Fresh

Each month Fresh sets out to find the latest products that will have toy retailers reaching for the phone. In June we have new releases from: Bandai, Clementoni, Golden Bear, Magic Box, Learning Resources and Sawdust & Rainbows

Design & Drill Bolt Buddies

Learning Resources 01553 762276 www.learningresources.co.uk sales@learning-resources.co.uk

Learning Resources has launched a new range in its Design & Drill collection, for little builders aged three years up, that introduces simple construction and engineering skills, using a real working child-friendly power drill and chunky bolts to drill, build and play.

The new Design & Drill Bolt Buddies add an extra dimension of play. There are six toys available: Rescue Helicopter, Fire Truck, Police Motorcycle, Race Car, Rocket and Pick-it-Up Truck, each with a themed Bolt Buddy character and cute animal friend. Children can assemble the brightly coloured construction pieces and use the included power drill to drill in the chunky bolts.

The range is a great way to introduce early STEM play by giving children tools to design and build. Assembling Bolt Buddies builds critical thinking and fine motor skills, while the pretend play encourages imagination and creativity. Each Bolt Buddy and animal friend can also be used as a handy tool to twist and turn the bolts, and each character has changeable expressions which add an element of socialemotional learning (SEL) to help children express their feelings through play.

The Bolt Buddies range also features eye-catching, reusable packaging, so once the toys are assembled, the boxes transform into themed play set backdrops and give children a rich, immersive play experience. Children can also combine sets and create their own imaginative play.

Learning Resources is supporting the range with an ongoing awareness campaign including print and digital advertising, social media activity, collaborations with parenting bloggers and ongoing PR activity. Updated retail marketing material is available for download on the Learning Resources global Marketing Resource Centre.

T-Racers

Magic Box Toys 01403 251 286 www.magicboxint.com

T-Racers, launching in early July, is a completely new vehicle concept that offers kids a revolutionary way of playing with cars. Each vehicle is made up of five different parts, which can be interchanged to create a favourite car thanks to the innovative ‘mix & race’ formula. More than 500 possible combinations allow children to build custom cars their way, with each part bringing a special power or characteristic to the finished vehicle.

Series 1 introduces eight drivers to collect, including the ultra-rare X-Racer with a special chrome-like finish. Each unique driver belongs to one of four race teams and has a set of skills and powers that helps them navigate Turbo City. The entry price point Turbo Wheel includes one articulated driver and one completely random car in multiple parts, with packaging designed to give kids an exciting unboxing experience. In addition, the pack can be used as a racing podium. Two play sets will also be available - Eagle Jump Challenge and Turbo Crane Challenge - giving kids the chance to perform stunts with their creations.

A 1,000-TVR TV advertising campaign is planned for launch alongside cinema advertising throughout summer. T-Racers will also be brought to life with an extensive online campaign including unboxing content, social media advertising and high-profile influencer partnerships as well as 3D animated YouTube webisodes which will introduce the drivers to kids.

Magic Box has also partnered with CarFest to launch T-Racers with sampling, competitions and fun interactive games. Impactful displays including side caps and POS, meanwhile, will be placed within retailers to create in-store theatre.

Once Upon a Time

Clementoni 020 3206 1397 | www.clementoni.com

With innovation at the heart of the business, Clementoni aims to revolutionise bedtime in 2021. Once Upon a Time is an interactive storyteller that lets kids create and listen to up to 64 different stories, the elements of which can be combined differently each time. Every chosen combination results in a different story and a world of imagination to explore. Turning the three rolls decides the story setting, as kids select animals, fictional and masked characters or professions, then create the fairy-tale by choosing what is going to happen.

Trapped Escape Room Games Series 2

Golden Bear 01952 608 308 www.goldenbeartoys.com customerservices@goldenbeartoys.co.uk

Designed by real escape-room experts, Golden Bear’s Trapped Escape Room Games bring families the buzz and excitement of an escape room in their own home by turning any room into an escape gaming experience.

The Trapped Series 2 offers new themed game packs that include everything needed for up to six players to work together – or compete - to beat the clock, crack the clues, solve the puzzles and escape. Players simply put the pack contents on walls and surfaces in a room of their choice, and the game is ready to play.

There are three different Trapped game packs in Series 2, each complete with its own unique content, back-story and level of difficulty. Families with kids can kick things off with the easy-rated The Zoo, before progressing to the medium Mission To Mars with their mates, or the hard Flight 927 for a date night with a difference. Every edition gets players laughing, thinking and taking action around the room, and unlike most escape-room games, everything can be packed away once the fun is over and regifted to friends or family.

Tearmann playstand

Sawdust & Rainbows 0845 862 3770 www.sawdustandrainbows.com

The new Tearmann playstand from Sawdust & Rainbows has been created to give young children a magical space in which to play and explore.

Tearmann, meaning sanctuary in Irish, comes in rainbow, pastel and natural colourways making it the ideal addition to any playroom.

The playstand, which stands at 137cm high, 78cm wide and 137cm in length, is made from sustainably sourced wood and is hand-finished in the Sawdust & Rainbows workshop in rural Northern Ireland. For every Tearmann sold, and for every sale of its most popular products, the company will plant a tree through its partnership with Just One Tree.

Sawdust & Rainbows now has stockists across Europe, the United States, Dubai and Australia. The fledgling start-up has enjoyed a great year of trading, particularly with so many people being stuck at home throughout the pandemic.

Tamagotchi Pix

Bandai 020 8324 6160 | www.tamagotchi.com

Bandai is fortifying the Tamagotchi franchise with the release of the Tamagotchi Pix, the first to feature a built-in camera that allows users to take pictures with their virtual pet and interact with it in new ways.

The new device takes the core of Tamagotchi play (nurturing and caring for a Tamagotchi character) and further immerses users into the Tamagotchi universe with exciting new features. It’s not just about feeding a virtual pet anymore - users can now cook for their Tamagotchi character, have food delivered, explore the real world to meet Tamagotchi friends and add pictures with a built-in social feed.

Other features include earning Gotchi points or keeping the character happy with a variety of games, connecting with a friend’s device through a Tama Code to play together and give gifts, and going online and completing missions to download new items and gifts.

No internet connection is required, so users can play wherever they go, and users can choose from six languages for gameplay: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese, as well as four unique shells.