Toy World Magazine October 2022

Regulars

44 Company Profile: MGA

Features

40 Special Feature: Midco Toys & Learning Express

44 Company Profile: MGA

46 Special Feature: Mattel BLE Keynote

50 Feature: Character Licensed Merchandise

84 Special Feature: BLE Review

88 Special Feature: Konami

90 Company Profile: Magicbox

94 Feature: Q4 Marketing Campaigns

Contributors

The NPD Group | Mark Buschhaus | Stephen Barnes

John Baulch - @Baulchtweet

from the publisher

AAsthis issue lands on desks and in inboxes, the all-important Q4 will have just begun. And even at this late stage, the next three months remain incredibly difficult to call. According to this month’s NPD article, toy sales YTD to the end of August were down -4% in value, although the summer months actually saw sales increase over last year, helped by the prolonged period of warm weather.

However, we all know that Q4 is where the big swings can happen – either way. On the one hand, we can take comfort from the fact that parents will always do their best to keep their kids happy at Christmas – I doubt that will ever change. But we can’t ignore the fact that consumers are dealing with significant increases in the cost of living and especially energy costs.

As Toy Barnhaus points out in this month’s column, many families are shopping earlier than ever this year, perhaps ensuring that gifts are bought and paid for before the massive jump in the energy price cap takes effect. As we head deeper into the festive season, it’s going to be imperative that consumers perceive they’re getting good value– although that doesn’t necessarily just mean the lowest price – and crucially, finding the presents their kids really want. Let’s hope that the recent strike action at the Felixstowe container port doesn’t disrupt the supply chain too dramatically.

Giving consumers a positive in-store experience is also going to be important – and that’s where specialist toy retailers can really capitalise. According to the latest NPD research, specialist toy retailers represent the fastest growing retail channel for purchasing toys in the UK so far in 2022. Even better, ‘Toy Specialists’ is now the joint largest channel along with online-only retailers, accounting for 30% of all toy sales by value in the first half of the year. It seems that shoppers have been heading back to specialist toy shops on the High Street and retail parks, with a marked move away from internet shopping, which is tracking -20% down in the same period. No disrespect to the online retailers, grocers and major multiples, but I see this as positive news for the UK toy community – personally, I feel a balanced toy market is a healthy market.

Of course, it’s important to keep these numbers in perspective: the shine may have come off online sales in the short term, but it’s far too soon to talk about the bubble bursting, especially as so much can change in

Q4. The same could be said of the performance of the grocers and some of the major accounts. They all still have the capability to deliver strong sales numbers, and we may yet see them come into their own over the festive season. But right now, it feels that the strengths of the specialists – in-depth product knowledge, customer service, flexibility, the ability to jump on trends quickly, passion and focus – align with what many consumers appear to be looking for in their shopping experience.

Perhaps that is part of the thinking behind Tesco partnering with The Entertainer, which will be taking over the running of the toy department in around 35 of the grocer’s stores. If The Entertainer can bring what it does best to the partnership, it will have access to a huge number of consumers on a regular basis – that has all the hallmarks of a win-win arrangement. I understand that the aim is for the new stores to be open in the second half of October, in time for the all-important festive selling season. And I believe the in-store space given to the Tesco project could be up to three times greater than The Entertainer was allocated in the Asda trial, so it can really go to town with ranging and merchandising. If you add its new Tesco trial stores to its extended ELC footprint in M&S (the partnership will be growing from 10 to 30 stores in the coming weeks), The Entertainer really is strengthening its presence across the entire retail spectrum. With Smyths also having an incredibly strong trading year (according to my sources), it’s good to see the specialist toy retail channel flourishing here in the UK.

Elsewhere, it was encouraging to hear that the London Toy Fair is now sold out, four months ahead of the show’s opening. I am not remotely surprised: this year's successful event was the only global Toy Fair able to go ahead in Q1, and with question marks remaining over Hong Kong plus New York Toy Fair moving to September, London and Nuremberg will both offer a fantastic platform for toy suppliers and retailers to connect at this crucial time of year. It’s nice to see a few big name exhibitors returning to London Toy Fair too – and perhaps we’ll see an influx of international visitors again this year, with the reduced number of trade fair options at the start of the year.

But before all that happens, there’s the small matter of the Christmas rush to navigate – hopefully that kicks into gear very soon.

The Entertainer announces partnership with Tesco

The UK’s largest independent toy retailer, The Entertainer, is partnering with Tesco to open branded concessions in around 35 Tesco stores across the country.

The trial partnership will offer Tesco customers the chance to shop The Entertainer’s large range of products from leading brands such as Barbie, Lego, Marvel and Paw Patrol, as well as its exclusive range of great value Addo toys and products from the award-winning early years toy specialist, Early Learning Centre.

The partnership between the leading toy retailer and the major UK supermarket will see a trial launch in October in around 35 stores across the UK. The Entertainer will retain full oversight of product range, pricing and merchandising across the stores, and will run free-of-charge and all-year-round events plus character visits for children of all ages. The full list of Tesco stores that are part of the rollout is yet to be announced.

Gary Grant, chairman and founder of The Entertainer, said: “We’re always looking for new and innovative ways to bring the wonder of The Entertainer to customers, so we’re very excited to announce this partnership with Tesco, which takes our products and experiences directly to families and children right in the heart of their local communities.”

Gary added: “The in-store collaboration will provide shoppers with the chance to shop our best-selling and affordable range of the latest toys and games. Our mission when we launched The Entertainer in 1981 was simple – to become the best-loved toyshop, one child, one community at a time – and we’re incredibly proud that this partnership will enable us to continue achieving this mission.”

Louise Goodland, head of Strategic Partnerships at Tesco, added: “We’re delighted to launch this trial with The Entertainer team, which is a leading expert in its field. We’re excited to work alongside the retailer and to bring a new offering to our customers.”

Mary Wood promoted to MD of Tomy’s UK & GAS businesses

Following a review of the ongoing and future needs of the business, Mary Wood has been appointed as managing director of Tomy’s UK & GAS businesses with immediate effect.

With over three decades of experience in the toy industry, including roles at Mattel, Zapf Creation, Halsall Toys International and Vivid Imaginations, Mary’s new role at Tomy includes responsibility for the Exeter-based IT, Finance, Credit Control, Operations, Demand Planning and HR teams in addition to her current responsibilities for UK & Central Marketing, UK Sales and Germany, Austria, Switzerland (GAS) Sales & Marketing.

Greg Kilrea, president of Tomy International, said: “Mary has done an outstanding job during her five-year tenure with us and has been an integral part of our success in the UK, where we have grown our core brands and turned the corner on profitability.”

Mary, previously UK General Manager, added: “I feel very honoured to be promoted to this role. It’s a great opportunity to get all of our teams to work more closely together so we can continue to build scale and profile in all areas of our European business, and, I hope, have a little fun along the way. Achieving results is critical but how we achieve them, and how we support our team members is as important. We have a number of very experienced people as well as new members – everyone has a role to play in making Tomy a great place to work.”

distributor of leading brands

Toy Fair 2023 is sold out

The British Toy & Hobby Association (BTHA) announced that Toy Fair 2023 had sold out four months ahead of the show opening, with all exhibition spaces including the Greenhouse, now with waiting lists.

The prestigious annual show, which is back for its 69th year, is taking place from the 24th-26th January 2023 at Olympia London. With 250 exhibiting companies in attendance, occupying the Grand and National halls on both levels, the toy industry is gearing up for one of the busiest shows to date. After another successful show earlier this year, the BTHA is delighted with the number of re-bookings for 2023 as well as a significant number of new applications.

Director of Fairs & Special Events, Majen Immink, commented: “The momentum and excitement we have seen for Toy Fair 2023 is just fantastic. The fact that the show has sold out already, and 89% of exhibition space has been booked by returnees after a successful 2022 showcase following the hiatus in 2021, speaks volumes as to the strength of the toy industry and the importance of the fair to participants.”

Names joining the ranks for Toy Fair 2023 include Hasbro, Moose Toys, Lego, Dolu, Funko, Kidicraft, Rubies Masquerade, Rainbow Designs, Mood Bears, Playmobil and John Adams, among many others.

The full floorplan and exhibitor list can be found on the Toy Fair website (www.toyfair.co.uk). Any companies interested in joining the waiting list are encouraged to get in touch with Rebecca@btha.co.uk.

Those in attendance will be showcasing thousands of new and exciting products ranging across categories including tech toys, plush, games and puzzles, construction and many more, to retailers, buyers and the media. There will also be sneak previews of new themes and trends for 2023 and exclusive on-site retail offers.

Visitor registration has now opened at toyfair.co.uk. Press day will take place on the first day of the show. Follow Toy Fair on Instagram and Twitter @toyfairuk for more updates.

Toymaster and AIS rejoin Toy Retailers Association

The Toymaster and AIS buying groups have rejoined the Toy Retailers Association with group memberships which cover all their members. These new members, as well as being part of AIS and Toymaster, will now benefit from Toy Retailers Association guidance and advice and will be invited to take part in government discussions on issues that directly impact their businesses.

Alan Simpson, chairman of the TRA, commented: “This is a great day for all of us that work in toy retail; the more members the TRA has, the greater the representation to government and the more impact we can have. It is so important that, within the industry association, we represent the hundreds of independent toy retailers that are members of Toymaster and AIS.”

Rosie Marshall of AIS said: “We felt our members would benefit from the safety guidance and advice that the Toy Retailers Association has introduced, as well as the association with industry events such as DreamToys and the Toy of the Year Awards. Most important, however, is to ensure we have a voice for our industry when it matters.”

Yogi Palmer of Toymaster added: “Knowing some of the important discussions that are taking place currently on business rates and anti-competition practices, it felt like the right time to rejoin the toy retail association and to add our voice to those discussions. We are also delighted that our very own Paul Reader is the new DreamToys chairman and will be representing the industry to the media in the crucial Christmas buying season. It seemed like the perfect time to bring the organisations back together.”

Membership of the TRA includes: a listing on “find my toy shop” for the general public to find an independent toy store; representation of the industry to the media on toy related business issues; representation of the industry to government on important issues that impact toy retail; safety advice and guidance; an industry newsletter and help and support for retail members.

The Toy Retailers’ Association now represents more than 2000 toy retail outlets across the UK and Ireland. Anyone interested in joining, or who would like to get in touch, should contact the director general, Natasha Crookes at n.crookes@toyretailersassociation.co.uk.

VTech sales director Graham Canning announces retirement

A stalwart of the toy industry, Graham Canning has announced he will be leaving the business as Clive Richardson takes up the role of VP Sales & Marketing. With a one-year transition period starting 1st October 2022, Graham will move to three days a week before leaving the business on 30th Sept 2023.

Graham first joined VTech in 1991 at a time when it was still establishing itself as a leader in Electronic Learning Aids in the UK, becoming market leader in 1993. Over the years, Graham has lead VTech sales to successfully expand and grow to be No.1 in toy categories such as Infant/Toddler /Pre-school and Youth Electronics. He was instrumental in launching the IQ Builders Division and, more recently, the integration of Leapfrog after the acquisition.

Graham said: “I have had an incredible journey and many cherished memories in my long career with VTech, although I will still be in the background for a year. I have met and worked with great people, both colleagues and customers. It has also been an honour to serve the BTHA council and be current chairman until June 2023. The Toy Industry is a fabulous Industry to be in and I wish everyone at VTech and in the industry great success for the future.”

Gilles Sautier, VTech International president, added: “I’d like to thank Graham for his more than 30 years of service. He joined VTech at a time the company opened overseas subsidiaries and was a crucial piece in transforming the UK sales office from a single item company to a market leader in several categories. During the year of transition, he will mentor the sales team and Clive Richardson to help prepare and pave the way for a new era under Clive’s leadership.”

Toy shoppers return to high street and out-of-town specialist retailers, says NPD

Consumers are returning to specialist retailers including The Entertainer, Smyths, Hamleys and independent stores among others to shop for toys, according to The NPD Group, which recently merged with Information Resources, Inc.

The data, released at the end of August, shows these type of high street and out-of-town retailers were the fastest growing retail channel for purchasing toys.

The NPD Group’s latest Consumer 360 Toys analysis showed that while the share of toys sold online remains higher than pre-Covid-19 levels back in 2019, purchases via the internet have declined -20% this year. In comparison, in-store buys have increased by +9%. NPD’s sales channel ‘Toy Specialists’ is now the joint largest channel along with online-only retailers, accounting for 30% of all toy sales by value so far this year (Year to Date to June 2022). Sales value has grown every month compared to the same period a year ago.

Melissa Symonds, executive director UK Toys at The NPD Group, said: “It’s great to see people returning to physical toy stores and especially to the Toy Specialists who are the experts in the category. There is nothing like the experience of seeing, hearing, and touching toys making it a fun shopping outing to visit a store and see what’s new in this highly innovative category. These retailers also have a wide choice, offering shoppers the chance to discover something new and exciting along with the expertise of staff who spend all day among toys.”

Despite the cost of living challenges this year, the data indicates that parents remain dedicated to keeping their kids happy by buying toys and account for nearly half of all toys sold in the last 12 months, the same share as the previous year. However, there has been a decline in the share of toys purchased by grandparents (-18%) and other family members (-5%) as inflation and concerns about upcoming bills hit their budgets and spending.

Melissa concluded: “With a squeeze in our household incomes reducing spending power, many consumers will be counting every penny. Toy retailers and manufacturers have experienced these circumstances before and will be planning how they respond in the run-up to the festive period.”

MGA’s Rainbow High champions diversity and representation

From Bratz to L.O.L. Surprise!, MGA Entertainment has championed diverse and inclusive brands throughout its history. Bestselling brand Rainbow High has now launched its fourth series of dolls and features characters with albinism and vitiligo. In a campaign to celebrate the launch of this line and to highlight the importance of inclusivity in the toy industry generally, the brand has partnered with both Zebedee Talent modelling agency and the Vitiligo Society charity. It has also commissioned new research amongst British parents, showing the importance of diversity in toy brands and on children’s entertainment platforms.

Series 4 introduces six new bold and fashionable characters, each with their own unique and creative talent, to the Rainbow High range. Featuring a range of ethnicities, the line also includes those with visible differences, including Jewel Richie, who has Vitiligo, and Delilah Fields, who has Albinism.

Rainbow High is working with child models from Zebedee Talent, an inclusive modelling agency that champions disabilities and visible differences, to create representative content. It is also working with The Vitiligo Society, a charity that supports and educates about the condition, to generate awareness of this issue by commissioning new research and conducting media interviews on the topic.

Michelle Lilley, marketing director for UK and Ireland at MGA Entertainment, said: “Championing diversity and inclusion is, and has always been, central to MGA Entertainment. Brands such as Bratz and L.O.L. Surprise! have led the way on representation, both in terms of ethnicities and visible differences. This recent launch from Rainbow High continues this commitment and we’re proud to have launched a new series of dolls that features characters with vitiligo and one with albinism.

Michelle added: “These new Rainbow High characters also take central stage in our entertainment content – on Netflix and YouTube– as we know how important it is for children to see representation on all platforms.”

Jazwares promotes Sam Ferguson to SVP of global licensing

In his newly expanded role, Sam will oversee the company’s global inbound and outbound licensing efforts, reporting to Judd Karofsky, executive vice president, Jazwares. Since joining Jazwares in 2016, Sam has been instrumental in growing the company’s vast licensed portfolio and homegrown intellectual properties consisting some of the world’s hottest entertainment and lifestyle brands. Most recently, he spearheaded the successful cross-category global licensing programme for Squishmallows. Since debuting in 2021, the consumer products licensing programme for the plush brand has expanded exponentially, attracting world-class partnerships across apparel, footwear, bedding, stationery, publishing and. Sam’s elevation to senior vice president of global licensing is effective immediately.

“Sam is an absolute rock star who has the passion, commitment, and drive that makes him a true standout within the licensing industry,” said Judd Karofsky. “It’s been a privilege and honour to see Sam’s accomplishments over the past six years, cultivating Jazwares’ licensing efforts around the globe with his unparalleled prowess in executing impactful brand collaborations kids and consumers want.”

Sam will continue his role in identifying up-and-coming licensed properties, managing outbound licensing, brand building and leveraging key trade events around the world including Las Vegas Licensing Expo and Brand Licensing Europe amongst others for Jazwares.

“Being part of the Jazwares success story is something I’m truly proud of and all our amazing talent that authentically bringsour licensing efforts to life across the portfolio,” added Sam. “As we further extend our footprint, we will continue to be a world-leading licensee as well as an industry disruptor with our owned IP expanding beyond the toy aisle.”

Jazwares details new introductions to Squishmallows range for Spring 2023

Jazwares will launch brand new, ultra-squeezable Squad 14 and 15 Squishmallows to the market in early 2023. Ranging from the adorable 3.5” Clips right up to the mega sized 20” scale, the company says there is a Squishmallow for everyone. The super soft, collectible plush make perfect cuddle companions for children of all ages, and each Squishmallow has its own style and personality, encouraging fun and imaginative play.

Including their own unique hangtags and loveable personalities, the new Squads include 12x new 3.5” Clips, 8x 5” Flip-A-Mallows, 24x 7.5” Squishmallows, 12x 12”, 6x 16” and 6x larger, 20” Squishmallows). Next year's new range will see the introduction of newcomers such as Noe the Sea Bunny who glows with quiet confidence and loves to keep things organised and Shep the Spotted Bull, a long-haul truck driver from a delivery company. These will be accompanied by Daxxon the Purple Alien, complete with bucket hat and a love of exploring new galaxies.

As well as the core Squishmallows ranges, more seasonal styles will be available for 2023, including Valentines Squishmallows and pastel Easter selections.

The licensed Squishmallows ranges will also be expanding, introducing more Disney favourites and Sonic the Hedgehog in 8" and 10” scales.

Squishmallows content has generated nearly 8b video views on TikTok, while @squishmallows (and related hashtags) has been tagged in more than a million Instagram posts. Additionally, the Squishmallows social media channels have grown to more than 986,000 followers. In the Metaverse, the recently launched Squishmallows on Roblox game continues to be widely popular with players who can collect Squishmallows virtual plush.

Franklin Sports now available at Reydon Sports

Reydon Sports is exploring a hybrid of sport and toy lines through an innovative set of products from Franklin Sports. Reydon’s B2B model allows it to supply and service the world of retail via its UK distribution centre, and the launch range for Franklin Sports encompasses 16+ SKUs which fit perfectly into any toy, sport, leisure or multiple retailer.

Products include the new versatile Spyder Pong, combining table tennis, volleyball and 4-square into a single action-packed game. Alongside Spyder Pong & Spyderball is the Jumbo 4-in-a-Row game; the traditional game on a much larger scale with an extra-large 24″ wooden game board for super-sized fun.

Other products within the range consist of various family-friendly sports themed sets. With a long-term business strategy to develop its sports offering with a toy-like spin, Reydon says that working alongside Franklin Sports opens up a superb offering of products to the retail sector.

For further information, contact the team on sales@reydonsports.com, 0115 938 6444 or visit www.reydonsports.com

newsanalysis

In a pretty pickle

Toy World caught up with Danny Kishon, who heads up Cepia’s UK distribution arm, to hear what’s been happening so far this year

How has the Cats v Pickles range evolved this year?

Collectible plush is obviously a hot category at the moment, and we’ve been delighted with the brand’s performance this year. The big change is that Cats vs Pickles has evolved into a broader ‘versus’ world. The original brand has been extended with the addition of hundreds of new designs; new sizes such as Chonks and new directions such as Kittens vs Gherkins (baby pairs that come with a crinkle blanket). In addition, a brand new range – Dogs vs Squirls - is also being introduced in Bean, Chonk and Jumbo sizes. Dogs vs Squirls is a battle for the backyard between naughty squirrels and canny dogs, each of which has its own hilarious back story. The same combination of great designs, humour, online videos, TV spots and social media that made Cats vs Pickles such a success is being replicated with the new launch. Even before the marketing activity kicked in, sales were running at around 50% of Cats vs Pickles, so it is off to an encouraging start.

Looking ahead, January will bring the launch of Bears vs Donuts as the ‘versus’ world continues to expand, with more titles launching throughout 2023.

How is the brand performing in the domestic US market, and what does this mean for the UK and the rest of the world?

The ‘versus’ world is a year ahead in the USA, and it has had a very strong year, with close on double digit sales per store per week on each SKU. What’s clear from the US is that the range appeals to both kidults and kids and we’re seeing a large amount of cross sales across the different sub-brands. Launches as far apart as Asia, Australia and Canada, as well as here in Europe, have all been successful and we expect to see the US pattern recreated around the world.

How can retailers maximise on sales?

Having a strong in-store presence makes a huge difference. Whether it’s the right on shelf layout, using FSDUs or Gravity Feeds, we have seen sales increase - or drop - by over 35% depending on the quality of the point of sale display. Cepia creates demand, but it’s the partnership at retail which drives sales.

What else have you introduced to the market this year, and what have you got planned for ’23?

Cepia is very excited about Pop Art Soft. The US had had major backing from Walmart for the launch of the brand, which combines striking Pop Art Designs on three different sizes of elephants. Beans in the feet make them posable. Product is just arriving in the UK, and we expect great things. 2023 will see the ‘versus’ World expand, while Pop Art Soft will be extended into new animals and designs. We also have some exciting new product concepts launching, which we will be sharing in the coming months.

WWE Clash at the Castle hailed a success

As invited trade guests from key licensee and retail partners joined 60,000 fans at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff to witness the first live WWE UK stadium event in 30 years, Toy World publisher John Baulch reports.

From the moment I stepped off the train, it was obvious that the WWE juggernaut had rolled into town – literally and metaphorically. My first stop was Cardiff Castle, to experience the Smyths Toys pop-up activation, which featured a life-size version of Mattel’s Wrekkin’ Rig truck, along with activations involving other licensees including a Funko photo op and WWE2K22 gaming stations. There were plenty of WWE fans of all ages enjoying the pop-up, and other WWE-related activities nearby; the queue for The Undertaker Experience within the Castle grounds was apparently two hours long (I loved the sign at the head of the queue; “No touching of the memorabilia but sitting on the throne is allowed.”)

In addition to the Smyths pop-up, other nearby retailers had also gone to town to celebrate the event, including The Entertainer, which had installed an eye-catching window display featuring a mock-up WWE ring. WWE had also installed its own pop-up store within the shopping centre, and the queues for both stores stretched around the centre.

Cardiff itself was over-run by WWE fans, and the thing that comes across immediately is the passion and engagement of the audience: a sea of exuberant fans created an amazing atmosphere hours before the doors even opened. Kids walked by adorned with giant replica belts, sometimes as large as the child itself. In all, around 62,000 fans are believed to have descended on Cardiff to take in the event, the first live stadium event in the UK for 30 years.

Invited trade guests from key licensee and retail partners – including Mattel, Smyths, The Entertainer, Midco Toys and many others – were given the opportunity to mingle with WWE talent and the occasional celebrity (Charlotte Church was standing next to me at one point) in a pre-show hospitality reception, before we all headed to the arena to take in the main event.

The atmosphere in the hall was unsurprisingly electric: WWE can never be accused of being understated, and the pyrotechnics, pumping music and visceral nature of the bouts whipped the crowd up into a frenzy. Fans went wild, and even non-aficionados like myself couldn’t help but get caught up in the maelstrom.

All week long, social media had been buzzing with rumours about which Superstars would be appearing, with posts about which Wrestler had just been seen in the Cardiff Superdrug (Ray Mysterio, in case you wondered) only adding to the mystique and anticipation. After several high-octane bouts, the whole event was brought to a close by two WWE titans, with Roman Reigns defeating Drew McIntyre to retain his crown.

All in all, the Clash at the Castle event was a huge success: viewers across the globe switched on in their millions, an unbelievable amount of WWE merchandise was sold and the UK got to witness this incredible spectacle first-hand. Hopefully it won’t be 30 years before the show rolls into town again.

Thomas & Friends welcomes first autistic character

Mattel has announced the introduction of Bruno, the first autistic character in the Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go series and franchise. Mattel Television has developed Bruno in collaboration with organisations including the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) and Easterseals Southern California, as well as autistic writers and spokespeople. Voiced by nine-yearold actor Elliott Garcia, who is himself autistic, the new character is now appearing in Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go! on Channel 5 Milkshake!

Described as a a joyful, pun-making brake car, Bruno rolls in reverse at the end of the train, which gives him a unique perspective on the world. Elliot explained: “Bruno is a new friend for Thomas and his friends, and he’s also autistic, like me. He is funny, smart and he’s a very relaxed character. He can get really overwhelmed, he can get worried, and he uses comedy to get past situations. Bruno loves schedules and timetables and when everything goes to plan.”

Through his on-screen presence, Bruno introduces audiences to a positive neurodivergent role model. Together with key partners, Mattel has carefully curated Bruno’s character to respectfully and artistically create an accurate fictional representation of autism.

“Bruno’s introduction organically embraces a global audience that is underrepresented and deserves to be celebrated in children’s programming,” said Christopher Keenan, senior vice president & executive producer, Global Content Development and Production at Mattel. “So much care and thought went into the development of his character, and we can’t wait for audiences to meet and love Bruno as much as we do.”

Head of Guidance, Volunteering & Campaigns at the National Autistic Society, Tom Purser, added: “It’s important that everyone sees autistic characters on our screens: there are 160,000 school-age autistic children in the UK, and they want to see their stories told. It’s also important that non-autistic children get insight and understanding into what it can be like to be autistic.”

A key character within the Thomas & Friends franchise, Bruno’s introduction will span across all content with appearances in a YouTube series, music album, the Thomas & Friends Storytime podcast, the upcoming Mystery of Lookout Mountain special, and consumer products. Bruno the Brake Car is also available in toy form and will be included in a range of products available later in the year.

Havas negotiates Netflix advertising deal

Havas Media Group has worked to put together an international deal with Netflix for its clients. Matt Smith, head of Activation explains more.

