Wicked Vision - News Analysis

Visions of the future

Wicked Vision’s UK business development manager, Kevin Langstaff, spoke with Toy World about how the company and its product range have evolved over the years, as well as its latest launches and how Wicked Vision supports its retail partners.

The company has been trading for 24 years - how has its product offering changed over that time?

Wicked, long known for products like boomerangs, discs, high bounce balls and yoyos, has built a global brand centred on active play. In 2024, we are rebranding as Wicked Vision, expanding across four key areas; Wicked, Vodiac, Let’s Explore and Suneez. This new approach, built on four core pillars, will enable us to grow in new channels, with VR entertainment poised to be a significant growth area in retail.

The company is well known for its outdoor toys, so the new launches represent something of a departure.

We've built a reputation for innovative and fun toys that encourage active play, but we're excited to introduce new brands that mark a significant expansion of our portfolio.

Axe throwing has grown in popularity in recent years, and we are proud to launch Attaxe to bring a safe axe throwing game into the family home. Rubber-edged axes make this accessible for all ages. Airshot is a tactical blow pipe that is fast to load, quick to fire and deadly accurate. This sees Wicked move into a completely new area in toys, and the pre-sales for Q4 have been exceptional. Bungee Ball takes us back to the traditional game of catch, modernised with a fast return. The high bounce ball is mounted on an elasticated string and has a comfortable/adjustable wristband. It is fun and quirky with Blast and Sports designs.

Away from toys, Wicked Vision moves into the world of virtual reality with Vodiac and Let’s Explore. Vodiac is an experience-based VR headset powered by your smartphone that opens a world of fully immersive experiences, including wing suits, superbikes and haunted houses, among the 80+ experiences. Let’s Explore is all about immersive learning, incorporating augmented and virtual reality in a growing STEM category.

Finally, the Suneez brand is a high quality, unbreakable, polarised, market leading, stylish range of children’s sunglasses. New models and range extensions will be arriving in the spring of 2025.

What are the strengths of Wicked Vision?

We take inspiration from play patterns that have been around for millennia and innovate to create new and exciting re-imagined products. Take Airshot as an example; the blow pipe has been around for thousands of years, and we have simply re-imagined it, whilst being meticulous about ensuring exceptional performance.

Value for money isn't just about price; it's about ensuring the product delivers and surpasses expectations. With our new Attaxe range, we could have settled for a much simpler construction with less consideration for design, materials and aesthetics. Instead, we invested in all these areas, along with product performance, to ensure Attaxe excels in both price and performance.

All staff at Wicked are encouraged to question every aspect of the products to ensure we have as broad an appeal as possible.

How does Wicked Vision support its retail partners?

We see it as our duty to ensure our products sell off retailer shelves. This is achieved primarily through a focus on product, packaging, price and promotion, driving customer awareness through a mix of social media, influencers and traditional marketing campaigns.

Our focus is on crafting top-notch products that excel in the market. We prioritise delivering attractive margins at competitive retail prices, while ensuring our offerings align with consumer demands.

Our new UK warehousing ensures swift access to stock, with availability for all new lines in autumn/winter 2024. For 2025, stock will be accessible via FOB, further facilitating convenience and accessibility for our valued partners.

For more information about Wicked Vision and its new VR products, get in contact at sales@wickedvision.co.uk.