From the Publisher

Happy New Year to all of our readers. It feels like I say this every year around this time, but last year was another rollercoaster ride for the toy market. It certainly wasn’t the easiest of years for any retail channel in the UK, and the toy industry was understandably not immune to the economic headwinds which the country faced.

Q4 was particularly brutal, with October and November numbers falling short of expectations until the very last weekend of November, when Black Friday finally kickstarted festive sales. I am writing this column with a week to go until the big day, and I said many times last year that I was anticipating a huge final week – with bank balances bolstered by December pay checks and people breaking up for Christmas with a few days to spare to head to stores, there was hope that a final surge would at least help to mitigate the challenges of previous months.

We’ll find out shortly whether that late spending frenzy materialized, or whether 2024 will go down as one of the trickier years for the toy community.

Whatever happened, we find ourselves at the start of a New Year, with a metaphorical blank page as far as 2025 is concerned. Whether you had a good, bad or indifferent year in 2025, we all go back to zero, and everything is once again up for grabs.

Our year starts a little differently this time round, as by the time you read this, we will have moved into a new office – it’s very much a case of ‘New Year, fresh start’ for the Toy World team. We haven’t gone far –just a few minutes down the road – but you can find our new address on the Contents page (in case you were thinking of dropping in to see us at any point). Our registered business address remains unchanged, however.

Our impending office move did mean that I was not able to squeeze in a trip to Hong Kong to kick Toy Fair Season off this year. If you were one of those who headed out to Asia this time round, I look forward to hearing how it went. Instead, our Toy Fair Season for 2025 kicks off in spectacular fashion in a couple of weeks’ time at Olympia, when the Toy Fair opens its doors for the 71st time. I make no secret of the fact that this is one of my favourite shows of the year – an unmissable event which is full of excitement and anticipation for the year ahead. The majority of our key partners will be exhibiting at the show, and we will do our best as a team to get round everyone to see what new launches they are showcasing this year. As ever, it will be a three-day whirlwind, with hardly a chance

to draw breath (yet alone grab a sandwich or squeeze in a comfort break). But those invaluable three days in London set the year up perfectly, giving us a great opportunity to see all the hottest new introductions that will be hitting shelves later this year.

London Toy Fair also gives the toy community a chance to create great memories – and for this month’s Touching Base section, we have asked a selection of exhibitors to cast their minds back to their first Toy Fair and their memories of what the show was like. We received some fascinating stories, which you can read starting on page 170.

We follow our annual trip to London with an equally intense, whistle-stop tour of Nuremberg – a behemoth of a show where all of the above challenges apply, along with the additional challenge of getting from appointment to appointment on time, given the oftenvast distances between stands. But we’ll do it - as we always do – because between London and Nuremberg, we’ll see the vast majority of our partners and get a real sense of what they are excited about this year.

As ever, this issue is dedicated to making your trips to both shows just that little bit easier and more productive. The main January issue which you hold in your hand brings you an exhaustive round-up of all the best companies exhibiting in London, and their most important new introductions for 2025. Accompanying the main issue is a special standalone supplement, dedicated to showcasing some of the highlights you’ll find in Nuremberg. Between both publications, there are almost 500 pages of compelling content – you will not find a more extensive collection of the best new toys on show in January anywhere else.

And it’s not just a product catalogue – far from it. There is all the latest news, analysis of what’s been happening at retail, a look at the hottest licences that will be driving the toy market this year in our annual Hot Properties feature – plus a look ahead to what lies in-store for everyone in the toy community in 2025, and how we can collectively make the best of the myriad opportunities that will present themselves.

So, grab a brew, whatever snacks you have left over from Christmas and dive in – I promise that whatever kind of retail store, chain or website you buy on behalf of, you will find some great new brands and products to offer your customers over the coming months within these pages.

The Toy World team looks forward to seeing as many of you as possible in London and Nuremberg, as we seek to make 2025 the best year it can be. See you along the trail.