In a world where content can be streamed anytime and anywhere, opportunities to reach parents and children have proved to be an ongoing challenge for toy advertisers as ad free giants, led by Netflix, dominate eyeballs. Netflix is available across 190 countries, with 221m subscribers, and 760m social media fans. When the platform announced earlier this year that it was due to launch an advertiser supported model, there was naturally a great deal of interest and a huge appetite from brands to reach unattainable audiences that no longer tune into commercial television.

Since the announcement, the Havas Media Group has been working to put an international deal together with Netflix for clients and can now confirm that Netflix will launch a new lower priced advertising supported subscription model for consumers on 1st Nov 2022, across 12 markets including the UK. Here is what we know so far about what the new ad funded Netflix model will look like for advertisers, and what this will mean for toys:

Netflix has chosen Microsoft as global advertising, technology and sales partner. Its data-enabled technology platform – Xandr – will offer a simple exclusive execution platform to access Netflix inventory.

Kids profiles will not carry advertisements and content aimed at children will also not have adverts (irrespective of which Netflix user profile is used to view the content).

Netflix will carry four minutes of pre-roll/mid-roll advertising per hour of standard content, while movies will only have pre-roll advertisements in advance of the film.

There will be 30” and 15” formats available at launch.

There will be frequency capping of one ad per hour and three per day to ensure minimal repetition for both viewer and brand.

The deal is a work in progress. With new parameters coming into play in 2023, Havas is working closely with Netflix to ensure that toys and games advertisers are part of the conversation. The Havas agency continues to evolve and extend its services to clients across media, creative, content, data and eCommerce.

For more details and to discuss further how this could work for their brand, readers can get in touch with Matt on matt.smith@havasgmg.com.

Argos reveals its Top Toys for Christmas

With Christmas now fewer than 100 days away, Argos has announced its highly anticipated compilation of the top 15 toys that are set to dominate Christmas wish lists in 2022. The list of 15 toys includes toys at a range of prices to suit all budgets.

This year’s list sees traditional film franchises such as Harry Potter and Transformers continue to influence as well as brands such as Pokémon and Barbie. Elsewhere, the list is heavily influenced by the small screen, with toys from the worlds of Bluey, Paw Patrol and Gabby’s Dollhouse. With gifts starting at just £10, parents aiming to cut back on Christmas spending have some great options to choose from this year, including products from Chad Valley, Nerf and Sink N’ Sand.

Fay Williams, head of Toy Buying at Argos, said: “This year’s top toy list is a great mixture of classic and much-loved toys such as Lego as well as newer brands like Squishmallows. With the cost of living on customers’ minds, we wanted to make sure that over half of our top toys were under £50, so parents can still make this time of year special without spending beyond their means.”

Argos' Top 15 Toys for Christmas 2022, in price order (lowest-highest) are as follows:

• Chad Valley Dinosaur Waterfall Bath Toy (Argos) - £10

• Paw Patrol Big Truck Pups (Spin Master) - £18

• Squishmallows plush (Jazwares) - £18

• Nerf Elite 2.0 Ranger PD-5 Blaster (Hasbro) - £18

• Pokémon TCG Tin (The Pokémon Company) - £19

• Sink N' Sand Game (Spin Master) - £20

• Jiggly Pets Giraffe (Character Options) - £30

• Barbie Cutie Reveal Snowflake Sparkle Husky (Mattel) - £33

• Fisher-Price DJ Bouncin’ Beats Musical Toy (Mattel) - £45

• Hot Wheels Action Spiral Speed Crash Track Set (Mattel) - £65

• Bluey S7 School Playset and Adventure Bus Bundle (Moose Toys) - £75

• Gabby’s Purrfect Dollhouse (Spin Master) - £89

• Lego Harry Potter Ministry of Magic Modular Set (The Lego Group) - £90

• Lego Icons Optimus Prime Transformers Robot Model Set (The Lego Group) - £160

• Lego Technic McLaren Formula 1 Race Car Model Set (The Lego Group) - £170

SMF Toytown unveils strong set of 2021 results

SMF Toytown has released its annual results for 2021, in which sales increased by 39.2% to reach £14.96m. In addition, the balance sheet value of the company was up 33.4% at £4.76m, as the increase in sales was accompanied by significant profit growth. The specialist toy chain operates over 30 stores, with two new branches about to be added to the store estate in the coming weeks.

Talking to Toy World, owner Alan Simpson was delighted with the results: “It was a pretty impressive year overall," he commented. "In fact, these were pretty unreal results given the trading conditions last year, which reflects the sterling job performed by the team at SMF.”

Alan also said that last year’s strong performance has continued so far this year, with sales up 65% so far in 2022. He also confirmed that the retailer will be adding to its existing 30+ store estate. “We plan to open two further stores this year. I have been working in Perth, preparing for the new store opening there. That will be followed by Coventry, where we will be opening a new branch in the West Orchards Shopping Centre in mid-October – it will be based on the first floor of the former Debenhams store on Smithford Way. However, we are under no illusions; we anticipate that trading will be challenging given current circumstances.”

Industry Moves

Creative Kids introduces new international sales manager

Arts and crafts company

Creative Kids has appointed Maria Betania De Freitas is its new international sales manager. Maria started in consumer products at Sambro, where she managed existing European accounts and then opened new horizons for all the company’s categories around the world. She most recently worked at Sinco where she developed a full export/international process for the business. Commenting on her new role, Maria said: “I am super excited to be with such a wonderful business as Creative Kids. It has a lot of family values, good brands and great products, which are affordable for everyone.”

Creative Kids is already established within the UK and is becoming known and respected for its extensive arts & crafts and STEM toy ranges with successful owned properties, as well as an increasing licensed property portfolio. The company recently signed a multi-year, multi-national licensing partnership deal with Hasbro, which will see it produce a full range of Play-Doh products across a wide assortment of clays and compounds.

PMS International Group PLC is a Toy, Household, Seasonal and Licensed goods manufacturer based in the UK and Far East. PMS supplies many thousands of FMCG items into the Distribution, Retail, Leisure and Entertainment channels around the world.

PMS currently has an exciting opportunity for a Territory Sales Manager to join the UK based European Export Sales team. Reporting to the Export Sales Manager, you will be responsible managing and developing existing PMS accounts, identifying and opening new customer accounts in designated European territories to achieve sales and profit targets in line with the PMS business strategy.

The Role

To identify, facilitate and service the requirements of new and existing European accounts.

To report on sales activity to Export Sales Manager.

To attend customer locations across Europe as required to effect maximum sales.

To attend the PMS offices and showrooms during your working week. Attend various UK and EU trade show events.

A good command of European languages will be an advantage.

A good level of written and verbal communication with an understanding of the benefits of developing long term relationships.

A desire to be a positive part of a strong and successful Export Sales Team.

This is a full time position with customary hours being from 9am -5pm Monday to Friday from the PMS UK Headquarters (although option to work from home subject to location can be considered) However, this should be seen as the minimum as this role requires flexibility to work untypical hours when required, ie weekend trade shows overnight stays while travelling to visit customers.

The details of the excellent remuneration package will be explained upon application.

Please contact John Costi-Mouyia ( jcostimouyia@pmsplc.com) with your CV and covering letter.

Penguin Ventures welcomes Kelly Ball as head of Retail

Penguin Ventures, the licensing and consumer products team within Penguin Random House Children’s, has appointed Kelly Ball in a newly created role of head of Retail.

Kelly will report to David Sprei, commercial director at Penguin Ventures, and will be responsible for driving commercial growth and brand presence across online and offline retail environments, securing opportunities for Ventures’ portfolio of iconic literary children’s brands including The World of Peter Rabbit, The World of The Snowman, Flower Fairies and Fun With Spot.

David said: “Kelly’s experience in executing strategic brand retail activations, together with her clear commercial and digital first mindset, will help to drive impactful and commercial success for our business across the entire Ventures portfolio.”

Kelly added: “I couldn’t be more excited to join the Penguin Ventures team. Peter Rabbit and Spot are firm favourites in my house, and I cannot wait to work with our licensees and retail partners on developing exciting brand campaigns and activations for 2024 and beyond.”

Kelly can be reached via email: KBall@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk

Moose Toys appoints new senior national account manager

Moose Toys is celebrating another addition to its global team, with the appointment of Geraint Roberts as senior national account manager. Based in Cornwall, Geraint has already started his new role and is responsible for leading the Smyths account across both UK and Ireland, as well as the CE business.

“We are extremely pleased and excited to have a Geraint on board. His experience and talent will help keep Moose on its continuing growth path. We know that Geraint will be a wonderful addition to the team and that he will embrace the fantastic culture that Moose is already so famous for,” said Tony White, UK Sales director for Moose Toys.

Geraint brings over a decade of experience across the toy and retail industries and joins Moose from Hasbro.

“Moose’s development to become the most innovative toy company in the world, and its fun and unique family values based culture, were incredibly attractive to me,” said Geraint. “I’m incredibly excited to be joining Moose Toys. The company’s growth over the last few years has been phenomenal and I’m excited to be able to be a part of its success going forward.”

Marketing

Baby Annabell partners with Motherkind for Ask the Experts campaign

Nurturing doll brand, Baby Annabell, has partnered with Zoe Blaskey, host of family podcast Motherkind, for a special series, Toddler Milestone Moments, as part of its annual Ask the Experts campaign.

Schleich commences largest marketing campaign in its 87year history

Following the unveiling of the brand’s new global strategy and relaunch in July, Schleich has embarked on its biggest marketing campaign in its 87-year history, supporting both the overall brand and its key individual franchises.

Forming part of its international umbrella campaign, the programme of activity sees Schleich run its first ever brand advertisement to further support the global strategy, logo and tagline: ‘Where stories begin’.

The 30 second manifesto ad, which started airing in September and runs across autumn/winter 2022, is designed to communicate the joy of storytelling in children, using its authentic characters to pose imaginative questions that spark a spirit of wonder such as ‘Do giraffes grow in the rain?’ and ‘Can lions keep a secret?’ The campaign features a comprehensive mix of digital, YouTube, VOD and OOH marketing including nationwide digital poster sites.

In addition, Schleich continues to support its key individual franchises with a combination of TV (including CITV, Milkshake, Nickelodeon and Pop), digital and YouTube, which also kicked off in September.

Leading the way is Horse Club Sofia’s Beauties, which launches in October. An offshoot of the Schleich’s hugely successful Horse Club, the new property features authentic horses with long manes and tails which can be brushed, decorated and interchanged, and larger play sets.

The Horse Club TVC focuses on the three new Horse Club sets including the brand’s first modular offering, the extendible Lakeside Riding Centre. This set includes three horses and stalls, a wash station, a hayloft with sleeping bags and fences which can be connected to make a large paddock. The Centre can be assembled and expanded in a variety of ways with a base and two additional new extension models – the Horse Stall Extension and Horse Shop (both featured in the TVC).

In the ever-popular Dinosaurs world, the TVC will feature the new Dinosaur Transport Mission set as well as established favourites in the range, including the Volcano Expedition Base Camp and the Large Dino Research Station.

Now in its third year, Ask the Experts followed on from two previous campaigns which saw the brand team up with experts from the parenting space to share advice on important milestone topics and how doll play can support toddlers’ development.

This year’s campaign saw four Baby Annabell podcasts hosted on the Motherkind channel. Expert host Zoe Blaskey covered important topics for parents and caregivers, including back to nursery worries with child and educational psychologist Dr Nneka Ikegou, welcoming a new sibling with clinical psychologist Dr Martha Deiros Collado, creating healthy eating habits with popular nutritionist Charlotte Stirling-Reid and creating successful sleep routines with sleep expert Lucy Wolfe.

The new mini-series launched on 5th September, with each episode going live every Monday until the end of the month. Each episode was an hour long and the series focused on the role doll play can have in little ones’ lives during those key developmental milestones, as well as providing key nuggets of advice and tips for parents and carers.

Dr Nnecka Ikegou kicked off the series, followed by Dr Martha Deiros Collado, Charlotte Stirling-Reid and, lastly, Lucy Wolfe.

Kasia Leskow, head of UK marketing at Zapf Creation, said: “With more and more parents turning to podcasts for advice and support than ever before, this felt like the perfect time to team up with one of the leading parenting platforms in the podcast space, for the third year of our Ask the Experts campaign. This will, in turn, generate compelling tips and advice around key toddler moments and support that all-important message of how doll play supports younger children’s development.”

The campaign was bolstered through a partnership with parenting magazine Mother and Baby, social media and press office activity, building brand awareness of the best-loved Baby Annabell doll and accessories and supporting younger children’s development this autumn/winter.

New Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live Glow Party dates for 2023

Coming off a hugely successful Glow Party debut in North America, the popular family entertainment tour Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Glow Party is kicking off its 2023 campaign across Europe, with multiple shows in Belgium, Denmark, Poland, Spain and the UK including Glasgow, London, Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham in January and April.

The new experience brings audiences the opportunity to watch live as their favourite Hot Wheels Monster Trucks –Mega Wrex, Tiger Shark, Boneshaker, Bigfoot and the all-new Gunkster – light up the floor in outrageous competitions and battles.

Event performances will also feature spectacular laser light shows, dance parties and Hot Wheels toy giveaways, plus a special appearance from the car-eating, fire-breathing transforming robot Megasaurus and the electrifying high-flyers of Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live, Freestyle Motocross.

A Crash Zone Pre-Show Party will be held before every performance. The unique experience gives fans access to the competition floor to see the outrageous designs and epic size of the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks along with autograph signings from their favourite drivers and performers. Each ticket includes an autograph card plus a souvenir pass and lanyard exclusive to Crash Zone attendees.

“We are thrilled to be embarking on our third UK tour of Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live,” said Tim McWilliams, senior vice president Touring, International Music, Live Nation. “As the world’s largest live-entertainment company, we are part of many incredible shows, but Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live provides a new dimension in family entertainment that never fails to impress.”

Ken Hudgens, CEO of Family Entertainment Live, added: “With the success of the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live Glow Party thus far, we’re excited to continue the amazing experience into 2023, both in the United States and internationally.”

For further information and tickets visit www.livenation.co.uk

Licensing World

Ravensburger unveils Disney Lorcana TCG

Ravensburger has announced a collaboration with Disney to launch Disney Lorcana, slated for release in autumn 2023. This brand-new trading card game (TCG) will feature beloved Disney characters in both original and reimagined art styles that live in an all-new world with unique and magical gameplay.

“Disney Lorcana is the result of the powerful alchemy of Disney magic, Ravensburger game excellence and several years of dedicated work and investment,” said Filip Francke, Ravensburger North America CEO and global head of Games. “This potent combination has poised Disney Lorcana to be a game-changer in the billion-dollar-plus trading card game market.”

Rooted in the magic of Disney characters and storytelling, Disney Lorcana is easy to learn for TCG newcomers while still offering strategic depth for experienced players to help create opportunity for more people to enjoy the excitement and fun of TCGs. Disney fans will enjoy the beautiful illustrations, overarching storyline and playing with their favourite characters in new and novel ways, while veteran TCG players will also appreciate the thoughtful and unique gameplay mechanics that Ravensburger is known to deliver.

“The breadth and scope of Disney characters represented in this game will be unprecedented, and it will contain more original Disney artwork than any other single product ever created,” said John Balen, vice president of Product Design at Disney.

The game is set in the rich and fantastical world of Lorcana, a combination of the words Lore and Arcana. Players take on the mantle of Illumineer, a powerful sorcerer, and band together Disney characters from Lorcana’s “The Great Illuminary,” a treasury of all Disney songs and stories ever made.

Ryan Miller, Disney Lorcana co-designer and brand manager at Ravensburger, added: “Great care has gone into delivering an unforgettable world and gameplay experience that will be equally fun for Disney superfans, trading card game beginners and the most enthusiastic and advanced players.”

Seven characters from Disney Lorcana will be revealed at D23 (The Official Disney Fan Club). Disney Lorcana will be released globally in autumn 2023 and will be supported by four new card set releases each year as well as a robust organised play programme.

Moonbug inks distribution deal for Go Buster and Lellobee

Moonbug Entertainment has announced its first distribution deal with The Walt Disney Company in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, expanding its partnership with Disney in multiple territories. Go Buster and Lellobee City Farm, both spin-off series of the world-renowned Little Baby Bum, are now available on Disney+.

Launched in September, 30 episodes of Go Buster and 78 episodes of Lellobee City Farm are being offered in multiple languages on Disney+ including Dutch, Arabic, French, Italian, German and Polish.

“This deal with Disney marks yet another milestone for Moonbug as we continue to expand our reach across EMEA and beyond,” said Nicolas Eglau, managing director EMEA & APAC, Moonbug. “We are thrilled to extend our partnership with Disney and look forward to bringing the world of Go Buster and Lellobee City Farm to Disney+ viewers.”

Go Buster, about a little bus called Buster, sees the curious six year-old, going on adventures with his vehicle friends. The show helps children uncover their adventurous spirit, to find the courage to try new things and face their fears.

Lellobee City Farm is a vibrant animated music-based show, set on Grandma Mei’s fantastical urban micro farm. The farm is a welcoming oasis in a cosmopolitan city, where granddaughter Ella and her friend Rishi play and learn with animals, singing plants and vegetables.

These properties join the line-up at the award-winning global entertainment company behind some of the most popular kids’ titles in the world, including CoComelon, Blippi, Little Baby Bum, Little Angel, My Magic Pet Morphle, Supa Strikas, Go Buster, Playtime with Twinkle, Gecko’s Garage, ARPO and many more.

WildBrain CPLG has appointed PMI as the novelty toy and games consumer products partner for Sonic Prime, the much-anticipated new animated series launching on Netflix later this year. The series is co-produced by WildBrain and Sega, who are teaming up on a 360-degree approach across production, distribution and licensing. The deal was brokered by WildBrain CPLG on behalf of WildBrain and Sega, and by Big Picture Licensing representing PMI.

Omer Dekel, COO at PMI Ltd., commented: “Partnering with the iconic Sonic brand will no doubt be a huge adventure. Our new product line based on the new Sonic Prime series features a mix of core designs and some very cool new designs. We are very excited about the upcoming line of top quality licensed products and joining Sega’s Sonic ecosystem alongside the Netflix series, movie and gaming. On a personal note, I now get an extra kick seeing how much my young son loves Sonic, just as I did when I was a boy myself.”

Sonic Prime is slated for debut in winter 2022, and following the series debut, an exclusive line of Sonic Prime products from PMI is planned for a multi-territory launch in early 2023. It will include collectibles, mini figures, clip-on plush, stampers, games and more.

Maarten Weck, EVP & MD at WildBrain CPLG, said: “PMI has a preeminent reputation for bringing IP to life with engaging and affordable toys and collectibles, making it an excellent partner for Sonic Prime. We’re excited to see this consumer products campaign shape up with momentum building ahead of the launch. Sonic fans are in for a real treat”.

Sonic Prime aims to captivate fans of all ages and will match the scale and scope of the epic adventures synonymous with the Sonic franchise. The series launch builds on the tremendous momentum generated by the franchise over recent years, with the brand’s 30th anniversary celebrated in 2021.

Ivo Gerscovich, chief brand & business officer at Sega, noted: “Sonic the Hedgehog has continued to shatter records in 2022, becoming one of the largest entertainment brands in the world. We’re proud to be partnering with PMI whose reputation proceeds itself within the licensing space.”

Horrid Henry adds Winning Moves and John Adams as licensees

Novel Entertainment’s Horrid Henry brand has seen products from Winning Moves and John Adams join its consumer products portfolio.

Winning Moves has launched a special Horrid Henry edition of the classic Top Trumps card game, containing 30 cards full of fun stats, including Musical Talent, Detention Rating and a Moody Score. It also contains character bios of the most-loved characters from Horrid Henry, including Brainy Brian, Miss Battle-Axe and Henry himself, all in an easy-to-carry travel pack, meaning the game can be played anywhere, anytime. The game launched at retail in August.

Megan Lowe, senior licensing manager, Winning Moves UK, commented: “Winning Moves is really excited to work with Horrid Henry on this special edition of Top Trumps, combining two much-loved family brands. It’s a great licence that has believable, likeable and well-rounded characters that celebrate individuality and friendship, all whilst making us laugh.”

This month, John Adams will launch a Horrid Henry version of its popular book-making studio Bookeez, which encourages children to express themselves through their own stories, bringing their own books, journals, poems and comics to life by decorating, stamping and stencilling pages using the special Bookeez tools.

The Horrid Henry version will mark the first licensed version of Bookeez and feature Horrid Henry packaging and a Bookeez Studio in the character’s signature blue and yellow. Horrid Henry sticker sheets and pre-punched covers are also included so fans can create their own themed stories around their favourite fictional characters.

Lynette Leet, marketing manager, John Adams Leisure, said: “We’ve had amazing success with Bookeez, but have been waiting for the perfect partner to create a licensed version to reach a whole new audience. Horrid Henry is an iconic brand that is loved by children all over the world who will now be able to create inspiring stories and cheeky adventures with their favourite Horrid Henry characters.”

Horrid Henry is broadcast in over 150 territories outside the UK. There is an active licensing and merchandising programme in place and the property was successfully adapted for the stage in London’s West End and across the UK. The character’s official YouTube channel has attracted 1.6b views to date.

Embracer acquires IP rights to Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit

Embracer Group AB, through its wholly owned subsidiary Freemode, has entered into an agreement to acquire Middle-earth Enterprises, a division of The Saul Zaentz Company, which owns a vast intellectual property catalogue and worldwide rights to motion pictures, video games, board games, merchandising, theme parks and stage productions relating to The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Embracer’s operative group Asmodee Group is already one of the most successful licensees of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit through board games and card games, having published over a dozen games with over 100 expansions since the release of The Lord of the Rings board game over 20 years ago, including classics such as The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game and The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth, a fully-cooperative, app-supported board game.

“I am truly excited to have The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, one of the world’s most epic fantasy franchises join the Embracer family,” commented Lars Wingefors, founder and Group CEO at Embracer Group. “I am thrilled to see what lies in the future for this IP with Freemode and Asmodee.”

Through its Middle-earth Enterprises division, The Saul Zaentz Company also has produced and licensed a wide variety of successful video games, board games, stage productions and merchandise based on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit for more than forty-five years.

Marty Glick, COO of The Saul Zaentz Company added: “We could not be more thrilled that Embracer is now taking up the responsibility of The Tolkien rights, and we are confident its group will take it to new heights and dimensions while maintaining homage to the spirit of these great literary works.”

Key upcoming works set in Middle-earth include the much-heralded Amazon series The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, set thousands of years before The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings; the animated movie The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (Warner Bros), set for release in 2024, and the mobile game The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth (Electronic Arts).

Hey Duggee returns for fourth series

Hit animation Hey Duggee returned with its new series on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer this September with five special episodes revealing what happened when each Squirrel visited Duggee for the very first time, as children in England and Wales prepared for their first days at school.

The First Day Badge episodes are included in 20 new episodes released on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer from the fourth series of the show, made by Studio AKA.

New episodes are released every Monday on BBC iPlayer and aired daily on CBeebies from 7.05am. They include: Norrie’s First Day and The Moving Badge, Roly’s First Day and The Spot the Difference Badge, Happy’s First Day and The Library Badge, Tag’s First Day and The Hat Badge and Betty’s First Day and The Choreography Badge.

Hey Duggee is a fun, inclusive and educational series devised by Grant Orchard, senior director of Studio AKA, and narrated by comedian Alexander Armstrong. Each episode features members of the Squirrel Club exploring, learning and overcoming challenges to earn a new Badge from Duggee, making new friends along the way.

Since launching in 2014, Hey Duggee has become a six-time BAFTA and international Emmy awardwinning hit on CBeebies and was the most-watched kids’ show on BBC iPlayer in 2021 and 2020. All episodes are available exclusively on BBC iPlayer in the UK. Hey Duggee has over 1.2m fans across its social channels and its official YouTube channel has over 1b lifetime views.

Earlier this year, Hey Duggee teamed up with Sir David Attenborough for The Green Planet Badge a special episode to share the wonder of plants and even topped the bestseller list on World Book Day.

Hey Duggee is also heading out on tour for the first time ever with Hey Duggee The Live Theatre Show visiting 24 venues around the UK, beginning in December.

Just Play brings Sesame Street characters to life

Just Play has announced the introduction of its brand-new Sesame Street range, with toys designed to support children’s learning and development.

There are few brands as well known and recognised as Sesame Street; the brand is synonymous with essential core values, helping kids grow smarter, stronger and kinder.

New master toy partner Just Play has announced a few of the products which will be launched in Spring 2023. Potty Time Elmo is themed around the inevitable development milestone in every toddler and carer relationship and has been designed to come to the rescue, assisting parents during potty-training, providing light-hearted fun and entertainment for the child whilst helping to reduce stress for the adult.

Potty Time Elmo consists of an Elmo plush who sits on his potty showing children the process required, celebrating success and announcing when it is time to wash hands. The item is inspired by YouTube content Sesame Street: Potty Time, which has a staggering 22m views.

There is also a new learning phone, Elmo’s Cell Phone, which offers enhanced language features, teaching phonics and numbers and will make an ideal gift.

Just Play also has an innovative collection of figures including some of Sesame Street’s most iconic characters. These figures offer a sensory benefit, providing a satisfying clicking sound as the arms and legs are moved, incorporating ASMR and wellbeing benefits for additional play value and developmental support.

The Sesame Street brand was created to support children in their learning and development journey, and Just Play is committed to building its marketing campaigns around the caring ethos of the iconic brand. It is working closely with Sesame Workshop to ensure that both the product range and the activity is purposeful, and there will be a number of purpose-led campaigns throughout 2023.

With new content to come in 2023, ensuring Sesame Street continues to resonate with today’s pre-schoolers, Just Play is looking forward to an exciting year.

Monster High expands with Rubies licence

Rubies is excited to announce the acquisition of the Monster High licence for costumes. The officially licensed range, due to be launched in 2023, will have mass appeal with young fans, especially for next year’s Halloween - with werewolves, vampires, sea creature costumes and more. First debuting in 2010, the Monster High franchise continues its strong fashion led identity, as the teenage children of legendary monsters return for a new generation.

