRO

The gravity-defying, cardbalancing party game

Balance and stack waterproof cards on top of a bottle, and try not to be the one that makes them all come tumbling down!

vs

Bottle not included

“Fun

If you’d like to find out more about our games then get in touch with us at trade@bigpotato.co.uk

Games & Puzzles

Vivid Goliath

01483 449 944

www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk

Proud to be a destination supplier for games, Goliath continues to focus on innovation and create stand out titles that stimulate the category. With its wide portfolio, investment in layered multi-media campaigns and passion for creating unique gameplay experiences, Goliath offers exciting, fresh and affordable games for everyone.

Ranked as a top seller in games last season, The Traitors board game, based on the BBC 1 hit series, will see more Faithfuls battle it out to unmask the Traitor among them. With Series 3 set to be filmed back at the castle, fans can continue to play the original game at home along with the expansion packs that are due out later this year.

Murdle, created by G.T Karber, has fast become the best-selling murder-mystery puzzle game. With more than half a million books sold last Christmas and two more set to launch in both 2024 and 2025, Goliath is poised to launch a Murdle board game this year. The new introduction will give super-sleuths the chance to solve murders around their own kitchen tables.

Following the success of the re-designed Gooey Louie, which is now available at an everyday low price point, BBQ Party has also been redesigned, bringing new features to this nostalgic brand for a new generation. Players take it in turns to load their veggies onto the BBQ, but they must be careful as the grill will pop-up, throwing it all off.

A Toy Fair Toy Hero award winner, Go Go UFO sees aliens invade the pre-school aisle this season. This fast-paced game features super-stretchy aliens on springs that kids use to abduct the innocent farm animals on the floor. The player with the most farm animals when time the timer runs out, wins. In Warning!! This Game Farts, players pull the Fartmaster and try to keep their cool as they bluff other players into thinking they aren’t the farter. Sitting alongside the global best-seller Sequence, younger fans can enjoy the new Paw Patrol Sequence and Triominos, bringing the same addictive gameplay to a younger audience.

Following the recent announcement that Goliath will distribute the global Funko Games portfolio, players can now step into a rich and varied collection in which Funko’s pop culture focus complements the Goliath library of games. The Bitty Pop Chase Game sees players race to collect cards showing exclusive Bitty Pop figures to earn points at the end of the game, while family favourite Cranium is joined by the Askalotol Party Game.

Goliath has extended the Nexcube line, introducing new stackable packaging and a 3x3 Britcube edition that allows fans to join a community of world record setting cube puzzlers in style.

Goliath will be exhibiting at Games Expo from 31st May, where gamers can enjoy playing some of the brand’s classic titles as well as being among the first to experience new titles due to launch later in the year.

Hasbro

0208 569 1234 | www.hasbro.co.uk

Hasbro continues to create products with cross-generational appeal that resonate with gaming fans of all ages and create everlasting memories. Fresh and exciting experiences are made possible with new games based on beloved brands, such as Monopoly Knockout and Hungry Hungry Hippos Refresh.

Monopoly Knockout is a family party game of sliding tokens and cash-grabbing fun. In this upand-active version of Monopoly, players compete against opponents in a token showdown. During each round, they take turns sliding their tokens down the long 3-foot gameboard. At the end of each round, players collect or pay cash based on where their tokens ended up, meaning they must aim and slide carefully: landing tokens on the best properties bags the most cash, while a strategic slide can be used to knock other players’ tokens into Jail - or totally off the board. The player with the most cash at the end of the game wins. This family party game is a great for family gatherings, game nights and more.

New for strategy gamers is the recently revealed HeroQuest Against the Ogre Horde Quest Pack. Zargon’s latest plot has ensnared the Dirgrusht horde, a powerful and secretive clan of ogres to the north that has become increasingly violent. As a formidable Druid hero, players must enter the World’s End Arena to prove their mettle as a warrior, locate the hidden lair of the ogre horde, and weed out the root of corruption at the heart of their clan. Fans can immerse themselves in the fantasy with 10 perilous quests, stunning artwork, 28 detailed miniatures and full-colour tiles. This game has limitless replayability, with the option for heroes to create their own quests and stories.

Magic: The Gathering has a raft of exciting releases that fans can get their hands on in 2024. The year began with the release of Murders at Karlov Manor, with players taking to the world of Ravnica in order to solve a murder. This set marked the debut of the new Play Boosters, which combine the playability and draftability of Draft boosters with the thrilling experience of Set Boosters.

The next set of the year was another entry in the Universes Beyond series, which sees Magic cross worlds with other legendary IPs. This time, Planeswalkers can head to the Wasteland with Fallout, complete with four Commander Decks for a total of 154 new cards. The next set marks the one hundredth entry for Magic: Outlaws of Thunder Junction where fans will head to the wild West, with Play & Collector Boosters, the Bundle, Pre-Release Packs and Commander Decks up for grabs.

The rest of the year is set to be a big one for the brand, with the launch of the highly anticipated Modern Horizons 3 followed by another highly-anticipated Universes Beyond set: Assassin’s Creed.

Games & Puzzles

Tactic Games

07595 048770 | www.tactic.net | thomas.randrup@tactic.net

Tactic has been bringing families together to share board game experiences since 1967. From best-sellers such as Alias, Mexican Train and Flags of the World to new trivia and entertainment games for 2024, the Tactic catalogue is bursting with fun and challenging games for players of all ages.

One of the new themes for this year is music. Guaranteed to be a party hit, Tactic’s new DJ Game comes packaged in a cool vinyl record cover to give it a nostalgic, retro feel. Players can challenge others in musical competitions or enjoy shared moments in a social environment as they enjoy favourite songs together. Music fans first choose someone from the group to become the DJ, then pick a card from the deck. The number on the card will determine what kind of song they should play: for example, a song released before they were born or a cover song they think is better than the original. They then find a relevant song from a music streaming service of choice and the other players have to guess which track description on the record it matches. The record has two sides. Side A is suitable for family friendly songs while side B is perfect for a more adult themed game. Available in an assortment of three vinyl designs and launching in late spring, DJ Game is a compact title that’s easy to take anywhere and open up when tunes are the order of the day.

Reflecting the company’s focus on looking after the planet, Mother Earth is another key launch for 2024. The range has been designed to raise awareness among players about the environment and encourage people to make sustainable lifestyle choices. Created in collaboration with students from the University of Lapland, the aim of this co-operative and educational game is to teach players to act responsibly towards the environment and to see how small actions can make a big difference to the well-being of the earth. Players complete missions and answer questions across four categories. A wrong answer means they must pick up a damage card that blocks their way around the board.

Tactic’s educational Let’s Learn series continues to grow, offering kids games that match their age and level of development. Designed in partnership with Finnish teachers and manufactured in Finland using recycled cardboard, new games for this year include Word Rally, a bingo inspired observational game that can be played three ways by children aged four and above, and the Let’s Learn Traffic Game, a new addition for older children that teaches road safety. Players have to answer traffic related questions to move around the route on the board to win the trophy.

Also famous for its word games, Tactic’s Quick Words is a compact dice game in which players roll the letter dice and then form words before the sand timer runs out. However, they only score points for words that are different to their opponent’s. The award-winning Word Bingo and globally successful Alias, which has now sold in excess of 6m copies worldwide, are also other fantastic word game choices for a fun family games night.

Winning Moves

01706 558 539 | www.winningmoves.co.uk

April sees Winning Moves relaunch its World Football Stars range. As the best-selling range amongst Winning Moves’ 400+ SKUs, the company has decided to give World Football Stars a fresh lick of paint and a tune up that will further cement its popularity. To date, the World Football Stars range consists of Top Trumps, Top Trumps Match, Top Trumps Quiz, Top Trumps Battle Mat, Monopoly, Guess Who and a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle, and features some of the world’s best players from the most popular sport on earth.

Many customers will recognise the World Football Stars logo, which has become synonymous with the brand. Currently, the products come in blue packaging with a selection of the world’s hottest talents on the front. From April onwards, Winning Moves will be releasing three revamped editions in green: the Top Trumps Pack, Top Trumps Match and Guess Who. This decision has been made in order to keep the products fresh and the contents up to date: there will be new names and faces in each. In addition, Winning Moves has introduced innovation to its best-selling Top Trumps Match. This version of the game sees players match 5-in-a-row either vertically, horizontally or diagonally. New Top Trumps Mini Match, a smaller, travel-sized edition, features the same gameplay and is perfect for small shelf spaces, small backpacks and small hands. With the Euros just round the corner, these are the perfect lines to have in-store for a summer of football.

Winning Moves has produced a regional edition of Monopoly centred on the historic town of Luton. The game will feature some of the area's most prominent and popular local attractions including, of course, Kenilworth Road. Luton Monopoly is available now and any retailers supporting it will receive window POS. Winning Moves has also recently launched three other regional editions of Monopoly: Snowdonia, Oxford and the Yorkshire Dales. Q4 welcomes five new editions: Newcastle, St. Albans, Chester, Peterborough and Hampstead & Highgate. Retailers meeting qualifying orders for the game will also receive window POS.

One of the most popular licences for Winning Moves last year was Sonic the Hedgehog, with the company’s Sonic the Hedgehog Top Trumps pack a standout line. For 2024, the company has already added two new, officially licensed games to the brand – Top Trumps Match and Whot! – and will be adding a Monopoly version in Q3, in good time for peak season. All the games are aesthetically striking and there is much excitement for when they hit shelves. With the third movie arriving in December this year and the spin-off TV series, Knuckles, airing from this month, Sonic the Hedgehog is expected to gain popularity and drive demand among consumers for Winning Moves’ licensed games.

Games & Puzzles

Warlord Games

01159 784 202 | www.tradehub.warlordgames.com

karl.boucher@warlordgames.com

Warlord Games is an industry-leading manufacturer of historical miniatures and wargames rules. Founded in 2007 by wargaming stalwarts John Stallard and Paul Sawyer, Warlord produces the successful Bolt Action ruleset and accompanying miniature range, alongside a vast catalogue of other historical, fantasy and science fiction rules and figures. New for 2024, Warlord Games has announced the launch of its newest World War II wargame, Achtung Panzer!

Achtung Panzer! is a game of in-depth 28mm WW2 tank combat that allows wargamers to fight exciting close-quarter battles in dense terrain as well as experience the effectiveness of armoured fighting vehicles and their crews during WW2. Offering enormous customisability and a rewarding campaign system, Achtung Panzer! utilises Warlord’s extensive range of WW2 armoured vehicles. Players can recreate some of the great tank battles of the war and scenes from classic films such as Kelly’s Heroes and Fury, with detailed and unique statistics ensuring the tanks on the tabletop feel like their real-life counterparts.

