July 2022 Volume 11 Issue 11
NEW
PIRATE SHIP BINOCULARS
NEW
THE
WOW ! FACTOR
-FILLED G, FUN N I Z A OM AM ADE FR KITS M L NAB E SUSTAI OARD CARDB
NEW
PERISCOPE
PINBALL MACHINE
NEW
NEW
Beating Chest Action
Rotating Head Action
Pull Tab Flipper Action WHITE RHINO
Pull Tab Head Action
MOUNTAIN GORILLA
SNOWY OWL
HAWKSBILL TURTLE
The Team...
CONTENTS July 2022 Volume 11 Issue 11
48 Feature: Dress-up & Role Play
80 Feature: Tech Toys & Gadgets
John Baulch
Publisher and Managing Editor john@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 408 07932 651 207
Mark Austin
Sales Director mark@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 405 07710 532 952
News
Regulars
Features
07 08 14 18 24
22 32 35 68 74 130
42 Special Feature: Learning Express visits Toymaster 46 Company Profile: Kayes of Cardiff 48 Feature: Dress-up & Role Play 52 Company Profile: Casdon 70 Company Profile: Schleich 80 Feature: Tech Toys & Gadgets 100 Feature: Stationery & Art Supplies 110 Feature: Construction Toys 114 Company Profile: Lego
From the Publisher News Industry Moves Marketing World Licensing World
Anita Baulch
Generation Media NPD Talking Shop Green News Fresh Allegedly
Circulation and Financial Director anita@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 406
Contributors
The NPD Group | Mark Buschhaus | Stephen Barnes | Jonathan Chambers
Rachael Simpson-Jones Editor rachael@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 406
100 Feature: Stationery & Art Supplies
110 Feature: Construction Toys
Sam Giltrow
Assistant Editor sam@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 406
Alakat Published by
Mark Crowford
Design and Production Manager markc@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 405
www.toyworldmag.co.uk @toyworldmag @baulchtweet
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I
hope all of our British readers – at home and abroad – had a wonderful Platinum Jubilee weekend. No doubt about the big winner from the whole event – take a bow, Paddington Bear. A truly heartwarming vignette, it may even have surpassed the Queen & James Bond film from the last Royal celebration, and that is saying something. We’ve been doing some celebrating of our own this month, after finalizing a deal to acquire our competitor Toy News and licensing website Licensing.Biz. Thank you to all those people who got in touch to offer their congratulations when we announced the good news. The whole Toy World team has worked incredibly hard to put us in this position – we are writing a great story, and there are plenty more chapters to write yet.
from the publisher
John Baulch - @Baulchtweet
It’s our first-ever acquisition – and it only took us eleven years. But we always said we were open to the right opportunity – and we think this move makes perfect sense. Toys and licensing are inextricably linked, and as we already have a strong toehold in the licensing space through Toy World, this move gives us a platform to extend that footprint, while strengthening our position as the specialist in the kids’ and family entertainment space. And, of course, it ‘right sizes’ the toy media space. Let’s be honest – there was never room for three toy magazines and websites. I have said that many times to many people over the years, and I am not sure anyone ever disagreed. In fact, I genuinely believe I could make a compelling case that one great UK toy magazine and website is all anyone really needs. There are enough challenges without triplicating time and effort (and budget) to reach a finite, defined group of retailers. We’re all time poor enough, so having all the information you need in one place will make everyone’s life a whole lot easier and make marketing decisions infinitely more straightforward. We can focus our energy on bringing you even stronger content, which in turn will make us an even more essential media partner for anyone serious about the toy business. It’s a win-win-win…and we all need a few of those right now. As we head towards the festive season, there are plenty of intriguing retail developments to look out for here in the UK; in the bricks and mortar arena, how will The Entertainer’s partnership with Marks & Spencer for the Early Learning Centre range fare? I gather that early figures are encouraging, so let’s see how that partnership develops. I also hear that Hamleys is talking up its new Westfield store, which I gather could open in time for October half-term week. I’m certainly hearing that
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significant investment is going into the new branch – maybe Hamleys has decided that, strategically, it makes more sense to invest its available budget there, rather than upgrading the Regents Street store, which would arguably require a far larger pot of money? Then, of course, there is the imminent arrival in the UK of the new Toys R Us online operation. If rumours are accurate, the owners have set ambitious targets, so there will be great anticipation within the toy community to see if it can achieve those bold goals. And after a largely disappointing year in ’21, can Argos bounce back this year? I am sure the majority of suppliers are hoping for a reaction. On the positive side, there are some bright spots providing encouragement for trading in the coming months: according to NPD, licensed toys are having their best year since 2008, representing 30% of all toy sales in the first half of the year. Even before the launch of the movie, Jurassic World sales were up by 63% YTD, and that figure will surely soar even higher once kids get to see the film. The toy retail channel has missed event movies like this – not only do they generate excitement with consumers, but crucially they give stores the opportunity to drive footfall at a time of the year when it is badly needed. It puts money in the tills, creates a buzz and instills confidence in retailers at a time when they could do with a lift. I have already seen some tremendous retail activations around the release of Jurassic World Dominion: The Entertainer’s in-store augmented reality dinosaur hunt was a truly fantastic immersive experience, while Toymaster launched its first-ever digital flyer featuring a selection of the Jurassic World products available in many Toymaster stores. Smyths also released a fabulous piece of stop motion content to promote its range, which has had over half a million views at the time of going to press. And with sales of licensed toys flying, what better time for the market-leading UK toy magazine to be taking stewardship of a well-established but neglected licensing website and injecting some fresh ideas and passion to rejuvenate it? They say timing in life is everything… Meanwhile, enjoy another packed issue of Toy World, which includes in-depth features on the Construction, Tech Toys, Dress Up & Role Play and Stationery categories. We also talk to Schleich as the company unveils a major new global brand strategy, and hear from Learning Express’ Mike Derse, an American visitor to this year’s Toymaster May Show, to get his impressions of the event. And, of course, there’s a wealth of fantastic new product to help retailers freshen up their ranges as we head towards the festive season. Enjoy.
News Toy World acquires ToyNews and Licensing.biz
Fisher-Price joins Mattel PlayBack programme
Alakat Publishing Ltd, the company behind market-leading B2B toy magazine Toy World, has concluded a deal to acquire ToyNews and licensing website Licensing.biz from Datateam Business Media Ltd. The agreement will see both titles being taken over by Toy World following a brief handover period, after which ToyNews will no longer be published as a standalone magazine or website. However, Licensing.biz will continue as a newsfocused website, and Toy World plans to make the website even more informative and relevant to the core licensing community. Toy World publisher John Baulch commented: “It has always been clear to me that the UK toy market could not viably support three B2B toy titles in the long term. When we initially launched Toy World, almost eleven years ago, it was never about simply increasing the number of toy publications available – choice can undoubtedly be a good thing, but too much choice and fragmentation benefits no-one. Instead, our aim was to provide the toy market with a dedicated magazine and website that was better than what had previously been on offer – a title which would focus on the mainstream toy market, with content that would be far more engaging and relevant for people in the toy community. He added: “Over the past decade, Toy World has given the toy industry all of that – and more. In particular, the past three years has shown just how valuable a strong trade magazine and website is to the toy eco-system. During the pandemic, when many of the traditional ways that information is shared were cut off, Toy World did not miss a single day’s email newsflash, or a single monthly edition. We kept going when other magazines and websites pressed the pause button; we helped to support the toy community through some of the biggest challenges it will ever face, and we have unquestionably seen the benefit of that decision as the business world begins to return to normal. Prior to this acquisition, Toy World had a commercial market share of over 86% (YTD 2022) in a three-book market; removing ToyNews from the market will now make Toy World the clear and obvious choice for all readers and advertisers, whichever part of the toy community they operate in.” Talking about the opportunity to play a greater role in the licensing sphere moving forward, John continued: “We have always extolled the virtues of being a specialist publisher, laser focused on the toy market – we have never been interested in building a publishing empire or publishing magazines in completely unrelated markets, diluting our energy and focus. However, licensing has always played a pivotal role in our content strategy: licensing is a vital element in the world of toys and we have always worked closely with licensors which are active in the kids’ space. Even before the pandemic, we were looking for ways to increase our presence within the licensing arena. “So, we were delighted when the opportunity came up to acquire a longstanding licensing title, while at the same time giving us the opportunity to ‘right size’ the toy media channel. We believe that our considerable experience, knowledge and contacts within the licensing market put us in the perfect position to develop licensing.biz even further, and to deliver fresh, lively content that is both engaging and relevant. We have always positioned Toy World as having its finger on the pulse of the toy market, and the team is looking forward to integrating into licensing circles in exactly the same way. We have always ‘lived and breathed’ toys – we will now be applying the same philosophy to the licensing channel. We are looking forward to extending our partnerships with many of the leading licensing companies and establishing new relationships with licensors that have not previously considered themselves as part of our orbit.” Director of Alakat Publishing, Anita Baulch, added: “Our fantastic team has gone from strength to strength and its dedication and expertise is what makes Toy World the unparalleled success it is today. As Alakat Publishing develops further, I look forward to extending our remit to an additional licensing brand which I am confident will enjoy equally prestigious status within the industry.”
Mattel has announced the expansion of its Mattel PlayBack programme to include Fisher-Price toys. FisherPrice joins Barbie, Mega and Matchbox brands in the toy takeback initiative, which enables families to extend the life of their Mattel toys once they have finished playing with them. The programme is designed to recover materials from old Mattel toys and reuse them in future Mattel products, keep materials out of landfills and support the company’s goal to achieve 100% recycled, recyclable, or bio-based plastic materials in its products and packaging by 2030.
“The Mattel PlayBack programme has been eagerly received by consumers and has provided tremendous learning specific to the durability and disassembly of our products, which will aid in the future design of products made for the circular economy,” said Pamela GillAlabaster, SVP global head of Sustainability and Social Impact, Mattel. “We are also exploring new technologies in plastic processing and recycling, with our longer-term goal to use materials collected through Mattel PlayBack in future toy production.” Launched a year ago in the US, Canada, France, Germany and the UK, the programme will now include non-electronic Fisher-Price toys, including Laugh & Learn, Little People, Imaginext brands and more. Returned toys are sorted and separated by material type and responsibly processed and recycled. For materials that cannot be repurposed as recycled content into new toys, Mattel will either downcycle those materials into other plastic products or convert them from waste to energy.
distributor of leading brands
sales@toynamics.co.uk | +44 116 478 5230
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For more information, please contact your Schleich® representative, or contact us on 01279 870 000 or orders@schleich-s.co.uk
News Fabula Toys enters Middle East market Toy start-up Fabula has announced a partnership with the Middle East’s biggest online baby shop, Mumzworld, in a move that will position the business among the top children’s brands in the region. Nazneen Yasin, founder of Fabula Toys, told Toy World: “The Middle East is an extremely exciting market for us because it isn’t just thriving but constantly growing, offering numerous opportunities for an ambitious business like ours. There is huge potential in the region and Mumzworld is the perfect partner to begin this journey with. Its reach across various Middle Eastern countries is unmatched, and we are thrilled to be introduced to local customers by an established industry leader.” Mumzworld is the biggest online baby shop in the Middle East and trades across prominent countries such as the United Arab Emirates (Dubai and Abu Dhabi included), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain. Fabula Toys is driven by a mission to reduce screen-time among young children - an ethos particularly relevant to the Middle East, which is known to have some of the highest rates of usage for mobile devices among children. In 2021, research group YouGov found that up to 31% of children between the ages of 0-6 in the UAE own their mobile device, while a different study by Norton says children in the UAE are among the youngest to own their first mobile phone. Given the relevance of Fabula Toys to the market, Nazneen was also interviewed by Dubai Eye 103.8, the city’s premier news, talk & sports radio station, about the benefits of limiting screen time among young children and the WHO guidance around it. Fabula Toys designs toys based upon popular nursery rhymes which encourage the development of Early Years Learning Goals, in accordance to guidelines by the UK Department of Education. The toys are available across retailers in the UK as well as online at www.fabulatoys.com.
Toymaster welcomes new members
Hunter Price continues sustainability drive with Build Your Own deal
Toymaster has announced that two new members have recently joined the buying group. Totally Toys in Castlebar, County Mayo has a 5500 sq. ft retail area stocking a huge range of toys, and the team says its mission is to bring value and variety to the toy market in Mayo. A wide variety of household-name brands and product featuring popular characters is available to customers, and the store stocks an extensive range of farm toys as well as outdoor toys. The other new member is McGreevy’s Toys Direct, a family-run traditional toy shop in Westport, Co. Mayo. The retailer has been in business since 1904 and members of the 4th generation of the family currently work in the shop. McGeevys also runs a website to offer more choice to its customers; the owners say that their aim is to offer great value toys and friendly, small business service to shoppers. The stores are the latest independent retailers to enjoy the benefits of Toymaster membership. As Toymaster development manager Brian McLaughlin explained: “We provide a range of services to help our members and are always looking for new ways we can support them.” Toymaster is the largest buying group for independent toy retailers in the UK & Ireland, operating as a mutuality: the group is wholly owned by the members, who are all shareholders. The group’s mission statement is a simple one – ‘To Help Our Members Trade More Profitably’ – and the group has earned itself a reputation for being both exceptionally friendly and committed to offering the very best support to its members The Toymaster team said: “We would like to welcome Totally Toys of Castlebar to the Toymaster family and wish Fidelis, Jonathan and the team the best of luck. We would also like to welcome McGreevy’s Toys Direct of Westport and wish Donard, Laura and the team the best of luck.”
Hunter Price has become the UK distribution partner for the Build Your Own brand which creates innovative, STEM-inspired kits, from sustainable cardboard. Build Your Own products are all designed in the UK, by a team of expert paper engineers with decades of experience designing and producing innovative products, pop-up books, direct mail pieces and packaging. The growing range of kits is suitable for children eight years and over and made from high-quality, sustainable materials, with minimal plastics. Build Your Own’s eco-friendly packaging is 100% recyclable. Key products for Hunter Price’s debut collection include a plane launcher, pirate ship and pinball machine, and the range will continue to be refreshed each season with new additions. Richard Belford, sales director for the toys and activity division at Hunter Price, explained: “Working with a company like Build Your Own really supports our own business goals to introduce more eco-friendly and sustainable products to market. Build Your Own combines innovation with eco, to fuel curiosity and learning. It’s already caught the eye of some major UK retail players and the first collection will launch later this year.” Keith Finch, studio and innovation director, at Build Your Own, said: “As a business we are striving to push the boundaries as we develop our range of sustainable products, by bringing exciting paper mechanics, along with an educational/STEM element, to market. We thrive on creative challenges and are launching multiple new kits into the market in 2022, all of which will be supported with solid marketing campaigns including digital, PR and social media activity plus much more. We look forward to working with the team at Hunter Price to bring Build Your Own kits to a new audience.” For further information, contact sales@hunterprice.co.uk
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41471 PARACHUTE RESCUE
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Schleich UK Ltd, Hercules Way, Leavesden Park, Leavesden, Watford, WD25 7GS
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For more information, please contact your Schleich® representative, or contact us on 01279 870 000 or orders@schleich-s.co.uk
News The Lego Group kicks off partnership with UEFA Women’s Euro 2022
Sambro opens new Amsterdam HQ
Ahead of the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 this July, the Lego Group, in partnership with UEFA Women’s Euro 2022, has created lesson plans for primary school teachers to encourage children to celebrate and identify their role models through play. In the run up to the big football event, the Lego Group conducted a new UK survey which reveals over three quarters (79%) of young girls look up to women who challenge old-fashioned gender expectations. Research also found that over half (54%) of kids and 66% of parents think it’s important that role models don’t conform to gender stereotypes. Play Your Own Way lesson plans have been launched by football stars and role models Alex Scott and Lucy Bronze and primary school teachers are being invited to sign up to download the resources at WEURO2022Schools.com. Ex-footballer and sports commentator Alex Scott said: “I wouldn’t be the person I am today without the role models I had in my life when I was a child, from my mother who taught me to always speak my mind, to my brother who introduced me to football. I’m proud to be partnering with the Lego Group to help kids celebrate the role models that are inspiring the next generation.” Isabel Graham, head of marketing, the Lego Group UK and Ireland, said: “This exciting collaboration forms part of our ambition to inspire positive change for future generations and help kids realise their unique talents and potential.” The Lego Group is also working with child psychologist Dr Martha Deiros Collado who has identified five different types of role models a child might take inspiration from. Typologies range from the Believer, an individual unafraid to make mistakes through which children can learn the art of perseverance, to the Imperfect One, a person that teaches children to embrace their imperfections.
Sambro Europe is proudly celebrating more than a decade in the European toy market. The toy company first opened its European operations in 2011, to ensure it had a frictionless hub across the region. Since then, it has experienced outstanding growth – increasing its turnover by 73% in 2021 to €43.7m. As part of the company’s ambitious growth plans it has relocated its European headquarters to a new building at Kuiperbergweg, increasing capacity by 20% and with office space and new show room facilities. Part of Sambro International, which celebrates 25 years in business this year, Sambro Europe is driving significant growth for the company through partnerships with some of Europe’s biggest retailers. To support its growth in the EU, Sambro recently expanded its European 3PL warehouse model. The supply chain model has been streamlined to best manage the challenges of supplying globally and support plans for further expansion of its DCs across Europe in June 2022. “Expanding our specialist hub here in Amsterdam has enabled us to provide a fast-tracked, seamless service to all of our European partners,” said Eric Markus, managing director at Sambro Europe. “Our business has evolved to become a key player within the toy industry, trading in over 30 countries worldwide. International expansion is a key priority for us in the coming years, and I’m looking forward to helping to drive that forward.”
newsanalysis
Limitless possibilities with ToyOns Kezi Levin, managing director of baby and toddler brand Sock Ons, recently announced the launch of the company’s new toy division Toy Ons. Here, she tells Toy World what her plans are for the business and how retailers can get involved. Can you tell us a bit about how Sock Ons led you into the toy industry, and to the creation of Toy Ons? Sock Ons has been creating innovative and fun baby and toddler accessories for over a decade. We are fortunate to have built up a loyal following, so we thought the next natural progression for the business would be to grow with ‘our kids’ by venturing into the world of creative play. As a designer and mother of seven, I am passionate about play and have a special interest in simple building and construction toys that encourage unlimited creativity and problem solving. We came across Sand Pals, the sandcastle building kit, and as a creative adult I knew I had to have one of these myself. The ingenious brick releasing moulds let families spend hours together on the beach creating skyhigh sandcastles and forts - not to mention memories of fun and togetherness. We are always looking for ways to keep our kids engaged and away from screens. The kind of toys we are distributing will encourage problem solving and teamwork and can be used again and again by kids of all ages. All the toys we plan on distributing are toys that we love, and we’re confident our kids and customers will love them too.
What is the Toy Ons ethos, and why is this important? Our ethos is simply to encourage creativity. We don’t want our toys to impose our own ideas on kids: we believe in the power of free play, such as using simple
shapes to come up with amazing designs. These are the kind of toys you never get tired of because the outcomes are limitless.
What are your plans for the business throughout the remainder of 2022 and heading into next year? We’ve started off with a bang by introducing the Sand Pals building kit to the UK market. This product has already achieved phenomenal success abroad and we think it has the same potential in the UK. Sand Pals ticks all the boxes: it’s ecofriendly, can be used all year round in sand, snow and mud, and really is a toy for all ages. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Sand Pals building craze at the beach very soon.
We are also set to release another very innovative and exciting construction toy later in the year. Why should retailers work with Toy Ons? Our primary company, Sock Ons, is well established in the nursery sector and we have many years’ experience both as a manufacturer and distributor of baby and children’s wear. We are really excited to be branching out into this new field and hope to take our loyal Sock Ons customers with us into our new Toy Ons adventure.
How can readers open an account? We have a simple to use online account and order set up system, with low minimum orders as we want to support independent retailers as much as we can. Just visit www.toyons.co.uk/pages/trade-account to get started.
Toy World 12
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Industry Moves Graham Gardiner promoted to commercial director at Rubies As part of its renewed strategy and continued business reinvigoration, Rubies is proud to announce that Graham Gardiner, a long-term and well-respected employee of the company, has been promoted to commercial director for the UK, Central and Northern Europe. Since joining Rubies in 2006, Graham has been pivotal for business growth, retail relationship management and sales across the Middle East, Central and Eastern Europe, CIS and Asia. He is also responsible for warehousing expansions and B2B commercial opportunities. With over thirty years of experience in the international toy industry and licensing, Graham has worked for some of the biggest names in the market including Hasbro, Mattel and Kids2. His skills and responsibilities range from European Domestic to FOB business. Mike O’Connell, managing director at Rubies, commented: “Commercially, Rubies couldn’t be in better hands. With the combination of over 30 years’ experience in the industry and 16 at Rubies, Graham understands the company direction and 365 business plans thoroughly. A natural evolution from his existing role as general manager EMEA, the role of commercial director will be the driving force behind Rubies’ new forward-thinking vision whilst spearheading new trade initiatives.”
Ken Goodisson joins Maxx Group as commercial director, EMEA Maxx Group has appointed toy industry veteran Ken Goodisson as its commercial director, EMEA. In this newly created role, Ken is responsible for leading the sales and marketing functions for YuMe Brands in EMEA with an emphasis on the company’s toy business. The role will oversee the maintenance and expansion of sales efforts into all EMEA distribution channels, including DTR, distributor sales, and eCommerce, to achieve the company’s goals for toy growth and overall revenue. Ken joins the maker of Stranger Things Upside Down Capsules from Bandai UK, where he served as head of Marketing. He has over 24 years experience in the toy industry as a commercial marketeer in EMEA, working with industry leaders Jakks Pacific, Hasbro and Vivid Imaginations (where he met his wife). “Ken is an experienced toy industry sales and marketing talent, with deep experience at some of the top global toy companies,” said Michael Kwan, Maxx Group CEO. “His leadership, combined with our out-of-the-box creative, speed to market approach, and the rights we’ve secured from top licensors, including Disney, Hasbro, Netflix, Crunchy Roll, Nickelodeon and others, combine all the ingredients necessary to reach our ambitious revenue targets for 2022 and beyond.” “Whilst most recently working on consultancy roles at Golden Bear and Bandai, Maxx Group offered an outstanding commercial director role no one could turn down,” commented Ken. “YuMe Toys is set for tremendous growth through IP development, licence acquisition and team expansion. I am proud to be part of this great team.”
Helen Genia
Janice Lam
Moonbug welcomes Helen Genia & Janice Lam Moonbug Entertainment has continued the expansion of its Licensing and Merchandising team with two new senior appointments. Helen Genia has been appointed Global Hardlines director, Consumer Products for Moonbug’s London office, while Janice Lam will undertake the same role based in New York. Each will manage a portfolio of hardlines licensees in the UK and US respectively. In her newly created role, Helen will be responsible for overseeing all regional and global EMEA based partners, as well as identifying and driving new opportunities, working across all Moonbug properties, including hit brands such as CoComelon, Blippi and Little Baby Bum. Helen has extensive experience in the lifestyle, entertainment and toy sectors and prior to Moonbug worked at Mattel for eight years, most recently as head of Licensing UK, Europe, Middle East & Russia and Hardlines EMEA. Prior to Mattel, she was at Hasbro Europe for over 18 years. She said: “I am extremely excited to be joining such an innovative company at the forefront of the children’s entertainment sector. I am looking forward to working with the team and our partners to create high quality, innovative and relevant products that will allow children across the globe to interact with their favourite characters and expand their imagination.” Janice Lam will be responsible for managing global master toy and hardlines licensing partners, predominantly based out of North America, as well as identifying and driving new opportunities. She joins from eOne where, after the company was acquired by Hasbro in 2019, she was appointed senior director, Licensing. In previous roles, Janice held key licensing executive posts at the BBC, Zodiak and Chorion. Duncan Tate, Global head of Hardlines, Consumer Products at Moonbug Entertainment, added: “Both Helen and Janice have a wealth of relevant experience and expertise that I am confident will be invaluable for the growth of Moonbug’s Consumer Products business. Their roles will play a key part in our continued rapid expansion. I am very much looking forward to working with them both at such an exciting and important time in the Moonbug journey.”
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STRONGER MAG N E TS
FOOD GRADE N O N -TO X I C
RIVETS FOR EXTRA SAFETY
UNIQUE BEVEL DESIGN
Industry Moves KidsKnowBest bolsters team with two new hires Full-service communications agency KidsKnowBest has announced the appointment of Agnieszka Kendrick and George Sinnott to the roles of performance director and growth manager respectively. Agnieszka joins from Metia, where she was the global Paid Media lead. Previously, she worked at agencies including TBG Digital (now part of Sprinklr) and ForwardPMX, where she led the Nike performance team. She begins at KidsKnowBest during a period of expansion, as the company dials up its data-driven media offering and internal planning tools. Agnieszka said: “KKB is leading the way when it comes to understanding the wants and needs of the future consumer and I am so excited to be joining as performance director. The team’s disruptive approach to the way media agencies should behave matches the ambitions I am looking for in the next step of my career.” George Sinnott joins from Rise At Seven, where he moved through their ranks as quickly as the company expanded, starting as digital analyst and rising to Data & Insights manager. As growth manager, he will be optimising all internal processes for KKB, ensuring campaigns are as effective as possible for clients along with advising the tech team on AdTech tools being built to accelerate the success of projects. George commented: “I’m really excited to be joining KidsKnowBest which does incredible work and has a fantastic roster of clients for me to get stuck into. I’m looking forward to being part of some exciting projects and being involved in taking KidsKnowBest and its product suite to the next level.” The appointments mark a moment of real drive from KidsKnowBest as the company embarks on new territories (US and EMEA) and moves even further into the data and technological side of its offering. Rob Lough, co-founder and chief brand Officer at KidsKnowBest, said: “At KidsKnowBest, we’re unashamedly hyper-ambitious in our plans, we know the rich data and insights powering our strategy are only as good as the personnel making sense of it. Agi and George fit the bill perfectly, they are both extremely tech-driven in their thought process, brilliant thinkers and specialists in their domain.”
Moose Toys appoints David Norman to spearhead global games Moose Toys has appointed industry veteran David Norman as global general manager, Games. In his new role, David will be based at the company’s US headquarters in El Segundo, California. The executive level hire is in response to Moose Toys’ announcement earlier this year that the games category would be one of the toymaker’s primary growth strategies. Ronnie Frankowski, chief commercial officer, Moose Toys, commented: “David will help ensure we successfully combine our innovative product design capabilities with the unique aspects and requirements of the games category and, over time, to build our games division into a powerhouse. He is one of only a handful of truly recognized thought leaders in the global games industry.” The company’s broad range of offerings includes board games, card games and a range of high-quality and engaging educational games. “My career has been spent creating new and more innovative ways to engage consumers in games across multiple genres,” said David Norman. “Moose’s enthusiasm for the category and its commitment to over invest in the category across all genres piqued my interest from the get-go.” Having co-founded successful global games business Goliath Games, David spent 13 years as president. Prior to Goliath, he spent 12 years with University Games, amassing incredible sales, marketing and product development experience. He added: “I love the range of games that Moose already has both in its line-up and in development for 2023; they are consistent with the innovation and creativity that Moose is known for in traditional toys. I look forward to blending my expertise with Moose’s vision and being an integral part of growing the company’s reputation in games as well as contributing to its overall continued growth.”
Sequin Art expands sales team Sequin Art has announced the expansion of its sales team to support the continued growth of its product portfolio to independent retailers. In announcing the expansion of four sales agents across England, Wales and Scotland, sales manager Christopher Watts said that the return of a full sales team across the UK market was in response to support the needs of the company’s retail partners, as the market emerges from the pandemic, with a sales team capable of matching the brands upward trajectory. The new sales agents are: Martin Pike – South, South-West, and South Wales. Tel: 01202 882991 Will Abigail – South-East, London and East Anglia. Email: waagencies@outlook.com Kingsley Li – Midlands, North Wales and the North of England. Email: kckagencies@outlook.com Maria Thomson – Scotland. Email: mariathomson2@gmail.com Each agent can be contacted individually or via the Sequin Art Head office, email: sales@sequinart.com / Tel: 01760 721390 The new team joins at an exciting time for the business as 2022 also marks a change in manufacturing processes, with the company’s ranges moving towards increased sustainability and the reduction of packaging.
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Marketing World Monster Jam live show hits London to celebrate 30th anniversary Larger-than-life sporting experience Monster Jam headed to London for the first time this summer. Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the adrenaline-charged, interactive experience for the whole family promised world-class athletes locked in intense competitions of speed and skill. The event at the London Stadium in Stratford was expected to welcome up to 50,000 spectators. Returning to international competition for the first time since 2020, UK fans got to witness the heated rivalries, high-flying stunts and fierce head-to-head battles of Monster Jam, as the worldfamous 12,000-pound Monster Jam trucks such as Grave Digger, El Toro Loco and Megalodon took part in competitions. There was also a ‘Pit Party’, where fans could see the massive trucks up close, meet their favourite drivers, take pictures, get autographs and much more. “Monster Jam is a global premier experience which entertains and delights millions around the planet, bringing families of all ages together for one historic event,” said Magnus Danielsson, vice president of International Motorsports for Feld Entertainment Inc., owner of Monster Jam. “We are excited to be bringing Monster Jam to London, and the iconic London Stadium, for the first time ever.” Global toy partner Spin Master offers a selection of diecast vehicles to help recreate some of the epic stunts seen on the track, as part of a collection which has been performing strongly for the company. The Megalodon and Grave Digger remote control vehicles replicate the power, attitude, excitement and action of the real trucks, complete with official sponsor BKT Tires and a look-alike chassis. Hedley Barnes, SVP International at Spin Master Toys, added: “We are so excited that fans of our Monster Jam toys were able to experience the real-life action with a trip to the London Stadium. With our vast range of Monster Jam vehicles, the epic stunts seen on the 18th June will be easy to recreate at home.”
Character Options launches Character Kidz TV Character Options has launched a new YouTube channel, Character Kidz TV, which is packed with entertaining video content for today’s digital kids. Mark Hunt, marketing director at Character Options, said: “Our decision to create this entertainment space for children has come as a result of the multiple changes to YouTube’s digital space for kids. The Character Kidz TV channel is a place where kids can come to watch premium fun videos, be it skits from kids, CGI animated content or entertaining toy play.” The channel went live on May 21st to coincide with the launch of GooZonians, Character Options’ all-new squishy, collectible line, and includes the brand’s accompanying 11-minute animated launch webisode: GooZonians: The Diamond Goo-bilee. The channel’s playlists also include the ever-popular Heroes of Goo Jit Zu webisodes, pre-school stop-frame adventures, plus a host of videos created by the Character Kidz, a group of talented, content-creating youngsters who have played an essential role in promoting the team’s biggest launches in recent years. “A part of our development strategy is to create great, storyline-based content for our own IPs, so we’ve created a platform to house them,” continued Mark. “Since the channel’s launch, we have been amazed at how many views have already been achieved – more than three million and rising daily. Our task now is to keep populating the channel with content that kids will seek out.” The Character Kidz TV channel has been branded in line with the Character Kidz event; an annual showcase of kidfluencers who come together to highlight all that is new for the Character Options in the run up to Christmas. Each year, the event has evolved and rather than just one event this year, there are plans for a whole host of activities between July and November. Mark explained: “Character Kidz is our annual showcase; it’s an established part of our autumn marketing strategy and each year we come up with innovative ways to keep it fresh for our followers. This year, Character Kidz will kick off at the end of July, at the BlogOn Kids family event, where we have our own special Character Kidz room. Thereafter, each month, we will choose key brands to promote through the Character Kidz network as part of the overall brand launch strategy.”