Ruth Henriquez, Head of Consumer Products Mattel EMEA commented: “It’s great to see the extension of our partnership with Rubies with the addition of Monster High. As a brand rooted in fashion and self-expression, we are thrilled to bring this new line of costumes to our fans old and new, as we begin an exciting future for this much-loved franchise.”

Monster High’s ethos of fostering a more accepting world, where everyone is proud to be their authentic self, aligns perfectly with Rubies values. Monster High as a brand has $2.6b in franchise sales since launch, with 150m+ dolls sold and 11b lifetime YouTube views. On top of this, the brand has an exciting slate coming up, debuting its first ever liveaction movie this October on Nickelodeon.

Mike O’Connell, managing director for Rubies, added: “With the production of our Barbie and Fireman Sam ranges and the recent development of our He-Man costumes, our partnership with Mattel is reaching new heights. We’re delighted to be adding yet another well-loved and popular brand to our mammoth portfolio of licences and can’t wait to see what fans think of our upcoming Monster High costumes. On top of this, we’re excited to be adding a brand which lines up with our values that we promote through our products; primarily, being true to oneself and self-expression.”

Rubies official licensed Monster High costumes are currently in early stages of development and are due to be launched next year.

Aspire, Kärcher and Smoby Toys collaborate on role-play range

Aspire, the dedicated Corporate & Lifestyle division of brand licensing agency WildBrain CPLG, has secured a deal with the Simba Dickie Group’s Smoby Toys. Brokered by WildBrain CPLG’s German office on behalf of Alfred Kärcher SE & Co. KG, the partnership will see Smoby Toys create a role-play toy range based on the design of original indoor and outdoor Kärcher products.

The extensive line will feature toys inspired by products from Kärcher, including a pressure washer, a window cleaner and a handled cleaner, targeted at key toy and DIY retailers across Europe, with the first range of products expected to launch from 2023.

Victoria Whellans, commercial director at Aspire, said: “As we extend the Kärcher brand into complementary product areas that reflect the company’s values, this new partnership with Smoby Toys will provide an exciting opportunity for younger fans to be introduced to the world of Kärcher through engaging role-play products. Kärcher and Smoby Toys share an ethos of creating innovative and high-quality products, and we have enjoyed presenting this creative toy range to potential retail partners at BLE.

Bernard Russac, marketing & communications manager at Smoby Toys SAS, added: “Kärcher is undoubtedly a strong, trusted and valued brand, with wide international recognition. We’re very excited to partner with it and create a range of realistic role-play toys that are inspired by some of the company’s most iconic products.”

Kärcher is an established and market-leading manufacturer of home and professional cleaning equipment, recognised for innovative products including pressure washers, window vacuum cleaners, hard floor cleaners and more. The German company is family-owned and operates worldwide, with its products sold by over 150 companies across 78 countries.

Aspire represents Kärcher across Europe and is developing a licensing programme targeting adults and kids across further categories including workwear, storage and promotions.

Squeezes squishesand

As the toy market heads into the all-important Q4 selling period, Melissa examines current sales trends and look ahead to how these are likely to develop for the rest of 2022.

Aswe reach the start of the peak season, the UK toy market is currently down -4% in value and -10% in units for Year-To-Date August 2022 versus the same period a year ago. However, the last couple of months have seen sales increase, with July value up +10% and August +1%. The first growth months of the year were helped by the good weather finally driving Outdoor toy sales.

With the cost of living increasing, the macroeconomic challenges and their impact on the toy market has much been discussed in the last few weeks.

In July, the NPD Group’s Future of Toys service asked consumers across the EU5 countries (UK, France, Germany, Italy & Spain) if they thought they would spend more, less or the same on toys in the next six months. The UK was the only country where more people said they would spend less, while the other countries were more optimistic. The picture isn’t entirely straightforward though; while the UK toy market value may be down YTD, there are some areas that continue to thrive in challenging times.

Licences continue to outperform the rest of the toy market - as they have for the last three years -and now account for 29% of toy sales, up from 23% in the same period in 2019. Movies and cinema re-openings helped, and Jurassic World has become the fastest growing license in the toy market so far this year. Disney Encanto is the largest new licence, following the film release at the end of 2021 and the subsequent streaming. Other film licences that have seen strong performances since the start of the year are Batman and Sonic the Hedgehog. Streaming content has also helped toy sales, noticeably the mix of Star Wars and Marvel content, with the properties up +15% and +13% as well as being the No.1 and No.2 properties respectively.

Stranger Things lines have also grown YTD, while Video Game properties have also performed well, especially Minecraft and Among Us.

New launches in the last year now account for 28% of the market YTD, up +5% on new launches in 2021, with the Pre-school area having some particularly strong new entrants. Spidey and His Amazing Friends and Bluey have been growing throughout the year, while the recent release of Gabby’s Dollhouse products in the UK is on course to repeat the brand’s huge US success. Also in Pre-school, Toniebox is the fastest growing brand, leading the Pre-school Talking and Sound category with a range of licensed and non-licensed figures. The Weebles relaunch has also added sales to the Pre-school category.

Elsewhere, Squishmallows is the fastest growing brand across the total Toy Market YTD, driving Traditional Plush category growth along with Ty Squish-a-Boos. Squishmallows has the benefit of appealing to both kids and adult collectors, as well as benefiting from the sensory trends in the market. For the older age ranges, Lego Creator Expert has grown +46%, helped by a strong performance from the

Botanical lines. Collectibles is also growing this year, up +8% with 5 Surprise, Funko Pop and Real Littles all showing double digit growth and the Magic Mixies brand expanding into collectibles. The new series of Premier League Adrenalyn cards has also had a strong start, ahead of the Qatar World Cup which is likely to drive Panini’s market share in Q4.

On the retailer side, Toy Specialists have performed exceptionally well this year, up +32% to August and accounting for 29% of the market, according to The NPD Group’s new Consumer 360 service. While Q1 growth was against a lockdown the previous year, Specialist sales continued to grow into Q2 and for July and August, with consumers appreciating the broad mix of product and in store expertise. Overall, in-store toy sales up +9%, while online sales have fallen to 45% of all sales.

Looking ahead to the remaining months, while there may be some challenges, there will also be opportunities for innovative and agile businesses. Games is always a strong category in the last months of the year, with potential squeeze on external entertainment spend - families and kidults may fondly recall the fun of Games during the lockdown period. Some higher price points will continue to do well for Christmas as always, as long the products provide play value, and licences look set to continue to drive toy sales. As ever in the toy market, it seems that challenges and opportunities often go hand in hand.

Melissa Symonds

Director UK Toys, EuroToys NPD

With an average selling price of £183, Lego’s Super Heroes Marvel Sanctum Santorum is an early winner among the high-priced items for the second half the year. Marvel has performed strongly this year and is the number two bestselling property across the total toy market YTD, up +13%. Building Sets is the largest supercategory for the property, accounting for 41% of sales, while Action Figures enjoys a 35% share. Infant/Toddler and Pre-school is the third largest category, followed by Games and Puzzles, with all categories in growth vs. 2021

Top 10 Fastest

Ranked by value gained

The fastest growing category for the UK toy market this year continues to be Traditional Plush, where Squishmallow is the star performer. Squishmallow is the fastest growing property across total toys Year-ToDate. However, both Ty and Rainbocorns are also strong performers in the category, and licensed Pokémon, Peppa Pig and Bluey plush is also driving growth. While Pokémon also dominates Strategic Trading Card Games with two thirds of all sales and continuing to grow, the Match Attax Football range is also growing and gaining ground.

In Action Figure Collectibles, Funko Pop! is the top growing property, but the last few months have also seen SuperThings new range deliver growth, as well as video game properties such as Minecraft and Among Us. Special Feature/Interactive Plush growth is coming from a range of properties, with CoComelon, Magic Mixies, Fur Real Pets Alive and Little Live all up on last year. Standard Building Sets growth is driven by licences - especially Star Wars, Marvel Universe, DC Universe and Jurassic Parkwhile Star Wars and Marvel are driving Action Figures Role Play & Dress Up. Miscellaneous toys growth is due to 5 Surprise Mini Brands, while Fashion Role Play & Dress Up growth is due to Purse Pets and Fab Lab.

Talking Shop

Winter is coming

This month, Sam Giltrow and Suzie Sparkes chat to a selection of indie retailers to find out their current best sellers and how both they and their customers are getting ready for the festive season.

Lisa Clay - Armadillo Toys, Leeds

Thebusiness is doing well currently, and we are very happy with everything. Quite often, we see slow trading over the summer, with lots of families going away, but we have been exceptionally busy during the school holidays, and I think we’ve probably had our best summer ever.

We’ve also introduced a new initiative recentlymaking up gift bags for different age groups, which have been really popular. We wrap the toys up and put them in a bag with a card on showing what’s inside, so the customer can see what presents they’re buying, but it’s all ready to gift. The bags have been really well received, it’s something different that makes life easy for the customer.

Our top performing ranges are Ty plush, Schleich figurines and anything from Orchard Toys. We don’t invest heavily in licensed merchandise, but a few lines which sell well include Dobble, with Harry Potter and L.O.L. Surprise!, and Top Trumps, which features a number of on-trend licences. These have been very popular with customers looking for travel games.

The average basket spend is still encouraging and we haven’t noticed any impact yet from the current cost-of-living crisis. I thought this would be much more noticeable and was quite concerned, so I’m rather surprised. We are in quite an affluent area, but even in an affluent area, if your bills increase you may have to start living to within your means. But we are not seeing this take effect just yet.

I am not too worried about the rise in energy costs as I managed to fix my rate for four years back in May. I was shocked then at the price, because it had more than doubled, but now I am very happy that I took the decision to lock it in – in hindsight, it’s a good rate. I have seen other businesses discussing their bills which look incredible and very scary, so I count myself lucky. Fortunately, we don’t have excessive energy costs, as

to Christmas, and whether customers will still be spending the usual amount, but the current signs are that it will be okay. I think people will still want to

using during the winter. I’ve taken advantage of any offers or deals I’ve come across throughout the year, so that we can make extra margin or, more importantly,

continue to offer customers a good price. Even when we have had price increases and we have been forced to pass these on to the customer, we have ensured that other options remain at affordable price points. If you have the capacity to store the stock and pay for it, then I think it’s a shrewd move – although our stockroom is

now at Christmas levels already.

This festive season, we plan to offer a Christmas version of the gift bags we recently introduced, which will be ready to pick up and go. Initiatives like this - a point of difference and making something special for the customer - is just the kind of thing you can do as an independent to make your shop stand out.

Overall, I am optimistic about Q4, but you never know what’s round the corner. However, with our customers currently spending more than ever, we are happy with how things are going.

Fidelis Rice - Totally Toys, Castlebar, Co. Mayo

WWehave been selling a lot of L.O.L. Surprise!, Lego and outdoor toys over the summer, and trading overall has been very positive. In particular, Smoby slides and playhouses have been popular. We usually take a container of Smoby product to sell throughout the year; it’s not stocked in some of the bigger retailers locally, and that gives us a point of difference. The Smoby range has good quality products which don’t just sell in the summer months - the kitchens and supermarkets also sell well at Christmas.

We stock a good range of character licensed toys, but what sells in Ireland is often different to the UK. For instance, Bluey hasn’t really taken off here – rather than content from the BBC and Netflix being guaranteed winners, we find more of our customers are fans of shows on Sky. CoComelon is an exception though: having started on YouTube, it is really established as a brand now, and we carry a range of product from Bandai and Clementoni. Little Live Pets, from Moose Toys, is a strong seller for us and so is Character’s Heroes of Goo Jit Zu range.

We carry a selection of farm toys which are very popular – we stock a wide range from Bruder. These make up our bread-and-butter lines, along with other steady sellers like Lego and anything L.O.L. Surprise!

Here in Ireland, since Brexit, retail pricing is quite high. New tariffs and charges mean it can be challenging to make a decent margin, and when we compare our ranges to the bigger retailers, there’s a fair gap. We found that sales held up very well through the summer, but I expect the effects of inflation and the price of energy to hit us in the next couple of months. It really is hard to predict what will happen.

I’m certain that our Christmas club will be very important this year, so our customers can budget and spread out their costs. Although there’s uncertainty around the corner, even in the worst of times, Christmas is usually okay and people will still spend, they will perhaps just be a bit more careful this time round.

The next two or three months will be telling; it depends what the government will do to try and

up and they have promised there will be some sort of energy cap or rebate to help people. A scheme was put in place to give everyone 200 a few months ago, and it’s rumoured that they will do something similar again with a slightly increased amount, which might help to counteract the inflation problem. However, I suspect the uncertainty in people’s minds will make them a little more cautious than usual about what they spend.

To try and keep our offering attractively priced, we buy a good volume of clearance lines, and this is a key part of our business. But there’s only so much clearance stock we can buy, as we have to balance this with the high-profile ranges the customers ask for. It’s a difficult balance between sought-after toys with tight margins and stock that actually makes us some profit. With key brands, the margin is dropping year on year. The larger

Emma Dadswell - Toys N Tuck, Southend

pickings – it’s a constant battle.

This Christmas, I expect customers to buy less bigticket items, opting for a few smaller items instead. A few years ago, big budget animated toys were hugely popular, but lines like that aren’t really working in the current climate. Some kids will still set their hearts on this sort of thing though, but I expect customers who want such items will be looking online, so they can hunt around for the best price.

We recently became a Toymaster member and while we were already dealing with many of the suppliers, opening new accounts has been made a much simpler process. We also get extended credit, which will be helpful for Christmas when we need to commit to a large amount of stock.

WWe’ve

had a really good, busy summer: as it has been our 30th anniversary this year, we’ve had lots of activities going on. Despite the fact that the weather has been so good this year, we didn’t need to buy in any extra pools or summer products, as we had plenty of stock left over from last year.

Takings were up on last summer, and overall, average spend was a bit higher. Lego and Funko always sell well, and Squishmallows is still having a great time. Children seem to be getting a bit more pocket money and are often making purchasing decisions themselves.

We’ve seen fantastic sales from Gabby’s DollHouse from Spin Master, which launched in July; we decided to

stock the whole range, which includes an £80 house. We would not expect to sell items at this kind of price point until Christmas, but we initially ordered six and sold them all in the first week. The brand launched last year in the US and performed exceptionally well there over the holiday season, so there’s been a bit of a buzz about it arriving in the UK. I have placed additional orders already, in case there is going to be stock allocation.

Another line that has been selling fantastically well is the Pet Simulator X range from Click Distribution, which is a sub game of Minecraft. We didn’t really understand what it was it at first, but kids love it, and it has been hugely popular.

Pre-school and boys ranges are holding up well

and, although it feels like there is less newness in girls’ products, there are notable exceptions, such as Moose’s Magic Mixies. Little Live Pets and Real Littles are very strong too, with new introductions that have kept the collections fresh.

Hot Wheels is still a winner, so we are careful to maintain good stock levels; we have sold as many cars already this year as we did for the whole of 2021. As well as children spending their pocket money, we’re getting a lot of adult collectors who will buy a box or maybe 20 cars in one go, which we’re happy to see.

We are starting to bring in stock for the Christmas period now and its beginning to get quite congested in the stockroom. I’m pretty sure Gabby’s DollHouse will

be one of our bestsellers this year, as well as Magic Mixies; I’m expecting the Mixlings' Magic Castle to sell well at the slightly higher price point. Despite the current situation, most families will make sure presents for kids are the last thing to be affected. This makes the toy trade a resilient industry; I suspect it’s inevitable that we will feel the effects of a spending squeeze at some point, but we will be the last to do so.

Our Christmas Club is proving extra popular given the current economic climate. Last year we had around 280 people signed up and this year I’m expecting that to tip over 300. The average spend is in the region of £200 and most customers start saving in September. It’s a lot of work for us and can get a bit hectic, but it’s an important way of maintaining customer loyalty; they would rather shop with us knowing they are going to get the toys their children want, without having to splurge the money all in one go.

We had LED lights put in two years which are energy efficient and should help with our bills, thank goodness. We carry a good selection of cheaper items, which is what our customers want right now. We only stock more expensive lines if we are certain they are going to sell. Most of the Christmas gifts bought here are under the £40 mark.

Some of our orders made over the summer meant we got a price hold for later in the year, which will hopefully give us a little bit of extra margin. Selections have never been more important; it’s vital to make sure the products we select are going to sell through.

I am optimistic for the festive season. As I said earlier, spend on kids tends to get hit last, so I think we’ll still have a strong Christmas this year. People will be looking for different ways to manage and our savings club means we are an attractive option, as well as having the right offers and price points. In the New Year, the kids will come in to decide how to use the spending money they got for Christmas, which should keep sales going for a bit longer before the inevitable lull, which we are prepared for. Then bring on 2023!

Lhas happened since our last article, as we sit here in candlelight, trying to save on our energy bills - particularly the sad lead up to the Queen’s funeral which has deeply affected the nation. As a mark of respect, we made the decision early to close all of our stores for the day. It is a reminder that there are more important things in the world than selling toys.

Save your energy Lots

Looking back on trade over the last month, as the kids have gone back to school, we have been pleased with our sales figures. The early signs are that this year’s Lego Advent Calendars and other seasonal items have already got off to a good start. It is noticeable that people are starting to shop earlier than ever. This is understandable, as they try to navigate the cost of living crisis, although so far we are seeing our average basket spend increase on last year. However, the pressure on budgets is only going to intensify in the coming months as winter bites - everyone will be looking for value, and it will be important to have attractive offers in store.

I know we say this every year, but September has arrived with more stock than ever hitting our back doors. Price increases from most suppliers have occurred in the last few months, so we timed our orders to beat themand have taken stock in earlier. This has put a bit of pressure on our warehouses, but we expect our intake to slow in October, as the deluge of orders eases up. Just this week, we have had the 57 pallets in we were expecting, plus lots more that were not booked in.

There are some winners out there already; Gabby’s Doll House is selling very well, including the large playset. The new football season has seen sales of Adrenalyn Trading cards and Match Attax really take off, and the World Cup Stickers are already in demand. A few of the new Lego lines have sold well; customers seem very impressed with the new Lego Speed Champions 007 Aston Martin DB5, which appeals to a wide audience. Sonic continues to sell well, and the latest series of Mini Boos from Ty has been popular. Stock of the new Fashion Show launch from L.O.L Surprise! has just arrived, so we will be keeping an eye on that.

As a business, we have been reviewing our power consumption. We put in LED lights as standard a few years ago and are very glad we did. We have been doing daily meter readings to assess consumption by store, and to see what is being used, and have visited each store to work out where we can make savings. A few of our stores have their contracts up for renewal and are being quoted prices up to six times the previous rate. We are taking steps like making sure stockroom and office lights are switched off when not in use, and we are reducing lighting at quiet times in the stores. As our stores are located in malls, we are being hit with hefty increases in the service charge for the increased costs of powering them, a double blow along with our own costs going up. But, as a business we have always been quite nimble and reactive to things - situations like this show that we need to be.

We will be launching the Toymaster Christmas Catalogue in our stores shortly, which is a big part of our marketing for the final quarter. There are some great deals in it, and it really helps get the message across to customers that we are an ideal option for their Christmas shopping. With decent footfall finally returning after three years of disruption, we are planning a series of events in stores over the October Half term to really help drive customers and hopefully sales.

Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes Toy Barnhaus

Special Feature From Derbyto Lake Zurich

Rick Derr of Learning Express and Dave Middleton of Midco Toys have formed quite the friendship. Initially becoming aware of each other via social media, the two toy retailers, located on opposite sides of the Atlantic, have been in touch to find out how their respective experiences and views can benefit both the UK and US toy markets. Toy World caught up with the pair during Dave’s latest trip across the pond to find out what he and Rick have learned from each other.

the US that Rick notes is the ongoing struggle with big-box mentalities at toy companies that only want to deal on an FOB basis, or trade solely with mass retailers.

Dave picks up on this immediately. He says that in the UK indies often feel neglected by certain suppliers – but in the US, indies have a much harder time. “When I spoke to you back in March it was my understanding that the US toy market ran ahead of the UK,” he says. “Actually, that’s not quite the case a lot of the time. There are toys that Rick is only just receiving now that we’ve been selling in the UK for two or three months. I’d say the market is weighted far more towards the UK in terms of seeing or getting new toys first.”

Ttheirregions. Since then, a fair bit of jet-setting has taken place: Learning Express’ director of Business Development, Mike Derse, came over for the Toymaster 2022 May Show, while Dave, along with Toymaster marketing director Paul Reader, packed his suitcase and headed for Learning Express’ June 2022 conference. You can read all about these trips, and that very first Teams call, in the March, July and August issues of Toy World, all of which feature exclusive articles. Dave went back again in September, this time to stay with Rick and his wife and spend time in the Lake Zurich Learning Express store. (Toy World understands time was also made for sightseeing in

As Rick tells it, his main hope for the relationship between him and Dave – and through a wider lens,

to share information in a way that would benefit indies both in the UK and the US. He says that one his learnings has been the remarkable similarities between the two markets: he reckons only around 20% of business is done in a different fashion, and that this can be attributed simply to the fact that Toymaster is a buying group, while Learning Express is a franchise model. One of the differences with indies in

Cepia’s Pop Art Soft, a new collectible plush line of elephants featuring pop-art inspired designs such as Comic Book, Pop Corn or Sugar Skull, is a good example of this. Rick’s Lake Zurich Learning Express store is the first in the world to offer this new range from the company behind Cats vs. Pickles, while Midco Toys will be the first retailer in the UK to stock it – but it was Dave that spotted it first, at a preview in January, while Rick only found out it was available eight months later, in August. It seems like British

Special

indies have far more opportunities to spot hot new lines than their American counterparts, and this is something that can (and should) be leveraged as much as possible.

In Rick’s experience, whether a toy shop is ‘mildly or wildly successful’ lies entirely in the owner’s/manager’s hands, not in external factors. In fact, he goes so far as to say that if you don’t believe that to be true, you shouldn’t work in toys. Strong words, but Rick’s shop lies firmly towards the ‘wildly successful’ end of the spectrum, even though he's not presented with many of the same opportunities UK indies are. And although the US specialist retailer market is shrinking, and there’s a lack of younger people coming into the toy industry, Rick is still a firm believer in the power of the independent toy shop and its place in the retail landscape. Dave recounts a conversation he had with a Walmart buyer, who told him they sell 1.4 units of a certain toy per week in one particular store. Dave, meanwhile, sells between 100-200 units a week in just one of his two Midco Toys locations. In other words, some indies are outperforming nationals on certain lines by a very wide margin, and suppliers should take notice. Feedback, too, is likely to be more detailed and useful from an indie compared to a national.

“If you work with us, then there’s a goldmine of data you can tap into,” explains Rick. “Indies can help you learn early on which characters are selling the best, for example, what merchandising is having the greatest effect, how in-store placement is affecting sales and so much more. This allows toy companies to lower their research investment and save on launches. There’s a major opportunity for toy companies to curate launches in carefully chosen indies, regardless of whether that’s in the UK or the US. Just five days into the Pop Art Soft launch, we were able to start feeding

Midco Toys & Learning

deserves to be. If a toy range really takes off, we all benefit, so if we work together and use the unique qualities indies bring to the table, all our boats will rise with the tide.”

Dave also highlights that in the US, shopping is much more destination based. His shopping centre-based Derby store has more than 1,000 potential customers walking past it every Saturday, whereas Rick’s Lake Zurich Learning Express is much more rural, surrounded by horse farms and countryside. This is why Rick puts so much time and effort into his social media presence. He has to actively work to pull people out of their homes and to his store.

Another realisation Dave has come to during his time with Rick and the Learning Express group is that Toymaster really is successful at making life easy for its members. Toy World readers should by now be more than aware of the perks offered by Toymaster membership: access to around 160 leading toys and games suppliers, the Toymaster Information Management System (a time- and energy-saving internal portal which manages invoices and payments plus many other features), free branded or generic window displays, and free printed Toymaster catalogues twice a year. Too easy, even? Dave points out that some UK indies with extensive support in place aren’t thinking outside the box anymore. Compare this to indies in the US, which appear to have to work much harder, and far more proactively, to access some of the world’s biggest toy players. Maybe, Dave muses, we need a little more of this get-up-and-go attitude over here. He says: “Learning Express’ attitude towards finding the next big thing, combined with Toymaster’s unparalleled access to suppliers, would turn Toymaster into a world leading group of retailers.”

So, what else have Rick and Dave learned from

of Rick’s desk is the same as mine. His process in the morning – coming in, running off the sales from the day before, going through them, seeing what’s selling – exactly mirrors what I do. We format our reports in more or less the same way too. He’s basically my American dad now.”

Dave also tells Toy World that Rick gives far more control to his staff than he does, describing his management approach as somewhat ‘anal’ (his words, not ours). He likes to oversee all the buying at Midco, admittedly because he doesn’t like other people spending his money, whereas Rick is happy to let some of his senior staff make purchasing decisions on their own. While Dave was in the US, he overheard a call between Cepia and one of Rick’s senior staff, whom he describes as very switched on and clued up regarding which of the Pop Art Soft lines were selling the best. The Midco staff would doubtless be capable of handling the same sorts of calls, if Dave were to step back and let them. The same goes for merchandising and dealing with deliveries, which again, Dave prefers to handle himself while Rick adopts a far more laid-back, hands-off approach. (Dave assures us that Rick still works very hard all day, just on other things.)

“I’d urge Dave to develop the confidence and trust I know he has in his staff, because I’ve been through that stage of business myself and I’m better for it,” says Rick. “You’ll wear yourself out unless you bring in a good team and give them the space to grow their skills. Compensate them well, motivate and train them, and they’ll take up some of these finer details for you, giving you the ability to focus on other things.”

Rick, meanwhile, admires Dave’s attitude towards travelling and putting himself out there in new situations. He says the pandemic has left him a little more wary of getting back on planes and visiting busy shows – understandable, given he’s a grandfather – but he is now feeling inspired to once again explore what might be possible, thanks to Dave’s energy and enthusiasm and his zest for retail life.