During gameplay, players control a small number of tanks and use a unique initiative order system do battle through heavy terrain on the tabletop. Detailed spotting and destruction mechanics require players to first identify their targets, then line up the perfect shot before attempting to destroy their foes. The action and event card system ensures that no two games are the same, while the linked campaign system allows players to see their crews and tanks progress over the course of numerous battles.

At-launch releases include the Blood and Steel Starter Set; Achtung Panzer! Rulebook; 4x starter tank forces - USA, Germany, Great Britain and Soviet Union; 4x Warlord Resin tank crews - USA, Germany, Great Britain and Soviet Union; and many more post-launch releases to follow.

University Games

020 7154 0100 | www.university-games.co.uk

The University Games portfolio contains a game for everyone, from pre-schoolers to adults and everyone in between. University Games and Lagoon’s combined catalogues offer over 700 games, puzzles and gifts for the whole family, from firm favourites including Smart Ass, Pizza Party, Subbuteo and Don’t Say It to the brand-new The Dog Ate My Homework!, Prometheus and Art Gallery board games.

Following the acquisition of The Learning Journey, The University Games portfolio offers an additional 40 lines focused on key learning ages and stages from baby and pre-school through to 12 years old. The range includes a selection of high-quality, award-winning educational toys, games and puzzles designed to help children prepare for school and beyond. The range includes a series of My First Match Games, Floor Puzzles and Wildlife World Puzzles.

The Dog Ate My Homework! is a hilarious new addition to University Games’ children’s range. Once the dog has chewed (and pooped out) the drawing, players race to place the jumbled pieces back together and guess what the image was.

The adorable artwork, ready for the dog to eat, is crowdsourced from children all over the world.

Three further new lines have joined the extensive and ever-popular Very Hungry Caterpillar range of games and puzzles this spring: the colourful Very Hungry Caterpillar Rainbow Picnic Game, the ABC in a Tin Game and a rainbow-shaped, double sided Floor Puzzle.

New additions to Lagoon’s in-demand, extensive Project Genius range include two new puzzles for the environmentally friendly bamboo category. Bumble Jumble, a pack-it-in style brain teaser with a stunning bee featured design, is joined by a travel Bamboo Mancala. Also launching are new True Genius brainteasers including A Puzzle a Day

Caesar’s Calendar brainteaser, Message in a Bottle and the Greek Chain and Anchor.

Following on from the hugely popular Speedy Words game, 2024 will see the arrival of Speedy Numbers. This 4-in-1 game puts mental maths to the test in a fun but educational way and will join evergreen best-sellers Stupid Deaths, Pointless, Blurt, Who’s in the Bag and 5 Letter Wordlet.

Celebrating 50 years of the pop culture phenomenon, University Games’ new iconic Rocky Horror party game will see players sing the songs, quote the famous one-liners and lyrics, take on the charades and dance the Time Warp’s famous moves in an effort to be the first player to escape the castle. Other new lines joining the family games portfolio include the Art Gallery game, a competition to find the most famous paintings in the world, and the latest release in the renowned Forbidden Games collection, Faeries & Magical Creatures.

Games & Puzzles

Toynamics UK & Ireland

01164 785 230 | www.toynamics.com | sales@toynamics.co.uk

Toynamics UK & Ireland’s brand portfolio offers a variety of puzzles and games across brands, age groups and price points. At its core is Hape, with puzzles suitable from 12 months to six years and everything in between. New for 2024 is the Magnetic Human Body Puzzle. Made from magnetic wooden pieces representing muscles, organs, nerves, bones and more, there are over 60 pieces in this puzzle to help kids visualise and recognise the body’s systems, parts and major organs. Also included are educational fact cards to further learning about the human body, which also encourage and develop life-science learning skills. This anatomic play set is a great way for kids to enjoy hours of screen-free fun, while not only learning about the body but also advancing their hand-eye coordination, creative expression and imaginative play skills.

Expanding the Hape puzzle selection is the new 18–36-month range. Each of the four themed puzzle sets in this range includes 10 separate puzzles ranging from 2-6 pieces, carefully designed to help develop skills through different key age groups. In addition to being fun, the puzzles encourage creative and sensory growth as well as problem solving, hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.

The best-selling Solar System Puzzle is innovative and offers hours of fun. This 100-piece puzzle features an LED sun centre piece, 3D planet pieces and an educational astronomy poster full of facts, bringing an educational yet interactive element to playtime while kids explore outer space. Another of Hape’s best-sellers is the Human Body Puzzle with 3D organs. Suitable for four years and up, the 50-piece puzzle is packed with lots of different STEAM learning elements and comes with a fun fact sheet in 11 languages. Glow in the Dark puzzles are available in three different themes, each of which comes with 10 fact cards and is 1.5 metres long.

All Toynamics UK & Ireland brands and products benefit from full marketing support including POS and shop-in-shop solutions.

John Adams

01480 414 361 | www.johnadams.co.uk

John Adams’ range of Ideal games continues to grow with new additions in the family, party and puzzle categories. Bubble Ding is a fun-filled, bubble-popping game for kids this spring; this new interactive outdoor activity can be played in the garden or park. Children make bubbles with the bubble maker, then race to pop and burst 20 bubbles with the electronic bubble popping wands to win.

Dyce Games creates party games for every occasion, with bestselling games including Hot Seat, Bad Choices, Bad People, Pick Your Poison and The Voting Game. Joining the Dyce portfolio is First to Worst, the multi-generational party game of polarising preferences. In each round, the Ranker secretly ranks five random things from one to five. The rest of the players as a team now try to guess the exact order chosen by the Ranker. Win one point for each match, but each wrong guess is a point against the group.

The Ideal party games range is also expanding with three new launches: Srirach'ya Problem, a spicy-themed game where players must find the fibber; Am I A Dirtbag?..., the game of changing opinions and Killer Questions, the would-you-rather game with a killer twist.

Linkee, the shout-out family quiz game, is going to the next level with Linkee Generations. It includes 1,600+ questions spanning different decades, from the 1970s to the 2020s. Players need to collect a card from each decade to win. The party edition has extra pencils and pads, so different generations can play at the same time.

Prime 3D jigsaw puzzles’ pieces have multiple layers that create a 3D effect and the range features popular licensed sets including Star Wars, Disney Princess, Marvel, DC, Harry Potter and many more. The range has puzzles from 100 - 500 pieces and includes giftable collectible tins.

All key games and puzzles will be supported by full marketing plans across digital and social platforms, plus integrated PR and influencer campaigns.

Games & Puzzles

Plus-Plus UK & Ireland

0333 050 0144 | www.plus-plus.com | info.uk@plus-plus.com

The Plus-Plus Puzzle by Number range combines paint by number artistry with the satisfaction of puzzle solving. Offering both creativity and STEM based learning, these bright creations are strong enough to be displayed or even hung, with no glue or heat required to keep them together.

New for 2024 are Puppy and Kitten, both comprising 500 bright and colourful pieces. Kids can recreate their favourite pet in fun cute colours and then hang their finished masterpiece in their bedrooms as décor to enjoy day after day. Also new is the Puzzle by Number Chick. With Easter around the corner, this 250-piece kit lets kids create a scene of a cute yellow chick emerging from an Easter egg, with enough pieces left over to make another egg. The Chick is available as a solid or within the new Easter display, which contains a 100-piece Chick, 100-piece Bunny and 15-piece Big Bunny, making this the perfect ready-made Easter POS solution for any retailer.

Still available in the Puzzle by Numbers range are the popular 250-piece, 500-piece or 800-piece 2D puzzle sets. Once mastered, kids can move up a level or make their own 3D models from the pieces. All Puzzle by Numbers kits contain a selection of 10 colours and are held to together simply by connecting the pieces. Once a puzzle is complete, it can be taken apart and added to any existing Plus-Plus collection, creating even more open-ended play possibilities as kids dream up 2D and 3D creations of their own choice.

Plus-Plus is a socially and environmentally responsible company. The factory and headquarters in Denmark run on 100% green energy from wind power and all products and packaging are 100% recyclable.

Golden Bear Toys

01952 608 308 | www.goldenbeartoys.com | customerservices@goldenbeartoys.co.uk

2024 will see Golden Bear build on its presence in the family and party games sector with the introduction of seven new games including HyperDash, Wheel You Dare, Fart Yoga, Farty Minion Stuart and The Glow Games range. This follows an initial foray into the sector in 2023 with the successful launch of Mind Meld, Hit Send and Farty Freddie.

Golden Bear’s flexibility and ability to jump on trends quickly, combined with an eclectic mix of games across all categories and age ranges, is testament to the company’s success and will continue to form the basis for the new games being developed and launched throughout the year. The new roster will offer a mix of entertainment for the whole family with quizzes, challenges, skill-based games, interactive games and those providing pure hysteria all arriving this year.

Hyperdash is a fast reaction electronic race game which can be played indoor or outside. Players compete on their feet by hitting five targets according to the colour called out by the electronic tagger. An addictive challenge of speed, skill and agility, Hyperdash is easy to pick up but hard to put down as players will want to conquer the next level and beat their best time.

A Hero Toy at London Toy Fair 2024, Fart Yoga is a side-splitting farting game for all the family. Guaranteeing bursts of laughter and memorable moments, Fart Yoga encourages kids to move, stretch and balance, promoting healthy activity.

Wheel You Dare allows players to recreate a TV game show at home. With 300 challenges in six different categories including True or False, Surprise, Sound Quiz and Action, every spin is a new adventure. A built-in Games Master fully explains each challenge, making the game accessible for players over eight years of age.

Following the successful launch of its hilarious pass-the-parcel game Farty Freddie, Golden Bear is set to launch a Minion version with Universal in 2024. Farty Minion Stuart is full of cheeky trumps. Kids press his tummy to switch him on and hear him giggle and fart his way round the circle. If he lets rip an almighty fart and shake, the player holding him is out.

The Glow Games range will include Light Up Basketball and Bowling. Enabling keen sports people to play in the day or light up in the night, these handy games fold up for compact storage and can be played inside or outside the house.

Games & Puzzles

PlayMonster UK

01628 488 944 | www.playmonster.co.uk

trade@playmonster.co.uk

PlayMonster UK’s games portfolio goes from strength to strength with hilarious new games concepts joining the ranks. New for spring/summer 2024, Fast Blast is a frenzied on-trend colour and number matching game that is quick, easy and fun, and available to order now. The 2024 momentum continues with the highly successful Pigs on Trampolines, which benefits from TV support running from Easter plus continual support across digital and PR.

