Special Feature - Toy Fair Review

There’s no business like show business

London Toy Fair returned to the halls of Olympia from 23rd-25th January for its 70th iteration, welcoming over 250 top toy and game manufacturers and distributors alongside thousands of retailers and buyers. Toy World reports back on a successful, productive, fun-filled three days.

By the time London Toy Fair 2024 opened its doors, Circana had broken the news that the UK toy market was down -5% in 2023. You’d therefore be forgiven for thinking the mood among attendees might have been a little subdued, although in reality it was anything but. Toy Fair, for many, marks the ‘official’ start of the New Toy Year, a refresh and reset for the year ahead that invites everyone to get excited about the 12 months ahead. That sense of excitement was palpable come 9am on the 23rd, as visitors began flooding the halls and companies began showcasing their raft of new toys and games for 2024.

The show kicked off with the VIP Press Breakfast, another well-run and very well attended affair thanks to the efforts of Retail PR, the British Toy & Hobby Association’s agency for show communications. The gathering included the unveiling of this year’s Hero Toys. The selection placed strong emphasis on value for money, with 15 of the 27 Hero Toys coming in at under £25. LeapFrog’s Magic Adventures Binocular Camera

was chosen by Toy Fair TV presenter and mother of two, Anna Williamson, as her Top Hero Toy for 2024. With the breakfast concluded, the gathered press officials, including those from ITV Regional News, BBC regional radio, The Guardian, The Daily Mirror, The Sun, The Daily Express and the Daily Star, dispersed throughout the halls to begin their coverage of the show.

A number of celebrities were also in attendance, including comedian Michael McIntyre, Ash and Anthony from The Traitors, TV personality and gameshow host Stephen Mulhern and radio presenter turned games designer Matt Edmondson, all promoting new launches including the Michael McIntyre Funko Pop!, Vivid Goliath’s The Traitors Board Game, and Format Games’ Beaver Paradise. Top Gear’s Richard Hammond was also spotted at the show, filming for his TV show, Richard Hammond’s Workshop. However, the biggest celebs were arguably the impeccably well-behaved dogs that starred in Funko’s Loungefly Dogwear fashion show, which drew a huge crowd (and many ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’, mostly from Toy

World editor Rachael Simpson-Jones).

Dr Zoe Williams, who makes regular appearances as a resident GP on ITV’s This Morning and attended Toy Fair to support the launch of Ravensburger’s Play+ infant toy range, told Rachael that today's busy lifestyles are playing a role in shaping consumer demands among mums and dads. She explained: “Parents are really keen to nourish their children’s development even under modern-day time constraints, which is why ranges such as Play+ from Ravensburger, which pack so much learning and fun into each and every product, are so important. Ravensburger is a trusted name when it comes to toys and is known globally for its innovative designs, so I’m pleased to give Play+ my approval.”

When asked if she had a particular favourite among the 30-SKU Play+ range, Zoe – who is mum to two-year-old son Lisbon – highlighted the brand’s Flip & Pop baby books. Featuring colourful illustrations and educational captions, silicone teething-friendly binding, sensory elements and more, the waterproof pages cannot be torn, even by

adults (we tried), making them perfect for robust play and learning, even during bathtime. Zoe also commended Ravensburger’s new Play+ toys for their longevity (many of the products will stay with children for several years, throughout a number of developmental stages), portability and suitability for families living in smaller homes, all of which ease pressure on today’s parents and help kickstart kids’ early development.

Entrepreneur, investor and reality television personality Touker Souleyman, meanwhile, was on hand to promote Mood Bears, the plush sensation that stole hearts across the nation when inventor and founder Jo Proud took the colourful characters onto BBC’s Dragons’ Den – and won investment from all five Dragons. The range has since been picked up for global distribution by Tomy.

Jo told Toy World that the journey she’d been on with Mood Bears has been ‘a bit of a whirlwind’. “From drawing that first little yellow bear to having five Dragons on board, to Tomy being the global distributor – it’s frankly massive for me. Because creating that yellow bear helped me so much, it gave me a focus. I’ve looked at all this as bringing a smile back to somebody. People lose a smile sometimes, from time to time. It’s important to find that smile and put it back on their faces. That’s what I’m doing and that’s what Mood Bears is achieving.”

Touker agreed, adding: “All five Dragons saw the Mood Bears and realised that there was something special about them: there was a story behind the brand and each bear has a story too. Very rarely do you get five Dragons investing and very rarely do you get a business that grows so quickly and secures such a big global distributor. Jo has done an amazing job and hopefully being on Dragons’ Den has helped catapult her business forward a little bit. She has no regrets in having the Dragons on board and now, the brand can grow and start introducing more products into more areas. We’re at the beginning of a long and exciting journey.”