At the end of our chat, Rick also takes a moment to highlight the role the Toy World team and James Zahn (AKA The Rockfather) of The Toy Book play in keeping the US and UK toy industries connected. He believes communication is key to the continued success of toy retail, hence his keenness to connect with Dave and to bring Toymaster and Learning Express together to swap ideas. Hopefully, as we head into the festive season and another year riddled with uncertainty, that communication will pay off for us all.

Dave

Rick

James

Leading fromthe front

Seven weeks after joining MGA Entertainment (MGA) as managing director, UK & Ireland, Sara Taylor spoke to Rachael Simpson-Jones about how she is tackling some of the challenges the company has been facing, and why both product and people matter so much to her.

WWhenthe opportunity to take up the helm at MGA UK & Ireland was presented to her, Sara says she was ready for both a change and a challenge. Many readers will know that Sara was previously at Spin Master, working there for 14 years and in the position of UK, Ireland and Amazon Europe general manager for three years. Prior to this, Sara also held senior positions at Funrise and Mattel. In total, this stalwart of the toy industry has some three decades of experience behind her and is highly respected for her expertise and knowledge, as well as her warm leadership style – and all these qualities have an integral part to play in her plans for MGA Entertainment. The new role is bigger than her previous one. As UK & Ireland MD, Sara is fully responsible for the entire UK team inclusive of finance, operations, sales, marketing, HR, planning and more, all under the one roof in Milton Keynes.

“The big question for me was whether I wanted a 20+ year career at Spin Master or a new direction,” she explains. “The need for change won out, and I must be a sucker for hard work too. Even before I took up the post, I was fully aware of the challenges I’d be inheriting. The good news is that the situation at MGA, which is fundamentally a great company, isn’t as tricky as has been made out. This is my second month here and not only is it clear what needs to be done, it’s

achievable too.”

Sara is more than happy to address what all this actually means. It’s not unfair to say that, like the toy market as a whole, MGA has had a challenging couple of years (though not in terms of sales or brand performance, which continue to be deeply impressive). Firstly, Sara is hoping to bring some stability to what she is adamant will be a long-term position: she’s the third person to head up the UK & Ireland operation in two years. Andrew Laughton, who was with the company for 12 years, was succeeded by Neil Bandtock after his retirement, and Neil then parted ways with the company after just 15 months.

Sara joins MGA as the company is transferring all its UK stock to a new, one-site warehouse, in a move which will greatly improve logistics operations and see the end to issues with the supply chain, warehousing and deliveries which MGA faced as a result of the pandemic.

Sara came into the position with her eyes open to the challenges MGA has faced and is determined to overcome them. Sara has already penned a personal letter to the trade, thanking it for its patience and promising change. The hope is that the trade, particularly retailers that have had trouble securing stock of best-selling lines, will once again believe in MGA, trust in its ability to deliver, and rebuild

previously brilliant partnerships. Sara says: “I want people to know that once our final warehouse move is completed, we’ll deliver 100% of their order, on the day we said we’d deliver it, no questions asked. It’s so important to me and to my team that we get this right going forward.”

Given its challenges, it’s remarkable that MGA has still been able to pull off the performance it has to date. As we all know, the company has some phenomenally successful brands in its portfolio including L.O.L. Surprise! and Rainbow High. Overseen by Isaac Larian, MGA Entertainment’s Founder and CEO, the company’s product development teams continue to produce toys kids really (really) want, which have played a big part in mitigating the logistics issues.

“There are two things that are very important to me: product and people,” says Sara. “Clearly, we have the former – MGA Entertainment owns several topperforming brands across several categories – and it also has an exceptionally strong team of people. It took me 20 years to realise it, but I absolutely love leadership. I love to enthuse my team, so each person can then enthuse their own teams. There’s a great line from Simon Sinek that I love: ‘People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it’. The ‘why’ is so important here. MGA benefits from having an incredibly strong team of clever, hardworking, committed people that really want to produce great toys, and with my style of hands-on leadership – which involves rolling my sleeves up and getting involved at every level – I truly think that from here, the only way is up.”

Sara is undeniably passionate about people. When she starts talking about them, she doesn’t want to stop, her energy and enthusiasm suffusing every sentence. Great things happen when teams pull together, she tells me, and her intention is to reinject this ethos into the MGA workforce. Covid and homeworking has meant the team has lost some of its ‘stickiness’, as Sara puts it. Whether by Teams/Zoom or face-to-face, Sara is driving a collaborative approach with kindness at its heart. She’s a warm and empathic leader, the kind people naturally respond positively to.

Sara says the culture at MGA is better than she expected it to be. In fact, she says it’s superb. A recent get-together, at which she was officially introduced to the rest of the UK & Ireland teams, was apparently a huge success: friendly, with a party atmosphere and fun vibe. Of course, there are always improvements that can be a made to a company’s culture but again, the chance to make these improvements is just another reason why Sara was so keen to take up the role.

Sara has plenty of opportunities to make the most of too, not least of which are recent or upcoming product launches. Best-selling fashion doll brand Rainbow High has recently launched its fourth series of dolls, which features characters with albinism and vitiligo. To celebrate the launch of the new line and to highlight

the importance of inclusivity in the toy industry, Rainbow High partnered with both Zebedee Talent modelling agency and the Vitiligo Society charity to create representative content, generate awareness of vitiligo and albinism, commission new research, and conduct media interviews on the conditions. Diversity and representation matter to parents and kids, who can expect to see many more of these sorts of toys from MGA.

The company’s content development, too, is introducing new and exciting elements for kids to get stuck into. Although MGA has long been reticent to share too many details ahead of launches, Sara does mention the exciting competitive Rainbow High vs. Shadow High theme - in form of a ‘world-famous’ music competition, Rainbowvision – that will offer huge opportunities for autumn 2023. And it’s not just toys where MGA continues to excel, but entertainment too. The Rainbow High YouTube channel has just shy of 600k subscribers and counting, and the episode which introduced the monochrome Shadow High students (Season 3, Episode 3 of Rainbow High) has racked up over 3m views. L.O.L. Surprise! is also introducing a new theme, a Winter Fashion Show, in line with a rapid product development cycle that this year has already seen the Queens and Fierce product lines hit shelves (and disappear rapidly from them soon after).

So how will MGA be supporting its products under Sara’s leadership? One area she’s placing in the spotlight is ‘retail-tainment’, an area the company has previously been very successful in. From the indies

ahead of us all, Sara notes, so a trip to a local toy shop could offer families an economical and fun way to get out the house and enjoy family time together. Of course, such activations are also a boon for retailers, which will surely help with the relationship repairs being undertaken.

Marketing, meanwhile, will span multiple platforms and touchpoints so that campaigns reach consumers wherever they are. An unsettled economic outlook makes locking in plans tricky, so Sara will be encouraging her teams to keep a weather eye on EPOS data and consumer trends, and to react accordingly: maybe placing a little more investment here, pulling back slightly there. Her approach depends on adaptability and flexibility, something smaller companies are generally better known for. However, given the team MGA has in place and the powerhouse brands in its portfolio, there’s no reason it shouldn’t work.

I asked Sara what her mid- to long-term goals are. Understandably, there’s a certain level of growth she wants to achieve; underpinned by the new warehouse setup and a fresh outlook on business with the trade, the sky is the limit there. Another best-selling brand capable of reaching the same lofty heights as L.O.L. Surprise! would obviously be nice too, and she also wants to streamline some of the behind-the-scenes processes to make MGA a much easier company to trade with at a global level. Describing it as previously ‘complex, difficult and awkward’, Sara says the changes its making should, in the next few years, see MGA win some Supplier of the Year awards. Those would look good on a shelf next to its numerous Toy of the Year accolades, I’m sure.

Sara also wants to turn MGA Entertainment into the undisputed first choice of toy companies to work for: an aspirational, even more welcoming place where talented creatives from across all sectors of the toy industry can find a place and the ‘why’ behind what they do.

“I’ve taken my 32 years in the toy industry, uprooted myself from a long-term role at the superb Spin Master, and come to work for MGA – that must say a lot about the stock I place in this company and it’s people,” Sara says. “This is not the aggressive, hard-line company people think it is. I’d heard that before I came here, and I know plenty of others have too. But now I’m here I have discovered for myself all the brilliant, passionate people that work here, and I want to put that particular myth to bed. I’m passionate about succession planning, so we’ll be putting development and retention plans in place for our existing workforce as well as new starters. We want to attract new blood to MGA to join us as we create even more of the powerhouse brands consumers know and love and restore our reputation as a leading supplier of world class toys. Hopefully, by coming here myself, I’m setting an example of why they should.”

Special Feature

Keynote

The Mattel of today

Mattel president and COO Richard Dickson delivered the keynote address at BLE 2022, which took place at London Excel from 20th-22nd September. In his standing-room-only talk, he spoke about Barbie’s rise to fame, her 2014 fall from grace (when the body positivity movement saw the doll come under fierce scrutiny) and her astonishing climb back up to become the world's No.1 Global Toy Property. After his keynote, Richard sat down with Toy World’s John Baulch and Rachael Simpson-Jones, as well as Josh Silverman, Mattel’s global head of Consumer Products and chief franchise officer, to discuss the upcoming Barbie Movie and the company's lofty goals for brand growth.

Toy World readers are already familiar with Barbie’s history and ethos, but one part of your talk might raise some eyebrows that Mattel wants to triple the Barbie consumer products business by 2025. Is there scope to achieve this when the Barbie brand is already so huge?

JS: If you look back over the brand’s history, there was a period at its peak when consumer products was doing extraordinarily well: when we measured Barbie’s CP success against that of the overall Doll business, it was actually one for one. CP was a hugely important market for us a time when Barbie was rising back up from quite a heavy fall. We were working with lots of different retailers, great licensees, fashion collaborations and more, and as we all know, things have progressed since then.

Today, our toy business is so much larger than the CP business, but CP remains there for the taking. We need to start having much more robust conversations with our licensing partners and providing the right assets so our partners can create great products, and we are also continuing to drive leadership from a strategic perspective. Today’s Mattel is very different to the Mattel of yesterday, and tomorrow’s will be

different again. With a raft of films and TV on the way, and with franchise models that we believe will unlock value proposition, that goal of tripling the business – which admittedly seems very big at first – suddenly becomes very do-able.

RD: It really is. When we talk about Barbie, we say ‘brand’, not ‘doll. When a girl wakes up in the morning she wants some element of Barbie in her day – not just doll play, but Barbie fashion, animated content, music and much more. The scope is endless.

The Barbie movie, which is slated for release July 2023, is generating much discussion and excitement: it’s fair to say consumers perhaps weren’t expecting Greta Gerwig, the woman behind Lady Bird and Little Women, to be in the director’s chair. Do you think the film is going to be a major new catalyst for the Barbie brand?

RD: Oh, for sure, the movie is going to create another level of conversation about Barbie. But it’s important to remember that the brand doesn’t depend on this movie. Barbie has gone 63 years without a movie, and she’s done pretty well anyway. Greta’s story is, of course, going to be phenomenal – some

Special Feature

Mattel BLE Keynote

of it was filmed in London and I was lucky enough to spend a little time on-set – but it’s not the only Barbie story. The movie will be a huge tentpole moment for Mattel and Barbie, and will drive enormous sales of Barbie licensed merchandise, but Barbie will always be expressed in numerous different ways.

Managing the brand as a pop-culture icon rather than a doll changes the limits of what you can do with Barbie. Whether the creative is content or products or live experiences, as long as they’re within the guardrails of the brand’s DNA then Barbie, true to the message she imparts to today’s girls, can be anything she wants to be. The movie is fun and while it flirts with pop-culture conversations, it doesn’t go over the edge of comfort. It’s a fine line to tread, but Ryan Gosling, who stars as Ken, treads it fantastically in his interviews when discussing the ‘Ken-ergy’ he brings to the role and the ‘Kennaissance’ that’s taking place right now thanks to the movie.

We’re in a good place with Barbie and the foundations are solid, which means we can stretch the narrative. The key for us is working with people who respect the brand, which Greta, Ryan and Margot [Robbie, starring as Barbie] do. It’s liberating to empower them all to go and have fun with Barbie, rather than restrict them by dictating what they can and can’t do. That attitude leads to missed opportunities.

In your keynote, you also talked about Mattel’s shift to an entertainment led company, the 13 films currently in development and the 30+ TV shows. What’s the key to managing such a vast number of projects, as well as the wider culture change?

RD: It may look like all that has happened overnight, but trust me, it hasn’t. It’s taken two years of hard work to get where we are today on the content

side of things, part of which was spent finding the right talent - people who understand the space and are authentic within it – and then empowering them to go and do what they do best. Robbie Brenner, for example, is executive producer of Mattel Films and is very well respected by the Hollywood community for her ability to create great content. Robbie has been leveraging our portfolio of IP and exploring the opportunities it gives us. Fred Soulie is out SVP & general manager of Mattel Television. He’s a natural in the space, has worked at lots of different studios creating brilliant content, and has done a tremendous job for us in a short period of time. And Josh here, of course, has come in with incredible expertise in consumer products and franchises.

What I’m saying is, our pivot to an entertainmentled company might seem sudden, but it’s been a long time in the making and it’s required some serious strategising. We’ve obviously got more to do - no company can say it’s the finished article - but this work is central to our evolution from ‘just’ a toy company into an IP-driven entity that invites all kids to engage with our stories, whether that be via publishing, theme parks, live events, movies, TV and, of course, toys.

We understand that Hot Wheels is one of Mattel’s other brands benefitting from its own movie. How does the brand compare to Barbie, and how will the film measure up?

RD: Barbie is a great case study for how the Mattel Playbook guides the thinking on our brands, but Hot Wheels also has an incredible story to tell. The brand has doubled in the past five years, and for the past three consecutive years it has enjoyed its best year ever. 2022 looks likely to go the same way.

JJ Abrams [Star Trek, Super 8] is producing the Hot Wheels movie, which will be further bolstered with TV content in the coming months. Hot Wheels is an underrepresented brand in consumer products and live experiences such as the Hot Wheels Legends Tour spans the generations and causes such huge excitement. Digital gaming is a no-brainer too. Barbie might hog the spotlight, but Hot Wheels is revving up in a big way too.

Bandai UK

Bandai UK has secured new major distribution signings for 2023 to include video game franchise Crash Bandicoot and children’s YouTube cartoon Milo, while developing fresh and innovative lines for its current ranges.

With a new feature film in the pipeline for early 2023, Miraculous’ popularity continues to soar. Each of the show’s major characters feature within Bandai’s collection of small, fashion and deluxe dolls, all fully articulated and with signature accessories. New movie lines have been added and include 26cm fashion dolls and Ladybug’s Transforming Scooter (compatible with all the 26cm dolls). There’s also a special edition 26cm Marinette fashion doll complete with deluxe ball gown and accessories and Ladybug and Cat Noir movie fashion dolls, alongside a twin pack containing both characters, with each SKU offering exclusive outfits and accessories.

The CoComelon range, manufactured by Jazwares and distributed in the UK by Bandai, offers a collection of character figures, vehicles, plush, dolls, role play, play sets and a new toddler toys category. New hero lines for Q4 include the Cody Doll, Boo Boo JJ Doll, Camera and Musical Cash Register.

Q3 saw Bandai UK launch its new distribution line of licensed figures, plush, dolls, play sets and vehicles for pre-school hit True and the Rainbow Kingdom. This includes sub-£5 Mini Wishes collectibles, 10cm articulated character figures, True’s Mushroom House Playset and 30cm doll with sounds and LED lights.

Bandai continues to expand its collection for popular manga and anime series. Dragon Stars figures include waves of new characters introduced throughout the year, while the new Dragon Ball Flash Series includes five detailed 10cm character figures. Bandai continues to develop its Evolve Action Figures and epic Limit Breakers Figures to bring mass audience appeal to the property. The Evolve range has an appealing sub £10 entry price-point, while the Limit Breakers are chunky-sized, durable action figures, perfect for smaller hands.

The Chibi Masters range of miniature collectible figures spans some of the world’s most popular Anime properties including Dragon Ball, Narut’, My Hero Academia and Demon Slayer, with fresh series and character releases regularly unveiled throughout the year.

Bandai continues to expand its Tamagotchi Nano series with the signing of new licences. Toy Story and Jurassic World-themed Tamagotchi have been introduced for the Q3 period, closely followed by the BTS Tiny Tan edition before the end of the year. In addition, the Star Wars R2D2 and Demon Slayer Tamagotchi have recently evolved to offer more games and characters.

A new range of highly detailed action figures and play sets is based on the Star Trek Universe, with a new live-action theatrical release planned for 2023. Hero lines include 12cm collectible character figures, plus a 50cm plus scale version of the Starship Enterprise. The animated series, Star Trek Prodigy is now airing on Paramount + and Nickelodeon with a toy range launching in AW23.

Bandai UK is also a distributor for McFarlane Toys and new lines for some of its iconic licences include DC Multiverse, alongside My Hero Academia, and The Witcher. A range of 7-inch ultra-articulated, highly detailed character figures, Build-A-Figures, 12-inch figures and vehicles, offer a wide collection at varying price points. A new crossbrand 5-inch Action Figure collection also offers fans of Naruto Evolve, Gundam Infinity, Avatar, and My Hero Academia an entry price option.

Hasbro 0208 569 1234 | www.hasbro.co.uk

The Star Wars L0-LA59 (Lola) Animatronic Edition from Hasbro's Star Wars collection lets kids and fans alike bring home a beloved droid companion.

This Star Wars toy features design and deco inspired by the ObiWan Kenobi live-action series on Disney+. Users can touch the censor on L0-LA59's head to activate more than 45 different light, sound and movement combinations through three modes of play. Companion Mode can be unlocked by attaching L0-LA59's legs, Hover Mode by attaching her stand and On the Go Mode by removing her from either base. Lola responds to background noises with a series of lights, sounds and movements and is suitable for kids aged four and over.

The Spidey and His Amazing Friends Spider Crawl-R HQ is a 2-in-1 play set with lights and sounds which converts from a large-scale rolling vehicle into a 2ft-tall HQ tower.

When the play set is in tower mode, kids can imagine planning missions at the command centre, stage a pretend show using the included instrument accessories, swing on the web arm and more. If the ramp is pulled out, the Spidey action figure can speed down on the included motorcycle, and in both vehicle mode and play set mode, pre-schoolers can eject the web bumper to knock troublemakers out of the way.

With lights and sounds inspired by the preschool Marvel show, the play set is suitable for kids aged three and up.

HTI Toys

01253 778 888 | www.htigroup.co.uk

HTI Toys’ strong portfolio of character licences includes some of the most well-known pre-school characters, including Peppa Pig, Hey Duggee, Baby Shark, Paw Patrol and Bluey. HTI produces roleplay, musical items, pocket money, outdoor and many more categories of characterlicensed products.

HTI Toys continues to be Peppa Pig's key partner for its unique and innovative roleplay category of toys. Following the success of Peppa’s Camera and Peppa’s Clock, Peppa’s Radio has been introduced for autumn/winter 23 and is packed full of interactive features perfect for little hands and complete with a microphone for sing-along fun.

HTI was delighted to add hit animation licence Bluey to its existing licensed portfolio in 2022. The 2023 Bluey ranges will include large wooden roleplay toys, a mud kitchen and BBQ set, plus a range of Bluey themed bubbles products including Bluey branded solution bottles and Bluey patio sets.

HTI Toys continues to showcase its range of Baby Shark toys, including character cases, musical toys, bubbles and patio furniture. The My Little Pony Styling Heads made a great comeback in 2022.

HTI now has numerous character-inspired toys to offer as part of its Hey Duggee roleplay and bubbles ranges. The case range now includes Hey Duggee’s Adventure Case complete with all the accessories required for an expedition. The new Hey Duggee Camera is perfect for capturing fun, and children can even take along the Hey Duggee Medic Case for any first aid emergencies. Kitchen roleplay remains popular across all licences, hence the inclusion of Hey Duggee’s Mini Kitchen, perfect for indoor play heading into the gifting season.

Fans of Paw Patrol can enjoy the assortment of bubbles toys and musical roleplay items. Each musical toy features the well-known theme song from the popular Nickelodeon TV programme. The Electric Guitar, Character Keyboard, Electric Trumpet and Electronic Band Set all promote motor skills, rhythm and hand-eye coordination.

Character Options

01253 778 888 | sales@charactergroup.plc.uk

Character Options’ portfolio of licensed pre-school products encompasses many favourite children’s brands across plush, arts and crafts, roleplay, figures and play sets.

Pre-schoolers can now collect all the best-loved characters from TV as cute Weebles figures. The ideal range for encouraging early imaginative play patterns to develop, the classic Weebles brand was reintroduced this spring, reimagining the characters from Peppa Pig as chunky figures that wibble and wobble but never fall down. The range has now been extended to include Bluey, CoComelon and My Little Pony.

Character Options’ Eco Plush collection comprises a whole catalogue of 8-inch pre-school pals to cuddle and collect, with characters from CoComelon, Blippi, Barney, Peppa Pig, Teletubbies and My Little Pony. From fabric to filling to thread, the super-soft toys are made entirely from recycled materials and come displayed in an FSC-certified platform box.

Little ones can also get creative with Character Options’ licensed activity toys, including the new Bluey craft lines. Kids can paint plaster figures from Bluey, sketch with the Travel Magnetic Scribbler, reveal designs on the Bluey Aquamagic Art Mat and unleash their inner artist with the Bluey 50-piece Art Compendium Carry Case.

These creative additions follow in the footsteps of other popular licensed arts & crafts lines, including Character’s summer launch, Peppa’s Garden Art Bench, which is a fun mud kitchen styled play set that kids can use to create their own garden paintings, or use to decorate plant pots or pebbles.

Character Options’ full brand portfolio also includes Fireman Sam, Morphle, Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom, Postman Pat, Teletubbies, Disney Princess Wooden Toys and more.

Jazwares

020 3598 5119 | www.jazwares.com

In an exciting year for the Pokémon brand, Jazwares has a strong lineup for autumn/winter 22 for fans of all ages. From figure multipacks to new seasonal and select looks for collectors, highlights include a refresh to the Pokémon Carry Case Playset, select Evolution multipacks, new holiday calendars, plus figure packs with fan favourite characters. New launches include brand new characters within the eight-inch, 12-inch, 18-inch, 24-inch and Sleeping Plush assortments, as well as new lines within the electronics and role-play categories. One of this year’s key drivers is the Fly & Fire Charizard featuring motion-activated lights, authentic sounds and movements, and a two-inch Pikachu with launcher. The robust line will be supported by TV, digital, influencer, PR and retail campaigns throughout 2022.

New additions to the Jazwares line of Spidey and His Amazing Friends Vehicles and Plush include new items in the plush segment, a refresh within the eight-inch scale, a nine-inch Web Slinger assortment with projecting light effects, as well as a 16-inch Miles Morales feature plush with sounds. Miles Morales also joins the assortment of transforming vehicles with the Quick Shot 2-in-1 vehicle. The innovative Web Spinning Hauler, which spins to reveal three heroes with web dart shooters, will be supported with TV and digital advertising throughout Q4.

Jazwares’ most recent master toy launch has been for Boat Rocker’s Dino Ranch animated children’s series. The portfolio builds on the dino-themed world with a diverse line of playsets and character sets for kids to play out their favourite adventures with Jon, Min and Miguel. The iconic Dino Ranch Clubhouse has plenty of opportunities for play and discovery and comes with a three-inch Jon figure, his dino best friend Blitz the velociraptor and Bopper, the mischievous baby pachycephalosaur. The Dino Ranch Clubhouse, along with collectible mini dinos, plush, vehicles and playsets, will launch with TV, digital and PR support. The series is now available to watch now on Tiny Pop.

Jazwares has a robust portfolio of new launches from further top licences including Star Wars, Roblox, Fortnite, Blippi, Nerf and All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

Toynamics UK

01164 785 230 | www.toynamics.com | sales@toynamics.co.uk

Nanoblock is the world’s smallest micro-sized building block which allows children to construct amazingly detailed and realistic three-dimensional creations. The range has a clever selection of themed pieces, for an ever-expanding nanoverse, and of the three product ranges - Mini Collection, Sights to See and Licensed - the most popular category is the Nanoblock Licensed Collection.

Within the huge range of licensed characters, the licences from Pokémon and Sonic the Hedgehog are two of the best-selling Nanoblocks.

The Nanoblock Pokémon collection offers fans over 20 different characters to collect, including Pikachu, Charizard and Bulbasaur, while Sonic the Hedgehog fans can fight against the evil Dr Eggaman with the Sonic the

Nanoblock, which is suitable for 12 years+, is fun to build, display and collect with its creative construction process, where the miniature, coloured blocks connect securely to create extremely detailed objects of varying size and complexity - sculptures that fit in the palm of the hand.

Smoby Toys UK

01620 674 778 | www.simba-dickie-group.de/en | sales@simbasmoby.com

The Jada Toys Hollywood Rides collection captures the essence of Hollywood’s most iconic vehicles, with a host of properties to collect, including cars from Back to the Future, Scooby Doo, Jurassic Park and more.

This year saw the addition of The Batman 1:32 Scale Vehicle: Batmobile and Figure Pack, while an evergreen seller is the 1:32 scale Fast & Furious range, which includes cars from the eight-film franchise, as well as Hobbs & Shaw.

For DC fans, there is the DC Comics Bombshells collection, and the 1:24 scale Marvel collection has been extended too. Both 1:24 scale ranges take inspiration from DC and Marvel characters, offering fans a host of vehicles to collect, and each comes with a 2.75-inch figure of the character that inspired it.

With the Smoby role-play collection, children can explore the same brands they see adults using with Tefal kitchen and Black + Decker replica lines.

The Smoby Tefal Studio Kitchen comes complete with oven, espresso machine, soda machine, fridge, countertop with hotplate and sink, plus accessories, while kids can flip pancakes, serve coffee and ‘boil’ water on the hob, with the Magic Bubble function in the Smoby Tefal Studio Kitchen XL Bubble.

The Smoby Black + Decker Bricolo Centre Workbench is accompanied by the Smoby Giant Black + Decker Bricolo Ultimate Workbench. The latter comes with 90 plus accessories, including a mechanical drill to assemble the free-wheeling buildable car, as well as a mechanical saw with sound effects.