Fast Blast and Pigs on Trampolines are closely followed by the frantic action game Flying Squirrels: Feeder Frenzy. Launching in July, players race to fling squirrels at targets and collect the most nuts. Flying Squirrels: Feeder Frenzy is set to be a big hit in 2024 with investment across TV, influencer, PR and digital touchpoints. Order Up: Fish Market, arriving autumn/ winter, is a new, fast-paced, collaborative fish throwing game in which teamwork is dreamwork as players race to fulfil orders against the clock. Order Up: Fish Market comes complete with a hilarious fish timer with flapping tail. Launching in July, the game will be supported with digital campaigns, influencer sampling and PR activity. Autumn/winter 2024 will also see the UK introduction of the highly successful Yetti in My Spaghetti, which has remained a Top 10 pre-school game in the US since 2016. Players must use skill to carefully remove the noodles laid across the bowl which are holding up Yetti. All the players that didn't make Yetti fall into the bowl win.

5 Second Rule continues to be a major part of the PlayMonster Games portfolio. 2024 will see the return of the classic 5 Second Rule game, with over 500 family-friendly questions, a game board and unique spiral timer at a revised RRP of £14.99. 5 Second Rule will be supported across TV, PR, out-of-home and digital from autumn/winter 2024. 5 Second Rule mini still retains the coveted No. 1 travel game, while the two new Harry Potter 5 Second Rule games, featuring bewitching questions, are perfect for Harry Potter fans of all ages and a magical addition to any party, family game night or Christmas get-together.

Epoch Making Toys

0208 049 1377

sales@epochmakingtoys.com

Launched in February, Minions U-Turn Bowling offers bowling with a twist. Players pull back the lever for the Minion to bowl, strategising the best way to shoot the ball around the tricky bend and knock down as many pins as possible to become the U-Turn Bowling champion. Also new is Minions Hammer Pop. Players face off against each other, pressing a button to control their Minion’s hammer and shield in a battle to see who can hit the head of their opponent’s Minion first. Suitable for 1-2 players aged four and above, both games require no batteries.

These will be closely followed in April by three Despicable Me 4 games to tie-in with the new movie, which hits cinemas in July. Players can tilt, twist and turn their way through AVL Maze Mission, using the controls to move the maze and bring the ball through the four check points, meeting friends and foes along the way before climbing the tower to freedom. There are over 25,000 different route combinations possible, providing endless entertainment. In AVL Blast Training, players must aim and shoot their opponent’s Minions while trying to avoid the balls fired back. The first person to knock down all their opponent’s targets wins. Just like the arcade game, Hover Strike Battle features two paddles and a puck, which hovers on a cushion of air. A test of skill and accuracy, players aim to knock down the Despicable Me 4 villain’s target to win. Also new for spring are three new entry price point Junior Super Mario Games. Bursting with fun, the compact, travel-friendly games include the Super Mario Mushroom Mania Balancing Game, Super Mario Lucky Coin Jr. and Super Mario Adventure Game Jr. All are suitable for players aged four and over.

Autumn/winter sees the release of five action-packed Jurassic World games. Bringing the excitement of the iconic films to life, each game comes with either a selection of dinosaur cards or detailed, collectible dinosaur figures. In Jurassic World Shaky Volcano, players spin the wheel and place the corresponding dinosaur figure on the mountain - but if they aren’t balanced properly, the volcano will erupt. In Jurassic World Cage Breaker, the much-loved Blue is trapped. A thrilling game full of anticipation, players pick a card and choose a dial key, clicking it the number of times indicated on the card. Depending on their luck, the cage may break open, and the winner of the game is the player who frees Blue first. Jurassic World T-Rex Panic sees players pitted against each other as they try to escape from the dangerous woods and the jaws of the T-Rex. As they roll the dice and advance their playing piece around the board, they need to avoid the danger zones and progress to safe areas while collecting cards to score the most points.

Two balancing games, available at entry price points - Jurassic World Volcano Quake and Island Quake – complete the line-up. Players take turns placing the dinosaurs and accessories on the wobbly platforms, and the first player to cause a quake and send the dinosaurs flying loses. All games are suitable for ages five and over and are battery-free.

Games & Puzzles

Farplace Games

07736 776690 | www.farplacegames.com

gareth@farplace.org.uk

Every game produced by Farplace Games helps Farplace Animal Rescue, which specialises in caring for and rehoming animals rejected by other rescue organisations. The games are painstakingly designed by the charity’s CEO, Gareth Edwards, who racked up 40 years’ experience of collecting and playing games before beginning to design them.

Perfect for animal lovers, Farplace: The Game is an asymmetric, card-set-collecting family race game. The aim of the game is to secure the items needed to rehome and release animals, scoring movement points for each rehoming. Random vet effects take place during play while a choice of boards keeps the game interesting. Each player can move in a unique way around the board: the Dog player can use the dog agility tunnel to take a short cut, the Pigeon player can fly over and land on buildings, the Rabbit player can zig zag to cut corners and the Cat player can move for free through cardboard boxes. A Horse expansion is available, allowing players to gallop double the movement benefit on the roll of a dice. Farplace: The Game is available now.

Woof Days, Cat Days and Dino Days are the first offerings released as part of a series of strategic card games with an attractive sub-£6 RRP. In each game, players are tasked with filling their week with dogs, cats or dinosaurs, and to have scored the most points once they’ve done so. Special actions can cancel out scores, swap and remove cards and much more, ensuring a highly interactive game each time. For example, the German Shepherd card can be played on any day on anyone’s board, and covers over a dog, taking their score back to zero. In Cat Days, meanwhile, players start with a Cat Tree that enables up to three cat cards to score on a single day, rather than the usual one. The pointer card removes a cat, and the cardboard box card steals a cat from a rival, bringing it to the player’s own board.

Dino Days players start with a Giganotosaurus card which makes it possible to wipe out an opponent’s entire board - but awards them 10 points at the same time. This gameplay increases the strategy element of the Dino Days, as each participant will be waiting for their opponent to play the Giganotosaurus before using their stronger cards. The Diplodocus is a two-card dinosaur: players need both the front and back to play on adjacent days. Cards such as Meteor add additional effects and wipe out the dinosaur of a player’s choice. All three of these games are available at the end of April and are suitable for ages six through to adult.

Dungeon Days, Space Days and Pirate Days arrive for autumn alongside Dinosaur Mayhem, Farplace Games’ second full board game, and Litter Tray, a fun cat-themed game. The title says it all: Litter Tray is a push-your-luck game in which players must decide when to clean out their litter trays before being overwhelmed.

Readers can see and play demos of the first four games at UK Games Expo at the NEC at the end of May. All stockists will be listed on www.farplacegames.com and promoted through Farplace’s social media channels.

Curious Universe

01225 614 310 | www.curiousuniverse.co.uk | sales@curiousuniverse.co.uk

Curious Universe offers a diverse array of games and puzzles, ranging from innovative newcomer brands such as Curious Universe Games to trusted favourites including Puzzlebilities, Mindbogglers and Jr. Jigsaw. With this extensive selection, there's something to challenge and delight every player or puzzler, ensuring hours of entertainment and engagement.

Curious Universe Games, with its various imaginative offerings, invites players to explore and create lasting memories with family and friends. From cosmic voyages to mythical races and daring pirate escapades, the company says there’s a game for everyone in this selection.

Kids can build and play with 3D Race Through Space and 3D Unicorn Racers, suitable for ages five and over. These innovative board games share an exciting design, featuring a threedimensional board that challenges players to ascend either a spaceship or a rainbow with their astronaut or unicorn game pieces. Strategic holes in the board introduce an element of risk: players must carefully navigate their ascent, balancing the thrill of climbing with the jeopardy of potential drops.

Fans of games that combine strategy with fun will enjoy the excitement of Giant Road Race. Players first build the puzzle track, then roll the dice and race their friends around town, completing challenges, picking up passengers and enjoying endless adventures. Wooden cards and a double-sided puzzle track add an element of surprise to every replay.

Pirate’s Quest, suitable for ages five and over, sees players embark on a swashbuckling adventure. Competing to become the ultimate pirate by collecting shiny gems and trading treasure for loot, players must beware of sea monsters and cunning opponents who may foil their plans in this game of strategy and chance. Pirate’s Quest includes its very own treasure chest, complete with shiny gems.

The product line-up from Curious Universe Games is dedicated to nurturing crucial developmental areas in children, focusing on honing skills in counting, numbers and observation. The games also take a sustainable approach, proudly boasting no single-use plastic in its creations.

For further information about Curious Universe Games or to inquire about its puzzle ranges, readers are encouraged to reach out to the team using the above email address.

Games & Puzzles

KidKraft

07787 574 931 | www.kidkraft.com | Mark.Inett@kidkraft.com

KidKraft, a producer of imaginative wooden dollhouses, kitchens, furniture, outdoor swing sets and playhouses, is adding family games to its portfolio. Combining the importance of active family play with quality wooden craftsmanship, KidKraft’s first-ever interactive game, Beat Board, is a fast-on-your-feet balance challenge that offers an innovative way to get friends and family up and moving on game night.

The wooden electronic stand-on board features four modes of play. Solo Mission lets players follow the pattern and test their memory; Head-to-Head lets them see if their friends can repeat their moves to keep up; Balance Mode is the ultimate test of a player’s balancing skills; and DJ Challenge allows players to create their own beat with the movement of their feet.

Pressing the four colourful corners (red, green, yellow and blue) selects the game, before players then stand on the board and get moving. The rocking, twisting motion of their body triggers lights and sounds, including beeping and buzzing. Listen for the voice commands (available in English, French, Spanish, German and Italian) to stay in the game and come out on top. Besides balance, the game encourages and develops critical thinking, competitiveness and, of course, extreme fun.

Up to four players can compete against each other, each taking turns on the board. The age range is five and up, with a maximum weight limit of 300 lbs/136 kgs, making this a game for adults as well. Easy to take on-the-go for a quick pickup game when boredom strikes, no setup or assembly is needed. For over 50 years, KidKraft has been a premium wood designer and manufacturer of toys and furniture that aims to amplify and enrich childhood through active and imaginative play. KidKraft products are sold in more than 90 countries, the UK included, to children around the world. Retailers are encouraged to contact KidKraft to discuss including Beat Board in their assortment and to discover future game offerings.

Thames and Kosmos

01580 713 000 | www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk

Kosmos offers an extensive range of award-winning card and board games and is renowned for its excellent quality. The company’s range includes classics such as the Exit series, Andor, My City and Ingenious. Thames and Kosmos also distributes products from Devir Games, a publisher that many are keeping an eye on following its success with recent titles including Bitoku and The White Castle.

As with most of Kosmos’ games, the Open & Play series is perfect for families and offers fun for all, with the focus on card games for players aged seven and up. The small boxes mean the games travel well and can easily be taken on days out, and they make a perfect gift for school friends or family. The stylish magnetic closure boxes are also very functional, both for keeping pieces safe and sound and providing a nifty gameboard upon opening.

