Feature - Plush

Power snuggles

The Plush category is enjoying a great year, with Traditional Plush leading the charge and Feature Plush waiting in the wings for their time to shine come Christmas. Toy World speaks to some leading suppliers in the space to find out what’s driving demand and why this is one category retailers should be cuddling up to this year.

As detailed in Melissa Symond’s Circana insight (p. 30-31), the Plush supercategory is currently up +11% in value, following two consecutive years of strong double-digit growth. It’ll come as no surprise to many that Squishmallows has climbed the ranks to become the No. 1 Plush brand, followed by Ty and Zuru’s Rainbocorn, thanks to continued new waves of ‘Squads’ and a strong focus on driving the hunt among fans – a social media dream. If you want to find out more about the latest Squishmallows developments then turn to pages 48 and 50, where we’ve got an exclusive interview with Jazwares’ Heather Corbett, but for now, we’re going to focus on what else is going on in the category.

In the first half of the year, Circana reports that sales are largely driven by Traditional Plush (85% of sales, in fact), plush which is simply a squishy filling and cuddly outer and nothing else. It doesn’t get much more traditional than Rainbow Designs’ portfolio, which is full of plush based on childhood classics including Paddington Bear – a core plush property across the whole category - Peter Rabbit, Disney’s Winnie the Pooh, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Guess How Much I Love You. These properties are beloved by parents and grandparents eager to pass down their adoration to the next generation, often during bedtime routines, as Alys Dawson, director of Product, Creative and Marketing Services for Rainbow Designs, explains: “At Rainbow, we specialise in bringing these adored characters off the pages of these classic storybooks and into the arms of the children who cherish them, so they can enjoy plenty of cuddles and comfort at bedtime whilst reading and listening to their favourite stories.”

From this year, Rainbow welcomes new distribution range Animal Adventure, a carefully curated range of soft toys for babies plus animal-themed plush for kids of all ages. With over 30 lines in the range, Animal Adventure complements the company’s licensed character collections beautifully, making it one of Rainbow’s biggest launches of 2023.

Other properties and ranges that lean heavily into generational sentiment include Care Bears, which has apparently grown more than 40% so far this year, and Ty, which in May launched a special range of 30th anniversary Beanie Babies based on some of its most popular first generation characters: Valentino II, Bongo II and Bones II. The trio was followed by Snort II, Peanut II and Squealer II, all of which have been in very high demand since launching.

Elsewhere, Traditional Plush has been getting a 21st-century makeover, with the clamouring for all things anime now spilling over into cuddly toys. PMS International’s first shipment of Barrado anime plush toys arrived in June, and Steve Beverley, buyer & executive director - Leisure Division, says he couldn't be happier with how they have been performing in the market so far. “Our partnership with Barrado has allowed us to deliver top-notch products that meet the expectations of anime fans,” he enthuses. “We’re pleased to announce that several top nationals and smaller independents have already placed orders and taken stock of the range. The demand for these products has been exceptional: we’re extremely grateful for the support we’ve received from our retail partners.”

He adds: “The popularity of our anime plush toys has been such that we’re almost sold out of our initial shipment. We’re now taking pre-orders for our next delivery, scheduled for September. This gives customers the opportunity to secure their desired anime characters ahead of time and ensures they won't miss out on the next batch of these highly sought-after products. With the One Piece live-action TV series debuting next month on Netflix, we know that demand is only going to increase further.”

Posh Paws is also seeing success with a licensed range of traditional plush based on a Netflix series – Wednesday. Lauren Shipman, Marketing & Brand director, says Posh Paws has enjoyed a fantastic response to its new Wednesday Plush Doll assortment, which will be available to UK retailers next month. Lauren tells us that ever since the record-breaking release of the Netflix original series earlier in the year, which saw the character dominate social media with her now iconic dance scene, demand for product has grown exponentially.

“To meet the demand, we’ll have two delightfully devilish 12” Wednesday Dolls available at the end of September: one with her in the famous black prom dress and one in her NeverMore school uniform,” Lauren explains. “Both the plush dolls have realistic facial features and hair styles, and exquisite detailing to create her iconic outfits. With a second season renewed for 2024, we’re expecting this brand to continue growing and feel very strongly that it’s one to watch now and next year.”

Lauren says that when looking at new licences, Posh Paws takes a broader approach than simply ‘What’s on TV or in cinemas?’, examining every new opportunity from a design and opportunity led angle, to establish if they’re a fit for both the company and the plush market. “We are actively looking at everything from TV, film and gaming to pop-culture, anime and household and celebrity brands, constantly monitoring what consumers are buying, consuming and what’s trending,” she tells us. “Our approach when looking at new licences focuses on three things: who it’s aimed at, who would buy it and what can we produce to make it work.”

Posh Paws’ Wednesday range isn’t the only plush line tapping into the slightly more gothic side of entertainment. At recent spring/summer 2024 previews and trade shows, the Toy World team has seen plush based on Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas, a cult classic from the early 90s. Is dark about to light up the Plush aisle?