Learning Resources

01553 762276 | www.learning-resources.co.uk sales@learning-resources.co.uk

Under its global master toy licence, Learning Resources is bringing the fun-loving characters from BAFTA award-winning CBeebies TV series Numberblocks to life for children across a wide range of toy categories.

Families in the UK access the series’ entertaining, educational content at home via CBeebies, BBC iPlayer and the official YouTube channel, which has over 5m subscribers. UK schools also use Numberblocks in early years maths teaching and Learning Resources’ toys give children hands-on ways to engage with the concepts shown in the series through play.

The two award-winning MathLink Cubes Numberblocks Activity Sets (1-10 and 11-20) allow children aged three and up to build the characters One to Twenty in all the ways shown in the episodes and engage in hands-on activities aligned to selected episodes.

Based on the popular Stampoline Park episode, the Numberblocks Stampoline Park Stamp Activity Set is an arts and crafts kit that allows children to create their own masterpieces inspired by the episode.

The newly launched Numberblocks One Fun Friend and Numberblocks One and Two Playful Pals are Learning Resources’ first two character plush. Suitable for children aged 18 months and up, they are an ideal entry point into the range and available at a competitive price.

Developed for the classroom, the Numberblocks Numberblob Counting Set and the comprehensive MathLink Cubes Numberblocks Classroom Set give teachers hands-on ways to bring the concepts in the series to life for pupils.

There will be more Numberblocks toys for 2023 and launching in January is a range of games and self-correcting puzzles with options for children as young as 18 months.

Numberblocks Memory Match Game builds matching, counting and number recognition skills, while Numberblocks Adding and Subtracting Puzzle Set has 20 puzzles that help young children practise adding and subtracting with the Numberblocks One to Ten. The Numberblocks Counting Puzzle Set includes 20 three-piece self-correcting puzzles that feature Numberblocks One to Twenty, and the Numberblocks Sequencing Puzzle Set contains five double-sided self-correcting puzzles that help children learn counting and number sequencing. In Q4, there will be even more to explore with new plush, games, action figures and a first play set.

Learning Resources supports it growing Numberblocks range with a continuous multi-channel brand awareness campaign. Activities include print and digital advertising, social media content and collaborations with influencers, email campaigns, awards submissions and PR activity.

To help trade customers market Numberblocks in their own online and bricks-and-mortar stores, the company offers access to a range of resources starting with the online Marketing Resource Centre (MRC). Here customers will find brand guidelines, up-to-date product and lifestyle images, and optimised copy. Learning Resources also offers customers access to point-of-sale merchandising materials including new FSDUs, to create their own eye-catching in-store displays.

Dreamtex

01257 220 302 | www.dreamtexltd.com | enquiries@dreamtexltd.com

One of the highlights of Dreamtex’s 2022 character licensed homewares range is its popular collection for global hit pre-school series Bluey.

The Bluey bedding sets are made from 100% sourced BCI cotton and available in junior and single sizes. Dreamtex has also recently launched a Bluey luxury fleece blanket, towel and character shaped cushion. The collection will continue to grow in 2023 with new designs and refreshes to the reversible duvet and pillowcase sets.

Also in pre-school, Bing, Hey Duggee, PJ Masks and The Gruffalo homewares all perform strongly and offer a fantastic choice of character inspired bedding sets, blankets, towels and cushions. A new Bing duvet design will be launching later this year and Hey Duggee also features on one of Dreamtex’s newest innovations, the coverless duvet. The lightweight 4.5 tog Hey Duggee coverless duvet has a recycled filling, showcases colourful Duggee themed designs on both sides and comes with a matching pillowcase and drawstring bag for easy packing. It is machine washable and quick drying. Dreamtex is also launching coverless duvets for Xbox and Liverpool Football Club, with more brands to be added in the future.

In a busy year of cinema releases, Dreamtex has collaborated with Universal Product and Experience Group to add the globally popular franchises Jurassic World and Illumination’s Minions to its portfolio. The Jurassic World Dominion bedding features the iconic T.rex as well as newcomers Therizinosaurus and Pyroraptor. Dinosaur fans can also flip their Jurassic World duvet to reveal an alternative print. Similarly, a Minions duvet cover sports a design dominated by mischief makers Stuart, Bob and Kevin. The partnership with Universal includes DreamWorks’ Trolls, and Dreamtex is looking forward to unveiling its homewares designs ahead of the new Trolls 3 movie next year. DreamWorks’ Gabby’s Dollhouse is also joining the Dreamtex family and a bedding set featuring Gabby and the Gabby Cats will be arriving in November.

This Christmas, a new Merry Grinchmas sleigh shaped duvet release will celebrate The Grinch, alongside a new Elf on the Shelf soft fleece duvet. A refreshed Elf blanket and cushion will also be available.

Dreamtex is set to introduce a new Style Queens duvet to its licensed collection for L.O.L. Surprise! and gamers are also catered for with blankets and cushions added to the Among Us homewares collection.

Golden Bear Toys

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

Continuing its long-term partnership with the BBC, Golden Bear’s Hey Duggee range delivers a wealth of appeal and choice while tapping into the learning benefits, adventurous nature and quirky humour of the CBeebies show.

Hero SKUs include the Hey Duggee Transforming Duggee Space Rocket and Hey Duggee Explore and Snore Camping with Duggee. Duggee’s Space Rocket is a 2-in-1 toy that sees astronaut Duggee transform into a space rocket including fun features and surprises. The themed play set comes complete with an exclusive Spaceman Duggee figurine, fun space sound and the new Space song direct from the TV series.

Hey Duggee Explore & Snore Camping with Duggee is a reversible, electronic plush that features Duggee in two different outfits. Duggee’s hiking gear transforms into his sleeping bag with a simple adjustment of his backpack, and he says phrases depending on what outfit he’s in. A mini Stick plush is included to accompany Duggee on his travels, plus free downloadable content is available via an exclusive on-pack QR code, including recycling tips, activities, badges, and craft ideas. When Duggee’s paw is pressed in his hiking outfit, he woofs and plays the iconic Step by Step song and when the zip on his sleeping bag is pressed, there are snoring woofs.

The latest SKUs for Bing include the Bing & Biteysaurus plush complete with Bing in dress-up costume to match his toy dinosaur, Biteysaurus. An on-pack QR link to content opens up engaging activities for added value. All-new Bing Figurine Playsets provide an extension to the best-selling Bing House Playset. Colourful and durable, the themed packs offer Bing role-play at an entry level price point.

Fifteen years since In the Night Garden first aired, Golden Bear expands its range with the Igglepiggle Super Soft Blankie Bundle, a cuddly Igglepiggle with a detachable comfort blanket for little ones to snuggle up with. When not in use, the blanket attaches to Igglepiggle with Velcro.

Popular CBeebies show Something Special introduces children to Makaton signing to help with learning and communication, as well as lots of slapstick fun, and Golden Bear’s range of sensory and entertaining toys are designed to appeal to both the SEN and mass markets.

Golden Bear’s portfolio also include Sooty, The Baby Club, Love Monster, Twirlywoos and Waffle the Wonder Dog.

Vivid Goliath

01483 449944 | www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk

In the pre-school aisle, 2021 saw the strongest year yet in sales for Ryan’s World - up 17% year on year – and for AW22, there’s a new theme: Titan Universe.

Kids can meet Red Titan and his superhero gang as they explore Red Titan's Universe with the new collection of Ryan's World figures. The range includes all of the Ryan’s World fan favourites: Mystery Figures, Mystery Micro Figures and the all-important Eggs. The range will also introduce a large-scale treasure chest which transforms into the Mega Mecha Titan and will be supported by engaging product videos featured on Ryan’s YouTube channel.

There will be more new Ryan’s World toy releases in SS23 with Island Adventures, which will see Ryan’s World favourites reimagined with a tropical twist including Micro Mystery Figures, Tiki & Pineapple Eggs and a glow in the dark Volcano Giant Egg. Again, this new range will be supported with content showcasing the product.

Also new from this September is a range of CoComelon pre-school games, based on popular and well-known game formats such as Bingo, Go Fish and Dominoes, as well as Star Light.

Crayola continues to add more licences to its Colour Wonder range, which offers mess-free magic colouring. The range includes popular pre-school licences such as Peppa Pig, Bluey, CoComelon and Paw Patrol. Sales for all licences were strong in Q1 and Q2; Bluey was the strongest performer after getting off to a fantastic start, and Crayola expects to see continued sales as the licence grows in popularity and more episodes are aired later this year.

Crayola Giant Colouring Pages have proved popular among pre-school children with licences such as Peppa Pig, CoComelon and Paw Patrol, and Bluey will be joining the range for AW22.

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Lisciani

www.liscianigiochi.com | Danny@allin1products.com

From Disney Frozen to Barbie, among other popular and ever-green properties, Lisciani’s portfolio is packed with licensing appeal.

The family owned, global toy company is home to the innovative Barbie Dough and Barbie Sand ranges, which brings together doll play, creativity and sensory play, offering children a whole new way to play with Barbie. The hero line in the Barbie Magic Glitter Sand collection is Barbie Sand & Surf, which comes with an exclusive Barbie doll, as well as beach-side accessories and a play tray, allowing kids to create a luxury sand and surf set up for their doll. To add to the fun, the set comes with several colours of glittery play sand; an eminently tactile compound that not only looks great, but which also helps to make imaginative play more realistic. Children can sculpt and mould this creative play compound with the included shape cutters and tools for hours of sensory play.

The Barbie line-up continues with the Barbie Dough collection. The tubs of collectible, colourful and glittery play doughs make for a great entry point into the collection. The Barbie Glitter Dough Fashion Show is a creative kit which comes in wardrobe shaped packaging that becomes part of the play pattern once opened. The cut-out clothing items can be used to create stunning garments for the cut-out Barbie dolls. Barbie fans can continue the fun with the Barbie Dough Creative Kit; a sparkling backpack featuring a beautiful, beach-themed Barbie design, which is packed with six colours of Barbie dough, shaping tools and dough cutters.

The Disney Frozen Magic LED Board lets children light up their drawings. Frozen fans will enjoy endless hours of fun, drawing their favourite characters and lighting them up. The board can be used at a table or standing upright, thanks to the practical stand.

For more information about the Lisciani collection, which benefits from extensive marketing and PR support, get in touch with Danny from Two in 1 Direct at the email above.

Rubies

08453 070 707 | www.rubiesuk.com

Rubies has some of the biggest dress-up licences in the industry, from Star Wars to Marvel, Zag to Universal and everything in between.

Darth Vader is loved by millions of Star Wars fans across the globe. Building on this phenomenal brand, new series Obi-Wan Kenobi has reinvigorated interest in the character. Rubies new costume range based on the Disney+ sensation includes Darth Vader in children’s and adult sizes as well as classic and deluxe editions.

Another Disney+ hit, Moon Knight skyrocketed to become one of the most viewed Marvel original series back in March, and interest in the character only seems to be growing. Combining Ancient Egyptian mythology and superheroes, Rubies Moon Knight costumes feature a jumpsuit with impressive, highly detailed printed hieroglyphics, a snood and hooded cape, and is available in children’s sizes.

With more of an adult focus, Rubies’ partnership with Warner Brothers DC licensed costumes continues to grow, adding the hugely popular character Peacemaker to the dress-up range. Available in adult and teen sizing, with a muscle chest jumpsuit, gauntlets and helmet, this costume

Creative Kids UK

www.creativekids.com

Taking the iconic Play-Doh brand, Creative Kids now offers new ways to play with two new compounds: Air Clay and Sculpt’n Mold Clay.

Play-Doh Air Clay is now at retail and available to consumers through all channels in the UK. The core range celebrates all the most popular play patterns and themes with a new lightweight, super soft Air Clay.

The entry price point features three assortments of Dinos, Food and Clay Racer packs. Each item comes in a resealable bag to keep any un-used clay soft and includes additional play features to enhance the creation. The Bakery Shop comes with a cake stand to display confectionary, the Dino assortment has a dinosaur skeleton to mould upon and the Clay Racers come with a pullback vehicle chassis which allows children to design their own decals. Each item includes two colour packs which also allows more colours to be created by mixing – giving kids the opportunity to stretch their creativity and create unique designs.

The range continues with three dedicated themed items. Custom accessories can be made with the Accessory Studio. School days can be brightened with animal pencil toppers or backpack keychains using the included tool, three keychains and three sets of googly eyes.

Two of the most popular play themes within compounds are ice cream and pizza. With Play-Doh Air Clay both are explored in the Ice Cream Creations set and Pizza Parlour. Children can sculpt, mould and twist their favourite ice cream colours for long-lasting play. A sculpting guide and storage bag are included; once dry, ice cream cones and pops can be kept and used for continued imaginary play. The Play-Doh Air Clay Pizza Parlour contains five air clay colour packs in the perfect pizza colours, a pizza cutter and four moulds, so kids aged four plus can sculpt, mould and roll out their favourite pizza with toppings.

Also available under the Play-Doh licence are two other segments: Sculpt’n Mold Clay which is an oil-based clay, and Play-Doh Moments, a unique offering for new parents, pet owners and gifters enabling paw, hand, or footprints to be immortalised.

Casdon Toys

01253 766 411 | www.casdon.com | UK@casdon.com

Casdon creates mini versions of well-known household items and brings them to life through a range of role-play toys. This year, Casdon is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its exclusive licence partnership with Dyson and introducing three new SKUs to its popular Dyson collection.

Dyson engineers have worked with Casdon to recreate child-friendly versions of the Dyson Supersonic Hairdryer and Dyson Corrale straightener. Featuring all the hallmarks of their full-sized family members including blowing real air, light and sound effects as well as featuring flexing plate technology, children can now engage in pretend play with items they may already be familiar with from around the home, exploring their imagination while further developing their core motor skills and hand eye-coordination.

There are three styling sets available: the Supersonic Styling Set which includes the iconic hair dryer and four accessories, the Corrale Styling Set which includes a mini version of the stylish straighteners, complete with stand and two accessories, as well as the Deluxe Set which has it all.

A brand-new licence has also joined the Casdon portfolio this year - Joseph Joseph, which is one of the world’s leading houseware brands with a global presence spanning over 100 countries. Casdon is launching six new products, including the Joseph Joseph Extend which takes water play to a whole new level.

Designed and officially licensed to look just like the real thing, the Joseph Joseph Extend set comes complete with a wash bowl and tray to capture small spills while water can be pumped from the bowl through the dispenser and back again. The set includes cleantech brush, extend dish rack, cutlery, plates and bowls which change colour when added to water for added play value.

Another new product in the line is the Joseph Joseph Bake: a colourful set featuring four interlocking measuring cups, a large mixing bowl, twist whisk, spatula and ergonomic rolling pin.

Also among Casdon’s range of licensed household products are child-sized versions of the Dyson Ball and Dyson Cordless Vacuums, Henry and Hetty Vacuum Cleaners and Cleaning Trollies, the Morphy Richards Kitchen Set and Kenwood Mixer.

Bladez Toyz

02392 658 255 | www.bladeztoyz.co.uk

sales@bladeztoyz.co.uk

Bladez Toyz Batman RC Vehicles range has generated real excitement since its launch at toy fair and becomes central to the line-up going into 2023. The impressive 1:10 scale RC Gotham City Racer and RC Bat-Tech Racer, both boast 2.4 GHz, proportional control, LED lights, and top speeds up to 25km/h. Meanwhile at 1:28 scale, the popular lower priced Batman RC Racer is joined by both Joker and Superman versions giving retailers the option of an assortment of styles whilst expanding the play pattern with multi-car potential.

From Spring 2023, Bladez Toyz will add a new 1:20 scale Batman RC Vehicle, broadening the line-up with the same 2.4GHz spec as the larger models at a lower price. With the easy to fly Batman RC Helicopter with its LED searchlight, and more exciting new lines to be unveiled later this year, the range presents a competitive and comprehensive collection of RC toys.

New Barbie Make Your Own kits give kids the opportunity to build new play environments for Barbie at a competitive price. The easy to assemble Make Your Own Pop-Up Boutique includes a display unit and sales counter that can be decorated with repositionable stickers to customise and create a perfect fashion boutique. The Make Your Own Pop-Up Café has a table, chair and sunshade and food to serve in sticker form. Both are perfect for use with Barbie and Barbie accessories and available to order now.

Switching to the Wizarding World, Bladez Toyz adds Make Your Own Light-Up Weasley Burrow to its Harry Potter Arts and Activities range. The home of Ron Weasley’s magical family is made from the same sustainable high-quality board and includes a set of warm yellow LED lights, giving the Weasley Burrow's many windows a cosy glow. Appealing to Harry Potter fans of all ages, both the Make Your Own Light-Up Weasley Burrow and Hogwarts Kits are perfect rainy day craft projects and available to order now.

Toikido

www.toikido.co.uk | contact@toikido.com

Toikido and Boneloaf are excited to launch the first ever Gang Beasts toy range, which is now available worldwide in over 20,000 retail destinations. The new range of collectibles includes figurines, action figures and plush toys.

The silly, multiplayer party game with surly characters, brutal fight sequences and absurd hazardous environments has been brought to life by Toikido, which has been working collaboratively with Boneloaf for the last 12 months on the design and development of a new consumer product range.

For launch, the range of collectibles will include four action figures with accessories, 16 figurines including hidden rare characters and a range of stampers featuring all of Gang Beasts most popular characters. The plush includes four stretchable kigu clan toys, plush backpacks, 16 clip-on plush characters and eight different plush buddies for fans to collect and play with. The entire range will be promoted via a multi-channel campaign, including TV, social media, digital advertising and in-store activations including life size character costumes in select retailers.

With over 11m sales internationally and a host of awards, the video game has a huge social media following where fans have amassed over 1b views on YouTube and watched millions of hours on TikTok. Social media will be a huge focal point for launch, where influencers across all platforms will be used to create entertaining content for Gang Beast fans to enjoy.

Redan Publishing Limited

marketing@redan.com | www.redan.co.uk

The majority of Redan’s children’s titles have seen an uplift in sales this summer, as well as good growth in travel outlets across the portfolio too. The star performer has been Sparkle World magazine, which is the licensed, multi-character magazine for primary aged girls.

Sparkle World includes stories and activities based on a dazzling selection of the most popular licensed characters, including Barbie, Rainbocorns, Rainbow Magic, My Little Pony, Shimmer & Shine, Hatchimals, Care Bears and many more.

The success of the magazine is testament to the quality and variety of the content, which keeps readers engaged for hours and therefore translates to grown-ups as good value for money. The magazine’s performance depends on the selection of licensed characters included and their popularity. The rise in popularity of Rainbocorns means that a Rainbocorns special magazine will launch in November.

Redan’s latest addition to the portfolio is a new magazine special for longstanding licence Peppa Pig. The first issue: Fun To Learn Peppa Pig Special – Colouring, launched in July and has a longer on sale period than most children’s titles of 12 weeks. The aim of this issue is to encourage creativity in pre-schoolers and presents a wonderfully engaging mix of colouring, sketching and doodling activities, with a few craft and recipe ideas too. The second special will go on sale in October and focuses on reading, bringing together a delightful treasury of well-loved Peppa Pig stories.

There are more specials planned for 2023, which will expand Peppa’s presence on shelf and complement the two existing Peppa Pig magazines, Fun To Learn Peppa Pig on sale fortnightly and Fun To Learn Peppa Pig Bag O’ Fun every four weeks.

United Wheels UK

01525 664041 | www.huffy.co.uk | salesuk@huffy.com

Huffy has brought the magic of Disney, Marvel and Lucasfilm to the UK with new ranges of bikes, electric scooters and ride-ons.

The licensed line features a whole host of characters, with the collection covering all properties and wheel sizes, ranging from balance bikes to 16-inch wheels, scooters and battery powered rideon toys. It includes family favourites from Disney Princess, Frozen, Spider-Man, Cars, Lightyear, Star Wars and Minnie Mouse.

Disney and United Wheels’ affiliate, Huffy Corporation, have worked together in the US since 1996, and this latest agreement between United Wheels and Disney expands the partnership to include UK and EMEA.

One of the top lines from the collaboration is the Huffy Spider-Man 12-inch Bike, a first-ride bike suitable for children aged three years + and for use with or without stabilisers. The bike is made with an easy stepover frame and a comfy child specific padded seat. The handlebar also boasts a unique spider web design to complement the theme, while front and rear calliper brakes and 16-spoke alloy wheels allow for a safe and smooth ride. The bike is lightweight, making it easy for parents to carry when out and about. Huffy 12-inch bikes will also be available in Disney Princess, Frozen, Avengers, Star Wars Mandalorian, Cars, Lightyear and Minnie Mouse options.

For pre-schoolers, the three-wheeled Huffy Frozen 6v Electric Ride On Bubble Scooter makes bubbles as the child rides. Each battery charge gives 40 minutes of fun, and the bubble scooter is also available in Disney Princess, Cars and Spider-Man designs.

The Huffy Disney Princess Royal Horse and Carriage Electric Ride On features a simple foot pedal, in-carriage steering wheel and forward or reverse controls. The pink design also features images of Disney Princesses, Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, Rapunzel, Snow White and Tiana. When pressed, the heart-shaped button on the steering wheel plays phrases from three of the Princesses. The horse has a brushable mane and tail for styling and the ride on also features a handy cupholder and a glovebox with room for toys and royal accessories.

Steamforged Games

07960 653 922 | www.steamforged.com | jo@steamforged.com

Steamforged Games is bringing out miniature tabletop games from favourite video game licences including Dark Souls, Horizon Zero Dawn and more. This November, there will be two new core sets for Dark Souls: The Board Game, Tomb of Giants and Painted World of Ariamis.

These sets are standalone, meaning they can be played as single games but, for players who have any of the previous games and expansions, Tomb of Giants and Painted World of Ariamis are fully backwards compatible.

Dark Souls: The Board Game, Tomb of Giants and Painted World of Ariamis are perfect for new and existing fans, with loads of incredible new content. There’s a brand new, refreshed ruleset developed after dialogue with the community, including mechanics, a campaign system and more iconic enemies and bosses from Dark Souls.

Game players can enter a post-apocalyptic world where machines roam wild in Horizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game. In this semi-cooperative board game for 1-4 people, players take control of an aspiring hunter with a single goal: to make their name with the prestigious Hunters Lodge.

Players choose their tribe and class before heading into the wilds, working alongside their hunting party to track and defeat machines. They can discover and trade resources to upgrade their equipment and level up their skills to prepare for the final hunt, where a lethal enemy awaits. While fellow hunters are allies, they are also competition, and only the most cunning and skilful can rise through the ranks to glory.

Sinco

07793 121 778 | daniel@sincocreations.com

Sinco Creations, a UK & Ireland toy partner for Among Us, in partnership with Toikido, has introduced a second series for the fan-favourite gaming IP. Following huge success with the initial collection, the new series will bring fans of the online, multiplayer, social deduction game a fresh new wave of crewmate figures to collect.

Available in foil bags, blister packs and boxes, the figures might all look like crewmates, but there’s sure to be an imposter hiding in plain sight.

The Among Us Airship comes with three exclusive crewmates and features a roof that opens to provide storage. For pocket money budgets, the Among Us Crewmate Figure Surprise Bags come blind packaged in foil bags, with 16 different figures to collect.

Also popular with Among Us gamers are the collectible 11.5cm and 17cm Action Figures, which are available as single packs, two-packs and four-packs (in the smaller scale figures), and come with hands, hats and accessories. There’s also a special-edition, glow-in-the-dark Glowing Ghost Action Figure to collect.

Fans can carry around their favourite crewmates with Clip On Plush pals, which can be attached to bags, pencil cases, keys and more. There are six colourful crewmates to collect. Larger scale 18-20cm Plush Buddies and 25-30cm Huggable Plush Crewmates are also available.

The Among Us portfolio also includes Figural Keychains, Blister Packs, 13cm Plushies and Crewmate Stampers, all of which benefit from full marketing support.

Posh Paws

01268 567317 | www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk | sales@poshpawsinternational.co.uk

Posh Paws has launched a new range of Gabby’s Dollhouse soft toys for fans of the hit Netflix show, for this Christmas. The launch range consists of seven highly detailed and cuddly 10-inch characters: Gabby and six of her of six feline friends, Pandy Paws, Cakey Cat, Mercat, Kitty Fairy, Pillow Cat and CatRat, each packaged in their own gift boxes. For smaller gifting ideas, and perfect for stocking fillers, there are five smaller 7-inch characters in a bright and eye-catching CDU.

The Minions: Rise of Gru movie was a hit in cinemas this summer and Posh Paws has a new licensed range of 7-inch Too Cute Minions in an assortment of three designs packaged in a CDU, 10-inch super-squishy Kevin and Bob Minions and a 12-inch Stuart Minion in a display box.

New Sesame Street lines for this autumn include the award-winning Talking Cookie Monster soft toy that features 15 fun and entertaining sound effects, as well as the fan-favourite Talking Tickle Me Elmo that continues to be popular with young children as he wiggles about and plays 10 fun sounds.

Posh Paws’ 8-inch Elmo and Cookie Monster Beanies have been a strong line and with Christmas around the corner, they are ideal for small stocking filler and gifting ideas. There are also 10-inch cuddly Elmo and Cookie Monster soft toys that both come packaged in seated display boxes.

Posh Paws’ brand new Squashy Podgies licensed ranges include characters from Universal’s summer blockbuster movies Jurassic World and Minions, as well as pre-school favourite Sesame Street. The Universal squashy plush each have their own added special features such as glow-inthe-dark elements for the Jurassic dinosaurs or banana-scented beans for the Minions.

This autumn sees the 40th anniversary of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Posh Paws has two soft toys celebrating the movie milestone: an E.T. in a presentation display gift box, with the E.T. logo embroidered on his foot and his finger pointing towards the stars, as well as E.T. wearing Elliot’s iconic red hoody which can be pulled over his head.

Flair GP

0208 643 0320 | sales@flairplc.co.uk.