Each of the four games currently available focuses on different gameplay with a fun and engaging theme. The current best-seller is My Gold Mine. This entertaining game for adults and families alike was longlisted for the Kinderspiel des Jahres Award in 2022. Deep in the mine there is lots of gold, but guarding it is Dragobert dragon. In this push-your-luck game, players try to avoid getting sizzled by his fiery breath whilst collecting the most gold.

Dirty Pigs is an Open & Play game, where participants compete to be the first to have a barn full of dirty pigs. Playing actions include ‘rain’, which washes away all the mud and keeps the other players’ pigs clean, and a humourous ‘take that’ mechanism. This colourful and amusingly illustrated game also includes a ‘Piggin’ Amazing Expansion!’ which lets players choose if they will make the pigs muddy, or deck them out for a beauty pageant, making it great fun for all the family. The remaining two games released last year are Allie Gator, where the focus is on playing cards within set numerical ranges. If a player can’t do so, Allie snaps and they will receive negative points. Last but not least is Monster 12, in which players compete to be the first to catch 12 monsters using colourful dice. It’s sneaky, strategic and fun to play.

The Open & Play range will continue to expand this summer with the addition of 3 Minute Crazy Café, a real time order fulfilment game. Chefs have only three minutes to co-operatively serve the dishes and drinks and bring the bill to the table. Players use dice and cards from their hands to fulfil the orders, figuring out which card fits best where. The game includes increasing levels of difficulty to ensure a challenge for even the most experienced café staff.

Games & Puzzles

Smart Toys & Games

01903 885 669

www.smartgames.eu

uk@smart.be

The SmartGames collection of multilevel logic puzzle games is designed to utilise imagination and strengthen cognitive skills. Smart Toys & Games believes there is always an opportunity to learn through play, and its spring 2024 launches reflect this.

The SmartGames IQ series continues to grow this spring with the launch of two new titles: the already award-winning IQ Gears, which was selected as one of this year’s Toy Fair Hero Toy winners, and IQ Waves. Set to keep minds moving this season, IQ Gears challenges players to fit all the gears onto the game board. When players have the correct solution, the pieces will connect and the cogs on the side of the gameboard will spin simultaneously. Keeping players busy, the travel game includes 120 challenges, from easy to expert, for both adults and children as young as seven. Also available, with the game mechanics that the series is known for, is the all-new IQ Waves.

Choosing from one of the 120 challenges, players need to fill the grid by placing the soft-touch puzzle pieces in the correct location and orientation. IQ Waves comes in a handy travel format. This packing-puzzle game is suited for both kids as young as six and adults.

The Smart Dog Obstacle Run is great for kids aged seven years and up and ideal for canine lovers, testing players logic while teaching a dog new tricks. Players can choose from 60 challenges, which vary in level of difficulty, all while trying to reunite the dog with its trainer. By placing obstacle puzzle pieces onto the game board, the dog needs to jump, hop and tunnel its way around the agility course to find the correct path. Playing Smart Dog Obstacle Run stimulates concentration, planning, problem solving and visual perception skills. The travel-friendly compact game is ready to be taken on the go.

In Five Little Birds, players must help the birds find the right position in the tree. Players need to clip the birds to their correct location in the wooden tree by using the clues provided in each of the 60 challenges. It is a game of logic and deduction for both kids aged five years and up and adults.

Cheatwell

023 9252 4098 | www.cheatwell.com | çsales@cheatwell.com

This year, Cheatwell is releasing an impressive variety of new games including the unique InterGalactic Plumber, the hilarious How Do You Doodle? and the fun family party game It Fits.

As Inter-Galactic Plumbers, players are tasked with de-clogging space lanes gridlocked with hazardous asteroid fields. Leaping from rock to rock, players use their plungers to remove asteroids, gaining points along the way. But they must stay alert: other pesky plumbers are looking to clean up too and will try to leave them stranded in space.

How Do You Doodle? is a great new drawing game. It might be easy enough to sketch a plate of pasta, but what if some players are drawing pasta, some are drawing noodles, and others are drawing spaghetti – will that sketch communicate the difference? Players are assigned a random number and must draw the corresponding item, then must guess which one everyone else has drawn from the three options on the card. The more creatively they can draw, the more points they earn.

Ideal for families and friends, It Fits is a brand-new party game. Everyone is given a card with a statement: it could be anything from ‘Comes in a box’ to ‘Makes people laugh’. More cards are revealed and laid out on the table for everyone to see, each with another different statement. The aim is then for the player to dream up something that fits the statement on both their card and as many of the cards on the table as possible. To score the points, they need to convince their opponents that their answer truly fits.

Silent But Deadly is an outrageous, award-winning card game of windy fun. Quick to learn, easy to play and bursting with gassy guffaws, Silent But Deadly is loosely based on the traditional card game Crazy Eights. A kids’ card game that adults will love playing too, the game includes humorous fart facts that add an element of flatulent fun: where else could players learn about 'floating biscuits', 'fluffy poots', 'eggy stinkers' and more?

Already one of the best-selling ranges in North America, Cheatwell Games is now the distributor of Cobble Hill jigsaw puzzles in the UK and Ireland. Cobble Hill was founded in 2005 to bring quality jigsaw puzzles, that inspire loving, whimsical and nostalgic feelings, to puzzle enthusiasts and novices alike. The company's signature feature has always been its random die cut and quirkily shaped pieces. Cobble Hill is also recognisable by its linen print texture, not only on the puzzle but on the puzzle box as well. Made with high quality blue board using recyclable materials, the puzzles have always been made with the environment in mind.

Ranging from 2,000 pieces to 275 pieces, there are over 130 Cobble Hill puzzles to choose from. The 1,000-piece range includes titles such as Brambly Hedge and Country Diary, whilst the 350-piece puzzles are designed with small, medium and large pieces that cascade in one direction, either horizontally or vertically, so puzzlers of different skill levels can collaborate on completing the scene. The Easy Handling series of 275-piece puzzles feature large size pieces that allow puzzlers to see more details per piece. Designed for visually impaired puzzlers, the Easy Handling range is now loved by puzzlers of all ages and skill levels. The puzzles provide hours of entertainment but are less challenging to complete compared to a 1,000-piece puzzle.

Games & Puzzles

Melissa & Doug

0800 731 0578 | www.melissaanddoug.com

service@melissaanddoug.com

Melissa & Doug is renowned for its exceptional quality and creatively designed puzzles. The brand’s commitment to fostering developmental play is evident in its range of puzzles, which has been thoughtfully crafted to engage young minds and enhance playtime.

Building on the ever-popular line of ice cream-themed products, the Ice Cream Magnetic Puzzle merges the timeless joy of puzzle assembly with the spark of imaginative play. The 16 magnetic pieces are designed for small hands, enhancing motor skills and spatial awareness. The chunky pieces can also be taken away and used independently as pretend play food items.

The Round the Shore Track Puzzle and the Round the World Track Puzzle incorporate built-in tracks and wind-up vehicles, transforming traditional jigsaw building into a dynamic play session. Children can piece together these puzzles before boosting number and letter recognition with the Round the Shore Track Puzzle and setting off on a global adventure with the Round the World Track Puzzle.

Another unique puzzle concept from Melissa & Doug, the Animal Chase I-Spy Wooden Gear Puzzle invites children to manoeuvre gears as they align the pieces, nurturing fine motor skills and providing a sense of wonder as kids develop their logical thinking and patience.

The Glow-in-the-Dark Space Puzzle comprises 48 jumbo cardboard pieces for an out-of-this-world puzzle experience. Once completed, children can marvel as the cosmic scene lights up in the dark, revealing hidden images and details. This interactive play not only entertains but also supports cognitive, physical and emotional development, honing motor skills and problem-solving abilities.

To showcase the full potential of its puzzle range, Melissa & Doug has launched an innovative puzzle spinner. This compact and practical display solution allows retailers to effectively showcase the Melissa & Doug puzzle collection, which includes the best-selling Sound Puzzles and Chunky Puzzles as well as classic developmental top performers such as the Latches Board, the Basic Skills Board and Magnetic Daily Calendar. With its standout wooden design and strong branding, the spinner makes it easy for consumers to discover the whole Melissa & Doug wooden puzzle offering.

Cartamundi

01268 511 522 | www.cartamundi.com

For autumn/winter 2024, Cartamundi announces a refreshed approach to the established Shuffle gaming brand, with new, award-winning additions joining its expanding portfolio.

Shuffle, already known for its engaging licensed games, is evolving to embody the very essence of joy, laughter and communal play through the introduction of new original titles. At the heart of this relaunch is an overarching commitment to crafting experiences that bring people together. Shuffle is set to become synonymous with spontaneous fun, light-hearted entertainment and inclusive play. Whether it's a family game night, a gathering of friends or a casual play session, Shuffle is there to add an extra spark of excitement.

One of the new Shuffle brand titles being introduced into the range is Surrounded by Idiots, a game that turns wordplay into a race against time. Recently awarded a Hero Toy accolade at this year’s London Toy Fair, the game sees players quickly find opposite words and construct sentences in an action-packed race of wit and association perfect for parties and gatherings.

In addition, Cartamundi is proud to reintroduce best-sellers from previous years in refreshed new editions. Twisted History, an award-winning, hilariously macabre game, takes players through bizarre historical events. Unpopular Opinion, meanwhile, challenges players to gauge the popularity of Brits’ various opinions. Featuring new questions and an updated design to enhance player engagement, this is the perfect game for those who think they know what makes Brits tick, offering a mix of humour and insight into the British public.

Colour Addict tests colour-word associations in a fast-paced, visually tricky card game. This addictive game is now more accessible than ever with its new packaging designed for on-the-go play. With clear, dedicated support and a strong future focus, Colour Addict is set to become a staple in game collections for 2024.

Outsmarted is an addictive ‘live TV quiz show’ family board game that connects via a mobile, tablet or laptop for a thrilling and addictive board game experience. Outsmarted has sold over 400,000 copies to date, with international versions in over 10 countries, and is played by over 2m people worldwide. After launching on eCommerce last year, 2024 sees the company introduce a new, retail friendly pack to the market.

Families can also get creative with the new colour themed challenge game Blob, which lands at retail in 2024. This action-packed shape matching game is a race against the clock as teams battle to find the abstract blob-shaped images before the time runs out. With over 100 die cut images, 55 cards and a folding board with a 90 second timer, Blob launches this autumn as part of the new Shuffle games collection.

Expanding its licensed game offering, Cartamundi introduces new support for Disney Portrait Challenge for 2024 alongside existing family favourites, the Disney Princess and Marvel Race Home games.

Games & Puzzles

Mattel

01628 500 000

www.mattel.com

Mattel continues to strengthen its first-class games portfolio in 2024 with exciting brand campaigns for its iconic brands Scrabble and Uno.