Hasbro wins five Influencer Marketing Awards Hasbro picked up a grand total of five awards at the annual Influencer Marketing Awards, now in its 4th year. The company took home the Gold Award for both the Best Multi-Channel Campaign category and the Best Family and Parenting Campaign category for Nerf’s Upload campaign, which sought to establish Nerf as a lifestyle brand in the UK. Hasbro also won Silver Awards for three of its campaigns across Nerf and Play Doh, securing Silver in Best Use of Data and Most Creative Influencer Marketing Campaign for Nerf Upload, plus Silver in the Best Multi-Channel Campaign category for its Play Doh Home Protection Service campaign. Nerf Upload was created to help Nerf achieve its 2021 growth targets and to maintain relevancy by positioning Nerf as a lifestyle brand embraced by children and parents alike. The campaign positioned Nerf as a tool of creativity; teaching kids the basics of content creation, whilst demonstrating to parents the real skill that goes into it, via a series of YouTube masterclasses. Meanwhile, the Play Doh Home Protection Service addressed the Play Doh ‘messy play’ pain point of parents to drive consideration and household penetration All the awards won celebrate Hasbro’s commitment to making the world a better place for all children, fans and families and Hasbro’s dedication to delivering immersive brand experiences for global audiences through consumer products, including toys and games.
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Marketing World 75 years of Subbuteo campaign kicks off 2022 marks the 75th Anniversary of iconic table football game Subbuteo and to celebrate, University Games is releasing a commemorative 75th Anniversary Main Game as well as a Premier League Licensed Main Game and Team Set. Launching in conjunction with Hasbro and licence holder Longshore, the new 75th Anniversary Main Game is presented in a commemorative 75th silver grey box and features a limited-edition gold football and corner flags all sporting the 75th emblem. This celebratory Limited-Edition set will join the original Subbuteo Main Game and award-winning Official England and Lionesses Main Games in University Games’ 25-strong Subbuteo product range. Also available from July, a new Official Licensed Liverpool FC Main Game and Player Set makes a great gift for any Liverpool FC fan. University Games will also launch a heavyweight, multi-media campaign including TV, online, social media and print to support these product releases. The campaign will run across the second half of 2022. Gemma Lewington, marketing director for University Games, said: “Subbuteo is a nostalgic brand that has evoked childhood memories for many parents and grandparents for three quarters of a century. We hope that in this anniversary year, the new products and media campaign will inspire even more of the next generation to get flicking and kicking.”
Smoby to highlight range with Gloworm Festival sponsorship Simba Smoby Toys UK will take the Smoby brand to Gloworm Festival this year, as part of its familyfocused marketing calendar. During the event in Newark, Nottinghamshire this August, festivalgoers will be invited to visit the Smoby Play Zone to enjoy a selection of Smoby’s role play toys, playhouses and slides. Speaking of the company’s plans for the Smoby brand, Mayur Pattni, UK marketing manager, said: “The past two years’ awareness drive for Smoby has been tremendously successful. We want to build on this success, with family-focused activities, that will continue to support brand awareness, whilst driving brand loyalty and retail sales. As an official sponsor for Gloworm Festival, we have the opportunity to take Smoby directly to the family space.” Richard Walpole, Gloworm Festival director, added: “After two years of being stuck inside, due to the various lockdowns, we are really looking forward to engaging in some outdoor creative play in the Smoby Play Zone.” This newly announced partnership with Gloworm Festival forms part of the firm’s wider 2022 marketing campaigns for the Smoby brand, which also includes TV, football advertising, digital support and more. Smoby recently ran TV campaigns for its outdoor range and, in the run up to Christmas, another TV campaign is scheduled for November to showcase Smoby’s workbenches, kitchens and the all-new Barber Shop and Beauty Centre. Following the success of Smoby’s family football advertising with the Premier League and FA Cup, the company will also run an additional Premier League campaign between September and November with Smoby Smile LED brand advertising via the pitch-side boards. The company will also use monthly initiatives to increase the already high levels of engagement on its own social channels, with influencer and celebrity engagement, and will continue to invest in parent and kid-facing YouTube preroll.
Vivid Goliath appoints Havas Entertainment as media partner Vivid Goliath has teamed up with Havas Entertainment to manage its ongoing media campaigns from autumn/winter this year. The entertainment agency will plan and buy media with a digitally-led approach across TV, video-on-demand, digital, and social channels. “We have all seen how the media landscape has evolved, diversified and fragmented and we believe Havas is well placed to help manage our campaigns with its creative and digital capabilities as well as its agile approach to assessing campaign effectiveness,” commented Vivid Goliath’s marketing director Darrell Jones. The partnership will provide support across key new launches, which include Sky Dancers, Animagic’s Gecko, Recyclings, Casefiles, new Crayola Washimal Playsets and Glow Station – as well as quirky new kids game Chicken Poo Bingo. “As our portfolio grows and diversifies across toys, games and arts & crafts, there no longer is a one size fits all media solution,” added Darrell. “We are excited to work with the Havas team to explore creative campaign ideas to support our ranges.” Tamara Strange, client partner at Havas Entertainment, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be working with the dynamic Vivid Goliath team at such an exciting time for the company. We are looking forward to creating engaging media campaigns in partnership with the team across their impressive array of toys and games brands.” Toys and games media agency Azure Media merged with Havas Entertainment in order to evolve and extend its services to clients across media, creative, content, data and eCommerce. Managing partner Tristan Brooks told Toy World: “We’ve enhanced our services to clients by harnessing our full-service capabilities under one integrated agency team. We are in the unique position of being an agency of market specialists powered by a leading international media and entertainment network.”
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Missing: 50% of UK children can you help? This month, Jonathan examines what will become of TV in the children’s media landscape, and how data will be more crucial than ever in optimising marketing campaigns.
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nce upon a time, Linear TV was the panacea for Toys and Gamers marketers, able to fulfil on most campaign objectives – chiefly the ability to deliver mass reach incredibly cost effectively, and, most importantly, to deliver a clear and positive impact on sales. However, as has been well documented, a decline in audiences has limited the effectiveness of TV in recent years. Whilst many of us are familiar with continual reports of double-digit YoY reductions, do we truly understand the absolute numbers these represent? TV planning benchmarks have historically focused on building effective coverage and frequency – reaching a percentage of your audience enough times to elicit a sales response on a scale that makes the venture profitable. The migration of children’s audience away from traditional Linear TV means that, in isolation, this is unachievable. Take the Children 4-9 audience as an example. In 2018, an efficient channel mix could deliver over 50% 1+ coverage (those to have seen the ad more or once) via the purchase of 575 CH4-9 TVRs. In 2022, it would take over three times as many CH4-9 TVRs to breach the 50% barrier. Particularly in Q4, this is not a viable option due to the level of inflation over the past five years, and the advertiser demand pressures placed on a limited supply of impacts. This outcome is repeated across all key Toys & Games demos, most notably the Girls 4-9 audience. It would take more than five times as many G4-9 TVRs to deliver 50% 1+ coverage compared to 2018. (Girls 4-9 were a strong contributor to the audience of the Disney portfolio, whose linear TV channels ceased broadcasting in the UK at the end of September 2020). Subsequently this has had a knock-on effect on the frequency of messaging. Analysing the 4+ benchmarks (those who have seen the ad at least four times), the volume of TVRs required to deliver the same percentage as five years ago has not increased to the same extent as 1+ cover. For example, Boys 4-9 requires twice as many B4-9 TVRs to achieve 25% 4+ cover (2022 vs. 2018), compared to the 3x multiplier for 1+ coverage. This can be a benefit for some product categories (collectibles for example) but, given the spends that up until recently have been allocated to children’s TV, the frequency of
the average Toys & Games campaign very often exceeds 10 (the average for the top 10 campaigns of 2021 was a frequency of 32). In 2021, Toys & Games campaigns achieved an average of 24.4% 1+ reach and 11.4% reach in the UK. With an estimated 4.8m children aged 4-9 in the UK, this equates to 545k CH4-9 seeing the campaign 4 times or more. Based on the fact that the average conversion to sale falls below 5%, does this provide sufficient scale to reach sales forecasts? In many cases, the answer to this is no. If we look back to the media landscape in 2018, this would have been a problem. However, in 2022 there are a plethora of cost effective, sales effective options available to advertisers, meaning that the diversification of children’s media habits needn’t be a hinderance to campaign success. In fact, we don’t have to look beyond the TV screen to find answers. Far too often, we focus too heavily on terms such as ‘Linear’, ‘SVOD’ and ‘AVOD’. The reality for all audiences however, especially children, is that if something appears on a TV screen, then it is TV. In 2021, almost a third of the total impressions across all YouTube campaigns which we managed and optimised were delivered on a TV screen (compared to 0% in 2018). This is having a positive effect on sales-related metrics such as purchase influence. For example, according to Giraffe Insights 28% of 4-9 year old survey respondents in October 2021 cited YouTube when asked “Where do you get inspiration for the products you want?”. TV was only quoted by 23% of 4-9 year olds. So, YouTube can increasingly fulfil sales metrics (providing investment levels are optimal), and in the modern media landscape where access is critical, it has a far higher reach than TV. Using advanced analytics from Optimus Plan, we can compare cover build across key media channels. Assessing the children 4-9 audience, buying the equivalent of 100 GRPs on YouTube would achieve an estimated 37-40% 1+ coverage, more than twice what TV can now deliver, and at a much lower cost in Q4. So, what will become of TV in the children’s media landscape? Could it in fact undergo something of a renaissance? If we adapt the boundaries of what we consider to be ‘TV’, then this might not be a fanciful
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Jonathan Chambers Director of AV Investment, Generation Media. Tel: 0207 307 7906 Jonathan.Chambers@generationmedia.co.uk concept. Disney+ will roll out a commercial model in the US later this year, with this due to be extended to Europe in 2023. Data from Giraffe Insights indicates that Disney+ already commands a larger share of children’s viewing time than all the commercial children’s linear channels combined. Coupled with the “power of Disney” and the values which their content exudes, this has the potential to be a juggernaut within the framework of children’s media plans. And it will have knock on effects to other SVOD providers, with Netflix already openly talking about following suit - although they will let Disney+ take the risk on changing the subscription model and assess how this impacts subscriber numbers. By the end of next year, ‘TV’ will be the domain of YouTube and Disney+, with the traditional Linear channels playing a supporting role. Beyond that, the dominance on the TV screen of “Digital First” propositions will only increase. It is not hard to imagine a world in which one or both of Paramount (Nickelodeon) and Warner Media (Cartoon Network) remove their channels from linear broadcast in favour of streaming platforms. At the same time, other “Digital First” business such as Moonbug (CoComelon, Blippi, etc.) will likely launch some form of “TV” based service. At that point, data will be more crucial than ever to planning and optimising campaigns to deliver on objectives. This is why we continue to develop Optimus AI, through the integration of unique research from Giraffe Insights, and millions of data points from the thousands of campaigns we run annually. We will always adopt a test and learn policy to all campaigns and platforms that we work across, but this cannot take up too significant a proportion on the budget when demands are made on advertising budgets to pay back immediately. This is why it is critical to us to have such a robust view of what has the potential to deliver return on investment.
Licensing World Sales of KAP Toys’ Stranger Things capsules soar KAP Toys is celebrating the success of its short lead time Mystery Capsule range which debuted alongside the launch of Stranger Things Season 4. Having landed at retailers across the UK, the collection went straight into the best-seller charts. KAP Toys is the distributor of the YuMe toys brand in the UK & Ireland with the partnership enjoying proven success to date, including with the best-selling Warner Bros. licensed Harry Potter toys and the development of the Toikido Among Us collection. For 2022, Netflix’s smash-hit Stranger Things has benefited from the YuMe toys supernatural treatment, delivering a mystery capsule range that combines 80s nostalgia with collectability. Each retro style TV-themed box contains a wealth of surprises including three scene trading cards, a character card, art card, TV display card and sticker reveal card, all featuring never-before-seen artwork, plus a figurine based on one of the beloved characters from the franchise, including Eleven, Hopper, Mike and Max, plus accessories specific to that character. Nathaniel Southworth, managing director at KAP Toys, said: “The Stranger Things launch has been a real team effort that saw the container arrive on 23rd May, with stock going out nationally the same day. Deliveries to stores started on 24th May, ahead of the series arriving on Netflix on 27th May, and by the 30th our customers were telling us that we’ve got an instant best-seller. The Stranger Things plush line was immediately on allocation and sold out.” He added: “I must give credit to the team at YuMe toys, and to our retail partners, for helping to get Stranger Things products to market and on shelf on time for the main event taking place – the release of the highly anticipated season 4. Over the next six weeks, fan excitement built even further for the second part of the series starting on 1st July.” The capsule programme draws on YuMe’s reputation as a mystery unboxing specialist within the licensed product category. More licences are joining the programme in 2023, and YuMe toys will also be expanding its product offerings.
HTI welcomes Bluey to licensed toy portfolio Pre-school favourite Bluey is joining HTI Toys‘ licensed toy portfolio after the company signed a new threeyear deal with BBC Studios for UK and European territories. The animated Emmy Award winning show was crowned the number one pre-school toy property in 2021 and the new licence follows the success of HTI’s Hey Duggee range of toys, also based on a BBC Studios-managed property. With the demand for wooden and sustainable toys growing exponentially, the 2023 Bluey ranges from HTI will include large wooden role-play toys, including a mud kitchen and BBQ set, and a range of Bluey themed bubbles products including Bluey branded solution bottles which will be made at HTI’s UK-based factory. Affirming the show’s values of imagination and play, the summer collection also extends to Bluey patio sets, with further innovative products in the pipeline for the busy autumn/winter season. Alison Downie, global licensing and brand director for HTI Group, said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with BBC Studios once again. With HTI holding existing licences for several other hugely popular shows in the pre-school market, it seemed natural for us to partner with BBC Studios for Bluey. Bluey and her family will be made very welcome here in Lancashire and we are excited to be creating new adventures for this inexhaustible character by developing a range of toys that complement Bluey’s love of play”. Julie Kekwick, head of Licensing – Hardlines, BBC Studios, added: “We are delighted to work with HTI on Bluey and to build on our successful partnership for Hey Duggee. This agreement will bring a fantastic new range of fun and playful products to the UK and Europe, and we can’t wait to share them with fans.”
Rubies adds Masters Of The Universe and Barbie to line-up and expands Wizarding World Rubies has announced that two iconic Mattel properties – Barbie and Masters of the Universe - will be joining its 2022 costume collection, as well as expanding its Wizarding World line-up. The new Barbie children’s dress-up range will be available across EMEA and features popular styles including Astronaut, Ballerina and Princess costumes. Both the Ballerina and Princess designs feature reversible sequins on the bodice, creating two looks in one. Rubies’ official licensed Barbie costumes will be available to pre-order soon. He-Man returned to screens in 2021, with both the critically acclaimed series Masters of the Universe: Revelation and He-Man: Masters of the Universe available to stream on Netflix. The new animated series has sparked a rejuvenation of the property for a new generation of fans. Rubies will be launching deluxe children’s costumes for both He-Man and Skeletor, along with a He-Man accessory kit. The new range will be available across EMEA later this year. Georges Ghougassian, Rubies group director Licence and Brands, commented: “He-Man has been on TV screens for almost 40 years now and its legacy is one we are delighted to add to our costumes collection.” Commenting on the Barbie costumes, he added: “Barbie is known the world over for encouraging children to reach their limitless potential, whether that’s a career as a teacher, astronaut or fashion designer. As the industry leader in costumes and dress-up, our aims align as we inspire our core audience to become whoever they want to be.” Rubies is also launching brand-new character costumes based on fan-favourite Wizarding World. Rubies’ collection of some of the most iconic costumes and Hogwarts uniforms from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts film series is produced in partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products. The new range includes tutus featuring metallic Hogwarts House designs, a Hogwarts cape with shimmering detail and costumes that allow kids to dress up as Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Luna Lovegood, Hagrid and Professor Snape. “As one of our most successful licences, Harry Potter and the wider Wizarding World has stood the test of time and is popular with generation after generation of children,” said Mike O’Connell. “Now, we welcome a new collection with costumes that have long been sought-after by fans, and are incredibly excited to see their reactions.”
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Licensing World WildBrain unveils new Strawberry Shortcake deals WildBrain’s Strawberry Shortcake brand continues to gain momentum around the world with new distribution, licensing and promotional partnerships. Following the global success of Season 1, WildBrain is set to launch Season 2 this summer on the official Strawberry Shortcake channel on WildBrain Spark, the company’s AVOD network on YouTube and YouTube Kids. Michael Riley, chief brands officer at WildBrain, said: “Since launching this fresh version of our treasured Strawberry Shortcake brand and the new Berry in the Big City series, the response from kids, families and industry partners alike has been amazing. As we prepare to launch forty more episodes, we’re seeing the new brand gathering significant momentum, as demonstrated by another round of international partners, and we know this is only just the beginning for our all-new Strawberry Shortcake.” The new Berry in the Big City 2D-animated series (80 x 4’), plus four brand-new premium CG-animated seasonal specials (4 x 44’) are part of the global rollout of WildBrain’s new Strawberry Shortcake brand across animated content, gaming, music, toys, food, apparel, events and more. A new wave of distribution partners for Berry in the Big City has been signed following the previously announced worldwide deal with Netflix, which saw the series launch on the platform in April and which will see four original CG specials follow in 2023. These include Tiny Pop in the UK, while other new distribution partners also include Amazon Prime Video (LatAm, France, Germany, Austria, UK, Ireland, Australia), Future Today (US, UK, Canada) and Kartoon Channel! (US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore). Additionally, multiple new consumer products partnerships have been signed by WildBrain CPLG for both New and Vintage Strawberry Shortcake, highlighting the evergreen appeal of the brand and adding to the list of previously announced licensees for the new Strawberry Shortcake, including Moose Toys (master toy/global) and Penguin Random House (publishing/North America).
Moonbug names Just Play as global master toy licensee for raft of hit properties Just Play’s portfolio of brands will include pre-school favourites Little Baby Bum, Lellobee City Farm and My Magic Pet Morphle (North America only), with product launching from autumn 2023. Just Play will also develop ranges for the shows Gecko’s Garage and Go Buster. Product ranges will vary depending on the property, but key categories include figures and play sets, vehicles, plush and role-play toys. Duncan Tate, global head of Hardlines, Consumer Products at Moonbug Entertainment, commented: “Our partnership with Just Play reflects our ongoing commitment to bringing new opportunities for our fans to interact with our beloved characters and extend the storytelling to the home environment through imaginative play. Just Play is already a trusted partner to Moonbug, and we are very much looking forward to further develop innovative and creative products with the team.” Anna Chapman, VP Marketing & Licensing EMEA at Just Play, said: “We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with Moonbug on some of the world’s most popular kids’ entertainment brands. Moonbug’s data-driven approach to content development provides us with great insights that enable us to provide product solutions for families. Just Play is looking forward to bringing these new hit properties from show to shelf and helping kids learn through play.” Additionally, multiple new consumer products partnerships have been signed by WildBrain CPLG for both New and Vintage Strawberry Shortcake, highlighting the evergreen appeal of the brand and adding to the list of previously announced licensees for the new Strawberry Shortcake, including Moose Toys (master toy/global) and Penguin Random House (publishing/North America).
Bandai to launch first toy range for pre-school series Milo Bandai has agreed a deal with DeAPlaneta Entertainment to be the master toy licensee for animated pre-school TV series Milo. The deal covers the UK, Ireland, Portugal and Spain with other countries such as France, Germany and Italy set to follow. Nic Aldridge, managing director at Bandai UK, said: “From the moment we saw the animation, it really stood out to us with its fresh new look; bright, bold colour scheme and graphic style. We immediately felt that the series lent itself to a strong product range to support the content. Career role play is a key play pattern to our pre-school target age group, so we are keen to develop a range to further reinforce the fact that ‘every job is amazing’.” Ignacio Segura De Lassaletta’s, DeAPlaneta Entertainment chief executive officer, commented: “Our company is proud to have signed an agreement with Bandai, a leading company in the creation and distribution of toys from well-known and popular successful international productions. Bandai has fully understood the unique philosophy of the Milo series and together we will expand the brand into multiple territories and areas without ever losing any of the core elements”. Milo, which is produced by Fourth Wall in association with DeAPlaneta Entertainment, recently won the 2022 Best Children’s Series at the prestigious British Animation Awards. Since launching in the UK on Channel 5’s Milkshake! the series has enjoyed high ratings and is also available on the broadcaster´s on-demand platform My5. Since the launch in May 2021, Milo has reached 3.3m individual 4+ kids in the UK and already has more than 4m views on its official YouTube channel. It will soon be expanding on to new YT channels in other countries. DeAPlaneta Entertainment is working with Lisle Licensing in the UK to build a strong brand presence and licensing programme.
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Licensing World Jazwares appointed master toy licensee for Roblox game Adopt Me Jazwares has entered into a multi-year global master toy licensing agreement with Uplift Games to create a toy line based on the popular game Adopt Me. Enjoyed by millions on the Roblox platform and playable on mobile, tablet, PC and Xbox, Jazwares will bring the excitement of Adopt Me out of the Metaverse and into the physical world. The Adopt Me experience creates opportunities for players to explore a family-friendly online world where they can build and decorate houses, adopt over 200 cute pets and use in-game tools to create their own fun with friends. With over 28b visits and a record breaking 1.9m peak concurrent users on Roblox, Adopt Me is the platform’s most popular and successful game of all time, with billions of lifetime plays. “Our unparalleled expertise in bringing metaverse IP to life, coupled with Uplift Games’ smash hit Adopt Me, brings a new evolution for Jazwares as we continue to innovate the future of play,” said Sam Ferguson, vice president of Licensing at Jazwares. “Fans are going to love our in-game inspired figures and play sets featuring an array of pets, accessories and more that authentically expand the Adopt Me experience beyond digital.” Set to launch at retailers and online in spring 2023, Jazwares has licensing rights to design, manufacture and market a full line of toys across various categories for the popular property, inspired by the pets seen in the magical world of Adopt Me on Roblox. Sophie Sirera, director at Uplift Games, added: “Adopt Me has captivated millions of players around the world in the Metaverse since 2017. We’re excited to partner with Jazwares to bring players new ways to create their own future nostalgia in the physical world, in addition to the virtual world.”
New licensees join Hey Duggee licensing programme BBC Studios has signed a raft of new agreements for the multiple BAFTA and Emmy Awardwinning pre-school animation Hey Duggee, covering UK and EMEA. “We’re delighted to announce new partners who will help to grow our Hey Duggee licensing programme,” said Mandy Thwaites, director, Magazines & Consumer Products, UK Division, BBC Studios. “Hey Duggee is such a colourful, fun and inclusive show and we’re really excited about the innovative and engaging products which our new and existing licensees are bringing to us.” Golden Bear has been named as master arts & crafts partner, adding to the company’s involvement in the hit brand as master toy partner. This year, Golden Bear’s hero product is the Transforming Hey Duggee Space Rocket – named as one of London Toy Fair’s 2022 Hero Toys. Arts & crafts products are set to launch in Autumn/Winter 2023. A complementary agreement for arts & crafts products in the UK has been signed with RMS, to include dough, bath puzzles and wooden arts & crafts toys, set to launch in spring 2023. BBC Studios has also agreed a UK deal with Character Options for Weebles, with Hey Duggee versions of the classic toy set to hit shelves in 2023. Existing licensees Ravensburger, HTI Toys, MV and 8th Wonder are expanding their ranges following strong performance. Ravensburger has renewed its agreement for puzzles and games including Memory; HTI Toys is expanding into 3D games to add to the company’s existing role play, cases, musical instruments and outdoor products; 8th Wonder is growing its range of wooden toys and MV Sports will be unveiling an expanded range of wheeled toys and ride-ons. Launched in 2014, Hey Duggee was the most-watched kids’ show on CBeebies in 2021 and was streamed more than 250m times on BBC iPlayer in 2021. The property has over 1.2m million fans across its social channels and its official YouTube channel has over 1b lifetime views.
Toy World 28
Yoto cooks up new audio baking collection with GBBO winner Yoto, the audio platform for kids behind Yoto Player and Yoto Mini, has teamed up with Great British Bake Off winner John Whaite for a new cook-along series, Baking with Yoto. A new addition to the Yoto Originals collection, the series has been produced to develop children’s listening and motion skills in a fun, hands-on way that the whole family can get involved in. Easily operated by both children and adults, the step-by-step audio guides are easy to digest and played by simply inserting the cards into a Yoto Player or Yoto Mini. The physical content cards also list the ingredients needed, making preparation easy for parents. The recipes include Banana Pancakes, Cheese Scones, Rocky Road, Birthday Traybake and Rainbow Biscuits. Ben Drury, CEO and founder of Yoto, said: “The team at Yoto is excited to be working with expert John Whaite to encourage family time through baking. We hope the collection will help children develop key listening, motor (and baking) skills in a fun, creative way that brings enjoyment to kids and parents alike.” Presenter and 2012 Great British Bake Off winner, John Whaite, commented: “Having been raised with a love of food and baking through family, getting children involved with baking at an early age is something I’m really passionate about. I’m thrilled to be working with Yoto to help inspire the next generation of bakers.”
SPECIAL EDITIONS
For more information please contact
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NPD Insight
Characters and themes drive sales 2022 Toy Market Highlights
The UK market is currently -8% but there are some highlights in key areas
This month, Rory highlights the areas of the UK toy market that are enjoying 30%2022, identifying the+34% a successful strongest IPs and themes in the market.
2
Spider-Man, Batman and Jurassic Park, all showing 022 is proving to be another challenging year double digit growth. There are also IPs from TV and for the UK toy market, the latest YTD May Licensing Plush streaming services, with Bluey, Themes CoComelon and data shows the value trend at -8% for the Miraculous all featuring in the top growth licences. year, while the month of May was -7%. There Around a third of all toys value Strong themes in 2022 The standout of area featuring The other prominently in the list of are several external factors influencing the category is licensed so far in 2022. dogs, 2022 with top growth licencesinclude is Videosuperheroes, Games; Among Us is in market, including rising costs across a number of Squishmallows Movies are driving growth too. andthe fairies. the top growth property the No.8in spot for growthponies and Sonic Hedgehog at areas, impacting consumer spending. Thankfully,
toys
2022 Toy Market Highlights
Source: The NPD Group |Retail Tracking Service | UK | YTD May-22
Document classification: Client/Third Party Confidential
1
The NPD Group, L.P. | Proprietary and confidential
The UK market is currently -8% but there are some highlights in key areas
30%
+34%
Licensing
Plush
Themes
Around a third of all toys value is licensed so far in 2022. Movies are driving growth too.
The standout category of 2022 with Squishmallows the top growth property in toys
Strong themes in 2022 include superheroes, dogs, ponies and fairies.
thereThe are still some success stories within the data, NPD Group, L.P. | Proprietary and confidential including some very positive trends in licensing and encouraging growth in several categories. Digging a little deeper into the data helps us understand what is driving these trends.
Document classification: Client/Third Party Confidential
The first area to highlight is licensing. YTD May data reveals that licensing is accounting for nearly a third of all toy value, up two percentage points from the same period in 2021. One factor behind this performance is the fact that sales are coming from a wide variety of genres and properties. The list of top 10 growth licences includes movie related properties such as
Source: The NPD Group |Retail Tracking Service | UK | YTD May-22
No.10. Looking at subclasses reinforces the current 1 strength of licensing: Traditional Plush is the top growth subclass in toys, having gained over £9m so far this year, with just under £2m of this increase coming from licensed product. Action Figure Collectibles is the second best performing subclass, having gained nearly £2m this year. Licensing accounts for 85% of the subclass and has added £3.6m. As mentioned already, the Plush supercategory is enjoying ongoing success, driven by strong growth in Traditional Plush, with a +38% trend so far this year. One particular property that seems to have captured
Toy World 32
Rory Partis
Director UK Toys & EuroToys NPD the interest of kids this year is Squishmallows; the property has been the top growth property in the entire market so far in 2022, adding nearly £5m already. With all of that value in the Traditional Plush subclass, it represents around half of the growth here. The key area of success for Squishmallows is primarily at the under £20 price point, which accounts for just under 80% of all value. However, the brand’s growth has been helped by moving into higher price points too. In 2021, only around 2% of overall value was over £20, but that has now moved to over 20% of value, adding £1.5m to the brand. It’s not all about Squishmallows in Plush though as Ty, Peppa Pig and CoComelon also make up some of the top growth properties. As well as licences, the growth in different types of themes is an area of the UK toy market that possibly doesn’t get the exposure it should. This can be anything from Superheroes through to Fairies and Princesses. It can be useful to look at the data in this way to understand trends in the market and to assess whether growth is coming from any unexpected areas. The top growth theme currently is Superheroes, which isn’t a huge surprise given the strong performance from both Marvel and DC in recent months. The next best placed theme is dogs, with both Bluey and Hey Duggee figuring prominently. Dogs as a theme is three times higher in value as Cats and has added ten times as much vs. 2021. Other themes that are growing in 2022 include Dinosaurs, driven by Jurassic World, whilst Fairies and Ponies are adding value too. There are clearly more challenges to come in 2022, but it is also important to celebrate the successes. Considering the number of different areas that have been highlighted in this article, I believe there is genuine cause for optimism for the rest of the year, particularly in licensing. With a strong summer movie schedule still to come, we could see licensed merchandise’s 30% share of the toy market climb even higher by the end of the year.
2022 Toy Market Highlights Item Progression: The UK market is currently -8% but there are some highlights in key areas License
April Rank #
May Rank #
Muppets
162
15
30%
The Muppets licence has been the highest climber in May compared to its position in April, rising 147 places to be 15th top licence for the month. This rise is due to the release of the Muppets Minifigures line from the Lego Group. The Muppets Minifigures Asst was the No.2 item in the total UK toy market for the month of May, at an average price of £3.40. The line includes favourite characters such as Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear.