Flair GP has licensing appeal for all ages, with its MonsterVerse range and the newly announced Pinocchio and Friends collection.

A master toy deal has been signed for Pinocchio and Friends, the animated CBeebies series that launched this spring, letting pre-schoolers join Pinocchio and friends on adventures in and around Geppetto‘s Shop of Wonders. Flair GP’s toy collection, with articulated mini figures, dolls, playsets and plush toys to be available from spring 2023. Hero line, the House of Wonder playset, is based on Geppetto’s house and toy shop which is a hive of adventure in the show. The set features a working light, moveable bucket and comes with multiple accessories and stickers. The Stretch the Truth Pinocchio Doll will also be key to the line-up – his nose magically grows when he tells a lie and is spoken to loudly, then his cheek just needs to be stroked to return his nose to normal.

The ever-expanding MonsterVerse range now includes six inch Hong Kong Battle Godzilla and Hong Kong Battle Kong with Axe figures, plus Deluxe Transforming Titan Tech Godzilla and King Kong Figures, which are inspired by Anatomech technology and can be transformed from their original form to a super armoured version. These lines are presented in rebranded packaging that showcases the MonsterVerse range holistically. The final quarter will introduce a new concept; the City Battle Diorama and Figures Set brings to life the Hong Kong City Destruction scene from Godzilla Vs. Kong. It comes with exclusive movie figures and a full-scale diorama play environment. There will also be a new 6.5 inch Classic Toho figure, Shin Godzilla and fresh additions to the six inch Basic Figure Monster collection.

Orange Tree Toys

01242 244500 | www.orangetreetoys.com.

This summer, Orange Tree Toys launched a wide selection of new products to its ever-popular Peter Rabbit collection. The range has been given a fresh, new look with its brand-new packaging, which has been designed to look beautiful on shelves and fits in perfectly with other nursery brands in store. The collection is also doing its part for the environment, with the packaging being fully recyclable, and all new products for 2022 are produced using FSC certified wood.

The Peter Rabbit collection has something for everyone, from nursery items including rattles and a beautiful wooden mobile to new musical instruments and board games such as Tic Tac Toe and Ludo, aimed at children from three years. The Peter Rabbit Play Set has always been a best seller for the company, so further role-play toys have also been added to the range with a Peter Rabbit Wheelbarrow and a Peter Rabbit Train Track, which includes all the pieces and characters needed to recreate the exciting world of Beatrix Potter.

Orange Tree Toys launched its Peter Rabbit wooden advent calendar for Christmas 2021, which flew off the shelves and was even featured on This Morning with Phil & Holly. The calendar comes in a fully recyclable box with a beautiful snowy scene on the front featuring Peter and all his friends getting ready for Christmas. Each day offers a little wooden Beatrix Potter character or a Christmas essential, making up the perfect play set for Christmas day and beyond.

Alongside the Peter Rabbit collection, Orange Tree Toys also supplies collections of traditional wooden toys based on other childhood classics, including Disney Classic Pooh and Paddington.

The Lego Group

01753 495 000 | www.lego.com

The Lego Group has announced the new Lego Marvel Black Panther set, created in celebration one of the greatest superheroes of all time. Based on the character from the blockbuster movie and comic books, the new set lets kids immerse themselves in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as they build Black Panther in brick form.

The Lego Marvel Black Panther set, once finished, is a life-size bust of the iconic superhero and can be positioned with either the distinctive ‘Wakanda Forever’ crossed arm pose or just the head and shoulders of the superhero on their own. The finished 2,961-piece build is the perfect piece to display in any home to show a love for Lego building and the iconic character.

Lego’s Black Panther launch comes hot on the heels of its new Hogwarts Express Collector’s Edition. Measuring 118cm long, and rich in details both inside and out, the model includes the steam engine, the coal car, the passenger car featuring light up bricks, and a spectacular replica of Platform 9 ¾, which can be attached in several different places. The full train sits on a track-display-base and includes a turning lever to activate the wheels.

This set features an impressive 20 Lego minifigures inspired by four fan-favourite film moments, including Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and a never before seen before adult Lego Harry Potter.

Fans can uncover iconic scenes and quotes from the movies that all link to the train or the platform as they build a magical Lego Harry Potter world. The set will transport them through the journey from when Harry, Ron and Hermione first meet in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, through to when Albus Severus Potter goes to Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

Disguise

www.disguise.com | info@disguise.com

Disguise has offered licensed costumes to the market since 2021. However, from 1st April, the company has introduced a range of dress up covering Disney Princess, Frozen, Encanto, Toy Story, Lightyear and more, and many of these new lines are now hitting shelves. Spanning many different characters, sizes and age ranges, the selection covers a range of price points to cater for all budgets and consumer needs. The most popular lines include Disney Princess and Frozen, which can be packaged to retailer needs whether this be in boxes, popper bags or hanging costumes. The Disney range will be supported by influencer and digital activity in the first half as well as TV advertising in collaboration with Jakks and the Disney Princess and Frozen toy range. With many more lines launching for World Book Day spring 2023 and even more exciting product launching in line with Disney’s theatrical releases for 2023, Disguise is already in full swing with 2023 previews and would love to hear from the trade. Retailers can get in touch using the email address above.

Nikko Toys

07966 531 577 | www.NikkoToys.com.

In advance of its 65th anniversary in 2023, Nikko Toys has launched an all-new licensing programme and partnership with M-Sport, an industry leader in the global motorsports business.

Hitting the shelves in 2023 will be new lines of licensed performance RC, driven by an impactful programme of activity and marketing that Nikko will be running for its milestone year. The launch will see three assortments and scales of radio control cars coming to shelves, featuring M-Sport’s Ford Puma Hybrid Rally 1, bringing it into the hands of fans and aspiring racers around the world.

First off the line will be a 1:20 Scale Rally Set, a full function RC racer with working headlights and precision control to navigate the night stages. At 1:16 Scale, Nikko will launch its Rally Series, a full function racer with full sets of both Tarmac, and Gravel tyres. A wheel changing tool is included so the driver will be armed with the right tyres to tackle any track.

Finally, the 1:14 Scale Elite Race Cars boasts an elite performance chassis, 9.6v rechargeable battery, full working suspension, differential gearing and servo controlled digital proportional steering and throttle.

8th Wonder

01942 829 811 | www.8thwonder.co.uk

8th Wonder’s Hey Duggee Light and Sound Train has working wheels, so children can pull it along. Featuring light and sounds, children can detach the two carriages or remove the roof and transport Hey Duggee and the Squirrels to and from the train. The train is ideal for introducing imaginative play, fine motor skills, shape recognition and sorting skills.

Following in the footsteps of its Barbie Campervan, 8th Wonder is introducing the Barbie 2 in 1 Vet & Grooming Station for AW22. With a cuddly plush puppy and 28 accessories, children can wash, clip, comb and dry their furry friend to make them look brand-new or carry out a medical examination with the stethoscope, Otoscope, X-Ray stencils and more. Kids can then fill out the animal info sheet with their patient’s results and place the puppy in the overnight stay.

8th Wonder’s upcoming Paw Patrol My Creation Station offers counting, colouring, spelling, timetelling and drawing. The 92 magnets, boasting both educational and creative features, help children to develop numeracy and literacy skills and also allow them to play out their imagination with their favourite pups and vehicles. For practical use, the folding legs allow easy storage for on the go travel while the 2-in-1 whiteboard can transform into the perfect lap tray for colouring in the four activity sheets.

Pioneer Europe

www.qualatexeurope.com www.pioneerparty.com pelorder@qualatex.com.

Pioneer Europe, supplier of Qualatex balloons and Pioneer Party partyware, offers a myriad of birthday designs, including a host of licensed options.

With key character licences from Disney, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Universal and more available, there’s something for every party theme from princesses to superheroes – and this autumn sees new Disney Frozen and Disney Princess character Bubble Balloon designs added to the range.

Qualatex Bubble Balloons are a fun addition to any range and are an ideal starting point for any store. Easy to inflate and able to float for weeks, they make an enticing in-store or window display, to help drive impulse sales.

For retailers who are looking to introduce a balloon offering, Qualatex offers easily accessible training and support to help develop the category, and the Pioneer team can also help with retail display solution ideas to maximise impact.

Tonies

www.tonies.com | sales@tonies.com

Tonies’ enchanting world of music, storytelling and fun is captivating children of all ages and brand partnerships with the likes of Nat Geo, Disney and Peppa Pig have helped increased the Toniebox’s popularity.

Made for little hands and big imaginations, the huggable, bump-proof storybox is available in six bright colours and has a battery life of seven hours once fully charged. Kids can transform bedrooms, kitchens and car journeys into faraway lands and wondrous new worlds with the everexpanding troop of hand painted Tonies figurines. They simply pop a Tonie on top of the storybox and let imaginations take flight.

The most recent collaboration with British literary icon Roald Dahl is recruiting a whole new generation of fans. Kicking off this partnership is the spine-chillingly dark tale, The Witches, narrated by Lolly Adefope, and the story of everybody’s favourite schoolgirl heroine, Matilda, brought to life by Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet.

As a market leader in character wheeled toys, MV’s portfolio of properties includes evergreen favourites Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, Disney Princess, Barbie

The new line up of wheeled and outdoor toys features new, edgy Batman graphics to appeal to fans of all ages. The in-line scooter with iconic Bat plaque can be folded for compact storage and is fully printed with bold graphics throughout and features anti-slip grip tape and reactive rear footbrake for additional safety. The Dream Den Bat Cave with integrated inflatable mattress, bat-shaped lights, and fully printed panels is perfect for sleepovers, and other bestsellers include the 14” bike with iconic plaque and rear batwing, the 3D safety helmet with authentic moulding, a 2-in-1 10” training bike and a wooden skateboard.

MV’s portfolio of sector-leading licences has been further strengthened with the addition of two new properties, including the latest pre-school property Bluey, with a range of wheeled toys. The Switch-it Tri-Scooter includes four different character plaques for added play-value, a fully printed anti-slip footplate for stability and adjustable handlebar height. Also in the Bluey range is a 2-in-1 bike, an ideal beginner bike which easily converts from a pedal bike to a balance bike as the child grows in confidence.

The multi award-winning sensation Encanto has inspired a vibrant wheeled range from MV Sports, featuring iconic character graphics, bold enticing colours and visually impactful designs. The folding inline scooter features bold floral designs on neck and stem, ‘uniquely me’ Mirabel on the anti-slip grip tape and an easy-fold mechanism for simple transportation and storage.

Sambro International

08458 739 380 | www.sambro.co.uk | Sales@sambrotoys.com

Sambro International has a broad range of licensed toys on offer. Thanks to its strong working relationships with major licensors, the company has a comprehensive and varied branded portfolio that includes the likes of Disney, Hasbro, Mattel and Nickelodeon. It has also become a go-to supplier for innovative licensed toys spanning key categories including creative play, arts & crafts, novelties, collectibles and plush.

Sambro’s exclusively designed Lil Bodz plush toys have an attractive price point and on-shelf appeal with their small bodies and oversized heads. Each also has its own character sounds. Available in Disney Princess and Disney Classics character collections, Lil Bodz make a perfect cuddly toy gift for children of all ages.

For pre-schoolers, the Peppa Pig Felties House is perfect for little crafters. The colourable, washable Felties characters can be reimagined again and again with coloured markers. The finished characters can then be stored in Peppa Pig House and used to make up lots of imaginative stories.

Sambro’s Puzzle Palz range of collectible stationary toppers are available in options including Disney, Paw Patrol, Marvel and more. With over 32m sold, they are a hugely popular pick-up line which encourages repeat purchases.

Sambro has a huge selection of affordable licensed toys and entertainment gifts in its Christmas range, which will cater perfectly to restricted budgets this year and are all available now.

Spin Master

01628 535 000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk

Spin Master’s range of licences include pre-school favourites Paw Patrol and Gabby’s Dollhouse, as well as action-packed brands Jumanji and Monster Jam.

Little ones can create their own dollhouse world with Gabby’s Dollhouse Deluxe Room Sets. These play sets are ideal for gifting this autumn/winter; kids can use the MerCat’s Primp and Pamper Bathroom, Bakey with Cakey Kitchen or Pillow Cat’s Sweet Dreams Bedroom (each sold separately) to build up a Gabby’s Dollhouse world.

The Rubble X-Treme Truck from the new Paw Patrol: Big Truck Pups range looks just like Rubble’s construction rescue truck from the popular show. It features an epic transformation into two separate rescue vehicles, complete with an excavator claw, an extendable crane toy, a giant wrecking ball and a material storage unit.

The new Hello Kitty and Friends Interactive Purse from Purse Pets is packed with style, responds to touch, blinks and has over 30 all-new sounds and reactions. The Hello Kitty Purse Pet also features ultra-soft fabric and an adjustable strap with Hello Kitty Print.

Jumanji The Game is the latest edition of the legendary board game which puts the fun and excitement into players’ hands. The game is ideal to play with friends and family on a games night and is perfect for players aged eight and up.

Other licensed games from Spin Master include the Harry Potter themed Catch the Snitch, which brings all the speed and excitement of a real Quidditch match into the home. This Quidditch game is fast paced and packed with excitement; players must keep their eyes peeled and be ready to catch the iconic Golden Snitch.

Spin Master’s Wizarding World Fashion Dolls are eight-inches in height and will help young witches, wizards and muggles recreate scenes from the Harry Potter books and movies. Available in a range of characters, each doll is highly detailed with cute facial details, extralong soft hair and five points of articulation. Also available in the range is the Hermione doll, Deluxe Luna doll and Deluxe Harry doll.

For children who love action the Monster Jam Megalodon Storm RC is a 1:15 scale remote control monster truck, which drives on any terrain with performance and speed.

Topps

www.topps.com

The official new 2022/23 UEFA Champions League Sticker collection from Topps is on sale now, featuring the superstars of the most elite club competition in world football. Sporting a dynamic new look, the collection includes exciting new features, new foil sticker technology and rare Parallel Stickers that will entertain and delight fans of all ages.

The new 80-page sticker album is packed with new-look team pages, UEFA Champions League legends, all-time record holders, a UEFA Champions League Dream Team feature, stats highlighting the best players of 2021/22 and standout performers from the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

Back for another action-packed campaign, UCL Live will capture the most memorable moments from this season’s UEFA Champions League matchdays, with stickers available to order via Topps.com during five key periods: the group stages, January transfers, the last 16, the quarter finals and semi-finals and final stages.

For the first time ever, collectors will be able to search for 1st Stickers, featuring the club sticker debuts of Europe’s most prodigious young prospects. These will be found randomly in lucky packets, with Golden Parallels of the 1st Stickers to be found exclusively in the Parallel Pack SKU.

Brand new for 2022/23 is Topps’ first ever Parallel Pack, which offers eight sticker packets and a Parallel Packet with five exclusive Green Parallel foil stickers, plus the chance to find Sapphire Blue, Ruby Red, Black Diamond, Silver Pearl and Platinum Parallels in lucky packs.

Individual packets feature 10 stickers; Starter Packs include the sticker album, a 16-page UCL Live insert and two sticker packets. Multipacks contain six sticker packets.

Environmentally friendly Booster Packs come with six sticker packets, and a Mega Booster Pack comes ten sticker packets. A new Update Pack will follow after launch, featuring the play-off qualified teams and new summer signing stickers.

The official UEFA Champions League Sticker collection from Topps will be supported by a significant sampling and promotional campaign, with dedicated FSDUs and in-store point of sale initiatives.

0800 590 599 | www.smiffystrade.com

One of Smiffys’ top selling children’s licensed collections from the past couple of years has been its Julia Donaldson range, with much-loved character the Gruffalo being in

Since its feature film on the BBC on Christmas Day 2020, Zog has also soared in popularity with the orange dragon remaining a firm favourite, and also included in the range is The Highway Rat, Room on the Broom and Stickman. All costumes in the collection feature motifs and embroidered lines from the books, bringing the stories to life. As well as being popular all year round, they are always a sell-out for the World Book Day

One of Smiffys’ newest ranges is the Gigantosaurus collection, which is available to pre order now. The range includes all the main characters featured in the hit Netflix show, which has now had three seasons and is watched globally. This range of plush onesies with character heads is ideal for both everyday imaginative play and gifting, as well as Book Day. The colourful patterns and cartoon-like heads have broad

Smiffys has recently launched a range of costumes and partyware featuring cartoon character True & the Rainbow Kingdom. The range includes a True costume & wig, Grizelda costume and character dresses. This is supported by a partyware collection which includes everything needed to throw a colourful True & the Rainbow Kingdom themed bash such as rainbow plates, bunting, party bags,

Ty02393 876 600 | sales@tyuk.co.uk

July saw Ty launch its new Paddington Bear Beanie Baby, which marked the first time Paddington had featured in Ty’s best-selling Beanie Babies range. The cute Paddington plush wears his recognisable red hat while his trademark blue overcoat is embroidered with authentic toggle detailing.

Paddington Squish-A-Boos have now also joined the licensed range. These tactile, huggable plush toys feature embroidered detailing on Paddington’s coat and feature the bear’s signature red hat. Ty is continuing to explore other new licensed Paddington additions to its portfolio, citing huge consumer demand for the character. Paddington has become a national symbol of kindness and belonging, and kids and adults alike cannot get enough of licensed Paddington merchandise.

The Paddington Beanie Baby has been a sell-out success and the Squish-A-Boos line is expected to achieve the same level of sales, with the toys becoming keepsakes for years to come.

Ty is focused on increasing its production and freight capabilities to keep more stock onshelf in the run-up to the festive season. Retailers are advised to place orders ASAP to keep pace with these quick moving lines.

Asmodee

For fans of the popular television series Friends, Asmodee introduces Dobble Friends - from Zygomatic Games and Warner Bros. Players can join their favourite Friends characters at the coffee house for this fast-paced observational game. All the iconic Friends characters are included: Rachel, Phoebe, Monica, Chandler, Joey and Ross, as well as classic symbols from the show, like the turkey, the purple door and the Central Perk logo. Players must race to find the one matching image between one card and another, although they need to be wary that images may be different sizes and placed on any part of the card, making them difficult to spot.

Dobble is an exciting game which can be enjoyed by children and adults alike while keeping every player involved in the action. The new game will make an ideal Christmas stocking filler, enabling fans to add the Friends edition to their Dobble collection, which is ever-expanding and now boasts several licensed options.

Dobble is for two to eight players aged six plus.

Funko Games

020 3376 3223 | www.funko.com | NewTradeEnquiries.EMEA@funko.com

Funko Games has unveiled a new line of Pop!-inspired puzzles. Released in time for the festive selling period and featuring Funko’s iconic Pop! style, the first three puzzles feature Elf, Avatar: The Last Airbender and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

The debut of Pop! Puzzles comes at a time when both jigsaw puzzles and Pop! figures are soaring in popularity. According to a report from The NPD Group, Funko Pop! is among the top 10 properties for Toys and Games in the US so far in 2022, and that trend is expected to continue with NPD recently listing Funko Pop! as having the second fastest growth in Toys overall. The Pop! Style imagery is expected to be an ideal choice for puzzles.

The new Pop! Puzzle art is custom created for each property and designed to be immersive, transporting puzzlers into vibrant worlds with a style that is whimsical, original, and fun. Designed with high quality materials, the vibrant Pop! stylised artwork features classic characters from favourite pop culture franchises. Perfect for the whole family, the assembled puzzles are 18” x 24”, the same size as standard posters for display.

The debut of the new Pop! Puzzles during the holiday season will come at a time when families slow down and might consider doing a puzzle. The Pop! Puzzles will make an entertaining Christmas gift or stocking filler.

Ravensburger

01869 363 830 | www.ravensburger.com

Ravensburger once again has a variety of Christmas puzzle options for all ages and tastes. With a variety of designs on offer, this year’s puzzle range includes two stunning licensed Disney scenes: Disney All Aboard for Christmas and Disney Christmas Snowglobe Paradise. For younger puzzlers, and new for Christmas 2022, is a Peppa Pig 32-piece giant floor shaped puzzle complete with door hanger featuring Peppa and her family in a wonderful snowy scene.

The company generated global excitement earlier this year with the announcement of a new game in the Villainous franchise - Star Wars Villainous: Power of the Dark Side. The new tabletop game includes Darth Vader, General Grievous, Asajj Ventress, Moff Gideon and Kylo Ren. Immersive games fans have long been asking for Star Wars Villainous. To do their request justice, the Villainous development team spent over a year diving into the characters and their stories to respectfully translate them into the Villainous gameplay system. Players use their Villain’s ‘ambition’ to perform actions based on the use of the Force, strategic leadership, or sheer luck. Expected to be an immediate best-seller, the game also incorporates Villain-specific missions and iconic Star Wars planes, ships and vehicles.

Special Feature

review

Back with a bang

Returning this year with an undeniable bang, Brand Licensing Europe 2022 took place at London ExCeL from 20th-22nd September. In this piece, Toy World gives its opinion on the industry-leading pan-European licensing show, which, despite its fair share of dramas and upheaval, has been hailed a resounding success.

The Licensing.biz/Toy World team enjoyed a very busy three days at BLE, Although it was press week on this issue of Toy World, the mountain of work only kept two of the team chained to their desks throughout: BLE is just too good to miss. With so much to see and do, it took a division of labour between five of us to cover all the bases and take part in all the meetings requested by attendees. This is not at all a criticism – numerous people made kind comments about the relaunch of Licensing.biz (yes, the acquisition did make sense for us, and yes, healthy competition is generally a good thing) and plenty of licensors and agents were interested in hearing our plans. Lots more to come from us in that area as we head into 2023.

After the unforeseen events of the past few weeks, which certainly threw a curveball or three into the mix for exhibitors and attendees (not to mention the poor show organisers), the great news was that the show was back to its best. To be fair, the fact that the organisers were able to put on any kind of show at all last year was

attracted quite the crowd. Indeed, it was standing room only, with people three or four deep around the barrier to hear what Mattel president and COO Richard Dickson had to say about Barbie’s impact on fashion, the theme of this year’s BLE. (Readers can find out what else Richard had to say about Barbie in our exclusive Q&A on p.46) The fashion theme continued later that day, with eight 15-minute fashion shows hitting the central catwalk across the three-day show, displaying the latest looks from brands including Barbie, Jurassic, E.T., Minions, Sonic and Gabby’s Dollhouse.

The catwalks covered multiple categories, one of which was Sustainability – another big focus of this year’s BLE. In partnership with Products of Change, Day 3 shone the spotlight on Brand Purpose & Sustainability by offering everything from case studies and panel discussions to product displays and 1-2-1 clinics. Attendees were invited to learn from sustainability trailblazers from within licensing, and from organisations outside of the industry about what's possible in this sector. Hasbro was one of those that

took to the stage with its presentation ‘Peppa Pig Goes Green: How Muddy Puddles Can Inspire Cleaner Seas’ by Catrina O'Brien, head of Retail EurAsia - Licensing Consumer Products.

The final day, inevitably quieter than the first two, still felt busier than the final day tends to be in Vegas – the people who remained weren’t just wandering around, they had appointments and wanted to make the most of the time available. Attendees heaped praise upon the event and its organisers. Most wanted to find out our opinion on foot traffic versus previous years, which seemed to be back to traditional pre-pandemic levels, and the atmosphere was superb – despite some unexpected hurdles for visitors to overcome. Guests at the nearby Novotel had the novel experience of being awoken at 4.30 on the opening morning of the show by a fire alarm and full evacuation of the premises. There was also a flood in the hall for the organisers to deal with (it was all sounding a bit biblical at one point), and a sprinkling of rail chaos on Tuesday. We did, however, receive very positive reports from those who travelled on the new Elizabeth Line – including several of the Toy World team, who found the going much easier than some others - so that is going to be a big help to all shows taking place at ExCeL moving forward.

There were a few notable absentees over the course of the week, particularly from the toy community, with LA still in full swing. Some retailers chose to divide and conquer – well done to the Entertainer team – but inevitably a few others had a hard choice to make. We did hear that some supermarket buying teams were offering to take notes and pass them on to their absent toy colleagues, so that was a nice touch.

All in all, we once again have to say a big well done to Anna Knight and the team for another superb show, as well as all the attendees we met with either on-stand or in the aisles. This year’s Brand Licensing Europe remains an unmissable part of the trade fair calendar and we look forward to returning next year during its more traditional slot – 4th-6th October 2023.

Yu-Gi-Oh!

Speed Duel preparesfor the holiday season

Konami Digital Entertainment tells Toy World its top three reasons why Yu-Gi-Oh! Speed Duel GX: Midterm Paradox appeals to all kinds of players, making it the perfect stocking filler.

The Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG is hugely popular: players across the world have enjoyed collecting iconic cards, building powerful decks and duelling one another for more than 20 years.

Introduced in 2019, Yu-Gi-Oh! Speed Duel is a specialised version of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. In Speed Duel, players start with half as many Life Points compared to a TCG Duel and use smaller decks and duel fields with fewer Monster, Spell and Trap zones. Whether players are existing Yu-Gi-Oh! anime fans or complete newcomers to card games, Yu-Gi-Oh! Speed Duel is designed to be the perfect introduction to the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. Here are three reasons why Yu-Gi-Oh! Speed Duel GX: Midterm Paradox is an ideal addition to any holiday line-up:

Fast, easy-to-learn and fun for all the family Yu-Gi-Oh! Speed Duel features a simple ruleset. It’s easy to learn and it’s a fast game to play, making it ideally suited to onboarding new players. Products like Speed Duel GX: Midterm Paradox have been built to be accessible, akin to a board game that can be picked up and played at ease.

On top of that, the rules in Yu-Gi-Oh! Speed Duel share a lot of DNA with the rules for the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. Speed Duel can be enjoyed on its own and also serves as an excellent way of bringing new players into the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG and its massive library of products.

Duel straight out of the box

Midterm Paradox expands upon the cards released in Speed Duel GX: Duel Academy Box earlier this year. It’s also a completely standalone product.