2023 was an important year for the Scrabble game as it celebrated 75 years of being ‘Fun Beyond Words’. This strategic game was the first to encourage creative thinking through unpredictable play and is known worldwide for bringing people together in the spirit of competitive fun. Mattel continues to celebrate the Fun Beyond Words brand message in 2024 by introducing a new way to play Scrabble this month – Scrabble Together. Mattel will drive awareness of the brand message and the new Scrabble Together game by creating a 360-marketing programme. Touchpoints will include a new TVC, retail tentpoles and PR activations.

This year Uno continues to push the ‘How Do You Uno’ brand message that is driving conversation amongst Gen Z and Millennials. Uno is much more than just one card game: Mattel wants fans to discover the many ways to play with Uno. Through the How Do You Uno campaign, Mattel will celebrate all the ways Uno plays across products, experiences, occasions and places. Uno also welcomes a new game to the portfolio. Uno Show 'em No Mercy is being billed as the most brutal Uno game yet. With 56 more cards, far tougher penalties and new rules that will have players stacking, swapping and drawing more cards than ever before, there are two ways to win in this merciless version of the classic game: players must aim to get rid of their cards or knock all the other players out of the game.

This Easter, Mattel expands its card games portfolio by adding Skip Bo to the range. Skip Bo is the ultimate sequencing card game in which players use skill and strategy to create sequential stacks of cards. The first player to use all the cards in their stockpile wins, providing hours of family fun.

One For Fun

www.oneforfun.com | sales@oneforfun.com

One For Fun is constantly adding line extensions to the highly popular Muddle Puzzle range. New for 2024 is the Metallic Muddle Puzzle Set, which is perfect for puzzle fans who love a challenge. A great gifting item, the set includes three metallic pieces, each with its own unique design and difficulty level. The first puzzle is a 3x3 cube requiring careful planning and strategy to solve. The second puzzle is a star infinity puzzle, which is more complex and requires a bit more patience to complete. The third puzzle is a hexagon puzzle, arguably the most challenging of them all. The puzzles come packaged in a tall window box, making them easy to store and transport. This set offers great value for money, as each puzzle offers hours of entertainment and mental stimulation. The Metallic Muddle Puzzle - a classic 3x3 cube with metallic colours on each side - is also offered as a single item.

These new items complement the existing range, which includes the Muddle Puzzle Space Polygon. These infinite puzzles can be opened up, turned and twisted into various shapes, showing off different space scenes as players move around the puzzle. The Muddle Puzzle Star starts off as a star shape and features differently coloured patterns on each side and. Like the Polygon, the Star can be opened up, turned and twisted into various shapes, revealing myriad patterns and colours as the puzzle is examined from all side. Those wanting to baffle their brains even more can try the Double Muddle Puzzle or buy a Mini Muddle Puzzle for when they’re out and about.

One For Fun also offers plenty of fidget toys that complement the existing Muddle Puzzle range. 2024 sees the launch of an updated version of the company’s classic Puzzle Fiddle Square. The nine squares have different colours and designs that need to be shuffled and sorted quickly so they all show the same colours on each side. Re-imagined to offer a new challenge, but still providing addictive play value, the Puzzle Fiddle Square is available in bright rainbow and solid colours, and in mini and double versions.

The award-winning Time Shock continues to be a best-seller. A frantic wind-up beatthe-clock game, players must insert all the shaped plastic pieces into the correct slots before the timer runs down and throws them all into the air. A tray in the side houses the pieces and scoring pegs, making Time Shock an ideal travel game. Pushpopper lovers, meanwhile, can try and beat their best time with the Time Pop Light up Pushpopper game, which has five different modes to enjoy.

Those wanting to add a bit more bite to family get togethers will enjoy Shark Attack. A game of suspense, players risk touching the shark’s teeth while trying to avoid a bite. One For Fun also offers classic games, from marbles, chess, and snakes and ladders to draughts, dominoes, and everything in between.

Games & Puzzles

Orchard Toys

01953 859 539 | www.orchardtoys.com

sales@orchardtoys.com (UK sales) orders@kayes.co.uk (independent sales)

New for 2024 is Orchard Toys’ The World of Peter Rabbit collection. Peter Rabbit is Orchard Toys’ first ever character licence and has been launched under licence from Penguin Ventures on behalf of Frederick Warne & Co. (Beatrix Potter’s publisher and owner of The World of Peter Rabbit). These six games and puzzles a strong sales opportunity for retailers. The World of Peter Rabbit is expected to become a best-selling collection.

Blending the fun, educational and engaging gameplay of Orchard Toys with Beatrix Potter’s iconic characters to bring Peter Rabbit to life, the range includes Peter Rabbit Fish and Count, which was hailed as a Hero Toy for 2024 at London Toy Fair. Peter Rabbit Fish and Count is a charming number and counting game for children aged three years and over. There’s also Peter Rabbit Don’t Wake Mr. McGregor!, a fun board game in which children from four years of age can join Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, Flopsy and Mopsy as they race to collect the most fruit and vegetables without waking Mr. McGregor.

The Peter Rabbit 4-in-a-box puzzles will help children from three years of age learn about the seasons as they complete the four beautifully illustrated Peter Rabbit jigsaw puzzles. This set of progressive puzzles includes a 12-piece, 16-piece, 18-piece, and 24-piece jigsaw with chunky, wipe-clean cards, perfect for little hands. Also new for retailers this year, Orchard Toys launches exciting games and puzzles in its best-selling and award-winning educational range. In Buzz Words, children from five years can put their spelling to the test in this fun and fast-paced literacy game with four ways to play. Kids can race to spell against the timer in game one, grab the word before their opponent in game two, pick the most pairs in game three, and make a match in game four. As well as the fun of brushing up on word recognition, spelling and literacy skills, there are extra activities to extend learning. With so much packed into one game, Buzz Words offers shoppers great value for money, and retailers a great sales opportunity.

Giant Alphabet is a hero puzzle product, an extra-long floor jigsaw puzzle coming in at a massive 1.7 metres. Perfect for children aged three years and over, this introduction to the alphabet will help kids learn their ABCs in a fun and engaging way. Each letter of the alphabet features a colourful, fun design, including a goose playing a guitar and a king flying a kite, giving children lots to discover and talk about. The jigsaw comes with 26 chunky letter pieces to assemble in alphabetical order, plus extra cut-out letter tiles that can be used interactively as well as a giant wall-poster, all designed to give consumers added value.

To support retailers’ marketing needs, Orchard Toys provides branded POS materials and digital assets, and supports with in-store promotions. To drive consumer awareness and encourage purchase, marketing encompasses PR and digital marketing, plus owned social media.

Skillmatics

01244 940 200 | 07764 369 245 | www.skillmaticsworld.com

David.kelly@skillmaticsworld.com

After achieving resounding success at the recent London and Nuremberg toy fairs, educational toy company Grasper Global is launching more new and engaging products into the UK and Irish markets under its two core brands, Skillmatics and Gouda Games.

Skillmatics enables children to build core skills through the joy of play. The company has a wide range of products across categories including card and board games, pre-school learning aids, puzzles, STEM toys and arts & crafts. Its team of global educators are actively scaling the brand with fresh games and learning activities as well as expanding into new categories, such as Outdoor and Pretend Play, Arts & Crafts and Puzzles.

Best-selling games include the family bonding game, Who Knows You Best; Poop Wars, a strategy card game that promises players a stinking good time; Rank Up, an exciting trump card game that tests memory and knowledge; and Muddled, an easy yet additive word game that pits players’ skills against the clock.

Skillmatics takes an innovative approach to creating delightful play experiences for children and their families. The company has a fully integrated supply chain with self-owned manufacturing facilities, ensuring it consistently delivers high quality, sustainably sourced products.

Grasper Global has further expanded its portfolio by launching the new Gouda Games range, which will focus on party games for teens and young adults. Gouda Games’ line-up is perfect for social interaction, laughter and light-hearted competition, making it a popular choice for social events or gatherings. Top games to look out for include: Uncoated, an entertaining adult party game all about unfiltered opinions and exposed truths; Baffling Bowl, a fun and fast-paced game of quick thinking and hilarious moments; One Hot Minute, a category-based game in which players only have 60 seconds to get rid of their letter cards and It’s Not Me, It’s You, which lets couples battle it out to see who is in sync or out of whack, with over 160 intriguing question cards.

To find out more about Skillmatics and Gouda Games, contact David Kelly, VP Sales & Marketing UK, on the details above.

Games & Puzzles Ravensburger

01869 363 830 | www.ravensburger.com

Ravensburger’s Disney Lorcana TCG will introduce a new stand-alone product this year. Disney Lorcana TCG Gateway is a progressive learn-to-play experience designed to ease new players into the game and TCG space. This ultimate beginner’s introduction to the Disney Lorcana TCG includes everything two players need to play right out of the box: two 30-card basic Disney Lorcana TCG decks, a two-player game board with character standees, rules and player’s guides, and additional cards that players can add to their decks as they learn about the card types and gameplay. By the time participants have played through all of Gateway, they will have built two standard Disney Lorcana TCG decks they can take on the go to play with friends.

Party fun and pigeon puns are the order of the day with social party game Oh My Pigeons, which will be available from September. Players must be the first to fill their bench with pigeons to win. A variety of cards enables them to add pigeons, lose pigeons or even take them from opponents. At the roll of a dice, they may even need to flick the bird poo to knock birds from other players’ benches.

The spring family games line-up from Ravensburger includes new launches Garden Heist and Hit. In Garden Heist, players must take on the role of raccoons or the eagle-eyed gardener. The wily raccoons must make their way up the garden, hiding behind obstacles as they go. If the gardener spots them through the window of the easily constructed board house, they must return to the start. The aim of the game is for one of the raccoons to make it to the rubbish bin before being spotted.

An innovative take on a popular format, Hit, like the classic game Ludo, calls upon players to get all their playing pieces around the board and ‘home’ first to win. There are no dice in this game: instead, players use cards as this game combines classic board game play with the fun of deck-building.

Also new to the games aisle, Mycelia is the ideal choice for players that enjoy cosy board games. This charming game, suitable for players aged nine years and up, offers an enchanting deck-building experience packed with beautifully illustrated mushroom-themed content. Mycelia can be played with up to four players and includes a solo-play option.

Several new additions also join the Ravensburger immersive games offering later this year. The recently announced Chronicles of Light: Darkness Falls Disney Edition will bring together heroines from across Disney and Pixar stories to join forces and vanquish a sinister darkness threatening the world. The approachability of a board game is combined with roleplaying, storytelling and cooperation as players work together to complete epic quests.

Ravensburger’s Villainous franchise adds further editions this year, with the Disney Villainous: Sugar & Spite expandalone bringing King Candy (Wreck-It Ralph) and Shere Khan (The Jungle Book) into play this June. The Star Wars Villainous series is also set to welcome a new expandalone edition later this year.