+34%
The top 10 growth subclasses in toys for YTD May give an indicator of the current hot product trends in 2022. The top growth subclass is Traditional Plush, which has gained nearly four times as much value in 2022 as the second-best performing subclass. Squishmallows continues to be one of the standout properties in 2022 and is the top contributor to this strong Traditional Plush growth. Licensing Plush Themes Action Figure Collectibles is the 2nd top performer with Funko, Marvel, Star Wars and DC being the top four properties in the subclass, all showing double digit growth vs. 2021. Miscellaneous Toysaisthird the 3rd performer, Surprise the topcategory property in in value growth. performance has been helped by both the Mystery Pack and Around of best all toys value with 5 The Strong themes inThis 2022 standout ofvalue and also Disney Store Mystery Packsobeing the top 10 items for most of May. is licensed far ininside 2022. include superheroes, dogs, 2022 with Squishmallows JoiningMovies Traditional in the top performing subclasses is Special Feature/Interactive Plush, whichand was fairies. the 4th top performing subclass for YTD May 2022. CoComelon is the arePlush driving growth too. ponies the top growth property in top property here, growing by +48% compared to last year. Pets Alive is the No.2 property, followed by Star Wars, where the growth is driven by the Mandalorian licence. toys
Fastest Growing Growing Subclasses Subclasses Fastest
Source: The NPD Group |Retail Tracking Service | UK | YTD May-22
Document classification: Client/Third Party Confidential
1
The NPD Group, L.P. | Proprietary and confidential
Traditional Plush Plush isis the thetop topgaining gainingsubclass subclassinin2022, 2022,adding addingnearly nearly4X4Xasas Traditional nd much as as the the 22nd best bestperforming performingsubclass. subclass. much TraditionalPlush Plush Traditional Action Figure Collectibles Action Figure Collectibles MiscellaneousToys Toys Miscellaneous Special Feature/Interactive Plush Special Feature/Interactive Plush Radio/RemoteControl… Control… Radio/Remote ActionRole RolePlay Play&&Dressup Dressup Action FashionRole RolePlay Play&&Dressup Dressup Fashion StrategicTrading TradingCard CardGames Games Strategic Friction/Pump/Pull-Back Friction/Pump/Pull-Back MiniVehicles Vehicles Mini
SalesGained Gained£M £M Sales
£2.6 £2.6 £2.1 £2.1 £1.5 £1.5 £1.0 £1.0 £0.8 £0.8 £0.6 £0.6 £0.6 £0.6 £0.5 £0.5 £0.5 £0.5
£9.4 £9.4
Source: TheThe NPD Group | Retail Tracking Service | YTD MayMay 20222022 Source: NPD Group | Retail Tracking Service | YTD Document classification: classification: Client/Third PartyConfidential Confidential The NPDClient/Third Group, Party Inc. | Proprietary
The NPD Group, Inc. | Proprietaryand andconfidential confidential
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Talking Shop
Here comes the summer! Our indies this month are turning over a new leaf, with new premises and developments – and in one case their first store. Sam Giltrow finds out what’s keeping them busy this summer. David Brown -
W
Browns Toy Shop, Bonnybridge
e are a very new shop – we only opened seven weeks ago - but we’re very pleased with trading so far. My wife Nicole and I have two children ourselves, aged seven and two, and as the seven-year-old is severely autistic, we’ve been constantly trying to find different sensory toys for him online. We struggled, and they all proved very expensive, so we decided we had to do something. For kids with autism, toys are not just items to amuse them but aids which are very much needed to comfort and calm. I thought why not be the one to change things and stock a good range of sensory lines as part of a general toy shop? My initial plan was to sell online, but I got in touch with a few suppliers, and many told me they would only accept bricks and mortar accounts, as so many people had tried to set up online stores during the Covid-19 pandemic. A shop I drive past every day came up for rent; after giving it serious consideration for a few weeks, I eventually decided to take the plunge and just go for it. I’m still working as a manager in a company which sells car parts and combining that job with working in the shop with Nicole. Although I had no specific toy experience, I was still selling a product and to be honest, this is a bit more fun than dealing with mechanics! I contacted Toymaster when initially setting up the business and they were very helpful. I also had help and advice from Ian Melville at Bright Star Toys in Linlithgow, who gave me contact details for suppliers. I was able to meet some of them at the Toymaster show in May, and we now have orders in place with a host of well-known names like Ravensburger, Galt, Orchard Toys, Ty, A.B.Gee, Bliss Distribution, Cheatwell Games, Kayes of Cardiff and Craft Buddy.
We’ve been delighted with footfall overall. In terms of standout lines, Ty plush has been a really strong seller, particularly the Squish-a-Boos. The Construct It range, which we get from Kayes of Cardiff, seems popular and the Eugy 3D models from Brainstorm are also a hit with our customers. We have already curated a range of sensory toys – the main reason for starting the business – and it’s an area which we are looking to grow. We have accounts with Rompa and Sensory Direct but once we’re over our initial opening period and the business settles, I plan to focus more on the sensory side of things. I’m looking forward to the summer holidays and a busy trading period. I was told the last few months would generally be quiet until the schools break up, but we have been doing pretty well, so I can only imagine it will be even busier during the summer. We’ve had excellent support from the local community since we opened, as the area hasn’t had anything like this for at least 30 years. We are also in the process of building an online presence to support the shop.
Toy World 35
Talking Shop
Bhav Patel -
W W
Toy Galaxy
e have undergone some major restructuring within the company since the start of the year. Things weren’t as efficient as they could have been, and I could see so much room for improvement in our processes. These changes will allow the business to grow and develop even more. Right now we are in the process of moving all our computer systems over to a new one, and we have just relocated our Watford store, which opened last November, into a much more spacious nearby unit. The plan was never to move that quickly, but the opportunity came up and so we decided to take the plunge. It was a very last-minute decision, so everything has been hectic to say the least. When I saw the unit, I was a bit taken aback as it is huge - the previous unit had 1600sq ft of shop floor space and now we have 7,000sq ft. But I’ve found it inspirational; with all that extra room, there are a lot of ideas going through my head. Because it was such a sudden move, the store is
Charlotte Polley -
A
still taking shape and suppliers are currently coming in to help with merchandising and maximise all the displays. The new unit has a first floor which is currently empty. We have another store in Ealing which is over two floors, but there’s much more space at the Watford store. Following conversations with a couple of suppliers, my eyes have been opened as to what we could do with the space. I’m hoping it can be utilised to enhance our business; it’s an opportunity to diversify into a category that we’ve not previously had much experience of. I can’t really say much more at the moment, so watch this space. Hopefully I will have some exciting news to announce in a couple of weeks which will change the dynamic of the new unit. The Watford store has changed how we approach stock ordering. Unlike our other smaller stores, we have the space to have a broader range of categories and more branded areas. Suppliers have been really accommodating in helping come up with ideas for their space and provide something interesting, not
Boo’s Toy Shop, Poundbury
fter opening our shop in Poundbury eight years ago, we recently moved into bigger shop, which is four times the size of the original premises, and business has been very encouraging. The move is something we have wanted to do for the last 12 months because, although Covid caused so much disruption, it helped us grow our online presence and customer base, so we needed more space. More customers found our store too, due to the increase in shopping locally. The new shop has given us the opportunity to do so many more exciting things: to support the growth of the website; to welcome families and children back into the shop to play and explore; and we also have a new sensory reading area where we run sensory play mornings. We are taking this even further by looking at working with some third-party agencies to come in and run mother and baby clubs. It’s our ambition to create a community hub. The previous shop had always been successful and enjoyed strong footfall, due to Poundbury’s royal connections with Prince Charles which draws the tourists in. We are working hard to make the shop a destination and will be adding a coffee and cake bar on Fridays and Saturdays. Retail has changed dramatically in the
Toy World 36
just stock on a shelf. For example, we have a 5ft tall Schleich elephant which creates a fantastic focal point. Ultimately, it is features like this which draw customers in. We have been able to expand our supplier base and, along with Schleich, Brio is another of the latest new additions. Because we are setting up the store at this time of year, rather than in peak season, it’s been a great opportunity to have the time to focus not just on filling the space, but on discussing merchandising support and sourcing attractive deals where we can. Brio has provided a stunning feature with a big wooden train, with a stand leading off it to display all the stock. Not all of that space is sellable, but it still has value because kids are excited to come in and sit in that train, which in turn will encourage the parents to buy something. I am looking forward to the run up to Christmas this year, now we have all this space and new areas. We are only really about two months away in terms of it starting, and I’m excited for all the stock that will soon be arriving for September.
Talking Shop
indie viewpoint Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes Toy Barnhaus
past five years, and I wanted to create somewhere that was more than just a toy shop and make visiting it an experience, like going to Hamleys in London. I want parents and grandparents to be able to sit and have a cup of tea while their children go off and explore. We run arts and crafts sessions, we recently held a teddy bears’ picnic, and for the Platinum Jubilee we organised a tea party. I’m hoping that activities such as these will appeal to the many tourists travelling through the area as well as the local community; we want to make a name for ourselves as a go-to place. Sustainability is a key focus in the shop and something we are actively trying to promote. We try and reuse all recyclable outer packing from deliveries in and have moved from plastic bubble wrap to paper bubble wrap in our own deliveries to customers. We don’t use our own branded boxes – this means any cardboard boxes that come in from suppliers can be reused. We stock a lot of sustainable toys, particularly wooden ranges. So many suppliers are moving forward in the production of wooden toys and being more eco-friendly with the materials they are using, which we know is important to our customers. With plastic toys, we consider ranges on merit; we do stock Lego, for example, but Lego is one of those toys that you can put in the loft and get out in 20 years’ time, and it will be in exactly the same condition. One of our newest introductions which is doing incredibly well is the Yoto Player, which I discovered at London Toy Fair and introduced when we opened the bigger shop. It’s fantastic and proving very popular because children can take the whole collection of audio cards wherever they go. We also sell Tonies - another amazing brand which proved to be a godsend in lockdown for many families. Our biggest growth area has been with a wood range from Little Dutch which hit the market in 2020. It has been a huge hit with our customers and sells phenomenally; in terms of wooden toys, it is our bread and butter. We also stock Orange Tree Toys and its latest range – Spring Garden – has been incredibly successful for us. With wooden toys, we find that grandparents want to find that classic, keepsake first birthday present, and this is then often followed up by parents who keep coming back to grow their child’s toy collection. There’s nothing wrong with plastic toys, but they are readily available at bigger retailers and supermarkets. We needed to have a point of difference and that is why we now primarily focus on sustainable toys. We have also discovered a niche in the market for sensory toys, which is another growth areas. Lots of parents are going back to traditional ways of Montessori play, which is amazing. As we are in a tourist area, we are hoping for a good summer. Business usually builds steadily until September when the local garden centre begins its Christmas promotion and then we become even busier as so many people visit to see the garden centre display, then pop in while they are in the area. However, we are now generating our own footfall with people are talking about our shop. They love the decorations we have inside; our counter is dressed as a circus, we have an enchanting tree in the story-time area, a castle and farm barn, and our next project is to transform the ceiling into a vista of space. We like to encourage children to come in the store and play with the toys, and it’s been wonderful to have them doing this once again.
Business is hotting up
B
y the time you read this, we will be entering the second half of the year, and it feels good to have had a regular(ish) first half to the year. We are praying for a sustained period of warm, summer weather to help shift some of our outdoor summer products, especially paddling pools. We purchased early to secure good prices, but until now the weather has not delivered, although it seems to be warming up a bit at last.
The May half term and Platinum Jubilee weekend have passed now, and we were very pleased with sales. It was busy early in the week, due to school holidays, and then quieter over the actual bank holidays when people were enjoying their celebrations. Business held up extremely positively, given we were up against last year’s push popper craze and the boost in sales as we reopened after several months of lockdown. We are very happy with how trade has been. Bestsellers continue in the same vein so far this year, with the new Pokémon Astral Radiance proving a massive draw. Pokémon Go TCG sets launched in July, and there is no sign of the brand slowing down. Plush in general continues to be very strong, particularly Squishmallows. With new designs arriving most months, the range is still generating a high volume of repeat purchases. We’re also seeing strong demand for Ty Mini Boos collectibles. Anything squishy is still popular, with the Super Squish ball range from One for Fun and the Plush Jelly range from Kandy Toys becoming our latest bestsellers. The launch of Jurassic World Dominion means we are seeing demand across all products related to the movie, and this is having a knock-on effect on dinosaur products in general. The new Stranger Things capsules from KAP Toys have just come in and are already selling well. Like any toy shop, construction is a key category for us, with Lego dominating and being the most important brand that we stock. By becoming a destination for Lego, we are giving people a reason to come to our store. We aim to carry the best range in town, and it does enhance footfall. Over the last few years, and especially since the pandemic, a larger proportion of our Lego sales has gone to adults – in value terms, I would say it is now at least a third of sales. If you can get known for your Lego offering, and stocking the larger sets that adults want, you can increase your customer base and bring new customers in. Our most popular ranges are Star Wars, Super Heroes, Technic and Speed Champions. With the releases Lego have coming for the rest of the year, there is a lot to get excited about - we just have to work out how to fit it all in. Although our construction sales are dominated by one brand, we do stock others too, to offer customers a choice. We’ve noticed an increase in model kits such as Airfix over the last few months; this is another follow-on from the pandemic when people took up new hobbies during lockdown. Dress-up and role play is an important category for Toy Barnhaus, and we carry an extensive range of products. In our range of dress-up costumes from Rubies the licensed outfits are the most popular, although we also offer a few more generic items too, which also sell well. As far as role play is concerned, we see great sales from Casdon all year round, and stock a wide range – we have sold more mini Henry Hoovers than we ever did real ones in Woolworths! Play cases that kids can use to role play different professions are steady sellers all year round; we have a selection made up mainly of lines from HTI, such as doctor, tool, police and fire service, which are always popular. The forecast is looking promising for next weekend, so it’s shades on and fingers crossed we get some heat!
Toy World 38
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Special Feature
Learning Express visits Toymaster
Harrogate’s
diamonds: an American reports from the Toymaster May Show
“
Yes!” I thought to myself, clapping vigorously and letting out a loud “Woooo!” as an Irish toy store owner started singing: “Where it began…” on stage at the Majestic Hotel in Harrogate, England. “This is just like the eighth inning!” Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline is something of a legacy at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, home to the Red Sox - my family’s favourite baseball team. Thousands of eager fans belt out the chorus in unison between the top and bottom of the eighth inning. The fans may not know each other, but they certainly know the song, and it unites the entire stadium and city in honour of baseball and Boston. In Harrogate, there were only a few hundred of us singing, but that evening, Neil Diamond’s anthem transformed the Majestic into a stadium full of independent toy retailers and their
suppliers, providing a memorable highlight of my trip to the 2022 Toymaster Show. Rewinding the clock a few months, I had been approached by my friend, Learning Express store owner and toy retail thought leader, Rick Derr, about a similarity he observed between Toymaster, the UK’s largest buying group of independent toy retailers, and Learning Express, America’s largest specialty toy franchise with more than 85 stores nationwide. Rick had been writing a column in Toy World for some time and saw an opportunity for increased collaboration and learning across the pond. Thanks to one of his articles, he had connected online with Toymaster retailer Dave Middleton, who runs two Midco Toymaster stores in Derby and Burton-on-Trent. Rick and Dave had plenty to talk about. After all, Toymaster and Learning Express shared the same kind of customers,
Toy World 42
Mike Derse is director of Business Development at Learning Express Toys. Based in Massachusetts, Mike heads up franchise and new business development, strategic planning, financial reporting, real estate and franchise compliance. Here he reports on his recent visit to the Toymaster May Show in Harrogate. faced the same challenges presented by online and mass market retailers, and served similar communities - just 4,500 miles apart. We had originally planned to meet the Toymaster team in February at Toy Fair in New York, which was unfortunately cancelled due to the Omicron variant, but Yogi Parmar, MD at Toymaster, called me over the winter holiday and invited me to Toymaster’s May Show. I couldn’t wait. Flying from Boston, I arrived around noon the day before the show at Manchester airport, and after hopping into the left side of my rental car, I put myself into “Nigel Mode,” a state of mind named after my brother-in-law who grew up in Blackpool, England and who taught me how to drive on family trips in the Lake District. In Nigel Mode, after a quick stopover at Malham Cove in the Yorkshire Dales, I arrived refreshed and ready to learn and share with the Toymaster team.
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Special Feature
Later that evening, my afternoon walk came up in conversation. Like national parks and other places of natural beauty, independent toy stores thrived as we emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic. However, too many tourists in national parks brought trash, pollution and other unwanted side effects of a sudden rise in popularity, and communities and governments had to modernize their approach. Likewise, specialty retailers were forced to reinvent our relationship with and position in the marketplace. Learning Express franchises and many Toymaster stores fully embraced kerbside delivery, TikTok, exclusive products and afterhours private sales, and there was no turning back. The world wouldn’t be the same without Malham Cove, and the same could be said of any Learning Express or Toymaster store. Independent toy retailers must continue to evolve and develop new reasons for our customers to choose us if we want to remain relevant and continue to experience the success we earned last year. During the show, I found myself discussing the many ways Learning Express and Toymaster might choose to tackle their respective market challenges. My time walking the show with Dave made clear that nothing was more critical to retailers’ success than the relationship between
store owner and toy supplier. One supplier in particular demonstrated the value of a true partnership. “No, Dave,” she said, holding up what might as well have been a bag of day-old Brussels sprouts. “I know it looks weird, but you’re truly missing out on this.” Dave, who had clearly developed trust with the salesperson over many years, let out a sigh and placed an order. When asked to try another item, this time a Darth Vader toaster, Dave shook his head, noting “It’s not really us, is it?” The supplier agreed, having visited his store and researched his customer base. A second supplier interaction showed me what happens when a relationship turns sour. A mistimed delivery resulted in an overstock and inventory clearance: bad for the retailer but probably worse long term for the manufacturer. Rather than follow up with a plan that would mutually benefit both parties, new product was shipped to a mass retailer, who put the items on sale at less than the specialty store’s cost. When trust erodes, independent store owners take fewer chances and start to cancel or reduce orders, resulting in fewer sales, and a downward spiral begins. Neither partner sees value in the relationship, the retailer misses out on potentially good products, and the manufacturer is left selling only to corporate buyers operating hundreds of locations from behind a computer screen. How does this benefit the end consumer? The message to the vendors is: use us for what we are good at. Specialty store owners live and serve in your customers’ communities. We see your customers every day and hear first-hand what they want to see and why they buy certain products over others. The more the specialty community can work together with vendors on being first to market with new and exclusive items, the longer that product will fuel the customer experience in our stores. Let us be the place where your customers discover your products, and we will help you increase the overall run of that item, assuming you decide to eventually approach mass market stores. Don’t worry about us then, as we will have moved on to the latest and greatest thing we’re working on together. As Rick Derr stated in his May column in this magazine, the best product feedback comes from working with a good independent toy store. Let’s work together. Owner-to-owner relationships marked the next similarity between Toymaster and Learning Express and you didn’t have to try hard at all to see in evidence at the show. At one of the first in-person gatherings since 2019 for many, I overheard store owners swapping customer interaction stories, hot sellers, tips of the trade, European politics, experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic and much more. Attendees weren’t there just to see vendors and other business associates shopping for toys. They were there to
Toy World 44
see their friends, mentors and confidantes, just like Learning Express owners at our Convention each June. I saw hugs, high fives and lots of laughs. Stories about best-selling products take centre stage among Learning Express stores, and that trend seems to apply to Toymaster as well. A store owner can order product from anywhere. Digital catalogues and product videos do a decent job at explaining what an item is, but personal interaction helps to tell the story behind it - and stories sell product. All of the best products at Learning Express have told a story that customers and - just as importantly - other store owners could get behind. Specialty owners can’t compete with mass merchants on order volume, but together, we give suppliers and customers a reason to walk through our doors and hear our story. Specialty retailers, seek each other out and listen to each other. Going it alone is a tough road, but together we’re capable of driving huge product trends and moving markets. While supplier and store owner relationship development served as the primary function of the Toymaster Show, there was so much else to see and learn. I loved meeting the Northampton head office team and seeing a demo of TIMS, Toymaster’s invoicing management system. As an independent retailer, I would love to just pay one bill at the end of the month. The direct-frommanufacturer shipping programme was another area of clear competence and by itself presented a strong argument to join the buying club and increase gross margins. At breakfast the final morning, preparing to head to the airport, I met with the Toymaster team for a final goodbye and heartfelt “Thank you!” We all agreed that the visit was an outstanding opportunity to get to know each other and learn how the two organizations tackled our shared industry challenges, but also enjoyed the rewards of working in the toy industry. We admitted that there was only so much a corporate office could do. Both of our organizations’ greatest assets are the members and store owners who pledge themselves daily to toy retail and to serving in their local communities. I left Harrogate feeling energized and optimistic about the future of independent toy retail. After returning my rental car to Manchester airport and turning off Nigel Mode, a store inside the airport caught my eye as I shopped for gifts for my two young boys back home. My thoughts turned to John Henry, principal owner of both the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool FC. Now here was a master retailer. I couldn’t leave without two Liverpool jerseys, and I couldn’t leave Boston airport without two Red Sox hats. “Good times never seemed so good,” indeed!
Company Profile
Kayes of Cardiff
A OK with Kayes Business is booming for toy distributor Kayes of Cardiff, which has been supplying independent retailers for 37 years. Owner Philip Kaye chats to Sam Giltrow about the company’s growth and how smaller toy shops can benefit from access to its big brand partnerships.
F
rom its origin in 1985 as a regional wholesaler for Wales and the South West, specialising in pocket money and beach goods, Kayes of Cardiff has grown into a nationwide distributor providing access to big brands for smaller, independent retailers. The recently announced partnerships with Orchard Toys, and appointment as Mattel’s distribution partner to selected Toymaster and AIS members, means the distributor is now able to offer even more benefits to customers. The appointment by Mattel strengthens Kayes’ relationship with the toy giant and adds even more big-name brands to its offering. “We have touched on supplying multiples in the past, but what we focus is the smaller, independent sector,” owner Philip Kaye tells us. “Our philosophy is to buy in bulk, then break that down in order to offer independent retailers access to bigger brands in affordable quantities. This ensures they get value across the board. The more leading brands that we have, the more advantageous and economical our business becomes. Retailers can, in most cases, buy in bulk or in single quantities, as suits their business.” Philip adds: “This makes many brands more accessible to the smaller retailer; especially businesses that are not toy specialists. Outlets such as garden centres and department stores might have a toy section or department as part of the overall offering and therefore be unable to meet direct minimum order quantities. By ordering from us, they can take advantage of the variety we have, and the breadth of leading brands we carry.” Kayes of Cardiff has grown considerably over the years. Starting out as a small, regional wholesaler,
of Cardiff
the company has grown into a national business by taking part in national exhibitions to expand its customer base, and by entering into various supplier partnerships. Bruder was its first major partner around 20 years ago, and Philip explains that this, and subsequent partnerships, have given the company increased status and reputational standing. Kayes developed a relationship with buying group Toymaster, after initially supplying many of its members outside of the group, and started to forge exclusive partnerships with major toy companies. It now has an impressive number of exclusive distribution agreements in the UK, most recently signing up with Orchard Toys, as well as Australian company Construct It. Kayes also enjoys long-term partnerships with brands such as Sohni Wicke (guns & caps), Infantino, Brio, Halilit, Constructive eating, Playmobil, Ravensburger, Jumbo, Schleich, Tomy, Casdon Toys and Playmonster. “We still run very traditionally, with reps and agents out on the road,” explains Philip. “We specialise in serving smaller, independent retailers, but also have the capability to cope with larger customers who want to buy in pallet quantities.” Kayes also supplies the leisure attraction sector, working with theme parks, farm parks and independent railways; relationships which have been forged as a result of the company showing regularly at regional shows in areas such as Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and South Wales. Kayes also attends the AIS and Toymaster shows and exhibits at the Spring Fair. The company’s database of over 600 customers is growing even bigger, in large part due to the new partnerships with Orchard Toys and Mattel, which
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is passing over its smaller accounts. Philip says that feedback has already been very positive “because it means, especially for Toymaster and AIS members, that we can supply them at the same terms and prices that they were able to enjoy before.” Kayes prides itself on its quick turnround times and the fact that it offers carriage paid orders over £300. “The more brands that we get with the same terms and conditions as the original supplier, the more economical business becomes for us overall,” says Philip. “With a wider range of attractively priced product to offer, instead of sending £300 or £400 worth of product to a customer, we might now be sending £500 worth. As customer orders increase, our service becomes even more cost effective.” Business is currently brisk in preparation for this year’s Christmas season. As well as providing retailers with shelf stock, Kayes has over 30 years’ experience stocking Santa’s grottos. The company offers a vast selection of over 6,000 products across all price ranges, supplying all types of customers with their North Pole needs. “It means the grottos have access to branded merchandise,” says Philip, “and now with even more brands in our portfolio, we can give them even more choice.” Kayes still imports some product directly itself, such as pocket money toys. Containers are brought in from the Far East, and the company boasts a large warehouse of around 30,000sq ft, in addition to external storage and showrooms in Cardiff. “We are bursting at the seams at the moment,” says Philip. “It’s great that our showrooms are back open so people can make an appointment to come and see us. Visitors are able to view every single item that we sell in our showrooms, and we’re always very happy to see them.”
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Feature
Dress-up & Role Play
Getting in on the act With 2022 being such a major year for film and TV, and new play patterns and trends continuing to shape how kids interact with the world around them, the Dress-Up and Role-Play sectors are brimming with new options for creative kids. Rachael Simpson-Jones speaks to a selection of leaders within the space to find out more.
K
ids and retailers are spoilt for choice this year when it comes to licensed dress-up and role-play options. 2022 is one of the best years we’ve seen for a long time in terms of movie releases, especially in the kids/young adult space, with Jurassic World Dominion, Lightyear, Minions 2, a raft of Marvel movies and much more either having already arrived at cinemas or due to do so soon. New releases are also generating excitement on Netflix and Disney+, such as Stranger Things 4, Obi-Wan and Miss Marvel, all of which are generating much conversation on social media. “The return of big blockbuster releases to cinemas is seeing audiences get into dress-up on a scale we haven’t seen for some time now, and we couldn’t be happier to see films inspiring all generations to discover the magic of fancy-dress,” says Georges Ghougassian, group director Licence and Brand at Rubies. “Universal has been having an incredible year so far at the box office, with the release of Minions 2 and Jurassic World Dominion. Rubies’ portfolio highlights include inflatable costumes based on both
Jurassic dinosaurs and the Minions, and these have really taken off across social media.” Gaming is also shaping the dress-up space, according to Lianne Barber, EMEA marketing manager, Disguise. Lianne tells us that the demand for options based on gaming brands is increasing, especially multi-player games such as Minecraft and Mario Kart, largely thanks to social elements that appeal to older children aged 6-12. She adds: “Dressing up allows fans to play out their gaming adventures in the real world and be part of the community of fans and friends who play games.” Elsewhere in licensing, Amscan is launching Baby Shark costumes for the pre-school market and its Top Gun costumes are flying too. Disguise and Mattel have created dress-up and role-play items (respectively) for Lightyear, and Smiffys is set to launch costumes based on MGA Entertainment’s successful L.O.L. Surprise! collectible and fashion doll brand. HTI, meanwhile, has just welcomed Bluey to its role-play portfolio, joining existing best-sellers Peppa Pig and Hey Duggee.
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“HTI is proud to have licences across all categories with several top pre-school characters and brands, and all continue to be hugely popular,” explains Nancy Fielden, marketing manager, HTI Toys. “Role-playing real life occupations is always a favourite with young children: the Hey Duggee and Peppa Pig Medic Cases have been topping the charts recently due to the pandemic being a huge topic. Traditional role-play items like kitchens and tea sets never seem to go out of fashion, while through licensed role-play children can connect with the personalities from award winning shows. Being able to immerse themselves into their favourite character’s world and replicate themes allows a deeper connection for fans and equips children with true life skills.” It's not all about licensing, of course. One of the biggest events of the year, the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, has inspired kids and families to royally embrace dress-up. Sam Taylor, Dress-Up category manager at Amscan, says the company has seen huge demand for Jubilee-inspired costumes, from Royal Guards and Union Jack Dresses to Princess and Queen
Feature
Dress-up & Role Play
costumes. In turn, she tells us, this celebration has got the nation into a ‘fantastic party mood’. Sam explains: “We are seeing summer and themed ranges become key: 70s festival vibes in Kids’ or Parent and Me styles, plus Hawaiian themed costumes and accessories, are in high demand.” Dress-up and role-play fans hungry for more options are also being catered to this year with plenty of new food-themed ranges. Amscan’s new deal with Heinz means kids can now dress-up as a bottle of Heinz Ketchup or a tin of Heinz Baked Beans, while Smiffys has inked new deals with Pringles and Kellogg’s. The latter covers Pop Tarts, Coco Pops, Snap Crackle and Pop, the Kellogg’s Cockerel, Toucan Sam and family favourite Tony the Tiger. And if transforming into a cupboard staple isn’t your thing, the role-play space is offering plenty of new toys that let kids cook up a storm, both in their imaginations and in real life. The Smoby collection, from Simba Smoby Toys UK, includes a selection of popular kitchen play sets, which the company updates and refreshes each year. Current favourites, according to Mayur Pattni, UK marketing manager, include the Tefal Studio Utility Kitchen and the Tefal XL Bubble Kitchen. Casdon, meanwhile, has welcomed the leading homeware brand Joseph Joseph to its portfolio of ‘just like the real thing’ role-play toys. As outlined in our exclusive interview with both Casdon managing director Phil Cassidy and the Joseph brothers themselves, Antony and Richard, on pages 52-53, the new range includes both pretend play food in the form of the innovative new ChopPop fruits and vegetables but can also be used for real cooking and baking, allowing kids to join right in alongside their parents or guardians in the kitchens. The launch range comprises six SKUs that reflect Joseph Joseph’s clever use of colour and space and will look great around the home.
No longer just buzzwords, sustainability and inclusivity are also front of mind among consumers, as Rubies’ George Ghougassian notes: “From a trade point of view, the shift towards sustainability within the industry has been phenomenal and our forthcoming Green Range of costumes has enjoyed an incredibly high level of demand. The rise in inclusivity and accessibility across both society on the whole
and our industry has also been great to see, with our Adaptive Range of costumes being very well received.” Disguise likewise caters for both points of concern, saying sustainability in not just the costumes but also the packaging is becoming increasingly important for licensees and retailers. Disguise’s innovative dress-up SKUs include adaptive costumes and wheelchair wraps, including Cinderella’s carriage and Buzz Lightyear’s Star Command Spaceship. Smiffys, meanwhile, has already moved all its accessories and wigs into FSC-certified recyclable cardboard boxes and all costume packaging is now made of easily recyclable materials. The company also notes that its customers are looking for quality dress up items rather than items more suited to one-time use. Quality and value for money has always been a focus for the company, and as it continues to expand its ranges, one of its top priorities is ensuring it makes products that last. Like all our contributors, Smiffys is looking forward to Halloween. Last year the company enjoyed its biggest Halloween ever, and with its forward order book looking healthy for this year is expecting the season to be a massive hit once again. Dominique Peckett, director of Product and Marketing at Smiffys, says: “The big day falls on a Monday this year, giving ample opportunity for dress up celebrations throughout the weekend in the run up to the event.” Dominique adds: “At Smiffys we understand space in-store is at a premium with new products launching in the toy world year-round. To help add dress up into the mix more easily, we have FSDUs available to help our customers display their costume ranges. These can hold up to 48 costumes, with interchangeable seasonal banners to keep it relevant throughout the year. As additional support, we have seasonal in-store POS available to highlight our dress-up collections.” Amscan and Rubies both highlight the importance of ranging accessories alongside costumes instore, a tactic that provides easy upsell for retailers. Consumers browsing in-store appreciate the greater choice offered by accessories, such as Rubies’ Shoulder Sitters. These are available in The Child (The Mandalorian), Porg (Star Wars), Gizmo (Gremlins) and Baby Groot (Guardians of the Galaxy). Amscan’s Sam Taylor says having coordinating accessories is ‘key for consumers who want the whole package’. She says: “Ranging by theme is often a more popular layout than by age, as it allows the end consumer to mix & match their own style from everything available, adding their own custom twist; something which people really do enjoy.” Liane Barber at Disguise says bringing dress- up into cross category promotions allows retailers to make a
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big impact in their stores, and that doing so reminds consumers of the fun that can be had by transforming into a favourite character while playing with the licensed toys or consuming the content itself. In-store displays of licensed ranges in supermarkets and specialist toy retailers have looked really impressive this year, and Lianne tells us that Disguise hopes to be a bigger part of such activations going forward. In role-play, Simba Smoby Toys UK is supporting its Smoby brand with a multi-tiered, family-focused marketing calendar this year, as Mayur Pattni explains. “Just some of our plans for the second half include a TV campaign scheduled for November, which will showcase Smoby’s role-play collection, specifically the Black + Decker workbenches, Smoby kitchens and the all-new Barber Shop and Beauty Centre – just in time for Christmas gifting. Following the success of Smoby’s family football advertising with the Premier League and FA Cup, we’ll be running an additional Premier League campaign between September and November. This will mean that millions more fans will experience the Smoby Smile LED brand advertising via the pitch-side boards.” Mayur continues: “We’ll also continue to build on Smoby’s significant presence in the digital space, using monthly initiatives to increase engagement with our social channels, whilst also taking the Smoby brand to parents through influencer and celebrity engagement. Plus, the company will also continue to invest in parent- and kid-facing YouTube pre-roll. This August, we’re also taking the brand to the family space, as an official sponsor of Gloworm Festival, where we’ll have a dedicated Smoby Play Zone for families to visit during the event. This will help support brand awareness, whilst driving brand loyalty and retail sales.” Rubies, meanwhile, has noticeably ramped up the production of marketing assets over the past few months and is producing some very impressive and eye-catching material for retailers to make use of. George tells Toy World that the extensive marketing campaigns in place across social media and print platforms have afforded the Rubies brand greater visibility than ever before. “All of Rubies’ content is rich media, created in the full in-house creative studio with new and exciting green screen capabilities and industry leading photography,” he enthuses. “This is all available for trade customers to utilise on their own eCommerce platforms and across marketplaces to excite and entice consumers.” Over the coming pages, Toy World takes a look at the latest dress-up and role-play ranges to arrive at retail this year.