In essence, as mentioned earlier, it can be thought of like a board game that can be picked up and played immediately. Featuring four complete Yu-Gi-Oh! Speed Duel Decks, Midterm Paradox lets up to four players jump into Duels straight away without needing other Yu-Gi-Oh! Speed Duel products. Thanks to its diminutive size, it also makes an ideal stocking filler.

These elements attract all kinds of players. Midterm Paradox can be enjoyed by families playing in their living rooms, groups of friends gathering for a game night, and anime fans looking to enjoy Yu-GiOh! together. Recognising the sheer number of player types looking for something like Midterm Paradox, Konami Digital Entertainment has been built to be as welcoming as possible.

An accessible entry point into the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG

Viewers young and old have been charmed by the Yu-Gi-Oh! animated series for decades, and those viewers have a lot of love for Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. Midterm Paradox lets fans play as beloved characters from YuGi-Oh! GX like Jaden Yuki and Syrus Truesdale in an innovative and engaging way.

Exclusive to Yu-Gi-Oh! Speed Duel, Skill Cards let players unlock the characters’ trademark powers and abilities. This means that, on top of using their signature monsters, players can use Skill Cards to bring their character to life in Yu-Gi-Oh! Speed Duel. Using Skill Cards can completely change the face of a match and is therefore intrinsic to the fun and strategy of Yu-Gi-Oh! Speed Duel.

Launching soon, Speed Duel GX: Midterm Paradox features over 100 cards and contains four complete Speed Duel decks that are ready for play straight out of the box.

Company Profile

Magicbox Toys

the story so far

A year after she took up the position of UK managing director at Magicbox Toys, Nicola Bergot invited Toy World’s John Baulch and Rachael Simpson-Jones to the company’s UK office to meet her new team, learn about upcoming product launches, and discuss the company’s plans and aspirations for the future.

Magicbox’s

new UK office, we discovered soon after arriving, lies directly beneath the Gatwick flightpath. You wouldn’t know this from standing inside Gatwick House – it’s got a level of soundproofing those of us with bassloving neighbours can only dream of – but peer out of the window long enough and you’ll see the underbelly of a passenger plane soaring not far overhead. It’s a fitting location for a company that’s going places under the leadership of Nicola Bergot, who accepted the position of UK managing director at Magicbox in September 2021 after two decades at Flair GP.

When coming into the role, Nicola took a little time out to assess the scope of the work to be done and whether she was ideally placed to take it on. She first accepted a position in July 2021 and then spent a few months as business consultant, supported by Foye Pascoe, before ultimately taking up the mantle of MD. During this period, Nicola was able to evaluate what Magicbox UK’s Spanish owners wanted to get out of the partnership: what did they need to do, and how did they want to do it?

Among Nicola’s first tasks were finding and setting

up a UK office, devising new processes and systems, and creating the Magicbox UK team. “Initially, I was on my own, in a UK company that had real business momentum, and I was aware that I had knowledge gaps I needed to fill,” Nicola explains. “I put a plan together with the Spanish office detailing what we needed - someone talented in sales, a marketing specialist, and a person who could oversee customer service – and through a couple of specialist recruiters, we found and hired the right people.”

John and I were lucky to meet ‘the right people’ during our visit: Head of Marketing Suzie Howes, Senior National Account Manager Denise Carr, and Natasha Moore, the company’s new Customer Services & UK Office coordinator. The only one missing was Marlon Groves (referred to as ‘the Bosley to our Angels’ by Nicola) who handles the company’s existing News Trade business in the role of National Account Controller (Press and Wholesale). It’s been a boon for Nicola to build a team from the ground up. She’s been able to choose people she already knew, or knew of, who work well together, who understand the toy industry and who bring complementary, sometime surprising skills to the table. Natasha, the youngest of

won’t raise eyebrows among British parents.

Magicbox Toys has been around for nearly three decades and has made a name for itself in the collectibles space with its hugely popular Superthings brand. Spanning a wide range of price points, from 90p RRP to £49.99, the brand is welcoming new characters, vehicles, robots, play sets and themes that will continue its expansion into the broader toy space, rather than just the pocket money collectibles category. KookyLoos, a doll range that lets kids change their doll’s facial expression with a simple swipe of a finger, is also set to benefit from new play sets and themes, plus the introduction of two boy characters in spring. Much more will be revealed about upcoming launches in due course, but the take-away for now is that Magicbox has set its sights firmly on being far more than ‘just’ a collectibles company.

“For a company that has been going for 26 years, and that has momentum with a hugely successful collectibles/impulse business, we’ve never really been known as a toy company,” Nicola says. “I think many in the industry still see the company as an impulse products supplier to the News Trade channel, and while this remains important, the reality is that we sell quality toys that offer value for money and excellent play value for kids, plus good retail margins too. And they’re all developed by a passionate and experienced team in Spain that genuinely cares about what it’s creating.”

Nicola says the Spanish head office, which itself moved to new premises in Barcelona earlier this year, has been incredibly supportive - and also refreshingly hands-off about her development of the UK business. David Bella, the company’s owner, and Jose Vicente Savall, the company’s Global Commercial and Marketing Director have been clear that there are no unreasonable demands, unattainable goals or lofty expectations. Instead, the company is happy to support Nicola and her team as they shape the UK business, listen to feedback and enjoy any wins, be they big or small. Speaking of which, John and I were party to quite a big win while on-site: just before we headed out for our lunch, Nicola found out that Magicbox had just ranked 40th in NPD’s Top 50 Toy Manufacturers for August – the first time the company has ever appeared within the Top 50. That was worthy of a celebration and the delight among the team was evident for all to see.

Over lunch, Nicola continued chatting with John and I about the past year and her ongoing work in

and opening new accounts,” she says, when asked what hurdles remain. “There’s a preconception about what we offer among some retailers, while we’re trying to set up direct accounts for the first time with some of the others. I know I’m not alone because I’ve spoken to other ‘new’ toy businesses in the same boat. The reality is that previews don’t always translate into listings, which has been a learning curve for all of us, including the Spanish office. Liking the product is just the first step in the journey to trading with a retailer: there’s a lot more that follows, which is where the work really starts. However, I’m pleased to say we are getting there – many retailers are supporting us and trying our products for the first time, having given us the opportunity to put our products in front of them. And those that trust in us, and our products will be very well supported. We send out around 3,500 FSDUs a season, for example. We don’t do things by half.”

In February, Magicbox announced the start of its plastic packaging phase-out. The shift away from plastic elements includes the likes of blister packs and foil bags, means the company has been able to design an attractive new on-shelf look for Superthings which has carried through into KookyLoos (and doubtless future ranges too). This commitment to reducing its plastic footprint is just one of the ways in which company owner David Bella’s passion for toys and the kids that play with them shines through; the team tells us that David thinks it’s just as important that children enjoy playing with the toys his company creates as it is to look after their futures.

So, what does the future hold for Magicbox? Lots, without doubt, but for Nicola, it’s early days and there’s no hurry to start hitting the high notes until the basics are just right. For example, the company’s UK warehouse operation has been slimmed down from five separate sites to just two: one for News Trade and one for Toys. Growth of the business is vitally important, of course. Nicola says Magicbox would not have invested in the UK office and its experienced new team if the Spanish office didn’t have ambitious expectations for the business, and she clearly wants to make it pleased to have invested in Nicola and her team. “This is a serious commitment in the UK,” she notes, adding that for any serious player, a spot in the Top 20 is desirable – getting into the Top 10 even more so.

That said, she also wants to develop a business that has a great reputation, a business that excels and does things well: “A business where people enjoy working,

flourish, feel appreciated, listened to and supported, and can develop their skills and careers.” It was evident from spending time with the team how well Nicola, Natasha, Suzie and Denise get along. This camaraderie is integral to Nicola’s vision for Magicbox. She, along with some of her colleagues, have spent time in challenging workplaces, giving them a clearer view of what’s important in business.

“Ultimately, you need a good team that you’re happy to work with: you may go to work at 9am and finish at 5pm, but if it’s awful between those hours then you could be in the Top 5 and you still won’t enjoy what you’re doing,” she says. “Maybe it’s an age thing, not letting ambition outweigh what’s important? But I want my team to remain with me for many years. There’s so much to be said for developing talent that’s been with you since the beginning. Ultimately, I want the people here, that took this ‘risk’ with me, to oversee their own teams and be fulfilled and happy. You can see when you visit the Spanish office that there’s absolutely no one-upmanship or detrimental competitiveness. We all work bloody hard, of course, we’re not living in a fantasy world. It’s fair to say David won’t be content if we’re simply enjoying our jobs but not selling any toys. But if we can produce the results we all want by creating a culture of support and teamwork, then it will be to the benefit of everyone involved.”

Nicola also says Magicbox has been very fortunate in being able to call on and garner support from a number of personal industry and business contacts, Evolution PR, Generation Media, Toy World and Foye Pascoe among them, along with many supportive retailers and buyers.

“Numerous friends and colleagues have played a role in getting us to where we are today,” she notes. “And what’s most exciting is that where we are is just the story so far – there’s so much more to come from Magicbox.”

New Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty

DKB Toys & Distribution

07813 725 480 | www.dkbtoys.com

DKB is introducing four new lines to the Crazy Aarons collection, which returned to the UK marketplace earlier this year. Having been back on shelves for little over two months, the American-made thinking putty is showing all the signs of being a huge success once again.

Two new Hide Inside puttys are launching in Q4. Sweet Surprise is perfect for kids seeking a sugar rush. Arcade Adventure, meanwhile, challenges kids to level up their senses as they save the six character and treasure pieces contained within this arcade themed putty.

The new Trendsetter putty is turning out to be one of the favourite Thinking Puttys to date. Kids will be mesmerised by the amber and gold hues of the Honey Hive Thinking Putty, which comes complete with honeycomb sparkles and mini bees.

A new Glowbright putty is also joining the range. Mermaid Tale is inspired by fantastical stories of old: the purple and turquoise colour-shifting sparkles shimmer like the sun on the ocean’s surface, while it glows sea green in the dark.

Adding these new lines continues DKB’s promise to continually evolve the range, keeping it fresh for the company’s customers by always offering something new, exciting and trendsetting.

Rocket League

01908 555640 | www.funrise.com | sales@funrise.com

Funrise Toys has announced the UK launch of its highly anticipated Rocket League remote control replica vehicles. In partnership with video game developer Psyonix, a game-inspired assortment of Micro RC vehicles, Custom RC vehicles, Micro RC Competition Pack and the feature-packed Octane ZSR Smoke RC hit retail shelves from September 2022.

The Micro RC is a full-function RC replica vehicle, modeled with realistic game-inspired features such as lights and quick acceleration. It’s a 2.75”/ 69mm 2.4Ghz ride which features working headlights and taillights, and includes a goal, game ball and 4”/101mm controller that charges and stores the vehicle. There are four different models to collect: Takumi, Dominus, Endo and Breakout Type S.

The Custom Racer RC, also a full-function RC replica vehicle, is modeled with features such as sounds, under-glow lighting, hundreds of customizable design options, and is available in two models: Fennec and Octane. This 8”/ 203mm 2.4Ghz vehicle includes a controller, game ball, four extra interchangeable wheels, two vehicle and two antenna toppers, a decal sheet and an eco-friendly die cut goal repurposed from the packaging.

The Micro RC Competition Pack includes two 2.75”/ 69mm 2.4Ghz micro RC vehicles with working headlights and taillights, two goals, one game ball and two game ball controllers that double as vehicle charging and storage units.

The Octane ZSR Smoke RC, a full-function 2.4Ghz 6-channel RC replica vehicle, features sounds, under-glow lighting, and an illuminated smoke boost option. This 11”/ 279mm ride has instant torque and acceleration with a top-scale speed of 80MPH/128KPH. It includes a game ball and eco-friendly die cut goal repurposed from the packaging, which allows players to take the game with them anywhere. A Lithium-Ion battery and 2 AA batteries are included. The launch coincides with retail demo days and events showcasing the new items. Consumers can visit Rocket League demo tables at participating venues and experience the vehicles firsthand.

My Fi?ures

01268 548 111 | www.playmobil.co.uk

Playmobil is extending its range of Fi?ures with new My Fi?ures play sets, which come with a classic play scene and six disassembled figures to allow children to create and customise their own characters.

Playmobil Fi?ures have always been popular with little ones, for their surprise element and the opportunity to build, create and customise each figure, allowing children to make any character they wish. The sub-brand has been a top performer for Playmobil in the UK, consistently finishing in the top 5 each year.

Playmobil My Fi?ures play sets are available from this month (October) and include four different options. For more information, contact local Territory Managers or call the office on the number above.

Crazy Maze Tactic Games

07970 779 842 | www.tactic.net

It’s all in the luck of the draw with Crazy Maze, the latest party game for adults from Tactic Games. Players are challenged to draw their way through the maze with their eyes closed to try and reach the finish as fast as they can. They need to be careful though, if the tip of their pen touches a coloured box or wall it will trigger a Truth or Dare and they will be given a crazy task to perform or be asked to spill the beans in the answer to a silly question. If they are lucky, they might hit Fluke and be able to pass the Truth or Dare challenge to another unsuspecting player.

Smart players will memorise the maze at the start and doodle as carefully as possible, but players need to beware of any mischievous cheating if someone peeks whilst drawing.

Crazy Maze is suitable for ages 16+ and comes with a game board, 200 cards, four colour

Wheels Vs Doors Asmodee

01420 593 593 | www.asmodee.co.uk

Radio 1 DJ and TV Presenter Matt Edmondson has developed a popular range of brain-teaser board games that test speed, reactions, general knowledge and problem-solving skills and is perfect for parties. In the new game Wheels Vs Doors, players must decide if there are more of one thing or another in the world; for example, whether there are more wheels or doors. Available for Q4, this entertaining party game will make an ideal

For two players and up, the game has been created to spark entertaining debates between players. It can be played individually, or larger groups can split into up to four teams. Betting chips are placed on the chosen item and winning guesses receive as many cards from the wheel/door deck as the number of chips. Likewise losing guesses lose that many cards from their collection. Players must keep playing rounds until the team or the individual has ten Wheel cards or ten Door cards to win the game.

Activity Tunnels

Encouraging children to take daily exercise is more challenging than ever, and Naylor hopes its colourful activity tunnels will encourage more physical activity, along with sparking young imaginations.

Due to their robust construction, the tunnels can withstand lots of playtime fun and can be used for crawling, hiding and vigorously rolling around in. Their size and flexibility allow the tunnels to be adapted with for use with other toys.

Tunnels are made from a medium PVC material, up to four times thicker than alternatives on the market. With a spring steel wire coil which is fully enclosed in a heavy-duty and hard-wearing cover strip, the tunnels are flexible and self-supportive. Using PVC material makes all of the tunnels suitable for indoor activities but also durable enough to withstand outdoor play whatever the weather. They are waterproof, easy to clean and concertina down for storage.

New interactions to Miko 3

Miko

www.miko.ai | trade@miko.ai

The award-winning kids robot is back with added enhancements in time for Christmas. The company says that new interactions make Miko smarter, funnier and take playful learning to another level. With an even more expressive face, enhanced voice skills, and a host of interactive experiences, Miko is cementing its reputation as an AI robot friend for kids ages 5-10.

New Miko has an even more expressive face. In addition to a cheeky personality and a rich library of jokes, all-new facial expressions will provide endless fun. If Miko is asked a silly joke, it will offer humorous expressions in return. Miko has a new emotion mirror app and will mimic a sad or happy face using the power of AI.

Removing parental concerns about passive screen time, there are endless interactive experiences to explore. Miko’s AI-powered twists on classic games like musical statues and charades have been designed to get kids moving, and its popular dance app is back for Christmas with even more beats to explore.

Miko is also launching the world’s first platform for kid-robot NFT creation. Kids can create paintings with Miko using its all-new art app. Then, parents can turn those masterpieces into NFTs that are gifted or sold on Miko’s secure, family friendly NFT marketplace.

All-new Miko Journeys lets kids earn rewards as they master new skills, as Miko tracks progress, reports to the Parent App and points out the next step in the playful learning journey.

Combined with Miko 3’s ever-growing content platform, home to brands like Disney, Paramount, and Kidoodle.TV, these latest

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Toy companies are once again ramping up their marketing efforts as we head into the Golden Quarter, aiming to get their products in front of kids, wherever they may be. In this piece, a selection of industry experts - Havas Entertainment’s Tristan Brooks, KidsKnowBest’s Rob Lough and Generation Media’s Jon Chambers - take Toy World readers behind the scenes (and screens) to break down the entertainment and content landscape and help companies understand where best to place their spend.

Ourexpert contributors all agree –fragmentation continues to alter the lay of the marketing land. Kids have undeniably moved away from scheduled TV programming towards platforms that provide video content on demand, whenever and wherever they want it.

According to Jon Chambers, director of Investment at Generation Media, SVOD services account for the largest share of content viewing (33%) among 2–9-year-olds in the UK (Giraffe Insights, Kids and the Screen).

A report from regulator Ofcom released in August revealed that one in five UK homes had access to all three of the current biggest SVOD services - Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime (ordered according to market share) – while data from Justwatch shows that the combined trio holds 77% of the streaming market. Justwatch also says Disney+ has seen the most growth

so far this year, increasing +3% since January, while Netflix and Amazon Prime Video each earned +2% in

“Whilst SVODs remain non-commercial for now, they should not be discounted from immediate marketing plans as they act as a fantastic distribution

understand the advertising opportunities, but the potential is there: these platforms offer access to established and engaged audiences, potentially at scale if the take up is strong.”

Rob Lough, chief brand officer/co-founder, KidsKnowBest, urges caution though. He says that

Jon Chambers

Tristan Brooks

Rob Lough

others to follow suit very quickly. However, if Netflix and Disney+ see a mass migration of users from the full fee service into the reduced fee, ad funded model, then expect there to be a delay in other platforms enacting similar policies.”

“Video content remains the dominant form of entertainment, be that on streaming services, YouTube, or traditional broadcast,” Jon adds. “However, the greatest shift we’re experiencing in this space is the consistent movement towards the TV set as the primary device for consuming video content. Over 80% of Disney+ and Netflix viewing takes place on the TV set (2-9 year olds), and we are now able to deliver entire YouTube campaigns via the TV set only, bringing the commercial power of the big screen to the most popular commercial platform for kids. That said, Video’s dominance has been heavily challenged into 2022 and will continue to come under pressure from Gaming into 2023 and beyondespecially amongst older children.”

Rob Lough says in-game advertising has been growing for years and will only continue to grow further, with ad networks such as Bidstack and Bloxbiz leading the way. Giraffe Insights’ Little Voices research shows kids aged 7-11 are spending on average more than one hour per weekday playing games and apps, which Jon Chambers says means commercial opportunities are becoming more affordable and more effective for brands. Spin Master has been quick on the uptake in this area, launching the latest series of Bakugan within Roblox and ensuring a global audience with a greater reach than any single TV broadcaster.

Affordability appears key to leveraging the opportunities presented by the likes of Minecraft and Roblox, which Tristan Brooks feels are leading social gaming environments with highly engaged communities (a bit like mini Metaverses). He says: “The high cost of entry for advertisers on these platforms has always been a challenge. To build and create meaningful interactions is expensive and has meant only the brands with larger budgets have access. Ultimately, it’s down to the platform owners and how commercially accessible they wish to make their platforms for advertisers - or even if they need to. There’s great potential here and as social gaming is always evolving, we may well see growing opportunities for advertisers.”

“In-game video advertising on casual gaming apps, such as Angry Birds, should see growth in investment in the coming year as advertisers shift video budgets away from kids TV in an effort to drive reach and awareness elsewhere,” continues Tristan. “In my opinion, YouTube investment should be prioritised over in-game advertising as it currently offers better reach, targeting, pricing and optimisation.”

Jon Chambers explains that beyond SVOD, Linear TV accounts for 24% of viewing time whilst Free Online Video - predominantly YouTube - accounts for 21%. However, he says this doesn’t paint the full picture for marketers. Only 43% of the video viewing that takes place in the UK is of commercial channels, and of this, 76% are children’s specific. Drilling down to the kids’ commercial video landscape even further, Jon says YouTube accounts for 51% of viewing compared to Linear TV’s 21%. “It is therefore no surprise to see YouTube, in many cases, competing with and even replacing Linear TV as the major

Marketing Campaigns

component of brand marketing campaigns,” he tells us.

KidsKnowBest’s research indicates that 67% of kids in the UK and 71% in the US say YouTube is their favourite platform. It’s understandable, therefore, that Havas Entertainment’s Tristan Brooks feels YouTube is underinvested in as things currently stand: he says it offers plenty of potential for driving cost effective reach and consideration against targeted child and parent audiences. However, Social Media is where he sees bigger opportunities in the run up to Christmas, especially across Facebook and Instagram. With more

Ultimately, where to place spend depends on myriad factors and of course, what works for one company may not work for another, as Jon explains.

“Determining the best ROI will be entirely specific to each brand’s unique challenges and objectives,” he says. “YouTube currently offers advertisers the most cost-efficient platform on which to generate mass awareness. If driving parents to eCommerce platforms is the priority, then PPC (pay-per-click), Facebook and TikTok are the current market leaders for entertainment brands. But for arguably the greatest overall effect, including increasing the efficiency of performance channels such as Facebook and PPC, then TV still provides the best pound-forpound ROI. When considering how to maximise ROI for your brand, it’s essential that no channel is considered in isolation. A balanced, insight and data driven multi-channel approach will deliver the greatest potential ROI.”

advertisers vying for attention around the end of the year, Tristan says it’s crucial to ‘get standout from the formats, messaging and creative you run’. “Advertisers need to focus on the customer journey, test what messages will resonate and when in order to ‘nudge’ customers down the consideration to conversion path,” he explains.

According to KidsKnowBest, children start shifting to TikTok at age 10, and by the time they’re 15, it’s their No. 1 choice. Jon Chambers at Generation Media agrees that TikTok continues to make headlines and grow its user base amongst youth audiences. Among younger kids, however, at the ages we usually see heading to toy shops, viewing time is surprisingly low when you consider the publicity the platform attracts. Social Media accounts for just 2% of total content time for 2–9-year-olds in the UK, explains Jon, of which TikTok commands a 66% share. This, coupled with TikTok’s policy of not carrying ads targeted directly at children, means the platform should remain a secondary media consideration compared to the more established video and gaming partners. Jon adds: “Agencies and brands will need to continue to carefully consider the best ways to engage with their audience on the platform (e.g. effective use of influencers), to extract maximum commercial value.”

It’s worth noting the impact the cost of living crisis will have on content consumption (and therefore ad consumption) this year. For the same reason reducedprice-with-ads SVOD platforms may prove popular among families watching the pennies, Tristan believes cinemas are in for a tough year, with trips to watch movies on the big screen declining unless an absolute ‘must see’ film is being shown. Instead, families will continue to watch movies at home on the subscription services they pay for. As a result, Sky Family Movies, Netflix, Amazon Prime and Freevee will become increasingly important distribution platforms for film companies and audiences may see more straight-tostreaming film launches in the coming year.

Looking ahead, Jon is expecting to see consolidation as linear TV continues to decline. He says he wouldn’t be surprised if Cartoon Network ended up being sold by Sky Media in 2023, following the WarnerMedia and Discovery merger and the announcement that they will be investing more in combining their streaming platforms. And in the longer term, he expects at least one major kids’ network to retreat from the linear space altogether in favour of digital platforms, just like Disney has with its Channel, Junior and XD channels.

Rob says media agencies are going to have to work even harder in the years ahead as the world becomes more programmatic and measurement becomes easier to gauge at the individual level. It’s his opinion that many companies will start to bring their media in-house: those agencies that remain relevant will do so by having a USP built on data, insights and deep strategy that moves the needle - not networks and connections.

Tristan, meanwhile, believes that consumer data privacy concerns will continue to be a hot topic among consumers. He says it’s already challenging advertisers’ ability to collect data for targeting and remarketing to adult audiences across the big tech platforms. He adds: “Working with agencies and media partners that have the ability to build out quality audiences in a ‘post cookie’ market will be key, especially as I think targeting purchasers will become increasingly important for advertisers, as child audiences become increasingly fragmented and harder to reach.”

He also has advice for the here and now: “Advertisers need to evolve and test new media and creative opportunities to really learn how these can enhance sales performance. This Q4 is already looking like it will be challenging at retail, with consumer confidence currently quite low. This may mean you need to change your approach and plans at short notice and pivot investment. Lean into your agency partners to support you with any data and insights that add real value to understanding campaign performance, not just reporting media benchmarks. Regular communication, quality data and insight and the ability to react fast will be key to maximising your campaign performance.”

Over the coming pages, Toy World finds out how toy and game companies are reaching kids this year, wherever they may be.

Brainstorm

01200 445 113 | www.brainstormltd.co.uk

Brainstorm has cemented its 2022 advertising campaigns by utilising a multi-channel approach. The company’s ads will focus on popular Brainstorm Toys lines including My Very Own Moon, My Very Own Rainbow, My Very Own Solar System and the T-Rex Projector and Room Guard, as well as the new 3-in-1 nightlight, My Very Own Cloud. Brainstorm’s usual linear Kids TV activity will be further enhanced by VOD, YouTube and gaming activity to maximise reach amongst child audiences.

In addition to this multi-channel approach, parent audiences will be targeted via paid social campaigns across Facebook and Instagram. This will be underpinned by comprehensive PR support across all lines during Q4 in the lead up to Christmas. As well as the Brainstorm Toys ads, StikBot and Aqua Dragons, which are both distributed in the UK by Brainstorm, will also be advertised across key channels.

Happy Line Toys

0141 613 2525 | sales@oneforfun.com | www.dream-beams.com

Happy Line Toys’ lovable, huggable, glow-in-the-dark Dream Beams first launched this summer. Demand for these plush toys is expected to surge as the holiday season draws closer.

Keeping the brand front of mind during this key gifting period will be a charming TVC that offers parents and children a sneak peek into Dream Beams World. Frequent, heavyweight pre-roll will ensure the target demographic sees this captivating TVC. Adding further weight to the campaign, the firm will be interspersing this pre-roll activity with influencer activity across YouTube and Instagram. Each new wave, known as a Dreamscovery, has its very own launch schedule designed to reach a high volume of parents through peer-to-peer awareness and recommendations.

