Marketing World

Bandai celebrates Tamagotchi Uni with London launch event

Bandai UK celebrated the launch of its most interactive and connected Tamagotchi yet, Tamagotchi Uni, with a fun event held in the cocktail bar of the exclusive members club, Century Club, on London’s Shaftesbury Avenue.

Trade media joined influencers and their families for drinks and canapes – including the signature Flora Dora cocktail – and took part in a variety of activities inspired by the interactive global phenomenon. To a bouncing soundtrack of pop hits, guests including Vanessa Feltz, Nicky Clarke, Imogen Thomas and Carina Lepore, as well as Toy World’s own Rachael Simpson-Jones and Marianna Casal, posed in the selfie booth, became Tamagotchis at the selfie wall, had their nails painted in pastel, Tamagotchi-inspired colours, and got temporary glitter tattoos. Guests could also write a wish for their new Tamagotchi Uni and hang it on the special wish tree, before heading home with their exclusive goodie bag to discover their new interactive pet.

“The Tamagotchi Uni launch event was fantastic,” commented Priya Jadeja, Tamagotchi brand manager at Bandai UK. “Everything came together brilliantly and there was a real buzz in the room, with everyone really engaged and excited about what the new Tamagotchi Uni offers, which was great to see. It was a fantastic way to kick off the launch in the UK and we’re looking forward to it hitting shelves next month.”

Tamagotchi Uni allows users to connect in a completely new way with the Tamaverse, the metaverse of the Tamagotchi world. Fans can now play together with the Tamaverse’s Tama Arena, Tama Parties, Tama Fashion, and Tama Travel features, opening up the fun on a global scale. Tamagotchi Uni enjoys new features, offering fans their own unique experience including DIY activities, exploration with their character and an in-device social platform.

Tamagotchi Uni personalises the virtual pet experience with endless character options, allowing Tamagotchi characters to now have different looks, personalities and even hobbies. The ability to connect to Wi-Fi gives fans a chance to connect, customise their characters in unique ways and enjoy access to downloadable content and updates.

The Desi Doll Company ramps up its slate of retail activations

It’s been a busy few months for The Desi Doll Company, having enjoyed strong Ramadan sales with its toys on the shelves of Asda, Morrisons and Selfridges – and new lines are already in the pipeline for Ramadan 2024. March saw the company’s Omar and Hana mascots embark on a spring roadshow with Asda, and in April the duo took centre stage in Trafalgar Square as part of the Mayor of London’s Eid celebrations. In June, The Desi Doll Company was honoured with an Inclusive Innovation Award by Innovate UK, enabling it to create two new, interactive, electronic resources to help children with their early years Islamic education.

This month sees The Desi Doll Company celebrate one year of ranging its toys at Selfridges stores. To celebrate this milestone, the company has announced that Omar and Hana mascots will make an appearance at a timely and very special event at Selfridges, giving little ones the opportunity to give high fives and hugs, and take photos with their favourite YouTube characters. They will also be able to grab themselves a special goodie bag. Omar and Hana singing dolls are available to purchase in Selfridges. The dolls are based on a hit YouTube series, teaching children Islamic values with fun and engaging content and catchy songs.

For the UK-based company, being listed in an iconic store such as Selfridges, as well as in numerous Asda and Morrison stores up and down the country, is big deal. The Desi Doll Company’s founder, Farzana Rahman, said: “It’s so wonderful to see that toy retailers are realising the importance of diversity and inclusion in their range - it’s such a great leap of faith, excuse the pun. We just want all kids to feel represented by the toys they see on the shelves, and hope that more retailers see the value and the win-win situation offered by our range.”

Character Options hosts Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles launch

Under the railway arches, near the banks of the Thames, Character Options created a lair that perfectly set the scene for the launch of its epic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem toy range. The event took place on Tuesday 20th June 2023, at The Steel Yard, Moorgate, London, and Toy World was delighted to be on the guest list. The team transformed the venue, delivering a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles extravaganza that perfectly showcased, for the very first time, the complete collection of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem movie toys created by Playmates Toys. To set the scene, not only were there live skateboard shows, a free-flowing supply of pizza and a kids’ corner, but the very first outing for all four walk around movie characters in the UK.

Verity Rushworth, Linda Robson and star of E4’s Tattoo Fixers, Sketch, were among the celebrities, influencers, industry colleagues and fans of the brand who were in attendance in the “open lair” event, all of whom took home toys from the range, just days before the global retail launch.

Mark Hunt, Marketing director, Character Options, said: “We are hugely proud to be a part of this epic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles adventure, working alongside Playmates Toys and Paramount Consumer Products for this iconic launch. Since we first previewed the range to our retail partners there has been a great deal of excitement in the air, and we are thrilled that it’s finally in stores.”

the London event, with its impressive scale, fun features and multiple levels of play. Also popular was the Pizza Fire

excited to see the action figure line-up, which comprises three sets of scaled figures, all based on the teenage heroes depicted in the film.