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Company Profile
Casdon
Casdon keeping it real At the start of 2022, role-play specialist Casdon announced a new licensing deal with the aspirational homewares brand Joseph Joseph. The new partnership has seen Casdon develop a range of beautiful new toys featuring truly innovative new elements that bring even more realism to role-play, and both companies are excited for their launch. Rachael Simpson-Jones spoke to Phil Cassidy, managing director at Casdon, as well as the Joseph brothers themselves - Antony and Richard - to find out more. Phil Cassidy
J
oseph Joseph is one of the world’s leading homeware brands with a global presence spanning over 100 countries, and many readers will have seen Casdon’s soon-to-launch Joseph Joseph range on display at Toy Fair 2022. Those familiar with the brand will appreciate its modern aesthetics, bold and intelligent use of colours, and the way its products maximise on space around the home. It’s a hugely popular range, for good reason, and that the two companies have partnered – each a leader in its field - shouldn’t come as a surprise. While many may have assumed it was Casdon who made the first move in pitching their ideas to Joseph Joseph, it was actually the brothers who reached out to Casdon about working together, not vice versa. Once again, I am reminded not to make assumptions.
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Both Antony and Richard have quite young children, Richard explains when asked how the deal came about, and Casdon toys have been a feature around their respective houses for years. “I love the functionality of Casdon toys, particularly the Dyson Vacuum Cleaners – I’ve bought all of them,” he says. “I’m an ex-Dyson design engineer, so it’s lovely that my kids can play with their own versions of the real things I worked on. However, my kids have also taken a keen interest in playing with the real-life Joseph Joseph products we have at home. Antony and I therefore thought it would be good to talk to Casdon about creating a line that was suitable for children and allowed for maximum play and learning.” The approach was music to Phil’s ears, who tells me
Antony and Richard Joseph
that Casdon is more often than not the one putting in the legwork and chasing potential licensors down. Just as Casdon was well-known to the Joseph brothers, Joseph Joseph was very much on Phil’s radar: he refers to the approach as humbling, a ‘reflection of Casdon’s standing in the market and its reputation with families’. And he was clearly over the moon, telling me he indulged in a brief run around his house, combined with some shouting for joy. There was no doubt in Phil’s mind that the answer would be a resounding yes. The Joseph Joseph brand, Richard explains, is all about functionality. Colour is used to show consumers what goes where, and how - Phil tells us his Nest Lock Container Set saves him precious time each morning as he no longer has to search for the correct size lid for his lunchbox - and colour also forms an integral part of each product’s look. Happily, this use of colour also translates beautifully into toys. Casdon’s ethos has always been to create quality role-play products with a cutting-edge design element, and in Joseph Joseph, the company has found the perfect marriage of fun and function. “I’ve been in the toy and licensing business for a long time, and Casdon counts a lot of major homeware brands in its portfolio,” says Phil. “But Joseph Joseph, with its use of colour, brings something different to the table. Except for some of our Kenwood range, most of our previous toys have been for imaginary role-play, but Casdon’s Joseph Joseph range can actually be used by the child in its proper setting in the same way the full-scale version can.” One such product, available in the launch range, is Joseph Joseph Bake. This colourful set features four interlocking measuring cups, a large mixing bowl, twist whisk, egg spatula and ergonomic rolling pin that kids can use to bake real delicacies. Phil notes that following the enormous popularity of baking during the pandemic, the Bake set will particularly appeal to consumers who have discovered a new (or
renewed) love of baking with their kids. The Joseph Joseph Extend, meanwhile, takes water play to a whole new level. Designed and officially licensed to look just like the real thing, the Joseph Joseph Extend set comes complete with a wash bowl and tray to capture small spills while water can be pumped from the bowl through the dispenser and back again for endless play. The set includes a Cleantech brush, Extend dish rack and cutlery, plus plates and bowls which change colour when added to water for enhanced play value. Antony Joseph says the product design process which the company has been through with Casdon’s R&D team has been an enlightening experience. The brothers are very aware of what the typical Joseph Joseph customer needs and wants, although designing products for kids has been very much a step into the unknown for the business. The process has yielded some big leaps in role-play innovation. A case in point, the Chop2Pot play set features the iconic Joseph Joseph folding chopping board and Elevate knife as well as four choppable play foods: an onion, tomato, carrot and potato. These foods showcase Casdon’s innovative new product technology, ChopPop. The play food fits together with a trademark ‘pop’ sound, allowing kids to safely chop the food, then pop it back together. “For obvious reasons, we couldn’t just create a chopping board and kid-safe knife with nothing to chop up, which is why we then invented the ChopPop foods,” explains Phil. “We knew we had to introduce something completely new, something that hasn’t been done before. There’s lots of play food out there that uses Velcro or magnets to stick the parts together, but the ChopPop technology is just so beautifully simple: the male and female parts lock together and pop apart. I was so impressed when that idea came across my desk from the R&D team.” In addition to the Chop2Pot, Bake and Extend sets mentioned above, Casdon’s Joseph Joseph launch range also includes the Elevate, Nest and Go Eat,
Toy World 53
bringing the total SKUs to six. This selection was made based on existing best-sellers and products with the most widespread distribution: those products most likely to already be in parents’ homes and admired by children. Functionality also played a big part in the decision-making process. Throughout, the Joseph brothers have been committed to designing toys that help kids learn through play, and they’ve leant into Casdon’s expertise in this area to ensure each product does just that. Casdon has always strived to offer role-play toys that are realistic - toys that allow kids to emulate their parents or caregivers and truly make them feel like a grown-up. Phil notes that kids are surrounded by brands in the home and want to enjoy those brands for themselves, and the Joseph Joseph range arguably taps into this more than any other Casdon toy range. He also says that role-play toys tend to be bought by a grown-up as a gift for a child, grandchild, niece or nephew, meaning adults familiar with the real-life brand notice and appreciate it when the same quality and value for money carries through into replicas. This is why Casdon has become a household name in its own right. As Phil puts it, the closer a toy is to the real thing, the happier everyone is. The reception to Casdon’s Joseph Joseph range has been overwhelmingly positive, with strong selections across a raft of leading retailers. One of the many benefits of such a highly collaborative relationship is that each company’s marketing team can work alongside the other to raise awareness and drum up excitement pre-launch, tapping into the different audiences each has amassed over the years to spread the word as far as possible. Free giveaways will be a part of the marketing mix, Phil tells us, supported by significant online advertising across social media. “We’re so excited about the launch,” enthuses Richard. “The range is a huge endorsement of what we’re doing, and toys is a completely new market for us, so we’ll be pushing the message hard across our own social channels. Casdon’s Joseph Joseph toys are such high-quality items. We’ll be so proud to see them out there on retailers’ shelves.” Phil says the range will offer retailers something ‘completely new and different’ that nobody else has: “No company has ever turned a range like this into toys – go and look for something similar in the marketplace. It isn’t there. It doesn’t exist. This is why I am convinced this range will be incredibly successful. Joseph Joseph screams ‘toy’.” Richard, meanwhile, is particularly excited by the international footprint of both Casdon and Joseph Joseph, and how that could translate into performance. He sees the range making its way into major retailers in Europe and the US as well as the UK and Ireland, and also sees scope for broadening the distribution of the range even beyond those territories. Speaking to the trio, the enthusiasm about this new partnership, which brings two successful British businesses together, is palpable - all that remains to be seen is whether Casdon’s Joseph Joseph range can cook up the success it so thoroughly deserves.
Dress-up & Role Play
HTI Toys www.htigroup.co.uk
| 01253 778 888
HTI Toys‘ extensive role-play category takes inspiration from everyday life to encourage imaginative, realistic role-play. Offering a vast range with innovative features, as well as licensed products from top brands, HTI’s role-play toys help children learn key skills by allowing them to imitate what they see and the people around them. Following the successful launch of the initial range, HTI is continuing to develop toys for the hit pre-school brand Hey Duggee. A raft of new items is set to hit the shelves this autumn, including staple products with key role-play patterns such as the Hey Duggee Cash Register, Telephone and Medic Case. The autumn/winter season will also see the launch of several large wooden role-play lines, which will join the already in-demand mud kitchens. Children can prepare for DIY fun with the bright Hey Duggee Wooden Workbench or cook up a treat with the Wooden Clubhouse Kitchen, designed to look like Duggee’s Clubhouse from the show. The Electronic Trumpet is also new, featuring different notes and playing the catchy Hey Duggee theme tune. HTI has welcomed the Emmy Award-winning sensation Bluey to its licensed line-up and is currently developing several role-play toys that reflect Bluey’s love of play. The first products, launching spring/summer 2023, will include large wooden role-play toys. Fans of the show can cook up a feast with Bluey and the Wooden BBQ or the Wooden Kitchen, each supplied with several colourful accessories, while those looking for adventure can source ingredients to make their own mud pies with the Lil Muddy Kitchen. With further innovative products in the pipeline for the busy autumn/winter season, the new Bluey range is sure to be a hit with pre-schoolers and retailers alike. Demand for Hasbro’s My Little Pony has been growing rapidly since the release of the latest movie last autumn. HTI’s styling heads, based on characters from the most recent title, are perfect for young fans of the show. Children can choose from Princess Pipp Petals or Sunny Starscout, and style their favourite character’s hair with multiple accessories including hair bands, clips, a brush and beads. Available at two different price points, retailers can choose from the Style & Groom or the smaller Styling Head. HTI continues to expand its innovative range of role-play toys for the hit pre-school brand Peppa Pig. New releases this autumn include the highly anticipated Peppa’s Camera, which has several interactive features and sound effects including the famous theme tune, in addition to Peppa’s Super Chef Kitchen, a bright floor-standing toy kitchen featuring a Peppa Pig character plaque and multiple accessories for role-play cooking fun. Further range expansion in 2023 will include Peppa’s Electronic Trumpet, with a 3D character plaque and various sound effects perfect for musical role-play.
Smiffys 0800 590 599 |
www.smiffystrade.com
Smiffys is excited to launch its first range made in partnership with the top global toy brand L.O.L Surprise!, owned by MGA Entertainment. The debut range includes well-known characters from the licence, all of which have been brought to life with costumes. For Halloween, the company will launch its Countess Kitty and Spice Devil costumes. Both costumes include high quality dresses and accessories in the iconic L.O.L Surprise! pink and black colours and feature that signature sparkle. Smiffys is also launching more characters for its everyday range which are perfect for the children’s party market. These will include Diva, Unicorn and Queen Bee. These statement costumes cover the most popular L.O.L Surprise! characters and transform the wearer into their favourite doll. Another exciting licence, and ideal for dinosaur fans, Smiffys’ new Gigantosaurus collection launches soon. The range includes the all the major characters from the hit TV series including Gigantosaurus, Tiny, Mazu, Bill and Rocky. The costumes feature character specific textured plush all-in-ones with dinosaur headpieces. Since its launch earlier this year, Smiffys’ Disney Descendants collection remains a top choice among older kids. The fully printed all-in-ones and matching wigs help kids create perfect modern princess-turned-villain looks. Also ideal for older kids, Smiffys’ Top Gun costumes continue to grow in popularity thanks to the release of the smash-hit sequel, Top Gun: Maverick. With Halloween fast approaching and set to be a big occasion again this year, Smiffys has expanded its children’s range for this year. With designs incorporating trends such as gaming and neon, the range brings classic characters associated with the spooky season up to date. Catering to the pre-school market, the company has also expanded its toddler range for this year with cute fluffy onesies and brightly coloured witch outfits. Also launching this Halloween is Smiffys’ new licensed collection, Universal Monsters. The range includes characters from all the classic films including Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, The Mummy and Dracula. After seeing a demand for ‘mini me’ and family costumes, this collection offers matching costumes for the whole family.
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Dress-up & Role Play
Simba Smoby Toys UK 01620 674 778 | www.simba-dickie-group.de/en |
sales@simbasmoby.com
Simba Smoby Toys UK’s trusted Smoby brand is a one-stop shop for role-play toys, comprising a strong collection spanning kitchens, playhouses, DIY toys and more, all designed to make role-play as realistic as possible. The Sweet Corner Playhouse looks just like an ice cream parlour and comes packed with features. Customers can place their orders at the window while the child inside pretends to prepare and serve frozen treats. Also perfect for summer, kids can host their own pretend barbecues with the Smoby Garden Kitchen. This outdoor kitchen comes fully fitted with a grill, fryer and sink with water pump, plus all the tools and accessories required to cook up a sizzling feast. The impressive Smoby Kids Restaurant offers another early introduction to the world of hospitality. Budding restaurateurs can set up their own on-trend café with this play set. Two separate spaces representing a kitchen area and a table service section allow kids to act as both chef and customer. The well-equipped kitchen caters for numerous play patterns, featuring everything a child will need including a fridge, an oven, a hotplate and sound effects for the food prep, as well as more than 70 accessories. The Smoby role-play portfolio also contains magical licensed lines. The Disney Frozen Playhouse comes in the Frozen colourway and is decorated with images of Elsa and Anna. It’s the perfect place for young fans to recreate their favourite movie moments. The Smoby Black + Decker range combines pretend play with a household name in DIY, offering little builders all they need to get to work on their big construction plans. Designed to look just like the real thing, the Smoby Giant Black + Decker Bricolo Ultimate Workbench is a best-seller. The Workbench comes equipped with more than 90 accessories including a mechanical drill kids can use to assemble the free-wheeling buildable car, and a mechanical saw with sound effects. Once playtime is over, the accessories can be stored neatly away in the large storage compartments.
Amscan 01908 288 500 |
www.amscan.co.uk
Amscan’s mid-year catalogue has just launched and is brimming with plenty of new dress-up designs for kids to enjoy. The company has seen a major influx of properties and products to its licensed portfolio, including Baby Shark. Fans of the pre-school franchise can choose from Baby, Mummy or Daddy Shark in new style sets comprising a printed padded tabard, matching trousers and coordinating hat. Another pre-school favourite, the Blippi costume, available for ages 2-6, comes complete with all the accessories kids need to emulate the colourful edutainer. Heinz has also joined the portfolio, with ‘parent and me’ matching styles making the perfect choice for those seeking duo costumes. Kids and grownups can choose from either Heinz Ketchup or Heinz Beans. Amscan’s Top Gun costume range, timed to coincide with the release of Top Gun: Maverick, has launched alongside Grease costumes. Both will prove popular with families as they offer something for everyone, especially adults who remember these iconic movies from their own childhoods. Plenty more licensed costumes are coming soon too, with Bluey, Pip and Posy, and Peter Rabbit all currently in development. A Roald Dahl collection is also launching in January 2023. Readers are advised to sign up to Amscan’s newsletter to be among the first to hear about these new releases. The company’s first-to-market sustainable costume range has been billed as a must-have. Featuring DC Heroes as well as classic generic career styles, every product in this range is made of recycled materials and comes in recyclable packaging. The costumes have made a great impression on consumers and the trade alike, and Amscan is constantly exploring how it can improve and expand the range, be that with new styles, fabrics or packaging solutions. The company says it is proud to lead the way in sustainability within the costume industry. Visitors to Amscan’s website will be able to view the full range of Halloween and Christmas costumes. A selection of classic pre-school characters have been given a seasonal update, including Peppa Pig, Hey Duggee and Paw Patrol Halloween styles. All are available to order online now, ready for the spooky season, and are perfect for trick or treating. The company has also added to its generic Halloween portfolio with designs such as ghosts and ghouls, witches, Day of the Dead styles and plenty of plush toddler designs. Costumes are available from six months and upwards, meaning there is plenty of choice for all ages.
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Dress-up & Role Play
SES Creative 01304 746 030 | www.ses-creative.com
| sales@ses-creative.co.uk
SES Creative is passionate about encouraging creativity and imagination, and to reflect this the company offers a range of role-play toys, Petits Pretenders. The Petits Pretenders range contains a variety of products designed to amuse children and create excellent opportunities for role-play fun. The Doctors Case contains everything kids need to administer aid to patients, including real accessories such as bandages, plasters, syringes, patches, tape and more. To complement this set, SES Creative also offers a fully functional stethoscope which allows children to listen to heartbeats and breathing exactly as a real doctor would. SES Creative has expanded its dress-up range this year, with Firefighter and Policeman outfits joining the company’s existing Doctor and Chef outfits. Each costume comes with themed accessories such as a jacket, handcuffs, crime scene tape, fire extinguisher with fire foam targets, and more. SES Creative offers a range of high-quality wooden toy sets such as the Cash Register play set and Coffee play set, which allow children to role-play being a barista or running a busy shop. The wooden role-play product line has been expanded this year with the addition of a picnic play set, pizza oven, hairdresser set, beauty case and more. All sets come with an assortment of accessories to help create and encourage imaginative play. Finally, SES Creative’s range of role-play suitcases come with a selection of wooden toys and a large playmat, all self-contained within a case so they’re easy to transport and store, as well as quick to set up and play. This range includes the Hospital Play Suitcase and Shopping District Play Suitcase. All products are available for immediate delivery from SES Creative’s premises in the Netherlands, are sustainably sourced and 100% CO2 neutral.
Rubies
08453 070 707 | www.rubiesuk.com With Rubies officially licensed Thor: Love and Thunder costumes, fans of the ‘space Viking’ can become their favourite Asgardian superhero. The Thor standard edition costume is available in both adults’ and kids’ sizes, and wearers will appreciate the additional call-out details seen on the Child Deluxe Costume, including the padded muscle chest and gold metallic trim. The God of Thunder’s new look can be completed with the Stormbreaker Axe accessory or the Thor’s Helmet Moulded Mask for children. Fans of Jane Foster, AKA: Mighty Thor, can choose from both adult and child versions of her new superhero suit. To enhance the look, Rubies has also released a Mjolnir Hammer accessory and a Mighty Thor Mask for children. Rubies will be supporting its Thor: Love and Thunder releases with extensive social media marketing campaigns which will help get audiences excited for both the release of the latest Marvel film and the new costumes. Trade customers also have the opportunity to utilise Rubies’ rich media content, available as video and original photography, for their own eCommerce platforms and marketplaces. This costume and accessory collection is perfect for the summer festival and convention season, while Thor and Mighty Thor are tipped to be two of the most popular options for Halloween for both individuals and couples.
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Dress-up & Role Play
Casdon Toys 01253 766 411 | www.casdon.com UK@casdon.com
A third-generation family-focused business, Casdon Toys continues to live up to its reputation as a leading manufacturer of role-play toys. Helping to make pretend play feel much more realistic and fun, Casdon’s portfolio comprises child-sized versions of much-loved household and retail products that ignite imaginations and allow children to explore new ways to live playfully. A superb new addition will be joining Casdon’s popular Dyson collection later this year. The Dyson Hair range of role-play toys includes the Dyson Supersonic and Corrale Deluxe Styling Set. This dynamic duo incorporates mini versions of the Dyson Supersonic Hairdryer and Dyson Corrale Straighteners, perfect for mini-me styling sessions. With a range of enticing features to keep kids occupied for hours, the set comes complete with two interchangeable nozzles, a barrel brush and detangling comb. A new licence, one of the world’s leading houseware brands with a global presence spanning over 100 countries, is also joining the Casdon portfolio in 2022: Joseph Joseph. Casdon is launching six products in the range to begin with. The Joseph Joseph Extend takes water play to a whole new level. Designed and officially licensed to look just like the real thing, the Joseph Joseph Extend set comes complete with a wash bowl and tray to capture small spills while water can be pumped from the bowl through the dispenser and back again. The set includes a Cleantech brush, Extend dish rack and cutlery, plus plates and bowls that change colour when added to water. The Joseph Joseph range also includes Joseph Joseph Bake, a colourful set with four interlocking measuring cups, a large mixing bowl, twist whisk, spatula and ergonomic rolling pin. With so much to play with, budding bakers can take to the kitchen ready to roll, measure and stir as they bake real delicacies. For pretend play experiences that mimic activities outside of the home, Casdon’s Post Office Set, Pick n Mix Sweet Shop and Supermarket Till continue to be hugely popular. Designed to be true to life, right down to the last detail, Casdon's own-brand collection of retail products helps children with communication, mathematics and social skills through fun role-play experiences.
8th Wonder 01942 829 811 | www.8thwonder.co.uk 8th Wonder’s range of bespoke wooden toys includes the 36-piece wooden Barbie Deluxe Campervan, which the company says is a shining example of its particular expertise within the world of role-play. The wooden Barbie Campervan comes with a built-in lights & sounds stove, microwave and sink. A vanity bag is also included, containing a range of wooden pampering accessories for kids to use after their long drive, as well as cutlery, plates and food accessories. The Campervan also caters to both indoor and outdoor play: children can sit on their Barbie blanket next to the pretend campfire while they play with their friends outside. Thanks to its wide range of accessories suitable for a raft of different pretend play scenarios, the Deluxe Barbie Campervan allows children to explore their imaginations with the help of Barbie as they drive to the beach, countryside or wherever their imagination takes them. Following on from the Barbie Campervan, 8th Wonder will be launching the impressive Barbie 2-in-1 Grooming Station this autumn/winter. Including a cuddly plush puppy and 28 accessories ranging from a hair drier to a stethoscope, this is the perfect pretend-play set for animal lovers. Children can give their furry friend a wash in the sink, and clip, comb and dry their hair to make them look brand-new. If the patient needs a medical examination, children can give them an X-Ray with the X-Ray stencils included. They can also fill out the animal info sheet with the results of their examination and place the puppy safely in the overnight pet carrier as an extra precaution. Barbie, meanwhile, can watch over proceedings from her chair. Both the Barbie Deluxe Campervan and 2-in-1 Grooming Station will look great in any bedroom or playroom, while their sturdy build and abundance of accessories guarantee hours of role-play fun.
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Exciting, licensed dress up collection from Amscan! Bring the Party to Life with Amscan’s collection of some of the world’s most loved and in demand licenses. Our ranges of party products, balloons, and costumes create great excitement for all ages! ©Amscan 2022, ©Anagram 2022. All Rights Reserved.
Available to buy now from amscan.co.uk! Partyware Balloons Costumes Over 85 Licensed Properties ©Amscan 2022, 2022. All Rights Reserved. ©Amscan 2022, ©Anagram 2022. ©Anagram All Rights Reserved.
Dress-up & Role Play
Disguise www.disguise.com |
info@disguise.com
Disguise has supplied a selection of licensed costumes to the dress-up the market since 2021. However, since 1st April, Disguise has introduced a much more comprehensive a range of dress-up options covering Disney Princess, Frozen, Encanto, Toy Story, Lightyear and more. Spanning many different characters, sizes and age ranges, the selection covers a range of price points to cater for all budgets and consumer needs. Bringing inclusivity to the range, Disguise’s innovative SKUs include adaptive costumes and wheelchair wraps, including Cinderella’s carriage and Buzz Lightyear’s Star Command Spaceship. Each costume has been designed with the EU market in mind. The Disney range will be supported by influencer and digital activity in the first half as well as TV advertising in collaboration with Jakks and the Disney Princess and Frozen toy range. Disguise is able to adapt designs or merchandising solutions to meet retailer needs, such as packaging requirements and design features. With many more lines launching for World Book Day 2023, and even more exciting products launching in line with Disney’s theatrical releases for 2023, Disguise is in full swing with 2023 previews and keen to hear from the trade.
Colart www.colart.com The Snazaroo face paint brand lets kids transform into fun characters or try out sparkly festival and party looks that are perfect for summer. Painters can use Snazaroo’s simple step-by-step face paint guides to create all their favourite looks in three easy steps. From rainbow tigers and mystical mermaids to festival rainbow swirls and sparkly glitter masks, the brand has everything needed to get the summer celebrations started or complement role play and dressing up activities. Founded in 1989, Snazaroo is made in the UK to the highest quality standards. From its base in Somerset, the company creates face and body painting materials that spark imaginations all around the globe. With single colours and complete kits, plus how-to guides, tools and special effects, the range is always evolving to bring kids new ways to create. Consumers and retailers alike can choose from a rainbow of colours in shades and finishes to create any look, as well as a choice of formats to suit all experience levels, from marker-style Brush Pens to compacts, colour sticks, tattoos, stamps and pots of glitter dust. Application is as simple as 1,2,3 thanks to Snazaroo’s huge selection of step-by-step online guides, books, video tutorials and tools. All painters need is a few minutes and a little imagination. Quality and safety are at the heart of every Snazaroo product, and the company is committed to producing high quality face paint. Its range of face and body paints are water-based, fragrance-free, easy to remove, formulated to be gentle on sensitive skin, and cruelty free. Developed with premium ingredients that meet the highest quality standards and compliant with strict EU and FDA regulations, Snazaroo guarantees the quality of every product through periodic testing by independent dermatologists and toxicology experts. New lines for 2022 include the 6-Piece Stencil Girls set, the 6-piece Stencil Unisex set, the 8-piece Paint Palette, Fine Bio Glitter pots in Violet, Green and Ocean Blue, the 11-piece Rainbow Hangpack and the Custom Palette.
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GREEN NEWS VTech publishes Annual Sustainability Report The report outlines a transition towards clean energy, more solar panels and solar lamps installed in manufacturing and operating sites. In FY2023, the use of renewable energy rose by 157.2% compared with FY2020. With dedicated efforts on water and material consumption reductions, energy saving and waste management, VTech achieved notable reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 14.8% and water consumption by 18%. The company is also introducing more recycled elements into the range for 2022, such as the soft fabrics on the Busy Musical Bee and Soft Discovery Turtle, which are made from recycled PET bottles, and the new Touch & Feel Sensory Keys and Stack, Rattle & Link Elephant made from plant-based plastics. VTech continuously reduces environmental impacts from packaging through material sourcing, usage reduction, design change and recycling. Currently, almost 95% of toy packaging materials is recyclable, of which about 85% is from recycled materials. VTech is committed to eliminating fossil-based blister packaging and replacing it with a plantbased alternative in 99% of the electronic learning products by 2025. In the UK, adding QR codes for full instruction menus has reduced the leaflet size by 40%, with over half of all packaging now featuring the OPRL labels and recyclenow.com information. A survey which has now been conducted for a number of years shows 99.4% of VTech consumers pass their used VTech products on to family and friends and donate to charity shops, toddler groups or nurseries. Clive Richardson, UK marketing director, said: “The team here is complementing this award-winning global sustainability plan with specific UK action like the non-plastic pack, OPRL labels and volunteering to help the local community.” VTech UK staff built a wild flower area and bug hotel in the grounds of the VTech offices, went meat free on Mondays, cycled to work, swapped-not-shopped and nurtured plants on work desks. A team also volunteered for a weekly community litter pick in the local area. Partnering with Ecologi, every of one of VTech’s UK staff will have their entire carbon footprint offset to become climate positive in 2022.
Sambro swaps to fully recycled filling across all plush toys Sambro International has made the switch to recycled filling across its entire plush range, which will help reduce each toy’s carbon footprint by reducing the need for virgin polyester production and diverting single use plastic from landfills. The filling used in each toy is made from 100% recycled post-consumer plastic, coming mostly from plastic bottles and developed in line with Global Recycle Standard guidelines. Sambro is also an FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) certified company, with a programme to ensure the move to fully FSC certified cardboard for packaging usage. As part of its ongoing ESG strategy, all of Sambro’s plush toys across all ranges will be manufactured with 100% recycled filling and, for eco-awareness, each plush toy will be labelled with the sustainable message. Sambro is also working with a packaging specialist to identify how it can reduce the use of plastics and increase the use of sustainable materials. The first step will be to swap all cardboard packaging to FSC-certified packaging and the team will work with its vendors to implement this across all ranges over the next 12 months. Paul Blackaby, Sambro CEO, said: “Managing the products we create and the impact they have on the environment is a key consideration for all of us at Sambro. Sustainability is important to us, our licensors and our customers, which is why we’ve ensured our range of plush toys is as eco-friendly as possible. We are driving forward our ESG strategy, with commitments to reduce carbon footprints and improve practices and operations across all areas of our business.”
The Lego Group announces carbon-neutral US based factory The Lego Group has announced plans to invest more than US$1b to build a new factory in Chesterfield County, Virginia. Once completed, the 1.7m square foot (160,000m2 ) facility will employ more than 1,760 people. The factory will be designed to operate as a carbon-neutral facility. 100% of its dayto-day energy needs will be matched by renewable energy generated by an onsite solar park. The site will also be designed to minimise energy consumption and use of nonrenewable resources. Niels B. Christiansen, CEO, the Lego Group said: “This is an exciting step for the Lego Group. The location in Virginia allows us to build a solar park which supports our sustainability ambitions and provides easy links to country-wide transportation networks.” Construction will commence in autumn 2022, with production projected to start in the second half of 2025. A temporary packaging site will open in an existing building nearby in early 2024 and create up to 500 jobs. Carsten Rasmussen, chief operations officer, added: “Our factories are located close to our biggest markets which shortens the distance our products have to travel. This allows us to rapidly respond to changing consumer demand and helps manage our carbon footprint. Our new factory in the US and expanded capacity at our existing site in Mexico means we will be able to best support long-term growth in the Americas. We are fortunate to find a location where we can begin construction quickly and create temporary capacity in under two years.” The new factory in Virginia will use state-of-the-art technology to mould, process and pack Lego products and ensure they meet the company’s rigorous safety and quality requirements. Lego factories in Europe and China are also being expanded, and in December 2021, the Group announced plans to build a factory in Vietnam to support further growth in Asia.
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www.ses-creative.com For more information please contact sales@ses-creative.co.uk or call 01304 746 030
Company Profile
Schleich
Schleich where stories begin Following an exceptionally strong 2021, Schleich has unveiled a major new global brand strategy aimed at paving the way for more imaginative play and an even stronger presence at retail. Toy World’s John Baulch and Rachael Simpson-Jones paid a visit to the company’s new UK head office to meet up with Schleich GmbH CEO Dirk Engehausen and managing director Udo Rother, Schleich UK’s country manager Thomas Randrup and marketing manager Paul Dearlove – plus a very special guest.