Dream Beams are now available in three different sizes - 18cm, 30cm and an all-new 9cm format which come in blind packaging: the Dream Mystery - the Dream Beams Mini Surprise Collectibles. These Dream Beams will be ideal for Christmas gifting.

Toys

379 123 | www.canaltoys.co.uk | sales@canaltoys.uk

Canal Toys’ Airbrush Plush range has been extended following its hugely successful launch in late 2021. The original Unicorn has been joined by Airbrush Plush Puppy and Airbrush Plush Wildcat and will be supported by heavyweight marketing and TV advertising campaigns. Airbrush Plush provides the perfect blank canvas for anyone with an eye for design or are just feeling creative. Each cute soft toy has bright, white plush fur which can be washed clean repeatedly – it just needs to be washed under the tap, left to dry, and then the plushie can be styled all

Using the battery-operated airbrush and the special pop coloured chalk-based markers, the fur can be sprayed directly onto. There are over 100 stencils to create wonderful patterns and designs across the body, legs, and head. The possibilities are endless and allow for hours of play. There is also a refill pack available in the range containing five refill markers and two more sheets of sticker stencils

Following the Q4 marketing and advertising push, Airbrush Plush will have a new extension to the range in early 2023. With many exciting future lines planned for this fast-growing brand, the team at Canal Toys looks forward to working with its retail partners to capitalise on the success it has achieved so far.

DKB Toys & Distribution

07813 725 480 | www.dkbtoys.com

The response to Crazy Aaron’s return to the UK market has been very positive. Retailers and consumers alike report being incredibly happy with the refreshed putty formula and the work Crazy Aaron’s has put into creating new products that help to cement its standing as the No. 1 trusted putty brand.

November sees four new lines join the existing 17 currently available in stores: Sweet Surprise, Arcade Adventure, Honey Hive and Mermaid Tale. All will be supported by campaigns running across owned social media channels. These will tease the latest product launches to consumers, who continue to demonstrate strong brand loyalty and a desire to add the newest puttys to their collections. Retailers will be supported with digital flyers that will be sent out to showcase the four new lines and their USPs.

DKB also offers exclusive in-store merchandising solutions in the form of FSDUs and CDUs that will support the full Crazy Aaron’s range in the run up to Christmas.

Sinco Creations

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Following an impressive start for the Among Us toy collection, in partnership with Toikido, Sinco Creations has introduced a second series this year which it will be taking to the masses with a high-impact campaign in Q4.

Activity to promote Sinco’s Series Two toy line for the fan-favourite gaming IP has already begun and is set to continue throughout the season. Sinco’s marketing efforts will ensure that the new wave of collectible Crewmate figures, plush and the newly launched Special Edition lines will remain front of mind with fans of the popular multiplayer social deduction game.

The Among Us Airship, which comes with three exclusive Crewmates and features a roof that opens to provide storage, is a hero line for the range. Many kids will already be familiar with the airship: it is a key focus within the TVC, which started airing digitally in August.

Digital activity will remain central to Sinco’s Q4 marketing, with over 2m views of the TVC set to be delivered across kids YouTube and gaming. These views will be racked up until December, with several heavy bursts promoting viewership.

Support for the line will also include multiple waves of Meta advertising, as well as influencer engagement across YouTube, Instagram, parental blogger channels and TikTok. In addition, covermount promotion and numerous other placements with kids press will add to the fun, ensuring that the brand reaches the core audience offline as well as on.

For more information about the Among Us portfolio and Sinco’s supporting Q4 campaign, please contact Daniel Smith on the details above.

Bandai UK

020 8324 6160 | www.bandai.co.uk

Bandai UK has unveiled its pre-Christmas advertising campaigns for some of its most popular and best-performing licensed and own-IP brands. Tamagotchi Pix Party, CoComelon, True and the Rainbow Kingdom, Miraculous and Sea Monkeys will all be supported by robust TV and extensive digital advertising programmes, reflecting Bandai’s commitment to growth within the UK & Ireland markets for these priority ranges. TV support includes a compilation of 10”, 20” and 30” spots aired across terrestrial, satellite and video-ondemand platforms, with placements of solus adverts for hero items within the key ranges. In addition, TV sponsorship has been brokered for both the company’s Dragon Ball and True and the Rainbow Kingdom lines.

Each of the brands will also benefit from the integration of digital and social targeting, including TikTok advertising and Crunchyroll pre-rolls for Dragon Ball, TikTok and in-app advertising for Bandai’s Miraculous range, and a three-week digital OOH (Out of Home) campaign for Tamagotchi.

Full marketing support is in place for each of these brands including high-profile influencer campaigns, preroll placements, media partnerships and events, and direct-to-audience outreach and experiential activations.

Mattel

01628 500 000 | www.mattel.com

Mattel continues to invest in heavyweight support for key items for the festive period, with extensive TV campaigns forming part of extensive marketing programmes to drive consumer demand.

This autumn/winter, key Barbie items will include a new playset to create adventures with the new Barbie Dream Camper, plus Barbie Totally Hair Dolls. Mattel will also continue support for Barbie Fashionistas and the Dreamhouse. The Barbie Dreamtopia Mermaid Power dolls will feature alongside the Mermaid Power Boat Playset, taken from the new musical special Barbie Dreamtopia Mermaid Power.

Hot Wheels’ impressive Hot Wheels City Attacking Shark Escape Playset will be supported by TV, as well as the Hot Wheels Ultimate Garage Playset and Hot Wheels Monster Truck Unstoppable Tiger Shark RC Vehicle. The Hot Wheels brand is sponsoring afternoons on Nick Jr with a focus on Hot Wheels Wreckin' Raceway Playset, Action Spiral Speed Crash Playset, Hot Wheels Monster Truck Unstoppable Tiger Shark RC Vehicle and Ultimate Garage Playset.

Fisher-Price is introducing the new DJ Bouncing Beats with extensive TV support, along with the new Linkimals Light up & Learn Owl. FisherPrice Little People Barbie Dreamhouse will also be supported on TV.

The new Thomas & Friends Launch & Loop Maintenance Yard will enjoy TV promotion this Christmas, as well as top seller Trains & Crains Super Tower. Imaginext DC Super Friends Bat Tech BatBot TVCs will appear alongside Imaginext Jurassic World Mega Stomp & Rumble Dino.

A TV campaign is also in place for Polly Pocket, highlighting the new Compact & Wearable assortment and new Polly Pocket Treehouse.

Harry Potter will hit the screen this autumn/winter with the new Flying Car and Core dolls, along with the Jurassic World Strike ‘n Roar Giant Dino.

Other key licences to be supported include the Disney Pixar Lightyear Jetpack Buzz as well as the Minions Babble Otto, plus Disney Pixar Cars Radiator Springs Send off, Sudsmarine Colour Change Car Wash and the Mega Pokémon Ultimate Jungle Expedition.

Flair

020 8643 0320 | www.flairplc.co.uk | sales@flairplc.co.uk

Flair GP will be building brand awareness for its new and classic brands this autumn/winter by mixing TV with a significant digital presence to ensure its impactful new TVCs are placed where kids are consuming the most media.

Action Heroes, cool mini figures with mix and match pieces and changeable expressions, is a priority launch for this year. The brand launched this summer with both TV and digital support. Interest will be maintained throughout the final quarter, with marketing drivers including pre-roll, influencer outreach, sampling and more.

Influencers and parental activity will deliver support across the whole brand while digital campaigns will secure a substantial number of TVC views between September and October at regular intervals throughout the season. This will be bolstered with a further linear and VoD TV campaign in September and October, ensuring visibility across the full collection including the bigger play sets, Dino Camp AtaX and Police HQ, as well as larger vehicle sets such as the Police SWAT Truck.

The final months of the year are always key for family games. This year, Flair’s marketing plans will ensure that its new game, Get To The Peak, will be top of the games pile. The game requires players to race to the peak with their mountain climbers. A significant number of views will be delivered via YouTube pre-roll through October and November, whilst TV will reach kids while they are watching their favourite shows. This robust campaign is rounded off with parental and influencer engagement, social media support and brand presence in key kids’ press titles.

Flair’s creative portfolio will also be front of mind, with both Mr Frosty The Ice Crunchy Maker and the Mini Delices chocolate making kits benefiting from the support of a TV campaign running through the October half-term holidays. The Mini Delices TVC highlights the year-round favourite, the 5-in-1 Chocolate Workshop. Also within the range is the all-new Chocolate Bar Maker, which allows kids to create any chocolate bar they like.

Other key brands such as Super Cute Little Babies, Hamstars and Unique Eyes will benefit from significant digital campaigns that will rack up millions of pre-roll views, as well as a raft of PR activity to highlight the Q4 collections.

Learning Resources

01553 819 386 | www.learningresources.co.uk

Learning Resources is bringing learning through play to life this Christmas with a seasonal brand awareness campaign that will show audiences the different ways in which its toys and games help children learn through play.

This multi-channel campaign will include digital and print advertising, social media content, influencer collaborations, email newsletters and PR activity to reach a wide audience in the lead up to the key Q4 sales period. Engaging video and static ads will run across the company’s digital advertising network. Creative will feature images and footage showing children playing with Learning Resources toys, bolstered by a whimsical script that captures the magic of Christmas.

This will be supported by product-focused promotions through PR activity, social media content, influencer and blogger collaborations and events, and email marketing newsletters. The product-focused activity will highlight Learning Resources’ toys in key gifting categories including big ticket buys, stocking fillers and family games, as well as the company’s core gifting categories: STEM, coding and early years developmental toys.

With exciting new launches and gift options for children as young as 18 months old, Numberblocks will also be a key focus during the Christmas season. There will be a dedicated Numberblocks brand campaign promoted through digital and print advertising, supported by product-focused activity through PR, social media, influencer and blogger, and email marketing channels.

Content will promote the range’s best-sellers including the multi award-winning Numberblocks MathLink Cubes Activity Sets and the Stampoline Park Stamp Activity Set, as well as two new plush launches: Numberblock One Fun Friend and Numberblocks One and Two Playful Pals plush toys.

PR activity began in July, and the campaign will scale up across all Learning Resources’ marketing channels from October onwards to appeal to the company’s target audience during the peak Christmas shopping season.

Golden Bear Toys

01952 608 308 | www.goldenbeartoys.com | customerservices@goldenbeartoys.co.uk

Reflecting Golden Bear’s ongoing commitment to brand growth, Bing, Hey Duggee and In the Night Garden, plus its own IPs FunLockets, Skills Ball and Curlimals, will all be supported with TV advertising and high-budget digital campaigns this Q4.

Exciting new TV spots featuring user-generated content will air across terrestrial TV, satellite, video-on-demand platforms and YouTube to support key lines. Products in the spotlight for the festive season include the new Talking Biteysaurus Bing, the Bing House Playset, new Paddling and Painting Bing Playsets, and the In the Night Garden Ninky Nonk Musical Activity Bubble Train. The award-winning Hey Duggee Transforming Duggee Space Rocket remains the focus with a new TV commercial and extensive multi-channel digital campaign. The Explore & Snore Camping Duggee, Press, Play & Party Sticky Stick and In the Night Garden Igglepiggle Super Soft Blankie Bundle will all benefit from strong digital support throughout Q4.

Skills Ball, the latest addition to Golden Bear’s popular football-training Smart Ball range, will receive support in the form of a new TVC featuring on Soccer AM from September to mid-November, alongside a heavyweight promotional campaign across YouTube.

A huge success with retailers since hitting shelves in July, special feature plush range Curlimals launched with sponsorship on Pop and Tiny Pop in August. September saw the start of market-wide TV advertising alongside an always-on digital strategy including long form content on YouTube focusing on the nurturing play provided by the adorable interactive hedgehog, bunny and badger friends. FunLockets is further supported with TV advertising in Q3/Q4.

All TV advertising plans will be integrated with digital and social targeting across various platforms including YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Robust PR programmes are also in place to include influencer campaigns, social and media partnerships.

Toynamics UK & Ireland is launching its biggest Christmas advertising campaign to date to support the Hape brand.

The campaign focuses on the concept that when a Hape toy is given to a child, they are given more than something to play with - their potential is also being unwrapped. Some of the best-selling Hape toys will come to life in a 30 second video, with content themed around a festive narrative of The Fallen Angel, which aims to capture children’s imaginations. The Hape Railway, infant and role-play categories will take centre stage in the multi-faceted campaign.

The advert, in video and static format, will feature across digitalonline and social - platforms in the UK and Europe. Toynamics will also be offering retailers a strong support package, with POS and window display kits available. This will all be supported with PR outreach and a high-profile influencer campaign.

The Hape campaign will run on all major digital channels, including YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, across Europe and America, with the aim to make a big impact on the small screen.

Christmas Marketing

Moose Toys

01637 882

www.moosetoys.com

Moose Toys is set for another strong year in the UK, and abroad with new products in multiple categories. Robust marketing programmes will be delivered for the company’s hero ranges; from in-store demos, events and celebrity endorsements to YouTube family influencer content and TikTok activations. These will also be underpinned by a digital approach and TV media programme.

Among the lines to be supported, new from Little Live Pets is Mama Surprise, a life-like interactive guinea pig that delivers a surprise to delight its owner –three guinea pig babies. Mama Surprise comes alive when she is cared for and when her heart glows, she needs to be tucked into her deluxe hutch. Her little ones arrive one at a time over multiple days, each with its own care package and themed accessories, so into Christmas Day and beyond, it’ll be a gift that keeps on giving.

The popular Magic Mixies brand continues to expand and will enjoy full marketing support. The Magic Mixies Magical Crystal Ball gives kids the power to create a Magic Mixie. A wave of the interactive spellcasting wand and the words ‘magicus mixus’ fill the crystal ball with mist. When the mist disappears, the Mixie is revealed and the wand is used to give the Mixie its colour, voice and fortune telling powers. With four modes of play: Fortune Telling, Spell, Game and Tickling, the magic and the fun can keep going until play is done, when the crystal ball can be switched to night light mode. Available on pre-order since 1st September, this magical toy is already heralded a top toy for the season.

October sees the release of the newest Moose Game, Clipology, an all-new interactive streaming party game that will benefit from robust support. With 1000s of trivia questions and video puzzles featuring real clips from the world’s best movies and TV shows, this screen-time meets game-time trivia-based concept delivers a dynamic and exciting experience every time it is played.

PMS International

01268 505 050 | www.pmsb2b.com sales@pmsplc.com

November will see the launch of PMS International’s biggest consumer marketing campaign to date, developed to support the Elves Behavin’ Badly brand.

The multi-channel campaign, which promises to excite kids and raise awareness of the brand amongst adults ahead of the Christmas season, will be fronted by YouTube advertisements delivered via connected/smart TV. Additional support will be provided by TV advertising with an emphasis on child/purchaser shared TV moments during the all-important November period.

New creative has been developed especially for the campaign, including the brand’s first ever television commercial, plus bespoke digital content. The campaign will bring to life the cheeky, prankster elves as they visit families to share their mischievous take on the Christmas spirit. Exposure will be further strengthened by the addition of Facebook, Instagram and TikTok activity, maximising the reach of the Elves Behavin’ Badly brand to parents during the key sales period.

The campaign will reach a total of 4.2m individuals, delivering over 18m impacts across the UK & Ireland.

Christmas Marketing

Magicbox Toys

01293 222500 | www.magicboxint.com

sales@magicbox-toys.co.uk

Magicbox Toys will be placing significant investment behind its autumn ranges, ensuring that SuperThings, T-Racers and KookyLoos are front of mind with parents, gift buyers and children throughout the Christmas period.

KookyLoos dolls have three unique faces; the KookyLoos Express Yourself dolls change their expressions with a quick flick. Packaged in sustainable tubes, with clothes and accessories to discover in sustainable paper blind bags, children can collect all 24 mini dolls and then add to their collection with the many playsets in the range, such as Tiffany’s Pop-Up Bakery or Mia’s Kooky Caravan. The brand launched in August, with TV and digital support that is set to continue throughout Q4, including an immersive campaign using influential YouTubers run by KidsKnowBest. TVRs and digital views are top of the agenda and will be supported in subsequent months with wide-reaching Instagram campaigns plus an exclusive launch party at The Entertainer.

Magicbox Toys will also be creating multiple layers of support behind the latest SuperThings collection: Rescue Force. The SuperThings rally to the rescue in the multiple TVCs, which will be seen across linear and VoD TV channels, throughout the season, as well as on YouTube, with heavyweight pre-roll bursts delivering more than 2.5m true views. Closer to Christmas, marketing will highlight key gifting items including the SuperThings Rescue Truck, complete with ladder, light and sound effects, mobile jail, and more. SuperDino figures, as well as the new SuperThings series: Rescue Force, is already enjoying a phenomenal reaction at retail. Brand new content in the form of YouTube webisodes is being released throughout Q3 and Q4 to excite fans and immerse them in the adventures in Kaboom City.

T-Racers, the collectible, constructible, vehicle brand that lets kids design and build their own cars by mixing and matching the five different parts, will also be zooming onto screens over the next few months. With the latest release of the Fire & Ice series, the brand will be supported by some epic TVCs across linear and streamed TV to highlight the innovative play pattern, the interchangeability, and the many vehicles to collect, which unlock 500+ vehicle combinations. Also central to the action will be YouTube pre-roll featuring the many playsets, such as the T-Racer Turbo Truck and Dragon Loop, which let fans take on the challenge of racing their T-Racers. Ensuring brand awareness is delivered in layers, T-Racers will also benefit from animated content created and shown on Magicbox’s popular YouTube channel.

For more information, please contact the UK Magicbox Toys team

Schleich

01279 870 000 | www.schleich-s.com/en | schleich@schleich.co.uk

Following the unveiling of the brand’s new global strategy and relaunch in July, Schleich has embarked on its largest ever marketing campaign, to support both the overall brand and the key individual franchises.

From early September, Schleich aired its first major brand advertisement to further support the global strategy, logo and tagline, ‘Where stories begin’. Forming part of its international umbrella campaign, the ad uses Schleich’s authentic characters to pose imaginative questions that spark a spirit of wonder: Do giraffes grow in the rain? Can lions keep a secret?, What do dinosaurs eat? and Can a tiny zebra make the sun shine? The campaign features a comprehensive mix of digital, YouTube, VOD and OOH marketing.

In addition, Schleich continues to support its key individual franchises with a combination of TV, digital, YouTube, VOD and social media.

Leading the way is Horse Club Sofia’s Beauties which launches in October. An offshoot of the hugely successful Horse Club, the new property features authentic horses with long manes and luxuriant tails which can be brushed, decorated and interchanged for endless styling options. The TVC features the two larger play sets in the range: the fully portable Horse Pop-Up Boutique features a wide selection of accessories which can be used to decorate the manes before looking in the mirror, while in the Horse Beauty Salon, children can pamper the mares with beauty treatments. There’s a pedestal for styling, a podium for proudly presenting the finished looks and a drawer to store all the clips and beads.

The Horse Club TVC focuses on the three new Horse Club sets and its first modular offering, the extendible Lakeside Riding Centre. This comes with everything a budding equestrian and her horse could need including three horse stalls, a wash station, a hayloft with sleeping bags and fences which can be connected to make a large paddock. Also including three horses with saddles and blankets and two fully flexible figures, the Centre can be assembled and expanded in a variety of ways with a base and two additional new extension models – the Horse Stall Extension and Horse Shop.

In the ever-popular Dinosaurs world, the TVC will feature the new Dinosaur Transport Mission set featuring a truck, Triceratops and Dino researcher Luis, as well as established favourites in the range, including the Volcano Expedition Base Camp and the Large Dino Research Station

Join your friends at your favorite coffee house for a fast-paced game of Dobble: Friends, the new speed and observation card game from Zygomatic Games. The game includes the iconic Friends characters, Rachel, Phoebe, Monica, Chandler, Joey, and Ross, as well as classic symbols from the show, like the turkey, the purple door and the Central Perk logo.

Allegedly

As we report elsewhere in this issue, The Entertainer has struck a deal with Tesco to take over the running of around 35 of the grocer’s toy departments on a trial basis. One can only assume that someone at Tesco saw what The Entertainer did with Asda last year, very much liked the look of it and couldn’t believe their luck when Asda decided not to move forward with the arrangement. Kudos to The Entertainer team for not adopting a ‘once bitten, twice shy’ attitude and being willing to enter into a dialogue with Tesco – and good to see that those discussions ultimately led to a deal. In owner Gary Grant’s own words: “It’s a huge opportunity – we’re taking it very seriously.” And so they should; in its heyday (not all that long ago), Tesco really was a tremendous force in the toy market, driving huge sales for many suppliers and brands. Arguably, the sheen has come off that performance in recent years; the toy team that everyone knew and loved has moved on, while some suppliers have suggested that Tesco has become a little less pro-active and more reluctant to take on new ranges and suppliers. And even when it does agree to open a new account, I gather that it can take anything up to six months to complete the necessary admin – although to be fair, Tesco is not alone in that respect, it seems to be a challenge that toy suppliers are facing with all of the grocers. Inevitably, a combination of these factors may have resulted in some missed opportunities for Tesco in its toy aisles – and one of the real strengths of specialist toy retailers is their flexibility and speed to market…

The energy price cap rise in October is set to be a nightmare for many consumers – but even more so for many small businesses, as they aren’t covered by the cap. Companies and retailers coming to the end of fixedprice energy contracts are facing massive increases, and a few have gone public recently to illustrate just how outrageous the new tariffs will be. Department store Beales’ energy bills have soared from £45k to £150k, while Sambro CEO Paul Blackaby revealed that his company’s gas bill will be going from £35k to £265k and his electric bill from £59k to £297k. Those figures are nothing short of horrendous, and they are typical of the kind of increases that many businesses will face – small businesses in particular must be extremely concerned about their ability to absorb increases of this magnitude. A number of the major energy providers are said to have asked some companies to put down huge deposits to cover bills in advance, amid fears that the crisis will cause many small businesses to collapse. Reports suggest that retailers with low credit scores are being asked for up to three months spend as a deposit. There has already been talk of shopping centres and individual shops considering shortening their opening hours to conserve energy, and let’s not even get into the possibility of energy rationing over the winter. As the Beales CEO Tony Brown said: “The government cannot keep its head in the sand – it needs to take affirmative action.” Quite…

Matalan is reportedly working with advisors at Lazard to either find a buyer for the entire business or an investor to inject capital, who knows what may happen in the coming months. Matalan’s tribulations also challenge the assumption that value-driven retailers will all be in a strong position in the current economic climate – in reality, the truth is far more nuanced…

For those who still believe that a January trip to Hong Kong may yet be feasible, recent reports in local Hong Kong press offer some hope, with suggestions that there

is internal disagreement between different factions of the government over how quickly to lift quarantine restrictions. Bloomberg news went so far as to claim that new Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee is leaning toward scrapping hotel quarantine in November, to signal that Hong Kong is back in business. However, there have been objections; Health Secretary Lo Chung-mau is among those who want to tighten restrictions as cases surge, on the hope that suppressing cases will lead to the reopening of the border with mainland China. The big question is which faction will win out – and how quickly will a decision be taken? Many global buyers, especially those from the US and Europe, have other viable alternatives, but for local Asian buyers - for example those from Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the like – Hong Kong was always the main place to see new products and place orders. They will be hoping a resolution comes quickly…

Last month saw the Big Christmas Press Show take place in Islington. Diary clashes have meant that I had never been able to attend before, so it was great to finally experience the event in person. The fact I was given a golden VIP lanyard (I assumed just about everyone got one, but apparently not) was a nice bonus – that must be what it feels like to be a Smyths buyer at a Toy Fair. According to the exhibitors, despite a marginally lower footfall – almost certainly a result of recent Royal events, especially the TV crews – they were happy that all the important national journalists were present and correct. And credit to the organisers, they certainly know how to look after the media – a few other toy event PR companies could certainly learn a thing or two. The team behind the event (the CIJ Group) has been appointed to handle PR for Toy Fair next year, so I am looking forward to the breath of fresh air they’ll bring to proceedings. And who knows, maybe Dream Toys will become part of their remit in years to come? I can certainly see some potential synergies between the two events, and I think that many people feel that Dream Toys – which will take place on 9th November – is about ready for a fresh approach…

Last month also saw the LA toy event take place. It’s still very much a ‘VIP only’ experience, rather than a ‘come on in, everyone is welcome’ type of gathering –and, of course, it isn’t a traditional toy fair, being focused heavily around company showrooms (although many other companies not headquartered in LA are now setting up camp nearby in the hope of luring buyers and distributors over to their temporary showrooms). From what I can gather, most of the heavy hitters from the UK toy retail channel were there, as well as many of the leading toy companies and distributors. It will be interesting to hear what those heading to California made of it – if it continues to expand its horizons and guest list, there will be ramifications for other events taking place in September, not just in the US but across the globe…

John Lewis has unveiled its new strapline, designed to replace its iconic but outdated ‘Never Knowingly Undersold’ brand statement. So, what did the marketing geniuses at John Lewis come up with? “For all life’s moments.” Yep, that’s it. I really hope they pulled it out of a hat into which they asked partners to throw in suggestions and didn’t pay a fortune for some guru to come up with something so bland. Hat tip to Retail Gazette for its headline: “John Lewis strapline met with a resounding meh.” You can’t improve on perfection.

the undisputed market leader

As 2022 draws to a close, we would like to thank all of our partners for their fantastic support this year.

In 2022, Toy World has achieved its highest ever market share –a whopping 90% commercial market share.

* (Issues published between January 1st - September 23rd)

We published an issue every month – on time – and we sent out an email newsflash every single working day.

So, it’s no wonder that Toy World’s readership, engagement and traffic have all hit record levels this year.

And we’ll do the same again in 2023 – advertisers and reader can rely on Toy World to deliver.

We look forward to speaking to you all soon to discuss your plans for 2023.

In the meantime, if you would like a features list and publication schedule or to explore advertising options, please contact john@toyworldmag.co.uk or mark@toyworldmag.co.uk .