The opening day of Toy Fair is always one of celebration, so it was fitting that alongside the BTHA’s celebrations of Toy Fair’s 70th anniversary, other companies and brands also marked their own milestones. Tomy turns 100 this year while Playmobil and Rubik’s Cube both turn 50 and beloved elephant Elmer turns 35: come 4pm, there was more than one party kicking off (and cork being surreptitiously popped). Opening day also saw the presentation of the Best Stand Awards. Basic Fun!, which made superb use of the imposing staircase slap bang in the middle of its stand, took home the award for Best Space Only Stand, while Eduk8 Worldwide was awarded Best Shell Scheme and Gibsons Games was presented a special award for Longest Standing Toy Fair Exhibitor.

Holly Lackey, head of Marketing and Licensing at Basic Fun!, told Toy World’s Caroline Tonks and Gabriela Garcia that the team was delighted with how the company’s stand turned out, following early head-scratching at the presence of the staircase. “Our stand designers, 2BP, and I really took the challenge of having a staircase in the middle of our stand head on. I didn’t want to hide it: in fact, I wanted to embrace it and work with 2BP to find a fun way of designing the space so it encompassed the staircase as a focal point. This is such an amazing show to be a part of, so

why not embrace all the people funnelling in and passing through the stand? The whole stand design reflected that Basic Fun! is nothing basic - and all about fun.”

Tuesday also saw Simon Hedge posthumously honoured with a Special Recognition Award. This is a new award category introduced by the BTHA, which recognises loyalty, long service, commitment and dedication by individuals within the toy industry. As Simon sadly passed away in June 2023, his family was present to collect the award at a special reception, where his loyalty, dedication and passion for the toy business were celebrated. Simon’s family received a newly commissioned trophy from the BTHA, presented to them by chairman Simon Pilkington in front of assembled colleagues and friends of Simon, who exchanged fond memories and stories over drinks.

Simon Pilkington said he was ‘immensely proud’ to be able to present the award to Simon’s family on behalf of the BTHA. “Simon gave so much to this industry in so many ways, and today we acknowledge the great contribution he made to the toy industry during his long career,” he noted. “Simon is the first recipient of the new BTHA Special Recognition Award, and a very deserving and fitting winner of this inaugural presentation.”

Of course, the opening day of Toy Fair wouldn’t be complete without the Toy Industry Awards, which this year returned to its usual format: a drinks reception and well-attended, seated awards ceremony. Bitzee, Character Options and Smyths Toys Superstores were the big winners at the 59th iteration of the awards, winning Toy of the Year, Supplier of the Year and Toy Retailer of the Year respectively. In addition, a BTHA Special Recognition Award was presented to department store W J Daniel & Co of Windsor for its outstanding work in the promotion of toys as well as its excellent supplier partnerships. Independent retailers Fagan’s Toys (which played a big role in the pre-Christmas success of Golden Bear’s Soccer Bot) and Midco Toymaster were also presented with Independent Toy Retailer of the Year and Independent Multi-Store Toy Retailer of the Year respectively.

Alan Simpson, chairman of the TRA, said: “Our industry works so hard to bring joy and happiness to children. We tackle many challenges along the way and so it is fantastic to come together to celebrate the best of the best. Congratulations to all our winners for 2023.”

Any post-party cobwebs were soon blown away the following day, felt by many to be the busiest day of the three from a business perspective. This year, the BTHA was inundated with such demand for space that it had increased the show’s footprint by extending into part of the Upper West Hall, which played host to The Lego Group, as well as Tomy and Spin Master, which both returned to the show after a period away. The upper floor of the show also played host to a number of lounges, including the Toymaster Members’ Lounge, Press Lounge and the BTHA Members’ Lounge, outside of which were displayed the boards for the 2024 Toy Trust Media Auction. The auction sees airtime, digital and printed media slots donated by leading TV channels, digital media and trade journals including Toy World, with the lots totalling more than £100,000 of media space to bid for. The proceeds of

the auction will be distributed by The Toy Trust among charities helping disadvantaged and disabled children within the UK and abroad. This year, in an unusual and very special turn of events, Playmobil placed the winning bid on every single available media item in celebration of its 50th anniversary.

In a post-show press release Toy Trust Committee chairman, Christine Nicholls, said: “We are truly bowled over by Playmobil’s generosity in placing the winning bids on all our available items. This is a special anniversary year for Playmobil, and a unique and wonderful result for the Toy Trust. The Media Auction remains an important fundraising event for the charity and this year’s success will help get our 2024 fundraising off to a fantastic start. I’d like to thank my industry colleagues for their generous bids and of course a special thank you to Playmobil for placing a winning bid on all items in its 50th anniversary year.”

Thursday, the final day of Toy Fair, witnessed the return of Influencer Day, when parents and kids with online followings are invited to the show to create social media content and drive brand awareness, while introduced for the first time this year was an exclusive Inventors’ networking lunch, in partnership with Mojo Nation. Among the influencers was Love Islands Nathan Massey, much to the delight of Melissa & Doug’s David Lubliner, who told Toy World all about his experience at this year’s event.