I
n January 2022, Schleich announced that the company had enjoyed its best year in its entire 87-year history. In 2021, its turnover grew by 39% in both the US and France, and by 21% in the UK, while in its home market, Germany, Schleich recorded sales growth of 17%. This performance not only vindicated CEO Dirk Engehausen’s predictions for the period, it also continued into 2022, resulting in a very strong Q1. However, when speaking with him in May, Dirk noted that global markets were slowing and that he expects this year’s performance to be more on par with those of pre-pandemic years. However, given that 2021 marked Schleich’s eighth consecutive year of growth, this would still represent a significant achievement. Schleich GmbH MD Udo Rother believes that consumer preferences are changing once again, with shopping habits starting to swing away from eCommerce. Schleich benefits from strong retail listings across a range of channels and territories,
meaning this shift hasn’t impacted sales. And with Q3 and Q4 2022 set to be particularly strong for the business, thanks to a raft of new product launches and other major developments, Udo is optimistic that 2022 will yield significant further growth. Looking specifically at the UK & Ireland, Schleich UK has doubled its turnover during the past three years, despite the many challenges the toy market has faced (not all of which are yet resolved). March’s NPD YTD figures showed Schleich UK up +81% while the rest of the market was down -12%. Clearly, things are going well. You’d therefore be forgiven for wondering whether Schleich’s new, recently unveiled global brand strategy was truly necessary. As the old saying goes: ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. But Schleich has good reasons for the overhaul, and Dirk is adamant the second half of the year holds what he calls a once in a lifetime opportunity to elevate the brand to the next level. The most consumer-facing elements of the new
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brand strategy are a redesigned logo and packaging, and new visual language. The Schleich logo has been modernised and simplified, now emulating the shape of a thought cloud as a nod to the spirit of ‘What if?’, while the new tagline – ‘Where stories begin’ - is a short, memorable expression of the new brand essence. The logos of the six product lines have also been revised to appear fresher and more playful. The brand’s digital channels are also being modernised, including a relaunch of the Schleich website at a global level. Via new calls-to-action embedded throughout its brand elements, Schleich will invite fans worldwide to share their own stories inspired by playtime with its characters, using the hashtag #wherestoriesbegin on Instagram or Facebook. However, the Schleich team is keen that the new brand strategy isn’t watered down simply to the new logo, revised colour scheme or reinvented strapline: there’s a much higher purpose at play here. Since 2019,
Schleich GmbH has been owned by a Swiss private equity firm called Partners Group. Dirk says such acquisitions are made with ‘strategic glasses on’, and that from the very earliest meetings it was clear the company’s new owners were keen to invest heavily in digitalisation and rebranding. He also says the group has been hugely supportive of its work in this regard, something that has proven invaluable during times of such economic uncertainty. In essence, Schleich’s rebrand is focused upon ‘Shaping Storytellers for life’. We were presented with little Schleich rabbits at the beginning of our meeting, which Dirk says will have started a story in our minds, consciously or otherwise. This is especially true of kids, and even more so when they’re standing in front of a shelf brimming with Schleich animals. Pick up a Schleich figurine and a story begins, and this is what the company wants to foster; the creation of tales and adventures, of courageous quests and enchanting journeys, with Schleich figurines at their heart. The rebrand also wants to promote free play, something us grown-ups can be notoriously bad at. Kids, however, naturally possess the imagination and unselfconsciousness required to create their own worlds, and Schleich is bringing this to the fore. The company is saying no to formulaic, rigid play, and yes to no-holds-barred experiences limited only by a child’s imagination. Dirk himself has quite the imagination: “We want children to take their Lamb, Lion and T-Rex Schleich figures, get in their Schleich SUV and head to a nice imaginary coffee shop to discuss where they will spend their holiday that year – the Moon or Mars. This is what Schleich is all about: that level of openended, unconstrained play. There’s no ‘punishment’ for getting things wrong with Schleich, unlike some other brands or toys which need to be played with in a certain way. With Schleich, we’re saying: ‘these are your toys, and this is your story’.” In addition to the storytelling aspect, the Schleich red has been brought to the fore as part of the rebrand. The colour yellow has become strongly associated with Lego, Blue with Playmobil and Ravensburger. Red is Schleich’s colour, and the new in-store materials and POS solutions hammer this home like never before. Dirk is unfailingly honest about the fact it may be many months before the company can truly say the strategy is paying off. The aim has never been to create an overnight sensation. Schleich has been around for 90 years and is an iconic, household brand. Change can come slowly to such big players. Consumers and gift givers need to understand and appreciate the message the rebrand communicates, and that can take time, despite the financial support being placed behind the new strategy and its related marketing campaigns. I was keen to find out if the team thought pivoting the brand strategy of a nearly 90-year-old established company would be significantly harder than doing so with a much younger one, or one that wasn’t as well known and loved as Schleich is. According to Dirk, the answer depends on where in the world you are looking at Schleich from. He explains: “If you asked me from a German perspective, I’d give a different answer to that of Thomas or Paul, with their UK perspective, or to our
colleagues in the Netherlands, where Schleich went live only last year.” Thomas Randrup, country manager Schleich UK, highlights that Schleich UK has long enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship with the specialist indie toy sector and that he therefore fully supports the company’s re-brand strategy and its dedication to creating a ‘red corner’ in stores. While Schleich has always been strong in figurines, the past few years have also seen it massively ramp up its range of play sets and themed worlds, and the new play set packaging seen across all the franchises really carries through the red that Schleich is seeking to take ownership of. It may take a while for the new packaging to 100% replace the old, of course: retailers have stock from before the new strategy was unveiled to sell through. The new logo, he reiterates, is much friendlier than its predecessor, being softer and warmer, more open and inviting. All TV and print advertising, press releases and other marketing will ultimately reflect the new look and brand message of Schleich. The packaging materials are more sustainable now too, something consumers are increasingly on the lookout for when shopping: plastic is avoided wherever possible, instead replaced with materials that are both recycled and recyclable. Although Schleich has made great inroads within the UK market, according to Schleich UK’s marketing manager Paul Dearlove, the company is conscious there’s still a long way to go. Schleich has previously invested in major installations at flagship Hamleys and Selfridges store, and thoughtful retail support
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has filtered right down to the smallest of indies. But the company isn’t resting on its laurels, and the new strategy will provide huge opportunities to get behind its retail partners even more. In the UK and in other markets, the rebrand rolls out from 1st July, though a necessary element of prioritisation means that not all accounts will be ready to join the rebrand from that day. An element of choice also came into play: retail partners able to take advantage of the rebranded materials from the very start can decide for themselves whether to do so from day one, or month six. Happily, they’ve by and large appeared happy hit the ground running with it – Schleich supports its retailers, and they support it right back. Schleich UK moved into its new offices, where this interview was held, in November 2021. It’s a much bigger, lighter and airier space than its previous Stansted location, with a subsidised canteen, free gym and on-site parking for the use of all employees, plus a handy shuttlebus service that runs back and forth to the train station each day for those that use public transport. The move has given the company the room
Company Profile
required for employees to immerse themselves in the product, too: the seating area is inhabited by a large white tiger model – the same one that apparently had to have its ‘modesty’ preserved after being installed at a major retailer, lest it shock the kids – and there’s a permanent showroom that displays all Schleich’s franchises. The walls feature large-scale marketing assets created as part of the new brand strategy campaign. The photography is stunning: children are presented as they would actually play, different product lines and toys are combined, and characters are dressed up or depicted in completely new contexts: a cow swimming in an aquarium, a fairy playing in the mud, a dinosaur having fun at a street carnival. Thomas explains that the company has taken over the top floor of the Asos head office, a set-up that has worked out brilliantly. The building’s inhabitants make it a vibrant and energetic place to work, and there’s quite literally room for a pony too. Our interview included a surprise visit from the utterly adorable Teddy the Shetland pony, who has set the bar very high indeed for future guest appearances at meetings. “The move to this new office reflects the ambition of both Schleich GmbH and Schleich UK,” adds Paul, who is clearly proud of his new surroundings. “Our previous offices were much smaller - we didn’t have proper facilities or meeting rooms. Moving here will certainly help our perception within the trade and attract new team members to our growing business. It’s obviously a much nicer place to welcome guests to as well.” Dirk adds: “This level of investment in people, office and infrastructure is a big undertaking. A year ago, if we’d met at the old Stansted office, my company laptop and phone wouldn’t have been able to automatically connect to Schleich’s global system. Here, they do. It might not seem like a big thing, but this helps us all feel like we’re part of a connected mission to conquer the toy market and become one of the biggest brands in the world. We’re moving our French office in Lyon to bigger and better premises too, but it won’t matter where you are in the world. If you work for Schleich, you’ll feel part of a cohesive team.” The second half of the year will see Schleich launch new product innovations plus extensions to its existing best-selling ranges and themes. A line extension of
Schleich
Horse Club, Sofia’s Beauties launches in September. The range, which proved incredibly popular at London Toy Fair, comprises horse models with beautiful long manes and equally luxurious tails, which can be brushed, decorated and freely interchanged. The collection will include four individual horses and three starter sets at launch - each with a horse that has a long mane and rider plus plenty of colourcoordinated accessories – as well as two play sets and two standalone accessory sets. Paul says the reception to this range has been as good as the company has ever experienced. It’s a gloriously simple concept and in many ways already a proven winner: Schleich’s detailed and realistic horses combined with brushable manes and tails kids can swap and style? What’s not to love. Dirk adds: “Sofia’s Beauties will also resonate with younger children from pre-school age and is the perfect introduction to Horse Club. I have enormous respect for competitor products, and what’s great is that Sofia’s Beauties doesn’t cannibalise Horse Club, because our models are very realistic rather than highly stylised. Authenticity is in our product DNA, and Sofia’s Beauties is a shining example of how this level of commitment to realism continues to open new doors in the toy market and carve out new spaces.” As well as the addition of several popular horse breeds, Schleich’s Horse Club sees its first modular offering launch this month. The new range allows young horse fans to build their own equestrian centres. The impressive hero play set, the Lakeside Riding Centre, is launching alongside two add-on sets which
simply click onto the sides to provide extra room for more horses. The range will appeal to gift-givers as it spans a variety of price points, and to committed collectors with large numbers of equines to house. Of course, it’s not all about horses. Five authentic new dinosaur species join the line-up for 2022, as well as two new play sets: the Dinosaur Transport Mission and Parachute Rescue. Farm World welcomes six new play sets in July, while five new Wild Life sets have expanded Schleich’s strong partnership with National Geographic Kids. The company also continues to broaden its collectibles offering, with two new series of foals added to the bayala range and further launches including a Llamacorn and Rainbow Dragon continuing to delight fans of mythical creatures. Alongside all this, Eldrador Creatures welcomes an array of new monsters and introduces a fifth world, the Shadow World, to fans of the franchise, plus the Eldrador Master Robot. 2022 will also see the return of Schleich’s Black
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Friday, which enjoyed its debut last year. Limited edition black figurines were released to drive footfall into stores, and huge black installation models were created to provide a little theatre. The black T-Rex now stands guard in the entrance foyer of Schleich’s new UK office, though it did abandon its post temporarily in May (with permission, I’m sure) to pay a visit to the Toymaster show in Harrogate. And in addition to all the coverage generated by the announcement of the new global brand strategy, Schleich is also investing in new TV commercials and a huge brand campaign towards the end of the year that encompasses the entire portfolio, not just the company’s individual properties. All in all, the team is confident that, no matter what else may happen over the coming months, Schleich will enjoy a robust, double-digit performance during the second half of the year that will ultimately deliver what would be its ninth consecutive year of growth. Dirk says there’s still a huge amount of untapped potential within Schleich’s brands, pointing out that its figures aren’t based on flash-in-the-pan trends or licences that may come and go. “We are on a strong footing, particularly in the
UK, France and the US, and with Germany as our home market there’s so much scope for growth and development into new areas,” he adds. “A lot of our success over the previous eight years boils down to the fact Schleich is very good at identifying an opportunity and sticking with it, seeing it right through to fruition. Schleich commits itself totally - if we say it will be done this way, it will be done this way. So much hinges upon creativity. The rest depends on execution.” Dirk also says that Partners Group is proud of the team Schleich has built, pointing out that two of its veterans, Udo and Thomas, were in the room with us. Udo, however, was quick to point out that he was one of the youngest employees when he joined the company and would prefer the term ‘stalwart’. In any case, Schleich’s motivated and enthusiastic workforce certainly has plenty of experience to tap into – model leadership, if you’ll excuse the pun – and with the launch of its new global brand strategy, Schleich will see the next chapter of its own story begin.
asmodee.co.uk 01420 593 593 info@asmodee.co.uk
fresh FRESH THIS MONTH:
Each month Fresh sets out to find the latest products that will have toy retailers reaching for the phone. Here are new releases from: Asmodee, Big Potato, Bruder, Chicco, Toynamics, IMC, PLaymobil, Sinco, Zapf, Zuru.
X-Shot Skins
Zuru | info@zuru.com
Zuru says that customisation is a driving force, enabling players to tout their personality and prowess. Seizing the $50b plus skins in-game consumer spending trend, the company is set to shake up the toy blaster category as it reveals X-Shot Skins, a new line which allows kids to customise their blasters with different skins.
The X-Shot brand is growing exponentially with 45m blasters sold annually and the new line will be available from early July. As with some video games where players can purchase skins to change character appearances, colours, lighting and more, the first line of X-Shot Skins offers four different blasters of various sizes and price points, each with multiple skin designs to purchase. From street-art edgy, to gore and goo, to nostalgic video games, there are a total of 24 vibrant graphics to select across the four X-Shot Skins blasters. The new line includes X-Shot Skins Menace, a small blaster which packs enough power to take on targets 27m/90ft away. Available in seven Skin designs, it includes eight foam darts with single dart capacity, plus storage for two additional darts and includes eight foam darts. The X-Shot Skins Flux blaster offers six Skin designs and also includes eight foam darts and features single dart capacity with storage for two additional darts which shoot a distance of 27m/90ft, while the X-Shot Skins Dread brings double the excitement with its dual ammo system. Available in seven Skin designs, it includes 12 foam darts and features 12 dart capacity which shoot 27m/90ft. The X-Shot Skins Last Stand Graffiti is the largest blaster in the Skins range, combining epic fire power, speed in action and accuracy all in one blaster. With four Skin designs, it includes 16 foam darts, with a 14-dart capacity and a tactical grip for easy loading and unloading.
Chicco
020 8953 6627 | www.chicco.co.uk Inspired by the art of balancing stones, Stone Balance is a new stackable toy from Chicco’s sustainably and responsibly sourced Eco+ range. Suitable from 6-36 months, kids can stack and play with the five stone-shaped pieces, stimulating their cognitive and manual coordination whilst using their imagination as they play. Made of recycled plastic from industrial residue, each stone has a different shape, size and colour and can be stacked from largest to smallest, or in a random order, keeping little ones entertained for hours.
Asterix and Obelix play sets
Playmobil 01268 548 111 www.playmobil.co.uk A new collaboration with licensor Les Éditions Albert René will see Playmobil bring the adventures of the rebellious Gauls and comic legends Asterix and Obelix to life via a range of entertaining new play sets Gallic heroes Asterix and Obelix, alongside their motley village community, have been known and beloved worldwide since 1959. Translated into hundreds of languages, the French comics detail their adventures against Roman legionaries, from which they always emerge as unbeatable victors. Obelix and his trusty companion Dogmatix go through thick and thin with Asterix, always acting in friendship and brotherhood as they fight for their freedom. Known for his immense size and strength, Playmobil’s designers have developed a new figure shape that authentically recreates the unmistakable figure of Obelix. This figure is noticeably bigger than that of other Playmobil figures and the arms have also been adjusted, too, allowing Obelix to hold his standing stones. With the new play theme from Playmobil, Asterix fans of all ages can recreate the adventure of the famous comic heroes at home. The six richly detailed play sets - The Village Banquet, Hut of Vitalstatistix, Getafix with the Cauldron of Magic Potion, Roman Troop, Leader’s Tent with Generals, Cacofonix with Tree House, and Wild Boar Hunting - reflect characteristic scenes from the Gallic village and the Roman siege, as well as other characters from the comics.
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Animal Power theme included in Season 5 and 2 specials on Disney Junior
PJ Masks Hero Animal Trio F52015L0
PJ Masks Animal Vehicle Assortment F52035L0
PJ Masks Animal Rider Assortment F52045L0
© 2022 FrogBox/Ent. One UK Ltd/Hasbro
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Baby born Storybook Fairies
Zapf Creation | 0845 0533 333 | www.mgae.com
Doll brand Baby born has introduced a new brand, Baby born Storybook, featuring six fairy dolls which allow children to combine play with storytelling and imagination. Suitable for children aged 3 plus, the Baby born Storybook Fairies, which launched in early June, have fluttering wings, which are activated with a swish of a wand across the tummy, colour changing face art when in sunlight and their very own adventure picture booklet, encouraging children to expand their imaginations by creating stories about their favourite fairy. Each Storybook fairy also includes a light-up stand, with colour changing lights and a double backdrop to add to the storytelling element, inspiring even more imaginative play with the dolls.
Travel friendly games Asmodee | 01420 593 593 www.asmodee.co.uk
With summer well and truly here, Asmodee, a leading UK distributor of tabletop games and accessories, has rounded up the top travel friendly games retailers should be stocking this year. A game that is open to all, being both easy to learn and easy to play, Catan has sold 32m copies worldwide. The easy-to-carry travel edition, Catan Traveller, lets players take the classic game of trading and development wherever they go, by packing all the same strategic gameplay (with a few limitations) onto a much smaller board. Catan Traveller is suitable for 2-4 players. Dobble Waterproof, a travel-friendly version of the now-classic observation game described by Holly Willoughby as the ‘best game ever’, is perfect for play on the beach, on riverside picnics and much more. Dobble is the smash-hit in which players race to match the identical symbol between cards. This version comes in a handy net bag that dries out quickly when wet. Noggin is the brainchild of Radio 1 DJ, Matt Edmondson. Perfect for fast-paced games junkies, this is a fastest-thinker-first frenzy in which players take turns to deal their playing cards - a combination of Letter Cards and Action Cards - down onto three piles of Letter Cards. This compact and hugely entertaining game is perfect for family get-togethers during the summer.
There are six fairies to collect in the range - Ice, Poppy, Rainbow, Peach, Violet and Rose - each with her own style, personality, animal friend and home in the Storybook world. The packaging for each Storybook fairy is designed to look like a book which, when opened, reveals their new fairy friend. The book-style packaging is plastic free and fully recyclable as part of Zapf Creation’s on-going commitment to sustainability and implementing packaging materials that are easier to recycle. Zapf Creation is supporting the launch with a heavyweight PR and marketing campaign, including influencer and celebrity engagement, social media activity and TV, plus retailer activation.
Bworld Cow and Calf Barn with Farmer Bruder | 00353 67 63800 | www.bruder.de
The bworld sets from Bruder complement the collection’s play vehicles to create entire play worlds, and new to the range in the agriculture sector is the cow and calf barn with farmer. The play set, which launched in June, has everything a modern dairy farm needs. In addition to the feeding trough and feed bucket, the spacious, free-range stable also comes with a massage brush, and a calf box to safely accommodated the calf. A farmer is also included in the set, and there is a wheelbarrow, broom and pitchfork. The cow and calf barn is suitable for budding farmers aged four years and up. As with all products, Bruder places particular emphasis on attention to detail and play value; a special feature of the bworld products is that the figures are fully functional while also looking realistic. The head, torso, arms and legs of the figures can be moved and turned in a naturalistic way to create lifelike poses. Bruder has figures in its portfolio across a variety of thematic areas: policemen, firefighters, construction workers, farmers, lifeguards or cyclists. Also available are scenery sets which expand the play worlds and allow kids to re-enact scenes from real life. Whether a fire station, hospital or police station, all sets are highly detailed and realistically equipped. There are also car, motorbike and bicycle workshops. The vehicle fleet can be refuelled in a modern petrol station with a car wash area and e-charging point. All modular background elements can be easily connected so that wider imaginative worlds can be created, and the back panels and figures are made of high-quality, recyclable plastic.
Bananagrams is a fast and frantic game which sees players race against each other to build crossword grids. No pencil, no paper or board are required, and the tiles pack away into a handy banana-shaped zip up case that takes up hardly any precious room in a backpack or suitcase. Taco, Goat, Cheese & Pizza is the perfect simple, no fuss and easy-to-play card game. As unique as its name, this game comes in a compact and colourful box that will stand out on-shelf.
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Toynamics UK & Ireland
Chicken Vs Hotdog
Toynamics UK & Ireland’s range of wooden play sets offers retailers a high-quality collection of toys to encourage children’s imaginative play. Tipped as a best-seller for 2022 is the Hape Gear Head Stunt Garage. This three-storey wooden play set is a high-rise parking garage for fast vehicles and supercars. The set comes with two free-wheeling cars and features a variety of creative functions and racing action for hours of fun.
Big Potato is inviting party game fans to settle once and for all who is the top dog (or chicken) with its new launch, Chicken Vs Hotdog.
0116 478 5230 www.toynamics.co.uk sales@toynamics.co.uk
Highlights include a boxcar elevator; children can place their cars in the lift and hand-wind the crank to transport them to the upper levels or back down again. The garage is equipped with two stunt tracks that let the toy vehicles either whizz down the spiral ramp for a high-speed race to the bottom or defy gravity with a 360° loop track that can be transformed into a launch ramp. The garage is also designed to simulate real-life with electric charge points and services.
BFF by Cry Babies
IMC Toys | 01904 720908 www.imctoys.com | info.uk@imctoys.com IMC Toys is entering the fashion dolls market with the launch of BFF by Cry Babies: a 'grown-up' version of its popular best-selling Cry Babies nurture doll range. Making its on-shelf debut from July, the dolls range will offer consumers and retailers a natural transition and extended brand journey. Supporting the company’s long-term strategy to grow and develop its Cry Babies ‘ages and stages’ approach, the introduction of the BFFs is the culmination of a brand evolution from baby dolls to the smaller Cry Babies Magic Tears collectible dolls and ending with the BFF 20cm collectible fashion dolls to appeal to an older audience. From cute cry babies to empowered best friend teens, the ‘Best Friends Forever’ take on everyday challenges, tapping into their unique personalities, interests and friendships, to solve and reinforce any situation.
Big Potato | 020 3620 9495 www.bigpotato.co.uk trade@bigpotato.co.uk
The brand-new ‘flip it and stick it’ party game has been described as ‘Throw, Throw Burrito meets Bottle Flip’. Players split into teams or opt for one-on-one competition, then grab their Chicken and Hotdog Sling’ems and prepare to bid and flip their way to victory.
Opposing players turn over a Challenge Card, then secretly bid high if they think they can nail it or bid low to avoid it. If both bids match, it’s Flipperama time. Challenges include the super flip (completing at least two rotations), the one-eye-closed flip and the twin flip: landing both Sling’ems at the same time. Every time a player completes a challenge, they get to turn over one of their Character Cards. The first player (or team) to turn over all six Character Cards wins the game. The game also encourages players to invent their own challenges and add these to the 30 that come with the game. Chicken Vs Hotdog is a great two-player game but is also fun to play in teams, making it perfect for date nights and parties alike. It’s simple to learn and quick to play. The game will appeal to kids, teenagers, students, flat mates, pub mates and anyone else who loves flipping things and hearing a satisfying ‘thunk’ when they land a pressure throw and the sucker grips the table. Chicken Vs Hotdog has been in development for four years, since 2018, and is one of Big Potato’s key games this year. Due to launch in September, the game will be heavily supported by a TikTok campaign that will feature key creators discussing their best trick shots. This will be backed up by a series of social ads that will run on the platform. To see a demo or to test your own flipping skills, get in touch with the Big Potato team.
Children can follow the BFF’s adventures during 13 x seven-minute animated episodes that will air from the summer across IMC Toys’ official Kitoons YouTube channel, streaming networks and Over-The Top platform. The new range of eight BFF by Cry Babies fashion dolls allows children to continue the BFF adventure. Each of the dolls comes complete with on-trend interchangeable outfits and accessories, each unique to their individual personalities and interests. They also boast 15cm silky, colourful hair for styling, six points of articulation, crystal eyes and an unboxing reveal. A special edition twin-pack concludes the collection, with BFF Coney and Sydney, along with over 20 accessories and an exclusive necklace for children to wear and match their dolls. A robust marketing campaign is in place to include TV, digital, social, PR and experiential activations.
Among Us Special Edition Collection
Sinco Creations | 0161 737 7464 | sales@sincocreations.com Following the huge success of Among Us Series 1, Sinco Creations, in partnership with PMI, has announced the launch of a Special Edition collection available from the end of July. The popular online multiplayer game Among Us was the most downloaded game of 2020, with half a billion users and went on to win a Kid’s Choice award for favourite video game 2021. Among Us is currently available on iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch and PC, and was further boosted by its arrival on Xbox and Play Station formats in December 2021. This April, it was also announced that Among Us is coming to VR and will be released later this year – a move which will further cement its popularity. The Special Edition range will include four lines for fans to collect: two plush characters, a feature plush and a glow in the dark action figure. The Special Edition Cyborg Crew Mate plush features a glowing visor and original sound effects from the Among Us game, as well as a glowing eye, and comes with hats and accessories. The green ghost even has hands which are rarely seen in the game and will make bedtimes a whole lot more exciting as he spookily glows in the dark. There is also a red Imposter plush showing his teeth and tongue, which is available in two sizes.
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Tech Toys & Gadgets
All hands on tech Though the cost of living is escalating, the appetite for tech toys and gadgets remains just as high, as Sam Giltrow discovers.
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espite tech toys often coming with a higher price tag than other toy lines, manufacturers say they are not too concerned about increased living costs impacting sales and dampening enthusiasm for the latest innovative gadgets. In fact, many believe the category will see the same high levels of enthusiasm (and sales) it has enjoyed in the past few years, as kids seek out toys which tap into the latest trends, be they interactive tech toys that are powered by an app or robots they can programme. Parents too are increasingly choosing tech to help further their children’s learning. According
to research conducted by the Lego Foundation last year, children’s knowledge, development of skills, emotional wellbeing and family relations are supported through play with digital technologies. Furthermore, combining interactive technology like Augmented Reality with traditional, physical toys can significantly enhance the educational value of children’s playing. Parents also want to encourage toys that don’t add to their kid’s already screen-heavy media diet, and Ben Drury, CEO and co-founder of Yoto which produces Yoto Player and Yoto Mini - screen-free audio players for children - says the Yoto team expects that to continue. “While there’s no denying there are more challenging times on the horizon for all of us, we see from our customers that the enthusiasm for our product is there,” he explains. “We pride ourselves on having a product with a very high play value and we are committed to delivering amazing added value for all our customers, with regular updates to the software on Yoto Players and Yoto Minis, plus the free Yoto app.” As well as offering a library of over 800 stories, music cards, activities and sleep sounds with some big launches in recent months including Star Wars, Marvel, Disney and Peppa Pig, Yoto also offers a wide range of high-quality free content including Yoto Radio and Yoto Daily, a podcast which has just released its 1,000th episode.
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“We have never been an impulse buy toy brand and spending on children is relatively resilient in tough economic times, so we feel well equipped to weather any incoming challenges,” says Ben. “We see from our customers that they’re hungry for audio content that inspires their children, and they are increasingly engaging with more educational content.” Charlotte Polley, owner of Boo’s Toy Shop in Poundbury, Dorset, said she had seen an appetite for the Yoto Player and Yoto Mini which she started stocking in April, after seeing them for the first time at London Toy Fair. “The range has been incredibly successful for us,” she tells Toy World. “I think parents are looking for something with extra play value, and a main selling point of the Yoto Player is that it also features white noise and sleep training. It gives children not just stories but music and educational content as well. The new Yoto Mini is also ideal for kids to take out wherever they go and keeps them entertained for hours.” She describes the Yoto Player as an “amazing brand” along with another children’s audio system she stocks: Tonies. Lucia Kreuzer, UK & Ireland MD for Tonies, says it is vital that tech toys keep up with parents’ demands for more value-for-money out of toys. “What will make or break the parents’ buying decision is not the price tag, but the value the toy will provide,” she tells us. “Questions on how long the child will be interested in the toy, how much time they will spend with it and what they will learn will determine if the consumer will purchase. By and large, parents don’t cut back when it comes to educating their children. Parents who buy a Toniebox know that it is an investment for the next few years; they can see the benefit that the Toniebox has on their child, whether it’s helping them drift off to sleep, educating them about astronauts and wildlife or entertaining them on long car journeys.” While there is a lot of technology in a Toniebox, the product is intentionally designed to have a low tech feel for the customers. There are no screens, no
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Tech Toys & Gadgets to a sophisticated ultrasonic bat detector. As people exhausted content on streaming services throughout the pandemic, the company says they then sought out hands-on activities, away from their screens. “Many rediscovered forgotten hobbies and wanted to share these with their children and grandchildren and this is a trend that shows little sign of reversing,” says director Adrian Howard. “Our kits promote an understanding of the basics of electronics and also encourage cross-generational collaboration, whether building a sophisticated bat detector or a retro arcade game.” The company also offers a range of advent calendars which continue the theme, with the components put together to build fully functioning electronic games, a FM radio and music synthesizer over 24 days. “For retailers, the opportunity that these items present is to widen the age appeal of their offer – extending it to older kids and beyond, with products that are truly original,” adds Adrian. Proving tech toys don’t always have to carry a higher price tag is HoloToyz, a relatively new company which was established by husband-and-wife team Declan Fahy and Kate Scott, along with long-time business partner, Paul Cosgrave, to bring AR to kids in a safe, fun way. The Irish fun-tech company has launched a world first range of Paw Patrol temporary tattoos and stickers which kids can scan with their HoloToyz app to watch their favourite characters pounce to life in front of them. The AR technology means they can also place the pups into the room with them and take photos and videos beside them to share with friends or print and frame for themselves. Also launching for AW 22 will be a range of Sonic the Hedgehog products. Kate Scott explains that parents are very aware of their children’s love of technology, although equally attuned to the challenges in the digital space for children, include a market flooded with apps for kids which are limited to a digital-only experience - and often come with a fee and in-app advertising. “The team at HoloToyz has strongly considered the existing relationship children have with technology and has strived to find the right balance between digital and physical play,” she says. “Most importantly, we need to recognise that play is the primary way that young children learn and that the fundamentals of play will always exist.”
cameras, no microphones and no parent required to operate it. “Our market research shows that parents are increasingly concerned about too much screen time,” adds Lucia. “This is where Tonies comes into its own as a screen-free antidote to iPads and TVs. 80% of all Tonieboxes are actively used each month and a child collects on average 20 Tonies over a time period of 4.5 years. That’s a lot of time away from screens and a lot of time invested in developing children’s imagination and literacy.” Lucia says Tonies will continue to invest in the growth of the brand and ensure freshness. So far, the company has sold 3.7m Tonieboxes and 44m Tonies globally. In the first half of this year, Tonies launched 30 new titles, from much-loved classics such as Mr Men & Little Miss and educational content such as the National Geographic series to strong entertainment licences including Octonauts, Bing and Cars 2. The company also expanded its own productions and built up its accessories category: kids can now display their collection of Tonies on beautifully themed shelves, which also act as a charging point. “The demand for our products has been far exceeding our expectations and I am incredibly proud of what the team has achieved,” says Lucia. “Our portfolio is already 180 Tonies strong and to develop new Tonies, we are carefully taking on board the feedback we receive from our little listeners and their parents.”
