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.

Kids 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.

“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 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 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.”