On the flip side, we’ve also seen loads of totally adorable slow-rise plush, which lies firmly at the kawaii end of the spectrum: ranges such as KAP Toys’ new Squishii, available in Hello Kitty and Fuzzballs, Just Play UK’s Mallo Mallo (new waves coming soon), and Vivid Goliath’s Squeezamals, which have been shrunk down to create the new Eenie Teenies bling-bagged range for this year. And although it’s not slow-rise, we must give a mention to MGA Entertainment’s truly innovative new plush range, Fluffie Stuffiez. Some of you may have seen this at Spielwarenmesse 2023, where attendees could pluck the wall of MGA’s stand while cuddling one of the new characters, but for those that didn’t, a quick explainer. Each plush can be plucked to reveal one of two surprise characters, with the plucked fluff popped into a pouch for added plush play. (Try saying that quickly.) In the age of ASMR, this line seems sure to be a massive hit.

There are also some really lovely ranges coming through that have a focus on supporting kids mental and emotional health. Mood Bears has released three new Talking Bears that recite poems to their owners, and Just Play UK is launching a plump, weighted Elmo plush that provides subtle reassurance to the cuddler (or Toy World editor holding him at a preview). And Happy Line Toys has announced a lovely partnership with the children’s charity Starlight that will see its new glow-in-the-dark Dream Beams provide comfort to kids in hospital.

As we creep ever closer to Christmas though, Traditional Plush sales give way to those of Special Feature & Interactive Playmates, which we usually refer to at Toy World Towers as, simply, Feature Plush. Hasbro’s 90s phenomenon Furby made a comeback earlier this year with two new on-trend colourways and with a raft of interactive features that promise to make the toy every kids’ best friend this festive season, and Golden Bear has unveiled the latest additions to its best-selling Curlimals range: Arctic Glow and Flutter Wonder.

Last Christmas saw Moose Toys’ Mama Surprise Guinea Pig steal the show, and the company is following this up with not one but two major launches for Q3/4: Cookeez Makery and My Puppy Home. Both offer the same amazing reveals and repeat play possibilities of Mama Surprise Guinea Pig, without remotely feeling like a rehash of the same play pattern. “Plush is a category we continue to thrive in, thanks largely to our super creative R&D teams,” says Maddi Tiscoe, Moose Toys UK marketing manager. “We feel our latest brand launches really showcase how we can deliver up those unforgettable moments of surprise and transformation that kids (and adults) love.”

To support the launches, Moose invited influencers and families to Cookeez Makery ‘Scent-sational’ Bakery event in Mayfair, London, where guests were immersed in a fantasy bakery environment where they transformed their dough-ey mixtures into sweet scented plush animals and enjoyed cupcake decorating and an intriguing ‘Guess the Scent’ game. Influencers will also be celebrating the release of My Puppy Home with a welcome home ‘Pawty’ (party).

Posh Paws, meanwhile, works closely with its licensing partners to support branded consumer marketing activities, ensuring that its plush is included in publicity efforts so consumers become engaged and informed about where to buy them from. In addition, Posh Paws’ talented design team regularly creates digital content and in-store POS such as FSDUs, posters, shelf strips and banner displays for its customers. Lauren says: “If there’s an opportunity retailers want to look at, we can create the content and material to drive sales and captivate their customers. Social media continues to play a big part in our marketing investment too. We’re regularly creating bespoke content that links in our retail partners for product launches, key events/occasions and seasonal buying opportunities.”

PMS International says it has an exciting line-up of events, activities, POS materials and other support in place for its ranges and retail partners, though the list is topped by attendance at key trade shows. The company’s in-store promotional materials are designed to help retailers create an engaging and appealing shopping experience for their customers, and span everything from eye-catching window displays to informative shelf talkers.

“We proudly offer over 60 unique brands and licensed plush products, from Peppa Pig, Smurfs, Stranger Things and our eco-plush range Your Planet to Cuddle Crew, Dinkies, seasonal plush including Christmas and Valentine’s, and even jumbo plush lines,” Steve adds. “This wide range of options allows retailers to cater to different target markets and appeal to a variety of customer preferences. We're all about accessibility and affordability. We understand that retailers are facing a tough year, with people having less money to spend. Rising living costs are really impacting families. Our plush products aren't just first-rate quality, they're also affordable and accessible for both our retailers and their customers with price points for everyone. We want to make sure that everyone can enjoy the plush toys they love without breaking the bank.”

“At PMS International we’re committed to accuracy, quality, affordability, and variety,” Steve finishes. “We believe that our customers deserve the absolute best when it comes to plush toys. And we're excited to offer a huge range of products that consistently deliver on that promise.”

Over the coming pages, we bring you all the newest squishy, cuddly, fluffy and fun plush squeezing their way into the toy aisle in the coming months.