To tempt kids away from devices such as smartphones and tablets, Rebecca Lazarus, senior brand manager at Vtech, believes manufacturers must identify trends and import that tech into products. “Children will always want the latest toys, with the most up to date technology,” she tells us. VTech distinguishes trends in adult consumer electronics or identifies popular, fashionable apps and transfers the technology into products for children, ensuring they have durability while maintaining the fun element children want. For example, last year VTech strengthened its Camera portfolio by adding the Kidizoom Print Cam, taking on board the instant picture trend; the Kidizoom print Cam allows children to take a photo and print it instantly. “Innovation with new technology and on trend features are really important for tech toys,” she says. “The KidiSnap Touch, which launches in autumn/winter 2022, has taken some of the most popular apps and features of a parent’s smart phone and transferred it to a perfect, pocket-sized touchscreen device designed especially for children.” Eight Innovation, which has developed a range of original build-your-own electronic kits over the past decade, says it has seen a steep rise in the popularity of its products over the last two years. Its kits contain all the components needed to construct a fully functional item, from a working FM radio
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Arts &Toys Tech Craft& (Creative Gadgets Play)
Kate feels it is important to offer young children of today - generation Alpha - the opportunity to learn about technologies in a safe and fun environment, away from the open web — particularly when the digital world around them is evolving at lightning speed. “These ‘Tiny Tech Titans‘ are the first generation who will be immersed in technology their whole lives and are expected to surpass their parents’ technology skills before their eighth birthdays,” she tells us. “The toy industry is keen to introduce innovation to this new generation and HoloToyz is able to provide a fun, educational range of products that allows them to do this. What makes our product range so attractive is that each product is still fun and engaging in its own right – our HoloToyz app simply enhances them through an immersive, digital experience.” Affordability is also key to HoloToyz and Kate says they did not want price to be a barrier when introducing their technology to young children and their parents. “We wanted to ensure that we positioned ourselves in the affordable price range in order to allow our customers the opportunity to experience world-class AR at an accessible price point. Along with price, we wanted to lower a number of other barriers, including a focus on speed and ease of use,” she says. As technology advances at such a rapid speed, it’s only natural that the toy industry reflects this as an increasing array of tech toys are launched onto the market. Toy World highlights some of the latest new releases over the next few pages.
newsanalysis
Pet projects As Bandai celebrates the 25th anniversary of Tamagotchi, Toy World spoke to Priya Jadeja, brand manager at Bandai UK, about the interactive tech pet’s enduring appeal.
How has Tamagotchi evolved since it was first launched, and on the flipside, how does it remain true to the groundbreaking original toy? There have been a few iterations of Tamagotchi since its initial launch, including Chibi, licensed versions and of course the all-new Pix from last year. These developments have combined the popular Tamagotchi play pattern with innovation and new styles. The licensed versions marry Tamagotchi with that of iconic characters: R2D2, Pac-Man and Hello Kitty, for instance. The unveiling of the Tamagotchi Pix was the biggest development for us here in the UK, introducing new features such as a colour screen, touch buttons and - most excitingly - a camera that allows us to break barriers between the characters and the player. However, it’s important that Pix maintains all those core Tamagotchi attributes: nurturing, communication, portability and gaming. And of course, all of this must be contained within the egg-shaped shell. With every Tamagotchi, players ultimately raise a virtual pet, keep it alive and see which character they have raised, and the more they care for their pet, the healthier and happier it will be.
What would you say has made Tamagotchi such a hit? When Tamagotchi launched in the 90s, it was the first time that kids could experience having a pet without any of the fuss or mess that comes with them. This soon developed into a craze, with kids competing to see how long they could keep their character alive. Of course, all the beeping and the constant need for attention - and the fact that Tamagotchi got banned in schools - only served to increase the frenzy. Who doesn’t have a memory of their mum killing their virtual pet? There was a lot of media interest and coverage when the original Tamagotchi launched, and we’ve started to see this pick up again over the past couple of years.
For a lot of 90s kids, the brand was a part of their childhood. Tamagotchi still retains its original play pattern and taps into the current kidult and retro trends. Nostalgia items have been resonating well in the market, especially so with Millennials and parents keen to share the experience of a device or toy that they played with as a youngster with their own children. Plus, these Y2K (year 2000) trends are seeing a resurgence amongst Gen Z kids, who seem to be homing in on that entire aesthetic.
Do you think the brand has changed public perception of the use of tech in play? It seems that ‘tech’ means video games, apps and AI now. Tamagotchi manages to still be an electronic toy while not being connected to the internet – and not being connected to our current idea of screen time. It’s therefore considered a safer and more trusted tech option by parents.
How will you be celebrating the anniversary? And how can retailers make the most of this special year? We have been connecting with retailers and consumers to celebrate the anniversary. We’ve also introduced a 25th anniversary edition Tamagotchi which has been produced in limited quantities to embrace the element of collectability. Giveaways, competitions and dedicated brand activities will take place throughout the year and in the lead-up to Christmas. Who knows – perhaps Tamagotchi will be one of this year’s Top Toys, as it was 25 years ago.
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Bandai UK 020 8324 6160 | www.bandai.co.uk sales@bandai.co.uk Bandai UK, the UK arm of Japanese parent company, Bandai Namco, is now in its 40th year, having brought some of the world’s most iconic brands to the UK market. One such iconic brand is Tamagotchi – the original virtual pet, which celebrates 25 years since its UK launch. With the growth of its own IPs core to the business, Bandai has invested heavily into its latest Tamagotchi ranges, evolving the collection to appeal to the retro/kidult consumer alongside a new generation of Tamagotchi pet owners. A limited edition 25th anniversary version includes an iridescent, translucent shell, complete with original Gen 1 programming to highlight its celebratory milestone. New styles continue to be introduced to the Original Tamagotchi, ensuring renewed interest and collectability and Bandai UK is unveiling two waves throughout the S/S and A/W periods, covering both Gen1 and Gen2 gaming. Ice Cream, Comic and Chocolate are just some of the designs primed for hitting UK shelves from the summer. Designed to appeal to a new generation of younger Tamagotchi fans, the Tamagotchi Pix is available in a range of colourways and includes new games and characters. While the original premise of the gadget remains the same – to raise and nurture a character to determine the gameplay – the Pix includes touch buttons, LCD display, and a camera so that children can enter the Tamagotchi world and interact with their pet. The Pix also allows its users to connect with other devices, enabling children to play and enter Tamagotchi meet-ups with their friends. The much-anticipated Tamagotchi Pix Party is now available and comes complete with a celebratory balloons shell design. Maintaining the core Tamagotchi attributes of nurturing, communication, portability and gaming, alongside all of the Pix features, the Pix Party allows its users to host a party or be a guest at a friend’s party on their Tamagotchi Pix Party device. The Tamagotchi Pix Party includes invites, multiple guests, special food and games, and fun photo play. Bandai continues to expand its Tamagotchi Nano series with the signing of new licences to appeal to both the collector and mass toy market. The Star Wars R2D2 and Demon Slayer versions have recently evolved since initial launch to include additional character development and gaming abilities. 2022 will also see the unveiling of Toy Story, Jurassic World and BTS Tiny Tan editions.
LeapFrog Toys 01235 555 545 | www.leapfrog.com Kids can have an immersive audio experience with new wireless headphones, LeapPods Max, which are launched this month. Beyond listening to music, hours of included activities take kids on audio adventures, get the mind and body moving with active challenges, introduce mindfulness activities and more. Kids can play right away with no web connection, downloads or account setup required and expand their imagination and spark curiosity with the included 14-page Adventure Passport guidebook that accompanies the audio adventures. This pairs engaging soundscapes and animals sounds with detailed illustrations. The headphones can be wirelessly connected to devices using Bluetooth wireless technology or kids can use the included headphone cable to listen to their favourite music, podcasts and more. The over-ear design is comfortable and provides sound isolation, which means great sound quality at safe volume levels. Intended for ages 4+, the controls are simple to use allowing children to play, pause and switch modes without removing the headphones. A rechargeable lithium-ion battery is included. Also new for July, the Clean Sweep Mop & Bucket is an interactive cleaning bucket which brings learning into clean-up time. The bucket features a cute face, and it lights up and sings while also giving dancing directions as kids pretend to clean. The soap pump makes funny squirting sounds as the imaginary soap is dispensed, and when the pedal is pressed the mop spins.
Golden Bear 01952 608 308 | www.goldenbeartoys.com customerservices@goldenbeartoys.co.uk Golden Bear’s innovative Smart Ball range brings hi-tech to outdoor toys. The football range encourages players aged 6+ to challenge their skills while playing alone or with friends. Skills Ball is the latest model, designed to build players’ key foundational ball skills with six timed activities in the training kit and sensors to measure the player’s results. The included activities are Dribbling, Juggling, Inside Feet, Toe Taps, Sprint and Passing, plus the kit also comes complete with four cones, bung, tool and instructions. Perfect for younger sports fans, Skills Ball promotes exercise and physical activity while motivating players with encouraging phrases. For children looking to perfect their footballing tricks, Golden Bear’s Smart Ball is a counting football with lights and sounds which challenges players to achieve the highest number of ‘keepy uppies’. This counting football counts the number of tricks performed with lights and sounds, counting to 100 and speaking words of encouragement to help build motivation.
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HoloToyz 01937 586218 | www.holotoyz.com sales@holotoyz.com Irish fun-tech toy company HoloToyz has launched what it believes to be the world’s first range of Paw Patrol Stickers and Temporary Tattoos that come to life through the magic of Augmented Reality. The HoloToyz X Paw Patrol range includes packs of Stickers and Temporary Tattoos which give kids the opportunity to bring their favourite characters to life in their homes in a way that has never been done before. Each pack includes 10 characters that come to life using the kid-safe HoloToyz app. The app is free to download and doesn’t require registration, while there’s also no in-app advertising and no in-app purchases are required. The HoloToyz app works across the entire product range, eliminating the need to download several applications for different products, so the user experience is extremely easy. Each interactive character performs a unique motion that's fully loaded with sound to add to the immersive experience. Once the character is placed in the room, children can take photos and videos with their heroes as if they were standing right beside them and share these with friends and family. HoloToyz is also developing a line of Paw Patrol wall decals and books, which will be released later this year.
ToyTopic sales@toytopicgroup.com
VTech 01235 555545
ToyTopic continues to build the success of the innovative Got2Glow Fairy Finder brand with the launch of the new Got2Glow Baby Fairy Finder by WowWee. Based on the original Got2Glow Fairy Finder, the Baby version comes in an adorable new size, with over 20 new virtual baby fairies to find. The Got2Glow Baby Fairy Finder lights up as it detects virtual baby fairies – all kids have to do is follow the lights to find them. With the new, portable size, kids can take the Baby Fairy Finder with them wherever they go - to school, a friend’s house, or even the park. The Got2Glow Baby Fairy Finder is also compatible with other Got2Glow toys. Kids can bring their baby fairies home and transfer them into the Got2Glow Fairy Pet Finder (new for autumn) or the original Got2Glow Fairy Finder jars, and watch as their virtual Love Baby Fairy transforms into a virtual Love Dog Fairy or Love Fairy. There are three beautiful Fairy Finder jars to choose from, with 30 plus virtual fairies to collect in each Fairy Finder jar and 100 plus fairies to collect in total. Both the Fairy Finder and Baby Fairy Finder are suitable for ages 5+. ToyTopic is supporting the Got2Glow Fairy Finder brand with a 360 campaign across TV, digital marketing and social media. Consumer PR campaigns will further support the brand with product reviews, gift guides features and lifestyle placements.
| www.vtech.co.uk | trade_sales@vtech.com
This autumn/winter, children can stay connected with a new pocket-sized touchscreen device for on the go: the KidiZoom Snap Touch. Suitable for children from 6+ years, kids can use the use the unlock face recognition feature to get started and enjoy endless fun with the compact device, which is jam-packed with apps and activities. The dual camera can take photos of friends or selfies then the pictures can be edited, or cool photo effects and fun filters applied. There’s also a video function with live face filters. The KidiZoom Snap Touch can also be used to message and play games with friends, via the Bluetooth connection feature. The durable KidiZoom Snap Touch has a 2.4-inch touch screen, voice recording option and over 30 apps and games. The launch this AW22 will be supported by a full media campaign, targeting children where they spend their free time; watching TV, Video on Demand and YouTube, with a combination of pre-roll adverts and influencer created content. Older children from 14 years will enjoy the Super Sound Karaoke: a portable Bluetooth speaker that is ideal for parties; the included microphone has a 2-metre cable. There is a second microphone port too, so a friend can join in, and multicoloured party light add to the atmosphere. There are controls to adjust volume, echo and even voices with voice changing effects. Kid can choose between four audio sources - Bluetooth, microSD card, FM Radio and Audio line-in – and build up to their performance with the built-in vocal warm up activity. At the push of a button, they can also reduce/remove the vocal track of their songs. The Super Sound Karaoke will be supported by TV advertising, digital and social campaigns.
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Yoto sales@yotoplay.com
| www.yotoplay.com
Yoto is an interactive audio platform for kids and the award-winning Yoto Player is a screen-free audio player that puts kids in control of their listening. Named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Best Inventions of 2020, Yoto Player was joined by Yoto Mini - a portable audio player - in late 2021. With a catalogue of stories, songs, activities and more, Yoto inspires creative play and learning for kids of all ages. This July, the ever-popular Paw Patrol will be launching in the Yoto Card Store so kids can join the pups on seven daring five-minute adventures in Paw Patrol 5-Minute Stories, or follow their adventures with a sleepier spin in Paw Patrol: Goodnight Adventure Bay and Other Stories. Yoto Mini gives kids the freedom to explore their imaginations. The player’s compact size and all-day battery make it perfect for road trips, flights and playdates. Despite its small size it offers a great sound, and kids can also plug in a pair of Yoto Headphones for quieter moments. Available to protect Yoto Mini on its travels is the Adventure Jacket: a colourful silicone carry case that fits snugly over the audio player. It comes in seven pastel colours and keeps Yoto Mini safe from small bumps and scratches, with a wrist lanyard for extra security. To keep things organised, the hard-shell Yoto Mini Travel Case has space for one Yoto Mini, a pair of Yoto Headphones, a USB-C charging cable and up to 30 Yoto Cards. The Yoto Card Store has over 800 audio titles from some of the world’s best creators, publishers and labels. Partners include PRH, Macmillan, Sony, Disney, Lego, the Roald Dahl Story Company, HarperCollins, Hachette, Bonnier and Scholastic. The Card Store also includes Yoto Originals, audio productions created by Yoto, often in collaboration with world-class partners. From stories to songs, activities to education, there’s audio for all ages and stages so kids can continue to enjoy Yoto as they grow. With Make Your Own Cards, families are free to create audio that’s unique to them. From bedtime stories read by grandma to mixtapes of family-favourite songs, the possibilities are endless. The Make Your Own Cards can even be linked to favourite radio stations and podcasts.
Toynamics 0116 478 5230 | www.toynamics.co.uk
| sales@toynamics.co.uk
Toynamics UK & Ireland is the exclusive distributor of the Timio Educational Audio and Music Player: an innovative and interactive learning device for children aged 2-6yrs+, to use independently or with family and friends. The educational audio and music player is designed to stimulate creativity and fun and help develop early childhood cognitive skills. Being 100% screen free, it requires no Wi-Fi, making it totally portable and ideal for travel. Timio uses magnetic discs to unlock a library of curated educational and engaging audio content on various subjects for multiple ages. It comes with five discs, giving seven hours of educational content and entertainment in a choice of eight languages (English, Spanish, French, German, Dutch, Chinese, Italian and Portuguese), so children can learn while playing. Disc categories include the alphabet, fairy tales, nursery rhymes, numbers, lullabies, fruit, animals, colours and vocabulary. Easy to use, children simply select a disc, place it on top of Timio and follow the audio instructions. Timio uses only sound and LED lights, so there are no moving images, encouraging children to listen attentively. Interactive features include quiz questions and a pause function. The starter set comes with five discs, and an additional four sets of five discs are available to retailers to sell separately – a total of 25 audio discs. Timio headphones are also available which plug into the jack on the player and work without battery or Bluetooth.
Character Options 01616 339 800 | www.character-online.com sales@charactergroup.plc.uk Award-winning laser tag game Laser X Revolution is back, offering everything needed for a game of hi-tech tag, be it inside or out, day or night. The Laser X Revolution blaster features advanced lighting effects, allowing players to pick whichever colour they wish to play in via the colour change dial, and the blast range has also been increased, allowing players to hit their mark from over 90 metres away. The all-new quick slide reload capabilities also allow for super-fast play. The Two Player Pack comes with two Laser X Revolution Blasters and two Receiver Vests and they can be used with all other Laser X gear, maximising game play and allowing an unlimited number of players to join in. Combining fantasy play with simple tech, kids can become secret spies with the help of the Cybernetic SpyBot collection. They’ll be able to programme their SpyBots to defend and protect their territory; using them to locate and alert them to unwanted guests or block entry to bedrooms. Available in the SpyBots collection is SpotBot, the motion-activated searchlight robot; T.R.I.P, the LED tripwire alarm robot; and Room Guardian, the programmable room guardian robot.
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Eight Innovation www.eight-innovation.com | adrian@eight-innovation.com Over the past decade, Eight Innovation has developed and refined a unique range of original buildyour-own electronic kits. Each kit contains all the components needed to construct a fully functional item, from a working FM radio to a sophisticated ultrasonic bat detector. The clear, step-by-step instruction booklets guide the maker through each stage of construction and explain, in easily understandable terms, the function of each electronic component. These kits make great gifts for older kids as well as engaging and rewarding joint projects to be enjoyed with a parent, carer or grandparent. This year’s product line-up sees the return of the popular Electro Synth, a working electronic synthesiser with a touch keyboard which sits alongside the best-selling Retro Radio and Bat Detector kits. In August, Eight Innovation will launch the latest version of its Retro Arcade kit, which lets construction enthusiasts build a version of the classic 70s tennis game complete with a red LED matrix display and endearingly low-tech sounds. At the end of August, the company’s unique range of advent calendars will be back in stock. Choices include the best-selling Electronic Games Advent Calendar, Retro Radio Advent Calendar and Electronic Sound Advent Calendar. Each calendar follows the same format: each day’s window opens to reveal the components needed to build a different electronic circuit which can be used to construct 24 electronic games, an FM radio or a complete electronic synthesiser. Eight Innovation also offers an exclusive range of officially licensed car advent calendars developed with its German partner, Franzis Verlag. New for 2022 are the Porsche Taycan and the classic Fiat 500. Day-by-day, each calendar is used to build a detailed die-cast scale model of the chosen car complete with a display base that produces electronic sounds. These calendars come complete with beautifully produced books which describe the development of each car as well as instructions for assembly.
Tonies www.tonies.com Children’s audio system Tonies is launching a whole host of new content just in time for the summer holidays. The portable Toniebox is the perfect travel companion for every summer adventure, whether kids are travelling by plane, train or car, with dozens of new stories, songs and more to enjoy. New release highlights include pre-school favourite Peppa Pig with the release of the new Peppa Pig George Tonie featuring 10 stories narrated by John Sparkes. Other new Tonies include Tee and Mo, Swan Lake, Pinocchio and Monty & Co, presenting fans with an array of compelling content for all ages. PJ Masks also makes its debut in Tonie Town as crime-busting trio Owlette, Catboy and Gekko arrive with superhero stories and songs from the popular TV series. The relaunched Favourite Classics Pinocchio Tonie offers a world of adventure with four timeless stories of Pinocchio’s quest to become a ‘real boy’, and kids can also meet The Railway Children as their lives change forever following the disappearance of their father. Kids can also enjoy the charming tale of Badger, Ratty, Mole and Toad in The Wind in the Willows and follow the adventures of Black Beauty, a horse from 19th century England. Tonies is also launching three new storage solutions so kids can add a little magic to their bedroom walls. Beautifully crafted, the magnetic shelves come in different sizes and make a useful addition to any bedroom or playroom. Fairy Pink Rainbow, Forest Green Mountain and Sky Blue Cloud each include space for a Toniebox, charging station and up to 25 Tonies. The shelves can be mounted to the wall with ease. The Toniebox operates through a wireless digital system that connects to an NFC chip within each Tonie using Wi-Fi. Each Tonie is beautifully handpainted, making them a desirable collectible for kids. There are over 160 different Tonies to choose from, offering a range of content that will inspire and instil a lifelong love for storytelling and books, from well-known classics and timeless fairy tales to modern day favourites, nursery rhymes and educational collections.
Hexbug 01925 854 282 |
www.hexbug.com
As seen at London Toy Fair and brand new for 2022, Hexbug has reinvented the RC tuner car with the launch of the fully customisable Hexmods Pro Series Elite and Pro Series Elite Raceway. Designed to be authentic and engaging, children can experiment with the modifications to create their own unique dream machine. In the Pro Series Elite Set, each car comes with a selection of body styles, hoods, side skirts, bumpers, decals, spoilers and alternate rims for children to choose from. Each Hexmods tuner car is also equipped with LED powered underflow for lighting up any circuit or track. The car’s performance can be enhanced with upgrades such as swappable suspensions, tyres with different grip levels, gear configurations and a motor that can power the car to speeds of up to 13mph. Hexmods Pro Series Kits come with a hobbygrade 2.4 GHz remote which can be personalised for top level steering and play. Designed to spark imaginations, the Pro Series Elite Raceway has thousands of modification combinations, creating endless possibilities as children design their dream car. Containing all the features of the Pro Series Elite Set, this set includes more body styles, hoods, side skirts, bumpers, roof options, engine covers, spoilers and alternate rims. The Pro Series Elite Raceway also includes more performance upgrades, such as allwheel drive and a selection of swappable suspensions, steering, linkages, differentials, tyres of varying grip strength and different gear configurations and motors to control the car’s speed. There is also an alternative choice of motor, that can ramp up the car’s speed to 18mph, and head and tail lights to enhance the drive. The product launches will be supported by a series of PR, influencer and social media campaigns between July and December.
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Funrise 01908 555640 |
www.funrise.com | sales@funrise.com
Funrise will be launching its highly anticipated Rocket League remote control replica vehicles in the UK this August. The release, in partnership with video game developer Psyonix, consists of a game-inspired assortment of Micro RC vehicles, Custom RC vehicles, Micro RC Competition Pack and the feature-packed Octane ZSR Smoke RC. The Micro RC is a full-function RC replica vehicle, modelled with realistic game-inspired features such as lights and quick acceleration. The 2.75”/ 69mm 2.4Ghz ride features working headlights and taillights, and includes a goal, game ball and 4”/101mm controller that charges and stores the vehicle. There are four different models to collect: Takumi, Dominus, Endo, and Breakout Type S. The Custom Racer RC, also a full-function RC replica vehicle, is modelled with features such as sounds, under-glow lighting, hundreds of customisable design options, and is available in two models: Fennec and Octane. This 8”/ 203mm 2.4Ghz vehicle includes a controller, game ball, four extra interchangeable wheels, two vehicle and two antenna toppers, a decal sheet, and an eco-friendly die cut goal repurposed from the packaging. The Micro RC Competition Pack includes two 2.75”/ 69mm 2.4Ghz micro vehicles with working headlights and taillights, two goals, one game ball and two game ball controllers that double as vehicle charging and storage units. The Octane ZSR Smoke RC, a full-function 2.4Ghz 6-channel RC replica vehicle, features sounds, under-glow lighting, and an illuminated smoke boost option. This 11”/ 279mm ride has instant torque and acceleration with a top-scale speed of 80mph/128kph. Included is a game ball and eco-friendly die cut goal, repurposed from the packaging to allow players to take the game anywhere with them. There will be retail demo days and summer events showcasing the new items, so consumers will be able to visit Rocket League demo tables at participating venues and experience vehicles first-hand.
The Source www.thesourcewholesale.co.uk
| sales@thesourcewholesale.co.uk/International enquiries@thesourcewholesale.co.uk
The Source has had a busy start to the year, launching several new brands and products with many more on the way. Xtrem Bots is a range of educational robots and kits which has enjoyed great success since being launched in the UK earlier in April. Additional SKUs and kits in this range are due at the end of summer and include build your own kits. Already in the range for ages 5+ is the My First Programmable Robot, while those aged eight and over will enjoy the Build, Code and Play construction kits. Children can learn about and put into practice the basic notions of programming through constructing the robot, problem solving and creating the robot’s own unique movements and emotions in a fun, engaging way. The robots can be controlled in different ways whether it’s with R/C, programming their movements with the easy-to-use interactive App (which offers additional learning through quizzes and videos), or by hand gestures with Smart Control. Each robot has its own unique play pattern offering different interactions based on its theme, whether it’s blue lights and sirens with Police Patrol or Spy Bot, shooting missiles with Elite Trooper, or visiting the moon with the Astronaut Robot. Xtrem Bots offers Build, Code and Play construction kits with Mazzy, Robo Truck and DinoBot, which enable kids to build their robot from scratch. Once built, they can play with their modes based on their character, programme different actions and build their own obstacle course. The Cable Guys range is perfect for gaming enthusiasts, and the collection is extending with new characters on the way. The officially licensed figures come with a 2-metre charging cable for micro USB and Apple Lightning. Already in the range are characters such as The Child (Mandalorian), Storm Trooper and Deadpool. The Source is also excited for its new R/C lines launching later this year – among them an Anaconda and Dinosaur which join the existing Tarantula.
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Brand Profile
Lightyear
Up in space, man Mattel UK's marketing director, Kelly Philp, tells Toy World what's on offer within the company’s new Lightyear toy range, and how its long-standing relationship with Disney has allowed it to lean into the studio's expertise. What can you tell us about the Lightyear movie? The new movie is Buzz Lightyear’s origin story, and it has been so exciting to see the toy range develop to introduce new characters to this beloved franchise. Mattel has been a Disney partner for generations on Toy Story, and it is great, as master toy licensee, to be able to bring the adventure to a new generation. We have created an incredible range that will allow fans to recreate the action and magic from the movie at home.
What will Mattel’s launch range look like and what are the standout lines? We have a fantastic new range of action figures, vehicles, role-play, pre-school and plush toys that really capture the characters and bring to life the storyline from the movie. Our amazing design team has captured the themes of space exploration and teamwork, designing great toys that will allow fans to play out some of the most exciting action seen in the film. Our team and retail partners are particularly excited about a truly innovative toy - the Disney Pixar Lightyear Ultimate Jetpack Buzz - which has lights and sounds true to the movie's content, and a water-fillable jet pack that produces a mist to create a fantastic, realistic-looking blaster vapour trail. Our Lightyear action figure range includes the Disney Pixar Lightyear Laser Blade Buzz Lightyear Figure, a detailed figure featuring exciting lights and sounds inspired by the movie. The range also includes Zurg, Buzz Lightyear's nemesis, with the Disney Pixar Lightyear Zurg figure. These are perfect for good versus evil action play. Fans can take a high-speed trip to adventure with the 20" long Disney Pixar Lightyear Blast & Battle XL-15 Vehicle with a Buzz Lightyear pilot figure and projectile shooters, and our role-play items allow kids to play out the action from the movie at home. Kids can train to become a Space Ranger just like Buzz Lightyear with the exciting Disney Pixar Lightyear Laser Blade DX toy, which is inspired by the vineslashing blade used by Buzz and his team in the film.
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Are you approaching Lightyear as you would a Toy Story movie, or do you see this as a different kind of opportunity? As long-time Disney partners, with licensed Toy Story toy ranges going all the way back to the 90s, we have a rich history of expertise to lean into, but the new Lightyear film will feature new characters and a new proposition. This means we can adopt an exciting new strategic approach, with media aligned to the latest media mix.
What plans do you have to support the range in-store and to promote it to consumers? We have a robust 360 marketing campaign across the year with TV advertising, PR, digital support and retail activations to help promote the range to consumers.
What are your aspirations for the brand over the medium and long term? We will be launching this spring/summer with big marketing and retail plans based around the movie launch, but the momentum won’t stop there; we’ll continue to drive our Mattel Lightyear range throughout 2022 so that come Christmas, the range will contain the must-have toys. Long term, Disney is amazing at storytelling and fostering evergreen properties, and Disney+ creates even more opportunities for kids to engage with the film and re-enact all the action from the movie with the toy range. We will deepen the product line to maintain the excitement and continue to develop a range that kids and fans will love.
Licensing World BLE unveils packed agenda Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) has announced an exciting schedule of networking, educational and experiential events for its 22nd show, which takes place from 20th-22nd September 2022 at ExCeL London. Attendees can register for free to join Amazon, Aykroyd & Sons, Tesco, Moonpig, Panini France, HMV, Danilo, Paladone Products, Clementoni Spa, Spin Master, Ravensburger and more, already registered to visit. More than 150 exhibitors have confirmed their participation including Mattel, NBCUniversal, TF1 Licensing, Acamar Films, Pokémon, Sophie La Girafe, Difuzed, Crunchyroll, Bravado, The Smurfs, AC Milan, Asterix, Formula E, Paramount, BBC Studios, Hasbro, Gallimard Jeunesse and Ubisoft. Attendees can also enjoy a host of experiential, educational and networking highlights including catwalk shows; four branded cafes and bars; the character parade, taking place at 11.30am on 20th and 21st September and the Kelvyn Gardner License This! competition Finale returning on 22nd September from 10.30am until 12pm. A new sustainability and diversity programme spotlighting new and diverse brands and voices will be held on 22nd September and there will be an exclusively curated Retail Lounge designed for retail attendees to mingle, gain product inspiration and host meetings. Other highlights include free-to-attend keynotes in the License Global Theatre, a renewed partnership with Products of Change providing an educational platform with guidance on how to make business more sustainable, and a re-imagined experience for newcomers to the industry with orientation sessions, show tours, speed networking and expert mentoring alongside pre-event on-demand content. Networking highlights include Opening Night Drinks on the show floor and the return of the Online Meetings Service and Matchmaking Lounge allowing attendees and exhibitors to book meetings ahead of the event. Informa Markets SVP of Licensing Anna Knight said: “With so much going on, there’s something for everyone and we can’t wait to welcome the European licensing community to ExCeL this September.” Upon registering, all visitors and exhibitors will gain access to the free online platform to set up their profile in preparation for the Meetings functionality opening mid-July. All content will be available on-demand in the platform once the show ends.
Hasbro unveils Disney and Pixar’s Lightyear Monopoly The Monopoly: Disney and Pixar’s Lightyear Edition board game takes players on a journey with Buzz Lightyear and an adventurous band of misfits on a hostile planet. Inspired by the hit movie, Lightyear, players race to build towers and bases as they move around the board collecting favourite locations. Players take actions shown on the Hyperspeed and Crystallic Fusion cards, ever wary of being led down the path to Zurg. Suitable for 2-6 players, this edition of Monopoly is a great choice for family game night and makes an ideal gift for kids ages eight and up. The Monopoly: Disney and Pixar’s Lightyear Edition will be available for pre-order shortly in the UK. Lightyear, which is Pixar’s first ever spin-off movie, features the voice of Chris Evans as the ‘real-life’ character that inspired the Buzz Lightyear toy and reveals how a young test pilot became the space ranger that we know today. Touted as the movie that Andy saw that made him obsessed with Buzz Lightyear as a child, the plot sees Buzz marooned on a hostile planet alongside his commander and their crew. Blaming himself, Buzz sets out to try and find a way back home through space and time, joining forces with a group of recruits and his charming robot companion cat, Sox, trying to avoid Zurg to complete his mission.
NPD says 2022 is the year of the movie licensed toy As the season of the summer movie blockbusters gets underway, The NPD Group has looked at the links between the big screen and toy sales and concluded that 2022 could be the year of the ‘blockbuster’ toy. Licensed toy sales account for 30% of all sales, the highest level since 2008. By remaining relatively flat at -1%, licensed toy sales have out-performed non-licensed toy sales, currently down -11% in value (year-to-date May 2022 vs the same period last year). The largest licences this year are Star Wars, Harry Potter and Minecraft with content including movies, streaming shows and video games. Three of the most anticipated films of the year are released during June and July: Jurassic World Dominion (10th June), Lightyear (17th June) and Minions; The Rise of Gru (1st July). Melissa Symonds, executive director, UK Toys said: “We’ve already seen strong growth from movie releases this year such as The Batman driving toy sales up +84%, and Marvel Universe up +12%. Even ahead of their film launches, the Jurassic World toy licence is up +63% and Minions up +79% so far this year. While prices and the cost of living pose a real-world challenge, cinema can provide an escape from everyday life. By buying toys related to the film they’ve just seen, kids can live in that world a little longer.” Additionally, most of the big studios have implemented a multi-channel strategy that allows them to offer new content to fans continuously, instead of being restricted by one big movie release every three years. Series available on video-on-demand platforms include Camp Cretaceous for the Jurassic saga, Star Wars’ Obi-Wan Kenobi and Marvel streaming shows such as Ms. Marvel and Moon Knight. The top five movie properties YTD May 2022 (NPD data) are, in order, Star Wars, Marvel Universe, Barbie, Pokémon and Paw Patrol. “2022 looks set to be a record year for licensed toys,” said Melissa. “With the big screen making a comeback, all eyes are on the summer blockbuster movies, but we also expect to see non-cinema licensed content performing as a powerful catalyst for the toy market thanks to TV, YouTube, subscription video-on-demand and video games. This should bring us one or two points of growth over the whole year.”