“We love being at Toy Fair: it’s always a highlight of our year and it’s great to get all our products together in one place to share the newness with the trade, media

and influencers,” he enthused. “It’s been very successful, and our stand has generally been very busy. We’ve seen everyone we wanted to see in terms of retailers, and when the kids are in on the last day it always adds a bit of colour and excitement to the stand! We’re pleased to be welcoming back Love Island’s Nathan Massey this year. He generated some lovely content for us in 2023 and it was great to thank him for that in person. This year’s new and refreshed launches have been really well received. We’ve added a wooden display spinner to our POS offering for our puzzles, which our indies have been delighted with, while Sticker Wow, our addictive new arts & crafts range, has also been a highlight - visitors have been merrily sticking all over our walls. And of course, our star of the show has been our new wooden Vending Machine, which has been drawing the crowds and become a real talking point. We think this will be a standout item for us coming into the second half of the year.”

James Connolly, director of Mojo Fun, echoed David’s sentiments regarding the show, saying: “The BTHA should be rightly proud of this year’s Toy Fair. We’ve had no issues with anything, from delivery of our display items to the construction of our stand, everything has been faultless, and the organisers have put on a really, really good show. We found Wednesday 24th to be the busiest day by far. Footfall definitely seemed higher this year, which I think should be reflected in the BTHA’s official figures. We saw a huge amount of interest in our Quercetti distribution range from buyers, which is great because the company’s products and ethos align very closely with our own. We’ve had some really constructive meetings with current retail customers as well as (hopefully) major new accounts, so we’re going home tired but very pleased.”

In the Greenhouse Area, which plays host to smaller companies and start-ups, there was a similarly upbeat atmosphere on day three. Nazneen Yasin of Fabula Toys told Toy World that while she may have welcomed fewer walk-ins this year, the show produced really high-quality meetings. “At the 2023 show I had loads of visitors, but a lot turned out to be a waste of time, whereas this year, I’m already receiving emails from visitors keen to get the ball

rolling,” she explained. “The genuine interest is all that matters. I just need one or two good deals to come out of Toy Fair. Of course, the period immediately after the fair is crucial, as that’s when you’re doing much of the follow-up legwork. I’m really excited about that this year as I feel my repeated exhibiting is paying off. This is my third year at Toy Fair. We’ve had people come to chat with us because they saw us here before and are familiar with us now. It does wonders for your confidence.”

Nazneen also shared a lovely story with us. Having nipped off to grab a coffee and a bite to eat, she returned to find someone from fellow Greenhouse exhibitor Alleycat Games demonstrating her products and giving a sales pitch to interested buyers, lest she miss out on the business while her stand was unattended. If that doesn’t give you an idea of how friendly and generous the toy industry is, what will?

With the show drawing to a close, exhibitors and visitors alike began reflecting on what they’d seen and heard across the three days. The general sense is that, given the

challenges of 2023 and those that still remain this year, the safest bets are extensions within existing best-selling ranges. The Toy World team saw plenty of innovation within big name brands, while brand-new launches played it largely safe in terms of play pattern and format. What did seem to be lacking was a craze item, which would be very welcome for Q2/3, though there was plenty within pocket money and collectibles to drive interest and excitement alongside some very attractive pricing and reductions on RRP. There were some notably high-ticket Q4 items, which occasionally raised an eyebrow here and there, but at least all budgets will once again be catered for come Christmas. Kidult is a huge focus for a number of suppliers this year – those that attended the Circana Breakfast Briefing on the morning of the 24th will know it’s one of the biggest growth areas within Toys right now – and Licensed Toys remain strong too (though both categories naturally overlap). Opinions will always differ and how the rest of the year will pan out is anyone's guess, but what is undeniable is the sense of optimism within the trade and the need to dust ourselves down and plough ahead with 2024.

As is now tradition, the KidsOut Trolley Dash took place on Wednesday as exhibitors began packing up their stands and turning their attention to Spielwarenmesse. KidsOut, in its seventh year as the show’s official charity partner, brought in more than 80 volunteers on the last day of the show, who scurried around the aisles collecting more than 5,600 toys and games generously gifted by exhibitors, the highest amount received to date. A nod must go to Dolu, one of several exhibitors which went above and beyond in terms of generosity. Steve Richardson, MD of UK & Ireland distributor SJR Sales, explained: “Goksel and Gokhan [Dolu] gave everything on the stand to KidsOut, except for our new Play House: this was our only sample and had to be in Nuremberg the following week!”

Overall, Toy Fair 2024 was another resounding success. Majen Immink, director of Toy Fair, commented: “As show organisers, reaching 70 years of Toy Fair is not something we take for granted. A huge thank you must go to all of our exhibitors, visitors and contractors, who have supported the show – not only this year but over Toy Fair’s 70-year history, and who once again made this year’s show so vibrant, colourful and a great platform to kick off the business year. We wish everyone a successful year ahead and look forward to welcoming the industry back in 2025.”

Toy World would like to extend its thanks and congratulations to the BTHA and Retail PR on yet another superb Toy Fair, as well as to all the exhibitors and visitors who once again made the event vibrant, uplifting and absolutely unmissable.