Heavyweight marketing programmes, including TV, digital, PR and events, keep Ravensburger games front of mind throughout the year.

Big Potato

020 3620 9495 | www.bigpotato.co.uk

trade@bigpotato.co.uk

Big Potato knows that puzzles are great, but once they’re completed, the fun is over and they have to go back in the box. To combat this, the team has made a range of puzzles that last a bit longer. Hidden inside each puzzle are 101 visual riddles for players to solve as they build (a bit like if Where’s Wally went on Catchphrase).

So far, Big Potato has released Day at the Festival, featuring hidden singers and bands, Night at the Movies, with hidden film titles, Mayhem in the Library, concealing hidden book titles, and Video Game Valley featuring (as the name suggests) hidden video games. Chaos in the Kitchen is the fifth puzzle to join the best-selling collection and contains 101 hidden famous food and drinks, perfect for food connoisseurs and budding chefs alike.

Big Potato’s new range, Riddle Pics posters, are perfect for riddle fans seeking something a little more affordable and portable. Riddle Pics feature the same artwork as the puzzles, but in giant poster form. Consumers can track down and solve all 101 visual riddles hidden in the picture, then scratch off the answers to see if they got them right. They’re pop-in-the-bag small, so perfect for taking on holiday. Therapeutic and satisfying, fun to play solo to pass the time or to pore over with family and friends, Riddle Pics lets everyone skip the puzzling and get straight to the riddling. Just like the puzzles, there are food, video game, movie, music and book versions available.

Cards Vs Gravity Pro is a new gravity-defying, card-balancing party game, where gravity always wins in the end. Players balance, stack and hang cards on top of a bottle. As the card tree gets larger and more precarious, the tension builds as players try not to be the one that makes them all come tumbling down. A handy carry case is included to take the game anywhere and play it on any sort of bottle. Waterproof and tearproof, these durable cards will withstand kids, messy adults and sticky tables, and are colour-blind friendly.

Games & Puzzles

Spin Master

01628 535 000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk

2024 sees Spin Master launch a year-long campaign dedicated to the iconic Rubik’s Cube during its 50th anniversary year. A symbol of problem solving, intelligence, creativity and perseverance, the Rubik’s Cube will be celebrated with a multifaceted, year-long marketing campaign themed Make Your Move, designed to inspire the next generation of problem solvers.

The milestone year will include new launches and product collaborations including the Rubik’s 50th Anniversary Retro Cube. Displayed in a replica of the 1980s issue packaging, this blast from the past is decorated with the original Rubik’s Logo and classic-coloured stickers. The Rubik’s Sensory Cube is a unique 3×3 cube with a distinguishable tactile shape for each colour of the cube. Designed to be inclusive for the visually impaired community, even the packaging will include braille. This cube was launched in partnership with the National Federation of the Blind in March.

The Rubik’s Gridlock Board Game is a new challenge to test the flexible thinking and problem-solving skills of cubers everywhere. With the blocks in place, the objective is to fit all the pieces onto the board to solve each puzzle. Rubik’s Connected X bridges the gap between the physical and digital world of solving, while the Connected X is a Bluetooth-enabled 3×3 cube. Cubers can learn and improve cubing skills through the app by tracking, recording and timing their solve. They can also connect with friends through the app, then go head-to-head to see who is the faster cuber.

Bringing favourite characters to the Rubik’s Cube, Rubik’s Cubers lets kids and kidults collect, solve and display puzzle characters including Batman, Ironman, Spider-Man and Black Panther. Finally, the Rubik’s 3×3 Speed Cube lets players take their solving skills to the next level. Redesigned for competition use, the Speed Cube features stickerless panels, internal magnets for smooth movements and adjustable tensions to create a customised cube experience.

Asmodee

01420 593 593 | www.asmodee.co.uk

Asmodee is introducing new launches: Word Traveller and 13 Beavers.

Suitable for 2-5 players aged 10 and over, Word Traveller invites players to assume the role of a tourist checking out the sights of a new city, armed with only a few words of the local language. They’ll explore four of the most-travelled cities in the world – London, Paris, Tokyo and New York - and will need to plan out their itinerary careful in order to tick off all their bucket list sights and sounds, including iconic foods, exciting attractions, inspiring architecture and more.

The locals (the other players) will do their best to interpret clues to help the tourist get where they want to go, without getting lost in translation. The game is broken down into two travel days (rounds), during which players will try to guide their friends to specific destinations and popular tourist stops using a limited set of words, hoping to acquire various souvenirs along the way. If the player and the locals collect all the city souvenirs, they win the game.

This cooperative party game has a similar gameplay to the ever-popular Codenames and Concept, promises to be fun for the team if they win - and still enjoyable if they lose. The designer of Word Traveller is Thomas Dagenais-Lesperance, who also designed the well-known and wildly popular party game Decrypto. The beautifully crafted components have been created with the assistance of local artists chosen to represent their city across the game boards, which feature iconic landmarks as well as easter eggs for familiar travellers to discover.

13 Beavers is a new family game that will take players on a wild rapids river ride as they try to reach Beaver Paradise. Players must try to predict the outcome of each turn, guessing whether their next card will be higher or lower to move their beaver further down the river. But if they make the wrong prediction, they will be swept back down the river to their dam. The first player to make it to Beaver Paradise wins.

The perilous journey is packed with special features, including the tempting tunnel, rapids, lava and even a wolf cave. Players can catch fish along the way, each with their own rules, to hinder or help their ride. Overflowing with bonus fun, this game is totally different every time it is played, making the adventure even more exciting and unpredictable for 2-6 players aged seven or over.

Achtung Panzer! puts you in command of a tank platoon and thrusts you into the heart of the action on the battlefields of World War Two. Take charge, and lead your armoured forces to glory!

Panzer! is the brand-new game of WWII tank combat that lets you fight exciting close-quarter battles in dense terrain, showcasing the mettle of iconic armoured fighting vehicles as well as their crews. With enormous customisability and a

OTHER WAYS TO START PLAYING...

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Achtung Panzer! Rulebook RRP £25

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Games & Puzzles

EWA Eco-Wood-Art

www.ewaecowoodart.com

sales@eco-wood-art.com

EWA Eco-Wood-Art specialises in producing highquality wooden 3D mechanical puzzles, wooden jigsaw puzzles and wooden interior maps. Benefitting from a team of skilled engineers, the company is committed to creating unique and challenging puzzles that are not only fun to assemble but also aesthetically pleasing. EWA Eco-Wood-Art has been operating for over seven years, during which time it has produced more than 150 unique models and puzzles. The company regularly release new models to keep its customers coming back for more.

2024 sees the release of a new collection of wooden puzzles featuring illustrations by the German artist Andreas Preis. This captivating collection includes six vibrant puzzles, each meticulously crafted from highquality MDF. Featuring pieces in various unique shapes, assembling these puzzles becomes a fun challenge for puzzle enthusiasts of all levels, from beginner to experienced.

What sets this collection apart is that each puzzle is available in three different sizes, offering a range of difficulty levels to cater to every puzzler's preference. For example, the stunning Eagle Owl wooden puzzle comes in Small (125-pieces), Medium (200-pieces) and Large (340-pieces). All depict this iconic bird in stylised blue, white and grey tones with piercing amber eyes and textural patterns that make each piece pop. Whether they’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, there's a puzzle waiting for everyone in this collection.

Character Options

01616 339 800

sales@charactergroup.plc.uk

Launching this summer from Character Options, within the familyfriendly Stay Active portfolio, the Stay Active Get Low Balance Board is a fast and fun electronic challenge game. Players tip, tilt or rock the board in this game of fast moves. There are three Game modes to enjoy - Challenge, Lightning and Chill – as well as seven tricky moves to master. When a colour is called, players must angle the board in the direction of one of the four colours, whereas if they hear ‘360’, they have to roll the entire board in a complete circle. ‘Rock-it’ tasks them with rocking the board from side to side, and when asked to ‘Get Low’, they have to bend down and press the button without any wobbling. Players can take on the Stay Active Get Low Balance Board alone or challenge their friends.

Snake Attack is a fast-reaction light game in which players’ speed, focus and timing are put to the test as they try to catch the ever-morphing and fast-moving snakes. If players fail to hit the button while the snake crosses over their spot, it’s game over. This cool, nostalgic game, reminiscent of the Nokia 3210 era, can be played in three modes: Solo, Team or Multiplayer.

A party game of backwards, mixed up words that spells fun, Pobody’s Nerfect challenges players to guess a sequence of hilarious spoonerisms – a verbal error in which the speaker switches the initial sounds or letters of two words. It’s a race against the clock to see how many spoonerisms players can crack before the timer runs out.

ProjeX also returns for the second half of the year, with a brand-new concept: ProjeX Duck Shot. This arcade-style game uses the same high-quality projection system and optics as ProjeX Projecting Game Arcade. Players set the game up by projecting it onto any light-coloured wall, then aim at and blast the moving duck targets that appear. With three built-in games and three skill levels, and no TV screen or sensors required to get started, ProjeX Duck Shot is fun straight out the box.

Jumbo Galt UK

01614 289 111 | www.galttoys.co | alesuk@jumboplay.com

Hitster, the global hit music party game, returns in 2024 with Hitster Bingo. The game challenges players to order songs through time by spinning the disco ball. Where the light lands will show the category to use, then players must guess the year, decade, artist or song title. Players can scan the top card to hear the song and mark off colours on their bingo cards. The first to complete a full line gets bingo. The original music party game Hitster remains a hit in 2024, with its ability to create an instant party, as players listen to over 300 of the greatest hits from the last 100 years.

ChronoMission has children moving through a laser field without touching the string to defuse the bomb. They will collect missions along the way, but if they touch the laser, the countdown speeds up.

The puzzle brand Wasgij has all-new puzzles to solve and piece together. There is the Wasgij Retro Original 8 – High Tide and Wasgij Retro Destiny 8 – High Season, as well as the Wasgij Original 44 – Wasgij Summer Games and Retro Mystery 8 – The Final Hurdle. More puzzles are coming for autumn/winter 2024, and the first-ever Wasgij Advent Calendar.

Jumbo’s puzzle portfolio also includes the Falcon deluxe premium puzzle range, which brings together high-quality images across various themes. Not to be missed in the portfolio are the latest Riding School, Countryside Locks and Woodland Farm 1000-piece puzzles.

For little puzzlers, Galt’s portfolio is growing, with the extra-long 12-piece Tower Puzzle – Jungle Treehouse and Who’s Hiding? Puzzle – Prehistoric Party joining the lineup for autumn/winter.