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Feature
Stationery & Art Supplies
Don’t write off
Stationery! School essentials need not be boring as more suppliers are introducing a playful element into their products – many ideal to range into toy outlets. Sam Giltrow finds out how the sector is being made more fun.
F
or many kids, filling a pencil case for a new school term school signals the return back into the classroom after a long summer of fun – something not always looked forward to. However, many stationery suppliers are incorporating a playful element into their product in a bid to make learning more enjoyable. This change in emphasis – from functional to fun – also makes the category more appealing to toy retail stores and departments. And what’s more, bringing parents and their kids through the doors to stock up on stationery and other school-related supplies increases the chance of add-on purchases in areas such as collectibles, trading cards and other items that are destined for use in the playground. Relative newcomer to the toy and stationery market, Haico, which launched at the start of the pandemic, has spent time identifying gaps in the market which it has utilised to launch its own IPs and ranges. One of them is the Kiwi brand, which will see a huge Back to School promotion when it launches with a major UK retailer on 1st August. As commercial director Hayley Leacock explains, the range covers stationery, arts and crafts and homewares such as water bottles and lunch bags, all with a toyetic approach. “It’s an overarching brand: the acronym stands for ‘Kids in the World of Imagination’, which is why it’s applicable to all kinds of products,” she explains. “The demand for this type of stationery is bigger than ever. Kids love to have something to fidget with and play with when they are at school; it can make learning more fun.” When the collection launches this summer, pupils will be able to get their hands on co-ordinating notebooks, stationery sets, pencil cases, erasers and pencils, backpacks, water bottles and lunch bags – everything a kid would need for school, some of which
can be customised to make them more personal and easily identifiable in a busy classroom. “What is different about the range is that everything has a playful element, such as the notebooks which have shakers on them,” says Hayley. “My background is in toys, so I always find a way to add that into the product that we design.” A new line that Haico is launching for this year is pens based on the on-trend BFF ‘best friends forever’ concept: two pens on a backing card that kids can tear off and share with their BFF. Hayley says that Haico has also gone quite ‘tween’ in its offering for this year with Leopard, Neon and Camo collections, but has maintained a playful element in these older ranges which includes items such as moulded highlighters with leopard heads. For younger children, dinosaurs and unicorns remain popular themes and Haico offers stationery ranges featuring both, with the unicorn range featuring charms and elements that double up as jewellery or bag charms, adding extra play value. Also keeping schooldays fun is Blue Sky Studios, which has announced a new licensing deal with Paramount, covering multiple properties such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Nick ‘90s among many others. The deal spans multiple product categories for school including stationery, school bags, lunchware and hydration. “I’ve never seen our design studio so busy, but also so excited, working through all the product development and style guides right now,” commercial director Gavin Holden told us. “ It’s buzzing with creativity and a fun place to be, seeing all the new SpongeBob concepts come to life.” He added that the studio’s 3D/resin printers are “on overdrive” at the moment. “Our commitment to this new deal, from a product development perspective, is significant,” he says. “There will be several new unique, tooled
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products coming through for each of the properties.” Gavin says the initial response from retail has been “extremely encouraging”. “Even whilst being limited to very early product concepts, buyers have really engaged with the properties and have given very positive feedback. We especially see big momentum building around SpongeBob for 2023.” He adds that the depth and rich content of the Nick ‘90s properties is also a huge opportunity for Blue Sky, with ‘90s pop culture popularity surging. “We can see some fantastic capsule ranges emerging from those classic ‘90s cartoon shows,” he adds. “This new Paramount deal gives our property portfolio a significant boost going into 2023 and beyond.” Stationery brand Stabilo brought in former Clementoni country manager Shahbaz Khan as market director UK & Ireland in April. “Since having Shahbaz join us earlier this year, we are looking to expand the sales of our pens, pencils and colouring instruments to different retail channels,” explains UK marketing director Vanya Hunter. “The toy sector is one that Shahbaz knows very well and one in which we hope to see strong growth.” The company will continue to refresh its core lines (10 on-trend pastel shades have been added to its Stabilo Boss Original highlighter collection, now available in 23 colours) and will also be supporting retailers with its Easy range of handwriting pens and pencils with an online campaign to target kids, overlayed with a campaign to target parents on social media. Alongside this, POS displays are available to help products stand out in-store and there are opportunities for retailers to work with Stabilo on joint social media activities. Over the following pages, we take a look at the stationery and colouring ranges kids could be taking back to school this September.
STABILO HANDWRITING PENS AND PENCILS
Designed to improve handwriting
Make back to school EASY with the STABILO EASY range of handwriting pens and pencils. Designed by scientists, approved by UK teachers and loved by children. STABILO EASYgraph
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Digital Back To School campaign starts July 2022 and POS available. For more information please get in touch with the team on:
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STABILO EASYoriginal
01628 769 170
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sales.uk@stabilo.com *In UK user trials 95% of teachers approved the use of EASYgraph pencils and EASYoriginal pens in their schools
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Stationery & Art Supplies
Stabilo 01628 769170 |
www.stabilo.com/uk/
Stationery expert Stabilo is a go-to brand for parents looking to stock up in the back-to-school rush. Supporting children learning to write, its scientifically designed Easy product range has been carefully developed to support children embarking on their handwriting journeys. With a focus on ergonomic design, the Easy range encourages the tripod grip and reduces fatigue, enabling children to comfortably write for longer. The Easyoriginal refillable rollerball is the ideal first pen for children with its triangular moulded nonslip grip-zone. Ergonomically designed to sit comfortably within the hand, the lightweight pen is designed specifically for both left and right-handed children. Extremely easy to refill with no mess, the Easyoriginal pens can be refilled with line widths of 0.5mm (in blue, black, and red) and 0.3mm for finer writing (in blue). With an expanding range of colourways that now includes the Easyoriginal pastel collection, children can express their individuality as they develop their love of writing. Alongside the Easyoriginal pen are the Easygraph and Easygraph S pencils, both featuring a triangular shaft design with cut out moulds to encourage the correct tripod grip to learn to write smoothly. Slightly thicker than the Easygraph S, the Easygraph pencil is a great starter pencil for children who are completely new to writing, as the thicker design enables them to grip the pencil more easily. As their writing skills progress, the Easygraph S is the natural next step, as the thinner barrel allows children to finesse a narrower handwriting grip. Both pencils are available for left and right-handed children and are made from wood harvested from renewable and sustainable forests in a range of bright colours, including stunning metallics. For youngsters looking to perfect their writing skills and create colourful pictures, the Easycolors pencils feature the same triangular shape and come in 12 stunning colours. Ideal for children aged five and over, Easycolors enable children to develop their creativity while ensuring they use the correct hand posture. Ergonomically engineered for left and right-handed children, the Easycolors range complements the Easyoriginal and Easygraph, forming the perfect toolkit for children to develop good hand posture habits when drawing and learning to write.
Vivid Goliath 01483 449944 | www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk Crayola’s Colours of the World range offers crayons, markers and coloured pencils featuring 24 specially formulated colours representing skin tones and diversity of people around the world of all races, cultures and ethnicities. The range is now bolstered by a new colouring book, which enables children to create a more inclusive world and represent themselves and others in their works of art, as well as learn about different cultures and skin tones. Working with a leading cosmetic company, Crayola has developed the colours to authentically reflect the full spectrum of human complexions, featuring tones such as rose, golden, almond and everything in-between. Crayola produces enough solar energy to make 3b crayons and 700m markers annually, and by using renewable energy, reducing waste, and protecting rainforests, Crayola's green initiatives are helping to ensure that today's kids will have a healthy environment for their creative tomorrows. Over the past decade, Crayola has made more than 10b crayons and 7b markers all by the power of the sun and now kids around the world can say their Crayola crayons and markers are made with 100% sun harnessed renewable energy. Crayola Coloured Pencils are also made with wood from well-managed forests to help preserve resources for the future. Kids can use Crayola coloured pencils knowing that they are sourced responsibly and rainforests are being protected.
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BRAND NEW COLLECTABLE NOVELTY STATIONERY RANGE
FANTASTIC NOVELTY STATIONERY
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INCLUDING: PENCIL CASES, PEN TOPPERS, PENCIL TOPPERS, HIGHLIGHTERS, NOTEBOOKS AND STICKY NOTES! CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!
© Disney/Pixar
info@igdesigngroup.uk.com
+44 (0) 1908 618 811
www.igdesigngroup.uk
Stationery & Art Supplies
Haico www.haico.co.uk This summer Haico is launching over 100 new lines for the Back to School period, covering all the essentials kids will need including stationery, backpacks, lunch bags, lunchboxes and water bottles. Haico has partnered exclusively with a UK retailer for the duration of the 2022 BTS promotion for the launch of its Kiwi brand to the market. This range spans over 60 SKUs and will be front of store across the entire retail estate. Launching in three styles, there is a look to suit every child and the product design and quality have been developed to create a striking impact in the market. Many of the lines come with the added option of personalisation, which is very on trend and will help kids to keep track of all their Back to School essentials In addition to Kiwi, Haico is launching a playful, toyetic range with products suitable for the younger market that are based around on trend characters and fashion led themes. Keeping within its core values, Haico has developed both ranges with sustainably and product quality at the forefront of its mind, to ensure that retail partners receive products that deliver great commercials back to their businesses at the point of sale. The Kiwi range will be supported with a full trade and consumer marketing campaign to build awareness and equity in the brand.
Bladez Toyz 02392 658 255 | www.bladeztoyz.co.uk
| sales@bladeztoyz.co.uk
Bladez Toyz has everything for kids’ art and stationery needs this summer with bumper activity sets full of colourful materials and open-ended mini projects. The Hot Wheels 250-piece Bumper Activity Set is presented in a Super Van style box that kids can colour in, which includes felt tip pens, pencils, foam shapes, washi tape, chenille stems, pom poms, A4 colour-in sheets, ink stampers, ink pad, an A3 poster and lots of stickers. Kids can make a road for Hot Wheels cars with washi tape or customise mini card cars and display them on the custom shop garage scene made from the internal packaging. For Barbie fans, the colour-in Camper Van themed box includes cardboard dolls with card outfits to colour and display on the fashion runway, again made from the internal packaging. With felt pens, pencils, washi tape, ink stampers, stick on gems, pom poms, sticker rolls, a sticker book and much more, the emphasis is again on open ended creative play. Bladez has Harry Potter fans covered too with the Hogwarts Activity Set containing materials for creative mini projects inspired by the Wizarding World. Inside the novelty gift packaging inspired by Hogwarts' Great Hall, there’s printed paper, washi tape, rubber ink stampers, coloured pencils and pens, colour-in sheets, and lots of stickers. The cardboard packaging insert becomes a colour-in backdrop of the Great Hall's iconic interior with card figures of Harry Potter, Ron and Hermione that can be coloured and placed amongst the dining tables to recreate scenes from the movie series. Inviting kids to get creative, the kit doesn’t have step-by-step instructions, just a bumper pack of materials and inspiration for collaborative projects. At a lower price point and in compact packaging, Mini Activity Sets are available in Barbie, Hot Wheels and Harry Potter options. Each set features character art and includes a mini kit project plus foil stickers, colour-in sheets, mini felt tip pens, ink stampers and more - all available for autumn 2022.
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Stationery & Art Supplies
A.B.Gee 01773 570 444 | www.abgee.co.uk A.B.Gee’s exclusive Jar Melo range of stationery and arts & crafts is both fun and diverse, featuring many lines suitable for pre-school children. The Baby Roo Silky Washables are a 3 -in -1 crayon, pastel and watercolour but can also be used safely as body paint. 100% non-toxic, they spiral in and out like a lipstick and can easily be removed from skin, clothing and walls. Available in 12s, 24s and 36s, they come packed in a cardboard tube for handy storage and are suitable for children from 12 months and above. Going hand in hand with these is a great selection of my first colouring books, dot to dot and step-by-step drawing books, which are perfect for improving children’s concentration and creativity whilst they have fun learning about shapes, colours and animals. Kids can also add a splash of colour to a driveway or patio with the Washable Sidewalk Chalks. The 20 coloured, chunky and easy to hold chalks are great for making a game of hopscotch, noughts & crosses or just creating outdoor art.
Blue Sky Studios 0113 387 9670 | www.blueskystudios.co.uk sales@blueskystudios.co.uk Blue Sky Studios has announced a new licensing deal with Paramount which covers multiple properties such as SpongeBob SquarePants, MTV, Emily in Paris and Nick ‘90s, among many others. In addition to the multiple brands represented under the new deal, the company offers lines in a wide range of product categories too, covering stationery, school bags, lunchware/ hydration and novelty gifting. There will be several unique/tooled products coming through for each of the properties, and the initial response to these from retail has been extremely encouraging. Blue Sky Studios says it sees significant momentum building around SpongeBob SquarePants for 2023. The gifting element of the new portfolio is supported heavily, with a collection of classic Paramount movie titles such as Grease, The Godfather and Top Gun represented, among others. The depth and rich content of the Nick ‘90s properties is also a big opportunity for Blue Sky. With the current popularity of ‘90s pop culture, the company has designed new capsule ranges based on classic ‘90s cartoon shows. Blue Sky Studios also offers a range of stationery, backpacks and lunchware across other popular properties such as Harry Potter, Loony Tunes, Friends, Nerf and My Little Pony, with more brands to be announced soon as the company’s portfolio extends even further.
IG Design Group 01908 618 811 | www.igdesigngroup.uk info@igdesigngroup.com IG Design Group UK is one of the country’s largest manufacturers of stationery and creative play products, bringing familiar characters to life from some of the world’s biggest licensors. Its most recent launch is a Toy Story stationery range, which is perfect for all age groups and great for Back to School. Focusing on the key characters from Toy Story including Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, Woody, Forky, Zurg and the Aliens, the range includes new 3D moulded character pens and pencils with a novelty character topper. There are also shaped sticky notes, mini notebooks, a double notebook jotter pad, highlighters, memo pad/sticky note set and the hero product from the range: two designs of shaped pencil cases in Buzz Lightyear design and Alien. The Buzz Lightyear design is a round see-through pencil case replicating Buzz Lightyear’s helmet while the Alien design is a shaped alien head design in a silicone material.
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Feature
Construction Toys
Building sights Ravensburger
The Construction Toys category has certainly come a long way from the days of simple square and rectangular blocks and bricks – kids can now build pretty much anything they like, from licensed vehicles and bird houses to working cranes and marble runs that appear to defy the laws of physics. Toy World takes a look at what this burgeoning category has to offer in 2022.
L
ast year was another strong 12 months for Mattel’s Mega Bloks construction brand, which grew significantly in both share and value. Mattel not only ended the year as the No.2 Manufacturer in the Building Sets Supercategory, but its 60-Piece Bag remained the No.1 item in Junior Building Sets, providing a strong foundation for continued growth into 2022. Mega continues to expand its offering, which now spans ecofriendly options, licensed sets and figures. “We pride ourselves on providing innovative play experiences, authentic details and accessible price points for fans and families,” explains Kelly Philp, Mattel UK marketing director. “This year, within our Mega Bloks range, we launched Mega Bloks Green Town, a new construction line for children aged one and above, made from responsibly sourced materials. The Green Town toy line is a certified Carbon- Neutral product by Natural Capital Partners. Part of our sustainability mission is to create products that are long-lasting, which is why we’re so proud that our new plant-based blocks are designed to be just as durable as our classic blocks. Mega is also part of the Mattel Playback scheme, which encourages sustainability by recovering and reusing materials from outgrown toys.” Kelly goes on to add that within Mega’s standard
building set range, the micro action figures are the most detailed, poseable and customisable of any on offer within the construction toy aisle. Mattel has also partnered with a selection of popular licences that appeal across the ages. Kelly explains: “Pokémon has a loyal kid following and strong collector base, whilst Halo offers a lot to adult fans. We also welcomed Barbie to the Mega family in 2021, with a range of building sets that are designed for young fans and offer storytelling play with every step of building.” Lego, meanwhile, continues to push the boundaries of the construction toy space. As detailed by Isabel Graham, head of Marketing at the Lego Group UK & Ireland, the company recently took a step back from its traditional approach to construction with its new story-based building experience, Lego City Missions. The range promotes free-building and interactive engagement driven by related stories. While children will be given inspiration for the core model builds, they'll also be encouraged to constantly rebuild and adapt their creation according to the different scenarios presented to them, as well as the prompts and missions they encounter throughout each story. Head to p.114 to read our exclusive Q&A to find out more. This year, Ravensburger launches the latest addition
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to its GraviTrax range, GraviTrax Power, which follows the earlier 2022 introduction of GraviTrax: The Game. The company has seen much-deserved success with this range at retail, as Katy Fletcher, head of Marketing and Product Development, explains. “GraviTrax is a unique construction play product in so many ways, beginning with the way its original innovation offers endless play opportunities,” she says. “Considering the brand has only been at retail for five years this autumn, the breadth of the range and the many extensions available means that players really have grown with the product - and we continue to provide opportunities to do so. The GraviTrax construction system lends itself to countless play patterns and can be built both vertically and horizontally with any number of add-ons. The thrill of watching your marble (or marbles) get to the finish line, and of continually tweaking the track, provides hours of entertainment for solo and collaborative players. And this reinforces our brand mission: that anything is possible with GraviTrax. This brand provides much more than the usual ‘construct, play and repeat’ pattern.” The core Starter Set, Katy tells Toy World, allows kids to unlock their creativity and take the action further with every track, making it a great introduction to the
Feature
Construction Toys
Lego brand and suitable for those new to GraviTrax, or just beginning to enjoy construction toys. GraviTrax Pro, meanwhile, lets builders take their tracks to the next level and the action up a gear, and the new Power range is all about controlling the action. New extensions and elements that use radio signals to communicate with each other offer an introduction to coding as well as construction. A fresh face within Toy World magazine, Connetix is an Australian business creating award-winning, globally recognised, STEAM magnetic construction toys that the company says are favoured by families, educators and allied health professionals. For this
Connetix
year, the company is launching expansion packs for its best-selling ball run set in various piece counts and featuring exclusive pieces that offer exciting new ways to play and race. Alice Tate, marketing manager at Connetix Tiles, told us: “Connetix was launched in 2019 by two Australian families who value the power of highquality, open-ended toys. Co-founders Brea and Dave saw an opportunity to launch a safe, high-quality product with a twist. Connetix magnetic tiles are uniquely bevelled; manufactured with quality, food grade plastic and benefit from the inclusion of extra rivets and ultrasonic welding.” “From the beginning, there has always been an aim to not only provide high quality toys that the whole family can enjoy, but to also ensure incredible levels of service to both customers and resellers with a goal to build solid relationships with retailers,” Alice adds. “Connetix is proud to champion the value of learning through play by creating high-quality, open-ended resources that inspire creativity and imagination while promoting a range of educational and developmental skills.” A leader in the magnetic toys space, Geomagworld continues to innovate while remaining true to its ethos of protecting the planet for future generations. Magnetism lies at the very heart of Geomag construction toys, facilitating building, encouraging exploration and creativity and allowing the company to produce fun and stimulating platforms that reinforce positive learning. MD Clive Wooster says: “Our vocation at Geomagworld is to encourage learning through play with our magnetic construction platforms and the magic of invisible forces.” The Geomag range is now made from 100% recycled plastic, from its rods, panels and bases to its handy new storage box, which lets kids take their Geomag building materials with them on the go. Clive says the transition to recycled plastics has been very well received by consumers, and that when it boils down to a choice between two or more products, consumers seem to want the one that's been made responsibly. He adds: “We like the fact that consumers are asking how we can possibly spend time caring about the healthy development of children, while not wanting to be responsible for the health and future of the environment they live in. The answer is of course that as a society we can't, and for this reason Geomagworld has made sustainability and social responsibility the two pillars of its company philosophy.”
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Safeguarding the planet is also a top priority for Red Toolbox, which is why all the wood used in its building sets is FSC-certified, ethically sourced and environmentally responsible. Red Toolbox’s highquality Stanley Jr. and Black and Decker D.I.Y. Kits allow families to spend quality time creating and building together, which in turn naturally releases serotonin, the chemical in the brain responsible for feeling happy. Other sets include the Candy Maze Kit, Catapult Kit and Treasure Chest Builders kit, as well as the Custom Racer Kit and Bird Feeder Builders Kit. This range is well worth a look. Two companies are bringing realistic construction play into the category this year, with Hexbug and Toynamics both launching sets that let kids build the vehicles and structures you’d usually see on a building site. Hexbug’s Vex Construction range includes the Vex Construction Zone Backhoe, Vex Construction Zone Crane, and Vex Construction Zone Dump Truck, which can either be purchased separately or together in the Vex Construction Zone set. Meanwhile Toynamic’s popular Hape brand welcomes the impressive crane lift, which comes with plenty of accessories. Cobi has history covered with the new Battleship Yamato and Gneisenau sets, plus World War I and World War II additions such as the Sopwith Camel F.1, the Rolls Royce Armored Car and a number of new tanks, cars, planes and vehicles. And Hornby’s Airfix Quickbuild range is releasing other options for fans of vehicle construction in the form of the Jeep Gladiator Quicksand Concept and Jeep Gladiator Overland. Mattel has a strong marketing campaign in place for Mega Bloks this year, according to Kelly Philp. She tells Toy World that the company will be engaging in a targeted digital parental outreach campaign, designed to help them understand how playing with Mega Bloks can help kids enhance their fine motor skills. At the same time, YouTube and other relevant digital platforms will generate excitement among Pokémon fans for the brand’s new licensed construction sets by illustrating how they can create their own world of Pokémon in stunning detail. When the campaign goes live, Barbie fans will also be pleased to see that they too can build their favourite Barbie locations. Ravensburger’s GraviTraxer ‘display and play’ team will be back on the road from autumn through to the Christmas countdown, showcasing the new GraviTrax Power range both in-store and shopping centres. Katy Fletcher says: “The key to consumer engagement really is all about letting them see and experience the product for themselves, and this has always proved a positive selling point for GraviTrax. Our road trips will also be backed by an impactful consumer marketing campaign spanning TV advertising, social media, live events, influencer outreach and PR.” Clive Wooster at Geomagworld tells us the company will continue its annual PR campaigns with the support of its global PR Partner, Media PR. He says: “We work closely with parent bloggers and influencers. Over and above our strong PR campaigns, we also work directly with retailers on account specific digital activity.” Clive adds: “Independent retailers can showcase Geomag products brilliantly, so it’s crucial for us to encourage them to do so. We supply play trays with stock to put out on-shelf, our Magicube play area simply and effectively provides an area for safe and fun play, and many other POS materials are available too. Simply put, if retailers are able to present our products well, they sell.” In this comprehensive feature, Toy World brings you a selection of the newest and most innovative construction toys building upon the category’s popularity this year.
NEW
Jungle Expedition Build a jungle adventure for Butterfree, Squirtle, Kabuto and Rowlet
Available now at UK retailers
Building set features 4 sections that connect together. Fold in or expand the completed set. ©2022 POKÉMON / NINTENDO / CREATURES / GAME FREAK. ©2022 MEGA Brands Inc., & TM MEGA Brands Inc.
Company Profile
Lego
Play Well with
Lego Isabel Graham, head of Marketing at the Lego Group UK & Ireland, spoke to Toy World about the construction toy leader’s approach to the category, what factors are driving sales, and how the company is supporting its retailers this year.
specifically, sharing that playing with Lego bricks makes their families happier.
Is 2022 a particularly big year for Lego in terms of sets based on movies and TV series?
What trends and consumer demands do you feel are driving the Construction category at the moment? Creative expression, role-play, building and customisation remain key elements that both kids and parents want to see and we’re ensuring that we reflect this across our portfolio in ways that are relevant, engaging and innovative. In addition, tapping into passion points such as vehicles, gaming and films is important and something that we continue to focus on. Take Lego Friends, for example. Research with kids and parents, conducted in the UK as well as across the rest of the world, has highlighted a desire for more realistic details, animal nurturing play patterns, realistic role play and creativity, all of which are reflected in the Friends sets across this theme. We’re also ensuring that we reflect common passion points in our adult focused ranges, such as art, travel, music and botany. These introduce new interests that haven’t traditionally been seen in the Construction category, such as The Rolling Stones and Vincent van Gogh, the Starry Night sets recently launched as part of our Lego Art theme, and the Lego Orchid, part our Botanical Collection. With three out of four adults saying play helps them relax, these sets provide opportunities to get creative while also finding moments of mindfulness. We know that many families enjoy building together, so this continues to be incorporated into our plans and product development. Our 2022 Play Well study found that 95% of parents say playing together builds stronger family bonds and improves wellbeing. Over four in five parents (85%) called out Lego play
Our Entertainment IPs remain an important part of our portfolio. To support the much-anticipated theatrical release of Jurassic World Dominion, we’ve expanded our Jurassic World range with six new sets inspired by the film. These feature the largest assortment of dinosaurs we’ve ever presented in Lego brick form, and include fan-favourite characters like Owen, Claire, Ian Malcolm and Dr. Ellie Sattler. Star Wars continues to be hugely popular. Star Wars Day, May the 4th, was once again a key time for our Lego Star Wars portfolio. Several new sets were available in time for this year’s celebration, such as the spectacular new Lego Star Wars Landspeeder. We’ve also celebrated film nostalgia with the launch of our new Lego Back to the Future Time Machine as well as the Lego Sonic the Hedgehog Green Hill Zone set which launched in January, ahead of the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 film release. In addition, we recently launched Lego Transformer Optimus Prime, which sees the Lego Group and Hasbro work together for the first time. This has generated a lot of excitement from fans, who love the fact it transports them back to 1984 when Transformers first exploded into popular culture.
A few weeks ago, Lego City Missions saw the brand take a step back from the structured building experiences it’s become so well-known for. Why has ‘freebuilding’ been encouraged in this way? We know that creative confidence is key to children’s wellbeing and therefore it is incredibly important for us to help support this. With Lego City Missions, we wanted to explore a new way of celebrating their imaginations and letting their creativity flourish by putting them in charge of creating their own builds to solve exciting missions. The design team at the Lego Group has worked hard to ensure there’s a good balance between storytelling, which will help children get started on their builds, and open tasks that allow for individual interpretation. We want to show there is no right or wrong and that it’s only their imagination that limits what they build.
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What kinds of support is Lego putting behind its range this year, and how is it supporting its retail partners? 2022 is a big year for us as Lego is celebrating its 90th anniversary. To support this, we’re running a heavy-weight integrated campaign across multiple channels including out-of-home, digital, owned channels, PR, Lego stores and third-party retailers. We’re also investing in other themes and master brands with audience-led, through the line campaigns. For example, our Jurassic World campaign - which has been running alongside the film release - includes cinema, OOH, digital, retailer executions across grocery, toy specialists, department stores and eCommerce, activity with influencers, content creation and even a Legolife interview with the cast of the blockbuster movie. Experiential activations remain important to us, such as the Harry Potter experience which took place in Covent Garden over Easter. We partnered with Warner Brothers Harry Potter Photographic Exhibition on this, providing fans with a butterbeer pop van, Lego Sorting Hat Big Build, trolley through the wall experience and a giant wand installation. We also ran an activation in May half term at London Westfield Shopping Centre for our new Lego Dots range and, as part of our national sponsorship of the Women’s Euro 2022, we’re running experiential activity at the Fan Festival in London, the opening match at Old Trafford and at Legoland Windsor. Our retailers are key partners in achieving our joint business objectives and we work very closely with them on a day-to-day basis to create and execute the best possible campaigns. We have invested, and will continue to invest heavily, into nationwide campaigns across all channels for events such as our 90th anniversary and the holiday season but also into retailer specific occasions such as the Big Lego Weekender at Smyths or March Mayhem at THG. Each channel has a vital role in reaching our consumers, so we have invested into POS and brick-in-hand events in stores as well as developing strong eCommerce assets and digital content for our partners to execute online. As shoppers are returning to physical stores, we’re working together to deliver the right type of physical retail experiences. We know that an inspiring and engaging shopping experience remains a powerful tool to drive brand engagement.
For Trade Enquiries please contact sales-uk@geomagworld.com www.geomagworld.com
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Construction Toys
Mattel 01628 500 000
| www.mattel.com
Mega Bloks Green Town is a new toy line for children aged one and over. The Green Town toy line has been certified Carbon-Neutral by Natural Capital Partners, a leading expert on carbon neutrality and climate finance, and is made from responsibly sourced materials such as a mix of plant-based materials and ISCC-certified plastics (mass balance approach). Green Town also furthers environmentally friendly ideas on a cognitive level by helping teach kids green behaviours such as sorting waste, using electric transport, protecting bees, choosing renewable energy sources and more. In addition, the line promotes an understanding of representation through the use of diverse and inclusive characters in each set. Green Town therefore encourages kids to imagine their future through play and teach them that the world is theirs to build, bigger, better and together. All Green Town toy line packaging is made from recycled materials and is easily recycled. The line includes the Sort & Recycle Squad, Grow & Protect Farm, Charge & Go Bus, and Build & Learn Eco House. In 2021, Barbie joined the Mega Construx family. This range of building sets is designed for beginners and provides build-and-play and storytelling experiences that develop creativity and problem-solving skills. New to the range this year is the Mega Construx Barbie Adventure DreamCamper. This buildable camper transforms into a campsite with two Barbie micro-dolls, three animals, 123 building bricks with special pieces and accessories, and one heart-shaped baseplate to build on. Mega Construx also continues to expand its fan-favourite Pokémon line with the Build & Show Range, which includes Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Eevee and Charizard. This small-scale assortment offers young builders 4” of build-and-play fun. The Jumbo range, meanwhile, comprises large-scale buildable and poseable characters that stand over 11” tall. The Jumbo range includes Jumbo Pikachu and Eevee. Mattel’s MEGA Construx line also covers gaming properties including the globally-popular Halo. With new figures and vehicles to collect this year, fans of the franchise will want to get their hands on the full line.
Toynamics UK & Ireland 0116 478 5230 | www.toynamics.co.uk | sales@toynamics.co.uk The Hape brand from Toynamics UK & Ireland offers retailers a range of construction toys for pre-school children. Each product is designed to let kids interact with mechanical phenomena and experiment with the physical world, encouraging them to be inquisitive while learning through play. Best-sellers include the Hape Fix It Tool Box. This 17-piece wooden toolbox includes realistic tools and mechanical parts such as a vice, wrench, screwdriver and other essential construction items. As well as teaching kids about basic building techniques it also encourages problem-solving and the development of key skills, making it perfect for role-play and imaginative storytelling. The Hape Crane Lift, meanwhile, lets children build on their imaginative play as they erect an impressive crane complete with plenty of accessories. The Hape Junior Inventor Scientific Tool Belt features loops and a pouch for equipment, plus tools and all the pieces needed to create a mobile crane, a robot arm and a walking bell. There’s a 3-hole block, 7-hole strip, long and short screws, nuts, a small wheel, a 3-hole rotator hook, bell, Philips screwdriver and a wrench. Quadrilla Race to the Finish is a wooden marble-run construction toy that comes with nine distributor blocks, two curve rails, a spiral twist, four height adjusters and stabiliser rings, three accelerators, two hole shutters, 30 marbles, and a windmill spinner that can be attached to any rail with the universal clamp (also included). The German-engineered design, inspired by the Da Vinci Circle, has been hailed as the perfect way to teach children how to build and code. The Race to the Finish set is compatible with all Hape Quadrilla sets. Hape benefits from high profile marketing support spanning social media, Shopin-Shop installations and attractive display solutions.
