Brand Profile - Character Options

A bit of a stretch

Character Options has introduced its latest squishy, stretchy and tactile brand, GooZonians, to the Dolls aisle. Mark Hunt, marketing director, tells Toy World the thinking behind this new launch and why he believes it will replicate the enormous success of Heroes of Goo Jit Zu.

Mark Hunt

How has GooZonians come about?

In the early days of our Goo Jit Zu journey, it very quickly became clear that the concept was a hit with girls as well as boys, and we knew there would be demand for a similar new brand that was specifically targeted at the collectible dolls category. We were confident that we could fill this gap by leveraging our worldwide success with Goo Jit Zu, and that there was ever-growing demand for stretchy, squishy, crunchy tactile toys. Of course, we also knew that we’d have to underpin all of this with an engaging storyline that would capture kids’ imaginations and put this collection in a whole new world of its own.

Developed with kids aged four to six in mind, Character Options is excited to present the world of GooZonia and the intrepid heroes who reside there: the GooZonians. The GooZonian toys bring together a captivating play pattern and mythical creatures, with a great story behind them that promotes the value of friendship and teamwork as the characters embark on a quest to save the day.

What can you tell us about the launch range?

There are six GooZonians to collect in Series One. Each has its own unique goo filling to enjoy, aligning the range perfectly with the growing ASMR toy trend.

Each of the six GooZonians also has a hidden power charm: the discovery of their individual power charms is a central part of the story, as seen in the animated YouTube Mini Movie. This enchanting animation introduces the power of storytelling and imaginative play to the range. As empowering female superheroes, the GooZonians teach kids that any challenge can be overcome when they work together to save the day. We aim to tap into young imaginations and see them recreate the storylines, before also creating their own.

Finally, all the outfits are interchangeable between the different characters, so kids can mix-up their adventure play.

How is Character Options planning to support GooZonians from a marketing perspective?

GooZonians will be Character Option’s biggest launch in spring 2022 and will therefore be supported with one of our largest marketing investments to date. Central to this is the 2D cartoon-style mini-movie which launches on YouTube mid-May. This has been created by a critically acclaimed script writer and the award-winning animation studio Pixel Zoo. We plan to unveil it with a virtual screening for key influencers that will kickstart brand awareness ahead of product hitting shelves.

An epic 30” TV spot will also blast the airways from launch across multiple channels, heavily weighted to YouTube so we can really target the audience. We’ve also enlisted some of the UK’s leading toy influencers to support the brand launch, including Gabi Faye from TikTok. Alongside the above, GooZonians will be supported with advertising, competition and editorial content across leading girls’ press titles and all Character Option’s social media channels.

And how will the company be supporting GooZonians stockists?

At retail, we’ve created a standout FSDU launching across independents, grocery and toy specialists, giving the brand great out-of-aisle presence at launch. We’ll also be working strategically with supporting retailers on cooperative marketing campaigns across TV, YouTube and social media.

How important is the web content to driving awareness of the brand?

Web content has been the focus of our launch strategy. Our 11-minute Mini Movie is an origin story - a chance to introduce Queen Ember, Glyde and all the other GooZonians, and an opportunity to gain an understanding of their individual personalities, characteristics and unique powers. We’ve not only built an imaginary world with Slime Rivers and Rainbow Rain, but we’ve also come up with storylines that will engage fans with relatable events and situations that they face in real life. We aim to build brand loyalty from launch with a toy collection that brings GooZonia off screen and into the playroom for an immersive play experience.

Character Options fully appreciates the everchanging nature of media consumption, especially among children, and we know that engaging content on-screen captures imaginations, which is exactly what the webisode aims to do. At the same time, the toy range will allow children to buy into the concept and recreate their own adventures at home and with their friends.

The concept introduces something quite new to the Dolls aisle, though we’ve of course seen how well Heroes of Goo Jit Zu has performed in Action Figures. Do you think this play pattern will prove a similar hit?

As we touched on earlier, the Goo Jit Zu crossover was inspired by seeing girls playing with the brand. We know the play pattern isn’t purely for one gender – ASMR, sensory and fidget toys appeal to everyone. Girls don’t necessarily focus on crash and bash fighting play (although we’ve observed plenty that do) but they do respond to the power of a good storyline. By delivering strong female lead characters, the GooZonians can become positive role models like She-Ra and Wonder Woman.

For more information about the GooZonian collection from Character Options, call 0161 633 9800 or email sales@charactergroup.plc.uk.