Games & Puzzles

IMC Toys

01904 720 908 | www.imctoys.com | info.uk@imctoys.com

Following the company’s success in the European games market, 2024 sees IMC Toys moving into the UK games arena with two fun new games landing in autumn. These launches signal a shift in the company’s strategic approach to games, as part of a robust expansion plan for the UK arm of the business that will see it progress into new categories across the toy sector.

Inspired by the popularity of dance trends on TikTok, Dance Fever is a card game which challenges players to successfully combine memory and rhythm - and guarantees a dance showdown. The objective of the game is simple: players must remember and perform an increasingly complex dance sequence. Each turn introduces a new card featuring a new dance move, gradually building up the dance challenge players must perform during their turn. To add to the excitement, action cards introduce unexpected challenges, ensuring each round is full of fun and laughter. The last player standing is the winner and gains the Dance Fever Champion title. Suitable for everyone aged six years and over, Dance Fever is perfect for family gatherings or lively get-togethers with friends.

Building on its strong foundations in the pre-school space, IMC launches Cocorush, a fast-paced game that blends simple gameplay mechanics and monkey-themed excitement. The aim of the game is straightforward: players must catch as many coconuts as possible. To do this, players help their monkey climb the palm tree by repeatedly pressing their button. Each time the monkey reaches the top of the palm tree it will catch a coconut, scoring a point. Players must watch out for sneaky snakes, however, because if a monkey catches a snake instead of a coconut, they won’t score a point. Once all the coconuts are picked from the tree, the player with the most coconuts is the winner.

Pat Avenue

01604 678 780 | enquiries@patavenue.co.uk

A.B. Gee

01773 570 444 | www.abgee.co.uk

Pat Avenue’s games and puzzles portfolio in 2024 includes two strong new lines: the award-winning next generation brainteaser puzzle Slida, and Drench, a brilliant new suspense game.

Slida is the world’s first three-dimensional, sequential interlocking puzzle for all ages. To solve any Slida puzzle, players slide and interlock the pieces in the correct sequence. The Classic Sphere is great for on-the-go puzzling and launches this spring, with more in the pipeline for autumn/winter 2024 to keep playability fresh. Slida’s Classic Egg and Cylinder are affordable palm-sized puzzles, whilst the Snap ‘n’ Wrap offers a next-level challenge, snapping around the Classic Sphere as an additional sequential puzzle. Its difficulty can be increased by adding world globe transfers. Puzzle in a Puzzle, meanwhile, adds a challenging dimension by surrounding the Classic Sphere with another puzzle. Rounding out the range, the Interlock Game will be a games night staple.

In the fun, suspense-filled game Drench, the soda can is filled with water. The game begins with a roll of the dice, which determines number of shakes and whether the player keeps, skips or picks another to take their turn. Then the can is shaken and the tab is pulled. It could go off at any time: the last to stay dry wins.

For generations, Hornby, Airfix and Corgi have been synonymous with trains, plastic model kits and die cast vehicles respectively. However, in recent years, Kidicraft has brought these beloved brands into the world of puzzling.

Exclusively distributed by A.B. Gee, enthusiasts can add a new dimension to their hobby with Kidicraft’s range of Hornby licensed puzzles. Featuring everything from vintage locomotives to the iconic spitfire and HMS Titanic, these 1,000-piece puzzles are suitable for everyone, whether they’re a history buff, vintage vehicle fan or just seeking a break from the fast-paced digital world. There is also a 3,000-piece Airfix Submarine Spitfire MK.1a. This special edition puzzle includes an Airfix kit of the same model for a real play-and-display experience.

The Kevin Walsh 1,000-piece Nostalgia range is incredibly popular and now boasts 36 designs. The appeal of these puzzles lies in their timeless charm. They often feature classic images from the past, picturesque landscapes or historical moments. Current consumer favourites include Station Buffet, The Village Postman, Down On The Farm, Titanic’s Maiden Voyage and Rail & Canal. Christmas themed designs complement the range.

To help retailers create a truly eye-catching display, FSDUs are available free of charge for all these brands when 48 puzzles are purchased. These are also 100% recyclable. Readers are advised to contact A.B. Gee to find out more or visit the company’s website to see the full range.

Games & Puzzles

Professor Puzzle

020 3829 0844 | www.professorpuzzle.com

Professor Puzzle’s new 2024 games and puzzles development has been met very positively by the trade. Einstein: The Board Game is a new board game format for the company which has enjoyed the development process. In designing the title, Professor Puzzles sought to create a game that was fast-paced, fun and featured a variety of challenges to test all ages and IQs.

In recent years, the company’s true crime obsession has resulted in it creating a number of crime-solving games across a range of formats. Having seen these welcomed with open arms by fans of true crime gaming, Professor Puzzle has been exploring different ways in which it can make its products unique, combining intriguing narratives and intricate puzzles for a totally immersive gaming experience. In its latest creations, Murder in Tinseltown and Crypto Killer, players become detectives in high profile cases and must work collaboratively to piece together the evidence and solve the crimes.

Professor Puzzle has also enjoyed an overwhelmingly positive reaction to its new puzzle collections. Perfect for physical puzzle fans, the company’s two wooden and metal brainteaser ranges, Lost & Found and Einstein, have launched alongside a compact trilogy of logic puzzles.

Inspired by ancient civilisations, the Lost & Found puzzles have each been beautifully designed to celebrate the rich history of some of the world's most symbolic landmarks and prominent designs. The three new puzzles joining the best-selling Einstein Collection, meanwhile, are both reinvented classic challenges and new puzzles. Each is encased in brightly coloured, modern packaging designed to make an impact on shelf.

Brain Train, Lost Treasure and Happy Camper are new logic puzzles. Each one features 40 increasingly difficult challenges and sees players using the grids to work out the correct locations of trains and camper vans, or the pathways leading to the buried treasure.

Even more new games are on the way, covering a wide range of themes from mermaids to farting. These will be joined by high-end chess and backgammon sets plus a new categorypuzzle adventure games – which kicks off with a game called Unclaimed.

Readers can visit the company’s website to download the 2024 Professor Puzzle catalogue.

Gibsons Games

020 8661 8866 | www.gibsonsgames.co.uk | sales@gibsonsgames.co.uk

Gibsons has partnered with aviation artist Matthew Emeny and Help for Heroes to launch the Portsmouth Flypast jigsaw. 6th June 2024 marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the largest naval, air and land operation in history which departed from Portsmouth in 1944. Gibsons is commemorating the bravery and sacrifice of those who took part in the D-Day landings with the puzzle and is donating 7% of the selling price to Help for Heroes, registered charity number 1120920.

2024 will see the launch of the Jokesaws range, which consists of comedically themed puzzles with cheeky designs from talented artists like Andy Tudor, Phil Dobson and Gerald Como. The colourful 1,000-piece puzzles are packed with hidden gems and jokes that aim to inspire grins and giggles. New designs and artists will also be added to the range later in the year.

Additionally, the company has been revamping its XL puzzle range. These products feature extra-large pieces for puzzlers who have visual, motor or cognitive impairments. It has added several new puzzles to the XL line as an initiative to remain inclusive and contribute to positive social impact.

In addition to development on the puzzles themselves, the traditional Gibsons puzzle packaging has undergone a modern refresh for 2024. The new design has been adopted in response to customer feedback and includes new features such as 1:1 puzzle piece graphics alongside imperial and metric measurements.

Becoming a B Corp certified company has been a key focus for Gibsons and is only awarded to companies who use their business as a force for good. Gibsons has now achieved this award and is

Gibsons has taken several steps to show its commitment to social and environmental responsibility. The latter includes the launching of special edition jigsaw puzzles where a percentage of profits is being donated to charities including the Great Ormond Street Hospital. Furthermore, it is also localising its manufacturing by moving away from production in China and working with UK and EUbased factories.

The company will also be installing solar panels at its offices, as well as recycling 85% of its waste, and will continue providing first class customer service to all consumers in 2024. These efforts align with the B Corp framework and demonstrate Gibsons’ dedication to creating a more sustainable and equitable world.

Brand Profile

According to Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. (Konami), when it comes to birthdays, the Yu-Gi-Oh! Card Game is having a great one. Fans of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG have been enjoying an incredible range of 25th anniversary products for more than a year now, and the festivities aren’t stopping anytime soon.

The last year or so of special commemorative sets has seen plenty of highlights, kicking off with the Legendary Collection: 25th Anniversary Edition, which revives some of the earliest Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG packs. Then there’s the 25th Anniversary Tin, delivering some of the game’s most iconic monsters as Quarter Century Secret Rares, commemorating the Yu-Gi-Oh! Card Game’s milestone.

One of the products which has been, and continues to be, a mega-hit with fans is the 25th Anniversary Rarity Collection. Released in November 2023, this all-foil set offers 79 of the game’s most popular cards in seven different rarities, including two luxury rarities previously limited to Japan. As well as including lots of beloved cards and competitive mainstays, it also offers the chance to get all its cards in all seven sparkling rarities.

The 25th Anniversary Rarity Collection has flown off the shelves in the months since launch. With such an emphatic response, Konami made sure to start work on a sequel right away. Next month, this highly anticipated sequel will finally hit stores in the UK and Europe. The 25th Anniversary Rarity Collection II looks to be another standout that will live up to its predecessor.

Just like the first set, 25th Anniversary Rarity Collection

Happy Birthday to the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game

Amidst celebrations for the 25th anniversary of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. tells Toy World what’s in store to commemorate the milestone, such as the release of special 25th Anniversary Editions and luxury rarities that have previously been limited to Japan.

II comprises a total 79 collectible cards, with each one again available in seven different rarities. Those seven all-foil rarities are Super Rare, Ultra Rare, Secret Rare and the four luxury rarities that made waves the first time around. They include the Quarter Century Secret Rare with its 25th anniversary watermark, the Platinum Secret Rare which coats the whole card in foil and the Prismatic-style Ultimate Rare and Collector’s Rare, two previously Japanonly rarities that are extremely collectible.

This time around, the 25th Anniversary Rarity Collection II includes twice as many luxury rare cards per pack. While each individual pack comes at a higher RRP than the first Rarity Collection, they contain more luxury rare cards.

Each 25th Anniversary Rarity Collection II pack includes two Secret Rares, four Ultra Rares and three Super Rares. Each of the two Secret Rares has a one-in-four chance of being a Platinum Secret Rare or Quarter Century Secret Rare. The four Ultra Rares have an individual one-in-six chance of upgrading to Prismatic-style Collector’s Rares or Prismatic-style Ultimate Rares.

The 25th Anniversary Rarity Collection II looks set to be one of the most collectible Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG sets ever released, delighting fans as they fill their collections with cards that glimmer and sparkle. As well as the eye-catching shine and shimmer, this is a set full of must-have Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG cards, so also promises to please collectors.

The 79 cards in 25th Anniversary Rarity Collection II are all new from the first set and offers a strong mix of inclusions. From competitive powerhouses to some of the most recognisable and popular monsters from the series,

there’s something to discover for everyone.

