Special Feature
Natural History Museum
A day at the
museum
Under the experienced eye of senior licensing manager Emma Russell, the Natural History Museum – one of Britain’s most beloved institutions – is digging deep into the past (and its vast archives) to sign new licensing deals across multiple categories including Toys & Games that will provide today’s kids with fun, educational and sustainable new products with tangible heritage and brand awareness. Rachael Simpson-Jones, Toy World’s resident natural history geek and lover of all things taxidermy, was invited for a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum to find out more.
O
ur day starts with monkeys. Carved stone monkeys to be exact, the ones that adorn the pillars of the stunning Hintze Hall, the largest public gallery in the museum and a Romanesque architectural wonder designed by Alfred Waterhouse. According to Emma Russell, the museum’s senior licensing manager, urban legend has it that some of the monkeys sport long beards, supposedly a dig at naturalist Charles Darwin: the Museum’s first ever superintendent, Sir Richard Owen, is known to have had a strong opposition to Darwin's theory of natural selection. “People think grudges are bad nowadays, but even back in the 17th century, these men had serious beef,” Emma laughs. Bearded or not, these carvings are central to the museum’s DNA and to a rich, storied history going back hundreds of years. Nowadays, the museum welcomes some five million visitors every year from across the globe, hosts a raft of events (from sleepovers and film premieres to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards and Dawnosaurs, an accessible morning for neurodiverse children), is home to some of the world's foremost scientists and of more than 80m objects spanning billions of years of our planet’s history. There’s a lot to see and do – and a lot of licensing possibilities to boot. For Emma, who prior to joining NHM’s team in the summer of 2022 was Hardlines manager at Entertainment One and Hasbro, it’s this breadth and depth of heritage and history that offers unparalleled opportunities for licensees to tap into. While we peer into tanks and jars of all manner of preserved creatures in the museum’s subterranean wet specimen vaults (a giant squid, a python,
Darwin’s octopus, oh my!), she tells me her remit is very much focused on the Toys & Games category, a hitherto untapped area for NHM. The museum has previously seen great success amongst the adult and heritage licensing markets, but feels the time is right to prioritise the Toys & Games category. Emma has therefore devised a licensing strategy that a) will introduce a raft of new deals aimed at younger audiences and b) introduce science and STEM to kids in the form of NHM-backed product. “Most science and STEM toys and games are aimed at kids aged 6-8 years and older, due to the necessary safety and small parts testing,” she notes. “What that means is that there’s a big gap from pre-school to that six-year mark. It may only be a few years, but they are pivotal years. Kids learn through play, especially when they’re that young, but there’s a real shortage of products that actively encourage and nurture kids’ interest in the natural world. We have a vast amount of knowledge we can pour into NHM licensed early learning product, and our brand heritage will always win over the consumer – they know they can trust the product on the shelf when they see it’s got our stamp on it.” Armed with her industry knowledge and a target demographic to go after, Emma’s first major Toys & Games licensing deal was announced in October 2023. The agreement has seen James Galt & Co. (Galt Toys), part of Jumbo Group, produce the Let’s Learn range of STEM kits, which combine fun activities with hands-on learning. Officially launched in February this year, the Galt x Natural History Museum Let’s Learn collection features Dinosaurs, Tiny Creatures and Animals and has gone down a storm at recent trade shows. Galt and NHM have much in common: they are both respected and trusted by
Toy World 72