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Smart Toys and Games 01903 885 669 | www.smartgames.eu | uk@smart.be SmartMax is an award-winning pre-school magnetic construction system which gives children aged one and up the chance to explore the fascinating world of magnetism in a fun and safe way. New for 2022, Smart Toys and Games is introducing four new SmartMax sets to its evergrowing portfolio. All are sure have young kids constructing in no time. Launching this summer are two new My First sets. This best-selling range introduces young children aged 1-5 to the world of magnetism, encouraging logical thinking, motor skills and imaginative play from the very beginning. The simple yet effective design of the My First range enables children of all ages to engage with the product and allows them to build their own unique constructions in a multitude of ways. My First Hide and Seek is suitable for ages 1-3. Kids will enjoy constructing their very own game of peekaboo using the 10 magnetic bars and balls, which are brightly coloured and feature fun faces to promote engagement. This set challenges kids to discover where the funny balls are hiding, encourages them to try stacking the magnetic pieces on top of each other, and play a game of hide & seek with the balls. The set introduces children to colours and shapes and promotes the development of fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Also new is My First Wobbly Cars. Children aged 1-5 are invited to build their own wobbly train and pull it along with the magnetic cars. Children can mix & match their cars and metal balls to create different wobbly combinations or use the pull rope as a fishing rod: the possibilities are endless. Roboflex and Roboflex Plus launched at Toy Fair earlier this year. Already a best-seller for Smart Toys and Games, Roboflex was selected as one of Toy Fair’s Hero Toys for 2022. Suitable for ages three and over, Roboflex gives children the chance to get creative as they bend, extend and flex their bots into new forms. The 12-piece and 20-piece sets feature new flexible, extendable magnetic bars that will add an extra dimension to these SmartMax play sets. Both sets include an inspirational poster to follow, or little ones can use their own imaginations to create their unique robo-friend.
The Lego Group 01753 495 000 | www.lego.com The Lego Group has launched the new Lego City Express Passenger Train play set. Complete with realistic features, this ultra-modern, aerodynamic set is ideal for hours of exciting locomotive action. Designed for both kids and older train enthusiasts, the new 764-piece set features a bullet locomotive that can be operated via remote control or through Lego’s Powered Up technology via the Lego Powered Up app. With working dimmable headlights, detachable dining and passenger cars, a station platform and 24 track pieces (16 curved and eight straight), Lego fans can sit back and enjoy the ride as they create their own narratives during play, from snacking away in the buffet car to attending to urgent business. The set comes complete with six minifigures and accessories, including a laptop, telephone, bike, wheelchair, briefcase, backpack and hotdog. When built, the Lego City Express Passenger Train measures over 3.5” high, 33.5” long and 2” wide. The impressive high-speed train set also comes with an easy-to-follow building guide, so kids aged seven and above can opt to build the train independently or join friends and family for a fun-filled play session. An engaging and immersive experience, this high-tech, premium play set is an ideal birthday or holiday gift for any train enthusiast and will spark endless hours of imaginative roleplay. Part of the Lego City collection, the Express Passenger Train is one of many sets designed to take kids to the heart of the action via realistic vehicles, featurerich structures and inspiring characters, all encouraging a curious mind and cultivating a love of learning.
Guidecraft Big Branch Block Builders feature real, notched branch pieces and structural boards. The unrefined bark textures provide a unique tactile and architectural experience, layered with lessons of how a material can evolve depending on where and how it is used. This extensive set includes 125 pieces and 10 double-sided concept cards.
Big Branch Block Builders G6778
www.guidecraft.com
Sales Rep: Lorna Smith (EMEA) Email: lsmith@guidecraft.com
- 125 pc. set
Phone: +44 (0) 7725833273 Skype: lorna.smith966
Construction Toys
Connetix Tiles www.connetixtiles.com | wholesale@connetixtiles.com The latest launches from the innovative magnetic tile brand Connetix include the highly anticipated ball run expansion packs. Designed to complement the company’s best-selling ball run, the expansion packs include three new pieces along with square magnetic connector tiles and colourful wooden balls. The new and exclusive pieces include an X-shape to re-direct and pivot the action, double-entry bowls for new ways to collaboratively play and race, and unique spiral pieces for eye tracking fun. Available in both classic rainbow and signature pastel colours, the new ball run expansion packs allow children to explore motion and gravity like never before. In the past three years, Connetix has grown its product range to include innovative designs such as the Connetix car bases, which include real rubber wheels, the signature pastel range, comprising eight beautiful pastel colours, and the exclusively-designed ball run packs with clear fluted tubes. As all Connetix sets are designed to be compatible with one another, children can grow and expand their collection as play and learning develops. Connetix Tiles was launched in 2019 by two Australian families who value the power of highquality, open-ended toys that support children as they learn and develop. Featuring a signature bevel design, Connetix tiles are made with durable, non-toxic materials and include rivets and ultrasonic welding to make magnetic tile play safer for little hands. As a STEAM certified toy, Connetix also enables children to explore a range of STEAM learning concepts, often in an integrated way, each time they play. Children can navigate and develop an understanding of concepts such as magnetism, gravity, shapes, colour, counting, engineering, stability and design while also improving upon essential skills including hand-eye coordination, fine and gross motor skills, perseverance, communication and teamwork. Connetix is currently stocked in over 700 retailers in 59 countries worldwide, and this number is increasing every week. From the beginning, the aim has always been to not only provide high quality toys that the whole family can enjoy, but to also provide incredible customer service to customers, educators and resellers with a goal to build solid relationships with retailers. Always going above and beyond in these areas has seen Connetix build a loyal customer and retail base along with a significant organic following on social media. Connetix Tiles’ innovative ideas and product range has earnt the company global recognition, having been nominated for, and won, a number of coveted awards in the toy industry. These include a recent nomination for Toy of the Year in the Creative Category at the 2022 New York Toy Fair and being named Educational/STEAM Product of the Year by the Australian Toy Association.
Guidecraft 07725 833 273 | www.guidecraft.com A creator of naturally-inspired children’s toys for over 50 years, Guidecraft emphasises the importance of open-ended play, the beauty of organic, loose parts, and the significance of hands-on learning. Via a range of toys that are inherently educational and STEM-based, Guidecraft enriches children’s lives using constructive play and encourages them to use their imaginations in the classroom and beyond. Creative, constructive play using various Guidecraft tabletop building sets can be enhanced by natural loose parts or an outdoor environment rich in natural materials like water, sand, dirt or mud. Guidecraft recently released construction sets rooted in traditional Western and Eastern architecture. The durable plastic pieces in the Tabletop Notch Blocks sets can be used outdoors or indoors and integrate seamlessly with loose parts and messy materials. Available in both Western and Eastern-inspired sets in various piece-counts, these tabletop building sets feature neutral-coloured pieces that easily connect to create strong, detailed builds. Children three and up can enhance their fine-motor and architectural planning skills while creating authentically-inspired, multi-level structures using a variety of pieces including ladders and bridges. Authentic curved pieces included in the Eastern sets, special pieces with right angles included in the Western sets, and double-sided inspiration cards with relevant references further lessons and learning opportunities during play. Other tabletop building sets by Guidecraft include the 60-piece set of Little Bricks and the corresponding 60-piece set of Little Pavers. The durable plastic exterior of these tabletop construction toys makes them the perfect addition during indoor or outdoor activities. Combined with a natural environment, Little Bricks and Little Pavers can further a child’s connection to nature as they play, learn and explore. Children ages two and up can draw build inspiration from the 10 double-sided concept cards included in each set.
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BrickPunk is a range of SteamPunk themed, brick construction models, including horses, a tractor, steam walker, tank, glider and airship. The ideal gift providing hours of entertainment for children and adults alike!
IN STOCK NOW!
381 PCS
563 PCS
319 PCS
BL8017 Shockwave Attack Glider
BL8016 Gaussian Blimpoid
157 PCS
121
BL8020 Arachnid Steam Walker
PCS
296 PCS
BL8014 Comet Horsebot
401
BL8015 Frenzy Horsebot
PCS
BL8018 Scoundrel Tractoid BL8019 Vortex Tractional Tank
For more information contact our Sales Office now on 01843
233525
or email sales@hornby.com
www.bassettlowke.co.uk
/BassettLowke
/BassettLowke
/BassettLowke
/hornbyhobbiesltd Official Product
Construction Toys
Hornby Hobbies 01843 233 500 | www.hornby.com
| sales@hornby.com
Speeding into summer with exciting new introductions, the Quickbuild range continues to capture the imaginations of young minds, remains a gift of choice for family play, and offers an easy brick-by-brick construction challenge for kids. Tough enough to play with yet smart enough to display, and benefitting from a whole host of popular licences, Airfix Quickbuild is a thrilling and affordable collection of simple brick-based model kits designed to excite and educate. With not a glue tube in sight, the range is aimed at a younger audience and is the perfect first steppingstone to a model building hobby that many find lasts a lifetime. The range includes a wide collection of sets including cars and tanks, all with rolling wheels, and a selection of aircraft capturing the excitement of aviation for builders of all ages. Each set includes stands and stickers as well as easy to follow instructions, and has been designed to help develop cognitive skills and independent learning in younger people. New to this growing collection with its flame paint scheme, the Jeep Gladiator Quicksand Concept makes its introduction in 2022. No detail has been spared: the sleek Quicksand Concept includes 49 easy-to-fit parts, simple coloured instructions and is pocket-money priced, making it perfect for action fans aged six and above or for family fun. Complementing this new kit, Quickbuild is also producing a Jeep Gladiator Overland. The only truck available with a convertible folding soft top, this set makes a special addition to any toy car or truck collection. Both sets are available for pre-order online or in local stockists now. Making for an incredibly unique model kit, the F35’s inspiration is a single-seat, single-engine supersonic jet with the most advanced computers and networking abilities yet to take to the air. The F-35B variant has a lift fan mounted behind the cockpit giving the jet short take-off and vertical landing capabilities, meaning it can hover like a Harrier. Following its successful release in 2021, the F-35 set will remain core to the range this year. The F-35 Lightning II features moveable wings, 38 easy-to-fit parts, stickers and display stand to proudly show-off the finished build. This set offers an ideal way for kids to get started with a Quickbuild collection or makes an equally worthy addition to an existing one. The new Jeep Gladiator Quicksand and Concept Jeep Gladiator Overland are expected in the summer of 2022 and will be launched with the support of web, email and digital campaigns. The Hornby Playtrains range was introduced at the start of 2021 following several years of research and planning, as a way to introduce a younger audience to the hobby and brand. A few months later saw the introduction of a a new sub-category to Playtrains called Builder+, consisting of brick construction models which children can build and add to their trackmat. The toys are all run on a battery-operated remote-control system and feature working lights, multiple sounds, three speeds in forward and reverse, easy to clip together track and much more. Additional products are available such as solo locomotives, rolling stock and track packs. Leading the way are characters Flash, Bolt and Thunder, who are also brought to life in short Playtrains stories, allowing children to connect even further with the characters and embark on special adventures with them, whilst also encouraging them to read. These stories can be found via the Playtrains Portal, which is a one stop shop for all things Playtrains and can be located via the Hornby website. Alongside the stories there are educational activity sheets, supporting STEM and promoting not only science, technology, engineering and maths but also English and geography. Within the portal children (with the help of parents/guardians) can enjoy the Kids Zone, watch the latest Playtrains videos, meet the Playtrains Heroes and download the special Token Sheet, encouraging children to collect the full range. In each Playtrains product (excluding the solo controller) is a collectible token which is to be stuck to the Token Sheet – once all the tokens have been collected and the sheet delivered to Hornby HQ, children will receive a surprise goody bag in exchange. More exciting Playtrains adventures will be coming soon and celebrating something very special.
Lisciani www.liscianigiochi.com
| danny@allinoneproducts.com
The family-owned, global toy company Lisciani offers an exciting portfolio of construction kits that are sure to be a hit with dinosaur fans. The company has three decades of experience in designing, developing and manufacturing fun and innovative educational toys. The I’m a Genius range is one of the firm’s most established and successful brands, and includes a wide range of fun, experimental kits, including construction sets, that help support learning at home. Aimed at children aged five and above, the I’m a Genius Dino STEM construction kits come with everything children need to build their own Velociraptor, Triceratops or T-Rex model. To construct their chosen dinosaur, kids put together all the pieces correctly using the included screws and screwdriver. The box also contains educational materials full of fun facts about the world of dinosaurs. For more information about the Lisciani collection, which benefits from extensive marketing and PR support, please contact Danny from Two in 1 Direct on the email address above.
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Geomagworld 07831 886 997 www.geomagworld.com
Geomagworld invented the first magnetic construction toy in 1998 using simple elements, such as rods and spheres, held together by the force of attraction. Magnetism is key to the company’s philosophy of play and learning. Geomagworld wants everyone who plays with its toys, regardless of their age, to feel a spark of creativity: to learn through the experience and to have fun. Geomag toys aim to contribute to the healthy development of children and the company feels equally responsible for the future of the environment, which is why it makes every effort to ensure it is running a responsible and sustainable business. Magnetism is just one of the many natural invisible forces that bring life to the Geomag brands: creativity, intelligence, the human mind and even gravity also play a role in making these Swiss-made toys both fun and educational. The highest standards of environmental sustainability can be seen in Geomag’s Classic magnetic construction system: the magnetic rods, panels and bases are all made using 100% recycled plastic, while the powerful magnets, quality materials, strong construction and great colours make it clear these are Geomag products. The company’s new storage box, a practical, durable pocket-sized box for the rods and spheres, has also been made from 100% recycled plastic. The Geomag Classic 100% Recycled line welcomes new Glitter and Glow segments that are perfect for anyone who wants to play with an explosion of colours. The stylish Glitter line is dedicated to lovers of sparkly colours whilst the Glow line lets kids watch their Geomag models light up at night thanks to the use of natural materials that capture and return sunlight. The Geomag recycled plastics used for the rods, panels and bases perfectly complement the colours that make this brand stand out in-store and at home. The innovative Mechanics Gravity construction platform was launched in 2018. Mechanics combines the forces of magnetism with the world of mechanical construction to stimulate creativity, inventiveness and ingenuity. In addition to the classic magnetic rods and steel spheres, Geomag Mechanics adds mechanical elements to expand the play possibilities. Some parts of the structures can rotate, triggering chain reactions resulting from the magnetic attraction and repulsion. With the help of Geomag magnets, kids will learn to use gravity to turn their own magical motor, running the spheres up and down a track they’ve built themselves. New for autumn/winter 2022 is the great value Combo Starter Set. This entry level set should retail for twice its on-shelf RRP, but special pricing allows retailers to offer it for a very attractive price that will make it a must-have for Christmas.
Red Toolbox (972) 58 405 7966 | www.red-toolbox.com anthony@red-toolbox.com The team at Red Toolbox loves to champion the art of woodworking, which offers the perfect combination of education and fun. The company introduced its range of DIY woodworking kits for kids 15 years ago, and its Stanley Jr. and Black + Decker lines are still going strong today. New kits and more exciting themes are added each year. Red Toolbox’s DIY kits engage children so much, they don’t realise they’re learning; the company says woodworking is a great way to teach kids maths in a fun and creative manner, while simultaneously reducing stress and anxiety. Any woodworking project requires a lot of measuring, cutting, and weighing. Red Toolbox’s beginner kits let kids learn how to use a hammer and small nails safely, and how to make precise holes and exact cuts in wood. These skills both require and teach control and fine motor skills, and children must work out the maths to get their design just right. From beginner builder to expert, Red Toolbox’s range comprises the perfect selection of DIY Kits for any and every child. Offering a wide range of construction trucks, police cars, birdhouses and airplanes, the line also includes specialty items such as the Candy Maze Kit, Catapult Kit and Treasure Chest Builders kit. Kids can experience a beautiful world of extraordinary colours with the Kaleidoscope Kit, speed through a land of imagination with the Custom Racer Kit or attract all the neighborhood birds with the Bird Feeder Builders Kit. Each DIY set comes with paints and brushes to ensure that each masterpiece will be special and unique. Safeguarding the planet is a top priority for Red Toolbox, which is why all the wood used in its sets is FSC-certified, ethically sourced and environmentally responsible.
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Cobi
www.cobitoys.com | sales@cobitoys.co.uk The 2022 line of Cobi sets includes plenty of new and exciting products ranging from licensed Top Gun: Maverick sets to some of the biggest and most detailed creations to date, including the new Battleship Yamato and Gneisenau sets. Cobi also continues to expand its World War I and World War II series with exciting additions like the Sopwith Camel F.1, the Rolls Royce Armored Car and a number of new tanks, cars, planes and historical vehicles. The Battleship Yamato returns to the line as an updated set containing 2,665 pieces and featuring some of the most detailed and photo-realistic design elements ever released by Cobi. The completed Yamato is over 35” long and features numerous moving parts, as well as the coveted mini planes. Like the other battleship sets, the Yamato also comes with a display stand complete with a brick with the name of the ship printed on it and some unique pad-printed bricks, including the Golden Orchid. The Gneisenau, the sister ship of the Scharnhorst, is the latest naval icon to be immortalised by Cobi. The Gneisenau set contains 2,417 pieces including numerous pad-printed bricks. A staggering variety of pieces not only give the battleship a highly detailed look, but also give builders the opportunity to design their own unique creations. Cobi’s World War I collection benefits from a massive upgrade, welcoming several new sets including the Sopwith Camel F.1 and the Rolls Royce Armoured Car. The Sopwith Camel was the most famous and effective British fighter aircraft of the Great War and gets a brand-new treatment with set number 2987. The set includes 176 pieces in a new colour pattern and features a figure of William Barker, the Canadian ace who dominated the skies for the RAF. In cooperation with The Tank Museum in Bovington, England, Cobi has also created a set depicting this iconic vehicle from World War I. The armoured car, built in 1920, was one of the most unique and memorable vehicles of the era. The Cobi recreation comes in 1:35 scale and features 267 high-quality bricks. To coincide with the release of the new film Top Gun: Maverick, Cobi has also created four all-new sets based on the aircraft featured in the film. Two F/A-18s modelled after Maverick and Rooster’s jets let fans of the film relive the excitement of the blockbuster movie, while the legendary F-14 from the original Top Gun gives fans of the 80s film a taste of movie history and comes complete with Maverick and Goose figures.
Spin Master 01628 535 000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk Spin Master offers an exciting selection of construction toys that encourage educational play and can assist in the development of skills such as hand-eye coordination, problem solving and creativity. For years, the iconic Meccano brand has created imaginative construction sets that inspire the next generation of innovators, and with a wide selection of sets to choose from, children of all ages can enjoy immersing themselves in the world of Meccano. The Meccano 25 Model Supercar is a great option for older children and adults. This model can be built in 25 different ways and therefore encourages decision making, helping children to explore concepts spanning science, technology and engineering, right the way through to the arts and maths. This set is also perfect for intergenerational play as younger children can get involved with the help of parents or older siblings. Also available from Meccano is the Monster Jam Truck. This construction set allows younger builders to assemble their own Monster Jam Grave Digger truck from over one hundred different parts. The truck set comes complete with two tools to help with assembly and includes a pull-back motor, BKT tires and a working suspension system for tricks and stunts. Younger Meccano fans will love the new play sets on the way from the Meccano Junior range this autumn/winter. The brand-new Tractor play set and Police Car RC will have fans building and racing around their living rooms; and the motor from the Police Car RC can be used with other models in the Meccano Junior range.
Magic Box Toys 01293 222 500 | www.magicboxint.com sales@magicbox-toys.co.uk Magic Box’s T-Racers collection arrives this month, presenting kids with a new way to enjoy construction play. This collectible brand lets kids design and build their own cars by mixing and matching five different parts including a driver. With its innovative play pattern and interchangeability, kids can collect 16 T-Racers vehicles to unlock 500+ vehicle combinations. The Fire and Ice vehicles are expected to prove particularly popular, with their special crystal effect detailing. A wide range of play sets is also available, including the XRacer Turbo Truck and Dragon Loop, offering a good level of choice across multiple price points. T-Racers will benefit from heavyweight TV and digital advertising, while entertaining YouTube webisodes will introduce the characters and adventures within the T-Racers brand. PR campaigns and social activity are also planned throughout the season.
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m a g n e t i c
d i s c o v e r y
Magnetic discovery for little hands
S T E M Science • Technology Engineering • Math
01903 885669
uk@smart.be
www.smart.be
Construction Toys
Simba Smoby Toys UK 01620 674 778 | www.simba-dickie-group.de/en sales@simbasmoby.com A new addition to the Simba Smoby Toys UK portfolio for 2022, the BIG Bloxx Peppa Pig construction range includes something for all budgets. From Starter Sets and Basic Sets through to play sets both big and small, young fans can have great fun building a world of Peppa Pig. Must-haves include the BIG Bloxx Peppa’s House Construction Set and the BIG Bloxx Peppa Pig Campervan Construction Set. The BIG Bloxx Peppa Pig Campervan Set comes with 54 pieces including campervan building blocks, furniture and accessory pieces, as well as four play figures. Kids will have plenty of fun as they explore the themes of adventure and camping. The Peppa’s House Construction Set, meanwhile, comes with more than 100 building pieces that kids can use to create a three-story house and garden area for Peppa and her family.
Character Options 01616 339 800 | www.character-online.com sales@charactergroup.plc.uk Kids can build an intergalactic army of defenders with Character Options’ new Gigabots range. An exciting new action figure line with a cool, constructable element, Gigabots are intergalactic defenders left lying dormant and in pieces after fighting to prevent the destruction of the universe. Luckily, kids are on hand to put them back together. To get started, builders must first de-assemble the core to get the elements for their build. Each Gigabot comprises 33 easy to assemble pieces that pop and lock together to create an impressive, fully articulated 13” character with multiple play elements. The collection launches later this month with the support of an extensive marketing campaign including TV, digital and PR activity.
One For Fun 0141 613 2525 | www.oneforfun.com
| sales@oneforfun.com
The Junior Engineer’s Workshop from Tobar is a multi-award-winning range of kits designed to test the mettle of any budding engineer. Using real nuts, bolts and steel, these impressive kits allow everyone to design, build and play. Each kit has a difficulty rating to help consumers with the decision-making process, from easy kits for beginners to more challenging builds for older, more experienced children. The sets are available in a variety of sizes at different price points too. Small sets include a helicopter, a plane, a racing car and a motorbike. Also available now are the Pull Back and Go Robot and the Pull Back and Go Digger. The various pieces included in each kit can be put together using the included spanner and screwdriver and fixed to a pullback-and-go motor to make the finished Robot or Digger move. The piece count is listed on each box and the kits can also be combined, increasing the play value of the range and allowing imaginative kids to create bigger models. The Pull Back and Go range is suitable for children of eight years and up. Other items in the Junior Engineer’s Workshop range include an Aeroplane with moveable parts and the award-winning Monster Truck with moveable wheels. Moving into even more challenging construction territory, the 346-piece, multi award-winning Action Bot has moving joints. The Junior Engineer Workshop range benefits from a quality finish and evocative, vintage-style packaging that stands out on shelf and appeals to parents and gift-givers alike.
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Flair 020 8643 0320
| www.flairplc.co.uk sales@flairplc.co.uk Flair’s heritage Stickle Bricks brand has been a trusted first construction toy brand for generations. An exciting development is the addition of new lines under the Explorer range, which are designed to widen the appeal of Stickle Bricks by introducing the brand to a new consumer. Ideal for kids as young as 18 months, the Stickle Bricks Little Builder set is a perfect entry point into the range with its fun assortment of brightly coloured bricks. For bigger builds and more imaginative possibilities, the Fun Tub is great for young builders with grand designs in mind. When play time is over the tub doubles as a handy storage container. There’s also the Stickle Bricks Farm Set, which comes with pieces designed to provide a chunky colourful tractor construction project complete with tractor wheels, a farmer, a field full of crops and a pigpen.
Ravensburger 01869 363 830 | www.ravensburger.com Since its UK launch nearly five years ago, GraviTrax, Ravensburger’s open-ended construction play system, has become a favourite with children. This interactive marble run range allows players to design and construct whilst experimenting with gravity, magnetism and physics. The brand has recently invested in consumer research. The September launch of GraviTrax Power takes the product to an all-new level of play in response to the feedback. The addition of power to the play pattern enables GraviTraxers to launch multiple marbles at the same time and influence track changes mid-play, all of which offers greater marble speed. Most importantly, GraviTrax Power gives players control of the action. New extensions and elements, plus the use of radio signals which lets these communicate with each other, makes the new range a great introduction to coding for today’s inquisitive kids. Stimulating for existing fans too, this new addition to the GraviTrax product range provides players with all they asked for (and more) but will also engage new players with the open-ended construction system. Allowing kids to ‘build beyond the usual’, all GraviTrax sets are compatible with each other regardless of whether a player wants a track that’s vertically challenging or a horizontal one with multiple extensions. The brand’s unique open-ended play system means the tracks can be as long as the player desires and the addition of power provides infinitely more speed, player control and track building fun. The new launches give players the ability to launch marbles mid-track, use the Shift Extension to have them change direction, or use The Scoop to transport the marble up a level and then back down again. Also new in 2022 is GraviTrax: The Game. Perfect as an introduction to the brand, there are three individual games available: Impact, Flow and Course. Each game comes with a number of components players use to complete mini games and tracks using the clues on 30 individual challenge cards. Not only is it perfect for newcomers to GraviTrax, it’s also great as an on-the-go product for children thanks to its compact packaging. As with all GraviTrax products, The Game elements are compatible with all the other sets in the range.
Hexbug 01925 854 282 |
www.hexbug.com
Vex Robotics is an award-winning range created by STEM brand Hexbug, designed to develop fine motor skills, imagination and logical thinking. The Vex Construction range includes the Vex Construction Zone Backhoe, Vex Construction Zone Crane, and Vex Construction Zone Dump Truck, which can either be purchased separately or together in the Vex Construction Zone set. Containing over 1,350 pieces, the Vex Construction Zone has been created to offer realistic functionality and is therefore the ideal play set for budding engineers and enthusiastic builders. The Construction Crane towers over the build site at just over two feet in height and can be controlled with three separate dials as it lifts and manoeuvres objects. The Dump Truck contains a carrying tray, designed to transport all kinds of parts and pieces around the building site, while the Backhoe is the ultimate heavy lifter, with its front loader and back arm bucket. Named the Overall Winner in the Rainbow Toy Awards in 2021, the Vex Construction Zone allows children of all abilities to build and play.
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Allegedly
We recently ran a story online which had been provided to us by ParcelHero, speculating that a Walmart event shortly to be held in London could potentially herald the launch of Walmart marketplace in the UK. It turns out that the theory was complete nonsense; to be fair, I did say “colour me sceptical” when I posted the story on LinkedIn, as I really wasn’t sure it quite made sense. But it was fun to ruminate on the possibility, and nice to find out that some key people in the toy team at Walmart read our website – and this Blog! I’m glad that what we do resonates with people at the biggest toy retailer in the world, 5000 miles away in a completely different market… While my excitement at the thought of Walmart coming to these shores was short-lived, I did hear some positive news on the Amazon front recently: I have it on very good authority that Amazon is now prepared to accept price increases from vendors without needing approval from a vendor manager. There are some caveats involving the RRP not being adversely affected which might yet prove tricky to navigate, but as I understand it, most increases under 15% should effectively be accepted inside vendor central. Huge, if true – this has been a major bone of contention for many suppliers, and anecdotally, I have heard of quite a few companies pulling back from Amazon in recent months. Indeed, my understanding is that Amazon has not had a great start to the year in the toy & nursery categories overall, even allowing for how difficult it would have been to anniversary two years of pandemic trading. If Amazon has realized that its intransigence and lack of flexibility was beginning to harm its sales, then it’s good news all round… NPD recently released some global data for the opening months of the year, which suggests the rate of worldwide toy sales is reverting closer to pre-pandemic levels, with unit sales down but selling prices up (although how much of that is down to inflation would be interesting to evaluate). Overall, UK toy retailers remain ever-so-slightly wary, with external fiscal headwinds tempering the boundless enthusiasm they have exuded for a while. No-one is over-reacting just yet, but there are a few signs of caution creeping in; one major retailer apparently postponed all of its June orders until July, with suppliers expected to hold stock that was due for imminent delivery for a further month – Very frustrating, I’m sure. It may even be the case that a few retailers pushed for orders a little too early to mitigate possible supply chain issues that may not have transpired. However, it is equally possible that this is an early example of retailers rebalancing order quantities to reflect a perception that consumer spending could be impacted. A recent headline in Retail Week pointed to one potential trend to keep an eye on: “A quarter of UK households turn to second-hand market to beat cost-of-living crunch.” Let’s hope that this won’t be too widespread when it comes to toys; I like to think that parents will avoid this where possible, although realistically, there are probably going to be some who have little choice but to cut their cloth this year… It's not just here in the UK where retail is being challenged by economic conditions: I gather that in
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France, PicWic Toys has been placed in some sort of legal redress, as the owner looks for new investors for the 45-strong chain of stores which turns over around 200m Euros. Over in the US, there have even been reports that Amazon and Walmart’s bottom lines are being pummeled by an excess of both warehouse capacity and staff. Amazon, famed for using predictive analytics, has been spectacularly unsuccessful in terms of anticipating staffing and warehousing needs: having embarked on a hiring spree and snapping up as much warehouse space as it could get hold of last year, the company now has a surfeit of warehouse space (adding $10b costs in the first half of ’22 alone) and far more workers than it needs, which cost the company a further $2b. That delicate balance between under and over capacity – and the same for stock supply – will likely be a big factor in retail performance and profitability over the coming months… It was unfortunate that Toymaster and Distoy ran concurrently this year (no-one’s fault – blame the Queen and the Platinum Jubilee if you are looking for a scapegoat), but for those of us who like to attend both shows, it was a week of seemingly non-stop travelling. However, without doubt, it was worth it; like Toymaster, Distoy has built up a loyal community of exhibitors and attendees from across the globe over the years, and it was wonderful to see so many people from the international toy market back at the show this year. It was also great to start looking at product that won’t be arriving on shelves for another 12 months or more – yes, the cycle is starting all over again. People who were able to spend more time at Distoy than me suggested that there is a decent crop of product coming through for next year – it feels like companies are more confident about investing in new product development as the world slowly returns to normal. And I am sure a lot of people will be as relieved as I am that the show returns to its traditional slot towards the end of May next year: Distoy ’23 has been booked in for 30th May – 2nd June, thereby reverting to its traditional schedule, which will thankfully avoid a clash with the Toymaster show (16th18th May) and Licensing Expo (23rd-25th May). Three shows in three consecutive weeks is very ‘January part two’, but infinitely preferable to overlapping shows in the same week… Lego has announced that it will be investing more than $1b to build a new factory in the USA, which will operate as a carbon-neutral facility with solar panels capable of covering 100% of the site’s energy needs. Great news for both US jobs and Lego’s carbon footprint. Of course, few toy companies have Lego’s resources, and reshoring would be a difficult and costly process for the majority; but this bold, ambitious move paves the way for others who may be looking to mitigate supply chain risk and not put all their eggs in the China basket. After Russia’s complete meltdown this year, that seems a sensible strategy (especially if you look at what is going on with China and Taiwan). On that subject, can it really be true -as claimed by one Russian distributor to a friend of mine– that “most toys are still freely available to us.” It could be bravado, but if it is the case, it certainly goes against what many of the big toy & licensing companies have been saying publicly.
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