Top-level tournaments often see the likes of Accesscode Talker, which can turn itself into a devastating weapon with massive ATK, and Magicians’ Souls, a card that synergises with Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG icons Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl.

Competitive mainstays that are always useful to have in players’ hand include haunting helpers like Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit and Ghost Mourner & Moonlit Chill, and winged winners like Droll & Lock Bird and Fantastical Dragon Phantazmay. All four of these cards will be available in the 25th Anniversary Rarity Collection II in their special variant art, making them even more collectible in the different rarities.

The biker version of I:P Masquerena also makes an appearance. This artwork headlined a very popular set of Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG accessories, and the card itself is a strong addition to any collection. Another very popular entry is Rescue Cat from the Rescue series of monsters. The helmeted friendly feline is coming to 25th Anniversary Rarity Collection II in alternate artwork.

From limited-edition rarities to essential cards for competition, the 25th Anniversary Rarity Collection II is an encore that is massively anticipated by the many fans who’ve been celebrating 25 years of the wonderful Yu-GiOh! Card Game.

The 25th Anniversary Rarity Collection II is scheduled to launch in the UK and Europe on 23rd May. For more details, visit www.yugioh-card.com/eu/.

Retail round-up

Indie toy shop owner ties the knot at toy themed wedding

Ben was introduced to Wendy by her father, Robin, a toy industry veteran who was a key account manager for Hasbro for almost 26 years. Ben and Robin had regular contact through work when Robin decided in 2010 to introduce him to his daughter, before retiring from Hasbro in 2012. Ben said: “He used to say to me, ‘Oh you’re such a nice chap’. As Wendy and me are similar ages and we were both single, he gave her my number and it all went from there.”

Ben and Wendy, who is a civil servant working for Defra, had their wedding on Saturday, 16th March at Peterstone Court in the outskirts of Brecon. The centrepiece on each of the six tables was a Monopoly Board with the plastic houses, figures and a dice scattered on top, a Rubik’s Cube and a bouquet of Lego flowers, and each table was labelled with a different Monopoly property. The fireplaces in the venue were also decorated with Lego lilies. To support the couple’s big day, Playmobil lent them two giant display figures, a princess and a knight, which was a big hit with guests. “The Playmobil figures were set up in the lobby of the hotel and everybody was in line to take photos with them –even the hotel staff,” commented Ben. “All the other decorations were bought by us so many hours were spent building all the Lego flowers. Luckily there were only six tables!”

Later in the day, it began to rain and fortunately Ben had his Toymaster umbrella handy to keep his bride and himself dry as they continued to have their photos taken and share time with their guests in front of a beautiful countryside backdrop.

After having their first dance to Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud, Ben joked in his speech that his new father-in-law had not only sold his store much stock, but sold him some great stock too, referring to his lovely wife.

Ben is the fourth generation in his family to take over the family business which began in 1905. He became owner of Clark Toys 24 years ago. Wendy also grew up around toys as her father entered the industry in 1974, first as a sales rep for Dubreq, then Burbank Toys and then as an area sales manager at Pedigree Dolls and Toys.

Ben commented: “It was amazing to bring the toy theme into my wedding which has played such a big part of my life and Wendy’s too. We met 14 years ago through this industry and I’m excited to spend the rest of our lifetimes together.”

Registration opens for INDX Toy & Gift

INDX Toy & Gift is back, returning to Cranmore Park with a two day show from Tuesday 3rd September to Wednesday 4th September.

Welcoming all retailers, this is a fantastic opportunity to network with the industry in a friendly, buyer and business focused setting, whilst exploring an exciting edit of top brands.

The timing of the show is new for this year, with previous iterations traditionally held in May. The move to September was agreed last year by the INDX strategy group: suppliers and buyers agreed that a move of the date would give them the opportunity to view new ranges later in the year and ease the congested period of shows in the springtime.

INDX Toy & Gift will now be the only dedicated toy industry show in the autumn season, and the September date will provide a great opportunity for retailers to take advantage of pre-Christmas buying. Attracting department stores, garden and leisure centres, gift shops, category specialists and lifestyle retailers, the show is widely considered a must-visit for toy and gift stockists – and there’s no need to be an AIS member to attend.

Visitors to the show will also get a first look at suppliers’ early launch new ranges, giving them a head start on their spring 2025 buying.

Registration is now open, so readers can secure their free ticket and look forward to discovering the latest licensed products, toys, games and kidult gifting.

BTHA presents Golden Teddy award to indie retailer

Toymaster has extended its congratulations to Clive Brown of The Toy Shop Melksham and Trowbridge, who was presented with a Golden Teddy by Roger Dyson on behalf of the BTHA (the British Toy & Hobby Association) at the recent Toymaster Regional Meeting in Swindon.

Golden Teddy Awards are the BTHA’s way of recognising individuals who possess a high level of honesty and integrity and who are widely regarded to be the industry’s genuinely nice people.

In a statement, the BTHA said: “Clive is the perfect example of what a Golden Teddy Award winner should be; someone who is loyal, respected and has served with dedication over a sustained period in the toy industry.”

Clive joins an esteemed group of honourees recognised for their commitment to service within the Toy industry. Information on Golden Teddies and other BTHA award nomination information, including previous winners, can be found at www.btha.co.uk/awards.

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Allegedly

Like many business people, I have been struggling to identify a single tangible Brexit benefit after eight (long) years, although there is a possibility that one has finally been uncovered. After 18th August, the EU will apparently be banning the importation of all batteries containing lead –including the 6v and 12v batteries that are used in e-scooters, electric ride-ons and other toy ranges. However, I am told that the BTHA has looked into the matter and advised members that the regulations don’t apply to the UK market, as Brexit has allowed us to diverge from EU regulations in certain circumstances. My understanding is that the EU decision has been driven by wanting to adopt what is perceived as an environmentally friendly policy, and that it would mean lead batteries would need to be replaced by lithium ones. I gather that not everyone believes that lithium batteries are necessarily better for the environment, while there is also some debate as to whether they are safer (the increase in the number of fires associated with lithium-powered scooters suggests there may be an issue, especially if the batteries are not rigorously tested and verified and supplied by legitimate companies). However, what doesn’t appear to be in dispute is the fact that lithium batteries would be around 20% more expensive than their lead counterparts. So, in theory, taking a different path to the EU will enable suppliers to offer cheaper products to UK customers. That said, will suppliers want to have two different ranges for the European market – one for the UK and one for the EU? And how will a retailer – such as, for example, Smyths or The Entertainer – which operates across both territories select ranges (especially if they plan to move stock between the two areas) …

Batteries aren’t the only area where the UK could choose to diverge from EU regulations. The European Parliament voted recently on the new Toy Safety Directive, which according to the Toy Industries of Europe organisation contains some deeply concerning requirements. Among the most eyecatching clauses are restrictions on using naturally occurring ingredients in toys, which could potentially mean that safe toys like crayons, paints and chalks would be banned. In addition, it will also make it extremely difficult to maintain the current exemption for the safe use of stainless steel. To add further complication, the proposed transition period is only 30 months, while online sellers from outside the EU can seemingly continue to flout the regulations without fear of prosecution. Frankly, it is all a bit of a mess – but could the UK choose to ignore these new regulations, as well as the new battery rules? Is it like London buses – you wait eight long years for a Brexit dividend, and two come along in a matter of weeks? It’s all happened so fast that further digging on the whole subject is required – which rest assure we will be doing, so we can keep everyone up to date with what’s happening. And I am sure all the individual toy associations and organisations like the TIE will be pressing hard for changes and compromise at the next stages of the directive…

Given the economic pressure on consumers, I suspect that retailers will also be disappointed that last month’s budget statement offered no respite from the ongoing (over) burden of business rates, curtailing their ability to offer keener prices. Retail owner John Timpson spoke eloquently about this at a recent House of Lords select committee hearing: the thrust of his argument was that when he started out in business, the rule of thumb was that rates were a third of the cost of rent. Now, in some instances, rates are considerably more than the rent,

putting brick and mortar retailers at a massive competitive disadvantage against online retailers. If we really do want to regenerate our High Streets, that needs to be addressed urgently by whichever government is in power…

It’s not been a bad start to the year by any means, but it is also noticeable that there are a lot of special offers and discounts flying around to tempt consumers. Whether these are driven by retailers or suppliers is unclear, but pricing remains a thorny subject with many of the suppliers and retailers I have been speaking to. It’s not just mainstream toy ranges that are affected either: many toy stores have benefitted from the growth of World Book Day in recent years, and I saw some very aggressive promotions from the likes of Tesco and Matalan on their dress-up ranges in the run-up to this year’s event, so the ‘disease’ of discounting ahead of a peak sales period is obviously catching…

Over in the US, former president Donald Trump is attempting to return to the White House, and one of his more eye-watering policies is a promise to impose tariffs of more than 60% on Chinese goods. I can only imagine what is going through the minds of US toy companies and the US Toy Association right now, regardless of their political persuasion. Trump is positioning this as a patriotic measure aimed at “making America great again” with the unspoken subtext of punishing China in the process. On the face of it, that might appeal to his core voter base. In practice, it would of course be a spectacular own goal, inflicting damage on the American people by pushing up the prices of just about every consumer product (although he’s hardly going to come out and call it what it is – a “60% patriotism tax”). The knock-on effect could be huge. Toy companies would have to frantically scramble to reshore production, or at least move it to new countries – although that would have its own challenges. And to make matters worse, Trump is suggesting a blanket 10% tariff on all imports – so nowhere across the world is safe from tariffs apart from domestic US production (I bet those few US toy companies with a domestic manufacturing base are practically salivating at the thought). The likely upshot would be that US toy prices would soar in the short term, which in turn could heavily impact sales volumes. Chinese factories would either find themselves with massive over-capacity, or with not enough orders to stay operational. And historically, if the US toy market catches a cold, the whole world ends up getting it too. Of course, there is no guarantee that Trump will win – although reports increasingly suggest it is at very least plausible (which, incidentally, to the rest of the world seems beyond insane). And even if he does win, maybe this is just bluster aimed at winning votes of people who naively think this would benefit them. Perhaps it is simply a threat or a negotiating tactic with China and will never be enacted – very much Trump’s modus operandi. Nevertheless, another trade war between the US and China really isn’t something that anyone across the globe should be relishing…

There is also serious talk of TikTok being banned in the US, after the House of Representatives passed a bill insisting its Chinese owner sells its controlling stake or face being outlawed. Whether that would be an isolated situation, or it would spill over to the UK and Europe is highly debatable – but taken in conjunction with the very real threat of 60% tariffs being introduced on Chinese made goods if Trump wins the election, a ban on TikTok would be another huge blow to the toy market.